Revenge

Upon hearing the demise of her beloved brother to those filthy orks, commander O'Hada became engulfed with rage and revenge. The rage spread quickly among the warriors of her cadre, unhindered due to the lack of ethereal. At nightfall almost half the cadre left their post on foot, wending into ork territory to find the slayers of O'Sada and avenge his death. The entire night they marched and as day broke they found themself on one of the wet moors of northern Unum. The morning brought a dense fog limiting the visibly to less than a hundred paces. Even the trusty heat spectrum in O'Hadas helmet seemed to be unable to break through the fog and give some clarity, the damp weather reducing the heat of all and everyone to an even level.

With the cold damp weather also O'Hadas rage seem to cool down. Worryingly she start to scan the white world that surround her and her cadre. Why haven't the scouts reported back yet? She only got static in return. Slowly she and a few fire warriors started to advance. The audio sensors suddenly picking up a dulled sound, a squeak, like from slowly grinding wheels. Wasn't there movement, or is it just shifting in the fog? No it is movement. Quickly she order her warriors to seek cover. Something approaches in the fog. Now she could identify the foe. Orks, and they seems to have brought some artillery with them. They are to close for a tactical retreat, not here on the open moor, not without vehicles. They have to fight.

The game was fought using OnePage Grimdark Future rules with 1000pts per side. Both forces where mainly foot sloggers. 

Tau forces
Tau Commander O'Hada in Battlesuit with a missile pod, pulse rifle and a flamer

3 Crisis Battlesuites with 2x Fusion Carbines, 2x Pulse rifles, missile pod, gatling carbine and a shield drone

10 Firewarriors with pulse rifles

10 Firewarriors with pulse rifles

5 Gun drones with pulse carbines

Ork Forces

Warboss Sniffscuffla with a big chain choppa (Energy Sword) and heavy armour

10 slugga boyz with a big choppa nob (Energy sword)

10 slugga boyz with a big choppa nob (Energy sword)

10 shoota boyz with a big shoota

10 grots with a herder

3 Kannons with grot crew

The ork won the rolloff and choose the side with some ruins on it. We had decided that the small pool was impassible while the small patch of swamp was dangerous. The hills where difficult.

The orks spread the kannons even along their front with the shootas taking cover in a ruin and the sluggas taking the flanks. 

The tau decided to keep the crisis suites and the gun drones in reserve while position the fire warriors behind an old forest and a patch of bushes for cover. Commander O'Hada joined her forces on the board on the right flank.

We rolled for five objectives. The orks started to place them. Most objectives where placed in the centre.

Turn 1 Orks begin

The goblin artillery in the centre fire at the fire warrior trying to hide behind some bushes. But succeed to hit a big pool of mud instead. A one was rolled, not a good start.

The fire warriors behind the dead forest carefully advance into the forest and take position outside the range of the ork shootas and fire at the slugga boyz that foolishly is in the open. Five pulse beams hits. Five orks dies. The Boyz are extremely confused about who is shooting at them and start to fight about where to charge. The sluggas where down to half their size and forced to take a moral test, which failed. Pinning them forcing them to use their next action to get back in order.

The kannon on the ork left advance to a advantageous position in a ruin and fire at the fire warriors in the dead wood. They hit the hill beside the wood. Another one rolled.

Concerned of the shell that hit the hill in front of her O'Hada decide to try to take out the kannon. She advance and fire her pulse rifle and missiles, the flamer was not in range. The missiles hit the ruin wall, the pulse rifle on the other hand hits the kannon but is deflected from its thick armour. It would be better if the missiles had hit since they had Ap(3). With the massive armour of 9+ of the kannon alot of Ap is needed to bring it down to manage levels. The missiles could at least have the possibility to wound it on a 6, while the pulse rifle needed a 6 and then a reroll of 4+.

The shootas realise that their weapons does not have the range to reach the fire warriors in the dead wood so they advance a few steps. Bringing some of them out of cover and blaze away! The mass amount of bullets in the air cut down three fire warriors. The orks needed sixes to hit. But with 18 dices there is bound to be some hits.

