Battle for Lacum Interibus - MegaDirty - A Warhammer 30k Horus Heresy megabattle

Battle for Lacum Interibus

Trait#r T*ansmis!#n interc!**ed

Astrates g*#und forces detected. Prep!re *!fences of m!in str#ng p#!nt.
Activate planet!*! d!fence systems. Energi*e shield generat#rs.
Notify Tita*!##%!!*!....

Here are my after action report from "MegaDirty", our Horus Heresy megabattle.
Prepare your self for a photobonanza of Horus Heresy, Warhammer 30K...
Click on the pictures to get a bigger picture.


The event was a two day event.
Each player was allowed to attend the event with between 500 to 5000pts. The reason for this was to allow newer players to join. The top cap was to speed things up and not having one player never be done with his turn.

The first day was smaller zone mortalis and shadow wars type of games were the winner gained special bonuses for the big battle on the second day but you could also win character increase or special rule.

I didn’t attend the first day the and traitors was on top after this day, they had won more special rules and gotten harder characters for the second day.


In total it was about 24’500 points on the defending traitor force and about 27’000 on the attacking Loyalist force on the Megabattle
I would be fielding my Solar Auxilia on the Loyalist side and they have now grown to 4000pts.



For the second day, two zone mortalis boards was placed besides the main table and the winner would win further bonuses for the main battle. These players would later enter the main battle with full strength as reserves. This was in part done to speed up deployment and the slow first turns.



First up was to decide an overall commander for the Loyalist side. We had the primarch Leman Russ on our side so things should be a given but he showed no interest in leading this battle…
And thus my Solar Auxilia Lord Marshal Aleksandr of the noble House of Naryshkin stepped up and took command of the combined Loyalist force. This would give great honor to the House of Naryshkin and personal glory for the Lord Marshal himself.
Besides this, it would give greater claims on the spoils of war following the coming total annihilation of the traitor forces on xxx in the Lacum Internibus system.Intel tell that commanding the Traitor forces would be Archmagos Inar Satarael of the traitor Mechanicum but in his warcouncil would also be Fulgrim the Phoenician and Konrad Curze the Night bringer… along with Zardu Layak and more lesser and less known commanders.

First out Lord Marshal had to decide which two forces he would send down in the zone mortalis areas around the big battle.

As I had two aggressive Space Wolf armies under my command so I decided that they should do the zone mortalis combat, and thus Leman Russ was sent down to the dungeon...

As the Lord Marshal have the "Forged in war" special rule I was allowed to choose my warlord trait. I was tempted to get the Eternal warrior special rule as there would be a lot of scary enemy in the fight to come and I would really like to try too keep my Warlord alive as he was the commanding officer of this whole battle. But in the end Lord Marshal Alexandr of the noble House of Naryshkin did the honourable thing and tried to keep his troops alive for the coming carnage and ordered a blinding barrage, giving my troops Shrouded special rule for the first turn.

Space Wolves vs Sons of Horus

Space Wolves with Leman Russ vs Konrad Curz and his Night lords.

First defenders, the Word Bearers are deploying...

Leviathan Dreadnought...

The Space Wolves are using the Med bay for manoeuvres.

Two Custodes Dreadnoughts were deployed to the flank, I wanted a hard flank protection and felt that the forces of the Custodes would supplement my more squishy forces... One of the objectives where the larger doors in front.
Solar Auxilia are advancing as the Dreadnought and Castellaxes from the Word Bearers are waiting for me.
Good thing I got strength 3 in close combat and shooting, no wait that's not helpful at all.

Traitor militias advances

My Veletaris with rotor cannons had taken up a fire position with good field of fire, awaiting any sudden enemy troops.

The Lasrifle section under sergeant Valentina Tetsova had taken up a position in the bomb out building, acting close protection for the three Auxila Medusas.

Loyalist Reaver titan...

On the Loyalist right flank the Lord Marshal ordered a massive force of Dark Angels and knights, in front of them was a combined force of Emperors children and some traitor knights.
But to our advantage was the fact that I think the loyalist forces was stronger and that the Dark Angels had brought along a Shadowsword...

Iron Hands assault marines taking cover in some ruins awaiting possibly enemy counter-attacks.

Loyalist forces advances...

Troop Master Natailia Kolychev and her Lasrifle section advances and tries to lure forward the traitor metalic beast as I close in on the objective of the big doors.

Sergeant Seraphim Uvarovs Lasrifle squad advances.

The Lord Marshal had set loose his xeno beast (count as charonite ogryns) and they were hunting traitor forces in the bomb out city ruins.

Dracosan armoured transports moves forward.

Traitor Spartan set on fire...

Knight showdown...
The massive enemy Reaver Titan is seen in the background...

Traitor Mechanicum forces under the command of Archmagos Inar Satarael...

Cultist advances under the protection of a traitor knight...

An Iron Hands Leviathan Dreadnought droops right into the enemy fort...

And starts spreading carnage...

Troop Master Natailia Kolychev.

Strategos Fyodor of the House of Naryskin and his command squad (the light blue xeno mercenary is a count as rifleman).
Also deployed here are the Multilaser rapier battery.
Behind this building the Lord Marshal himself was deployed, at the moment discussing the latest finds of exotic wares, local flora and faunas of this system and planet with the Magos Biologus (count as Enginseer) accompanied by his Servo-automatas.

Night Lords drop troops ascends from the skies... halting my infantry advance in its tracks...

A massive Dreadnought of the Word Bearers charges Troop Master Natailia Kolychevs squad. Lets make that meltabomb count...

And with a massive blast the beast is taken out...
Whose next?

