The Battle of Obcasus IV

[Son of Carnelian]

On the first of the New Year, over a half-dozen of the local players (including my brother and I) banded together in creating the biggest Apocalypse game we could. To everyone else, it was just another cool battle, but to me, it was an awesome opportunity for some fluff! Here be the pretty pictures, with some in-universe and in-game descriptions. Enjoy!

Flesh Tearer's rush across the streets of the Hive Moloch, desperate to take the Imperial Chapel back, while the surviving Black Templars scramble from their wrecked Land Raider.

Scout snipers of the Dark Angels stand vigilant on the tallest tower of the Fortress of Redemption.

Tau Pathfinders mark their targets while the barely-allied Black Templars provide fire support to their brothers below.

The Demon Prince Dara'koth'ka leads the Orks in the assault on Imperial lines.

Striking from the rear of the Imperial lines, the Orks cut a bloody swathe through the Dark Angels.

The creations of the local Ork Mekboy charge through the polar ice caps towards the Fortress of Redemption.

However, the Dark Angels are not easily moved...

...As the first Orks to reach their lines find out, at deadly cost.

An armored column moves through the planet's clay wastes, intent on securing the Tau shrine and destroying the enemy bunker.

However, the Tau and their Lost Legion allies are intent on tightening their hold on Obcasus.

Massive reserves ready to be dropped wherever the Xenos forces need them.

The battle took place across three different continents (read: tables). The clay wastes played host to the Lost Legion, Tau, and Tyranids, all arrayed against Pedro Kantor and his reborn Crimson Fists. Hive Moloch saw Tau, Chaos, Orks, and some Black Templars against the Dark Angels and elements of a unknown successor chapter. Not in this picture: the polar ice caps, where a mighty Warhound Titan held the line with a full company of Dark Angels against mobs and mobs of Orks, who themselves had two stompas!

Ork deffkoptas rush over the Demon Prince Dara'koth'ka and make a beeline for the Imperial chapel, with a looted Baneblade crushing behind them.

Vespids, Soul Grinders, Plague Marines, Black Templars, and a Dreadnaught all rush to defend an icon from an approaching super heavy tank.

In the end, the plant quaked, the ice caps collapsed, and all involved suffered horrendous casualties. Still, the Tau came away as the biggest victors, holding their objective while capturing Pedro Kantor's. But what good is a captured planet if it stands blood-stained and barren?

[Lachdannan]

Cool report and pictures. Makes me want to do something similar. If only I had the time...

[Son of Carnelian]

Thanks, brother! It was really cool. The Dark Angels player (forgot his name) had been playing the game for over twenty years and had some of the original Rouge Trader marines. They were really cool to see! The original dreadnaught is VERY scrawny though. That Warhound Titan has a lot of history, too. Back when the 13th Black Crusade did its big tour, GW had something called the Battlewagon that did mobile games of what we would now call Apocalypse. They made that Warhound Titan just for the very store we played our game in. It's been there for nearly ten years now, taking the field when the Imperium is in its most dire need.