10th Edition Tales of The Rout

[Dark Legionnare]

Greetings all. Since I've played three games so far and generally perfected my initial ideal of a 2K list of all firstborn that works I was inspired to do something I haven't done since long, long ago in 5th edition here on the B&C. Do a bit of Skjalding, and also provide some in-action examples for folks to possibly take ideas from. So here's the tale of Saturday's game.

LIST (I'll use old categories for Organizations sake)

• HQ 
  • Ragnar Blackmane's blonde cousin (3rd edition conversion boy he be, complete with back-banners.)
  • Wolf Lord on Thunderwolf: w/Shield, powerfist, & "Frost Weapon" enhancement.
  • 3x Wolf Guard Pack Leader: w/combi & powerfist (Each attached to a Grey Hunter squad. Powerfist because wolf-claws they are modeled with are gone now...)
  • 1x Wolf Guard Pack Leader: w/powerfist & bolt pistol (Attached to Blood claws)
  • 1x Iron Priest: w/full kit
• Troops 
  • 5x Grey Hunters: w/plasma gun, melta gun, plasma pistol, & all w/chainswords
  • 5x Grey Hunters: w/plasma gun, melta gun, plasma pistol, & all w/chainswords
  • 5x Grey Hunters: w/plasma gun, melta gun, plasma pistol, & all w/chainswords
  • 10x Blood Claws: Sarge w/powerfist, the rest w/chainswords
• Elites 
  • Wulfen Dreadnought: w/shield and axe. (Modeled from a contemptor w/shield and axe)
• Fast Attack 
  • 6x Thunderwolf Cavalry: w/shields & heirloom weapons.
• Transports
  • Razorback: w/Twin-lascannon, storm bolter, & HK missile
  • Razorback: w/Twin-lascannon, storm bolter, & HK missile
• Heavy support
  • Land Raider: w/Godhammers, Twin HB, Multi-melta, and HK missile
  • 6x Long Fangs: Sarge w/bolter and chainsword, 3 w/lascannon, 2 w/missile laucher
  • 6x Long Fangs: Sarge w/bolter and chainsword, 3 w/lascannon, 2 w/missile laucher

 

 

Deployment (Using the core rulebook default mission, no cards or such. AKA, "Hamburger" deployment on a 6x4)

Left flank + left-middle was (well hidden aside from the cav):

• Land Raider w/Bloodclaws & attached Ragnar inside.
• Grey Hunters squad
• Grey Hunters squad
• Razorback w/Long Fangs in it
• Thunderwolf cav + paired lord
• Iron priest hugging the back of the Land raider

Right flank was (well hidden aside from a Grey Hunters squad):

• Grey Hunters squad
• Razorback w/Long Fangs in it
• Wulfen Dread

 

 

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Turn 1 - Renegade Salamanders take the initiative

---Enemy Command/Movement Phase---

The enemy renegade Salamanders advance up the board taking control of two points. One is stood on by just a castraferrum dreadnought while the other is now controlled by Vulkan & attached infernus squad. This second point was the point Vulkan declared would be where he was seeking lost relics for the battle and in turn taunting the wolves to come take it from his cold(lava-warm?), dead hands.  On the right flank a Repulsor w/flame aggressors and Intercessors inside rapidly glides(advances) towards the wolves' lines while a devastator squad with multi-meltas jogs alongside, taking cover inside a ruined administratum office in no-mans-land. On the left, a Land Raider had rumbled up and disgorged Vulkan & friends onto the point while a devastator squad w/heavy flamers runs up alongside the battlefield edge and another tac squad hustles into the cover of a ruin just past the point Vulkan is rooting around in the debris of.

---Enemy Shooting Phase---

Guns open up from the dreadnought and Land raider.  The godhammers from the Land Raider on the left flank flash through the air with lasfire that cores two Grey Hunters all the way on the wolves' right flank. The dreadnought's Lascannon also sears the air but one of the thunderwolf riders takes it on his shield and the charge flares around himself and his steed with only a few singed hairs.

