The Trap: Part Three - Overrun!

Chaos vs Crimson Blades | Gill v Tim | 40k | 57 | 110.997.M41  

Chaplain Sank dropped down the back of the Pernicious Gate, narrowly avoiding the lascannon fire from the approaching Chaos Land Raider, making contact via com for fast reinforcements.

Even if he had been able to open the gate and take control of the daemonic horde beyond, the price would have destroyed him and likely the rest of the Crimson Blades.

The gate had fallen. All they could do now was try and mitigate their losses and strike back before the forces of Chaos could find their footing.

But even as he spoke, sorcerers of the Thousand Sons uttered the incantations to open the gate and gain control of the slathering horde within and the portal burst into fiery light.

Dozens of sinewy lithe female forms strode through; terrible and beautiful in their foul glory: the Daemons of Slaanesh - now under the control of the Chaos Space Marines!

Each had a pair of vicious crab-claws. Each displayed their curvaceous but distorted bodies seductively as a caramel aroma filled the clearing. And around them the consolidated Chaos forces drew in, preparing to depart.

This was the second gate now that had fallen to the Traitor Marines. Only three more remained - three more legions of daemonic fury, waiting to be controlled.

But before the dark forces could make their departure, a dozen bolts flew into their ranks and exploded; then a dozen more.

The Crimson Blades weren't out of the fight yet. A Strike Platoon had manoeuvred into place in response to Chaplain Sank's call and more reinforcements were on the way.

Without a need for command, Seekers of Slaanesh danced away from the clustered forces.

They struck the marine gunline with seductive violence, tickling out the souls of the loyalist marines as they flayed open their armour and flesh.

The Seekers fell, still smiling in the ecstatic throes of battle, but Daemonettes took their place, leaping into action with their great claws snipping at the faces of their enemies.

Assault marines jumped forward powered by the jet packs but Night Lords ran to met them, gaining the initiative and eviscerating them where they stood.

Answering the call from space, a drop pod smashed onto the battlefield, blowing its door clamps, and a command squad emerged, letting fire with plasma weapons.

But the mighty exalted Keeper of Secrets K'Syarta materialised behind them and ripped apart both them and their drop pod.

The attacking force of Crimson Blades were routed and then annihilated. The forces of Chaos were simply too powerful now.

The last two members of the command squad fought on but there was no hope anymore. They were hopelessly outnumbered.

The forces of Chaos were legion now and perhaps nothing could stop them.

The Trap: Part Two - Reversal

Chaos vs Crimson Blades | Gill v Tim | 40k | 56 | 110.997.M41 

The Crimson Blades fell back to the Pernicious Gate, forming a defensive gunline. 

 

 It was absolutely critical that the gate be held. If it fell then the dark host of the Chaos Space marines would gain another swell of power, this one taking them even closer to true indomitability. 

A complete Termination Platoon beamed into position, the Sternguard Veterans taking station on the steps of the mighty gate.

Then suddenly the forces of Chaos were upon them: deathly silent Rubricae letting fly with arcane bolt rounds; slavering gore-red Bloodletters sprinting across the packed earth; huge clanking Chaos Terminators, raking the line with autocannon shells... and a mighty Daemon Prince on leathery wings that plunged into the ranks of the Crimson Blades, slashing back and forth with its mighty blade.

The Sternguard fell immediately to fire and sword. The Bladelords swung round in their Land Raider and leapt from its assault ramp, charging into the fray.

But the Daemon Prince was unstoppable. It carved them in twain, one by one, laughing maniacally.

All they could do was fight on and hope to lower the attacking numbers sufficiently to drive them off.

But fully twenty hardened veterans were spent before the Daemon Prince fell and the loss had a crippling effect on the rest of the line.

More reinforcements of Chaos funnelled into the clearing: a Land Raider churning mud, letting off Lascannon blasts, and the mighty scythed arms of a Daemonic monster. each fall of the scythes impaled another Terminator. The defenders were running out of time and men.

Then the Chaos Land Raider fell open and out poured Night Lords, their winged helms disguising leering features as they charged into close quarter combat, taking losses but bringing down more Space Marines than could be spared.

The gate was being swamped but the Bladelords fought on, Chaplain Sank leading them into the Bloodletters, desperately fighting to hold back Chaos.

They managed to eliminate the Daemons but the Night Lords had dispatched their enemies and now charged up onto the gate steps to throw open the portal.

