Legio Favilla walks - Ashen Gods unleashed

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job.

[Sherrypie]

Some grand Titanicus slam tonight!

1750 points of Favilla's hyper-aggressive Ferrox pain-train took on a two-player Krytos / Fureans alliance, facing off on a desert world tainted by a foul, toxic atmosphere (which could worsen critical damage over time) and wracked by a painful, daemonic presence (which made machine spirits even more unruly than usual). Both sides were trying to break deeply into the other's lines.

A perfect display of Titanicus as a game: first turn was agressive maneuvering, followed by a wild firestrom, third turn nuclear annihilation and a fourth turn mop-up of those still standing. My Ashen Gods took the field by Full Striding through the line on the first turn while the opposition dillydallied in their corner, losing the momentum and then getting slaughtered with their backs to the wall. While the result was a blowout 35-7 points and 6-2 casualties for Favilla's favour, the game was hugely fun for all involved and a rematch shall surely follow in time. All the beautifully painted and visually distinctive armies don't hurt, either :)

My favourite moment was at the end, as my teleporting Clawlord finally got a Charge on the opposing Deus Victrix and tore his reactor heart out in one neat display of four Critical Hits to the body. Fists for days!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent work on the god-machines.

[schoon]

Sounds like much fun was had by all, and those are some VERY good looking Titans on both sides!

[Sherrypie]

Cheers boys.

 

Sounds like much fun was had by all, and those are some VERY good looking Titans on both sides!

Indeed, there was much rejoicing (with a small chance of bards being eaten). Gaming is great regardless of the results when all participants are proud of putting in the work to their armies.

[Sherrypie]

Hiyo!

Finally, had the opportunity to take a proper family portrait of my legions both titanic and astartes! I present you, (almost) all of the currently painted Ashen Gods and the Death Guard in their 6 mm glory!












Hope you enjoy!

Now there's only about as much again, waiting on the shelves for their time to get processed as well...  :P

 

[schoon]

Wow, Sherrypie! That's amazing.

 

How many years of work do those pictures represent?

[Sherrypie]

Wow, Sherrypie! That's amazing.

 

How many years of work do those pictures represent?

Thanks schoon!

 

Not too many even, Epic stuff is quick to do. The AT part started about three years ago right as the game came out in 2018, while my Epic groove caught on about a year later.

 

This is what happens when you just get a few odd pieces for basing. Kids, don't do drugs :D

[Sherrypie]

Battle reports, ahoy!

Last weekend saw some titanic action as the green line of Krytos and Solaria thundered forwards against the Ashen Gods of Favilla. On this wartorn industrial world, lightning and artillery bombarded the area incessantly as the comms lit up: the Very Important Ultramarines (in their Land Raiders, objective markers) must be extracted from the clutches of Death Guard before it is too late.




We had a bit of fun in a four player setup, giving control of the main flow of command to the players who had full maniples on the field while one lad wanted to test his Warmaster out as support and I played my Psi-Titan and some knights in support of the new player trying out a Corsair trio of my Reavers. We used a smaller hand of custom stratagems for expediency.

Both sides quickly sped forwards to claim one of the Land Raiders, before everything went to hell for the alliance.




Before the second Krytos Hound got a chance to vaporize the knights who came to claim the Raider, they executed a daring dash backwards and sped into safety, though one of their number was soon blown apart by a Basilisk battery.
The Hound in question, though, was utterly atomised by the arcane contraption in Aetheris-Anathema's hand as if its shields were not even there. A dark blast of unreality shot forwards and in an unnervingly silent moment, the inner parts of the Warhound ceased to exist this side of the Veil as the charred outer remains crumbled into wreckage on the ground.




At the green corner, the Ultramarines were being escorted into relative safety while the titans turned their guns against the incoming sneaky Cerastoi.




One did make it through the rain of plasma undeterred, though, and charged in. Slamming its lance through the heart of the other Warhound, they tangled together in death as the Hound exploded like a miniature sun.



In the other direction, the two big chonkers had been firing away at the incoming Reavers, of which Flagellum Dei got blasted apart in a radiation cloud as its tortured shields could take no more and huge balls of roaring plasma ripped through its structure. This, however, did nothing to prevent the horror that was the Psi-Titan from ravaging the Warmaster from afar. First shot tore through its sides, coolant leaking in torrents from the wound as it backed behind the large office building in vain hope of gaining cover. This was not to be, however, as the second beam of nightmares vaporized said office block in contempt and smashed into the god-machine behind. There was a screech of dying metal, followed by a blinding explosion as the remains blew sky high, unleashing the caged power of the plasma reactors within.



Alarmed and struck in the legs by the debris cloud, the Krytos Warlord Deus Invictrix blinked for a moment too long and allowed one of the Reavers, Ruina Superborum, to close in and grip it by the cojones with its fists. The wounded giant was soon toppled, smashed into the ground and screaming its last as it was sawn apart.

