Gothic Demo at AFK – Stephen’s first game!
Before I begin with the battle report, I must show off a painting technique I saw at AFK. A player there had a fantastic pre-heresy mostly Forgeworld Imperial Fist army. He has a painting technique for the right-angled grooves in Space Marine vehicles that I found intriguing. Here it is:
I had always thought to highlight the edges, but here you see that the edges are DARKENED. I think it looks neat, and may try that on a future project…
But now, a BATTLE REPORT!
Recently, I’ve been cross-posting on the Battlefleet Gothic facebook group page. (for those here from that, hi everyone!) Stephen has long been a fan of Battlefleet Gothic, collecting a massive Imperial Navy fleet with a smaller Chaos fleet alongside it. He’s even painted it all! However, for twelve years, NO ONE HAS PLAYED BATTLEFLEET GOTHIC WITH HIM!
That changed last night. Stephen came prepared with a nice 1500 point list, but having never played, I convinced him to play my (all too familiar) training scenario. Luckily for him, he had the ships to play the Imperial Navy without borrowing any of mine!
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Battlefleet Gothic training scenario – Modified Cruiser Clash
Bozeman – Chaos
-Slaughter class cruiser Swiftboat of Truth
-Slaughter class cruiser Traitor’s Blade
-Carnage class cruiser Overkill, Chaos Lord (+2 Ld), re-roll.
-Murder class cruiser Domination
Stephen – Imperial Navy
-Lunar class cruiser, Commander (Ld 8), re-roll
-Lunar class cruiser
-Tyrant class cruiser
-Gothic class cruiser
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Setup:
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Turn 1 – Chaos
The Traitor’s Blade (left side pictured) goes on Come to a New Heading to maneuver around a gas cloud. Other ships fire at the Gothic class and take down its shields.
Turn 1 – Imperial Navy
The two Lunar class ships fire torpedoes at the Traitor’s Blade. Poor brace save rolls cripple it. The Gothic and Tyrant fire torpedoes at the Carnage, but good brace saves protect against all but one damage.
Turn 2 – Chaos
Murder class and the Swiftboat of Truth go on Lock on, and damage the Tyrant class once, collapsing its shields with a lucky crit! The Murder also turns its guns on the Lunar with the Imperial Commander, while the crippled Traitor’s Blade attempts a boarding action. A poor roll gives the Traitor’s Blade two more damage.
Turn 2 – Imperial Navy
Tyrant class disengages. The Gothic goes on Lock on. Good brace saves protect the Carnage with the Chaos Lord and the Murder class. The two Lunars gang up on the wounded Traitor’s Blade, with one going on Lock on. Ironically, the Locked On ship does nothing, while the braced Commander’s ship does one more damage!
Turn 3 – Chaos
The Traitor’s Blade disengages (whew!) while the other Slaughter class, the Swiftboat of Truth goes on Come to a New Heading to get behind the Gothic. Other ships maneuver.
Turn 3 – Imperial Navy
Lunar without the Commander goes on Come to a New Heading, however the Commander’s ship fails a Command Check, even with a re-roll! The fleet wheels to face the remaining threats.
Turn 4 – Chaos
Slaughter class goes on Lock On while the rest go on Come to a New Heading to come about. Fire gives the Gothic class FOUR damage, even through Brace! Critical causes another Shields Collapsed result.
Turn 4 – Imperial Navy
Gothic disengages. Commander’s Lunar goes on Come to a New Heading while the other Lunar Reloads Ordnance and fires, leaving the wave just shy of the Slaughter.
Turn 5 – Chaos
Slaughter takes one damage by flying through Torpedoes without bracing, and gets up close and personal with the Lunar that fired them. Brace saves all but one damage but it it critical and damages the Port side weapons! This is TERRIBLE. Other Chaos ships Come to a New Heading again.
Turn 5 – Imperial Navy
Commander’s ship Reloads Ordnance, and the other Lunar repairs its Port weapons, too late to put them to use…
Turn 6 – Chaos
Murder goes on All Ahead Full to clear a gas cloud, but the Carnage fails a Command check, making it unable to Lock On! Fire does no damage to the Lunar, despite three ships giving it everything.
Turn 6 – Imperial Navy
Commander’s ship fires Torpedoes at the Chaos Lord’s Carnage class, crippling it! Despite having functional weapons, the other Lunar, being on Brace, holds fire to prevent the Torpedoes from having blast marker problems.
