Ardera IV Campaign #1

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40k, 4k campaign, board games, campaign, Command & Colours, Games Workshop, orks, Sci-Fi, Solo Wargaming, Wargame, Wargaming, warhammer 40k

Inspired by the WWII campaign on Grid-based Wargaming blog, I have started a Memoir 40k campaign of my own. In the blog post, which can be seen here, a front line is created on a gridded map and the amount of sections I by the enemy decides the amount of supplies each army has.

Campaign map – the pins mark out the front line, with the hexes containing pins being no-mans land. The north-west section of the map is occupied by the ork invaders and the south is held by the imperial defenders.

Campaign game

I first worked out how many tons of supplies each army starts the campaign with. Each side will expend supplies by making attacks somewhere along the frontline. Each campaign turn I pull a poker chit from a cup, blue for imperials and green for orks.

If a green chit is pulled the orks must make an attack, if it is blue, the imperials can choose to attack or postpone the attack by putting the chit back and pulling a new one. If a blue chit is pulled a second time, high command insists upon offensive action and they must conduct an attack. The attacking force chooses which hex to attack and whether to make a major or minor attack.

Ork starting supplies = 15,000 tons

Imperial starting supplies = 3,400 tons

Major attack = 500 tons

Minor attack = 250 tons

The tons of supplies used is multiplied by 4, giving the number of points for picking the attacking army (using Epic Space Marine cards). The defending army has 1500 points which can be spent on both units and defenses. Defenders expend no supplies for a battle.

Campaign turn 1

The orks begin by conducting a major attack on the eastern flank of the frontline. They were victorious, pushing the frontline forward, encircling a pocket of imperial troops.

Campaign turn 2

A space marine battlegroup made a minor attack creating a salient and hoping to drive for the crossroads between two rivers.

Campaign turn 3

The orks send a major attack forward hoping to encircle and cut off the imperial offensive.

Battle for the maglev line

I created a battlefield based on the terrain featured in the hex on the campaign map. My new battle-mat has arrived featuring 3″ hexes in snow effect, so it is most definitely a winter war. The line of green hexes running the length of the board represents the maglev line ( shown in the map hex), which is a raised embankment. The orks are deployed, emerging from the wood line.

The starting deployment with the imperial defence anchored on the maglev line. The ork deployment was randomized by rolling a D3 to choose which section they were deployed in.

Ork infantry pushes forward in the centre, taking heavy fire from the imperial artillery. Meanwhile buggies and bikes sweep around the right flank to secure one of their ‘Take & Hold’ objectives.

The orks keep the pressure up on the imperial left flank, after securing there ‘Take & Hold’ objective. Imperial artillery rains down on a nobz mob which had reached the maglev embankment. Space marine tactical squads endeavor to hold back the rampaging ork buggies whilst the predator tanks engage the ork battlefortress.

The orks push forward on all fronts, capturing yet another ‘Take & Hold’ objective. Imperial firepower pummels the battlefortress to little effect.

The battlefortress is finally destroyed by massed heavy artillery fire, securing victory points for both killing a unit and achieving a ‘Cleanse’ objective. Even as the greenskin stompers move forward to engage, space marine counter attacks and successful artillery strikes on both ‘Bombard’ objectives steal victory from the jaws of defeat for the Imperial defenders.

So the intrepid forces of the Imperium are victorious, stopping the green horde in its tracks. Using the imperial guard as a solid defensive line whilst the Iron Eagles space marines were kept as a mobile reserve to conduct counter-attacks, worked really well.

The ork attack started out very strong and it almost looked like they were going to break the line with ease until the Iron Eagles stalled their progress and, as ever, the cards ran out (Von Clausewitz’s famous ‘friction in battle’)

 

Battle over the Malcador river

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40k, 6mm wargaming, board games, campaign, Campaigning, Command & Colours, Games Workshop, miniatures, Orcs, orks, Scenario, Sci-Fi, Solo Wargaming, space marines, Warhammer, warhammer 40k

Following on from my last post, here is a quick update on my memoir 40k narrative campaign. As an ork force tied up the space marines reserves at the Ormffidian river forks, they struck out to secure the bridges over the Malcador river.

