Macsen settled into a nook at the feet of the huge statue, his fellow scouts dug in around him. Peering out across the ruined landscape, he could see the strange crystalline growths known locally as the Psyren’s Teeth, and between their monolithic shapes, a robed figure could be seen, twisting and cavorting. Macsen bared his teeth at the sight of a follower of the Ruinous Powers, and his finger tightened involuntarily on the trigger of his bolt pistol. He could sense the urge to kill in his brother scouts. Quelling the urge, he raised the magnoculars to his eyes, and scanned the buildings opposite. Beyond them, he could see plumes of dust and smoke as a sizable force approached. He thumbed the magnification stud, and the image leaped in sharp relief. Macsen could pick out the blasphemous iconography of the Sin Eaters.
“Contact the Arawn’s Wrath” he said “they come.”
A Kick in the Teeth - A Geekend Battle Report
Forces
Sin Eaters Assault Force
Archanarchist (Chaos Lord): lightning claws, wings, sigil of corruption
Raptors (7): plasma pistol, meltagun, lightning claws, icon of vengeance
Brother Kor (Dark Apostle): ichor blood, aura of dark glory
Chaos Marines (10): power weapon, icon of vengeance,plasma gun,heavy bolter
Terminators (5): combi melta, combi flamer, reaper autocannon, power weapon, chainfist
Chaos Marines (10): power weapon, icon of vengeance,plasma gun,heavy bolter
Havocs (7): missile launcher (flakk), 2 lascannon, plasma gun, power fist, icon of vengeance
Hellbrute
Mourn Hounds Strike Force
Captain Ywain: power fist, plasma pistol, artificer armour
Tactical Squad (10): melta gun, missile launcher
Drop pod
Sternguard Veterans (6): 2 combi-meltas, 2 combi plasmas
Drop pod: locator beacon
Vanguard Veterans (5): relic blade, power fist
Terminators (5): cyclone missile launcher
Scouts (9)
Cynog the Siege Tower (Ironclad dreadnought): heavy flamer, 2 hunter-killer missiles
Drop pod: locator beacon
Aderyn (Stormtalon): tornado missile launcher
The Mission
Two primary objectives: the Psyren’s teeth, and the Mourn Hounds statue.
Secondary objectives: Slay the Warlord, Linebreaker, First Blood
Turn One
Sin Eaters
The massed forces of the Sin Eaters moved into the complex. On the right flank, a lumbering Hell Brute advanced. Behind the tortured war engine, a squad of Havocs occupied a ruined manufactorum, the menacing muzzles of their heavy weapons tracking back and forth.
On the right flank, Dark Apostle Kor lead a squad of chaos marines to the foot of the great outcrop of Psyren’s teeth. Atop the crude monument, a lone cultist swayed and chanted, and Kor and his men could feel the exhilarating building of power in the atmosphere. Ahead of them, The Archanarchist himself drifted forth, a pack of baying Raptors in attendance.
In the centre, a second squad of chaos marines advanced into the cover of a low ridge, ready to aid their brethren.
Mourn Hounds
Opposing the Chaotic forces, a single squad of Scouts lurked in the cover of an abandoned warehouse, ready to defend the Mourn Hound statue from enemy attempts at defiling it. They were awaiting reinforcements, and they wouldn't have to wait long.
With an ear-splitting wail, two drop-pods thundered in from orbit, striking the ground right at the heart of the Chaos position, and throwing the Sin Eaters into disarray. From one pod emerged a small unit of Sternguard, who wasted no time in unleashing a hail of firepower into the Dark Apostle’s squad and slaying several traitors. From the other stepped the mighty form of Revered Ancient Cynog, the Siege Tower. The ancient dreadnought let rip with a fusillade at the lumbering Hell Brute, and a hail of missile and melta fire fused the monster’s power plant into a lump of molten slag, toppling the great beast before he even had a chance to turn and face his aggressor.
Turn Two
Sin Eaters
Responding quickly to this new threat, the Archanarchist turned and lead his squad into combat with the Sternguard. The savage warriors set about the veteran marines and slew them to a man. Over on the right flank, the Havocs found line of sight to the dreadnought obscured by his drop pod, but the chaos marines in the centre were able to target the ancient warrior. A hail of bolter and plasma fire pattered off his armoured back, leaving him largely unscathed.
Calling in reinforcements of their own, the Sin Eaters called upon the aid of a squad of Terminators, who teleported onto the battlefield, ready to assault the statue held by the Scouts.
Mourn Hounds
The Mourn Hounds continued their assault. The drop pods in the initial wave were equipped with locator beacons, making further insertions more accurate. Vanguard veterans dropped from the sky on contrails of flame from their jump packs, landing in front of the Havocs, and wasting no time in charging to engage them in combat.
A ferocious fight broke out, with the Vanguard overcoming stubborn resistance to wipe out the chaos marines with no losses.
Cynog the Siege Tower turned to face his aggressors, scouring them with flame before wading in to assault them. Falling back beneath the onslaught, the marines turned and ran, and were cut down without mercy.
With a shimmer of energy, five loyalist terminators appeared in the centre of the battlefield. Simultaneously, the sleek form of the Stormtalon Aderyn streaked onto the field. Both of these new arrivals opened fire on the traitor terminators, slaying four of the ancient warriors in a hail of high-velocity shells.
Turn Three
Sin Eaters
Snarling in rage, the Archanarchist lead his Raptors in a series of bounding leaps towards the manufactorum. One of his charges leveled a meltagun at the towering form of Cynog, and left the loyalist dreadnought immobile and helpless, his sparking servos fused into useless slag.
