It’s about time; 8th Edition Debut! 1000pt Relic Azure Flames vs. Blood Angels
I haven’t been in too good of a financial way recently, and my car is not in the best shape, but last night I got a break. I went back to my local game store, AFK games, and played my first game of 8th edition! Yes, it’s a bit late, but I haven’t had any time with my new job and such.
One of the regulars at AFK was Chris, who played Blood Angels and was nice enough to show me the ropes in a 1000pt game.
However, before the game begins, I’d like to do a quick musing on the new Space Marine Codex. Because Big Game 6 is coming up in 5 months, I asked Chris if we could play with points instead of power levels, as that is what we’ll be doing during the Big Game for balance issues. Making an army with points is now a bit harder, as (except for special characters) no model in the game comes with their weapons. You must buy all weapons separately. Most common weapons (Bolters, Chainswords, Frag Grenades, etc.) are free, so it’s not like you have to do math for each individual trooper. However, tanks come with no guns, that you must pay points for (it’s required) instead of including those guns in the tank’s points value. This is a bit clunky. The rationale is that they can release Chapter Approved updates each year to tweak points values so that balance can be addressed, but it makes it harder to use points to make a list.
Enough griping. Here’s my first batrep of 2018!
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Bozeman – Azure Flames (Salamanders)
Battalion Detatchment
- Leonidas, Captain of the 1st Company (counts as Vulkan He’Stan)
- Ory-Hara, Chief Librarian of the Azure Flames (Librarian), Salamander Mantle, Force Sword, Smite, Veil of Time, Fury of the Ancients
- Tactical Squad x9, Power Fist, Combi-Flamer, Flamer
- Rhino, Storm Bolter
- Tactical Squad x9, Power Fist, Combi-Flamer, Flamer
- Rhino, Storm Bolter
- Tactical Squad x10, Meltagun, Multi-Melta
- Rhino, Storm Bolter
- Attack Bike x1, Heavy Bolter
Chris – Blood Angels
Battalion Detatchment
- Captain in Power Armour, Power Sword, Plasma Pistol
- Sanguinary Priest, Chainsword, Inferno Pistol
- Scouts x5, 4x Sniper Rifles, Missile Launcher, Camo Cloaks
- Tactical Squad x5, Combi-Plasma, Heavy Bolter
- Razorback, Lascannon with Twin Plasma Gun
- Tactical Squad x5, Storm Bolter, Heavy Bolter
- Razorback, Lascannon with Twin Plasma Gun
- Assault Marines x10, Power Sword, Plasma Pistol, 2x Flamers
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Eternal War Mission 6 – The Relic
An objective (the Relic) in the middle of the table can be picked up if a model moves over it. This model carries the Relic until it flees or is slain. If a player has a model carrying the Relic at the end of the game, that player wins a major victory. If no one is carrying it, the player with the closest model wins a minor victory. If both players are equally close, it is a draw.
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Setup
The Azure Flames, mounted in Rhinos, deployed in cover. Blood Angels Scouts took a vantage point in a high ruin, while the Tactical Marines mounted up in their Razorbacks. The Blood Angel Captain and Sanguinary Priest took cover in a forest.
Turn 1 – Azure Flames
Leonidas’ Rhino and the Attack Bike advance behind a statue for cover, as Ory-Hara’s Rhino and the other Tactical Squad’s Rhino advance towards the Relic and pop smoke. The Attack Bike puts a wound on the Sanguinary Priest.
Turn 1 – Blood Angels
Smoke causes one of the Razorback Lascannons to miss Ory-Hara’s Rhino, but the other Razorback puts 5 wounds on it. The Captain and Sanguinary Priest move off to prevent being sniped at.
Turn 2 – Azure Flames
Ory-Hara and his squad disembark. Ory-Hara casts Veil of Time on the squad and rolls boxcars! Perils of the Warp does only one wound to him. Smite blasts three wounds off of the Razorback. Ory-Hara and the squad charge the Razorback. Before the squad can attack, Ory-Hara unleashes his Force Sword and cuts the Razorback apart by himself! It EXPLODES, killing three Marines and doing one more wound to Ory-Hara, and killing three Blood Angels! The Marines, unable to attack, pile in to the second Razorback. The other Tactical Squad advances, running to get the Relic as their Rhino advances to cover them. Leonidas’ Rhino and the Attack Bike advance to join the fight.
Ory-Hara opens the Razorback like a can of sardines!
Relic Acquired!
Turn 2- Blood Angels
Assault Squad swoops in from a passing Thunderhawk and assaults the wounded Rhino, finishing it in close combat. Snipers reduce Ory-Hara to one wound, and shots from the surviving squad finish him. The other squad piles out of their beleaguered Razorback and charge the Azure Flames squad, reducing them to two with the help of the Sanguinary Priest.
Turn 3 – Azure Flames
Leonidas and his squad pile out to provide cover for the other Tactical Squad that advance 9″ away with the Relic. Their Rhinos and the Attack Bike advance to form a partial wall.
Turn 3 – Blood Angels
Mostly bad rolls all around reduces the Azure Flames squad in combat to its Sergeant with no other casualties. The Assault Squad charges the Azure Flames squad with the Relic, and lose two of their number to Melta Overwatch fire thanks to Leonidas’ re-rolls! The fight is brutal, with three Azure Flames and four Blood Angels going down! The Relic is dropped by a casualty! Sniper fire kills three of Leonidas’ squad.
Heroic last stand!
The Relic is down! Retrieve it!
Turn 4 – Azure Flames
Leonidas’ Tactical Squad grab the Relic and run off as Leonidas joins the battle with the Assault Squad. The Attack Bike charges in as well. In the fight with the lone Sergeant, the Sanguinary Priest goes down! The squad with the Relic continues to advance.
Turn 4 – Blood Angels
Pistols in the shooting phase take out the lone Sergeant, and the remaining combatants charge the Rhino. The Assault Squad is wiped out.
Turn 5 – Azure Flames
The Attack Bike charges to save the Rhino as the Relic continues to move away.
Turn 5 – Blood Angels
The Captain finishes off the Attack Bike.
Turn 6 – Azure Flames
Fire from the Tactical Squad kills the Storm Bolter Sergeant. This frees Leonidas to charge the Blood Angel Captain, killing him. The Tactical Squad also charges, but their attacks are wasted as the Captain is gone. The Relic moves out of sight behind a building. Game ceded.
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Analysis
Azure Flames recovered the Relic – Major Victory!
First, let me say that 8th ed is still 40K. Here’s some musings that I had while playing:
- Advancing during the movement phase is a more elegant solution that running in the shooting phase.
- Because of the flat to-hit rolls, anything that gives a +1 or -1 modifier is a HUGE DEAL. Blood Angels don’t get any sort of extra STRENGTH on the charge, they get +1 to WOUND, so they’re wounding a TANK on a 4+.
- Spitting fire doesn’t break the game and should have been around since 3rd edition.
- Sniper weapons generate an additional Mortal Wound on a wound roll of a 6, but the other wound still stands, and is separate, so they can kill two models with one shot which is weird.
- Pistol weapons can be fired in the shooting phase while in close combat, so you get an extra round of attacks. This is also weird to me.
- Vehicles are now much cooler, despite not having facing or line of sight issues. Multiple people at the store explained this as “well vehicles are constantly moving.” This excuses it but doesn’t make it less weird that a vehicle can draw line of sight for its gun from its bumper.
- Not having templates is faster. There, I said it.
- 40K is still fun in 8th.
- Just like in all previous editions, play to the mission and keep your eyes on the prize.
- Characters are weird and need to be managed, but kick ass.
Next, I hope to get some painting done and play more games!
40K Combat Patrol Trio at AFK!
Good news, I just got a new place! Expect to see a modeling setup post soon, once I get everything moved in.
