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Chris Copeland
07-02-2010, 09:37 PM
A buddy and I are trying something new to us: a Narrative Campaign... we are dedicated to only playing with painted models and we will be modeling special terrain pieces and objective markers as the campaign unfolds. We are starting with a 200 point game of Kill Team and building up to a 2500 point game of Planetstrike... we will play a total of 5 games with games to be played every other week. Tonight we played the first game, the one where a Kill Team of 'Nids realize that they are not alone on the planet they are devouring.... (I won tonight's game... we both had a great time).

Any constructive comments are certainly welcome....



The Battle for Devos IX

The Hive World known as Devos IX will not soon be missed or noted by Imperial servants. It was a out of the way, unregarded provincial hive world far out on the eastern fringe of imperial space. Devos IX was far from any heavily travelled trade routes. It’s citizens had not been counted in any Imperial census in over 200 years. The chief export of Devos IX was mystenium, an ore used in in manufacturing in some nearby planetary systems... but not heavily.

The imperial citizens of Devos IX might have gone on for centuries, unremarked and largely ignored. However, they were doubly doomed. Unbeknownst to the humans the Devos system, they had built their hive cities on a Tomb World of the Necrons... mechanical, undead horrors who had slumbered for billions of years far below the surface of the world awaiting the call of their dark gods. The planet was also near the path of Hive Fleet Vespia, a splinter fleet of Hive Fleet Kraken.

In late M41.964 human miners discovered an ancient temple of unknown origins 7.6 kilometers below the capital hive city of Devos IX. Dispatches were sent to the regional government 37 light years away. Messages were received bearing headings from the Adeptus Mechanicus of Mars. The message: the ruins were not to be disturbed. The Tech Priests were on their way and would inspect them in short order. Guard the tombs and keep them intact upon pain of death.

Unfortunately for the Imperial citizenry, those warning were not adhered to. Ancient machinery was somehow activated. A powerful energy pulse was released far under the crust of Devos IX... a pulse that resonated through the Immaterium. Slowly, Hive Fleet Vespia changed course and headed towards the planet. Meanwhile, far below the surface something evil began to stir...

The Tyranid invasion of Devos IX lasted almost exactly 47 hours... the ancient pre-Heresy defenses of the world were quickly choked in toothy, tentacled death spewed forth from the Mycetic Spores which filled the doomed world’s skies. The local garrisons soon died to a man to wave after wave of ripper swarms, Carnofexes, and Termagaunts. The civilian population died even faster. In short order the Hive Mind was stripping Devos IX of all biological matter. The consumption of the world was going perfectly according to the Hive Mind’s plan... until the ancient undead burst upon them! Suddenly, the surface of Devos IX was witness to a new kind of war... one that pitted the Tyranid’s need to feed against the Necron’s need to satiate their dark gods with blood...

The Battle for Devos IX is a narrative campaign played out over the course of five games. The first four battles are played using the Battle Missions book. The final battle will use the Planetstrike rules. The campaign will cover the initial contact between the Necrons and Hive Fleet Vespia and the subsequent battles wherein the Tyranids are trying to extract themselves from Devos IX with as much biological matter as possible and the Necrons are trying to destroy the Tyranids to sate their dark god’s need for blood...

Battle 1: Kill Team, 200 points... the initial contact between the races... (Tyranids win 7/2/10)
Battle 2: Ambush, 1000 points, Battle Missions page 50... the Necrons begin to move against the aliens that so foolishly decided to feed on their world... Necrons win 7/15/10
Battle 3: Reconnaisance in Force, 1500 points, Battle Missions page 52... Necron forces begin to erupt from beneath the surface of the planet... Hive Fleet Vespia works to finish the consumption of the world’s resources...
Battle 4: Implacable Advance, 2000 points, Battle Missions page 54... Tyranids battle for every scrap of bio-mass whilst Necrons close in...
Battle 5: Planetstrike, 2500 points... The final showdown between the Hive Mind and the forces of the dark gods... the Tyranids are the defenders and the Necrons are on the offense as they burst from the ground all aound the 'Nids...

edit: adjective changed...

BuFFo
07-02-2010, 09:47 PM
Two things...