Turn 7 – Chaos
The fleet uses Come to a New Heading to wheel around. The Murder class can’t hit the Lunar that doesn’t have the Commander.
Turn 7 – Imperial Navy
Commander’s ship Reloads Ordnance while the other Lunar Comes to a New Heading. Commander fires torpedoes at the Chaos Lord’s crippled Carnage, but fails to hit.
Turn 8 – Chaos
Carnage with the Chaos Lord disengages. Slaughter Comes to a New Heading. Murder fires on the Lunar without the Commander aboard, but can’t do much but lower shields.
Turn 8 – Imperial Navy
Imperial Fleet disengages.
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Final Score
Bozeman – 104.5
Stephen – 111.25
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WOW! What a nail biter! It came close at the end. Stephen is super excited to really play this game, as he’s wanted to for ages. I’m glad I could oblige. Hopefully next week I’m not working so we can play a different mission.
Next: a super secret project, some Epic Orks, and more Rules Compendium updates!
Necrons vs. Dark Eldar – 510 pt. modified Cruiser Clash at Highland
Highland had their monthly meeting, but few showed. Rob wanted more Gothic (will he catch the Gothic bug?) so he tried out my Dark Eldar, and asked that I play…
…Necrons.
Yes, THOSE Necrons. How did he fare? Let’s find out!
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Bozeman – Necron Harvest Fleet, 510 pts
-Scythe class cruiser Awakener.
-Shroud class light cruiser Desert Whisper.
-Dirge class raider x2, Khopesh Squadron.
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Rob – Chosen of Shadow Dark Eldar, 500 pts
-Torture class cruiser Gift of Discord, Launch Bays
-Corsair class escort x3, Banes of Joy, Phantom Lances
-Corsair class escort x2, The Jesters, Impaler Assault Modules
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Mission: Cruiser Clash
Modifications: 510 point limit, added celestial phenomena, no restrictions other than those in fleet list, victory points.
Location: Inner Biosphere (one Solar Flare)
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Setup:
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Turn 1 – Necron Harvest Fleet
Before turn 1 begins, A SOLAR FLARE OCCURS!
All ships go on All Ahead Full. Thanks to Inertialess Drives, the Scythe makes it all the way across the board and surprises the Dark Eldar. One lance Corsair is destroyed. The rest of the fleet moves up.
The Scythe surges ahead.
Necrons can be surprisingly fast.
Turn 1 – Chosen of Shadow Dark Eldar
Dark Eldar bombers bounce off of the Scythe, but Impaler Assault Modules disable the Lightning Arcs and prevent the Scythe from turning! So close to the edge, the Scythe is in danger of disengaging involuntarily. The entire Dark Eldar fleet goes on Come to a New Heading and turns fire on the Dirges, who brace to avoid damage.
Ancient enemy? Hardly.
Turn 2 – Necron Harvest Fleet
Scythe goes on Burn Retros to avoid going off the board edge. Dirges take out one more lance Corsair. Shroud continues to advance.
HIT THE BRAKES!
Turn 2 – Chosen of Shadow Dark Eldar
Reloads give the Dark Eldar enough ordnance to put 2 damage on the Scythe, re-applying the repaired critical effect preventing it from turning. Battery fire kills a Dirge despite Brace for Impact.
Turn 3 – Necron Harvest Fleet
Damaged, and unable to Burn Retros again, the Scythe chooses to move its full distance off the board to automatically disengage. The surviving Dirge also disengages. The Shroud goes on All Ahead Full to surprise the Torture cruiser Gift of Discord, causing 2 damage.
Turn 3 – Chosen of Shadow Dark Eldar
The Dark Eldar turn to face the Shroud. Necrons choose to trust their armor, and lucky battery fire causes 2 damage, crippling the Shroud.
Ouch!
Turn 4 – Necron Harvest Fleet
Lightning arcs from the Shroud do little to the Torture.
Turn 4 – Chosen of Shadow Dark Eldar
Brace for Imapct saves the Shroud from more damage.
Turn 5 – Necron Harvest Fleet
Amazing battery fire despite being crippled and on Brace causes the Torture to take 2 more damage, crippling it and applying a Prow critical result.
Turn 5 – Chosen of Shadow Dark Eldar
Phantom lance causes 2 damage to the Shroud, reducing it to a drifting hulk.
