Kill Team Batrep: The scouring of grid 38
Hi all, long time no see!
This was my first Kill Team game with the Heralds of Ruin special rules, and we got a lot of rules wrong, or just plainly forgot that they were there. That didn't subtract from the fun though, and below is a recount of the game.
For this report, my opponent John has been nice enough to supply a short written excerpt concerning a specific member of his team, which had tremendous difficulties getting a piece of the action.
Hilarity will ensue.
The game:
Right off the bat I realized I had made huge mistake, roster-wise; the space marines actually outnumbered my stormtroopers! As it turns out, spending 75 points on your leader is a questionable strategy at best, and it resulted in me having very few guys on the table.
Not to worry though, my hot-shot lasguns are basically designe to punch trough power armour with their AP3 shots. Wounding only on fives though means that I have to get a little lucky to wound in the first place.
We played for objectives, and John deployed very well, giving his missile guy and plasma guy a great view of the open middle area of the urban table. On his one flank he had a teleporting, hammer-and-storm shield-weaing Terminator standing ready (the Kill Team equivalent of a land raider), and the rest of his forces steadily advanced the whole game.
I spread my own guys out, and the killing commenced. I had unwisely deployed my leader within sight of his guys, which meant that he spent most of the game going to ground and generally not doing anythin useful. Likewise, my Vox-scion was repeatedly almost getting blown to bits by the rocket launcher, but incredibly lucky saving throws kept him in the game almost until the very end.
While I got off a lot of good shots, the space marines were good at taking cover that day, and so the casualties of the stormtroopers starting piling up quickly. We didn't play with the in-game injury table, so all models that took a wound were immediately removed as a casualty. In a desperate attempt to turn the game around, my sergent charged a marine holding the center objective.
Diving through the lethal overwatch fire, the sergent ran forwards, preparing to make a powerfist-sized hole in the space marine. Seeing this though, the marine just punched the sergent in the face instead, ending the whole fight before it even started.
In the end my whole team was wiped out, only killing a few marines in turn. I got quite lucky on my injury table afterwards though, and only lost a couple of guys. It was a really fun game, and I'm already preparing my forces for a rematch against John's yellow-bellies!
A few extra pictures from the match:
Finally, we have a featured piece of writing from John about his Terminator who, despite possessing the power of teleportation, never quite managed to get into combat :)
How Brother Azelus the Furious got his moniker
Not much surprised veteran brother Azelus anymore. Through centuries of war had he battled the xeno and the heretic. Picked up by the Imperial Fists and inducted into the third company, The Sentinels of Terra, Azelus had risen through the ranks and accomplished much. After no more than two centuries, none other than Chapter Master Pugh had taken note of his accomplishments and had him promoted to the first company. Here he showed an aptitude for assault, something not too common among the third company recruits, who favored Sergeant Garadons personal bolter drill, which they had perfected to an art. For this, Azelus was granted the blessing of carrying a thunder hammer into battle, with which he had dashed so many heretic skulls he no longer bothered to count. Now he was deployed into the defence of Grid 38 on some backwater, supposedly Imperial world, which had lost all comms. It seemed like a mission that should be beneath his status, but the amount of trouble that later presented itself was what surprised him. Not two weeks hence, a squad of Blood Angels had attacked 1st Tactical Squad Garadon as they entered Grid 31, not a word of warning or justification given in advance. The blasphemy was baffling, the attack.. No, surely mistakes were made, no other reason made sense. Whatever the cause, Garadon had to withdraw.
Things were not as they seemed, and as scanners came online planetside, no less than two races of xenos lifeforms were found, but several Imperial forces as well - and they were all fighting each other. What madness was this? Garadon attributed his loss to a complete lack of close combat capability and requested first company support. Azelus was chosen. Shortly after a squad of Astra Militarum Tempestus Scions attacked Grid 38 and defence was prepared. Honor Guard Haduin Chronus, Garadons personal bodyguard was wounded in the retreat from Grid 31, and had not yet fully recovered, so the counter assault was granted to Brother Azelus. Squad Garadon deployed half its forces inside a tactical objective in the southeastern quadrant, expecting the enemy to attack from the northwestern one. Some forces were left to fan out to the north and west, thereby getting close to the other tactically important buildings.
The dust rattled against Azelus' helmet. A wind was whipping the facades of the ruins behind which he had taken cover, blowing up dust and sand and obscuring line of sight on ground level. The vox crackled and Brother Romivuso, tasked with handling the squads' only missile launcher, could be heard through the static caused by the gale.