Because of all the rigamarole in purchasing a house, I took this week off, which means that I was able to go back to AFK and get some 40K, which I have been sorely missing. When I arrived, I met Bradley, the employee of AFK who is organizing the Combat Patrol 40K campaign. Combat Patrol is as follows:
- 400 pts
- Modified Combined Arms Detatchment
- 0-1 HQ
- 1-3 Troops
- 0-1 Elites
- 0-1 Fast Attack
- 0-1 Heavy Support
- All armour values 13+ are reduced to 12
- All vehicles with 4+ hull points are reduced to 3
- All Monstrous Creatures are reduced to 2 wounds
- No named characters
- Psykers can only take Warp Charge 1 powers (re-roll all others)
- Board size is 48×48″
- All reserves are rolled for one turn early, but arrive when they normally would (giving you one turn notice for when reserves arrive)
- Other monthly restrictions (changes each month)
Bradley needed to test out the rules for this format in some rapid-fire games. Here’s what we did!
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Bozeman – Azure Flames (Salamanders)
- Ory-Hara the Silent, Chief Librarian of the Azure Flames
- Librarian Lv2, Pyromancy
- Tactical Squad x5
- Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Combi-Flamer, Flamer, Auspex
- Drop Pod
- Tactical Squad x5
- Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Combi-Melta, Melta
- Drop Pod
Bradley – Dark Angels
- Tactical Squad x10, Power Sword, Plasma Gun, Heavy Bolter
- Rhino
- Nephilim Jetfighter (games 1 and 2 only)
- Ravenwing Darktalon (game 3 only)
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Mission 1 – Assassinate
Deployment – Table edges, 12″ in from edge
Objective – The first player to slay the enemy Warlord gains 2 victory points. If simultaneous, award goes to current player.
Secondary objectives – Slay the Warlord (yes, you get another one for this!), Linebreaker, First Blood
Deployment
Azure Flames – Turn 1
Ory-Hara and the Melta squad deep strike. Bad to-hit rolls immobilize the Rhino.
Dark Angels – Turn 1
Two combat squads pile out of the Rhino. After shooting and terrible armour save rolls, Ory-Hara stands alone, his squad gone. Turn not pictured.
Azure Flames – Turn 2
Flamer squad arrives via drop pod. Shooting and psychic powers from Ory-Hara wipe out the Dark Angels marines. Game ceded.
Conclusions: It was at this point that Bradley realized that Drop Pods could seriously ruin the game balance of a game this small. On to game 2!
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Mission 2 – Follow and Support
Deployment – Table edges, 12″ in from edge
Objective – Slay enemy Warlord for 2 points, or destroy any unit for 1 point. Capture the Relic (similar to Main Rulebook mission 6) yields no VPs, but is important for campaign points.
Secondary objectives – Slay the Warlord, Linebreaker, First Blood
Deployment
Dark Angels – Turn 1
Rhino moves forward, drops off Tactical Squads. One runs towards the objective. Turn not pictured.
Azure Flames – Turn 1
Flamer squad with Ory-Hara moves in. Psychic powers and shooting kill some Dark Angels, breaking the Sergeant’s squad and damaging the other one.
Dark Angels – Turn 2
Shooting at the Azure Flames is ineffectual. Nephilim Jetfighter unloads some missiles, but fantastic cover saves protect the Tactical Squad. Turn not pictured.
Azure Flames – Turn 2
Flamer Squad arrives, wipes out smaller Tactical squad. Ory-Hara’s squad moves up to capture the Relic.
Dark Angels – Turn 3
The Jetfighter, unable to maneuver, flies off toward the board edge. Remaining squad menaces the Flamer squad.
Azure Flames – Turn 3
Ory-Hara moves up with the Relic, to stay away from the Jetfighter. Shooting kills the Dark Angels sergeant. Game ceded.
Conclusions: The Nephilim Jetfighter did not arrive in the first game. Bradley ceded due to the fact that rolling for reserves a turn early meant he knew the Jetfighter would not show (despite a +1 to reserve rolls!) In this game, the fighter showed up, but its lack of maneuverability hampered it. It got one turn of good shooting and then was forced to fly around the board like an idiot. In our next game, Bradley swapped the Jetfighter for a Ravenwing Darktalon, which can hover!
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Mission 1 – Assassination (see first game, above)
Deployment
Azure Flames – Turn 1
Despite seeing rear armour, two Meltaguns and Ory-Hara’s psychic powers can only glance the Rhino once!
Dark Angels – Turn 1
Tactical Marines pour out of the Rhino and harm the Azure Flames squad
Azure Flames – Turn 2
Flamer squad and psychic powers kill all but two Tactical Marines
Dark Angels – Turn 2
Ravenwing Darkstar arrives in Hover mode, and drops a Vortex shot, but it misses. All its other guns wipe out Ory-Hara and the rest of his squad.
Azure Flames – Turn 3
Flamer squad charges the Darktalon, destroying the Vortex gun, but leaving it alive.
Dark Angels – Turn 3
Darktalon hovers away and fires, but insane armour save rolls protect the Azure Flames. Turn not pictured.
Azure Flames – Turn 4
Tactical Squad charges and kills the Rhino. Turn not pictured.
Dark Angels – Turn 4
Darktalon zooms and bombs the Tactical Squad, causing no casualties but reducing its WS and I to 1.
Azure Flames – Turn 5
Tactical squad moves up and shoots the remaining two Dark Angel marines.
Dark Angels – Turn 5
Darktalon hovers again, killing 3 of the 5 Azure Flames left. Turn not pictured.
Azure Flames – Turn 6
Darktalon is destroyed in close combat. Tabled.
Conclusions: Bradley is seriously considering nerfing the Drop Pod Assault rule for the Combat Patrol campaign. In a 1500 pt. list, you can take things to deal with an all-drop army, but it’s very difficult in a 400 pt. list. Bradley, myself, and Dan, the owner of AFK discussed how best to combat an all-drop army, and hopefully they will have a successful campaign.
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As always, there were other awesome games going on!
More Combat Patrol wackiness with Nathan, a long time Four Strands ally!
HUGE game of Warhammer 30K: Sons of Horus vs. Imperial Fists! Forge world EVERYWHERE and AMAZING paint jobs!
There was even a strong Warmachine contingent! Some of my old friends from the days of 21st Century Comics and Games were throwing down. Alex played Menoth (top) while Matt played Trolls (bottom).
What a night! Next: look forward to seeing how I get my new paint setup ready!
Highland Library August Game 2 – 1500 Purge the Alien – Azure Flames vs. Tau
Game 2 was against Dominic, a frequent player on this blog who once demoed Epic Armageddon with me! Today, Dominic brought his Tau. I was feeling lazy, and so fielded almost the same list (transports were swapped). We rolled for mission and surprise! Got Purge the Alien AGAIN! Oh well, it’s a good mission.
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Bozeman – Azure Flames (Salamanders Flameblade from the Angels of Death supplement) – 1500pts
Flameblade Strike Force
- Battle Demi-Company
- Leonidas, Captain of the 1st company (counts as Vulkan He’Stan)
- Tactical Squad x 10, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Melta, Power Fist, Meltagun, Multimelta
- Drop Pod
- Tactical Squad x 10, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Melta, Power Fist, Meltagun, Multimelta
- Tactical Squad x 5, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Flamer, Power Fist, Flamer
- Razorback, Lascannon and Twin-Linked Plasma Gun
- Assault Squad x 5, 2 x Flamer
- Drop Pod
- Devastator Squad x 5, 4x Heavy Bolter, Auspex
- Ironclad Dreadnought, Ironclad Launchers, Heavy Flamer, Chainfist
- Drop Pod
- Flamebringers Formation
- Land Raider Redeemer
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Dominic – Tau
- Combined Arms Detatchment
- Commander, Iridium Crisis Suit, Flamer, several upgrades that make him the traditional “Buffmander”
- Pathfinder Squad x 4, Recon Drone
- Devilfish
- Pathfinder Squad x 5, 2x Marker Light Drones, Blacksun Filter
- Fire Warriror Strike Team x 12, Shas’ui
- Fire Warriror Strike Team x 12, Shas’ui
- Fireblade
- Tidewall
- Tidewall Gun Emplacement
- Riptide, Ion Cannon, Stims, E.W.O.