Only two loyalist marines remained: Chaplain Sank and the last Bladelord. Their bodies shook with their exertions then they became suddenly calm, stilling their thoughts, and leapt to battle once more.

The Bladelord fell but Chaplain Sank smashed his Crozius Arcanum back and forth, pulverising bone and flesh inside the corrupt power armour. The huge Daemonic monstrosity reached his Land Raider, its scythes tearing its ceramite to shreds.

Chaplain Sank withdrew up to the gate.

 

He was the only one left now and he had a choice: open the gate himself if he could; take control of the Daemonic legion - damning his soul - or withdraw and muster what little forces they still had nearby for a counterstrike - one last attack to knock the head from the shoulders of this invading force at least. 

The choice had to be made now.

The Trap: Part One - Incursion

Chaos vs Crimson Blades | Gill v Tim | 40k | 55 | 110.997.M41

In the dark centre of the Lapitar jungles, the second Pernicious Gate stood guarded by a ring of defensive bastions.

It was critical beyond measure that the Chaos Space Marines not break through and seize control of it for if they did, a second horde of daemons would fall under their dominion.

But the Chaos forces had been spying on the defences with their scrying tools and they perceived that a hammer blow against a narrow frontage would easily fold back the defensive perimeter - especially with Crimson Blade forces kept busy in multiple other warzones.

And so they came, swooping down in drop ships as dozens of slavering daemons of Khorne materialised and bounded forward.

The marines stationed at the perimeter let fly instantly with explosive bolter shells but it was immediately clear that Lord Morder had been correct in his strategic plan. There were simply too many Chaos troops to hold back.

But then the trap was sprung.

Knowing that a Chaos Incursion was imminent, Alarice Klein, Chapter Mistress, had purposely left the defences weaker in order to manipulate the dark forces to attack.

The second their approach was detected, the signal was given and the hidden forces of the Crimson Blades sprang into action, bikers powering out of the undergrowth and Terminators deep striking down from the Black Scabbard in orbit.

A Land Raider churned out from the jungle cover, disgorging Assault Terminators into the midst of the daemonic approach.

But the Chaos Space Marines had anticipated this and they sprang a trap of their own.

A Chaos Land Raider surged in, Night Lord Assault Marines leaping from it and charging into combat as more and more daemons materialised, closing in on their enemies.

It had meant to be an overwhelming defeat for Chaos but the Crimson Blades were being overrun! They fought back but they were losing men. It was obvious that their only choice was to pull back and form an inner perimeter.

As the mighty Bloodthirster tore through their ranks they realised that, in all likelihood, they had no chance of slowing the Chaos approach to the Pernicious Gate and all the power it contained therein.

Spotlight On: Chaos Space Marine Daemon Prince

I was desperate to get this dude when he came out.

He was a very exciting miniature when he was first released and remains the best Chaos Space Marine Daemon Prince model so far. What is going on with the Nurgle one's eye? And the newer one is one of the worst miniatures I've ever seen with it's weird blocky muscles and odd expression.

I used the wings off the Orc Wyvern, blending them in with multi-purpose filler so as to maximise his close combat potential. There's nothing worse than a powerful model getting shot as it shambles slowly across the board.

Originally I painted the daemonic parts purple to go with the crappy Tzeentchian look I was going for but gave him an overhaul recently. Khorne red is a much bolder and more violent colour and ties in with his combat orientation as well.

Obviously the hand with the weird long fingers had to go.

It amazes me that GW though the first freaky long-fingered hand was so good they just had to copy the style for the latest one. I went with some writhing tentacles made from milliput with clawed neds made from little slices of blister pack plastic.

My finest hour? Maybe not. But they do the job. And they're okay.

And they sure beat those crazy fingers!

The Black Flotilla!

There's a new background section in the Enemies of Valorax section that will interest all fans of Chaos: the Black Florilla, the Chaos Space Marine fleet I use in Battlefleet Gothic!

They are a nasty piece of spacefaring work and full detail can be found on their background and organisation.

I'd like to play Battlefleet Gothic more but sadly I no longer have anybody who is willing to give it a go.

Maybe one day...

SPOTLIGHT ON... The Covert Obliterator

Background

Part of my Space marine Deinosus army, the Covert Obliterator is a medium dispersal scout unit comprised of a bipedal xenoform mounted with a stable firing platform, manned by a single Hunter. The platform is equipped with a wide range of heavy and special weaponry capable of dealing with any target that presents itself. Each weapon is mounted on an easy-access rail so that the Hunter can switch between them as the need arises.

