A Pair of Crusades

I'm starting off a group playing modified Crusade of Fire rules for games of 40k, and last night was the first happening at Drawbridge Games here in Pittsburgh. Given that it was just starting out, we began with 750 point forces. This is some coverage of the two games I played (using my Eldar army).

First up, my painting progress. I'm not feeling too enthused with my Eldar, but I still managed to paint another model to add to my force. Don't get too excited, it was a single Eldar Ranger:

Obligatory "Games Workshop sure loved topknots during the 80's didn't they" comment

The model joins a unit of five others for this game, which are presented below. I also forgot to photograph the starting layouts of the two games--so this picture of the Rangers will have to suffice.

The Rangers. I at least remembered to photograph them before the first game. I've never loved them as a unit in the game, but the models are really fun and varied so I often field them in my forces. 

For the campaign kick-off, I wrote up a short mission that represented forces first arriving on the different planets of the Corvus Sub-Sector. It represented lines of battle forming while scouting elements were out of position. The mission is below as was presented to the players:

So after we got the movements on the campaign map done and everything set up, it was time for my games. I used the same 750 point list in both games, first against Jason's Dark Angels and then against Kevin's Skitarii (with Inquisition allies). Some highlights from the games follow: first up, Game One against Jason's Dark Angels. 

Game One began with the Dark Angels scouting force located deep in Eldar territory in an abandoned cityscape on the planet. Initial drop landings had placed them in scattered fashion, and their calls to reinforcements were steady. 

The small scouting group had some back-up from the beginning, however. An orbital-dropped automated weapon emplacement was positioned in the area where the Space Marines were exploring. 

It was the automated weapon that detected movement in the distance: hooded and cloaked shapes dashing for cover near the ruins of a tall skyscraper beyond. With a whirring sound, it began firing at them--one of their number fell, as the rest clung to cover. 

The group of Eldar Rangers that was doing the scouting for the Eldar force had needed to dive for cover to save themselves from the turret gun. As such, they were unable to make further progress by the time Dark Angels reinforcements arrived. Both a flyer gunship and a unit of Ravenwing Bikers came from reserves, and their combined shooting utterly annihilated the remaining Rangers. 

The Eldar reinforcements arrived, and returned fire upon the advance scouts of the Dark Angels--who were dashing across the battlefield to return to their own lines. A Wraithlord, its steps surprisingly smooth and graceful for something so tall, fired deadly shots into the advance scouts and killing a few of them. Later, the advance scouts would be finished off by a squad of Dire Avengers that unloaded from the Wave Serpent. 

The Dark Angels flyer set its sights on the War Walker, having taken a single glance from its sky-firing Eldar Missile Launcher. With precision, the Avenger Mega-Bolter tore the fragile Eldar walker to ribbons. Yet the cramped space of the city ruins left the flyer with nowhere effective to turn--so it flew off to swing wide before another strafing run. 

The Ravenwing finally committed to battle after lurking around the ruined building for some time, driving straight at the Wraithlord. They managed to inflict one wound with their plasma guns, but the absurdly tough wraithbone construction of the Wraithlord kept it fighting effectively. The ensuing close combat was a wash, and the Ravenwing thought better of their assault and chose to hit-and-run their way out of combat immediately. 

After the Dire Avengers had destroyed the remainders of the Dark Angels advance scouting party, the rest of the Dark Angels appeared from reserve. They managed to shoot the Farseer to death by coming from behind, but the battle had already swung heavily in favor of the Eldar due to victory points. With a clear end in sight, the Dark Angels fled the field leaving the victory to the forces of Iyanden. 

This is a two-for-one blog, because I played a second game that evening: this time against Kevin's Skitarii. The Skitarii are the foot troops of the Adeptus Mechanicus, soldiers with all sorts of crazy weapons and technological gear. We diced off and set up, ready for the game. 

This time the Eldar Rangers were carefully positioned and concealed in the top of a massive building, communicating the approach of Imperial forces to their support. When the enemy came into view, the Rangers reported a number of Skitarii warbands, and another strange unit accompanying them. They zeroed in their sights to try and make out these foes on the battlefield below. 

The strange grouping seemed to be four aliens, yet were obvious in Imperial employ. The Rangers realized they must be an Inquisition warband belonging to what the humans referred to as "Radical Inquisitors: those members of the Inquisition who used Chaos and Xenos technology and even creatures in order to bring battlefield success to the Inquisition. (Kevin modeled his Inquisitor's retinue after the Guardians of the Galaxy!)

The leader of the Imperials was an Inquisitor in a red coat, wielding two strange pistols (suspiciously like Star-Lord heh). The Skitarii vanguard unit he led advanced with a hail of gunfire--completely cutting down the lone Warlock who had rushed forward to gain the middle ground objective at the start of the battle. 

The Eldar Wraithlord had hung back in cover, the ancient mind contained within the soulstone powering the great construct not knowing what to make of the strange warriors of Mars. A unit of them bounded forward on long, spring-loaded legs: Sicarian Ruststalkers. They charged into the great construct and attacked, their weapons surprisingly effective against the towering Eldar form. While it was able to slay a few of them, the Wraithlord ended up succumbing to the strange transonic weaponry they wielded. 

The Skitarii Rangers had deadly long-barreled weaponry, that plagued the Eldar from a distance. Loathe to commit forces to the open where they would be shot down, both sides hung back and engaged in a somewhat fruitless shooting battle. 

The Dire Avengers again played a pivotal role in the battle, shooting down the last of the Sicarian Ruststalkers and securing further objectives near their own deployment zone. The Eldar had gotten ahead in objective controlling, and remained that way until the conclusion of the battle--while ample troops survived on both sides, Eldar mobility and power to control fortune (read: "luck in drawing objectives") had led them to a slight victory. 

Two good games, and a good start to the Crusade of Fire campaign. I'll do more updates both about my own games and about the campaign as a whole as it goes forward. In addition, I'm thinking of ways to keep the campaign balanced--so it was timely that I spotted Bell of Lost Souls' idea of "Classichammer" just today. Right now we're recruiting players and starting off, but as games grow bigger it will be critical to be sure and balance things effectively for games.