The other team of firewarriors takes the opportunity. They advance into cover of the bushes and fire at the orks in the open. Killing three of them. In this case four of the orks where in the open. The other where in cover so we decided that Tau where allowed to fire without the -1 for orks in cover, but could at most kill those outside cover. They simply concentrated the fire on the exposed targets.

The grots rushed forward eager to get into firing range.

On the ork right flank both the slugga boyz and Sniffscuffla rushed forward but still hiding behind the hills to avoid some of the Tau fire.

The third kannon also tried to fire at the fire warriors in the dead wood. Killing a already dead tree. At least it was not a one rolled.

Finally the brawling orks gets back in order and is united in what direction to charge next.

Turn 2 Tau begins.

O'Hada slipped a smile inside her helmet. This might not be the orks that slayed her brother but it did still felt good to kill them. She had most of them where she wanted. Charging her gunline. Now it was time to call in her reserves to deal with the almost unprotected ork artillery. She called in the Crisis suites. But only static answered her. The dam wet air must be interfering with the electronics. At least the pre-planned attack vector of the gun drones had not failed as they came zooming in on the orks left flank. The crisis suites did not succeed their roll for deployment. The gun drones did and at least did not scatter either.

The recently rallied slugga boyz where taken completely by surprise by the fast drones that came out of nowhere from the thick fog. Cutting down every single ork in the group.

The shootas is however fast to react. Shift their position in the ruin and fire all they have at the drones that now is in the open. Destroying all but one of them that is instead spinning out of control.

The fire warrior opposite the shootas take the opportunity while they move and kills another three of them. The orks however stay organised.

The kannon in the centre of the field roars. Hitting a ball of moss far away from the designated target, the fire warriors in the bushes. Yet another one rolled.

Commander O'Hada stop cursing in the useless comlink and fire all weapon she have in range of the shootas hoping to wipe them out. But her rage make her shoot go wide and none hit the targets.

In front of her the kannon in the ruin fire at the fire warriors hiding in the dead wood. Again almost hitting O'Hada. Guess what, a one rolled.

The fire warriors hiding in the bushes lacks good targets. They can choose between the kannons that is almost impossible to damage or the grots. They go for the grots. The low stone wall in front of the grots  protect them from the worst fire and only two of them goes down.

The spared kannon fire back at the fire warriors. Hitting ground just in front of them spraying them with dirt. At least a 4 rolled. If the fire warriors hadn't been in cover it would be a hit.

While the fire warriors is occupied with killing grots the orks and Sniffscuffla rush forward from the hills towards the bushes full of foes. Foolishly expose themself in the open. Just for the hopes of getting a good brawl.

On the other side of the field the grot advance into firing range to the tau in the dead wood. Most of the shoot however goes wide and those that hit bounces of the fire warriors armour.

Turn 3 Tau begins.

O'Hada curses over the comlink. The orks are getting close now and the kannons are bound to hit something sooner or later. But for no avail, only static answer her.

The fire warriors in the bushes fire direct fire at the advancing orks. But the nerves are not under control. Only three of the brutes are killed. Far to few. The orks are lucky there where a lot of ones rolled.

The orks smash through the bushes into the tau, roaring with happiness. Slaying five of them before a decent counter fire could be organised, killing two of the orks and driving them back a bit.

The other team of fire warriors want to fire at the sluggas in the ruin but realise that their line of fire are blocked by weedy grots. Desperate they try to clear them but only manage to kill two of them.

The shootas advance to get a clear line of fire at the side of the grots and fire back at the fire warriors. With some lucky shoots they manage to kill two of the warriors. This is to much for the remaining warriors and they hit the ground and refuse to rise. Tau is reduced to less then half their numbers and fail the morale test.

Commander O'Hada realise that she has to try to take out the kannons herself and jump over the hill she has been taking cover behind to get into range with her flamethrower. But the cowardly grots just take cover behind the armour shield of the kannon and manage to get away unscratched. There where a lot of hits but again there where no sixes rolled for to wound. The kannons are almost impossible to wound.

While they where hiding behind the kannon shield the grot used their time to reload the kannon and fire back at O'Hada. But there is something with having flames raging around you that seriously affect your ability to aim. The round miss with several meters even thou the short distance. Yes you guessed it, another one.

The final drone is getting the control back.