Ork and space marines face off across the Malcador river.

In this scenario, I decided to play using the more traditional victory conditions from the C&C games, in this case the winner would be the first side to reach 6 victory points.

Permanent victory points are gained by destroying enemy units and temporary victory points are gained by having a unit in a bridge hex.

A near run thing

I took command of the ork army this time round and used a solo playing aid (as mentioned in the last post) to generate the space marine orders.

It was a very close battle, with the bridges becoming focal points for the fiercest fighting and changing hands several times. Finally the might of the Adeptus Astartes won through, securing two bridges and destroying five ork units (including the warboss)

On the right flank tactical marines secure the bridge as terminators and heavy support, provided by Vindicators and Land Raiders, take up position to cover them.

In the centre of the line, Predator tanks sweep the bridge clear and repel all counter attacks. The third bridge is well within the green skin’s grasp.

Packing away Christmas & Going on Campaign

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40k, campaign, Command & Colours, Games Workshop, miniatures, Orcs, orks, Scenario, Sci-Fi, Solo Wargaming, space marines, Wargame, Wargaming, Warhammer, warhammer 40k

Over the Christmas holiday I have been playing plenty of games of Memoir 40k, attempting to tighten-up the rules and stat-lines.

I now have a very workable set of 60 command cards which is composed mainly of Memoir ’44 cards, along with leader cards from C&C Ancients and “hit & run” cards from Battlecry. This creates the right combination of modern combat elements with a sprinkling of heroic sci-fi.

Battle for the Ormiffiad River Forks

Closing stages of the Battle of the Ormiffiad River Forks

Following the success of the space marines during the Battle for Macharius Bridge, the orks attempted a probing attack at the Ormiffiad River Forks. A small Iron Eagles task force rushed to plug the gap with orders to hold till the last man and last bullet.

The battle ended in a stalemate, the space marine force took heavy casualties but managed to hold the line. Meanwhile the orks were merely conducting a diversionary attack whilst, in the north, their main body struck out for the bridges over the Malcador river….

Ork and space marines face off across the Malcador river.

Bridging the Gap

As well as all this excitement, I have been packing away the Christmas decorations and I took the time while I was in the attic to sort through the general detritus that had been left by the previous owners. While I was up there I found this…

I have no interest in playing this game but it will solve one particular problem I have been experiencing with my campaign until now, that of a distinct lack of bridges.

Problem solved…

Memoir ’40k

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40k, Battle Cry, board games, commands and Colors, Epic 40k, fantasy miniatures, Games Workshop, Orcs, orks, Solo Wargaming, space marines, Wargame, Wargaming

Tac Epic

I have been settling in to my new gaming room rather nicely over the past couple of weeks and it’s given me the opportunity to spend some time playing more games, including a fair amount of solo play and games designing.

I have been adapting the basic rules ideas from Richard Borg’s excellent Commands & Colors series (specifically Memoir ’44), combined with the dice mechanics from Space Crusade to create a Warhammer 40,000 version, allowing me to get more use out of my Epic 40k minis.

Battle for Macharius Bridge

The eastern agri-plantations, a million square hectares of rural plains dotted with farmsteads and small imperial settlements who managed the production of triffidicus plant oil, became a major muster point for the ork invaders.

An armour detachment of Iron Eagles space marines conducted a lighting counter-attack at the vital crossing point of the Macharius bridge, hoping to bottle up the alien masses.

The scenario

This scenario was generated randomly using the Fog of War and terrain-generation rules from the Epic 40,000 Battles book.

The result was the Macharius bridge battlefield, pitching a full ork cult of speed army attempting cross the Grendoilor river whilst a slightly depleted space marine armour detachment with titan support, sought to hold the western bank.