- Crisis Suit x 3, 6x Plasma (2 per suit), ATS, 3x Marker Light Drones
- Hammerhead, Smart Missile System, Submunitions, Disruption Pod
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Mission – Purge the Alien (units destroyed = 1 VP)
Setup – Hammer and Anvil (short board edges, 24″ deployment)
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Turn 1 – Azure Flames
Land Raider and Razorback move up and pop smoke. Devastators run toward the silver building. Leonidas and the Assault Squad arrive, and Leonidas splits off. Their flamers kill most of both of the Fire Warrior Squads. Tactical Squad also arrives via Drop Pod, scatter behind the Hammerhead, and blow it up.
Advance!
A deadly Alpha Strike ruins the Fire Warrior’s day, and eliminates the Hammerhead. The Assault Squad is reduced to two men thanks to the Riptide’s Interceptor shot, but those two were the Flamers, so that was worth it!
Turn 1 – Tau
Devilfish moves up, but fails to harm the Razorback. Fire Warriors shoot the Assault Squad, kill a Flamer, and the other one breaks and flees! Riptide trains its remaining guns on Leonidas, but does no damage. Emplaced Railgun does a crew shaken to the Land Raider Redeemer.
The Devilfish menaces the Razorback.
I’m getting out of here!
Turn 2 – Azure Flames
Leonidas blasts the other Fire Warriors again, causing them to break! The Assault Marine runs, and the Tactical Squad tries to maneuver out of the corner. Razorback fires ineffectually at the Devilfish. Ironclad Dreadnought arrives and its Heavy Flamer kills most of the Pathfinders in the ruins, while the Drop Pod finishes the last two.
The Devilfish laughs off the Razorback’s fire.
Pathfinders don’t like fire!
Because the Tau are smart enough to password protect their gun emplacements, Leonidas cannot fire this railgun that the Fire Warriors abandoned when they flee.
Turn 2 – Tau
Buffmander and the Crisis Suits arrive (is that an indie rock band?) They blow up the Razorback with plasma, which explodes and kills a Devastator. Riptide moves off, but can’t hurt the Ironclad. Devilfish kills the last Assault Marine for a kill point!
Buffmander and his boys blow up the Razorback, stunningly!
The Riptide can’t hurt the Ironclad.
Lone Assault Marine is toast!
Turn 3 – Azure Flames
Tactical Squad in the Land Raider disembark. Shooting and assault kill everyone but Buffmander, who is locked in combat with the squad. Ironclad charges and does three wounds to the Riptide, but it kicks off his power fist in return!
Buffmander is all alone, and in a pickle!
Epic fight between the Ironclad and Riptide!
Turn 3 – Tau
The Ironclad does one more wound to the Riptide. Pathfinders get out of their Devilfish and shoot the Devastators, killing one. Buffmander takes one more wound.
The Pathfinders attack!
Buffmander hangs on…
Turn 4 – Azure Flames
Buffmander is killed. An underwhelming combat has no effect with the Ironclad and Riptide. Devastators charge the Pathfinders, killing two, breaking them, and running them down! Land Raider’s Multi-Melta blows up the Devilfish, and a Drop Pod Storm Bolter kills the two Drones that pop out!
This side of the board is cleared.
These guys must be tired, they are just standing around doing nothing.
Turn 4 – Tau
The Riptide tries to use its Nova Reactor, but it overheats, killing it! Tabled.
Hey, where did my friend go?
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Final Score
Azure Flames – 9 plus Slay the Warlord, First Blood, and Linebreaker = 12
Tau – 1
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Dominic made one mistake: Buffmander did not start on the board. Had he been around, he and his Crisis Suit buddies could have punched back against the Alpha Strike. He could have also been hanging out making everyone better. Other than that, the list was good and Dominic didn’t make any mistakes.
Next: hopefully some Gothic Demos and more batreps!
Highland August – 1500 Purge the Alien, Azure Flames vs. Deathwatch and Imperial Fists
Time for Highland Game Club again! I played two games. My first was with a new player, Cam, who has only been playing for a few months but shows a remarkable familiarity and flow during play. Most new players can’t remember what phase is which. He brought the new Deathwatch models! I’m lucky to get to play against an army so new!
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Bozeman – Azure Flames (Salamanders Flameblade from the Angels of Death supplement) – 1500pts
Flameblade Strike Force
- Battle Demi-Company
- Leonidas, Captain of the 1st company (counts as Vulkan He’Stan)
- Tactical Squad x 10, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Melta, Power Fist, Meltagun, Multimelta
- Drop Pod
- Tactical Squad x 10, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Melta, Power Fist, Meltagun, Multimelta
- Drop Pod
- Tactical Squad x 5, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Flamer, Power Fist, Flamer
- Razorback, Lascannon and Twin-Linked Plasma Gun
- Assault Squad x 5, 2 x Flamer
- Devastator Squad x 5, 4x Heavy Bolter, Auspex
- Ironclad Dreadnought, Ironclad Launchers, Heavy Flamer, Chainfist
- Drop Pod
- Flamebringers Formation
- Land Raider Redeemer
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Cam – Deathwatch with allied Imperial Fists – 1500pts
Deathwatch
- Deathwatch Formation
- Librarian, Lv2, Terminator Armour
- Aquilla Kill Team x6, 1x Bike, Special Heavy Bolter, Storm Shield, Xeno Blade, attached Librarian, Lv2
- Land Raider (Phobos Pattern)
- Furor Kill Team x7, 1x Terminator, Heavy Flamer, Melta-Fist, 2x Combi-Melta, 1x Frag Cannon, Blackshield, Attached Chaplain
Allied Imperial Fist Space Marine Combined Arms Detatchment
- Combined Arms Detatchment
- Librarian, Lv2, Bones of Ossrak
- Tactical Squad x 9, Drop Pod
- Tactical Squad x 10, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Melta, Heavy Bolter
- Rhino
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Mission – Purge the Alien (units destroyed = 1 VP)
Deployment – Dawn of War (long board edges)
Setup not pictured. Cam put his Furor Deathwatch squad in the Land Raider, and also deployed the Imperial Fist squad in the Rhino. For this game, thanks to the new Salamanders rules, Leonidas got an additional Warlord Trait and gained outflank, taking the Assault Squad and Land Raider Redeemer with him! The Devastators and Flamer Squad in the Razorback deployed.
Lucky! I seized the initiative!
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Turn 1 – Azure Flames
One of the Tactical Squads and the Ironclad Dreadnought deep strike. The Ironclad gets a lucky shot and explodes the Land Raider! The Tactical squad pours fire into the Deathwatch Furor team, but unbelievable invulnerable saves by the lone Terminator cause no casualties! No other shots have effect.
The Aquilla terrain represents the ruin of a Land Raider. The squad inside is unharmed, thanks to the Terminator tanking two Melta hits.
Turn 1 – Deathwatch/Imperial Fists
The Furor Deathwatch team enacts swift revenge on the Tactical Squad, wiping them out! The other Imperial Fists squad arrives, and their Librarian casts Enfeeble on the Devastators. Bolter shots kill one Devastator. The Sergeant of the Imperial Fist squad in the Rhino fires his one-shot Melta out of the hatch, but misses the Ironclad.