Ranging ahead of the rest of the army, the Covert Obliterator scouts out enemy positions and troop movements, communicating details back to his direct command.

Once a suitable ambush strike point is established, the Covert Obliterator goes to ground, maintaining camouflage until needed. The unit is equipped for lone field status for long periods and will wait until it is tactically advantageous to reveal itself.

Game Rules

The idea here was to have a Space Marine dinosaur model to function in the game as a Chaos Space Marine Obliterator. An Obliterator deep strikes, represented here by the Covert Obliterator lying in ambush until the time is right to strike. And they can change their bodies to produce one of a wide variety of special and heavy weapons. The idea here was to give him a rack of different weapons that he can swing up into position as the need arises. When he’s done with one it drops back down out of position.

Making the Model

This model was a work of love that used up such a large stock from my bitz box that although I’d love to make a couple more I am reluctant to. Maybe one day I will.

He has armour plates made from thick cardboard bent over. The bracket holding the Hunter model in place is part of an Imperial Guard dozer blade. The wires and tubes were real wire from an electrical shop. There’s also an Imperial Guard radio and a petrol can (most likely filled with gruel).

Tactics

A lone deep striking Obliterator is always a tricky model to use well. There’s a propensity with deep strikers to land close to the enemy but this is sometimes a bad idea, especially for this model.

Like with the Raptor Riders, the thing is to hold him back while assessing where he is needed most. Here’s the best tip: Decide what your priority targets are then deep strike him so that he is close to maximum range on his required weapon. That way, hopefully, you can shoot what you need to shoot while limiting return fire.

Postponed Alliance

Orks & Chaos v Crimson Blades | Tim v Gill | Space Crusade | 44 | 099.997.M41

Elsewhere in Escavar, close to the Castle of Mourning, secret base of the Good People, stood a massive warehouse complex. It was here that Nob’Rod of the Shaggin’ Dogz and Archmage Übel met to discuss an alliance. Security forces from both factions filled the warehouse as they sat down to discuss terms.

Lord Übel had instigated the meeting. The Orks were a destestable race but until his power base was consolidated they would prove a useful distraction if aimed in the correct directions. For his part, Nob’Rod was more hesitant. The Ork perspective didn’t require the security of an alliance as long as there was killing to be had but he was open to hear what terms the Chaos Space Marines had on offer.

Before the details could in any way be finalised however, the outer doors of the warehouse were breached in three places simultaneously. At each entry point, a Crimson Blades infiltration squad took ground, eliminating all resistance.

News of the attack immediately went to the conference chamber and the negotiation broke. “We’ll finish this later,” whispered Übel.

“We’ll see,” snarled Nod’Rod, strapping himself into his mega armour and charging out the door.

Each faction split off, forming a pincer and moving down through the building toward the approaching marines but nothing could prevent the infiltration squads cutting their through everything sent down to meet them.

Archmage Übel confronted one of the squads with his Thousand Son space marines trying to clear a path but each one was cut down and he was forced to withdraw, wounded, abandoning the alliance... for now.

Nob’Rod didn’t fare much better. Marines were eliminated by the waves of Orks and Gretchin he sent in but it was clear he was at risk from a closing fist. Like the Chaos Sorcerer he withdrew rather than risk a fight he could not hope to win, but the sign of weakness was noted by his boyz.

Perhaps this was a sign that the Shaggin’ Dogz required new leadership.

Race for the Gate

Tyranids & Crimson Blades v Dark Eilte & Pernicious Host | Tim v Peter | 40k | 55 | 133.997.M41

Erasmus Bachmann grinned. The Pernicious Gate was within his grasp at last and this time nothing was going to stop him.

The jungle gave way under the tracks of his Predator and Land Raider as he strode alongside the monstrous Daemon Prince Bel’Akor. Drawn perhaps to the psychic reverberations of the Pernicious Gate, the Tyranids lurked close by it, not infesting the jungle at every step as they had on previous expeditions. This was going to be too easy, especially with the secret power Erasmus commanded.

He threw up his arms and scorched the air with the brazen syllables that spewed forth from his mouth and suddenly reality curled and tore as dozens of daemons poured out from the warp into the jungle. Muscular Bloodletters charged through the underbrush in front of gargantuan scuttling Soul Grinders, massive daemon engines on metallic crab claws, and in response the Tyranids came forward to meet them.

