Over to Joseph...
Since playing Space Crusade in the early 90s as a boy I have long wanted my own space hulk/zone mortalis terrain. I recently bought some laser cut mdf, put it together and painted enough for a 4 by 4 table - it isn’t amazing but it is on its way to being pretty good.
This report is my first full game on this new terrain. I wanted to play a small scale game but still have some reasonably big characters - hence the warboss and Wolf Guard leader Hralnir.
Message, on all frequencies, from the Will of Iron - Imperial cruiser class. Urgent assistance - require boarding parties to assist in clearance of large warp hulk designated purge with extreme prejudice (possible sighting of battleship class Emperor’s Justice wreckage within hulk structure). Sector Anschloss
"Listen closely brothers, if this hulk has the Emperor's Justice within it we must be a part of the force boarding it. Long ago we lost many wolf brothers when the Emperor's Justice was claimed by the warp during a clash with the Thousand Sons fleet. There is much we could learn of our brothers fate on board that ship."
The hall was completely silent. The old wolf, Grimnar, was not one to show disrespect to and his words were like a fire in the gathered brothers veins. A hulking figure stood and gestured to be heard.
"With my Jarl Ragnar's leave I and my warband will go." With a voice deep and rough Hralnir Stirki spoke and raised his fist.
"This task may take much time and patience, my warband can be spared for it I think and Ragnar will still have his company intact without us.”
A dark figure stepped from the shadows of the doorway and nodded. The young wolf was somehow unlike every wolf brother and yet he was also the essence of what a space wolf strived to become. His reputation was marked with such success and glory yet always there was the doubt from older brothers concerning his unorthodox methods and fierce rage.
"Hralnir is a good choice and I am glad he wishes this task to be his. My company will not be far in any case, we are bound for the Anschloss Sector within the week to hunt the ork threat in the Frestian Alps of Jerath. Should you require support it will not be slow in coming."
The gathered terminators and grey hunters rose to their feet as Hralnir Stirki strode in.
"The Imperial Navy have made a serious error and have a force isolated and cut off in the hulk as we speak. Prepare yourself brothers, we move to intercept the ork assault on them in minutes. Meet me in the eastern hangar bay with a full assault loadout."
Space Wolves: 500pts
Hralnir Stirki - Wolf guard battle leader with T armour, S Shield, krakenbone sword
5 blood claws with flamer
5 grey hunters with leader in T armour with chainfist
5 grey hunters with leader with power fist
Rune priest with runic sword
Lone wolf
Imperial Guard: 500pts
Command Squad; Colonel with 4 flamer lads
3 Bullgryns with shields and power mauls
10 man squad of veterans with 3 flamers
10 man squad of veterans with demo charge and 3 flamers
Orks: 1000pts
Warboss with mega armor and claw
3 meganobs with mega armor and claw
10 nobs with heavy armour, big choppas, a few claws and normal choppas.
5 flashgitz
16 Grots with 2 herders
6 Burner boys with mech
10 Choppa boys with nob
10 Choppa boys with nob
Terrain/setup/scenario:
The guard (or astra militarum if you must be up to date) have have done a boarding action and found some interesting items but have unfortunately entered an area under the control of an ork warboss who is coming for the shiny gear.
Realising that getting out alone is unlikely, they have barricaded a defensive position in a large central room and are hoping the Wolves can reach them in time.
The orks set up and come on from the opposite board edge to the Wolves and the guard deploy in the central room.
Additional notes: doors are opened by moving into contact with them though they can be shot open (they have 1 hull point armour 11). Orks have the endless wave/tide rule for troops choices as long as their warboss is alive. The troops will keep coming back after they are removed, unless we kill the big ork.
Turn 1:
Wolves simply move on and hightail it for the central room (wolf speak for 'they all run'). Guard sit and put a brew on. Orks start heading for the humie gits and their shiney gear. Grots and burners head as if to cut off the wolves, everyone else heads for the central room. Massively exciting first term…
Turn 2:
Lone wolf lad is getting out in front and heading for the burners and grots followed by the blood claws and Hralnir himself (the rest of the wolves are fairly close behind). Warboss is heading for the main corridor and the central room with his nobs just ahead of him and his meganobs.
Turn 3:
Lone wolf lad opens the door so that the wolf lads behind can fire through and take a few burners down, they kill 2, not nearly enough. The lone wolf is about to be crispy. Blood claws tear into the grots and make very short work of them - they try to flee but are cut down. They consolidate towards the main room and away from the burners.
The 10 nobs charge into the main room, shoot a veteran and then assault over the barricades (have frag gear of some kind). They lose 2 nobs to overwatch (loving flamers right now).
The burners attempt to scorch one lone wolf but completely botch it (1 wound caused and he saved it) and their mech lad overheats and kills himself (orks!), so they pile in to kill him up close (hopefully) and not be open to get shot at. Flash gits and choppa lads are close to coming into the main room also and the warboss is just outside the central door too.