The Imperial Fists arrive to make trouble on this side of the board
The Tactical squad pays the price of upsetting the Deathwatch!
Turn 2 – Azure Flames
Leonidas and the Assault Squad arrive in the Land Raider Redeemer, outflanking behind the Rhino. The other Tactical Squad also arrives. The Rhino is exploded, and the occupants are annihilated by the Land Raider’s sponson Flamestorm Cannon and the Dreadnought. The 5 man Flamer squad wipe out the newly arrived Imperial Fists with amazing Flamers, Heavy Bolters, and the Las-Plas from the Razorback.
The black wall is the ruin of the Rhino, and its occupants have shared its fate.
The Tactical Squad fared no better, thanks to +1 strength on Flamers and the Tactical Doctrine.
Turn 2 – Deathwatch/Imperial Fists
Aquilla Kill Team arrives via deep strike and kills a few Tactical Marines, aided by psychic powers. The Furor team advances and penetrates the Ironclad with a Frag Cannon shot that causes Crew Shaken.
The Aquilla team arrives, arranged painstakingly to maximize their ability to soak fire. How did they get that bike in the Teleporter? DON’T ASK.
The Frag Cannon makes use of rear armour on the Ironclad, but can’t do more than Crew Shaken.
Turn 3 – Azure Flames
Combined fire from several sources severely damages the Aquilla Kill Team, reducing them to two members and a wounded Librarian. The Land Raider Redeemer advances cautiously and peppers the Furor team with fire, killing a few. The Flamer squad charges the Imperial Fist Drop Pod, causing 2 glances.
The Dreadnought fails to charge after the Aquilla Team is whittled down.
The Land Raider is afraid of the Meltafist, and so maintains a discreet distance.
This Drop Pod is sturdier than it looks!
Turn 3 – Deathwatch/Imperial Fists
The Flamer Squad finishes off the Drop Pod. The Aquilla Team makes use of a once-per-game ability, is removed, and re-Deep Strikes within 6″ of the Furor Team.
Not sturdy enough!
Emergency Teleport!
Turn 4 – Azure Flames
Fire from the Land Raider and Dreadnought kill the Furor Squad’s Terminator. Turn not pictured.
Turn 4 – Deathwatch/Imperial Fists
The Aquilla Squad charges the first Azure Flames Drop Pod, and glance it once. The Furor Squad, now three strong counting the Librarian Warlord, charge the Ironclad. Re-rolling Melta causes the Librarian to die from Overwatch, and as a result, the charge fails!
Slay the Warlord achieved in Overwatch!
Turn 5 – Azure Flames
Leonidas and the Flamers destroy the remaining Furor Team, while the Ironclad and Land Raider destroy the Aquilla Team. Tabled.
With the heavy hitters gone, Leonidas mops up the rest.
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Final Score
Azure Flames: 11 plus Slay the Warlord, First Blood, and Linebreaker = 14
Deathwatch/Imperial Fists: 1
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Cam is just trying out the Deathwatch list, and so didn’t access the full swath of cheese therein. His list required units that perform specific things, like the Furor Squad which was meant to be a Death Star. The Imperial Fists were a bit weak, as they didn’t have a clear battlefield role. Cam also could have hid the Raider behind a hill, so that a deep strike to Melta it would have had to risk scattering off the board edge.
Next: another batrep!
Golden Rhino Tournament 2016
The time has come. Will I be able to pull off wins two years in a row? Read on to find out!
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Game 1
Opponent: Andrew – Riptide-heavy Tau
Mission: Time is of the Essence – Dawn of War deployment. Beginning on turn 2, objectives score points = current turn. After the game, lose one point for each of your units destroyed, cannot go below zero.
Game started off good, as Leonidas and the Terminators got a turn one charge!
However, their victory was short lived. Reducing the unlucky Riptide to one wound, the Riptide commits suicide by using its Nova Charge! With the Riptide removed, the Terminators are vulnerable to a charge. Worse, the Ironclad is lost to overwatch fire during a charge. In the end I was completely tabled by the bottom of turn 4.
In the end, I didn’t have what it takes to kill three Riptides and a Stormsurge. Worse, this Riptide formation let them re-roll a huge amount of their failed Nova Charge checks, and gave them a one turn feat to shoot even more. Honestly, I’m not sure how to make a tournament list to deal with this sort of Riptide spam. Some people mentioned the right psychic powers, but I didn’t have the points for a psyker this time.
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Game 2
Opponent: Zach – Tyranids on foot
Mission: Maelstrom of Confusion – Vanguard Strike Deployment. Gain 3 Maelstrom objectives each turn. At the end of your turn, after discarding, any objective not scored is SCORED NEGATIVE AND DISCARDED! Objectives 11-16 are from the book, not your codex. Any D3 for scores for objectives is assumed to be a “2.”
Zach’s Tyranids somehow brought an Aegis Defense Line, and hid behind it. This was no match for charging Terminators and Drop Pods. The highlight of the match was a deep striking Mawloc eating all five Terminators, right behind Leonidas!
However, at the end of the game, only the Swarmlord and his buddies the Tyrant Guard survived. Zach drew the absolute WORST objectives, and did not score until turn 5, whereas I drew like a god and scored positive every turn, with one turn scoring 7 points!
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Game 3
Opponent: Michael – Imperial Guard with Creed and a Stormlord Superheavy tank
Mission: Right Place at the Wrong Time – Hammer and Anvil deployment. 6 objectives. When an objective is identified, roll a D6. On a 1, it explodes and is removed! On a 2-3 it is removed. On a 4+ it is identified as a Mysterious Objective as normal, but all results of “1” are re-rolled.
To start us off, all 3 objectives in the deployment zones were fake, revealing the three in the center as real! I rushed in to smash the Guard quickly.
Most of my army converged on the Stormlord, inside of which was all but 2 of the guard squads. When it exploded, most of Michael’s army went with it…
I tabled Michael by the top of turn 3. It was insane. I have played Michael with a list similar to this before, but I’ve never seen a victory this one sided. This is what happens when you put all your eggs in one basket.
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Final result:
I got 7th out of 16 players. Ah well, it was pretty fun! the winner was Josh, who played his Tau with lots of marker light drones and moving defense buildings!
Big thanks to Ian and Dawn for organizing this insanely complicated event. Thanks also to all of my opponents and fellow players!
Next: painting hopefully!
Golden Rhino 2016 Display Board
My forces are marshaled for war. Tomorrow: the Golden Rhino Tournament at Highland. 1500 Highlander, three rounds.
I am ready.
Highland June Tournament Prep part 2 – Maelstrom of Confusion
My second prep game was against Drew, who brought his Space Wolves! Sadly, Drew will not participate in the tournament due to job issues. This is a damn shame because Drew was a delight to play against and his list was fun, fluffy, and challenging! We played mission 2: Maelstrom of Confusion.
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Bozeman – Azure Flames Space Marines (Salamanders)
- Combined Arms Detachment
- Leonidas, Captain of the 1st Company (counts as Vulkan He’stan)
- Ironclad Dreadnought, Chainfist, replace Storm Bolter with Heavy Flamer, Ironclad Launchers
- Drop Pod
- Terminator Assault Squad x5, 5x Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield
- Land Raider Redeemer, Extra Armour, Multi-Melta
- Tactical Squad x10, Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Bolter-Melta, Meltagun, Multi-Melta
- Drop Pod
- Scout Squad x5
- Land Speeder Storm, Multi-Melta
- Land Speeder Squadron x3, 3x Multi-Melta
- Stormtalon Gunship, Skyhammer Missile Launcher
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Drew – Space Wolves
- Combined Arms Detatchment
- Ulrik the Slayer
- Murderfang
- Berserker Dreadnought, Shield, Axe
- Blood Claws x5, Flamer
- Razorback, Twin Linked Lascannon, Dozer Blade
- Grey Hunters x5, Plasma Gun
- Razorback, Twin Linked Lascannon, Dozer Blade
- Predator Squadron x2, Twin Linked Lascannon, Spnson Lascannons
- Sicaran Battle Tank, Reinforced Ceramite, Dozer Blade, Heavy Bolter Sponsons
- Wolfkin Formation
- 40 Fenrisian Wolves
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Mission: Maelstrom of Confusion
As per all tournament games, terrain is set up by players rolling off and then alternating placement. All boards will have one large impassable line of sight blocking terrain, 2 ruins, 2 forests, 1 crater, 1 lake or other water feature, and 1 medium building that has the special rule: At Any Cost Necessary – This building may be targeted by shooting or assault regardless of who holds it.