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Final score:
Bozeman – 100
Rob – 554
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…AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I haven’t had a loss this bad since I first got into 40k. That’s a 454% margin of loss. Plus, Rob scored more victory points than the game was worth.
Necrons can’t split up or they get picked off. Plus, charging forward was stupid as it left me in a position to get forced off the board. I also set up weird, splitting my forces so that Rob could refuse the flank. Rob got screwed by the Solar Flare, but recovered nicely.
Next: a game at AFK!
A piece of history: Battlefleet Gothic promo board decoration
Behold.
I’ve got some battle reports for the past few days to write up, expect them later tonight. However, this bore no further waiting. Pictured above is Dan, one of the owners of the fine establishment AFK Games in Holt, MI. In his hands is a piece of gaming history. Back in the 90’s when Battlefleet Gothic was new, GW gave out plexiglass table decorations that had been airbrushed with artistic starscapes, as a promo for Rogue Traders to get people into Gothic. I had no idea these existed until yesterday when Dan showed me the one he had hidden in his store room. This is part of a game I dearly love.
Perhaps one will go on ebay one day… probably not though…
Enough self pity. To writing! Expect not one but TWO Battlefleet Gothic reports, one from fabled Highland and one from our hometown folks at AFK! Stay tuned! To the website. You can’t really tune a website.
T’au Il’porrui Eir O’ran light cruiser
That’s the last of my Tau capital ships! Big thanks to Joshua who borrowed this fleet for my Tau campaign and graciously did all the legwork to name the ships. Well, now his names will live forever. Coming up next: Tau Escorts, a visit to my peeps in Highland, and HOPEFULLY I can get a Friday off so I can visit AFK and get some 40K on a regular basis. Stay tuned!
Battlefleet Gothic – Marines vs. Tyranids – A Long Time Coming
I’ve been on a Gothic kick, and just coincidentally my good friend John who got me into Gothic came into town. We weren’t going to play anything due to a delayed start from inclement death weather, but John sort of pulled a huge guilt trip and I set up my old dusty table I bought from the closing Games Workshop Novi.
John decided to play his new Tyranid fleet, but they were packed in the same case as his home made Ork Roks, so I snapped this pic:
John’s Tyranid fleet is only half complete, so he used some paper cutout proxies. As much as I like models, I have to admit they look good.
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Scenario – The Raiders
Battlezone – Deep Space
Tyranid defenders are at -1Ld for the first 4 turns
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John – Tyranid Hive Fleet 2501 – 1500 points (Defender)
-Two Hive Mind Re-rolls
-Hive Ship, upgrade to Ld 9, Prow Feeder Tentacles, Thorax Bio Plasma, 3x Port/Starboard Bio Plasma
-Hive Ship, upgrade to Ld 9, Prow Feeder Tentacles, Thorax Launch Bays, 3x Port/Starboard Launch Bays
-Cruiser, Prow Massive Claws, Thorax Massive Claws, 2x Port/Starboard Bio Plasma
-Cruiser, Prow Massive Claws, Thorax Massive Claws, 2x Port/Starboard Bio Plasma
-Cruiser, Prow Massive Claws, Thorax Massive Claws, 2x Port/Starboard Bio Plasma
-Kraken x6, Massive Claws
-Escort Drone x7, 6x Bio Plasma, 1x Fire Ship
-Escort Drone x7, 7x Bio Plasma
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Bozeman – Azure Flames Space Marines – 750 points (Attacker)
-Zeraf Antonius, Master of the Fleet (Ld 10), 2 Re-Rolls, Honour Guard (aboard the Honor)
-Strike Cruiser Honor, Extra Shield
-Strike Cruiser Duty, Extra Shield
-Strike Cruiser Courage, Extra Shield
-Strike Cruiser Vigilance, Extra Shield
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Setup:
Turn 1 – Azure Flames
Two squadrons, the Honor with the Duty and the Courage with the Vigilance come in from the right side, both squadrons going on Lock On. Fantastic battery fire and poor Kraken brace saves destroy the entire Kraken squadron. Bombardment cannons and twenty four torpedoes destroy the paper Cruiser.
The Hive Fleet, massing to attack this system, is surprised by Space Marines!
Four Strike Cruisers do some serious damage.
Turn 1 – Hive Fleet 2501
Dead cruiser drifts forward, other cruisers and escorts go on Come to a New Heading to respond to the Space Marine threat. Carrier Hive Ship launches 8 fighters, and they perform various CAPs. Thunderhawk Gunships move out.
