Mega Pics: Hunt for Corbulo. Ultra, BA, DA+Wolves VS Orks

[Prot]

Greets everyone,

We had this game a year ago that lead to the unfortunate capture of Corbulo from the Blood Angels. He was captured on an isolated mining town, and the Orks overwhelmed the Imperial presence there, including the local Astra Militarum.

This year we went at it again.....

Corbulo fought beyond the exhaustion pummeling Ork after Ork. His escape from the Ork stronghold was not the goal. Instead it was to slay every green bastard he could lay his bare hands on. The Orks had made a mistake. They thought the battle over, and it was now time to collect their dead, and re-assemble them, or whatever it is Orks do....

Corbulo found himself locked in a mining complex that acted as a sanctuary from the electric, acid storms on the mining moon. The Orks did not foresee that this Mining Complex could act as a beacon to any imperial forces in the sector.

One hundred and thirty seven Orks lay mutilated in that complex. They more they sent, the more Corbulo slayed. Exhausted and in dire need of recouperation, Corbulo managed to activate the Mining Complex emergency gates. Power hummed, and the complex came to life. Energy belts surrounded the complex making travel in or out of the complex nearly impossible.

While this allowed Corbulo the time to send a distress signal, it also trapped him in the compound. Killers and would be saviors alike could walk into the complex, however deep striking would be impossible due to the energy field.

Within 72 hours, Corbulo's beacon was answered.

An assembled force of Ultramarines, Blood Angels and Space Wolves would have to mass together in orbit and come up with a hasty plan as Corbulo's time was limited to how long it would take the Orks to realize what had happened. Already topgraphical scans and energy emissions were showing the activation of several large, lumbering Ork warmachines capable of leveling cities. There would be no surprising the Orks this time.

Ultramarines tried to draw up a plan, but it became clear that the Blood Angels wanted to be the ones to breach the Complex. This suited Tigurius fine, as the details of the plan required taking back certain strong points and the Ultramarines were well suited to the task. Space Wolves couldn't let the Blood Angels have all the glory. Although strong headed, the Ultramarines were impressed with their tactical acuity, willing to take on whatever task needed to be handled.... with the utmost aggression of course.

Shortly after it seemed like the Marines had amassed their forces, Belial of the Dark Angels answered the call. Some of the first company were able to react to the distress call. Without hesitation, Belial assembled some of the finest warriors of the First and was ready to teleport into the heart of the beast.

Knights were also present, and they would be key in stopping the warmachines if the combined marine forces were to have any chance of breaching the compound before the Orks.

Forty-seven minutes after adjourning the strategy meeting, the Ultramarines had a tactical air plan drawn up and already under execution. In another thirteen minutes, the ash grey skies of the mining moon were littered with strategically placed aircraft, and drop pods. The Hunt for Corbulo was underway....

The Mega battle:

- This story will be largely told in pictures as I write a lot of batreps up and this would be exhausting to write up in any coherent form of detail.

- If you read my preamble, you probably picked up the gist of the the game: Basically Corbulo is trapped in the centre of the table. We cannot deep strike there. The Orks have realized something has run amok at the complex. Corbulo has control of it, and has erected a weather emergency field that is sending an distress signal.... but the Orks hear it too.

- Both forces are trying to secure the complex as well as Maelstrom Mission Objective cards as follows:

- Corbulo in the power gated complex is Objective 7: At the end of every GAME TURN, 2 points are scored for controlling the area within those gates. (Again no deep striking, and while flyers can fly over the complex they cannot stop over it for any reason.)

- Each side is allowed 3 Objective Cards. Each side can discard up to ALL 3 of their cards if they wish, however, no one can discard "Objective X" cards. Objective X cards are achievable by BOTH sides of the game.

- Other than Corbulo the typical 6 mysterious objectives were put into play.

- Game turns were normal, and random length meaning we roll at turn 5 for possible end game.

+++ Orks win first turn and deploy along their long edge. Stompas and other awkward beasts plow forward. Several shots are taken at Knights. One large template deviates over Mephiston's squad, but what seems like certain death turns out to be only a few casualties.

+++ The Blood Angels are using a nasty formation: 3 of the Stormravens can pull through deep striking squads that can Assault after deep striking! Nice. Plus the units in this formation can still have ObSec! Insanely good formation.

+++ Note Ork units in turn 2 have pushed into the complex already. Bikes have breached the complex as well. On the right you see my Ultra's trying to grab objectives, using the Dark Angels to set up a forward Base.