1) This thread should really be here

http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/forumdisplay.php?f=43

2) I don't understand how a Hive World can be considered 'small'? Does it only have 30 Billion people as opposed to 50 Billion people? I know this is nit picking, but it is the only thing I can see that I don't agree with lol.

Oh, and for the love of God, can you please have some sort of battle report? I really really want to read on what goes on during these battles. I think my pants got wet thinking about Necrons facing Tyranids. Anything that does NOT include Marines makes my tremble!

Chris Copeland
07-02-2010, 10:03 PM
Two things...

1) This thread should really be here

http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/forumdisplay.php?f=43

2) I don't understand how a Hive World can be considered 'small'? Does it only have 30 Billion people as opposed to 50 Billion people? I know this is nit picking, but it is the only thing I can see that I don't agree with lol.

Oh, and for the love of God, can you please have some sort of battle report? I really really want to read on what goes on during these battles. I think my pants got wet thinking about Necrons facing Tyranids. Anything that does NOT include Marines makes my tremble!

I will gladly provide some battle reports! Tonight's game was quick and colorful... neither of us had played a game of Kill Team before so it took some getting used to...

As to why this thread is here: I wouldn't have thought to look in the Tactics forum... that never occured to me... also, this entire experiment is about a LOT of aspects of this hobby: modeling, scenery creation, background writing, painting, list creation, and (ultimately) battles between fully painted forces... that's why it ended up in General Discussion...

As for the hive world being small: I agree. Perhaps I should remove that adjective... I think I will. Technically, the planet could be small as in "Mars-sized" as opposed to "Terra-sized."

I'll get on the battle report aspect as soon as possible... as previously stated, the Bugs won tonight's game...

BuFFo
07-02-2010, 10:05 PM
-Shakes fist-

Those darn bugs!!!!!

Chris Copeland
07-03-2010, 04:40 PM
Oh, and for the love of God, can you please have some sort of battle report? I really really want to read on what goes on during these battles. I think my pants got wet thinking about Necrons facing Tyranids. Anything that does NOT include Marines makes my tremble!


Buffo, I just posted my first real Battle Report in the Battle Report forum... I think you'll like it because it is an Xenos-only battle: Tau versus Kroot Mercs (the Kroot also have Vespids working with them). Please go check it out....

I will try to post battle reports that relate to the Tyranid-Necron campaign my friend and I are as soon as I can...

Cheers... Copeland

Chris Copeland
07-15-2010, 10:59 AM
My friend Tom and I have continued with out narrative campaign. Game one was a game of Kill Team which I won. Knowing that game two was fast approaching, we both kicked our painting up into high gear. I based well over 100 models yesterday morning getting ready for that evening's game. Tom worked furiously on his Necron Lord and his Destroyers.

This whole thing is not just about battles and battle reports. The idea behind engaging in a narrative campaign is to push us forward in all aspects of the hobby. For example: our last game in the campaign will be a game of Planetstrike representing the moment when the Necrons burst from the tombs below in force. The planet is in the hands of the Tyranids. This means I need to get busy building some Tyrandi terrain... specifically, I need to build some Tyranid bastions...

cheers...

Chris Copeland
07-15-2010, 11:05 AM
Tom and I played Game 2 of our narrative campaign last night. We used the first Necron Battle Mission: Ambush! The story so far is that Hive Fleet Vespia has devoured an Imperial planet... the Tyranids are in the process of stripping the formerly human held world when they are beset upon by the Necron forces that had been slumbering in tombs far below the surface of the planet...
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4917.jpg

We played on my board this time. The map was set up to represent a Imperial Mining facility...
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4918.jpg

The Hive Mind had sent three broods of Genestealers, a brood of Zoanthropes, and a Tyrandi Prime to the facility to search for any traces of Necron forces or Imperial survivors...
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4919.jpg

The Ambush scenario has the enemy player (me with my bugs) spread out in a long column at the start of the game...
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4920.jpg

Chris Copeland
07-15-2010, 11:07 AM
I had three broods of 17 Genestealers each (no upgrades), a brood of 3 Zoanthropes, and a Tyranid Prime armed with a deathdpitter, lash whip and bonesword.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4922.jpg