The Tyranids, caught napping, begin the lengthy process of turning around.
Thunderhawk flights away.
Turn 2 – Azure Flames
Both squadrons Reload Ordnance. One Escort Drone is destroyed by Thunderhawks, causing a Brace.
Turn 2 – Hive Fleet 2501
Escort Drones with the Fire Ship go on All Ahead Full. Thunderhawks hit the Hive Ship, causing a Brace and disabling the Feeder Tentacles. Woo. Carrier launches 8 more fighters.
Thunderhawks sow confusion in the Tyranid fleet.
Turn 3 – Azure Flames
Fleet moves up. Poor bombardment cannon rolls do nothing to the Escort Drones, but scare them into a Brace. Torpedoes cause three damage to the Hive Ship and one damage to the Cruiser. Thunderhawks cause three more effects to disable the Feeder Tentacles on the Hive Ship. During the Ordnance Phase, some Tyranid Fighters arrive a bit late.
It’s time for… MORE TORPEDOES!
Turn 3 – Hive Fleet 2501
Cruiser pulls up and fires, doing one damage to the Honor. Rest of fleet continues to wheel. Several fighters are voluntarily removed so that the Carrier Hive Ship can launch 8 Assault Boats.
Turn 4 – Azure Flames
Both squadrons go on Lock on. Fire removes four Escort Drones from one squadron (including the Fire Ship) and one from the other.
Turn 4 – Hive Fleet 2501
Close enough to fire, the fleet pulls off major manuevers to fire every gun they can. The Honor is crippled.
Turn 5 – Azure Flames
Fleet disenages. The squadron with the Honor almost fails, but a re-roll gets them safely away. Game over.
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Final Score
Azure Flames: 366
Hive Fleet 2501: 149
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Post Game: I could have won on turn 2 by disengaging. However, that would have been boring. This result had a smaller margin of victory, but was much more in-keeping with the fluff. After all, the Space Marines would try to hurt the Tyranids as much as possible before they got too far in-system. John had all of his ships facing towards the left of the setup picture above, so I came in from the right. My nimble Strike Cruisers outmaneuvered his Tyranid space cows. Escort Drones and Cruisers have a 45 degree turn. Ugh. The Raiders is a tough one for the Defender. You need to be facing every direction, and you need fast maneuverable things to respond to any threat.
Coming up next, more Gothic and perhaps some 40K from Highland! I also hope to go back to AFK this coming Friday, unless something happens. Stay tuned!
Battlefleet Gothic Compendium 4.0
http://fourstrandshobby.com/battlefleet-gothic-compendium-2010-update/
The link above (and the handy one in the sidebar to the right) links to my Battlefleet Gothic Compendium. I have updated it in a major way for a third time, making this the fourth iteration of the compendium. In truth, this was done months ago, but I couldn’t upload the front cover until now due to file size shenanigans.
Here it is, in all it’s glory:
The new 4.0 version has the following features:
-Full bleed front cover, for aesthetics.
-Table of contents inside front cover for organization.
-All files now updated to 2010 Compendium, including rules updates and lists such as Eldar Iyanden Fleet.
-Fixes for all files for spelling, rules accuracy, and readability, especially for tables.
-Scenarios, Campaign Rules, and Planetary Defences split into separate sections, and printed on different color paper to differentiate.
-Imperial Navy and Space Marines are now two different sections with different colors, as they are different “races” in Gothic.
-Chaos Daemonship rules are now 1/2 of a page rather than one paragraph for ease of explanation and accuracy.
-Several minor fleet lists added, for completeness sake, such as Ork Pirates of the Cyclops Cluster and Eldar Gothic Sector Corsairs.
-Major update for Tau including special character Kor’O’Mesme and 2010 rules for modified Kroot Warspheres.
-Expanded Tyranids due to page count purposes. Vanguard fleet list now completely pointed out, and Evolution of the Hive Mind is a well organized table rather than paragraph form.
-Moved Leadership table to inside cover, and Boarding table and modifiers to back cover. Now, all resources neccesary for setup are on the inside back cover, and all tables for play are on the outside back cover. This allows easy access to tables without page flipping.
As with all my home made compendia, the following goes: I did not create any of this content. It all came from the Battlefleet Gothic Main Rulebook, Armada Rulebook, and 2010 update. This compendium merely condenses approximately 450 pages of rules and fluff into approximately 80 pages of rules in outline, bullet point, or table format. If you want to print this for yourself, you are welcome to do so. HOWEVER, PLEASE DO NOT SELL THESE FILES OR ANY PRINTS MADE FROM THESE FILES FOR ANY REASON. Thank you, and have fun!