+++ The Dark Angels forward base is set up but in big danger. Belial holds the line. Several Knights fall in this turn, and two squads of the Terminators face an incredible torrent of shots! 3 Dakka Jets, and 3 squads of Orks converge. At one point Belial's squad passes 14 Armour saves in a row!!!! The Orks prepare to assault. Belial holds firm. The building MUST be secured.

+++ On the opposite flank of the table, the Radar Tower is overrun with Orks. The Blood Angels fight tooth and nail to push them back. Several BA have teleported on to the outskirts of the complex. Terminators do well to push back, and many other marines give their life to the cause.

+++ The Orks take an early lead as I draw 2 objective cards that give them easily attainable 'Secure Objective X' points. But by the end of Turn 2, we are tied.

+++ The faulty Ork technology leaves them with one Stompa that doesn't have a custom forcefield. The Knights hone in on it and take down all 12 hullpoints! A massive explosion ensues.

+++ From the Ork side of things: On the left you can see my Ultramarines have come to back up the Dark Angels which have dwindled down to a few hardcore men. Somehow, some way, Belial and his men have held off a ridiculous amount of assault and firepower. (I gravely underestimated what a squad of Trukk Boyz(?) can do with a 4+ save, 2 wounds a piece, and those nasty axes with fists to boot.)

+++ My flyers come in (Stormtalons: one is proxied by a Nephifail.) and start to punch some hullpoints off of the Dakka jets. In the background (unseen) I have my Thunderfire drop in and in this turn it is punch serious holes in the massive ork mobs.

+++ My Landraider Crusader (proxied by the Landraider shown) carries 4 Centurions and Tigurius. Next to them, a squad of Ultra tacticals lend fire support to the Dark Angels leveling the Ork assaulters before they can reach the building.

+++ Turn 3 also ends in a tie.... it's approximately locked at 9 points a piece.

+++The Imperium strikes back! The Orks were pushing hard into the complex. The Astartes and Knights take more hullpoints off the weakened Stompa and then (offscreen to the left) my Centurions take shots at the Stompa and barely manage to strip its last 3 hullpoints off.

+++ The Wolves advance, but I believe this flyer is about to go down. The Wolves HQ was sitting in the front of the complex building preventing the Orks from scoring 2 objective points. But they get shot up pretty badly and break.... they held their own though against pretty bad odds. (I think you can see the lone dude running under the flyer which is now hovering in the complex).

+++ The lone Stompa advances with Ghazghkull inside!

+++ After blowing up the final 3 hullpoints on the Stompa, the Orks realize the threat the Centurions pose to the last Stompa so they rush in a mighty full squad and assault. Nearby the Blood Angels come in to assist.... as do the Ultramarines in the nearby Drop Pod which were acting as fire support for Belial. This was a big moment for the Ultra's as they needed that Centurion firepower.

+++ Tigurius gets off Invisibility, AND Terrify on this horde. They are feared, and only hit Centurions on a 6, and everyone else is hitting them back on '3's'. They are unceremoniously grinded into the ground.

+++ While the air war wages on, it appears the Astartes have stated to turn the tide. Dakka jets are going down.

+++ Tigurius clears his mind of the strain, and orders the Ultra's advance. The Tacticals go back to supporting the Dark Angels boltering down more Orks. The Centurions see a huge target cowering behind the Compound; a squad of Orks trying to score the objective. All but one are shot to pieces by the Centurions... but there's always more greenskin to back fill the void....

+++ Turn 3-4 the imperium pulls a head a few points, but we are still approximately within 3 points of each other.

+++ This is it... The last Stompa with Ghazghkull rushes through the complex. Astartes flyers start to go down, and the complex is rushed with green.

+++ The Knights take down the stompa but Ghazghkull is ferocious! The Formation used by the Knight player does not work in close combat and the armour is easily punched through by Ghazghkull's most brutal warriors. He and his squad destroy 2 knights!

+++ Not shown here: Ghaz and his men stand in a line atop the Complex (some mega armoured nobs can be seen here.) This is a prime target for the Centurions and Tigurius orders the shots..... The entire squad, save Ghaz is widdled down with a hail of Grav shots from 2 feet away. Ghaz's 2++ Invuln (he waaaghed) saves him as well as a Painboss nearby.

+++ Ghaz is finally slain by the Blood Angels getting us a Slay the Warlord.

+++ The Western flank has been a real meat grinder, but Belial just would not fall. He continues to slowly take wounds, but every injury just seems to fuel his hatred further. The Sword of Secrets has drunk deeply of greenskin. The remaining Terminators come in to blow up trukks and stragglers. The tacticals and Razorback blow up another trukk and other would be assaulters.

