The GREAT 40k thread

Yesterday we've played an apocalypse game
Imperium 6.000 pts, Admech, Sisters of Battle, Custodes
Chaos: 7.500 pts (6.000 pts round 1 + 1.500 pts in reserve), Chaos Knights, Chaos Knights + Belakor, CSM



Background

When, following Angron's actions, the entire Quartus Fleet was lost and converted to Chaos, it became clear to the Imperial leadership that entire regions of the Imperium Sanctus would be lost.
The gap between the sides was too wide, so all that could be done was to rally the remaining loyalist forces, locate a containment zone, and try to salvage what could be salvaged from the systems deemed doomed.

The forge world of Helliconia, run by forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus, was perhaps the world deemed most important to defend, to ensure the evacuation of invaluable resources.
Immense drills reached into the world's incandescent core, extracting the basic elements for the Imperial Titans' plasma reactors and plasma weapons, as well as ammunition for the most powerful orbital cannons.
The AdMech worked quickly to evacuate and secure as much of the raw material and irreplaceable equipment as possible.
The Adeptus Administratum had given this operation the highest priority, and one of the most powerful and reliable forces remaining in the area, a fleet of Custodes and Sisters of Battle, was assigned to provide assistance and protection.

Belakor, having (temporarily) successfully interfered with Vashtorr's plans during the battle for Imperial Fists Rock, needed to strengthen his followers in order to continue pursuing his plots for power. The legion of Chaos Knights dedicated to him needed to even more powerful weapons, the fleet of the undivided chaos that had chosen to follow him needed successes for further chaos gifts... and Belakor himself now craved loyalist blood.
Helliconia was the perfect target, where all these needs could be satisfied.
It was time to give the loyalists the final push and remind Abbadon of the difference between a human and a Daemon Prince.

 

Spoiler: the battlefield:

(Note: the pipes count as los blockers and the landing platforms can be reached by walkers.
The GK stormraven is there only as lore scenic element... at the start of the battle it will fly away with its "cargo")

 

Spoiler: Chaos armies

Spoiler: Imperium

Note: my army was AdMech

 

Spoiler: The Set-up

 

to be continued...

any guesses?

 

yeah, pretty much

Spoiler: round 1

the opening salvo took a couple of chaos knights which were easily visible, the imperium took a timid advance with some units






The chaos was ready to retaliate: despite the huge loss of a lancer knight due to overwatch by the admech, they managed to press the center and put some pressure on our right...





...killing the most advanced imperial units

Spoiler: round 2-3

The exposed chaos knight were furtherly diminished in number, and Custodes dropped in the chaos' rearguard



with the death of Belakor and the chaos knight near him, the chaotic reserves were facing immediate threats.
The Tyrant was no supporting its advancing companions, but was forced to fight a defensive battle for its home objective, while Sisters and Custodes were fighting to take a hold near the chaos line.



...while the combined force of Sisters / titan / custodes, were pushing on the left.




at the end of the third round, no chaos knight is visible, and the look in the face of the player of the CSM, tells everything you need to know.
Humiliating defeat.

Spoiler: general considerations

I've organized up til now more than 20 apocalypse games, all of them with special rules, many of them really closed in the result... this one was the most one-sided of them all.
Despite the massive advantage in points, the chaos players were guilty of many mistakes.

Before the battle:
ok, i get the double CK lists, but all of them big knights? really?
you are going to bleed secondary points (bring it down and assassination). With ONLY 3 wardogs you are not going to have that great of a battlefield control, and MOST OF ALL many of your knights won't have a place to stay out of sight, as the number of terrains that block los for titanic units was limited (please note that a guy owns 15 wardogs)
If 2/3 of your army is visible no matter what, our anti-vehicles units are not going to expose themselves, thus firing without fear of repercussion.

Set up:
After imperium had already deployed its units, they deployed a single knight (abominant) on their right flank, all the rest (except for a couple in reserve) was put on centre / left... exactly where there were the Admech kataphron, ballistariii, skorpius disintegrator, 2 Custodians' caladius... good job.

 

Yeah, it was fun.
the one-sided battle was not my fault... i gave a solid advantage in points to chaos, bacause i wanted to have a battle really hard for the imperial players. I even played the warhound titan, which is massively overcosted for what it brings to the table.
Not my fault 2 of the chaos players decided to field a suicidal list.

Tnx, we are working to have beautiful tables, at least for narrative games. I'm tired of wtc tables with standardized cardbox buildings, every game a city battle with just 2 kind of sceneries (including containers)