---Enemy Charge Phase---

Nothing, Some of the thunderwolves whine expectantly.

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---Wolves Command/Movement Phase---

The Iron priest plugs himself into a data-port on the Land raider to upload firing vectors into its machine spirit. (+1BS) The thunderwolf cavalry and their wolf lord thunder (no pun intended) up the left flank a mighty 17" while the Razorback follows in their path before lurching to a halt and then training its guns on the enemy Land Raider as the Long fangs loudly clamber down the side access hatch as soon as it slams open.  The two Grey Hunters squads on the Left flank run up, one taking control of a point, the other heading for the exact center of the battlefield. The wolves' Land Raider and its Ironpriest minder grind up the field (both moving 10"). On the right flank, the other razorback trundles up and hard pivots to protect its cargo and the third Grey Hunter Squad from right flank fire while still allowing its disembarking Long Fangs line of sight on the enemy Land Raider.  The wulfen dread belches smoke and slams up the field, shield held out front, axe high in the air. 

---Wolves Shooting Phase---

The wolves Land Raider fires its heavy bolter at the tacticals but they take effective cover, all of the shots pockmarking the ruin walls but not striking a marine; its HK missile and Godhammers lance into the enemy Land raider but its armor is proof against all but one of the shots. The enemy tank is barely scratched as it absorbs each hit exept one lascannon shot that only does superficial damage to the front weapon mounts, not a good start. The Razorback on the left flank follows up, sending its shots at the enemy land raider; the lascannon-fire slams into the hull but fails to penetrate while the HK missile follows through and punches through the weakened spot in the armor but is mitigated in damage by the internal plating, doing superficial damage to the Land Raiders systems.  With uplink data from their razorback (Razorback wound re-roll ability) the left-flank longfangs fire everything they've got. The two Krak missiles careen off the Land Raiders plating but all three lascannon shots punch through the armor, their glowing holes are smoking heavily but the enemy tank is still moving, guns swiveling to come on target.  On the right flank, a repeat tactic plays out but the front armor of the Salamanders land-raider absorbs both the HK missile and the lascannon fire from the second razorback, further living up to the land raiders legendary resilience.  With their razorback's telemetry uploaded to their armor, the second longfangs squad fires everything they've got. Both krak missiles race past the land raider in tandem with one lascannon beam while the remaining two both punch right through the assault ramp. Doors blow open and fire roars from all hatches, the beast is finally dead. The last shot of the turn is the Land Raider's  multi-melta dropping one enemy infernus marine and having one of them take the multi-melta shot to the torso but only losing an arm (1 wound) from it.

---Wolves Charge Phase---

Nothing, again, The thunderwolves unleash roaring growls as they close in.
 

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Turn 2 - The Lines Clash!

---Enemy Command/Movement Phase--- (OOM declared on the Wulfen dreadnought)

The Salamanders plant their feet for the most part, not wanting to get any closer to the rapidly approaching enemy melee threats.  On the right flank the Repulsor glides forward further, coming around the administratum ruins to bring its guns to bear on the nearby Razorback, Grey Hunters, and Long Fangs.  The devastators in the administratum ruins take up positions in the windows, leveling their weapons on various sils and crenelations to draw a bead on the Wulfen dread.  Over on the left flank the heavy flamer devs take a few more strides before skidding to a halt just within range of the thunderwolves. Vulkan, his infernus bodyguard, and the nearby Tactical squad take up positions inside the ruins to fire on their approaching foes.

