2/12th Catachan vs Crimson Fists Narrative BR

[yvain]

1000 Points Crusade:
This entire game was rushed because of the store closing. We shortened our lists in about 5 minutes so some of the picks may not have been wise, but it was fun so who cares. We forgot warlord traits and skipped mysterious objectives. The lists were as follows:

Imperial Fists:
Pedro Kantor attached to:
3 Honor Guard with Relic Blades with Drop Pod
5 Scouts with Sniper Rifles and Camo Cloaks
10 Tactical Marines with Melta Gun and Heavy Bolter with Drop Pod
Storm Talon with Sky Hammer Missile Launcher
Vanguard Veterans with 4 Melta Bombs and Thunder hammer and Storm Shield on the Sergeant.

Echo Company 2 Battalion 12th Catachan:
CCS with 4 PG (Captain Ferrick)
Marbo (Sgt Aldrin)
PCS with 4 flamers (1stLt Ames)
1st Infantry Squad with Auto Cannon and Grenade Launcher (Corporal Marshall)
2nd Infantry Squad with Auto Cannon and Grenade Launcher (Sgt Graves)
Veteran Squad with Harker and 3 Plasma Guns (Staff Sergeant Keith)
Veteran Squad with 2 Melta Guns in a Vendetta (Sgt Vicks)
Basilisk
Aegis Defense Line with Quad Gun

The Crimson Fists went first, but I won the roll to place objectives. He decided to infiltrate his Scouts and Hover his Storm Talon in the first turn. I set up my gun line behind the defense line and put the PCS on the Quad Gun. The opening map looked like this with perhaps a few more pieces of terrain that did not really play any factor.




I made up some names and story for fun. Enjoy!

Deployment:

Captain Ferrick had just finished issuing the mornings orders when it started. Since 0400, Firebase Rapier had be relatively quiet, but active. The jungle fighters were lucky to receive a solid nights rest and were packing equipment away, but the silence was uncanny. Their disciplined movements left little sign as to their activities.

It had been a tough campaign on the small forest world, but thanks to the assistance of the Space Marines a victorious one. The forces of Chaos had taken their toll on the people of Hopewell V. The planet itself was sparely populated and always loyal until a series of dark artifacts which had been unearthed began to turn the once peaceful people in ravenous slaves to the dark powers. While most of the objects destroyed, many remained unaccounted for. However, the Inquisition would be the ones to handle this and relief forces from nearby regiments were slated to arrive soon. Things had begun to quiet down and 2/12th was due to depart. The time could not come quickly enough, the men were getting restless and Ferrick had grown weary of the of the wait. Catachans were here to fight battles not sit and kill time.

Despite the relative safety, Ferrick was taking no chances. Staff Sergeant Keith had taken his squad of Devils on one last perimeter patrol around the eastern flank while Sgt Aldrin scouted further to the north. The Valkyries would be arriving 10 hours. The rest of Echo Company was busy moving equipment or manning the line. It was still dark when he spotted his vox man gliding through the grass to him.

"Sir, Sgt Aldrin has called in. He spotted a small squad moving towards the old ruin in 1st Squad's sector. They appeared to some kind of recon team armed with sniper rifles."

"How many" the Captain whispered.

"Looked to be five Sir, and they were pretty tall" the operator responded.

No one else was supposed to be in the areas and Ferrick assumed the worst. "Could be some traitors, tell Lt Ames everyone stand to" he ordered.

"Yes Sir" the vox operator fired back and then proceed in the direction of the AA emplacement.

Ferrick headed to the nearby Basilisk to use its communications. The longer range antennas would give him a boost to hopefully reach Keith and have him sweep the ruins. He needed to know what was going on over there. To the north a faint sound of a engine could be heard.

[yvain]

Turn 1 Crimson Fists:
Over by the Quad Gun Lt Ames was checking the view finder. Through the IR imager, he could see five figures moving. They looked like storm troopers, but they way they moved betrayed a hint of inexperience. Four came to rest in makeshift cover and one appeared to be fiddling with a large device hidden in the rubble. He cycled through the view modes. In low light vision, he tried to see who they were. As if on cue a soft red glow briefly appeared from the object and on the left shoulder of the operator a red gauntlet was barely visible in the darkness.

