I proposed the following narrative game: the Fallen and the Dark Angels are on the hunt for an ancient relic of Caliban. 6 objectives. Only one of them is a true relic (roll d6 in your command phase; on a 1-5 remove the objective; on a 6 remove all other objectives; last objective on the table is the true relic). No MSUs for boring things like objective things and actions. Let's get down to the killing!
Storytime
Chaplain Rathiel never trusted simple missions, and this one was no exception. A deserted planet, rumors of Caliban relics, and no sign of life for centuries. "Perfect," he thought as the ship descended toward Tartarus VII. Around him, his most trusted warriors, the Silent Guardians, adjusted their Terminator armor. These warriors, imposing even by Dark Angels standards, had earned their name for a simple reason: they never spoke a word unless necessary. Rathiel appreciated that more than he'd ever admit.
"If we find something valuable, we keep it. If it's dangerous, we smash it," Rathiel said as the ship shook, entering the planet’s atmosphere. Finally, the ship gave a heavy thud as it landed, and the rear ramp began to lower slowly.
Rathiel stepped forward first, always dramatic. "Nothing like the fresh air of a dead planet to start the day," he muttered sarcastically. When his boots hit the dusty ground, he looked over the barren landscape. "Well, brothers, here we are. Ready for an endless relic hunt or maybe dealing with a Fallen or two? The usual."
With that final line, the mission began: Rathiel leading the way and the Silent Guardians following in stoic silence, ready for whatever was waiting for them.
***************************************************
Lord Azkhar followed the descending Thunderhawk through his ancient magnoculars. His warband laid low, hidden in between the ruins of a long abandoned hab-block. Scrambler devices augmented by sorcery ensured that no long range sensors would pick up their presence. Behind his visor, Azkhar smiled.
'Right on time. As if they'd want to lead us to the relic. And in force. Good thing we brought our friends, eh?'
His faithful companion, Executioner Balakai, gave him a sour look. There was strength in numbers, but joining forces with members of the Traitor Legions also had... disadvantages. Azkhar disregarded the Executioner's misgivings. Only the relic mattered at that point. As the Dark Angels' Thunderhawk touched the ground, he clicked on his vox.
...
'Chaplain Rath... khhh... hostile... khhh... intercept course-'
The vox cut off into static, and Rathiel muttered an oath. Simple mission, indeed. Signaling a halt to his squad, he tried to reach the ship again. The vox hissed, clicked, then went dead silent. And then the screams started. And then the vox of the entire squad clicked on with the sound of a raspy voice.
'Ave Dominus Nox! We have come for you!'
Deployment
The greatest way to ever deploy in a game of Warhammer - Dawn of War. So good, they named a video game series after it.
The Dark Angels deployed front and center, as I lacked long range firepower.
My own squads hid in metal boxes behind ruins, awaiting the reinforcements.
Battle round 1
The Dark Angels advanced and I kept hiding.
Battle round 2
Chaplain Rathiel and his squad of Deathwing Knights teleported in, while I rapid ingress'd my Warp Talons.
The Knights made their 9" charge, but my Possessed held.
I countered with my Chosen. I made a mistake by searching the objective in the heat of the moment. No extra AP for me.
The Fallen Chosen squad munched up the Knights even with Armor of Contempt, leaving only the Chaplain alive. The Warp Talons flayed the Techmarine and tied down the Repulsor.
Battle round 3
More Dark Angels reinforcements! The second round of Terminators also made their charge and killed my poor, poor Possessed. My Warp Talons also died horribly.
I think I could have hidden one more turn. Perhaps I should have. But that Redemptor was getting close, and I made my move.
Rubrics moved out and flamed the Redemptor within an inch of his life, then the Chosen finished it off. Grenades and Chaos Terminator shooting hammered the Deathwing Terminators, then I tank shocked in a Rhino. It survived, tying them down. Finally, the Chaplain was also murdered by the Chosen.
On the right, the last surviving Warp Talon battles the last surviving Inceptor (2 died to plasma overcharge).
With the Chosen exposed, I decided on putting out all the bodies to provide a target rich environment.
Battle round 4
Judicier and Bladeguard exit the Land Raider to take the far left objective. Land Raider flames the Raptors. They die.
Legionairies die to melee.
In my turn, the Chosen charge the Land Raider, hoping to make a big enough charge to swing into the Bladeguard. They fail.
Battle round 5
The true relic turned out to be the one on the far right, held by the lone surviving Warp Talon. Obviously, it died to the tanks shooting, along with everything else in the center.
However, I still had a chance to win. The Chaos Terminators, battling their Deathwing brethren behind ruins, swung first - did nothing. On the return swing, they all died. 6 saves. One 4+ would have saved one. Reroll. 2. So no Opportunistic Raiders stratagem to retreat and snag the objective. Sigh.
Draw.
Aftermath
A breath of fresh air after all the matched play scenarios.
We fought a very intense and close game, and we finished just in time before the shop closed. It was hilarious to end with a draw - the relic disappearing back into the warp before anybody could get their hands on it.
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