They day belonged to the Ashen Gods.



 

[schoon]

Great battle report! Love the special effects.

[Mandragola]

Great report. Looks like the Psi-Titan was getting the job done there. Great armies on both sides.

[Trokair]

Out of curiosity, where are the little tanks and dreadnaughts from?

 

I had assumed that they where old Epic stuff, but then I spotted a sicaran and a leviathan dread.

[Sherrypie]

Thanks guys!

 

@Mandragola: yeah, the Psi-Titan is pretty much the perfect counter to the Warmaster if it's allowed to have a field day at long range without harassment. It can pretty much pin a slow target in place and destroy it without engaging with its strong defences.

 

@Trokair: they are an eclectic mix of old Epic, 3D prints and conversions.

[Sherrypie]

Finally started to put some pictures on my Instagram, if someone's interested:

https://www.instagram.com/sherrypiexiv/

Titanicus stuff isn't there yet, but will soon find its way therein.

[Sherrypie]

I had to prepare at least something new for tomorrow's mega-Titanicus. Few days and maybe ~20 painting hours later:

*BWAAAAAAAAP*






Delictor Profectuum, the Eraser of Deeds, Annihilator of Achievements, walks!

This brings Legio Favilla to 13 painted titans, which... will probably not be enough, I haven't even built all my stuff :D

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent work on the Delictor. All that gold makes him look like a scaled-up God-Emperor.

[Sherrypie]

Excellent work on the Delictor. All that gold makes him look like a scaled-up God-Emperor.

Thanks Bjorn. Gotta look the part when bringing wayward civilizations to the gentle embrace of the Imperium ;)

[Mandragola]

Very nice big stompy robot you've got there. Good job.

[Sherrypie]

Very nice big stompy robot you've got there. Good job.

Cheers, Mandragola. We'll see if he gets a chance to stomp some fine folks soon.

 

Megabattle reporting to follow in a couple of days ;)

Edited October 15, 2021 by Sherrypie

[Lord_Borak]

Damn, that's good! I love the use of the Old Whirlwind Launchers, they're perfect!

[malika666]

ICBM here we come!!!

[Sherrypie]

Thanks Borak and Malika! Gotta go totally tubular with ICBM's when piddly rockets just ain't cutting it

 

Also, the Battle of the Sundered Dreams happened as 47 God-Machines and 12 Knights marched to war.



Tune in a day or two, for a tale of botched commands, fury of a thousand suns and dying of the light... It's battle report time when I get this stuff edited

[Sherrypie]

Battle of Sundered Dreams, 16.10.2021

---

Once, we shared a dream. Of unity, of purpose and kinship. With the fury of a thousand suns such notions are shattered in bitter struggle as camaraderie turns into hate and poisons the hands that once clasped as one. Words turn to anger, posturing into ground-shaking tread of titans and blame into action.

The first trigger was pulled and a world forever thus doomed.

----



Nine players, 47 God-Machines and 12 Knights, let's goooooo!
(could have had more engines, but we settled for one maniple + support per player to get this played in one day)

I wrote a custom mission, seen in previous posts, emphasizing both sides' needs to advance towards the six points of interest (3 progressive Victory Point areas, three others for in-game advantages). Players could roll for reserves every round, bringing dead engines once more unto the field.

On the allegedly loyalist side, we had two Astorum maniples (Regia and Corsair), Ignatum (Precept supported by a psi-titan), Gryphonicus (Axiom) and Solaria (Mandatum supported by a Warmaster).

Facing this wall of steel was the wrongly accused Peoples' Heroes line consisting of Fureans (Venator), Krytos (Regia) and Favilla (Ferrox and Extermigus supported by a psi-titan), supported by four Banners of indentured Knights (8 Cerastoi and 4 Acastoi). Given the loyalists were up one player and five titans, I gave one of my knight Banners for each of the traitor commanders to even things a bit.

Given how I usually run extremely mobile danger close attacks with Ferroxes, it was a nice change of pace to lead a no holds barred super-heavy detachment as our anchor in the middle objective. The city center and the Fellblade depot were solidly in Favilla's hands.



The enemy left the middle rather uncontested, with only one Astorum maniple setting up against it.



The loyalists concentrated on their left flank, with three maniples and their psi-titan lording it over that side. Against them, the Ferrox and Venator groups were somewhat outweight'd even with their Cerastus allies.




At the traitors' left, Krytos faced the War Griffons who were boldly claiming targets left and right from the moment it all started, but soon had their plans trashed as over-eager Astorum engines jumped on their turf to escape the line of Favilla's Warlords in the middle.



While the first shots rang through the cool evening air, at the right flank traitors surged forwards and claimed the Death Guard's artillery battery for their aid and took positions along the road.