While all the firing on the right flank has happened the kannon in the centre has advanced a bit (and by sheer coincident happens to control an objective after the move) and is then firing at commander O'Hada that now is in the line of fire. It is a direct hit in the chest of the commander. The armour piercing shell penetrate the crisis suite before it detonates inside it spreading pieces of O'Hada all over the place. The kannons where bound to hit something sooner or later.

Boss Sniffscuffla like to hear the cannonball roarin'. But even more he likes a good fight. He charge the remaining fire warriors in the bushes from the flank. With his enormous chain choppa he cut one of them in half and mortally wound another. The remaining fire a few pot shots that fail to do any damage before they turn and run.

The third cannon on the right flank also advance and fire at the remaining fire warriors in the dead wood. The shell hit in the middle of the troupe but their armour withstand the shrapnel. 

Is a whole other thing about the grots that now, certain of victory, leave the safety of the stone wall and advance over open ground while firing everything they got. The pinned and newly shaken fire warriors are running around like confused chicken trying to find new cover and three of them are killed by the grot fire.

Turn 4 Tau Begins

Ui'Ceca  scanned all the ranges of the communication protocols once more, still only static. He started to worry. The small squad of crisis suites had no visibility of the battlefield from their rear position due to the fog. But the flashes of pulse fire and explosions had been seen lighting up the otherwise grey world every now and then. The fight must be hard. Why hadn't commander O'Hada called them in yet? This was enough, they had waited long enough. Never mind if they would get in trouble with O'Hada about disobeying orders. Ui'Ceca signalled to the other warriors and they took of. The sight that meet them once the battlefield come into view where not a pleasant one. Orks everywhere, but where where their troops? Ui'Cece decided to land in the middle of the field, trusting the power of the suites to protect them, hoping to get an overview of the situation and at the same time be in a good position to kill as many orks as possible.

The crisis suites land not far from the centre kannon and advance by foot towards it (getting close to the objective) before fire at it with the fusion blasters. The power of the blaster melt the entire kannon, exploding the shell in the barrel, killing all the grots. The two other crisis suites concentrate their fire at the orks that recently killed the fire warriors in the bushes. But only manage to kill two of them.

The shootas decide to fire at the lone gun drone that has regained control and finish it of before it could become a threat.

The few renaming fire warriors in the dead wood rally them self and get back in order.

The kannon on the ork right flank advance a bit (and secure an objective) then fire an anti tank shell at one of the crisis suites. Hitting it straight in the head decapitating the poor tau within it.

The other kannon on the left flank fire at the fire warriors but manage to put the shell in backwards and nothing happens. And there we rolled a one again.

The grots advance into the dead wood. Killing another fire warrior when they are on a row anyway.

The three remaining slugga boys decide to, against the orders of Sniffscuffla, charge the crisis suites.  Most of their blows bounces of the armour of the crisis suites but a few dig deep wounding one of the warriors. One of the orks however takes a hard blow to the head and bites the dust.

Sniffscuffla snicker a bit and think boyz will be boyz while he advance into the bushes seeking why the tau decided to defend it? (Thereby securing and objective)

The game is over with a decisive 3-1 victory for the orks.

I did not take long for Ui'Ceca to get a grasp of the situation. As fast as the suites had landed they took of again. Near a bush not far away from the battlefield an ork throw of his camouflage net that he has been hiding beneath. Revealing a strange apparatus beside him. Mek Scrotrumpa was pleased with himself and he figured that boss Sniffscuffla would be so as well. For a long time he had been listening to the radio transmissions that the newcomers had sent out. He had built the machine that scrambled their communication channels, he had suggested for Sniffscuffla that they should use it together with the fog to get close to the blueskins. He should get a lot of thoofs now, a lot of thoofs to buy new shiny things with.

The game was a revenge for the orks from the previous game where it was the orks that was nearly annihilated. The orks however had to thanks the bad luck for the tau reinforcement that made sure that the crisis suites did not come in until it was to late. 

The kannons was an interesting unit for the orks. On one side where they utterly unable to kill any thing but crisis suites. There where a lot of ones rolled. On the other side their armour of 9+ made them in turn more or less unkillable making them perfect objective guards.