The marines lead by the Dark Apostle hunkered down next to the Psyren’s teeth, their leader’s exhortations causing them to seethe with hatred towards their aggressors. They opened fire at the advancing loyalist terminators, but were unable to penetrate their armour.
Over by the statue across the battlefield, the remaining chaos terminator climbed the building upon which it stood, his chainfist gouging furrows in its rockcrete surface to facilitate his ascent. In the shadow of the looming statue, he leveled his reaper autocannon and also peppered his loyalist counterparts with shells, but once again, their armour held firm.
Mourn Hounds
Aderyn swooped low over the battlefield, strafing the Drak Apostle’s squad with a withering hail of firepower. Dug in, as they were, amongst the rocky outcrop of the Psyren’s teeth, casualties were minimal.
The terminators sighted the Archanarchist’s squad over a low rocky outcrop, and opened fire. Despite the shelter offered by the rocks, the terminators’ firepower was devastating, and four of the degenerate marines were killed.
Away from the desperate struggle in the ruins, the scouts crept from hiding, and advanced on the lone terminator at the foot of the statue. Unleashing a short-range volley of bolt pistol fire, they peppered the hulking warrior with explosive rounds. As he turned to face them, a lucky shot penetrated his eye piece, detonating within his helmet. Slowly, and without a sound, the ancient marine toppled from the building like a felled tree.
Turn Four
Sin Eaters
The Arch Anarchist and the one remaining Raptor jumped into the shelter of the manufactorum, from whence they could launch an assault against the Vanguard or the Terminators.
The Dark Apostle and his squad surged onto the Psyren’s Teeth. As the lone cultist there twisted and cavorted, heedless of the carnage being wrought around him, the traitor marines examined the shattered tech scattered around the plateau. Discovering a functioning Skyfire Nexus, they swiftly used its targeting matrices to draw a bead on the advancing Stormtalon, but were unable to bring the swooping craft down, plasma and bolt fire overshooting or else pattering harmlessly from its armoured hull.
Mourn Hounds
Aderyn swooped across the battlefield, drawing a bead on the Arch Anarchist and the Raptor. The swift flyer scoured the ruined building with a hail of high-velocity shells and explosive missiles, slaying the Raptor and eventually bringing down the fell leader of the horde. Riddled with bullets, the Archanarchist collapsed face first on the manufactorum floor.
Elsewhere, the Vanguard and the terminators consolidated in the centre of the battlefield. The terminators turned their guns on the Dark Apostle’s squad, but were unable to draw a bead through the shimmering haze of psychic energy that was beginning to coalesce over the great crystalline structures, and the marines escaped unharmed.
The scouts advanced to claim the statue, wary of any further attempts to wrest it from them.
Turn Five
Sin Eaters
The Dark Apostle saw one final chance to defile the statue, and break the morale of his foe. Seeing that it was only defended by a sole unit of scouts, he set off at a sprint to contest the objective, trusting in the Dark Powers to protect him on the way.
In his wake, the remaining five marines of his squad dug in on their objective, ready to fight to the bitter end.
Mourn Hounds
One final drop pod plummeted into the drop zone, landing adjacent to the Psyren’s teeth, disgorging Captain Ywain and Tactical Squad Cei. They opened fire, and the Terminators, advancing stoically, added their weight of fire. The fusillade left only the champion standing.
Aderyn swept from the battlefield, banking around for another pass at the traitors. In the centre, the Vanguard Veterans awaited the Dark Apostle.
Turn Six
Sin Eaters
The Dark Apostle continued his headlong dash for the statue and the Scouts that guarded it.
Amidst the Psyren’s Teeth, the chaos champion, bellowing a challenge, hurled himself at Captain Ywain. The champion, driven by rage drove the Captain back with his furious assault, gouging deep grooves in the Captain’s ornate artificer-made armour, but unable to land a telling blow. In response, Ywain hefted his power fist and brought it crashing down on the champion’s helmet, felling him with one mighty blow.
Mourn Hounds
Squad Cei consolidated onto the objective, surrounding the cavorting cultist.
Aderyn swept back onto the battlefield, and targeted the Dark Apostle. Screaming his defiance to the last, the traitor marine disappeared in a hail of gunfire.
The chaos forces were dead or fleeing. The day belonged to the Mourn Hounds, and the Imperium.
Post-Battle Analysis
Mourn Hounds
From my side of the table, I can say that 6th Edition seems to have made all deep-striking armies like this more consistent and more effective.
The Stormtalon, unfettered by the threat of a quad-gun, was hugely effective.
The Vanguard Veterans were quite good – although they were lucky to wipe out the Havocs, I would have settled for just tying them up, and their ability to get stuck in with an Heroic Intervention is great for tackling heavy weapon squads and the like.
The Terminators were solid as always – they take a substantial effort to shift, and can’t be ignored.
The Scouts did fine as objective sitters. Sniper Scouts might have more of an impact on the battle, but my background says no.
Captain Ywain achieved little. Another HQ, such as a Librarian might be a better choice, but what the Captain is really there for is to join the tactical squad on an objective and fend off fighty things, or else weather low AP fire by virtue of his artificer armour.
The Sternguard remain lacklustre – they just never seem to live up to their billing, or their points cost.
Sin Eaters
There is little point dissecting Compo’s generalship, because really, he took a kicking here mostly because he had horrible luck.
Really, he did.
The key moment was in Turn Two. The chaos marines had a good shot at bringing down the Dreadnought, but failed. The Dread and the Vanguard Veterans then butchered half the chaos army because the marines they beat up in combat ran away, and were run down. (One of the benefits of the deep striking army is that you can come at your opponent from any side. This made it hard for Compo to hide his banners - which made his units fearless - effectively). Following these losses, it was an uphill struggle, and Bad Dice precluded any comeback.
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