Suddenly the Necrons were upon the bugs! Necron Destroyers, a Necron Lord with a resurrection orb, and Necron Warriors lit up the Genestealers with Gauss weapons!
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4923.jpg

The Tyranids had to get into hand to hand combat as soon as possible or they were doomed.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4924.jpg

A little aside: I love battles that consist of fully painted armies clashing over well done terrain! Tom's Necrons look GREAT!
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4925.jpg

Chris Copeland
07-15-2010, 11:10 AM
These Necron Warriors might well have wiped out that brood of Genestealers had I not been able to claim a cover save (because the Necron Warriors were shooting through a forest).
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4926.jpg

Here is a wide shot of the initial deployment of forces...
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4927.jpg

Tom is rolling WAY too many dice for my comfort!
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4928.jpg

Destruction rains down on the Tyranids...
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4929.jpg

Chris Copeland
07-15-2010, 11:12 AM
The Necron Lord maneuvers for a shot... at least he'll be within charge range of the fleet Genestealers...
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4930.jpg

There are fewer bugs on the board now than there were a moment ago...
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4931.jpg

The Genestealers have survived the withering Gauss fire and prepare to do what they do best: rend and tear!
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4932.jpg

At this point I decide to go after the Necron Lord... I want that resurrection orb gone!
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4933.jpg

Chris Copeland
07-15-2010, 11:14 AM
Perhaps I should have engaged the Destroyers...
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4934.jpg

At the other end of the battlefield two broods of Genestealers make short work of a unit of 4 Destroyers...
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4935.jpg

All in all I engaged (and put down) this Necron Lord three times...
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4936.jpg

He kept getting up! The down side (for me) is that this kept leaving my bugs exposed and unengaged in the open. By the time the Lord was finally destroyed I'd lost my Zoanthropes, most of my Genestealers on that side of the battlefield, and my Prime had 2 wounds on him. The Prime ended up stuck in alone with destroyers and a Tomb Spider. Despite have 4 attacks, a WS5, S5, and a Bonesword (the equivilent of a power weapon), he wasn't able to kill anything...
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4937.jpg

Chris Copeland
07-15-2010, 11:15 AM
Again, on the far side of the battlefield, Genestealers rips through Necrons in short order...
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4938.jpg

In the end it was Mr. Taylor's game. The Prime fell to the Tomb Spider which put Tom ahead by 1 kill point... good game, Mr. Taylor... good game...

The score of our narrative campaign stands at 1 to 1... I won the first encounter (kill Team) and Tom won this one...
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o297/kerstancopeland/warhammer%20new%20braunfels/DSCF4939.jpg

HsojVvad
07-15-2010, 04:00 PM
Very good, looking forward to more. Me and my son are doing a narrative campaign as well, but with unpainted minis and proxies :p.

We are having a blast as well. I didn't think BolS would want to read it so I never posted it here. Maybe I should have.

Anyways, looking more of it Chris, nice pics and nice painted minis. Keep up the good work.

titan eddy
07-15-2010, 08:05 PM
This is an awesome idea but... i really dont know but something is missing but i cant put my tongue on it, hmmmm. But anyway it would be cooler if it was imperial guard instead necrons and the nids invade and it is like an apocolypse game and its the imperials last defence and the guard have somthing like 3000-4500 (what ever people want to do) and when they get the list they get to add on citizens (have rules as conscripts) and nids get 3000-4500 (same as guard) and get as some amount of points of reinforcements (i.g 2000 points worth of reinforcements). mow that would be an awesome battle :D

Chris Copeland
07-15-2010, 08:27 PM
This is an awesome idea but... i really dont know but something is missing but i cant put my tongue on it, hmmmm. But anyway it would be cooler if it was imperial guard instead necrons and the nids invade and it is like an apocolypse game and its the imperials last defence and the guard have somthing like 3000-4500 (what ever people want to do) and when they get the list they get to add on citizens (have rules as conscripts) and nids get 3000-4500 (same as guard) and get as some amount of points of reinforcements (i.g 2000 points worth of reinforcements). mow that would be an awesome battle :D

Thanks, Ed. Part of what is going on here is the clashing of two Xenos players... no Guard... no Space Marines... just two Xenos forces clashing in a cold universe....

Cheers...