+++ The landraider Crusader and the (unseen) Thunderfire cannon melt the hordes trying to reinforce the frontal assault but fail. Finally the spine of the Greentide has snapped in two. Belial still chops through the remaining survivors and the what's left of the Ork flank is now hiding in a building (just to the right of the picture).

+++++++++++++++++ END GAME +++++++++++++++++++++++

+ Turn 5 rolls up an end game. At the bottom of the turn, the Imperium FINALLY owns the Complex.

+ There are lots of Orks still left, however the military effectiveness is nearly gone. The Imperium owns a lot of the table at this point and the score reflected it as we ended up with something like 17-12 points.

+ Casualties were amazingly high on both sides. Warlords fell, as did Gods of War. The flyer war was won by the Imperium but aside from my lucky jinks on the Stormtalons, I think most flyers were down to a hullpoint. (The biggest threat left was lootas in a wagon and tractor beams. I took a chance, advanced both Stormtalons and Strafed the units until the Loota wagon blew up pinning the lootas that lived.)

+ The Deathwing were beastly. I tried to reinforce them, but the Orks were fast. My supporting Deviations on the Termies were awful, but even though the Knights lost 4 models, Belial's squad took a horrendous amount of firepower and held the line until reinforcements could take over.

+ The Knights were amazing with special formation. However just when we thought it was all over since the death of the Stompa's, I could not believe how easily Ghaz tore through the Knights.

+ The Blood Angel formation is bitter sweet to watch. As a Dark Angel player I'd give my left Calibanian teste for a half useful formation as this, but it was also extremely potent to see unfold. The ability to unload that much and assault was made for a game like this. Obsec is the icing on the cake as most formations simply don't have it.

+ The Wolves tried to support wherever possible and since that player had the three Knights, I thought he did a great job of filling the voids.

+ The Ultra's using 4 cents and Tigurius was extremely potent. Somehow I didn't lose any of them, and as usual they were extremely expensive but a tactically sound choice. Since I brought the majority of pods, I used all of that to support my Dark Angels and I got a huge break the turn Belial saved 14 wounds.

+ Corbulo is saved. The desolate mining planet will be cleansed and everyone goes their own merry way.... until next time.

Thanks for reading this. I hope you enjoyed it half as much as I did playing it!

[Shubniggurath]

A very nice read. Looks like you had an awesome game! Those Deathwing terminators really did an epic job .

[markham82]

Lots of awesomeness. It does sound like you had lots of fun. Thanks for the batrep.

[Corbulo]

I AM SAVED! Let the Orks rue the day they dared challenge the imperium! Drink deep of victory and remember the fallen.

[Njjesters4]

Love that gaming board

[Isiah]

Nicely written and photographed report. Congrats on the outcome. Glad to see Belial and his First Company brothers do their bit.

 

Looks like fun was had by all.

 

Cheers

I

[Prot]

Thanks very much for reading the batrep guys.

 

Lots of awesomeness. It does sound like you had lots of fun. Thanks for the batrep.

 

 

It was indeed a ton of fun. The Wolves guy is also an Ultramarine player but we play them quite differently. I think he saw how I was using Tigurius with the Cents and the results it had...

 

The thing that made it fun was the people involved. Very fun, players, but they all want to crush each other's skull in! The way it should be!

 

Nicely written and photographed report. Congrats on the outcome. Glad to see Belial and his First Company brothers do their bit.

Looks like fun was had by all.

Cheers
I

 

Thanks I. I actually don't know if I properly conveyed the epicness of the First Company and Belial. In all honesty they must have faced the combined shooting of Lootas, 3-4 dakka jets, 70 orks? (maybe more?) 2 assault waves, and miscellaneous trukk shots! They simply held the line and would not budge. 

 

If I had known how incredibly potent the boyz with the 4+/axes/ 2 wounds were.... I would have over loaded my assault on them a bit better. I could have freed Belial up and saved 2-3 of his buddies earlier if I had a better understanding of that squad.

 

In all honesty it made me miss the intricacies of playing the Dark Angels in their special wings. I get the odd game in with them but 90% of my games have been with Ultra's. This was an absolute blast though and close to the end which it should be!

[Solrac]

Awesome batrep Prot! Good to see another Ork Waaaghh has been halted.

 

Was a good read with great pics :)

[Chaplain Lucifer]

Great batrep!!! Awesome to see the 4 big ones vs orks!!