Night Lords vs Emperors Children, The30kChannel, 29Feb 2020.

Death is nothing compared to vindication. — Konrad Curze

<Astropathic Link Opened>

<Ident Code: Barb of Nostramo>

<Transmission Begins>

After several months of chatting to David Braines, a few missed opportunities and a whole army repaint, it was time to get on The30KChannel and face off against my friend James Wright from Wrights_Adventurers_Guild. Two beautiful armies (if i do say so myself) faced off, with a long history of grudges borne in the war of the previous games played at 4TK Gaming in Colchester, Essex. 

The game was based around a narrative, showing both Horus’ and Dorn’s lack of concern for casualties in pursuit of the next objective. In this game, James’s army of Emperors Children were loyalists – survivors from Fulgrims purges and mounting the defence of Sol system. 

<Tactical Situation Inload>

<Cogitation Complete>

<Display>

Approaching the Khthonic Gate at Pluto, the traitor fleet circumvented the mandeville point and entered real space near the Kerberos, a large moon of Pluto. Rogal Dorn orders the detonation of the moon to slow the traitors and decimate large elements of their fleet. When the initial sensor burn from the explosion washes away, a large dusty debris field remains in situ. Rogal Dorn orders localised Loyalist forces to retake the smaller defence moons that have survived the explosion. 

The Night Lords Grand Cruiser “Barb of Nostramo” is moving nearby, hunting in the dust fields with great success. It observes the loyalists moving towards a smaller defence moon and despatches a small Terror Assault force to counter the Loyalists attempting to repopulate the defensive line. 

<Combatant Study Underway>

<Cogitation Complete>

<Display>

Night Lords – 3500pts – Terror Assault

Uzas Xyberis (Praetor): Rite of War (Terror Assault); Divining blade; combi-weapon (plasma); melta bombs; digital lasers; iron halo; Trophies of Judgement 215

First Claw – 10 Terror Squad Executioners: Headsman (artificer armour; volkite charger; melta bombs); 9 Terror Squad Executioners; 9 × volkite charger 265
• Anvillus Pattern Dreadclaw Drop Pod 115

Second Claw – 10 Terror Squad Executioners: Headsman (artificer armour; volkite charger; melta bombs); 9 Terror Squad Executioners; 9 × volkite charger 265
• Anvillus Pattern Dreadclaw Drop Pod 115

Third Claw – 10 Terror Squad Executioners: Headsman (artificer armour; volkite charger; melta bombs); 9 Terror Squad Executioners; 9 × volkite charger 265
• Anvillus Pattern Dreadclaw Drop Pod 115

10 Atramentar Terminators: Terminator Sergeant (volkite charger; chainfist); 9 Terminators; 9 × volkite charger; 9 × power weapon 405

Javelin Attack Speeder Squadron
• Javelin Attack Speeder: pintle-mounted multi-melta; hull-mounted twin-linked lascannon 75
• Javelin Attack Speeder: pintle-mounted multi-melta; hull-mounted twin-linked lascannon 75
• Javelin Attack Speeder: pintle-mounted multi-melta; hull-mounted twin-linked lascannon 75

Xiphon Pattern Interceptor “Excruciator”: ground-tracking auguries; chaff launcher 220

Leviathan Pattern Siege Dreadnought Talon
• Ancient Klemen “The Dark Fury” (Leviathan Pattern Siege Dreadnought): Leviathan siege drill; cyclonic melta lance; 2 × torso-mounted twin-linked volkite caliver; armoured ceramite 325
• Dreadnought Drop Pod 100

Thunderhawk Gunship “Blackened”: hull-mounted turbo-laser destructor; chaff launcher; flare shield; void-crafted hull 870

Emperors Children – 3500pts – Maru Skara

Praetor: Rite of War (The Maru Skara); digital lasers; iron halo; sonic shrieker; Divining Blade 200

Chaplain: artificer armour; power fist; refractor field; sonic shrieker 130

Champion: paragon blade (master-crafted); melta bombs; refractor field; sonic shrieker; Scimitar Jetbike 170