Deployment: Vanguard Strike
At the beginning of each player’s turn, they generate 3 tactical objectives. If it is impossible to achieve (i.e. casting a psychic power but you have no psykers) you must immediately discard it and draw another. At the end of the player’s turn, they may discard one objective. After discarding, any objective that is not achieved is SCORED NEGATIVELY and discarded! This negative score cannot bring your victory points total below zero.
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Setup
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Uncharacteristically, I seized the initiative!
Azure Flames – Turn 1
Land Speeders try to gain objective 5, and one gets immobilized in terrain! Ironclad drops in, stuns the Shield/Axe Dreadnought. Land Raider advances, pops smoke. I score -7 points, which does not bring me below zero.
One Land Speeder crashes to try to get objective 5
Land Raider menaces the right side of the board.
Hey! Wanna be my friend?
Space Wolves – Turn 1
Sicaran glances the Ironclad to death. Blood Claws occupy the building. Wolves with Ulrik attached advance. Lascannons immobilize another Land Speeder.
Wave of wolves!
In hindsight, I should have positioned the Ironclad so that its rear armor faced the board edge.
The Land Speeders take fire.
Azure Flames – Turn 2
Remaining mobile Land Speeder tries to shoot the Razorback, but does nothing. Leonidas and the Terminators charge the Blood Claws in the building, wiping them out. Tactical Squad blasts Murderfang and it explodes!
The Terminators take the building as the rest of the army advances.
Tactical Sqaud takes out some wolves.
Space Wolves – Turn 2
Wolves with Ulrik surround the building, but on snake eyes cannot charge the Terminators! Sicaran kills a few tactical marines, and backs up to control the objective. Land Speeder glanced by lascannons.
Wolves needed a “3” to charge. Guess what they got?
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Azure Flames – Turn 3
Leonidas and the Terminators hang out to hold the building. Combined fire from Leonidas, Land Raider, and Tactical Squad decimate the wolves. Land Speeder and Stormtalon fire on Razorback, taking out its lascannon. Land Speeder Storm comes in and destroys the Dreadnought.
Wolves are severely weakened.
The Razorback takes severe damage.
No more Dreadnought!
Space Wolves – Turn 3
Grey Hunters glance the Land Speeder Storm. Ulrik and the remaining wolves charge the Tactical Squad, destroying them. Sicaran takes down the Stormtalon and lascannons fry the Land Speeder. Turn not pictured.
Azure Flames – Turn 4
Scouts get out and charge a Predator, destroying one sponson lascannon. Leonidas and the Terminators charge Ulrik and the wolves, killing all wolves! Ulrik survives against all odds.
Scouts harass the Predators.
Ulrik is on his own!
Space Wolves – Turn 4
Shots from the Grey Hunters break the Scouts and they flee into the lake. Lascannons bust the Land Speeder Storm. Ulrik goes down.
Glub Glub
Ulrik is slain!
Azure Flames – Turn 5
Terminators break off to charge the wounded Razorback, and smash it. Leonidas charges the other Razorback and breaks it. Scouts regroup and charge the predator, glancing it.
Scouts won’t give up!
A one…
…and a two!
Space Wolves – Turn 5
Sicaran puts two wounds on Leonidas. Lascannon kills one Terminator. Game ends.
Ouch!
Ouch again!
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Final score
Azure Flames: 8 + Slay The Warlord + Linebreaker = 10
Space Wolves: 11 + First Blood + Linebreaker = 13
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This was a very fun game. There were one or two moments where I cursed a bit, such as Drew being able to shoot the Stormtalon being only able to see a wingtip, or hitting rear armor on the Ironclad because I didn’t think of placement. I also didn’t get access to objectives well because they were set up by a 3rd party. I also repeat my claim that Maelstrom is not as good as straightforward missions. Had I drawn (or rolled D3s) better this would have been a tie or win, and you know how I feel about randomness. However, this was still one of the best games I’ve played in a while thanks to Drew who knew 7th ed like the back of his hand!
Next: more painting, a display board, and the tournament!
June Highland Tournament Prep part 1 – Time is of the Essence
Michael and I got down to it to prepare for the Highland tournament next month. We played Time is of the Essence, the first mission which is… a bit brutal.
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Bozeman – Azure Flames Space Marines (Salamanders)
- Combined Arms Detachment
- Leonidas, Captain of the 1st Company (counts as Vulkan He’stan)
- Ironclad Dreadnought, Chainfist, replace Storm Bolter with Heavy Flamer, Ironclad Launchers
- Drop Pod
- Terminator Assault Squad x5, 5x Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield
- Land Raider Redeemer, Extra Armour, Multi-Melta
- Tactical Squad x10, Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Bolter-Melta, Meltagun, Multi-Melta
- Drop Pod
- Scout Squad x5
- Land Speeder Storm, Multi-Melta
- Land Speeder Squadron x3, 3x Multi-Melta
- Stormtalon Gunship, Skyhammer Missile Launcher
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Michael – Imperial Guard
- Combined Arms Detachment
- Leman Russ Vanquisher, Pask, Hull Lascannon, Sponson Plasma Cannons, Fire Barrels
- Wyvern x2, Fire Barrels
- Stormlord
- Imperial Guard Platoon
- Command Squad, Lascannon
- Infantry Squad
- Infantry Squad
- Infantry Squad
- Heavy Weapons Squad, 3x Lascannon
- Techpriest Enginseer, 5x Servitors w/Servo Arms
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Mission – Time is of the Essence
As per all tournament games, terrain is set up by players rolling off and then alternating placement. All boards will have one large impassable line of sight blocking terrain, 2 ruins, 2 forests, 1 crater, 1 lake or other water feature, and 1 medium building that has the special rule: At Any Cost Necessary – This building may be targeted by shooting or assault regardless of who holds it.
Deployment: Dawn of War
After setting up terrain, but before deployment, players take turns placing 6 total objective markers. Starting on turn 2, at the end of your player turn, you score a number of victory points equal to the current turn (i.e. on turn 2 each objective you hold is worth 2 victory points). At the end of the game, you lose victory points equal to the number of your units that were destroyed, broken at the end of the game, or still in ongoing reserves.
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Setup
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Michael seized the initiative!
Turn 1 – Imperial Guard
Fire from the Stormlord and Wyverns kill 2/3 of the Land Speeders and Pask shoots the Multi-melta off of the Land Raider Redeemer.
Can’t hide from the Wyvern fire!
Pask fires a shot, and the Land Raider is down one Multi-melta.
Turn 1 – Azure Flames
Ironclad Dreadnought drops in and puts a hull point on the Stormlord. Last Land Speeder goes for an objective in the forest. Land Raider goes up and pops smoke.
The Ironclad Dreadnought threatens the Stormlord.
Smoke is our only hope!
Turn 2 – Imperial Guard
Lascannon squad aboard the Stormlord takes out the Ironclad Dreadnought. Wyverns destroy the last Land Speeder. Turn not pictured.