Those look like Crimson Fists Scouts investigating that object he thought. He told the vox man to pass the world to Captain and continued to look. The Crimson Fist had fought with great distinction during the retaking of Hopewell. Lt Ames had great respect for their courage and fighting skill that helped turn the tide of the battle. Still it all seemed odd, why would they not contact them as they passed near their battlespace. And what were they doing around that device. He examined the rectangle shape further. After the initial glow, the runes on the sides of the object seemed to faintly light up in a strange shape. A hint of soft reddish light revealed a symbol, which resembled a pair of E's joined at the back. As he looked a bit of blood trickled down his nose and he had to turn the view away. He knew there was something not right about the object. He briefly recalled a rumor about the Crimson Fists' connection with the Inquisition which he wondered may have something to do with this situation. It was as he turned the view back towards the Scouts, when a round struck the center optic. The shards of glass and surprise of it all sent him tumbling back. Another round slammed into center of power coil. The Quad Gun was jammed in place uselessly facing two feet into the ground. Lt Ames jumped to his feet and cursed.

Captain Ferrick had just heard about the Scout team and their device when he heard the shots. He knew immediately what had occurred. For a moment, he wondered as to the why, but he had little time to dwell on it. He barked several orders and the troopers on the line readied their weapons. He looked up and saw a streak in the sky that could only a large object falling fast. Within seconds the ground it slammed into the ground knocking several of him personnel troopers off their feet.

To his left, the crew of the Basilisk had already been turning their Earthshaker towards the sound of gunfire. The commander was computing his targeting solution when the ground shook under him. He looked outside to find the unmistakable sight of powered armor Marines. He barely had time to duck his had as two shots slammed into the side of the vehicle, but luckily did little damage. He called to the drive to pivot the vehicle. It was the last thing he would ever get to say.

"Get the heck up you sorry b***ards! Are you going to kill the enemy on your a**es!" Captain Ferrick yelled.

They scrambled to their feet and fell in behind him as he ran north towards the gun line. An object streaked through the sky and came to a near halt near a large structure. It hovered for a moment and started forward slowly. Suddenly there were several flashes and lines of smoke screamed past slamming into the Basilisk. Immediately, heat and shrapnel rained in every direction. Five men to the north on the gun line including the auto cannon were left screaming in pain. Sgt Graves immediately barked several commands and the men tended to the wounded. One of Ferrick's plasma gunners exploded into a fountain of red mist as a large chunk of metal took off half his torso. Ferrick flinched slightly and spit out some of his gunner's blood. Things were looking bad and for some reason these Marines wanted them dead. But if it was a fight they wanted, it was a fight they were going to get.

Catachan 1st Turn:

"Get battalion on the hook, tell them to send weapons squad back and that I need air support immediately!" he paused for a second taking a breath. "And tell them to vox the battle barge and to get their Marines to stop shooting at us!"

Ferrick pulled out his binoculars and set them to IR mode to get a look at the aircraft. The silhouette of a Stormtalon Gunship was difficult to make out, but luckily it was standing still. He yelled to 1st Squad to elevate their guns to lead the target. Cpl Marshall directed his weapon team and they let of a burst which left the talon smoking. It moved towards them. Ferrick knew it could only be to strafe their position. Lt Ames took his team to help get Sgt Graves wounded off the line.

"Fire on my mark!" the Captain yelled to his plasma gunners.

Several seconds passed and he could tell the Stormtalon had entered range of his weapon and he screamed "FIRE!".

Several blue streaks of energy slammed into the hull and it came crashing down. The victory was unfortunately short lived.

(END TURN 1: FIRST BLOOD FISTS)

Crimson Fists Turn 2:

The sun has slowly crept into the sky and the scars of the battle had become plain to see. As if taunting its uselessness, another drop pod crashed right in front of the wreckage of the Quad Gun. Three giant figures holding large two handed swords jumped off the ramp and raised their weapons. Behind them a massive armored figured with a power fist aimed his bolter and began firing. His companions joined him as torrent of bolter rounds ripped through the air and ate through the flak armor of several Catachans. Moments later, several armored jump pack Marines landed right in front of the defense line. Within seconds their chainswords ripped into Sgt Graves turning him to a pile of bloodied meat. Several more men died in Cpl Marshall's squad.

Ferrick gritted his teeth when he heard his western most trooper yell "more Marines to the southwe--!"as a bolt round struck him in the neck .