Birds-eye view of the battlefield and initial deployments. On the left and right flanks, there are Take & Hold objectives and on the bridge a Cleanse objective (these are the space marine objectives). The orks must reduce the space marines to 50% of their starting strength.

The Battle

Using the Commands & Colours system, I set a command card limit for each army. The orks had a hand of 5 cards and the space marines received a hand of 6 cards. Each army took a turn to play a command card and then act upon the orders given.

I took command of the space marines and used a solo playing aid, created by someone on board game geek website, for the ork orders. Three cards were chosen for the orks in ascending order of first, second and third best options and then a dice roll decided which command card was enacted.

I took some photos during the battle to illustrate the basic movement and combat mechanics.

The first ork command card was a probe in the centre, allowing two units in the centre section to activate. They made a full move forward to secure the bridge.

In response, the space marines gave an assault right order, allowing all the units on the right flank to deploy on one of their take and hold objectives.

Later on, the space marines issued orders for three units on the right flank. They moved forward and prepared to open fire on the ork nobs holding the administratum building overlooking the Macharius bridge.

Warhound titan ‘Kessler’ of the legio Hydra Cordatiss opened fire, rolling 6 heavy weapons dice. The total score was 6. The basic armour of the ork nobs was 2 + the building bonus of 2, giving a total of 4. The result was 2 wounds, wiping-out the ork unit (as they had already taken some casualties from the land speeder and terminator fire)

Overview

The battle progressed with major success for the space marines who deployed on their Take & Hold objectives on either flank, whilst warhound titan ‘Kessler’ sprinted across the bridge and cleared their Cleanse objective of green skins. 

For their part, the orks struggled to deploy their greater numbers to make an attack on the bridge. The tributary river and reservoir effectively split the ork deployment and created a choke point, which caused them issues with manoeuvring for the whole battle.

All in all it was a very interesting and fun game, there were several tweaks to unit stats throughout (including reducing the strength for a warhound titan, as ‘Kessler‘ went on to run amok amongst the ork deployment zone)

I am thinking of using the ‘cross-fire’ rules from The Great War version created by the Plastic Soldier Company, which allows units to combine their shooting dice. This will hopefully allow weaker units to ‘gang-up’ on stronger ones.

Space Crusaders

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28mm, 40k, apothecary, blood axe kommandos, board games, Games Workshop, miniatures, orks, painting and modelling, Space Crusade, space marines, Wargame, Wargaming, warhammer 40k

I have mentioned several times in the past of my fondness for the old board game Space Crusade. I have played many hours using both the core game and even making up my own scenarios, including rules for all sorts of other miniatures in my collection.

I also have a copy of the White Dwarf supplement which introduces rules with different races to replace the space marine squads. As I have always liked orks, I decided to collect a mob of Blood Axe Kommandos to send in to the hulk.

The first batch of blood axe kommandos, including an original metal kommando on the left.

Also, inspired by a recent post on Azazel’s Bitz Box, I painted up two old-school metal marines that I have had lying around for some time.

Space marine apothecary

Although apothecaries are usually bedecked in all white livery I decided that, in a galaxy that doesn’t recognise the Geneva Convention, it would be rather reckless to present oneself as such an easy target and so I gave him the basic Iron Eagles livery, with white and red shoulder pads.

Space marine veteran sergeant

I really like this old veteran sergeant model and hope that, as he is holding an auspex device, he might help me to remember to use the ‘Scanner’ equipment card which allows you to look at face-down blips. It’s a really useful card if you’re on an assassination mission and need to find a particular alien to kill, or if you just want to find out what’s in the next room without blundering in there, unfortunately I constantly forget to use it!!

My hobby activities will be slowing down next month as I am moving in with my fiance next week until our new house is ready and my hobby stuff will be put in storage, I have put together a small ‘portable nerding kit’, so I can keep on with some model assembly but the paint shop has been shut-down for the time being.