Turn 2 – Azure Flames
Leonidas and the Terminators disembark, and destroy the Wyverns. Tactical squad arrives via drop pod, combat squads, and takes two objectives. Scouts arrive via outflank and take another objective.
The Wvyverns are toast!
Objectives secured.
The Land Speeder Storm takes another objective.
Turn 3 – Imperial Guard
Fire from the Stormlord kills one Terminator. Sponson plasma cannon on Pask’s Leman Russ suffers an overheat!
30 shots kill only one Terminator. Meanwhile, Pask has trouble with his Plasma.
Turn 3 – Azure Flames
Leonidas and the Terminators blow up Pask’s Leman Russ, but one Terminator is killed in the explosion! Land Raider backs up to protect the Tactical Combat Squad holding the objective in the open.
Pask is toast. The Land Raider acts as a wall to protect some bolter marines.
Turn 4 – Imperial Guard
Three Infantry Squads and the Command Squad disembark and bubble-wrap the Stormlord. Precision shots do a wound to Leonidas and the Stormlord kills one more Terminator.
The Guardsmen form a wall to prevent a Terminator charge on the Stormlord.
Turn 4 – Azure Flames
Leonidas splits from the Terminators, and his heavy flamer kills the entire command squad, as well as most of the red squad. Leonidas charges the red squad, breaks them and wipes them out. The Terminators charge the yellow squad, break them, and consolidate onto the objective. Fire from the Stormtalon is ineffective.
Leonidas accounts for two units in one turn, and consolidates to the side of the Stormlord.
Terminators claim the objective. Beneath them, two guardsmen flee a pitiful two inches.
Turn 5 – Imperial Guard
Green squad and Stormlord wipe out the Terminators. Techpriest and Servitors charge Leonidas, but with a heavy flamer on Overwatch, and good attack rolls, Leonidas kills them all before they even get a chance to attack! Lascannons do a glance to the Land Raider.
Leonidas prepares the avenge the Terminators.
Turn 5 – Azure Flames
Leonidas burns the Green squad, but can’t make it to the objective. Lucky Assault Cannon shot does three hull points to the Stormlord! Stormtalon risks a hover to claim the forest objective.
Objective just out of reach!
Turn 6 – Imperial Guard
Stormlord does one wound to Leonidas. Lascannons destroy the Stormtalon.
Leonidas stands up to 30 shots.
The Stormtalon is toast!
Turn 6 – Azure Flames
Leonidas charges the green squad, kills them, and takes the objective. Land Raider Assault Cannon does one more glance to the Stormlord. Game ends.
Leonidas grabs the objective.
Last lucky shot.
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Final score
Azure Flames: 57 points + Slay the Warlord + Linebreaker – 3 lost units = 56
Imperial Guard: 7 points + First Blood – 8 lost units = 0
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When event organizer Ian heard about our score, he was shocked. Playtest with this mission had both sides routinely scoring 40-50 points. Why, then, did Michael do so poorly? In his own words, he created his list to be a tabler. He wanted to win by killing everything in the opposing army. This is hard at 1500 points. Had even one of my models survived, I would have kept all of my victory points. Michael only scored 7 points, and only by my urging that his squads hold an objective on turns 3 and 4.
Next: another battle report! Stay tuned!
A day of mourning, a day of hope
The first week must be the hardest, though Antonius as Captain Dakota of the Azure Flames 6th company briefed him on the resupply schedule of the Strike Cruiser Honor.
“The Munitorum just now has sorted out all of the requests from Imperial Navy vessels that have stayed behind to mop up the Ork forces in the Julius system. We can finally resupply, and I can see that the Honor has the most stores of any ship in the fleet. I need to be able to swap out supplies to refresh the stocks of His Hammer II, which saw the most action of any ship during the entire Chasma Spica conflict.”
“Sir…” Antonius began before Dakota interrupted him with a chortle.
“Sir? You haven’t called me that in a long time.” Dakota said with a smile.
“You have quite a short memory, it was two months ago.” Antonius retorted.
Dakota dismissively waved his hand. “That was when you were a mere Battle Brother, Captain Antonius. Besides, it has been a long two months.”
“That’s an understatement. Feel free to take anything we have, Captain. We are all brothers here.”
“Thank you, Antonius. I’m sure that once we have a more complete survey of all the planets in…” Dakota cut off as a faint noise emanated from his earpiece. He touched it, and a microphone deployed. “Dakota. Yes. Understood. I’m on my way.” He turned his gaze back to Antonius. “Come, Captain, we have a Thunderhawk flight to charter. There is a meeting of the full Senior Staff aboard His Hammer II in the main conference room.”
“A full meeting? But we have just secured Iperin as our homeworld! We have not even begun pouring foundations for the Fortress Monastery. We can’t be going on another crusade.”
“If the Emperor has need of us, then we go.” Dakota replied in a dour tone. “Let us hope that no Imperial power wishes to challenge our right of conquest to Iperin.”
Antonius suppressed a shudder. Without help from Inquisitor Voltman Kalmsan, The Azure Flames may well have come to blows with the Adeptus Mechanicus over the quarantine of the Menelaus during the Chasma Spica conflict. If those delicate assurances had crumbled…
“Let’s go.” Antonius said. Dakota nodded.
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Antonius and Dakota strode into a darkened hallway, lit only by candles. The faint aroma of incense wafted from censers on either side of the hall. Near the end was a door with several bands of plasteel securing it. Next to the door, a servo skull hovered above an autoscrivener with a roll of aged parchment that rolled up from the floor. As Antonius and Dakota approached the skull scanned them with a red laser.
“Who comes? Who comes? Who comes?” The skull croaked in a mechanically augmented voice.
“Zeraf Antonius, Master of the Marches, Captain of the Strike Cruiser Honor.” Antonius replied as tradition said he should.
“Come in remembrance, and leave with purpose.” The skull intoned as the doors slid open.
“What?” Antonius exclaimed. The skull did not answer. “That isn’t the normal greeting.”
“No, it’s not.” answered Dakota. “Go inside, I’ll be there in a moment.”
Antonius went through the door into a small antechamber. He knelt before a small statue of Vulkan and offered a short prayer of devotion. As he rose, Dakota came in behind him and repeated the ritual. Antonius picked up a small padded mallet and rang a small gong hanging by the door into the main chamber three times.
“Enter.” A voice called. Antonius carefully opened the door and went into the conference room. A large table with data displays inlaid stretched from one end of the long room to the other. Around the table were fourteen large steel benches, built to accommodate power armour. At the far end, a larger, more ornate throne held the bulky frame of Perseus, the new Chapter Master, clad in his Terminator Armour, armed for war. Around the table, most of the spaces were taken by the other captains of the ten companies of the Azure Flames. To Perseus’ right was Chaplain Alexsandr, the Master of Sanctity in his black armour. To his left, Ory-Hara, the Chief Librarian, clad in a blue hood and a mask that hid all but his eyes. At the opposite end of the table sat Senior Apothecary Luiz and Jelnac, Master of the Forge. Several of the other captains were seated in the places they took by tradition, but many seats were still empty. Antonius took his, nodding to Perseus. Perseus did not acknowledge the gesture.
He knows Antoinus thought. Only someone who knew Antonius’ secret would give him that look of both trepidation and admiration. Antonius turned to Apothecary Luiz who gave him the same look. One week ago, on the day of his promotion to Captain, Luiz had told Antonius that he was the only gene-son of Atrus, the former Chapter Master and the man who saved the Azure Flames. Atrus’ visions from the Emperor gave the chapter a new purpose. Now, with Atrus gone, Antonius felt that he had lost a father. Again.
Dakota entered quickly after Antonius, and the room was silent again. Other Captains eventually filled the room until all fifteen members of the Senior Staff were present. Perseus stood and spoke in a loud, clear voice.
