The Agnebergus war

Sacred artifact

+++ To the Agnebergus war council +++


 During my investigations of the Agnebergus technical archives I have stumbled upon information about the whereabouts of a lost sacred war engine of the Legio Geata. The engine was lost during a scout mission while fighting Waaagh Hazzlehoss on Agnebergus. Not only is it our sacred duty to return this sacred artifact to the emperors care it might also contain weapon systems that might be used in the current war that must not fall in the hand of the orks.


Unfortunately is the site located behind the ork lines. I therefor humbly request to lead an armed force to penetrate the ork lines and salvage the war engine from the orks.

+++ 883.994.M41 Artisan Bonde, Visum Geata Mechanicus +++

+++ STATUS +++

+++ MISSION APPROVED! ++++

A small Blood angel raiding party is to penetrate the orks defenses, drive deep into ork controlled territory and excavate the war engine to salvage as much as possible from it. Unfortunately they are detected by a small warband close to the area. The game was played on a 4'x4' table with 2000 pts per side. The marines does in secret choose one unit that contains artisan Bonde and a spot on the ork half of the table that contain the war engine. To complete the mission they have to get the unit with Bonde to the artifact. At which point they mark it on the table. Remain there for a one turn. Doing an excavate action that is automatically succeeded as long as the unit is not broken. And then return through the Space marine table edge. The orks task is much simpler. Killing marines. No side set up any units on the board but instead enter from respective edge.

The forces consisted of.

Incompertus, 2000 POINTS
Codex Astartes (NetEA Tournament Pack 2014)
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TACTICAL [275]
6 Tacticals, Rhinos

TACTICAL [325]
6 Tacticals, Rhinos, Chaplain (Contain Artisan Bonde)

DEVASTATOR [400]
4 Devastators, 2 Land Raider

TERMINATOR [350]
4 Terminators

SCOUT [200]
4 Scouts, 2 Razorback

BIKE [250]
5 Bike Unit, Chaplain

LAND SPEEDER [200]
5 Landspeeder


Incompertus, 1985 POINTS
Ghazgkhull Thraka's War Horde (NetEA Tournament Pack 2013)
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WARBAND [315]
2 Nobz, 6 Boyz, 2 Grotz, Battlefortress, Warlord

WARBAND [340]
2 Nobz, 6 Boyz, 2 Grotz, 4 Battlewagon

WARBAND [275]
2 Nobz, 6 Boyz, 2 Grotz, Big Gun, Oddboy

KULT OF SPEED [225]
2 Warbuggy, 5 Warbike, 2 Skorcha

BLITZ BRIGADE [200]
4 Gunwagon, Oddboy

BLITZ BRIGADE (BIG) [300]
8 Gunwagon, Oddboy

MEKBOY STOMPAMOB [330]
3 Stompa, 3 Dreadnought





Veteran Sergeant Almadin studied the area on the other side of the river through his long range binoculars. The breakthrough of the ork lines had been and easy task and they have since then driven more than a day into ork controlled area. On the other side of the river was their mission target. A supposed missing war engine from an ancient war. The reason for why they at all was in this position was in the tank beside him. The leading artisan of Angebergus planet command. Artisan Bonde.


Almadin took another look of the area. He had a bad feeling about this. Then he saw them. Orks. They must have been detected. This was no longer a stealth operation, it was now a race against time. Could he get the artisan to the site and out again before more orks arrive to fight?

Turn 1

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The Blood Angels wins the initiative.

The Veteran Sergeant Almadin order his scouts to secure an abandoned small town to the left of the battlefield.

Unfortunately for the scouts they arrive just to realize that a stompa mob double out from the ork lines to contest the town. The cannons of the stompas blazing as they stomping on and killing three squads in a hellrain of steel.

While the scouts take a pounding in the town the bikes double up the other side and take position at the right behind a forest.

But the bikes also meet though resistances in a small blitz brigade doubling up to meet them. The weird boy in his tower conjure a giant foot of mork smashing three bike squads and crushing the spirits of the rest of them that immediately retreat back behind the river.

Furious of seeing his troops flattened to the ground Almadin order the land speeders to pay back. They double up behind the blitz brigade and take out the weird boy tower in a hail of melta shoots.



The land speeders draw the attention of a local warband of deff skulls making them double up in full speed in their ramshackle battlewagons to pour out once in firing range and fire all their guns. Manage to kill just a single speeder.

