Campaign mission 3 - Starhammer!

We first came up with this scenario as a kind of starcraft meets 40k kind of thing. It was great fun to play and Old Two Eyes built an impressive board for it which no doubt we will use again and again for different missions. fir

Mission Three – Day Fifteen - The Beacon

Imperial Special Forces          Ordo Xenos Inquisitor level one psyker with 1 chosen power from rulebook, Force Axe, Needle Pistol, Rad grenades, carapace armour, refractor field. Deathwatch Librarian level one psyker with 2 chosen powers from Space Marines codex or rulebook, Melta Bombs and Force Staff. Deathwatch Kill Team 10 Sternguard with Heavy Bolter, Heavy Flamer, one of each Combi-weapon (sergeant has Power Fist and melta bombs) Eradicator Trask (same rules as Sly Marbo) 10 Storm Troopers With 1 Flamer / 1 melta 10 Storm Troopers  With 1 Flamer / 1 melta

The Tyranids have infested Derventa installation on one of Omega’s main moon Jajce – all personnel assumed deceased. The installation contains an Archeotech artefact known as a psi-transmitter. The transmitter allows psychic energy to be transmitted over a great distance, essentially an amplifier. It has never been used to date for fear of how powerful the amplification may be. The Tyranids are suspected to be able to use it to alert other Tyranid broods, either dormant on Omega or in neighbouring systems, to reinforce their assault. Likewise, the Imperials believe they could use the transmitter as a weapon of last resort to summon naval reinforcements. The installation is underground and well shielded making orbital bombardment impossible. A kill team from the Ordo Xenos Deathwatch, led by an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor and Librarian have been tasked with eradicating the Tyranid threat or destroying the installation. Support in the form of Imperial Guard Special Ops has been approved and provided.

Mission Length:

10 turns.

Deployment etc:

The mission is played on a 4 by 4 board. Roll off to see who deploys first.

‘They’re coming out of the god damn walls!’ : Each room starts with a defined number of Tyranid models in it randomly determined at the game start (see table).

Place D12 spore mines anywhere within the facility (even corridors) but not within 6” of a door. In addition and to represent the service levels of the facility, there are 3 points on the map at which additional Tyranid units may enter (Imperial units may not move within 3” of these points). Tyranid units may assault as normal when entering play from these points. Roll on the reinforcement table at the beginning of each turn.

 

Deployment Table
Dice Roll	Result
1	D6 Termagants
2	D6 Hormagaunts
3	D12 Termagants
4	D12 Hormagaunts
5	D6 Genestealers
6	D3 Warriors (any combination of wargear)

Special Rules:

The Tyranids are all treated as having synapse if within normal range of one of the blips (or Zoanthropes).

Any model armed with Melta bombs or demo charges may trigger the self-destruct at the given points at any time in the game.

Any Imperial model may commandeer the turrets usable throughout the installation. These may be destroyed only after they have been activated and should be treated as immobile artillery. They together with the heavy bolter are the only weapons which can target multiple models striking the nearest model first and progressing until saves are made or no more wounds remain.

Lurking in the shadows:  Deathleaper stalks the imperial forces unbeknownst to them. He starts the game in reserve and is used as per normal

Reinforcements table
Dice Roll	Result
2	D3 Ripper bases
3	D6 Termagaunts
4	D6 Hormagaunts
5	2D6 Termagants
6	2D6 Hormagaunts
7	D6 Genestealers (on a roll of 6, roll a further D6: on a 4+ the 6th member is a Broodlord)
8	D3 Warriors (basic loadout)
9	D3 Warriors (Deathspitters)
10	D3 Raveners (Rending Claws)
11	D3 Warriors (Lashwhips, Boneswords)
12	D3 Lictors

There are 4 blips which are only activated once LoS is drawn to them. Roll a d3 for the model once it is revealed:

 1 = Carnifex (4 Scything Talons, Bio Plasma)

2 = Zoanthrope

3 = Doom of Malantai

Each may only be placed once and in the order it is drawn, except the Zoanthrope which may be drawn twice. Reroll until a different number comes up if there is a problem.

Special Tactics: this game is played like a kill team mission so every model acts as an individual. In close combat, a model may be engaged if it is within 3” of a model in base to base contact.

Doors may be opened and closed simply by moving into contact with them. Carnifexes must roll for difficult terrain when moving through them.