“Let all who have come here speak not outside these walls of our counsel, save for the one voice in which we all speak. Let loose words not in hatred, save for the alien, the mutant, the heretic. Fear not your own voice, for here it is all you are armed with. Do you so swear?”
The room answered as a chorus. “On our honor, and by the teachings of Vulkan, we so swear.”
As soon as the echo of the group’s reply faded, Perseus sat. “We are not going to war.” he said. Puzzled looks came from all but a few.
“Then what did you call us here for, old man?” shouted Leonidas, Captian of the first company. His green gauntleted fist pounded the countertop. Antonius briefly reflected on Leonidas’ livery; he was a living reminder that the Azure Flames had once been the Sons of the Salamander, and he took the duty of being that reminder very seriously.
“I have called you all here because we have all lost something.” Perseus answered.
“Yes.” the monotone mechanical voice of Edgard of the 3rd Company spoke up. “I have my revenge against the successors of Victor Kalan. I slew dozens of aliens and heretics for each of my brothers that were taken from us by the Alliance. Yet now there is only emptiness. We have no purpose.” Edgard was slouched over in sorrow, and Antonius heard the servos in his torso actuate as he corrected himself and sat up properly. Edgard had survived the worst injuries imaginable, but he seemed to be in real pain now.
“We have a purpose.” Khalil of the 8th company retorted. “Atrus told me just before he died. He said that a true hero fights until his dying breath, knowing only what is in his heart.”
Jelnac, Master of the Forge, muttered “I still cannot believe that Atrus did not let his Techmarine bodyguard go with him.” Though he was almost too quiet to hear, the anger in his voice was palpable.
“No one doubts the resolve of any of our brothers, Khalil.” Perseus said as if Jelnac had not spoken. “We will live up to the memory of the man who shaped our chapter. However, without his vision and drive, we must re-assess the purpose of the Azure Flames. We sought to banish the darkness in the vision that Atrus had so long ago, and we did so with honor. But now we must find a new purpose.”
“What is the purpose of any Space Marine chapter?” mused Zhuang of the 2nd company. “We fight the enemies of the Imperium, and vanquish foes that give ordinary men pause. We must simply adapt to this new role.”
A memory floated up, unbidden in Antonius’ mind. It was pervasive; he could not dismiss it.
***Antonius looked out through someone else’s eyes. He looked on as a younger version of Zhuang in Scout Armour lay broken and bleeding on the floor of a dark room. Apothecaries came in to tend him, but he righted himself, pushed off of his knee, and stood. Bright crimson blood ran from his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. He walked out of the room and the vision faded.***
As Antonius looked around the room, the rest of the council seemed to refocus their eyes, recovering from experiencing the same memory. All but Ory-Hara, who stared daggers at Zhuang.
“Is this why you stood after the Final Trial of Brotherhood, Zhuang?” Perseus’ tone was almost accusatory. “To join ‘just another chapter?’ No. You are the only member of the Azure Flames since Atrus created that trial to walk out of the Black Room on your own two feet. Are you content with mediocrity, Zhuang?”
“No, my lord.” Zhuang answered.
“Nor should any of you be.” Perseus continued. “Atrus is gone. We will all mourn him in our own way. But he did not leave us only to have us turn our backs on all that we have built.”
“I have taught all of you, save Perseus and Alexsandr.” The rough, gravelly voice of Daniel, captain of the 10th company, was so nostalgic to Antonius that his Power Armour seemed far too big for him. “With those two exceptions, I watched you all fire your first Boltgun. I saw you go into battle for the first time. I watched you grow, and I personally made the recommendation to Atrus, and before him Chapter Master Logain, to promote you all to full Brotherhood.” He turned to Perseus. “My lord, you are my oldest friend. Know that I mean no disrespect, but you know as well as I that no one in this room would ever turn their backs on Atrus, the Chapter, or any of our history.”
Perseus sighed. “You are right, Daniel. Zhuang, I apologize.”
“No, the fault is my own.” Zhuang replied. “I was avoiding thinking about the future, because I do not know what we are to do.” He paused for a moment before adding: “Atrus always knew what to do.”
“Indeed, but we are bereft of his advice.” Valerien, captain of the 9th company answered. “We shall always remember the past, but it is our duty now to look to the future.”
“There’s always a choice…” Antonius surprised himself as those words left his mouth. Everyone turned to him, and he felt the closest thing to fear that he had felt in a long time.
“A choice, Antonius? We have no choice. We must carry on, as we always have.” Valerien said.
“That’s not what I meant, but I can’t…” Antonius trailed off. He knew what was right in his heart, but the words would not come. Suddenly, he felt inspiration flow through his mind like a bolt of lightning. “Ory-Hara, I need to share a memory with everyone. Can you help me?”
Ory Hara nodded slowly, and stood. He walked behind Perseus, and came down Antonius’ side of the table. Antonius leaned his head back. Ory-Hara’s gauntleted hand hovered above him. With a click, a rectangular compartment opened in Ory-Hara’s palm. As the armour opened, Antoinus saw the rubbery surface of the Black Carapace. In the middle, was a small, circular hole about 2.5 centimeters across, exposing the pale flesh of a human palm. Ory-Hara lowered his hand to Antonius’ head, and Antonius quickly went through the meditation techniques he learned to empty his mind of all thought. A candle appeared in his mind, sporting a bright, blue flame. Into this flame, Antonius pushed his hesitation, his excitement, and his pride. He floated in nothingness for a fraction of a second, and then let himself remember.
***Antonius walked into the chapel of the Strike Cruiser Honor. All of the sergeants were there, as well as Antonius’ predecessor, Captain Ganendra and Chaplain Hakan. Captain Ganendra formally ordered him to take command of the 5th Tactical Sqaud. Chaplain Hakan distributed devotional wine, and everyone drank.
Except Gehn. Gehn stared.***
As the room once again shook off the effects of Ory-Hara’s memory sharing, he heard someone spit. A small plume of acrid smoke emanated from the plasteel countertop in front of Leonidas.
“GAAAAH! Antonius, you dare to soil our council devoted to the memory of a great man by remembering that… TRAITOR?” Leonidas shouted.
“We have to remember Gehn.” Antonius answered. “You see, Gehn had a choice. He could have let his jealousy and anger go. He could have remembered that his oaths to the Emperor were stronger than his own ego. Instead, he chose to let that jealousy and anger consume him, and turned to the Ruinous Powers.” Antonius stood as he gained momentum. “We can choose to fade into the background. We can take this system and build a fortress that rivals The Fang, and forever cut ourselves off from an uncaring galaxy. We can be just like every other chapter that squats in their Fortress Monasteries and deigns to bless the battlefields with their presence. Or…”
Antonius looked around, suddenly a bit self conscious. Chaplain Alexsandr’s harsh Valhallan accent split the room. “FINISH, boy!” Antonius suddenly felt himself full of confidence.
“Or,” Antonius continued “we can make Iperin our home. We can turn this world into a bright candle that banishes the darkness. We can share our home with those who have had their homes and families taken from them, like mine was. Like Ory-Hara. Like Edgard. Like so many of our brothers. Even Atrus himself.”
“Seek not to put yourself above mankind, for from whence you came, so you must serve.” Chaplain Alexsander intoned.
“The words of Vulkan.” Everyone around the table said as a chorus.
“Atrus gave us a quest.” Antonius continued. “He led us on a crusade, never settling in any one place, so that we would be ready to face the darkness he saw. Our quest is over. Now we have a choice. Do we let our grief consume us, or do we let it drive us? We should start a new quest. To defend those who cannot protect themselves. To avenge what cannot be protected. And to bring light to those plunged into darkness and despair.”
Another memory rushed into Antonius’ mind.
