Warhammer 30k Horus Heresy escalation campaign day, 750pts

Here are some pictures from our 750pts Warhammer 30k Horus Heresy escalation campaign day we had in May.

I would be fielding my Solar Auxilia that can be seen here: http://kampgruppe-engel.blogspot.se/2017/05/solar-auxilia.html

I waited far to long for this after action report so I think I have forgotten some things from the event unfortunately. Sorry for that.

Here is a small picture of my Prime for my Veletaris Storm section with power axes (simular to a sergeant) lifting a head from an unknown Xenos creature encountered.
I think I will have to take a better picture of him another time.

First game
My Solar Auxilia would face of against Eriks Sons of Horus.

Fluff update part 0.6.4
Incoming transmission...
Receiving...
Tactical Update - Labelled Urgent.

Heavy losses on the confederate troops blockading Aerelon have been confirmed. Evacuation has been classified as a failure. Relief-forces and four surviving confederate light frigates have managed to retreat in serviceable condition, together with elements of the Astartes. The forces have reported to be heading toward Scorpia to resupply. Indications seem to point toward a concealed EFTC (East Fringe Trading Company) station. Requests for a monetary transaction to cover "Replenished stocks of equipment and manpower" have been received and forwarded to the military high command to consider. We do also wish to point out that any EFTC station present on Scorpia would be a violation of the Traders Act 182 ¶3 regarding the Confederations' exclusive trading zone. Enact sanctions as you deem suitable.
We have raised query as for the status of the troops still trapped on Aerelon. Initial replies simply read "May the Emperor have mercy on their souls."
Transmission ended...
Transcribing datafiles and assigning storage space...

The Solar Auxilia have fortified what was left of an old settlement and had built an airstrip and some defences on Scorpia. These were not fully operational or manned when the sudden redraw of the Imperial forces from the planet Aerelon and the Traitors following them in hot pursuit.


The Sons of Horus strikes out of the morning mists and the Solar Auxilia forces of the East Fringe Trading Company scrambles to the defence.
On the table there were a couple of objectives that could be picked up and carried to safety.

My axe fielding Veletaris tries to pull pack as the Sons of Horus storms over the empty trenches.

Standing still and trying to take as many as possible of the Traitors with their lasrifles down as possible proved to be a bad idea...
The Veletaris are carrying their objective away as the Lasrifle section tries to sell their life as dear as possible. A short duel is played out and the Troop master of the Lasrifle section didnt really stand a chance...

In the end my positions where totally overwhelmed but my axe Veletaris hid at the edge of the table securing me 2 of the objectives resulting in a draw. I took heaps of casualties and I lost control of the other 2 objectives in the last turn as my last two Velearis with Volkites where taken out by the big blob of Marines. Had they survived that last round it would have been a Loyalist win instead.

One of the highlights of the game have to be the lone surviving Sons of Horus Sergeant with a power fist. He was the last survivor of his squad after a murdering bombardment of shells and bullets. He got really really angry and charged my Dracosan with Demolisher cannon in the hull and in just one round of combat he made it explode and something like 8 out of 10 Veletaris inside died with it.

With some regrets I didnt use the Axe Veletaris as speedbump for the 20 man Marine unit as I wanted to see how they fare against marines but in the end I decided that even a hand to hand orientated unit from Solar Auxilia probably didn't have the slightest chance against that and in the end they gave me the draw result so I thing I did the right decision.




I took some quick pictures of the other tables, not nearly enough to show all the splender but better then nothing.
 
Word Bearers vs Raven Guards

Night Lords vs Iron Hands in a Zone Mortalis style game

Solar Auxilia vs Night Lords

In this part of the ruined city some valuable information had to be captured before the Traitors moves in. The problem is that they are already here and are also searching the buildings...

A really intense game with Linus. There where a couple of really tight moments and turns in this game. Some extra events like finding heavier guns and attacks of zombies spiced it up even further.

When a unit entered a building with a potential objective we would roll a dice that could result in an bobytrapp, nothing or actually finding a objective or a

I didn't take nearly enough pictures of this game

The Night Lords Stormbird was nerfed by the umpire to just have the skimmer rule instead of flying to compensate for something that extreme at these low points.


In this game my axe Veletaris saw close combat, they got charged by jump infantry and actually hold them up for a turn or two and inflicted casualties. Had the enemy not had a apothecary this could have been interesting... But they got smooched in the ruins they tried to hold. To bad, that apothecary was fielding a special weapon he had found in the game that my Veletaris Prime maybe could have taken if he had bested him in a challenge, but that was not to be. The weapon in questing was a bolt pistol with special radioactive ammunitions.

My Lasrifles section overextended their line in an attempt to capture multiple objectives but out of nowhere a unit of Zombies emerged and charged in. This tied me down long enough to hinder me capture an objective and a unit of jumpack infantry could charge me when I was not ready or in a position to strike back.

I tried to keep my Dracosan back in this game and use it as a regular tank. Keeping it back in an attempt to protect it vulnerable and big sides.

In the end the Terminators charges in and even thou I had taken some of them down, when they are this close there will be no miniatures left...

As I had managed to secure some objectives early on I think this game actually ended as a draw or maybe a minor victory for the Traitors (Linus have to correct me if I was wrong here).
I didnt have many men left but thats irrelevant for the objective securing.





Mega battle
The Loyalist where defending the outskirts of a town and have a defence line manned when the Traitors strikes from all sides...

But we managed to seize the first turn.

As I had the Dracosan deployed before the enemy it had the rear against the enemy, good thing we seized that first turn.

I moved the Dracosan and had a perfect line to the rapier batteries... But I managed to roll a 11 on the scatter and the shot landed nowhere near the enemy.
And later in the enemies first turn the rapiers managed to take my Dracosan out in one salvo..

My Strategos calls down Precision bombardment, trying to take out the Word Bearers rapier batteries in an attempt to save the Dracosan from retaliation but scatters on top of the Emperors Children HQ instead...
All but the Centurion is smashed, saved by the fact that he got down. But atleast he dont have any bodyguards and is down next round.

The Emperors Children Centurion is attacked by zombies out of nowhere.

Veletaris with Volkites tries do damage those foul creatures... They are wounded but not downed... Those must be some kind of Xeno mercenaries carrying the Word Bearers colours. To bad I didnt take them out, they could be interesting to dissect by the Xeno Biologus Maguses I have accompanied my trading company.

 Raven Guards charges in...

Zombies charges in and the Conteptor is charged...

The Emperors children are overwhelming my position. 

Sons of Horus is overwhelming the Iron Hands even with some Raven Guard support.

I had a small number of Veletaris with Volkites holding the big objective when a angry but wounded Emperors Children Centurion charges in with a thunder hammer... But that meant that my Veletaris Prime (sergeant) with a charnabal sabre strikes before him and actually managed to make a 6 to wound on his hit resulting in a rending attack on his 1 wound remaining character. But... he had managed to get a object that gave him a one use 4+ invulnerable save from previous games of the day and that saved his ass... Even with the help of a lone Space Wolf all my Veletaris was eventually smashed and the middle objective secured by the Traitors.

The game ended as a Minor Victory for the traitors securing 2/3 of the main objectives.


In the end of the day the final result of the games where deemed a Minor Victory for the traitor forces. This means that the Loyalist are pushed back even further in the grand campaign.