Sons of Horus drop pod forces deploys as a counter attack, trying to take away our momentum...

Natalia Kolychev have secured the objective, now we just needed to hold it. Enemy forces would surly try to push her away.

The blue barrels where a possible objective and my Velitares under the command of Prime Ivan Dmitriev disembark to search.

A bomb is found instead but with some quick thinking by Ivan Dmitriev meant that the bomb was thrown into the enemy droppod instead... And that kind of quick thinking is why Ivan Dmitriev has advanced to the rank of Prime. Turning a possible disaster to a advantage...
(Gamewise I was forced to scatter the bomb and I had some really nice luck here and the bomb scattered right in the direction of the droppod and took it out instead.)

Another massive Word Bearer Dreadnought have was fighting my Lasrifle section under the command of Sergeant Seraphim Uvarov.

Leman Russ Primach of the Space Wolves enters the fray...

Natalia Kolychev is still holding the objective. Since we last saw her, Custodes forces have reinforced but the Astartes from the Night Lords legion have reinforced the traitor side...

A massive combat is initiated...
All of Natalias lasrifle troops are gunned down by Castelaxes but she still held the objective on her own...

The Night Lord forces have been battered from shooting. The heavy shot from a Dracosan cleared out some of them and other stray shots took some more...
Sergeant Seraphim Uvarovs squad was still in combat with the massive Word Bearer Dreadnought, taking lots of casualties but refusing to yield...

Solar Auxilia Flamer section under the command of sergeant Pyotr Kazantsev had to advance from their Dracosan armoured transport, advancing on foot against the enemy stronghold.
(rulewise it was decided that some of the gaming table was blocked from entering with vehicles with hullpoints greater then 3 in an attempt to keep the bigger things to one side and more infantry based force on the other, but it meant that I had to spread out my force more then to my liking as most of my vehicles have more and I really needed an infantry force against the objective with the big door currently hold by Natailia...)

Having lost his Spartan transport the Primarch Fulgrim of the Emperors Children was forced to advance on foot with his bodyguards.

Traitor forces trying to take control of the radiotower, opposing them is and heavely armoured formation of Solar Auxilia, Dark angels, Space Wolves and militias...

The enemy Reaver Titan spreading death...
I didnt catch it on camera but by now our Reaver Titan had been taken out. It had done wonders, taking out whole squads of Night Lords in front of my forces amongst many more things.

Aleksej Svalov Tetsova, brother of Valentina Testova (acting close protection for the Medusas) and pilot in an Primaris Lightning is sent in to counting the Night Lords Storm Eagle carrying a Preator and Terminators...
This could meant big trouble and I had to do something unless our attack would falter in this front.

Aleksey fired three Krakens penetrator heavy missiles and let loose with his twinlinked lascannons against this threat... The Storm Eagle tried to jinx but it had no chance against a veteran pilot as Aleksey...
With an explosion the Storm Eagle was no more and the big threat carried inside took massive casualties, more or less neutralised in one fell swoop.
 

The Flamer section under Sergeant Pyotr Kazantsev moves up to the battlement and drenches it in flames... taking out the traitor militias holding it...

What is left of sergeant Valentina Tetsovas Lasrifle after a massive bombardment from the Reaver Titan takes up position to get a better line of fire with their lasrifles.
In the background can be seen the air combats between Night Lord and Iron Hands Lightnings...

As the massive Word Bearers Spartan turns away to find a fitting prey what was following close after was revealed...
Fulgrim the phoenician, having lost his bodyguard was out for revenge...
Sergeant Pyotr Kazantsev had no time to curs his luck as the phoenician was upon them...
Having no wish to duel the Primach of the Emperors Children, Pyotry could all but watch as the Primach toyed with the lives of his men. It was to much for any mortal man to see and his courage failed him (a result of 17 after adding up the combat result was more then his LD value...) and Pyotr was cut down as he tried to run...

Leman Russ, Primach of the Space Wolves had abandoned his bodyguards to quicker close in on his enemies.
A Custodes Dreadnought closes in on the Night Lords Deredeos.
Sergeant Seraphim Urarov is still fighting the Word Bearer Dreadnought.
And a Sons of Horus Xiphon strafe the ground....

Konrad Curze and Leman Russ are closing in with weapons ready...

The Militia Force Commander with an Ogryn bodyguard is advances, making a small but glorious counter attack...
Dreadnought from the Night Lords are seen wandering around engaging any that dare to show them self.

Rotor cannons under the command of Prime Rashid Zacharov at the ready...

The last of the Lord Marshals xeno beast were gunned down by lasgunfire... They had performed rather good, taking out some lascannon sentinels and some Word Bearer Astartes.

The Word Bearer Dreadnought was finally destroyed and what little that was left of sergeant Seraphim Uvarov and his squad made ready to move out.

Clash of Titans...

My Malcador Infernus was charged by Night Lords and Emperors children Terminators and destroyed. The following explosion took atleast out two of the Night Lords Terminators.

The traitor militia Force Commander and his Ogryn bodyguard had taken out the Dracosan armoured transport and the Prime, Almaz Ivanov and his poweraxe wielding Veletaris disembark...
Rashid Zacharov, Prime of the Rotor cannon equipped Veletaris let lose with their gun on the traitor Force Commander and he and his bodyguard was splattered against the concrete ground....



In the end it was a win for the Loyalist 17-10 against the traitors, quite clearly mostly because of the leadership of Lord Marshal Aleksandr of the House of Naryshkin...

A big big thanks to the organisers and all the player for making this event one of the greatest in a long time.


Here follows some other pictures shamelessly stolen from some of the players...
Again, click on the pictures to get a bigger picture.