---Enemy Shooting Phase---

Vulkan calls out to his brothers to engage their combined tactics of mixing promethium gouts and melta beams (Forgefather ability) designating the thunderwolves.  The tactical squad lets off a lascannon shot at the left flank Razorback, blasting through the side with a through-and-through that barely misses the energy cells of the transports twin-lascannon, severly damaging it.  Everyone else on the left flank, and the dreadnought on the right, pours heavy flamer, boltgun, pyreblaster, lascannon, and melta-gun fire into the thunderwolves.  The absolute withering hail (and flame-walls) of firepower cuts down two of the thunderwolf riders & their mounts, but its hard-won damage as the immense beasts and their screaming riders charge through the coordinated fire without slowing down.  On the right flank the Repulsor breaks out in a storm of muzzle-flares, launcher-bursts, and lasbeams as it swiftly makes a fiery ruin of the nearby Razorback and covers the wulfen dread in sparks and chips of ceramite as the barrage of bolts, onslought rounds, and launcher grenades whittle down some of the berzerk dreadnoughts durability.  Seeking to bring the stomping hulk down in its tracks before it can reach their lines the devastators in the administratum building unleash all their firepower on the wulfen dreadnought.  A few of the beams go wide but most find contact with their target, one of them hits above the blizzard shield's wards, scorching a molten hole through the upper carapace and nearly cooking off the contemptor's reactor; however, the wulfen dreadnought's shield absorbs all of the the other melta-beams and boltguns without its field giving out, merely enraging the pilot within the sarcophogus further.

---Enemy Charge Phase---

Nothing, the thunderwolves howl in anticipation as they close in.

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---Wolves Command/Movement Phase--- (OOM declared on the Repulsor)

The Iron priest gives further firing data to the wolves' land raider before decoupling from its machine spirit and quickly running over to the stricken razorback to tend to its wounded hull.  Behind him the land raider dumps gouts of thick, cloying smoke as the pilot sends the treads ripping across the battlefield directly towards the Salamanders at full speed.  The thunderwolves bound closer and closer to the heavy flamer devastators, not even slowing as the devastators dump another wave of flaming chemicals upon them and in their path. (Overwatch).  They're wounded and singed but no rider or his charge falls, they're right on top of their foes now. The Grey Hunter squad heading for the center of the battlefield crashes through the walls of the munitorum building, their mass and outright sprint (advance) take them all the way to the opposite wall they'd made doors through. The long fangs on the right flank cautiously lug their weapons around the nearby rockface alongside their remaining four Grey Hunters escort, spying and kneeling down to take aim at the Repulsor that severed them from their spotter vehicle. Furhter afield from them the Wulfen dreadnought crashes its way across the open ground, hell-bent on taking down the devastators that tried to turn him into slag. On the opposite side of the field the Land raider skids to a grinding, earth-rattling halt as the pilot jams the ramp-release lever foward and the assault ramp slams to the ground.  Ragnar and the howling, raging pack of blood claws pour out and are nearly on top of the tactical and infernus squads in a few strides.  Back near the Iron priest the remaining razorback rolls backwards with tortured noises eminating from its drive train but it still has enough power to rotate its turret to face the far-away repulsor.

---Wolves Shooting Phase---

The razorback and right flank long fangs coordinate their fire on the target they swore to enact vengeance on (OOM).  All four lascannon shots and both krak missiles hit.  Less thickly plated than the Land Raider the Repulsor's armor stands up to one krak missile, deadening the blow, but the second blasts a chunk out of the hull, opening wounds to be exploited.  Armor faltering under the coordinated volleys of the other shots, the following hit after hit of lascannon pounding the weakened plating eventually penetrates and the Repulsor crashes to the ground with the sounds of a collapsing building as its systems and crew die in tandem.  Out the back hatch its cargo disembarks without breaking a sweat though, wading through and out of the firey interior with their Nocturnian bright, red eyes trained on Ragnar's charge across the battlefield and the wulfen dreadnought now on top of the multi-melta devastators. With its traitor kin killed the round before, the wolves' Land Raider turns its designators on the enemy dreadnought and converges all of its Godhammers on the walker's center mass.  All four lascannons strike true; one shot is stopped by the thick plating of the castraferrum but the other three punch through and the enemy dreadnought is annihilated as its power cells and power plant cook off, the castraferrum disappearing in a plasmatic fireball of vicious shrapnel that catches a salamanders devastator in the torso, wounding him. 