Gothic Time at Highland!
Some people bring the mountain to Mohammed. I brought the Gothic to the Highland Library. Ian and Sean had my classic demo game, here are some highlights:
The setup: a classic Cruiser Clash.
First blood to Sean: the Imperials let loose a wave of torpedoes!
The ordered battle lines descend into a furball.
Ian gambles and loses: the Carnage class cruiser with the Chaos Lord stays too long after being crippled, and explodes!
Ian’s Chaos gets a thrashing, and withdraws; victory to Sean and the Imperium!
…while they were experiencing Gothic for the first time, Rob and I played Space Marines vs. Tau Kor’or’vesh.
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Mission: The Bait
Location: Outer Reaches
Pursuers: Bozeman – Azure Flames Space Marines
-Strike Cruiser Vigilance, Extra shield
-Strike Cruiser Sacrifice, Extra shield
-Strike Cruiser Duty, Extra shield
Pursued: Rob – Tau Kor’or’vesh Shan’al Shi’ur Commerce Protection Fleet
–T’au Lar’shi’vre Shi Kais “Protector” class cruiser, T’olku configuration (PURSUED SHIP)
–T’au Lar’shi’vre Aloh Shoka “Protector” class cruiser, Vior’la configuration
–T’au Il’porrui Sh’ve Mont’re “Emmisary” class light cruiser, Sa’cea configuration
–T’au Il’porrui M’yen Lar’shi “Emmisary” class light cruiser, Sa’cea configuration
–J’karra La’rua, “Mirror squadron” consisting of 2 Kir’shashvre “Castellan” escorts
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Setup:
Turn 1 – Tau Shan’al Shi’ur
The Shi Kais turns and launches fighters and missiles.
Turn 1 – Azure Flames
All three Strike Cruisers go on All Ahead Full, launch Thunderhawk gunships.
Turn 2 – Tau Shan’al Shi’ur
A squadron of the Protector Aloh Shoka and Emmisary Sh’ve Mont’re comes on from the board edge, launches fighters and missiles. A lucky shot removes a wave of Thunderhawks.
Turn 2 – Azure Flames
Sacrifice Reloads Ordnance while Vigilance and Duty go on All Ahead Full again.
Turn 3 – Tau Shan’al Shi’ur
The newly arrived squadron takes up station by the small planet. Failure to reload prevents more launching. Turn not pictured.
Turn 3 – Azure Flames
Vigilance boards Shi Kais while the other strike cruisers provide support fire. Despite help, a poor boarding roll loses the fight, as Tau Battlesuits storm the Vigilance, doing one damage.
Turn 4 – Tau Shan’al Shi’ur
Emmisary cruiser M’yen Lar’shi and J’karra La’rua Castellan Squadron arrive, damaging Duty. Squadron by the planet damages Vigilance with battery and lance fire. Turn not pictured.
Turn 4 – Azure Flames
Duty lines up and boards Shi Kais. Despite poor support from the other strike cruisers, a good roll causes four damage, crippling Shi Kais.
Turn 5 – Tau Shan’al Shi’ur
Shi Kais disengages. The rest of the fleet damages Duty and cripples it. Turn not pictured.
Turn 5 – Azure Flames
Duty disengages. Vigilance reloads ordnance and severely damages M’yen Larshi with an amazing torpedo roll. Sacrifice boards the Sh’ve Mont’re and causes one damage.
Turn 6 – Tau Shan’al Shi’ur
Unable to get targets in their sight if they move, the Castellan Squadron goes on Burn Retros and turns on a dime. M’yen Lar’shi disengages. The capital ship squadron damages Vigilance, causing a Bridge Smashed result! Turn not pictured.
Turn 6 – Azure Flames
Sacrifice Reloads Ordnance and blows up the Castellan squadron. Vigilance tried to disengage, but fails.
Turn 7 – Tau Shan’al Shi’ur
The capital ship squadron tries to finish Vigilance, but Vigilance barely survives.
Turn 7 – Azure Flames
Vigilance disenages. Sacrifice reloads ordnance and smashes the Sh’ve Mont’re with torpedoes and Thunderhawks. Poor torpedo rolls spare the Aloh Sho’ka.