In the middle, Favilla marches through an anomalous gravity field to force the Astorum forces turn back and fight them while the first ENGINE KILL is sounded after Aetheris-Anathema, the psionic monster, has ravaged the lonely Ignatum warhounds looking for opportunities there. A beam of howling blackness rakes their hulls, bursting shield bubbles and opening targets for the other Warlords to kill. Another Hound and Reaver soon join the burning pile.

The Warbringer Contemptus Mundi has a rowdy spirit, which accidentally pushes it to step on one of the Fellblades, crushing it heedlessly.



The other tanks are swiftly shouted into action, led by Aurora Terribilis against the Astorum.



On the right, the loyalists are taking positions to swamp their protectorate with so much metal it's pretty much un-assailable for the rest of the battle. Sorcerous beams and massed fire start to take their toll on the light traitor forces, who lose multiple Warhounds and Knights in short order.




On the left side, after Krytos had spent inordinate effort in bringing down the shields of Astorum's Warlord Apparator and its supporting Hounds, for the time it seemed like the Gryphons had stormed the objective area long enough that the arrival of Solaria's Warmaster would all but seal its control for the loyalists. However, this was not to be due to the Peoples' Heroes enthusiastic allies. While the continuous rain of fire from the artillery had done its part, a dramatic air charge took place at the target as two Thunderhawks of the XIV screamed down by the ground.



Where there were loyalists, there soon lay three dead or burning Warhounds in the fliers' wake.



If only the Krytos' forces weren't currently wrestling with Gryphonicus Reavers nearby, they way would be open right this instant. As an amusing sidenote, the Apparator, Astorum Warlord that had resisted death for too long, died in glorius ignomity: a Krytos Warbringer shot it in the face with a Quake cannon, failing to cause any significant damage, but pushing it backwards against the Warhound Eclipsor who had been hiding behind it as a void shield battery. In the resulting series of collisions, the Warlord lost any remaining integrity it had in its bombed-out legs and fell on top of Eclipsor, burying it alive and silenced under the body of its giant sibling to the cheers of the artillerymen.

In the middle city, Favilla's uncontested reign was momentarily disturbed by a single Warhound, Dagon, who had been hiding behind one of the megastructures until this moment.



It sprinted behind Contemptus Mundi's shields and nearly melted its feet off before Iudex Ultionis stepped in from behind to kick it to the curb, but the plucky hound wasn't done yet. As the Warlord's foot crushed the brave little machine, its princeps smashed the red button to disengage all safeties. Raging against the dying of the light, its Lucius-forged reactor heart exploded like a miniature sun (automatic Meltdown with +5 to Scale). Their player then managed to consistently roll like 5 Str 12 hits bypassing shields all over the place, which managed to kill and further explode the injured Warbringer nearby while savaging both Iudex and Aetheris-Anathema near death's door.



The psionic monstrosity started regenerating immediately, twisted steel warping back to shape, but the position was suddenly a lot more precarious as Astorum's reserve Warlords started pouring in.

At right flank, while the loyalists held the numerical advantage, they had been effectively stopped in their tracks by the furious light maniples controlling some of the choke points in the area. While the incoming fire was heavy, Favilla's speartip managed to push through and Flagellum Dei charged like a thunderbolt. Unfazed by the storm of gatling fire peppering its armour, it crashed against the Astorum Reaver blocking its way. Disruption fields flickered and burst to life as its power fist tore through adamantium and punched out the heart of its victim, sending its silenced body flying headlong against the other Reaver behind it.



The rest was a blur. At left, Krytos held the ground against the Warmaster best as they could while their engines vaporized. At right, the loyalist advance was kept in check and no further gains could be had. In the middle, while Delictor Profectuum was lost to psi-fire and Ignatum's long range bombing, the renewed Astorum offensive could not finish off the wounded engines as much as they tried, the Ashen Gods seemingly watched over by some darker forces this day as the center burned around them.

By the battle's end, no clear victor had risen from the struggle while bleeding and burning engines of all colours littered the field here and there. VP's stood somewhere between 370-390, with the Peoples' Heroes edging a 25 point lead. With less than 10 % difference in the scores, a bitter tie would be a fine description for this grave of men and machines.


I was there and saw with eyes then young, how the Dream was torn asunder.


Thanks for reading, happy wargaming.

[schoon]

Forgive me if this was answered above and I didn't see it, but what rules were you using for fliers and tanks?

 

...and as always, the Photoshop effects are greatly appreciated. :)

[Sherrypie]

Forgive me if this was answered above and I didn't see it, but what rules were you using for fliers and tanks?

 

...and as always, the Photoshop effects are greatly appreciated. :)

Ah, the mission briefing wasn't in this thread, whoops. The scenario had six objective areas on the table, three for victory points and three for in-game bonuses. Tanks worked as 10" movement Macro-Batteries, Basilisks fired two Artillery Bombardments and the airfield gave new stratagem cards every round. Fliers came down marking a 24" air strike line one turn, doing D3 Str 5 hits on all falling under that path. Plenty of other stratagem style shenanigans, in other words.