---Wolves Charge Phase---

The thunderwolf cavalry charge into and rip apart the heavy flamer devastators. They tear through the squad in a brutal flurry of thunder hammers, powerfists, powerswords (heirloom weapons), relic frost axe (Frost weapon powerfist on lord), as well as the immense jaws and claws of their vicious mounts. The devastator sergeant is the lone survivor and he manages to get around the wild target that is a rampaging thunderwolf to deliver a powerfist blow to its midsection, critically wounding the beast but not felling it as it hacks up blood but still stands.  Ragnar and his blood claws, as well at their wolf guard pack leader, mimic the massacre behind them.  The claws and pack leaders put every infernus marine to the sword (chainswords and powerfists) leaving Ragnar to direct all ten of his ferocious attacks at Vulkan alone. The duel is fast & fierce, as the Forgefather is savaged severely in the flurry of deft blows and hacking strikes delivered by Frostfang.  He manages to deflect with the spear of Vulkan or absord on his sheild all but three of Ragnar's strikes. Even though three attacks get through and bite deep into his flesh, Vulkan's determination to find the fabled relics of his gene-father spur him to hold on; he grits through the grievous wounds and stays on his feet and manages to cut down two blood claws with the spear of Vulkan, even wounded as he is. (4+ FNP leaves him with 1 wound remaining).  While the thunderwolves and Ragnar's squad were tearing salamanders limb from limb, the land raider's driver closed the assault ram and threw the tank into full throttle again. The resulting pinning of tactical marines between the ruin's walls and the tons of metal and ceramite barreling down on them turns three of the tacticals into bloody smears among the drive wheels and front plating of the venerable machine.  Across the battlefield, the wulfen dreadnought heedlessly smashes into the adminiatratum ruins, rounding the corner and throwing itself among the ranks of the multi-melta devastators.  On the charge alone, it bifurcates two devastators at the waist and lops the head from another, various lifeless sections of armor crashing to the ground. (6 mortal wounds from the wulfen dread ability) It then sets about its grim work, felling and hacking devastators left and right, limb from limb with its Fenrisian great-axe, killing another four.

 

 

 

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Turn 3 - Reinforcements arrive, and tactical flexibility returns the wolves ferocity like for like.

---Enemy Command/Movement Phase--- (OOM declared on Ragnar and the bloodclaws)

Moving their decisions into the tactical doctrine, across the board the Salamanders disengage with well placed shots to make room for themselves to fall back.  They immediately halt the facade of a retreat and turn their guns on their pursuing foes.  From behind the repulsor wreck the aggressors stamp up the field, pilot-lights of their gautlets flaring to life while the intercessors behind them run to the nearby point the dreadnought was holding before it was reduced to so much scattered scrap metal, securing it and planting communications equipment to make sure it stays under command and control of the salamanders force. (Sticky objectives)  To the right of the rout's land raider, teleport flares burst into life and the smell of ozone wafts across the battlefield as a captain and his terminator assault squad arrive as close as they can to the land raider, their armor trailing whisps of aetheric lightning and the teleported atmosphere of the frigate high above in orbit.

---Enemy Shooting Phase---

Vulkan again calls out, but he designates Ragnar and his bloodclaws this time.  There's not as many Salamanders to coordinate fire (literal fire too) with, but its doctrine nonetheless.  Vulkan, the tactical squad, and the remaining devastator sergeant all dump their fire into Ragnar and his bloodclaws, felling three of them.  Across the battlefield, the remaining multi-melta devastators teach the wulfen dreadnought the error of getting close to melta weaponry and the superheated beams, so close this time, overwhelm the blizzard shield of the chasing dreadnought. The wulfen, like his castraferrum cousin, is engulfed in the atomantic explosion of his own reactor going critical, tearing him apart at every joint and seem as shrapnel from his detonation woundsa devastator and an aggressor.  The aggressors, not needing to finish off the wulfen dreadnought now, turn their gauntlets on the right flank Grey hunters and burn two of them into smoking, scorched piles of ceremite on top of the point they and their accompanying longfangs hold.