The nobs carve up the veterans, all gone mostly to big choppas, and consolidate into the veterans old position next to the colonel and the bullgryns.
The lone wolf kills 2 of the burners and wins the combat without a scratch, the burners hold.
The poor veterans… that is just too much nob.
Turn 4:
The blood claws, bullgryns and command squad line up to shoot and assault the nobs.
The remaining veteran squad decide to take the fight to the enemy and jump out of cover, open the door and prepare to light up the corridor filled with flashgitz and choppa boys with their flamers, shotguns and single demolition charge.
The lone wolf prepares to receive help in the form of the rune priest. He insists he doesn't need it.
The veterans turn in an amazing performance, they flame down about 4 orks, the demo charge takes out about 5 (having landed perfectly on target) and they shotgun a last one leaving a single flashgit to lose his nerve and run. Corridor cleared.
After shooting a couple of nobs down the blood claws, bullgryns and command squad charge into the nobs.
The rune priest cuts down the remaining burners with apparent ease. Lone wolf consolidates towards the returning grot mob.
The nobs prove resilient to all except the bullgryns (5 out of 5 4+ saves v the claws helped) and kill 2 of the blood claws.
The bullgryns however, inflict a total of 10 wounds killing 5 nobs and leaving only the last one with his claw to snip another of the claws. He runs and escapes (2” move).
Now it is the time for the warboss to make his presence known. He charges around the corner and slams into the wolf guard battle leader, challenge, let the boss-off begin. The remainder of the choppa boys assault the veterans but lose 1 in overwatch.
In the assault phase both the warboss and the wolf guard leader underperform, a grand total of no wounds for the wolf and 1 that is saved by the storm shield for the warboss means it is a tied combat. Disappointment plus. The choppas kill 3 veterans and they run but escape back to the colonel.
Turn 5:
Veterans regroup.
The remainder of the choppa boys are wiped out by the colonel, veterans and their flamers.
The bullgryns assault the meganobs with less favourable odds of success this time but know they need to help or the wolf leader will be in trouble even if he beats the warboss.
The returning grots are shot and assaulted by the lone wolf with some shooting support from the nearby grey hunters. The old wolf kills 3 and sees them off, like a good lad should!
In the pivotal warboss fight the battle leader hits with all 3 attacks but manages triple 1s to wound with his AP2 sword - oh the wolfmanity.
The warboss calmly snips him in half after his storm shield is not able to stop 2 of the wounds from the giant power claw.
The bullgryns kill one nob and lose one of their own but don’t flee.
Triple 1s, freakin triple 1s, this was not how the damn story was supposed to go.
The last unscathed mob of orks comes into view facing the veterans, they shoot them up (3 or so die - no flamers though) and attempt to assault but lose 2 to overwatch which means they can no longer make the charge range - I may have enjoyed that moment.
The warboss joins the meganobs and the bullgryns are chopped into small pieces by the 2 remaining power claws though they bring another nob down. 1 meganob on one wound and the warboss are surrounded by imperials and expect to get shot from every angle.
Turn 6:
All systems shoot. Vets flame the remaining choppas who then flee. Colonel with flamer command squad, grey hunters, blood claws and rune priest all get set to shoot and assault the warboss and his last mega nob. The rune priest manages 2 psychic wounds which the warboss takes on himself only to roll double 1s (GET IN!) and reduce himself to a final wound. All of the shooting (about 7 wounds) is saved so they all pile in to see if they can bring the beasts down.
In the assault we fail with everything until the power fist of the wolf guard leader from the grey hunters manages to bring the warboss down - finally.
In return the warboss crushes his killer, the rune priest and a blood claw and the nob carves the colonel into small pieces with his claw.
The imperials lose and flee but escape.
One single meganob now faces 2 squads of grey hunters, about 4 imperial flamers and a lone wolf, those are my kind of odds.
The last nob attempts to shoot and charge but is brought down by a flamer in overwatch, and the battle ends with an Imperial victory.
The Imperials have an untouched squad of grey hunters, 4 veterans, 2 command squad flamers, 4 other grey hunters without their brave wolf guard leader and a weary lone wolf.
Ragnar cradled Hralnir’s head as he lay, dissected in two halves, on the metal floor of the landing bay.
“The beast is dead, not by my hand… Take my sword Jarl Ragnar, it has served me well.” Hralnir could barely whisper but his eyes remained clear as he looked up at his lord. Ragnar Blackmane smiled grimly.
“What of you though? Will you fight on for me?” Ragnar knew what he asked and stared straight into Hralnir’s eyes, searching for any fear or doubt.
There was none, his old wolf guard leader was as stalwart as ever.
“If you can still use me.”
“The Iron Priests will prepare a Dreadnought for you. We must hunt again soon."