10 Tactical Space Marines: Tactical Sergeant (power fist); 9 Tactical Space Marines 140
• Rhino: pintle-mounted multi-melta 50

10 Tactical Space Marines: Tactical Sergeant (power fist); 9 Tactical Space Marines 140
• Rhino: pintle-mounted multi-melta 50

10 Tactical Space Marines: Tactical Sergeant (power fist); 9 Tactical Space Marines 140
• Rhino: pintle-mounted multi-melta 50

6 Phoenix Terminators: Phoenix Champion (grenade harness); 5 Phoenix Terminators; sonic shriekers 330
• Spartan Assault Tank: auxiliary drive; armoured ceramite; flare shield 380

Contemptor-Cortus Class Dreadnought Talon
• Contemptor-Cortus Dreadnought: Dreadnought close combat weapon (meltagun); Dreadnought close combat weapon (meltagun) 165
• Contemptor-Cortus Dreadnought: Dreadnought close combat weapon (meltagun); Dreadnought close combat weapon (meltagun) 165

8 Palatine Warriors: Palatine Prefector (artificer armour; Phoenix power spear); 7 Palatine Warriors; artificer armour; 2 × power sword; 4 × Phoenix power spear; sonic shriekers 320

Javelin Attack Speeder Squadron
• Javelin Attack Speeder: pintle-mounted multi-melta; hull-mounted twin-linked lascannon 75
• Javelin Attack Speeder: pintle-mounted multi-melta; hull-mounted twin-linked lascannon 75

5 Jetbike Sky Hunters: melta bombs 230

Storm Eagle Assault Gunship: hull-mounted twin-linked multi-melta; 2 wing-mounted twin-linked lascannon 265

Leviathan Pattern Siege Dreadnought Talon
• Leviathan Pattern Siege Dreadnought: grav-flux bombard; armoured ceramite; phosphex discharger 325

• Dreadnought Drop Pod 100

<Commander Interrogative>

<Upload begins>

Both James and I have said to each other that it was singularly the best game of Heresy we have yet played. 

The intent for the Night Lords was never to face the full force of the Emperors Children. Tactical cowardice is a virtue the Night Lords predicate every battle on and I chose to adopt that tactic in its fullest extent! 

Normally, I run Terror Squads alone, but I chose to use Dreadclaw Drop Pods in this game to provide a bit of manoeuvre to the squads once they’d deployed and to enable some withdrawals and repositioning if needed. There was a lot of pressure on me – considering this would be the first time I was on the channel, the first using the Drop Pods, Javelin Attack Land Speeders and the Thunderhawk Gunship too.

The Emperors Children by contrast, used their outflanking abilities, looking to tie up, isolate and destroy errant Night Lords units where they came across them. In the outflank would be several savage elements – including both Cortus Contemptors. James seemed early on to be positioning for a brutal decapitation strike on the Night Lords, who instead folded back and withdrew forcing the Emperors Children to change tact and engage elsewhere. 

Brutal strikes gave way to calculated manoeuvring and the odd ballsy move that paid dividends to each force. The game was never clear cut, even with seemingly devastating blows eeked out on the opposition. Night lifted fairly quickly and with the bonuses conferred by night fighting gone, the daylight brought with it a new level of savagery to the tabletop. 

<Tactical Decision Point Reached>

<Withdrawal Process Enacted>

Fire and dust blow over and throughout the now devastated moon complex, littered with the dead, the dying and the destroyed. The pungent tang of death and the rich blood of Legiones Astartes hangs on the thin air. The roar of air-breathing manoeuvring thrusters of purple and of dark blue assault craft, gunships and lifting bodies deafens those still left on the ground. Racing away to their respective Grand Cruisers in near orbit, the much-depleted forces abandon the moon with the victory lying squarely in the camp of

<Crtitical Failure>

<Astropathic Braindeath>

<Emergency Abort>

<Transmission Shutdown>