A huge Broodlord led the assault at the head of a swarm of Genestealers, bringing down two hulking Bloodcrushers of Khorne before the mighty beasts could react. The daemonic horde was led by a huge Bloodthirster that leapt into the air on pinioned wings and crashed into the Tyranid Hive Tyrant, ripping it limb from limb with a mighty war. Skarbrand, an even taller Bloodthirster, this one wingless, ripped into a unit of Tyranid Warriors and quickly dismembered them with its mighty metallic claws.

Meanwhile, the advancing Dark Elite took long range pot-shots with their vehicle-mounted heavy weapons, gravely wounding the larger monstrous creatures. The Bloodthirster landed next to a mighty Carnifex and ripped that apart too before it could strike back. There was still a long way to travel through the jungle but the resistance was crumbling. With the support from the daemons, the Pernicious Gate would be theirs!

Then there was an energy spike and suddenly sections of foliage caught fire as three squads of Space Marine Terminators materialised near to the Pernicious Gate.

The Crimson Blade had been monitoring the Chaos Space Marines since their assault on the Fortress Bastion in Escavar and they and quickly realised the intention of this mission. Stopping the Chaos forces taking the gate was absolutely critical and they had committed their most valuable asset to stop them.

It was an impossible situation. With only limited space to land, the Terminators had been forced to teleport in deep in the infested area for fear of being enfiladed by the Dark Elite. Now they had to fight the Daemons and the erstwhile “allies,” the Tyranids.

Bachmann commanded the Daemons to devour them but he quickly realised the mistake he’d made in deploying so far from his objective and gave the order to accelerate. The transport vehicles went into overdrive, pushing through the dense terrain as the Crimson Blades let fly with Storm Bolters, Assault Cannons and Cyclone Missile Launchers.

The Daemons were falling and although every faction fought a war on two fronts, the Tactical Dreadnoughts were simply too tough to be taken down. The last of the Daemons were taken down and shortly afterwards the remaining Tyranids were picked off as well.

Bachmann gave the order to halt and roared in frustration. There was simply no more time to recapture the Pernicious Gate and more Space Marine drop ships were coming down from the cloud cover to consolidate their prize. He had risked everything to take this potent weapon under his control and he had failed again. All he could do now was withdraw.

Chaplain Kato and Captain Knot watched the vehicles of the Dark Elite circle and pull away from them from the raised dais of the Pernicious Gate.

“Should we go after them?” asked Kato.

“No,” replied Captain Knot. “We’ve got what we came for. They did the hard work, clearing the jungle of Tyranids; we reap the rewards. That’s a good enough day for me.”

“Well,” said Kato, looking up at the sizzling stone of the Pernicious Gate. “The question now, is what are we going to do with it? If we can open it then we gain the power to control a vast swarm of daemonic creatures.”

Kato narrowed his eyes and looked into the dark pits of his friend’s skull mast. “Tempting, isn’t it?”

Mission Briefing: Race for the Gate

Erasmus Bachmann stood in front of the tactical console on the bridge of the Litany of Jeopardy. Before him towered the being known to him as Bel' Akor - millennia ago and light years distant known as the Butcher of Ere k'or [1V]

"You WILL activate the Portal. It is requested by the Master"

Bachman had to use much of his tremendous willpower not to cower before the Daemon Prince. Each syllable hit him like a concussion grenade. He had actually flinched when the monstrous creature had first spoken. "I have insufficient forces, great one. Those accursed Tyranids have taken too many of my troops."

Bel' Akor drew his brass axe; as big as Bachmann himself; gently across the edge of the console, creating multi-coloured sparks of psychic energy. "It is not a request Sorcerer, your very existence depends on it!"

A small bead of sweat formed on the Chaos Sorcerer's brow and rolled slowly down his face. If the Comms officer sitting silently nearby had not lost the use of his eyes he would have seen the droplet bounce gently on the plasteel floor and then scuttle away on three pairs of tiny, newly sprouted legs.

"We must wait, there are other ships arriving in this system, I ..."

"Prepare to teleport NOW! Bring whatever of your forces remain" The Daemon turned away sharply with blurring speed and proceeded towards the exit.

Backmann hesitated, then barked the order to his Comms "Prepare for Planet-Drop immediately" He joined Bel' Akor at the turbo-lift. A single tear formed in Eramus's eye and rolled slowly down his cheek, finally falling from his chin to the deck.

If the Comms officer had retained his eyes....

