| Brood Brother |
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Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2005 12:12 am
Posts: 2241
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NH,
Sounds like a tough, but fun campaign game.
Our group loves to do similar things. I didn't really know if many out there were into campaign games in epic... good to hear that there's others out there doing similar stuff!
[WARNING: campaign chatter and bs commencing]
If any are interested, we did a really, really big game some time ago with AMTL and IG mix defending a very large and closing chaos force. You name it - we were using it! We even had collectors models in there - as the collector model variants!
It was inspired by a last stand kind of scerio from a 40K campaign game we had held a year or more ago. Originally, that game was inspired by a softback novel's titanic battlefront.
Anyway, we had two 4x8 tables end to end to create a 4x16 table. Chaos started 4' onto the table from one end. IG / AMTL started 4' on from the other end. 8' inbetween. Each force had about 20K to 30K in points in all, but it wasn't all on the table at the same time.
Both forces started off with a large fraction of their formations on the table and there were plenty of planes. IG/AMTL had more points on their side to start but had a longer wait for resreves to show up. Chaos had a much smaller force to start, but reserves showed up every turn for them.
Reserves were a pre-determined list of formations in reserve. They were numbered. Chaos received 2 rolls per turn on the list (reroll formations that already showed up previously) and IG AMTL received on roll per turn starting on turn 4.
Each turn out of the ~10 or so turns played (we're not sure, it could have been 9 or 11 but the goal was to play 10 turns - we got sleepy and way to involved into crushing IG!) the chaos point of entry for reserves got 12" closer to the IG lines but they would never get closer than 2' away. So by turn 6, they were entering literally 24" away from the IG/AMTL.
IG /AMTL titans were both on board and in reserve. There were titan pen facilities that IG/AMTL Titans could enter play from within the IG deployment zone. In addition, IG/AMTL Titans in reserve could enter play from one of the IG deployment board edges. Reaver and larger IG/AMTL titans that started in play could not 'activate' (be used for any activations, collect blast markers, etc) until turn 4. However, they could be shot at to knock down void shields and accumulate damage, but due to the time to get the plasma drives on line and get crews on board - they couldn't move or fire back. Fire control systems and the Machine spirit would attempt to rally each turn if shields and damage was incurred.
And so the stage was set... Massive Chaos incursion strongpoint assault on a very fortified IG base gate - but the major assault on this position wasn't expected for another week yet - CALL TO ARMS!
The goal we decided was for the IG/AMTL to keep half or stronger Chaos formations out of the IG / AMTL deployment zone at all costs for 10 turns.
I should also note that forces were designed to have significant, but relatively minimal chaos teleports and air assault capability considering the scale of the battle... this was intended to be a ground war with massive air fire support
First, due to the nature of the game, the turns actually moved along pretty quickly. Much more quickly than we had anticipated. The entire game was played in one day and one setting. There wasn't as much fighting involved each turn as one might think due to not having all forces on the table and having loses each turn.
OMG - it was a blood bath. Early on, as expected, IG advanced out to meet the early chaos incursion head on, basically - set up a forward perimeter and take the battle to the enemy since the goal was to keep them out of the gates, but be well prepared to have tactical withdrawal positions to the rear. Also, do not underestimate the teleport and air assault capabilities of the chaos - at all costs, do not lose control of the gate as we do not want to attempt to have to take it back. The majority of the force therefore stayed in the gates and couldn't be used accept on overwatch orders. LOF issues existed within the IG deployment due to the city/base like design - so a significant amount of the forces were opted to stay in reserve. The titans had to be protected as well until they could fully come on line! The Legio Victis hadn't even arrived yet for god sake!
Guns blazing on full sustain fire where possible after forward march orders were completed. IG Artillery was having a heck of a day and chaos forces proved very stalwart under the fire. Attempts to head on the IG artillery early by chaos fighter formations proved futile. The base was too heavily defended at the time. Chaos would have to move artillery in position or make some sacrificial assaults deep into the enemy base to quiet the artillery that was brutalizing the chaos efforts. Teleports would ensue, artillery would die (and so did other formations) but teleporting into a full on army offered little hope to the chaos beyond their immediate goals - which, as noted, they were successful at. Artillery did eventually almost fall completely silent, but so did the majority of all teleport capabilities from the chaos forces!!
The chaos forces pushed on and air raids were taking their toll on both sides. Each turn, more and more large amounts of chaos were pouring in closer and closer... From the IG perspective, things were going well from damage caused vs. damage received, but the damage was significant on the IG defense nonetheless. Turn by turn close of the chaos was becoming more and more of an issue.
Once IG started to have to tactically withdraw, things were becoming very questionable and the Chaos commander was feeling more and more confident that they might actually make it to the base.
Once chaos made it to the base, they were all but eliminated compared to what they had to start with, but the force they had left was still significant at close range and the amount of deamons still remaining was disastrous for the Imperium.
Chaos would breach the walls and would have numerous formations within the gates, but their numbers had taken serious losses. Officially, this was a chaos win.
We decided the chaos forces would infiltrate supply lines and the base would fall prior to the 10 turns needed to keep them out. A certain disaster for the Imperium, but it didn't come without massive losses to the chaos front. The IG would have definitely stopped this force from assaulting on further - and perhaps the Imperium would be able to recover the base prior to the chaos forces bring up titan manufactories en enslave too many civilians for their needs. Perhaps all was not lost to the Imperium, but this day definitely was.
The battle was a blast. An absolute blast. It truly was of epic proportions.
We blew through any logistical issues and neither side had any vested interest in success or failure. Finite tactics and considerations for strategy was basically tossed out in favor of speed of play and massive amounts of dice rolling.
We had done something like this at about 15,000 points in 40K before. This was an old battle at 40K scale that we wanted to recreate. Ironically, in the 40K battle - IG held off all but the characters from getting to the gates and thus had won in the 40K variant of this battle.
For us, AMTL is a key force in our campaign games... and the fun you get to have calling forth DOOMBRINGER and GODHAMMER is well, childish, but exciting nonetheless for us long time GW franchise enthusiests. 
Cheers,
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Rob
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