"Don't worry Brother, I have a clean line of sight from my position. I am on the third floor behind you. Move directly north, I see an enemy. He is carrying the finest las-rifle I have ever seen, but it should be no match for one wearing the Crux Terminatus. I count 8 more contacts around the corner of the next ruin. They're all yours, Brother" "Thank you, Brother." Azelus replied, "Advancing."
The comms cut out, but not before a strange noise was carried to him. It sounded like...Giggling.. Surely he was mistaken, it must have been just static. The wind.
The wait was finally over. Nothing felt more futile than being clad in terminator armor and carrying shield and hammer, with no enemies to attack. Now that the traitors had shown themselves the assault could begin. Azelus would bring the Emperors justice! To get a headstart Azelus activated his teleporter, but the dust had caked inside the teleporters power supply, and he only got placed a few meters ahead. He sprinted to the corner of the building only to find another battle brother already in place, bolter locked on the first target. Las-fire was painting the ruins black around him, as he calmy squeezed the trigger. Azelus had only just caught sight of the first enemy when his head got blown to tiny gibblets.
"Curses! The next one is mine brother!" Azelus said, feeling disappointed for being left out of the first taste of vengeance.
"Sure thing, Azelus" the marine said, and then to his friend, "you're right Romivuso, he is already getting an..."
Static cut the vox for a moment.
"Repeat, Brother" Azelus said.
"What? Oh, sorry, I forgot to change channel. It was nothing" The marine replied.
Azelus' gale was rising
"Dont let it happen again brother, you are a space marine. Act as such!"
"Sorry, it will not happen again" the marine replied.
As Azelus left he could have sworn he heard more laughter, but then brother Romivuso voxed again
"Azelus! Another target dead ahead. I'm pinning the leader down with krak missiles. Show that other guy the might of the terminator!"
Azelus broke into a run, turning his anger into motion. His armor responded perfectly to his movements, and he made good speed. He caught sight of and enemy, las rifle pointed at an angle to himself. This one would not see him coming. Azelos started charging, but the second before he could close with the enemy, the man exploded with a sharp bang sending blood and bone fragments out in all directions. A bit of bone almost pierced a lense on Azelus' helmet.
In the distance registered the dull thud of a far off krak explosion. He turned in the direction of the shooter. Another tactical marine of Squad Garadon. He was laughing when he voxed.
"Sorry! You're too late Azelus. Better luck next time!" he said, and continued laughing. Were they.. Mocking him?? Azelus was practically about to boil over with rage.
"YOU ALMOST BROKE MY LENSE! THAT’S SACRILIGE! BE THANKFUL I HAVE
BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN PUNCH YOU!" Azelus yelled.
"Sorry!" The marine replied, still giggling under his breath.
Azelus deduced from the vox chatter that more enemies were ahead. Then Brother Chronus voxed.
"Azelus! 12 yards ahead of you. There is an enemy with a standard. He is the last man left, but the bastard clipped my leg. I killed his companion tough" he said, his voice sounded strained, like he was trying to speak through terrible pain.
It was all the motivation Azelus needed. His teleporter was recharged and ready to fire, and this time the dust had been burned out from the previous attempt. As he activated it he felt the familiar dizzying tug and as he reappeared he was standing face to face with the last scion, who was holding the enemy banner.
"DEATH TO THE HERETIC!" Azelus shouted.
Much could be said about these traitors, but cowardice was not one of their features. The scion did not so much as flinch, he merely acknowledged that he would not win this melee, picked up the banner and retreated around the corner. Azelus made to follow him, but as the scion stepped around the corner a round struck him in the chest and felled him. Azelus went to see the shooter and found Chronus lying on his back, bolt pistol raised.
"Thanks brother, I couldn’t get the bastard to step into my sights!" Chronus said.
"YOU USED ME TO SCARE HIM OUT!" Azelus yelled.
"Sorry. I was unable to join in melee. Not unlike you!" Chronus replied.
Azelus' rage was about to get the best of him. He was about to shout more curses at Chronus when Chronus' vox was cut off and he started convulsing.
"Brother!" Azelus shouted and ran to aid his fallen brother.
Thinking that Chronus might literally be dying in his armor, Azelus dropped his thunder hammer and twisted off Chronus' helmet, but as soon as the seal broke allowing sound to escape the suit, Azelus was met with hoarse laughter.
Blind fury took Azelus as he picked up his hammer, almost about to smash the bastard who had the audacity to mock him. Then he realised the whole squad was laughing too. Then Romivuso voxed him
"Oh calm down brother, we are merely jesting."
With an earthshattering bellow of rage Azelus battered down the wall to his left, reducing to a fine powder. He then stepped through the remains and began marching back to base, cursing all the while.
And such is the tale of how Veteran Brother Tomis Azelus became known as Azelus the Furious.