Lord Ubel of the Good People has finally accepted that the only hope of taking the second Pernicious Gate is to dedicate a massive amount of resources to it, whatever the risk. The Dark Elite under his command have failed to break through the hordes of Tyranids twice now but their sacrifices have pinpointed the gate’s exact location. Now they will go in a third and final time but this time the daemons will go with them; dozens of slavering Bloodletters of Khorne: the fruits of the last Pernicious gate they captured.

However other shrouded eyes are watching the activities of the Chaos Space Marines and are preparing to take action. If the Dark Elite take possession of the second Pernicious Gate then the balance of power will shift in their favour. That cannot be allowed to happen.

Board Layout

• The board is covered in woods and jungle. At one end if the Pernicious Gate, placed close to the centre and near to the edge.

Deployment and First Turn

• The Tyranids are deployed first. All Tyranids must be deployed within 24” of the short board edge nearest the Pernicious Gate.
• They have 1,500 points worth of models available.
• The Dark Elite are deployed second. They may be deployed anywhere on the board more than 24” from the edge of the Pernicious Gate.
• They have 3,000 points worth of models available: 1,500 Chaos Space marines and 1,500 Daemons of Khorne.
• The Daemons deploy using Deep Strike as normal.
• The Space Marine Terminators of the Crimson Blades First Company arrive as Reserves via Deep Strike anywhere on the board or moving on from any board edge more than 36” from the Pernicious Gate.
• They have 1,500 points worth of models available.

Turn Sequence and Allies

• The Chaos Space marines move first in this mission.
• The Tyranids and Space Marines are allied in so much as they both have the same objective: Stop the Chaos Space Marines. The controlling player moves both in his turn.
• Crimson Blades will only attack Tyranids if they are assaulted, even if ignoring them is tantamount to suicide.
• The Tyranids will target the closest non-Tyranid unit.

Game Length

• The game lasts for six turns or until the time limit is reached.
• If an even number of player turns have been played half an hour before the time limit is reached the game will end without a new game turn being started.

Victory Conditions

• Victory is determined by who controls the portal of the Pernicious Gate at the end of the game.

Return to Lapitar

Tim (Tyranids) vs Peter (Chaos Space Marines)

Deep in the heart of Lapitar, the jungle canopy lay still.

Then came the roar of jet engines as the dropship fell from the dense cloud cover and swept low and the branches and foliage rattled under the pressure.

Erasmus Bachmann and his Dark Elite had returned.

Their previous visit to the dark bowers of Lapitar had been fruitless in every way but one: the location of the Pernicious Gate was still not known exactly but its general location had been verified. And now they knew what they faced. This time there would be no surprise attack.

The area was relatively clear of Tyranids when they made landing. The heavy bolters on the landing craft picked what stragglers there were off then withdrew as the landing party fanned out to take position off the bastions and landing pad available. This time their strategy was different: lure the Tyranids in to a defensible position then eradicate them, cutting their numbers down sufficiently to allow them to search the jungle freely.

The Dark Elite found their positions and readied their weapons. And then the Tyranids came, surging out of the foliage, scything talons flashing and jaws bared.

The Dark Elite levelled their bolters and opened fire, eviscerating the first wave. They reloaded calmly as the second wave approached then eviscerated them as well. They reloaded a third time. Now the third wave was closer. Armoured fingers worked quickly; efficiently; but no longer perfectly calmly.

Then the Tyranids were on them. Genestealers swept up onto the landing platform and ripped into the power armour of their enemies, peeling it open. The Broodlord at the fore froze one of the marines under his powerful gaze then gutted him and half a dozen of his brethren.

The Chaos Defiler fired blast after blast from its battle cannon, ripping termagants and hormagaunts apart but then from the ground rose the gargantuan form of a Trygon Prime, towering even over the trees. Giving out a roar, the Defiler scuttled forward, charging into it but the vast claws of the beats tore it into blood-soaked pieces before it even had the chance to strike back.

Erasmus Bachmann summoned his vast psychic powers to scan outwards while his Terminators readied themselves to take the assault of a cluster of Genestealers and a Hive Tyrant, searching for the Pernicious Gate’s exact location. The Hive Tyrant charged closer, its hoofed feet pounding the soft earth but Bachmann couldn’t respond or prepare himself. He had to focus only on his objective.

The Tyrant was closer. It was almost upon him. But he still couldn’t find the gate!