Turn 8 – Tau Shan’al Shi’ur
Squadron, having braced for impact, can’t damage the Sacrifice.
Turn 8 – Azure Flames
Sacrifice reloads again. Torpedoes and Thunderhawks cripple the Aloh Sho’ka, and fire from batteries and Bombardment Cannons reduce Sh’ve Mont’re to a drifting hulk. Game ceded.
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Stay tuned next week, as more players have requested Gothic! Plus, stay tuned for more Tau ships painted!
T’au Il’porrui Lynu Kar’tyr “Emmisary” class light cruiser
One more light cruiser to go, and then it’s on to the escorts! Next: BATTLEFLEET GOTHIC AT HIGHLAND!
T’au Il’porrui M’yen Lar’shi Emmisary Class Light Cruiser
In truth this was 95% done, but I was too busy (and lazy) to put the finishing touches on tonight. On another important note, Testors brand matte varnish will “dry” to a shine at 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and then become matte when warmed to room temperature. Fun fact!
Next: another Tau light cruiser, and the Battlefleet Gothic stuff in action at Highland!
Gothic Campaign – Finale
Liam Perseus, Chapter Master of the Azure Flames, strode onto the bridge of His Hammer II with a look of disgust on his face. In a rare display, Admiral Piers looked up from the monitors surrounding his command throne.
“How went the Exterminatus of the Kutner system, my lord?” Piers asked before turning his attention back to orchestrating the machinations of his Battle Barge.
“It was unnecessary. The Necrons are gone.” Perseus spat.
Piers raised one eyebrow. “You sound disappointed.”
“Wouldn’t you be?” Perseus shot back. “The filthy xenos don’t have the stomach for a fight. I wanted to cleanse that world of them, but it seems that they have done so for us.”
“Their disappearance allows me to proceed with the final phase of this crusade.” Piers began typing almost too fast for Perseus to follow. “Brother O’Brien, open a channel to all Imperial ships, Emerald encryption.” Piers waited for confirmation before beginning. ” Attention Imperial Navy vessels. This is Admiral Piers in command of the Azure Flames fleet. Although you refuse to submit to our authority, we do have a common enemy. We move to chase the Tau who fled this sector to preserve their homeworld. You would be welcome in cleansing this xenos scum alongside us. In the Emperor’s name.” Piers ended the transmission. “Brother, dispatch orders to Flame, Wrath, and Blade squadrons to begin warp translation and pursue the Tau fleet.”
“You have no intention of chasing the Tau all the way back to the Damocles Gulf.” Perseus stated in a flat, emotionless cadence.
“Of course not, my lord.” Piers replied.
“…and the Imperials know that Emerald level encryption has been broken by the cowardly aliens?” Perseus continued in the same tone.
In the most blase voice possible, Piers answered “They remain unaware. The Tau will decipher that message within minutes.”
“So,” Perseus yelled, his voice growing to a shout, “You have just informed the Traitors that we will leave Laurie’s Hope undefended, and allowed the aliens to KNOW? The Tau will double their retreat, forever preventing us from crushing them, and the Imperials WILL THROW EVERYTHING THEY HAVE AT US!”
Piers turned and looked Perseus directly in the eye, and smiled. “Yes my lord. They most certainly will.”
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In the final game of the campaign, Nathaniel, the only other surviving opponent played a winner-take all Planetary Assault against the Hive World of Laurie’s Hope! Will the Space Marines be able to defend this prize, or will the Imperials take it away from them?
Planetary Assault – 1500pts
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Nathaniel – Imperial Navy
-Emperor Battleship Thor’s Gaze, Shark Assault Boats
-Retribution Battleship Nieman Lion
-Mars Battlecruiser Saratoga, third turret, Flagship, Admiral Ld8 with one Re-roll
-Overlord Battlecruiser Centaur, third turret, left shift on batteries
-Cobra Squadron x4 Exemplar Squadron
-Two Transports
-Two Transports
-Heavy Transport Argosy
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Bozeman – Azure Flames Space Marines
-Battle Barge His Hammer II, Honour Guard, Terminator Boarding Parties, Flagship: Ranidan Piers, Admiral (Ld10) 3 re-rolls, Crew Skill: Extra re-roll for this ship
-Strike Cruiser Vigilance, Extra Shield, Refit: +1Ld for Reload Ordnance
-Strike Cruiser Duty, Extra Shield, Crew Skill: Pass one Leadership check automatically, Refit: +2 Hull Points, -5cm Speed
-Strike Cruiser Courage, Extra Shield, Crew Skill: Re-roll x2, Refit: +2D6 on All Ahead Full
-Strike Cruiser Sacrifice, Extra Shield, Refit: +1D6 for Critical Repairs
-Strike Cruiser Honor, Extra Shield, Crew Skill: +1Ld for Lock on, Refit: Suffer no movement penalty for Blast Markers
-Minefield (15cm x 15cm)
-Minefield (15cm x 10cm)
-Orbital Mine
-Orbital Defence Platform (batteries)
-Ground Laser Battery x4
-Ground Air Base x2
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Setup:
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Turn 1 – Azure Flames
Fleet advances.
