Phase 1 Highlights

While we don’t have room to include notes from every battle in phase 1, we did want to cover some of the highlights from the operation reports that players have submitted. Hopefully seeing how events shaped the narrative for the next phase will be inspirational for you when creating your next narrative games.

-The Salamander battle barge ‘Vulkan’s Reach’ engaged Dark Eldar raiders that were attempting to attack the rouge trader vessel which was loading refugees on the surface of Oren III.  A clever screening maneuver delayed the Dark Eldar’s advance, which was followed by a brutal deployment of dreadnaught drop pods. When the smoke cleared the Salamanders were victorious and the rouge trader was able to make his escape from the surface of the planet.

-A small force of Iyanden Eldar allied with a Dark Eldar force known as ‘the Kabal of the Bloodied Desert’ set a clever trap using a wounded Chaplain that they had captured earlier as bait for any would-be rescuers. The Dark Angles Interrogator Chaplain Markhes responds to the distress signal in force slaying the Dark Eldar Archon Everis Strekorin. Their victory is short lived however as the leader of the Bloodied Desert’s Wych Coven, Asvrela Yermoni slaughters the remaining Astartes taking the chaplain Markhes for ‘interrogation’. The Chaplain dies before revealing the secrets of his chapter, but has less reservation about sharing information on the Tau. This information leads the Eldar to another successful battle against the Tau.

-The Blood Phoenix and Flesh Tearers Astartes forces moved to capture fleeing Tau elements but were intercepted by Ghost Warriors Eldar with the same goal. The resulting clash saw the Astartes suffering heavy losses; In the end, a lone dreadnought wrestled with a Wraithlord on the central hill, fighting until its reactor core overheated. Blood Phoenix Sergeant Donagh stood alone, attempting to rout a squad of Eldar Guardians before they could capture the wounded Tau, but was cut down by concentrated shuriken fire narrowly escaping via emergency teleport before succumbing to his wounds.

Meanwhile, Captain Corrain led another detachment of the Blood Phoenix across the broken landscape of Oren III, a violent waste storm engulfing the battlefield and obscuring sensors. Soon communications were offline and the Astartes were under fire from an unknown guard regiment assumed to be renegade. Corrain’s centuries of training saw a quick counter attack mustered; but the damage from the initial ambush proved too great to turn the tide of battle in the Astartes favor. Only after the damage was done did the waste storm subside and reveal that the battle was a friendly fire incident. The Astartes were forced to retreat from the theater of battle to rearm. The IG forces present on the other side of the battle were disciplined and several officers were given “interactive procedural punishment” to help prevent future mishaps.

-Radiation and warp disturbances caused Captain Machiavi of the Blood Angels 4th company and similarly effected Imperial Fist reinforcements to translate off of the intended rally point at Oren. While attempting to rejoin the fleet they encountered Necron resistance which they were able to overcome but not without suffering losses.

-After Shas’o Stormwind’s hunter cadre liberated slaves from the Xeta sector mining facility; a convoy was formed to relocated them to a more defensible position but not before the civilian convoy was intercepted by a Ravenwing force. The convoy was destroyed and the Tau relocated to protect the remaining slaves at the mining facility. As predicted the Ravenwing force attempted another assault but were successfully repulsed by the Tau defenders.

-Dark Angel forces occupying one of Oren’s starport’s defensive installations: Cerberus, were beset on all sides from Necrons rising from the surrounding mining shafts. The battle raged on for days but in the end the Necron forces were too much for the defenders. Realizing this, the remaining dark angels attempted a final act of defiance by self-destructing Cerberus’ cache of melta warheads; but the Necrons overcame the command facilities before the warheads could be detonated.