---Enemy Charge Phase---

Vulkan lifts his spear, and declares a challenge for the boisterous Ragnar chasing him down.  He and the tacticals counter-charge back into the chasing bloodclaws and mortally wounds the young wolf lord, impaling him with a feignted blow the sends Ragnar to the ground. (Ragnar out of the game). The tactical marines and their sergeant with his powerfist manage to kill another bloodclaw and wound another, but its not enough, and in retaliation for Ragnar's defeat the bloodclaws quickly dispatch the wounded Vulkan and two of tactical marines.  One of the wounded marines drags Vulkan's grievously wounded body away to safety as the bloodclaws, berzerk with rage, spend their fury on the desperately resisting tacticals. The Salamander terminators charge the gore-covered wolves' land-raider, spurred to duty by the shouted demands for vengeances from their captain (free charge re-roll comes in with the clutch deepstrike charge).  They smash and hammer the side of the land raider with blow after blow, shorting out systems, cracking drive wheels, and nearly forcing the venerable machine to be abandoned but its armor and legendary resiliance manage to barely hold up to the flurry of hard-hitting (literal) hammerblows. (6 wounds remaining from 16).  The aggressors and multi-melta devastators charge the grey hunters and long fangs on their point, both getting into combat and to grips with the wolves. They're caught off guard-though as the remaining two grey hunters lay into the aggressors and kill two of them and two of the devastators before they can strike. (Interrupt & fight now strat)  The remaining aggressor, devastator sergeant, and devastator marine only manage to wound one of the Grey Hunters, leaving the angry wolves ready to fight still. The long fangs in combat fail to do any damage to the aggressors or devastators. Finally, the heavy flamer devastator sergeant sells his life dearly, preventing the thunderwolves from gaining further ground (0CP heroic intervention via wolf lord prevented by doing this). He charges into the ground-car-sized monsters but doesn't manage to deliver a blow to the wounded thunderwolf and instead has his head bitten off.

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---Wolves Command/Movement Phase--- (OOM declared on the aggressors)

The Iron priest gives some much needed repairs to the razorback and slaves its damaged cogitators to his armor, guiding the vehicles weapons with his artificier sensor suite.  The Land Raider forces itself into full reverse to get away from all the thunderhammers smashing it to pieces while the long fangs stand still. The Grey hunters in the munitorum building at the center of the battlefield reposition slightly, quietly, as just outside of the walls is that terminator squad trudging after the reversing landraider.  Seeing another target, and the potential for a saga of glory, the Wolf lord and his thunderwolves bound across the battlefield leaving the devastator corpses behind to get to grips with the enemy terminators.

---Wolves Shooting Phase---

The razorback, Iron priest, Long fangs, and two squads of Grey hunters all hose the assault terminators down with all they have, but the already damnably hardy gene-sons of Vulkan are unrivaled in terms of durability (loyalist at least) encased in suits of tactical dreadnought armor; despite the whithering fusilade of fire only one terminator dies.  The bloodclaws firing their pistols manage to drop one of the tactical marines, quicklg stepping over his corpse to direct their severely diminished fury at the remaining couple members.  On the opposite side of the field, the longfangs and grey hunters slay the remaining aggressor they oath'd to down.

---Wolves Charge Phase---

The thunderwolf cavalry pounce upon the terminators, their immense bulk and speed proving the foil of the lumbering terminators as the lord and his bodyguard soundly knock over and then tear apart all of the remaining terminators. The lord's blows finish off the last terminator squad member but fails to kill the terminator captain, who with his artificier armor (enhancement FNP) survives with two wounds.  The existing battles play out, the Blood claws killing another two tacticals, losing two of their own due to the mix of their youngblooded fury crashing against the breakwater of legendary Salamanders tenacity and hardiness.  The Grey Hunters and long fangs trade knife & powerfist blows with the remaining multi-melta devastators, one of the long fangs catching a powerfist in the chest, the centuries old veteran finally killed.  The Salamanders terminator captain wades through the storm of angry beasts around him, weathering the blows of the ferocious animals and their leader. He lashes out with his relic spear killing the already wounded thunderwolf, decapitating another, and then slaying their riders before they can get to their feet.