Turn 1 – Imperial Navy
Every ship in the fleet except the two Battlecrusiers goes on All Ahead Full. The Mars uses Come to a New Heading to maneuver to get line of sight for the Nova Cannon and the Overlord fails. Wild scatter on the Nova Cannon does no damage. Emperor fires 2 Fighters and 6 Bombers, while Mars fires 4 Bombers.
Turn 2 – Azure Flames
Fleet advances. Bombers launched by the Mars are lost in an asteroid field.
Turn 2 – Imperial Navy
Thor’s Gaze goes on All Ahead Full, but other ships fail. Cobra squadron fires a Strength 8 torpedo wave.
Turn 3 – Azure Flames
The Courage and Sacrifice fire torpedoes, Thunderhawks, and Bombardment cannons which annihilate the Cobra Squadron. Bombardment Canons from Honor and Vigilance take out the bomber wave, while their torpedoes and Thunderhawks fly directly into the path of the Retribution Battleship. Duty’s Thunderhawks move in front of the Emperor Battleship.
Turn 3 – Imperial Navy
The Retribution braces against the Space Marine ordnance. Poor torpedo roll does no damage, but Thunderhawk Gunships take out the dorsal lances. The Emperor’s turrets make mincemeat out of the Thunderhawks, but a poor leadership test does 3 damage from asteroids. Nova Cannon from the Mars glances the Duty, lowering one shield. 5 torpedoes from the Retribution ignore the Duty and move past it.
Turn 4 – Azure Flames
Torpedoes and Thunderhawks cause the Mars to brace, barely saving it from being crippled. Broadsides pound the Heavy Transport. His Hammer II boards Thor’s Gaze and does 2 damage, starts 2 fires, and damages the starboard weapons. Broadside fire kills 2 transports, and torpedoes kill another. A good brace save protects the last transport and the Overlord Battlecruiser from harm.
Turn 4 – Imperial Navy
Mars moves up and fires the Nova Cannon at the asteroids hoping for a lucky scatter. Fortune is fickle, and the template scatters onto BOTH His Hammer II AND the Neiman Lion, lowering one shield each. Thor’s Gaze runs through the asteroids, taking one damage from an unrepaired Fire. Torpedoes from the Overlord miss His Hammer II. In a gutsy move, the Nieman Lion boards the Strike Cruiser Duty, and in a double surprise the action is a TIE!
Turn 5 – Azure Flames
Honor and Vigilance board the Mars, crippling it. Despite brace saves, the Heavy Transport explodes, the last escort class transport is killed, and the Overlord battlecruiser is crippled. An Orbital Mine from the Minefield hits Thor’s Gaze, causing 3 more Fire effects! Duty and the Nieman Lion fight another boarding action, and it is another tie! DOUBLE TIE!
Turn 5 – Imperial Navy
Crippled and on fire, Thor’s Gaze disengages. The crippled Overlord fails to navigate the asteroids and is destroyed. The Mars, crippled and braced, lowers a shield on the Duty. Finally, the boarding fight between the Duty and the Nieman Lion is decisive: 7 damage to the Nieman Lion, crippling it. Critical damage finishes off the Nieman Lion, leaving it a drifting hulk.
Turn 6 – Azure Flames
All nearby ships Lock On and destroy the Mars. Turn not pictured. Game over.
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WHAT A SLAUGHTER! Nathaniel had some bad luck, but mostly he let the Space Marines get close. He would have done better with Dauntless cruisers with lances and a mix of boats with balanced weapons. Some more Nova Cannons would not have hurt either.
This concludes the Battlefleet Gothic Campaign for the summer! Stay tuned for more fluff to wrap up the story, including a surprise guest!