The tactical squad was approaching defensive line and he knew he was surrounded. There was little hope left his men, but they sure as hell were going to make these bas***ds pay for every inch. He gave the order to pull as many wounded back as possible and yelled to Lt Ames "Marshall needs a moment or two, no one passes that this line!" Lt Ames immediately understood that it would be soon time to meet the Emperor he fired back a sly smile and drew his fang.

Catachans Turn 2:
A few sniper shots rained down as Lt Ames called urged his command team forward. He saw Marshall go down to storm bolter as he pasted but at least 5 men managed to pull back around 6 more bloody and screaming troopers and he moved forward, curiously the sniper fire stopped as got to the defensive line, but he silently thanked the Emperor for his luck and fired his pistol at the Assault Marines. Seconds after his gunners let loose a torrent of flames. When the smoke subsided three Marines remained standing. To his southwest an explosion was felt, but he paid it no mind.

Sgt Aldrin saw the drop pods land and expected the worst. The enemy had struck with expert precision and incredible speed that would give them a decisive advantage. He knew there was little that could be done to help his comrades, but he rushed back to the gun line as quickly as he could anyway. As he approached he moved quickly, but was careful to stay out of view of the drop pods bolters. He adeptly hurled himself onto the roof of the structure next to the defensive line. Crawling to the edge he peaked down to survey the scene. Catachan troops were being hacked to pieces and were surrounded on two sides. There was little hope for escape unless something could be done. Directly below him he watch as a squad of Marines with a heavy bolter and melta gun approached from the west. He grabbed the demo charge off his back and hurled it below. It bounced a few feet off target, but it exploded and vaporize six Marines. The remaining four became disoriented in the smoke and moved backwards trying to find the unseen enemy nearby. A tiny smile crept across his face.

Captain Ferrick felt his spirits lift when he saw some of his men managed to get away. He yelled to his gunners to target the Marines near the drop pod. They let loose a bust from their weapons and three of the four figures were melted to slag. His own pistol and remaining bolts did nothing to the fourth figure who began to charge forward. Ferrick drew his own fang and knew this would be the end. He steeled himself with courage and briefly pondered why the sniper rounds had stopped firing.

Staff Sergeant Keith and his men were moving as quickly as possible. They had seen the explosions from the distance and knew time was of the essence. His heavy bolter was held at the ready for two straight clicks, but he finally reach the ruin in question. There he noticed five snipers firing their weapons into the defensive line to the south. Keith formed his line and gave the order to fire. Two snipers disappeared into a pool of goo. Keith spit into the dirt. The Scouts were dug in like a trio of mindticks. Then they made a rookies mistake. They broke into a run to the north leaving the safety of their cover. Keith decided to pursue them before they escaped.

End of Turn 2
(Slay the Warlord Fists)

[yvain]

Crimson Fists Turn 3:

The snipers had turned around and began firing. Shots landed in all directions, but nothing connected. Keith was close to the object. He decided to head straight for it.
Captain Ferrick never got a chance to face the last figure in his sights. His last moments were ended by the Assault Marines to Lt Ames front and they rocketed past him firing their bolt pistols as they went. A surge of anger rushed through him. It occurred to him that he was now in command though he knew that it would only be a few moments. Every second that he remained alive was another moment his men could survive. He turned to face the lone Marine to his rear. One of his gunners exploded immediately from well placed bolter shots. The rest let loose a wave of flame. The figure simply moved forward as if it were nothing.

"Sir, Vendetta in bound 2 mikes" a vox operator yelled.

"All of you go catch up with the rest of the men. Shut the heck up, there is nothing left for you here." he yelled while firing his pistol at the giant.

His two remaining gunners knew what the older Catachan was about to do and followed his directions immediately. Lt Ames face beamed with a large grin as he met his enemies charge.

Catachan Turn 3:

Aldrin knew he was in trouble. They had seen where he was after his demo charged exploded and it was only a matter of time before he would be joining his brothers. He fired several shots with his pistol as they enemy closing in, but nothing managed to slow them down as they rapidly began circling his building. In the distance to his east, he saw the last few troopers break into a run, while a long figure in a red beret, which he knew to be Lt Ames remained behind. He was the only Catachan still moving. A armored figure with a large red power fist charge forward to met him. Lt Ames made several disciplined swings, but they failed to slow his foe. Two swings from the power fist were parried away. The third however connected sending Lt Ames broken body flying into some debris. He was dead the moment he touch the ground. Seconds later there was a flash of light. Three red beams instantaneously impacted the ground. All that was left of the powered armored warrior was a pair of legs. Aldrin yelled obscenities out taunting his attackers.