Almadin happy to have drawn out the orks in the open order the devastators to take position in the forest opposing the deff skulls. They double up to the fire position, but the hurry make them miss most of their shoots only destroying one of the battlewagons.

Meanwhile a small kult of speed has become obsessed by the speed of the land speeders. Full of envy they double towards them trying to take them down so they can loot them for themselves. But all their shoots miss their nimble targets.



While the fighting has started on the right flank Almadin take his squad of tactical marines to help the vulnerable scouts in the small town.

The orks on the other hand favor the center of the field where a big battlefortress full of orks double up and fire at the devastators in the forest. But protected by the forest and their land raiders they avoid any damages.

Almadin does now order his elite troops. A squad of Death Company, responsible for protecting Artisan Bonde. To take position behind the devastators that protect them.

On the other side a warband of orks on foot pushing a giant rocket launcher double up the middle. Stopping once they reach fire range of the devastators. Fire the giant rocket that goes wild and miss the target completely.

Finally another blitz brigade containing another weird boy and even more gunwagons than the other double up the middle. The weird boy letting loose a volley of strange flashes towards the devastators. Destroying both of the venerable land raiders. Almadin cursed the artisan and hope that the artifact would be worth the loss of the two land raiders.

All unit rally in the end phase, most of them get rid of almost all blast markers.

Turn 2

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With the orks taking position the Terminators teleport in behind the big blitz brigade.

Blood Angels win initiative.

The Terminators engage the Big blitz brigade. Smashing six gunwagons with their powerfists including the weirdboy tower. Unfortunately is one of the terminator squads killed by an exploding gunwagon and another is crushed under the gunwagons deffrollas. The two remaining gunwagons flee behind the small town.

On the other side of the field does the land speeders have some engine trouble and hold in position and fire at the speed freaks instead. Killing two unit of bikes.

The stompas double to enter the small town. Fire all they have at the rhinos belonging to Veteran Sergeant Almadin squad. Destroying all of them and one squad of marines is also killed in the explosions. The rest take cover in the nearby building.

In the middle the devastators sustain fire at the approaching warband with a battlefortress with some help by the terminators fire in the warbands back. But even so only manage to kill two units of grots.


The scouts advance to support them fire their heavy bolters killing another unit of orks.

The orks try to clear the middle of the battlefield at let the warband on foot sustain fire with its oddboy rockets at the Death Company. Hoping to kill their rhinos but fail to do any damage.

The bikes has rallied and double back to the fight. Staying close to the broken blitz brigade. Hoping to disturb them.

In the middle the warlord order his warband to engage the two lonely terminators that just had destroyed his blitz brigade. But mork is not with the orks. The terminators are plowing throw the orks like wheat ready for reaping. When the mighty battlefortress explode in a gulf of flames the warlord have enough and flee with his three remaining units behind a nearby forest. Not a single terminator is killed in the fight.


Almadin studied the situation in the abandoned town. He judged that his single tactical detachment was not enough to deal with the stompas rampaging through the streets. So he ordered the Death Company to double over and reinforce them. Artisan Bonde complaining loudly since they no longer was driving toward the war engine. The Death Company disembarked behind an old house and blasted away against the approaching stompas. But their armor was too thick.

On ork left flank the Speed freaks still obsessed with the shiny flying toys sustained fire at the land speeder but miss all their shots.

With his back protected Alamdin order his tactical detachment to sustain fire at the stompas. Killing a dreadnought in the front.

The land speeders is not only catching the eyes of the speed freaks. The deff skulls small blitz brigade also wants one of those flying toys. They double to the left flank and fire all they have at them. But the annoying machines keep dodging the bullets.

The deff skull warband on the other hand leave the left flank and advance towards the middle to fill the gap that the battlefortress warband left when they broke. They fire at the terminators hoping to kill one of them. But the terminator thick armors and shields deflect every bullet. The combat stress however finally takes it tolls on the marines in the armor and they break and retreat behind the forest to get out of firing range.






They then rally together with all other space marine units in the end phase. Most of the orks however fails to rally leaving them full of blast markers for turn three.

Turn 3

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Blood Angels win the initiative.

Almadin focus on the stompas in the town and order his detachment to sustain fire at them. But their thick reinforced armor makes the missiles only glance them.

The fire is followed up by a brave charge of the two remaining bikes with a chaplain. The chaplain takes down one of the dreadnought himself. The rest of the stompas is cut down by supporting fire from the tactical detachment and the Death Company nearby. Only one bike is killed and all the stompas and dreadnought is wiped out. A glorious victory for the Blood Angels.