***Once more, Antonius saw through the eyes of another. The huge bulk of Atrus in his Dreadnought body was standing next to him as they gazed upon the smoking but intact silhouette of Tenkath Hive. “A great victory.” a voice from behind Antonius’ eyes said. “The shields held, and the traitors have been purged.”
Atrus sighed. “Yes, it is a great victory.” His tone, even through speakers, was grandfatherly and regal, but tinged with sadness. “But so many will be trapped in this dark place. You fought along its streets, Ory-Hara. You saw the living conditions these poor souls endure. This place is no Releeshahn.”
“What does that mean, my lord?” the voice that was Ory-Hara’s inquired.
“Ah, yes.” Atrus turned to face Ory-Hara. “Releeshahn is a legend from my old homeworld. It means ‘city of light’ in our old tongue. Releeshahn was a fictional city where none suffered, and there was light and music and happiness.” Atrus turned to Tenkath Hive again. “Every human life is worth saving. I just wish we could give them better than… this.”***
Perseus stood. “All of you know that I took the mantle of Chapter Master reluctantly. I felt that I could not do justice to the legacy of Atrus. That reluctance is now gone. We have a new quest that will drive us. For every world that we save, we will offer asylum to those whose lives have been destroyed by war. For every world we lose, we will salvage what can be saved. Our Fortress Monastery will be the capital of a shining city of hope. And we will call it Releeshahn.”
Everyone rose and cheered. Except Ory-Hara, who remained silent.
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Jelen awoke to darkness, as she had several times before. Her throat was raw and dry from shouting. She shifted from the jagged piece of plascrete that was her bed and once again began to feel around the ruined chamber she was trapped in. Nothing. Again. She began to sob.
“I want my daddy…” she repeated again and again.
Suddenly, from outside the rubble, noise. The bad bugs had come back to kill her. All sound in her throat died. Her chest tightened, and she began to shake.
“STAND BACK!” came a voice, loud despite being muffled by the debris. The words snapped Jelen out of her shock. She scooted back away from where the voice had come. A brilliantly shining blue axe head appeared. It disappeared and returned faster than Jelen had ever seen something move. As it widened a hole in the wall, Jelen heard shouting with each stroke. Dark blue gauntlets reached through either side of the newly formed hole and ripped the wall asunder. Standing in the light was an Angel.
“Are you all right?” the Angel said.
The events of the past weeks all flooded into her at once. The sirens. The war. Her daddy running out to draw the spores away. That awful sound. The collapse. Being trapped for days in the ruins. She ran towards the Angel and held on to his greave. Horrible sobs wracked her chest.
“Majeed? Antonius.” The Angel spoke in hushed tones. “Bring me some water and a blanket from the emergency supplies.” He paused. “Yes, I know. Hurry.” The Angel gently patted her filthy hair with his dark blue gauntlet. “It’s alright, you’re safe now. We will not let the aliens come for you.”
“My…” Jelen hiccupped incoherently. “My… My… daddy… is… he…”
“What is your name child?” the Angel asked.
“J… Jel… Jel… Jelen.”
“Hello Jelen. I am Antonius. The Emperor sent me and my brothers to protect you.” As the Angel said this, a vehicle appeared from behind a ruined building. It plowed rubble out of its way with a forked blade on its prow. It was the same deep blue of the Angel’s armour. It was boxy with a sloped font, clean lines, and a wicked looking turret with a long barreled cannon and two smaller glowing guns flanking it. As it approached, it slowed. Another Angel disembarked through a rectangular hatch on the side, emblazoned with a bright blue flame symbol.
“You had to drive here?” Antonius said.
The other Angel smiled. “You said to hurry, my lord.” He handed Antonius a blanket, which Antonius wrapped around Jelen. He lifted her and took her into the vehicle. The inside was cramped, and full of other Angels. Counting Antonius, there were six total. All blue except one which was white. She sipped water from a canteen the other Angel gave her.
“Brothers, this is Jelen. She is the only one we’ve found. We must fall back and relieve Captain Edgard and the remaining defence force of Ifan III. Make this girl’s safety your first priority.” Jelen’s howl of grief managed to drown out the growl of the engine as the vehicle jerked into motion.
“I… I… lost my daddy.” she sobbed.
“I lost my father, just like you did.” Antonius said. Jelen was so shocked her crying immediately ceased.
“But, you’re an Angel.” she said.
“Before I was an Angel, I was little, just like you. How did he die? It’s alright if you don’t want to remember.”
“Daddy was carrying me down the street. We saw those spore things. There were lots and lots. Daddy put me in the storage room, and told me not to come out. I heard him run away. Then there was a big boom. The wall and ceiling fell down. I couldn’t get out…” She trailed off.
“Your father was very brave.” Antonius said.
“How did your daddy die?” Jelen asked.
Antonius looked down at the floor.
“It’s alright if you don’t wanna remember.” She said, patting him on the greave.
“Tell her, my lord.” The white Angel said. Antonius looked up at him for what seemed like a long time. His face, taut with anguish, softened slightly.
“Alright. I’ll tell you how he died, saving me and all my brothers.” He turned to her. “His name was Atrus, and he was a great man.”
IX Squad, 1st Company: The Bearers of Hope – Azure Flames Chapter Approved Dataslate (part 2)
So I’ve been hinting at secret projects, and I’m proud to unveil the first in what will be a series of Games Workshop Chapter Approved dataslates. Behold! The Bearers of Hope, 9th squad, 1st Company
Backstory
The 9th squad of the Azure Flames 1st Company was wiped out during the Chasma Spica conflict. After the Azure Flames claimed Iperin as their homeworld, Chapter Master Perseus himself organized the new 9th squad from those who showed no fear in the face of the most gargantuan of enemy war machines, monsters, and Titans. In a galaxy where large threats are becoming more commonplace, The Bearers of Hope are Chapter Master Perseus’ answer to the most powerful weapons of the enemies of Man. Often staying aboard the Battle Barge His Hammer II, major threats are either spotted by Azure Flames forces, or from orbit (for exceptionally large targets). Deploying by Drop Pod, The Bearers of Hope crash into the hottest parts of the battlefield and erase large targets before they can devastate Imperial positions.
Unit Composition
The Bearers of Hope – Sternguard Veteran Squad x10 – 350 Points (plus 35 Points for a Drop Pod as a Dedicated Transport)
Wargear
- Bolt Pistol
- Bolter-Melta
- Frag Grenades
- Krak Grenades
- Special Issue Amunition
- Power Fist (Sergeant Only)
- Melta Bombs (Sergeant Only)
Special Rules
- And They Shall Know No Fear
- Chapter Tactics: Azure Flames
- Combat Squads
- Gargantuan Destroyers: Any model with this special rule may re-roll any rolls to hit, wound, or penetrate against any Superheavy Vehicle, Gargantuan Monstrous Creature, or building with the Mighty Bulwark special rule.
Modeling
To fit the idea that this squad is specifically designed to destroy large targets, I had most of the squad looking and aiming their weapons up. I am particularly proud of the sergeant, who seems to be turning to his right in order to shout orders and point out weaknesses. I even saved one of the shouting sergeant heads from the old 3rd edition Space Marine sprue! Classic! I also figured that the sergeant of such an important and esteemed squad would be one of the rare few to participate in the Salamander Hunt on Nocturne. I used a cloak from a Dark Elf Corsair, and sculpted more scales to mesh it with an ordinary Space Marine Backpack. I tried to give the impression that he was turning with the cloak. I also added a Melta Bomb with a custom sculpted rope to hold it in place. Each member of the squad has a custom sculpted Flame on their left shoulder pad.
Sharp eyed players may notice that backpacks are a bit askew, and there are bits of blue here and there. The Bolter-Meltas and backpacks are stuck on with blu-tac for ease of painting!
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Coming up next, a custom vehicle and a very special character to lead the Azure Flames as the End Times approach! Stay tuned!