A few weeks ago my mate Rory, (Roriusmaximus) and I decided to push the boat out, and play a really big game of epic. The kind of game that takes all day. Because what’s the point of table top war gaming if you don’t go mad once in a while and try to get every miniature you have for an army on the table at the same time.
We both choose our armies, with me picking 10000 points of the emperor’s finest, backed up by a contingent of titans.
And Rory taking 10000 points of green skins, including a mighty gargant big mob.
Both our armies were already picked, to save time on the day. The game took place on an 8 by 4 table, divided between open country side, (with hills and forests and such) and an urban area, representing the outskirts of a hive city.
It looked great, and was a pleasure to play on.
Once the table was set we used secret deployment to position our forces. This took a bit longer than expected. Mapping out the positions of 10000 points worth of stuff takes a while.
After deployment it was game on. And a mighty twelve hour struggle commenced.
Turn 1The first turn of the game saw both sides move forward and start claiming objectives. With most of the marine armour moving into firing positions.
Two of the terminator thunder hawks braved the ork AA, and landed their squads on the generator buildings objectives midfield, with devastator marines providing fire support from the nearby objective on the ruins.
A another devastator squad moved up, and took position around the hill top watch tower.
Lead by their gargants the green skins advanced.
With the warlord grabbing the objective in one set of ruins.
And the ork bone breakers, backed up by the Bad Moonz gargant, took another.
The wildboyz and Kult of Speed moved up to contest the generator building in the city section of the board, only to be jumped by the last squad of terminators, a veteran firing line, and the physic might of the Ultramarine Librarian.
Both ork pulsar rocket batteries hit their terminator targets. And while no buildings fell, (amazingly) both squads took losses. Including the terminator captain.
Seething with rage over the loss of their captain the terminator squad on the street tore apart the buggies they faced. While the librarian melted the brains of a stand of nobs bikers.
And despite losing a couple of stands to the nobs fire, the veterans snuck a shot through the dragster’s deflector shield to send another stand of nob bikers to meet Gork. However it didn’t all go the marine’s way. The bowelburna squadron did manage to send two stands of terminators in the generator building to a fiery end.
Things went worst for the marines on the other flank though. A lifta-droppa drew a bead on a rhino full of veterans, hoisting it into the air, and smashing it down onto its squadron mate. Wiping out four stands of marines in one fell stroke.
Elsewhere on the table the marine thunderbolt fighters were annihilated by combined AA and nob firepower as they swooped in to attack the snakebite boarboyz. The titans and gargants exchanged fire. But aside from downed shields, not much damage was done.
The turn finished with the orks ahead on victory point 29-25. The weirdboy tower with the Badmoonz charged itself up to dangerous levels, but was able to safely contain the power without any exploding heads.
Both sides took loses this turn, but with both forces closing on each other turn two looked to be much bloodier. How true that prediction turned out to be.
Turn 2Turn two started poorly for the forces of the Imperium. The crafty green devils had unexpectedly gone on to first fire in a number of places. The result being the marine bikers getting hammered by snap firing lifter droppers and kustom kannons as they closed with the mekboy speedstas on the left flank.
And worst still. As green company’s assault marines broke cover to join the fight in the middle of the table the weirdboy let fly from the top of his tower. The entre detachment, rhinos and all, were obliterated.
Which robbed the marines in the centre of vital re-enforcements.
Brutal close combats erupt at various points on the table. Mostly centred around the generator building objectives.
And things went from bad to worse for the marine bikers that survived the mekboy’s firepower to close with the speedstas. They found themselves counter charged by the Evil Sunz clan.
In the centre of the table the Goths relentlessly advanced behind their stompas and dragster.
The first fire segment saw the warlord titan sneak a shot through the mekboy gargants shield, taking out its boiler. This didn’t work out too badly for the orks though, as it meant the gargant ground to a halt right on top of an objective. Pretty much denying it to the Ultramarines.
The Chapter Commander didn’t earn his pay, and missed the ork fighta bomberz as they swooped right past him.
Close combat was a disaster for the marines. With the speedsta/Evil Sunz force on the left overwhelming the bikers for very little loss.
It was to get worse. The mekboyz had retro fitted the boarboyz steeds into cyboars, and supplied the Wildboyz with the deadly, if somewhat dangerous, super stickbombz. The result being that the marines were pushed off both generator objectives, as the boarboyz rolled back the veterans in the centre, despite the presence of their Chaplin.
Although the advance fire phase saw the boarboyz fall victim to retaliatory marine fire.
And whooping with glee, the stick bomb armed wildboyz killed off the terminators on the right flank who were holding the objective. Although outside, the Kult of Speed was hammered by a combined force of terminator and assault marines.
Untroubled by what was happening to the ant like figures around them the reaver and war hound titans both drew a bead on the nearest slasha gargant, which had just lost its last shield to devastator fire.
And reduced the one proud war machine to a smoking crater.
The turn ended really badly for the Ultramarines. With objectives lost, and companies broken, and few ork casualties to show for it. The big clan formations proving hard nuts to crack, with only the Kult of Speed broken.
With a victory point score of 70 to 25 in their favour the orks looked to have victory in their grasp. For the marines things were looking beyond grim.
Turn 3Turn three sees a much depleted marine force pressing on against overwhelming odds.
The orks press home with their advantage in the centre, and try to push the marines off yet another objective.
Not yet ready to concede defeat the Chaplin rallies the remaining veterans, and tries to take back the generator building in the centre of the table.
While the assault marines launch a desperate counter attack to try and kick the wildboyz off the objective they snatched last turn.
But with so many orks left alive on the battlefield things are looking bleak for the forces of the Imperium.
Seeing the warlord by the ruins a thunder hawk gunship swooped down for an attack run. Only to have the ork leader let rip in the first fire segment, and send the marine craft crashing into the nearby hill.
Despite heroic efforts both marine attacks fail. With the Goths denying the centre objective to the Chaplin, slaying the noble marine.
And the Wildboyz, despite a few own kills due to stickbombz, defeated the assault marines. The nearby land speeders sprayed the building with melta fire, but the clan remained unbroken, and held the objective.
Seeing their forces sweeping across the table the ork fighter bombers dove down to attack the landraiders on the hill from behind. Unfortunately for the ork pilots, the gretchins in charge of loading the kannons had done a very poor job, and misfires blew both planes out of the sky.
Across the table the warlord titan timed a shot from his volcano cannon perfectly to pass through a flicker in the Badmoonz gargant’s shields. Its belly gun was reduced to wreckage, and the boiler damaged. But the firefighting efforts of the crew prevented an explosion from gutting the machine. The great gargant, and the Badmoonz braincrushas both hammered the reaver titan. But despite taking damage to the right leg, and head, the war machine still stood.
With the orks in possession of most of the objectives, and only one company left unbroken, the marine commander signalled the retreat. And the Ultramarines withdrew from the field. To nurse their wounds, and plan their revenge.
Final victory point total 92-30 to the mighty green skins. I hope the people of Gideon Prime, sorry, Morkiltron, come to appreciate their new leaders.