The speed freaks won't give up on the land speeders, sustain fire but kill only one of them.

In the middle the devastators try to clear the field and sustain fire at the opposing deff skulls and their battlewagons. Manage to kill two units of orks and one grots.

The small blitz brigade also continue to try to kill the land speeders. Their engines however having trouble, they hold in place and fire their guns on the speeders but miss.

The scouts help the devastators out and sustain fire at the same target. Kill another ork.

The warband on foot launch another of their rockets against the devastators. This time killing one.

The land speeders. Having taken a lot of fire and close to breaking marshal and fire at the speed freaks however miss.

The deff skulls in the middle response to all the fire they have got by double towards the scouts to get to engage range and fire all they have but without doing any damage.

The terminator back in order move through the forest into range of the deff skulls and blow one battlewagon to smithereens.

Finally the Death company is making a flanking move and exploits the hole that the stompas left to double into the back of the warband on foot. Killing one nob unit and one ork unit.

In the end phase all Blood Angel unit get rid of their blast markers while most of the orks fails, with the deff skull warband as a notable exception.

Turn 4

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Blood Angels win initiative

With the town secured Almadin turn attention to the center and advance towards the middle and fire at the warband on foot. However just killing a single grot.

The terminators help out and also advance closer but only manage to kill a single unit of orks.

Seeing that they are surrounded. The warband turn their guns toward the Death Company in their back and sustain fire. Destroying one rhino and killing four squads.

The land speeder. Back in reasonable order. Sustain fire at the irritating speed freaks. But fail to do any damage. The speed freak spirit is however broken and they retreat forward to a calm spot close to the river where they will remain squabbling over what do next the rest of the battle.

On the other side of the battlefield the chaplain on a bike try to redo his heroic feat when taking down the stompas and charge straight into the deff skull warband. The orks countercharge and drag the nearby scouts into the battle. This time the fortune is not however on the heroic chaplains side and he and all of the scouts are cut down and only take a few orks with them.

The small blitz brigade, seeing how the speed freaks ran. Decide that the land speeders is not worth the effort and instead double to the center of the battlefield and fire at the Death Company. Failing to to any damage.

The Death Company on the other hand continue its flanking movement and get to one of the forest where it is revealed that the ancient war engine is half buried under the soil. Artisan Bonde is immediately starting the excavation with the few servitors he could bring with him while the chaplain is ordering the remaining Death Company to set up a protected perimeter.

They does not however have the time to get in position because the victorious deff skulls double to the site and with a lot of badly aimed shells destroy one of the rhinos. This is enough for the commanding chaplain. Realizing that they now no longer have enough transportation for the squad or their findings. He order his men to retreat. The squad breaks and retreat deeper into the wood. Dragging an infurious Bonde with them leaving the perplex servitors behind.






Almadin hearing the chaotic retreat in his radio unable to help since his detachment is situated at the other side of the field lacking any form of transportation can only comfort in that the devastators report in that their sustained fire has wiped out the deff skull blitz brigade in the middle of the field.

In the end phase the Death Company failed to rally and there where no chance to get back into the game.


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Almandin curse the flanking movement took to long time to perform. The orks at the field are almost broken but the chatter in the com system revealed that large reinforcements is on its way. The Death Company broken. The frenzied warriors now fighting single handily in the wood surrounded by the remaining orks. No other marine with the possibility to come and rescue them since all their transportation are lost. He have no other choice but to order the death company chaplain to get the artisan in safety on board of the remaining rhino while the now doomed marines would function as a screen. He and the rest of the Blood Angels had to travel on foot to evacuation point Delta. Hopefully would most of them make it safely.

The orks, with only two remaining unbroken warband left, hardly noticed how the Blood Angels slipped way. They where busy killing the remaining furious angels in the forest.

When the task was done the oddboy noticed the strange 'umi-cans still digging at the excavation point. And what where they digging up. It looked shooty. He ordered the other orks to help the 'umi-cans. This could be funny.

Conclusion

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The battle started good for the orks with a lot of killing. But the killing spree of the terminators and then the bikes really turned the table by them taking out a third of the orks single handed. As the battle carried on the orks kept on collecting blast markers while the space marines kept shaking them of each end phase. Resulting in a bigger and bigger advantage for the marines. The saving grace of the orks was that the marines got carried away killing orks and forgetting about the objective until it was to late to get the artifact rescued in time.