As the machine of the administratum ticks away, the Imperium finally gets word of the massive Xenos incursion that is already well under way in the embattled Celentine System. A combined force of the Black Templars 4th Company and the Red Templars 2nd Company call a crusade into the system to clear out Xenos pirates, woefully under-informed as to the severity of the situation.
The battlefield, a ruined imperial outpost on the outskirts of the Celentine System, long abandoned by Imperial forces and now the playground of the bloodthirsty Kabal of the Screaming Skull.The Kabal of the Screaming Skull force. Led by archon Varxan Redblade, armed with the Djinn Blade and the Animus Vitae. Redblade is riding in a customised venom with a court of the archon. An incubi squad decked out with a klaivex is riding in the other venom, while two fully armed warrior squads ride in customised raiders. They are backed by a large squad of reaver jetbikes with anti-tank weapons and cluster caltrops, a squad of scourges with as much firepower as they can carry, and the veteran razorwing Harpy, loaded with disintegrators and a full loadout of shatterfield missiles.The crusade force. The space marine commander decided to leave his armour in the garage, so has fielded an entire infantry blob army. Led by a Black Templars Emperor’s Champion and a Red Templars Commander with power fist and storm bolter. Making up the core of the army is three tactical squads with various special and heavy weaponry, a scout squad loaded out for combat squads with assault and long ranged weaponry, a ten man vanguard veteran squad, and a large terminator squad with an assault cannon. While managing to render most of the pirates’ anti-tank weaponry all but useless, the army will struggle to dictate the flow of battle against the speedy dark eldar.The Templars deploy a large force of tactical marines on the flank with their commanders, looking to push forward and capture the bunker complex.The missile launcher combat squad deploys in the trenches, providing anti-air fire support for the army.Scouts deploy forward in front of the basilicum, while tacticals hold the ground floor.The sniper combat squad hold the upper floors of the basilicum with good line of sight of the battlefield.The raider-bound warrior squads deploy in the cover of the sanctum ruins, backed by the reaversThe incubi and court of the archon deploy the venoms out of sight behind the aquila shrine.The templars surge forward.The scouts move forward into the ruins, while the tactical marines hold back.With no targets, the templars on the flank run further forward into the bunker complex.The templar’s heavy weapons take aim at the dark eldar transports, but fail to land a hit.The warriors and reavers spring forward to assault the templars in the ruins.The venoms make for the marines in the bunker complex.The dark eldar fire on the scouts, downing one.The reavers boost back into cover.The vanguard veterans arrive, landing in the aquila shrine.The tacticals attempt to surround the venoms.The scout squad and combat squad move forward to assault the raider.The tacticals fire into the archon’s venom, dealing a hull point.A combat squad runs onto the bunker.The templars fire into the raider, dealing a hull pointThe sniper squad lands another hull point on the raider.The scouts assault the raider, but are all but wiped out by the squad inside’s overwatch.Harpy makes the field.The scourges deep strike in behind the vanguard veterans.The reavers push forward to finish off the scouts, while the warriors aim at the tactical marines.The incubi deploy from their venom, ready to assault the tactical marines.Harpy locks onto the blob of marines.The fire from the archon’s court downs on of the tactical squads.Harpy finishes off most of the rest with disintegrators and missiles, leaving a sole marine and the two characters.The reavers finish off the scout.The warriors deal heavy damage to the combat squad.The incubi assault the marines, losing one of their number to overwatch.The incubi easily slaughter the marines and consolidate into cover.The terminators teleport into the centre of the battlefield.The vanguard veterans and remaining marines surround the archon’s venom.The last two tacticals in front of the basilicum push forward to assault the raider.The marines down the venom, and the court of the archon is spilled out into the open.The incubi take fire from the tactical marines.The reavers lose a member to the marines in the trenches.The flamer torches a few warriors off the back of the raider.The terminators fell another reaver.The marines assault the raider, losing the flamer to overwatch.The vanguard veterans assault the archon, taking heavy casualties in the ensuing combat..The sergeant takes out the raider with his power fist, and warriors are spilled into open ground.The tactical sergeant consolidates into the basilicum.The incubi hunt down the space marine commanders.The reavers, venom and scourges surround the terminators.The warriors hunt down the tactical sergeant.The raider flies into the basilicum behind the scouts.The combined fire from the dark eldar takes out half of the terminators.The warriors easily dispatch the tactical sergeant.The raider-bound warriors deal damage to the scouts.Harpy zooms in to plant missiles on the marines in the trench, but fails to land a good hit.The incubi assault the commander, emperor’s champion and marine, but are minced by the powerful marine commanders.The scourges and reavers assault the terminators.The archon’s court takes out all but one of the vanguard veterans.The assault leaves only the terminator sergeant alive, and the reavers hit and run out of the combat.The scouts move to assault the raider.The tacticals fire on the reavers, and they flee toward their board edge.The scouts assault the raider, but fail to bring it down.The marine commanders charge into the fray, taking out a sslyth but taking heavy damage in the process.The scourges take down the terminator sergeant.The venom moves to fire on the tacticals in the administratum building.The warriors close in on the remaining marines.The venom takes out a marine with its splinter cannons.The warriors take a marine out of the trenches.The warriors in the raider finish off the scouts.The archon’s court takes down the last vanguard veteran and the marine commanders take out another sslyth in return.The tactical squad puts a hull point on the venom, but fail to finish it off and gain that crucial victory point.The combat continues, with a medusae falling but the archon and commanders taking no damage.On the final turn the medusae is felled, giving the templars one last victory point, but the three characters remain locked in mortal combat.The game is called, with the Kabal of the Screaming Skull taking a solid lead over the Templars. My opponent Daniel put up a good fight, but the lack of armour really worked against him, and the pirates were able to pick off his soldiers piecemeal. A very fun game, and looking forward to the crusaders coming back for revenge.
Samuel Maguire is a writer and professional dropout from all around the worst parts of Queensland. He writes a blog about being nervous and swearing called skydekkerix which he doesn’t know how to pronounce.
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