The Hive Tyrant and genstealers struck simultaneously. The Terminators stepped in to meet them but against the combined assault they had no hope. Still Erasmus searched for the Gate but to no avail. There could be no failure this time. Failure meant death. He strained his senses into the ether, probing as his Terminators were cut down one by one.

Then the last of the terminators fell and the Tyrant was on Bachmann himself but a split second before its talons could impale him to the ground he caught the gate’s exact location and hit the activation rune of his personal teleporter.

The Hive Tyrant roared in anger, cheated of its prey as the rest of the swarm tore into the remains of the landing party. The remaining troops stood little to no chance but that didn’t matter anymore.

Erasmus Bachmann had the exact location of the Pernicious gate. Soon it would be his!

Spotlight On... Felix Wulf & Rex

Quite a few years ago I decided that I wanted to do something particularly different with my space marines. It took me some time to come up with the idea and a few years more to clean it up until it was presentable. Then a couple more years before it was a legal army. Take a look at the centrepiece model:

The Dinosus Second Battle Company was born with Space Marine Commander, Felix Wulf, and his faithful Tyrannosaur, Rex.

Here's Felix with he Quake Clubs. I used Ogre clubs on Terminator Power Fists. In the game they count as lightning claws if I take him off the base (he's on pins so he can fit on a normal base). I wanted the look of the diorama to be Felix running up this big plank thing while Rex looked round to see what was coming.

Rex was bought at a toy shop in Oxford. He cost over £18 but he was so much better than the bheap one I'd been using before I had to splurge out. That plume of his is made from a plastic flying stand and loads of tiny pointed strips of paper. The armour plates are made of thick cardboard bent into a curve. Believe it or not, he came with a fully posable mouth!

It was on this base that I pioneered the colour scheme that went on to be the colour of the bases in all my armies and on my war board: Overlapping patches of slack, scorched brown, bestial brown, bubonic brown and bleached bone. You'll notice there's razor wire round Rex's ankles. All the better to prevent those pesky assaults.

Click on the picture to make it bigger and take a close look at what's between his toes...

I used quite a few parts from different kits to add detail to these guys. I'm quite pleased with the cybernetic attachment on Rex's eye. That was the sensor from a Landspeeder.

Quick question for you: What's that red area near the bottom left there? It's meant to be a light but the number of people who haven't guessed that was a bit disappointing. Ah well, what can you do?

The only question remaining is how can this guy possibly fit into a Space Marine army...

Well, I used the rules for Chaos Space Marines for my feral Dinosus Battle Company. This guy counts as a Daemon Prince. Although to be honest the base is preposterously overszed and works against me tactically. And if I have Felix on foot using the rules for a Chaos Lord he's actually a better miniature to have and much harder to kill.

But hey! I didn't do it to be good in the game. Sometimes you have an idea and you just have to follow where it leads...

Mission Briefing: Return to Lapitar

Erasmus Bachmann took stock of the present situation in his Battle Barge "The Litany of Jeopardy". The loss of his elite Terminators was slightly irksome, but there were plenty more available to take their place. What was more challenging was the large force of Tyrannids where none had been predicted and the psychic interference they created. The Chaos Sorcerer turned slightly to his "Comms" officer, or more accurately to the console incorporating what had once been his officer - Sub space message to Sorcerer-aspirant Damian Ergo, I have a little task for him. Erasmus allowed an almost invisible smile to crease his mouth, the use of another Sorcerer would certainly help against the alien psychic energies and if Ergo instead of he, became the primary target of the cursed Tyrannids then so much the better! 

In a sequel to The Lost Gate, the Dark Elite are going back into the jungle to find the second Pernicious Gate and take control of the daemons held within. The woods are infested with Tyranids but this time the Chaos Space marines know approximately where they’re going…

Board Layout

• The board layout is duplicated exactly from the previous mission.

Deployment

• The board will be divided into six equal sections.
• Each Chaos squad will roll 1d6 to see which section they deploy in.
• Because they are fairly sure of the gates approximate location they will be allowed a single reroll for each squad. This will enable them to take full advantage of the bunkers and landing pad and also enable them to maximise the distance from the board edge to prevent first turn charges by the Tyranids.
• The Tyranids will move first and enter play from the board edge. Each Tyranid squad will roll for which section it is to be deployed in.

Game Length

• The game lasts for six turns or until the time limit is reached.
• If an even number of player turns have been played half an hour before the time limit is reached the game will end without a new game turn being started.

Victory Conditions

• Both sides are attempting to gain or maintain control of the jungle area. Victory is determined using the rules for Kill Points.