Legions Imperialis Battle Report I

 

+++5.985.006.M31

+++Subsector Christus Ecclessia 

+++Kashmeeri reach

+++Bellum omnium contra omnes

Terra remains shrouded from the astropaths while troubling rumours of betrayal and rebellion arrive with every trade shipment. As our courier ships fuel and provision, Astartes approach from the east, outside the range of the heavy flak protecting the capitol. I have deployed the garrison and a light Titan maniple, of Legio Tempestus, to hold them. For the Emperor.

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This was 1750 points, Astartes XXth Legion (Geoff) vs Solar Auxilia (me.) Hold the ground mission. Auxilia to the bottom of the map and Astartes to the top. Secondary objectives are: The Auxilia must retain control the battlefield (table quarters) while the XXth Legion must breakthrough the Auxilia table edge with up to five units - none of which can be transported in flyers. These of course were Alpha legion Saboteurs racing to disrupt communication within the Imperium

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The legion facing us was unfamiliar. Worse, the first surprise, of many, was that the Collegia Titanica themselves were of divided loyalties. While the Warhounds Castor and Pollux faithfully took up station in the defensive line, the Reaver Triarii took up station with the Astartes. The Auxilia quickly captured the middle of the field with a full sub-cohort, while threatening an armoured right hook with all but a single Baneblade. The Ogryns and and another sub-cohort were on the left, holding that flank. The Astartes seemed to hold back. They preferred to whittle the forces on the left down at range; with two full flights of Storm Eagles and the apocalypse missiles of the towering god-engine. On the right, the armoured push made minimal impact and the Warhounds shredded the void shields of the opposing Reaver. The Auxilia lightning interceptors had early success in downing a flight of Astartes Storm Eagles.

While the Astartes armour had been making threatening moves on the left and augery scanners showed a talon of dreadnoughts at the titan’s feet on the right, actual legionaries had been curiously absent from the fighting… until an entire Demi-company outflanked right on top of the Auxilia armour to the right. The Malcador, Russes and Banebleade scrambled to reposition and bring them under fire, while the Warhounds Castor and Pollux strove to dent the armour on the Reaver. On the left, the Auxilia reserve Ogryns and Veltarii wilted under successive attacks from Storm Eagles, apocalypse strikes and flanking shots from the lead Astartes armour elements. 

Then with a thunderous roar, the Warhound Pollux exploded as the flanking Astartes scored an engine-kill by saturating it with krak missiles. The resulting explosion took out half the Leman Russ tanks and damaged the voids on its twin. More ominously a further Demi-company of Astartes outflanked to the left. With only a sub-cohort of lasrifles left, little could be done to prevent them breaking the line. On the right, the first unit of flanking Astartes died to concentrated tank and Titan fire. Still the centre was held by the legate and his sub-cohort but even the protection of the ruin couldn’t stave off casualties.

As the engagement neared its conclusion the skies had become quiet. The Astartes Storm Eagles had been downed or driven off. However, the Auxilia lightnings were also all destroyed, the last ignobly batted from the skies by the Reaver Triarii. The flanking forces all now in play, the Astartes armour pushed the centre and the Auxilia left, eliminating the remaining infantry. The Auxilia armour had likewise gone down to fire from three directions as Astartes tanks pushed up. The remaining Astartes demi-company pushed on to its true objective and left the battlefield. At the end, all that remaining of the Auxilia defence was the solitary Warhound Castor, presiding over the most pyrrhic of victories. 

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Postgame: I think I won by like three points. You’ll notice the infantry did not infiltrate, neither did the rest of the Alpha legion. That rule is totally busted. I’m not going to use it until there is a rewrite or the community agrees on something reasonable. My preference would be to allow it for walkers and infantry only, and be inside or up to 10” from their deployment zone. Otherwise you get missions like this: 

That’s me doing a test deployment using the Forward Push mission. Two formations so mutable tactics (infiltrate) for a unit on each of the six objectives. I get to see the entire enemy deployment first, then place those six units. The only restrictions is outside 4” of the enemy. So it’s really just other infiltrators that pose any issue at all. I don’t really need to move most of them so can put the shooting units on first fire as well. It’s just too beneficial and there isn’t any real counter-play. 

I guess I’m stuck with ‘only’ getting outflank or forward deployment until the community at large and GW adopts my great fix or something even better. 

Apart from that, loved the game. I just like looking at the tactical game with a proper table including LOS blocking terrain. Apologies for the WIP paint job on both the tanks and terrain but I’m making headway. With the right terrain, the killfest I’ve seen in some YouTube reports seems less evident. Stuff definitely still dies but if you play your units right, like Geoff did this game, then you seem to have a good shot at preserving your force in being while isolating and picking off targets. 

That  was the first real game for both of us. I probably benefited a bit in terms of having seen reports to get an idea of how scoring worked where Geoff is more used to games that award points at the end. If I hadn’t banked those early points, he’d have crushed me convincingly. 

Lists below. Yes I had less but then the Astartes points include six Storm Eagles, which aren’t the most efficient choice. 

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