 

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Turn 4 - Last Gasps and quitting the field of battle

---Enemy Command/Movement Phase--- (OOM declared on the bloodclaws)

The Salamanders intercessors decide its now or never (assault doctrine), and rush across the field to buy time for Vulkan to be dragged to safety.   Everyone else is fighting for their lives, blade to blade, spear to axe, fist to face with the sons of Russ.

---Enemy Shooting Phase---

A few bolt pistols ring out across the field, desperate attempts to do damage even as the Emperor's executioners close around them.  A foolhardly blood-claw catches one of the bolts in the face and perishes.

---Enemy Charge Phase---

The intercessors charge into the remaining blood claws. With their knives and their sergeant's thunder hammer they fell all but the blood claw pack leader and wolf guard pack leader, putting the impudent wolves down and buying time for Vulkan to be whisked away from the field. (The tactical squad activating second at "equal" phase did no wounds) They had intended to fall upon the unconsious Ragnar, but the pack leaders bar their path and in return their combined powerfists kill another tactical marine and two intercessors.  The salamanders terminator captain is turning to face the remaining wolves circling around and stalking him only to have the wolf lord bury his relic frost axe (power fist w/frost weapon) into his skull, killing him before he can fell any more of the rout's prized mounts, earning his saga. (Activating first in equal phase)  Across the field, a stalemate plays out as neither side loses any more men among the devastators, long fangs, and grey hunters; all of them parrying powerfist and knife blows in tandem.

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---Wolves Command/Movement Phase--- (OOM declared on the aggressors)

The Iron priest patches up some damage on the Land raider, once more uplinks into its systems and trains firing solutions on the Intercessors.  The thunderwolves and lord leave the nearby Salamanders to their fates and bound across the battlefield (17" advance) to smash the previously planted intercessor communications equipment and take the point for the rout.  The remaining Salamanders quit the field once the point is taken, knowing to remain will be needless bloodshed. A fighting retreat is initiated and the Sons of Russ are bloodied enough to not want to give chase.

 

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Whoof!  It's been an absolute age since I wrote that much, that fast.  I apologize for any typos or such but I am absolutely beat now. Going to head to go make dinner, and then some bed.  I'll be back to fix those typos up, generate names for the generic characters, and respond to anything tomorrow, or Wednesday perhaps.  Even if nobody reads this, it was fun to do this again for the first time since 5th edition with my Blood Angels.

Cheers for now, all!

Edited July 19, 2023 by Dark Legionnare

[Proteus220]

Great write up and very well written, even though I was on the receiving end of the Wolves that day.

[Rune Priest Jbickb]

Glad the fully firstborn list (give or take Ragnar) worked for you. I've been looking to make a similar list and yours is some good inspiration 

[Dark Legionnare]

7 hours ago, Rune Priest Jbickb said:

Glad the fully firstborn list (give or take Ragnar) worked for you. I've been looking to make a similar list and yours is some good inspiration 

Thanks!  He's always a firstborn in our hearts, haha.  My Crimson fists and Space wolves are still all 100% firstborn models aside from said 3rd Ed Ragnar conversion who still needs to be rebased onto 32mm...  I made sure to leave plenty of open space around his base like he was on a 32/40mm.

My intention is to give each named character, other than models I don't own like Dog Dogborn, Krom, & Njal, a game to see how they fare. Next time around will likely be Grimnar and Arjac. 

Delighted to help inspire some love of the firstborn range!

[QuarterPounder]

Love this - amazing write up! Would love to hear more sagas sung!

[Dark Legionnare]

Once I get another game in with the wolves, I'll do so and update it here!
 

This weekend will be my "GTA drive-by" Dark Eldar army as I describe it.  See how the glass cannons and sadists do!

Maybe do a deldar one.