Far away Staff Sgt Keith rushed forward towards the object. Spotting a good vantage point, he yelled to his men to open fire. To his left he felt a heat sensation at his back and he heard a laughing yell "Old Cassie just tried to bite me again, stubborn girl!"

He looked to see Corporal Miller's Plasma Gun overheat and was spewing hot energy, but it had not burned past his flak shirt. The Scouts were vaporized under the intense fire. Once the threat was gone, he yelled to his Devils to get behind the wall to avoid the fire that would certainly be incoming while he examined the device. The dark runes on the size of the device revealed a hint of malevolence hidden inside. Whatever it was, it could not be good. Keith gathered up every krak grenade they had and hoped it would be enough to destroy the thing.

(Slay the Warlord Catachans)




Crimson Fists Turn 4:

Aldrin tried his best to weather the storm. But the fire was too intense. Already wounds had racked over his body and he was slowly bleeding to death. He fired everything he had left. He watched as the three remaining assault Marines turned and rocketed towards the Vendetta. This still left four Marine one armed with a heavy bolter surrounding his building and the fire from the nearby drop pod. He saw too late that a grenade had managed to land a few feet from him. The explosion and shrapnel knocked him off his feet and he breathed his last.

Keith heard the grenade go off. Even at his distance the sound was undeterred because of the height of the detonation. He had more pressing matter to attend. The storm bolter from the drop pod had begun to shoot at him and killed PFC Remis. His men held their ground.

Catachan Turn 4:

"30 seconds until the ramp drops!" Sgt Vicks yelled to him troopers. He felt the Vendetta Gunship slow to a hover a few inches off the deck.

"Go! NOW!" he yelled.

His men charged off towards what remained of the eastern observation post. Sgt Vicks could see bodies of his dead brothers everywhere and he felt a swell of anger in his gut. Three assault Marines where rocketing towards his position. He heard the engines of the Gunship power up behind him. Seconds later a flash of light erupted over him and two Marines were instantly vaporized.

"Give'em hell" he ordered and a torrent of melta and lasgun fire struck the remaining Marine.

The Assault Marine took most of the blasts to his storm shield, but several managed to get through a weak spot in his armor. He stumbled and fell.
Sgt Vick spotted four Marines near the building in the distance pulling away. He voxed a message to Staff Sergeant Keith whom had just detonated the object.

"Form a defensive position and check for any wounded left. I would be over you way shortly coming in from the north 2 clicks"

Keith was in charge now. There did not seem to be any wounded left. Sgt Vicks consolidated his men in defensive positions and waited for link up.

The battle was over, but the cost was great. The question as to why the Crimson Fist attacked would forever remain a mystery. The truth buried deep within the files of the Inquisition.



Catachan Victory!

We chose to end the game here mostly because we thought it was the start of turn six and we rolled a one. We played the game with very little time before the store closed and honestly we were going so fast we may have confused the turn numbers. Or it may have blended together a bit. It was however over, there was no way he could out score me as he could not reach me without losing his own objective.

Honestly, I got really lucky. A lot of my fire power died early on. The Quad gun could have stopped a drop pod. The basilisk was over 100 points for next to nothing. Forcing his scouts and tactical squad to run gave me the edge I needed. He foolishly surrounded Marbo even though he stopped being a threat. I felt like I was losing most of the game. Harkers Veterans proved crucial too as he always does. I had wanted them to arrive next to the Tactical Marines. The scouts were not really the main threat, but even though it did not work out how I envisioned, that decisive outflank move saved the day.

Fists: 6 points
One objective, Linebreaker, Firstblood, Slay the Warlord

Catachans: 8 points
Two objectives, Linebreaker, Slay the Warlord

[sirbebox]

Good game there Yvain shows why you don't send a marine to do a squad of headedness job. Only thing I seen is I think flyers have to start in reserve even if it's in hover mode?

[yvain]

We discussed that briefly. We were unsure if he was allowed to start with just on the table. And as to whether or not a drop pod in turn one counts as reserve or in play.

Because we made the lists so quick, we just went with it verse wasting time discussing. It made it pretty fun.