Victory Conditions:

The clock is ticking until the Tyranids are able attune themselves to the psi-transmitter. If the Imperial forces are unable to achieve victory in time, all will be lost regardless of the outcome.There are several possible outcomes to the mission:

Conditions	Result	Impact on Mission 5
Zoanthropes destroyed; Librarian or Inquisitor survives	Imperial Victory	Imperials benefit from use of psi-transmitter. Salvation +5, Exterminatus +2.
Zoanthropes destroyed; both Librarian and Inquisitor are killed	Draw	The Imperium has managed to stop the Tyranids from achieving their objective but cannot make use of the psi-transmitter themselves.
Imperials detonate facility before end of turn 7	Draw	Facility is destroyed; neither side can make use of the psi-transmitter.
Zoanthropes alive at the end of the game, or all Imperial forces are destroyed	Tyranid win	The Tyranids will benefit from psi-transmitter in game 5. Annihilation +5.

Facility Map:

The Imperial forces enter the facility (ignore the imperials on the bottom left)

The true extent of the Tyranid Infestation in unknown to Inquisitor Lothar's party.

Inquisitor Lothar leads the Kill team in through the SouthWest entrance

Stormtroopers entering from the North rush to man the gun emplacement.

Genestealers rush towards the Imperial forces to protect the Zoanthrope.

Inquisitor Lothar is unfazed and prepares to terminate the Zoanthrope threat.

Meanwhile, more stormtroopers enter from the East corridor.

The advance from the North proceeds cautiously, the peril of Inquisitor Lothar unknown to them.

The ravenous hordes remain contained behind doors waiting to strike.

The Deathwatch meet resistance in the South corridor as Lothar takes the fight to the enemy in the cargo bay.

Tyranid warriors join the fray in the cargo bay, as does Librarian Izildur.

Lothar kills the Zoanthrope but is felled by one of the enraged warriors - Izildur steps forth to avenge the Inquisitor and persecute his mission.

Eradicator Trask is too late to save Lothar, but mans the cargo-bay emplacement in an effort to stem the tide of Tyranid reinforcements.

The Northern stormtroopers face stiff opposition as they man the emplacement.

Trask heads North to assist the Stormtroopers, leaving the Deathwatch to hold the line.

The Deathwatch move up towards the blip in the South-East

The hordes pour forth towards the Stormtroopers.

Spore mines drift perilously through the corridors.

The unending tide.

Death waits around every corner.

Deathleaper is mercilessly gunned down by kraken bolts after ambushing the Deathwatch guarding the cargo-bay.

The Imperials appear to have the upper hand as they contain the Tyranid menace.

Thanks to the Stormtroopers in the North clearing the corridors with massed fire, those from the East are free to advance.

The last tides of resistance in the South corridor bring the Deathwatch advance to a halt.

A flurry of Tyranid reinforcements tip the favour of the battle against the Imperials.

The path is now clear for the Stormtroopers and Trask to enter the North-West room and see what horrors lurk inside.

Without the aid of Trask, Tyranid reinforcements are able to overwhelm the Deathwatch in the cargo bay.

With their advance stalled, time is running out for Izildur and the Deathwatch battling to reach the Southwest objective.

The Stormtrooper and Trask encounter the dreaded 'leecher' in the North-Western room, and despite valiant efforts they are all drained of life by the dreaded creature.

With their comrades slaughtered, the remaining Stormtroopers have no choice but to flee from the leecher into the waiting arms of more Tyranids.

 

Sensing they cannot complete their mission with their numbers so depleted, Librarian Izuldur's final order to Sergeant Victus is to double back to the cargo bay and set off the charges to detonate the facility. While Izuldur holds off the rampaging Tyranids and the Raven Guard Brother Corven covers Sergeant Victus, the Ultramarine tyrannic war veteran desperately races to plant the melta bombs and bring both death and victory.........

.......and fails. As Victus is ripped apart by genestealers the remaining scattered Imperial forces are left to their fates and the mission is a failure.

Mission Three DEBRIEF – Tyranid Victory

Though the Storm Troopers and Deathwatch Kill Team slew countless Tyranid beasts, their advance was halted by the same mysterious creature  that accounted for Colonel Esmir, a powerful Zoanthrope variant that the Guardsmen have come to call “The Leecher.”  Recognising that the tide had turned against the Imperials, Librarian Izuldur ordered Sergeant Victus back towards the detonation point. Izuldur did what he could to hold up the advance of the Tyranids pouring out of the ventilation shaft, but eventually fell in heroic sacrifice. Victus  readied his melta bombs, determined not to let the beacon fall into enemy hands, and bested a Warrior with one steady shot of his bolt pistol. Mere feet from his target he was met by a ferocious scrambling Genestealer charge, and all hope was lost. The Imperials had suffered a major set-back in their efforts to save Omega.

Current Score
SALVATION	0
EXTERMINATUS	0
ANHILIATION	5