AAR: July 27th, 2012 - Valley of Weeping

Another epic battle between the Dark Purist and Chainsaw has concluded!  The Orks refuse to cease their Waaagh!  And the space marines show the greenskins the courtesy of the Emperor with their boltguns...

Standard Cleanse Mission.

5x6 table.  A patch of wilderness with some hills and rocky upthrusts, surrounded by trees named the "Valley of Weeping" by the locals.

Orks versus Space Marines with 1124 point limit.

Chainsawz Ladz: 
HQ - Warboss
Elites - 11x Kommandos (Nob, Big shoota, Rokkit)
Elites - 6x Nobz (Battlewagon 'ard case transport with kannon & 4 big shootas, Power claw, Kombi-rokkit, Kombi-skorcha, Twin-linked shootas)
Troops - 20x Boyz (Nob with power claw, Big shoota, Rokkit)
Troops - 20x Boyz (Nob, Big shoota, Rokkit)
Heavy Support - 3 Zzap gunz (3x Extra Crew, Runtherd, 3x Ammo Runts)


Ultramarine Strikers:
HQ - Captain
HQ - Librarian
Elites - Dreadnought
Elites - 5x Terminators
Troops - 10x Tactical Marines
Troops - 10x Tactical Marines
Troops - 5x Sniper Scouts with Sgt. Immortus

Dark Purist won the initial toss and selected to fight from the blue corner.  The Orks are left with the red corner.
(Note that the nobz and the warboss are all embarked inside the battewagon.)
When placing infiltrators, the kommandoz went first, with the snipers going last.

The Ultramarines position their forces fairly tightly with the snipers taking up a position in the high rocks for visibility and cover.  Terminators and the captain are in the center, with tactical squads on either flank.  The dreadnought is closest to the Ork side of the table.

The Orks put the nob squad inside their battlewagon, accompanied by the warboss.  It is placed in the middle of their corner, close to the 'umies.  Both large mobz of boyz are near the battlewagon, some using it for cover, some using the hill for cover.  The big gunz take position on top of the tall cliffs with the kommandoz taking position on the flank of the marines.
The final result of positioning of units is complete - let the battle begin!

The marines move into position as show in the diagram with the blue arrows.
Both tactical squads break up into 5-man teams, with half of them staying in their original positions.  Both squads that move are supported by heavy units, the dreadnought and the terminator squad.

Attacks are made as shown in the diagram with the red arrows. Results as follows:

• On the kommandoz by both the dreadnought and the tactical-squad1b.  3 kommandoz are killed in the firestorm.  
• On the big gunz by tactical-squad1a's missile launcher.  2 gretchin crew die, their bodies blown off the cliff.  The zzap cannons themselves are unhurt, but the cowardly grot dive for cover and will not be able to shoot the gunz next round.
• On the boyz1 by the terminators (4 kills), the snipers (3 kills + 1 wound), and the tactical-squad2a (1 kill).  This concentration of combined arms fire is very effective as a whopping 8 boyz are killed and even the nob takes a wound from an expert sniper sergeant's bullet. 

The warboss glances out a porthole, turns away callously from the brutal carnage, and asks for another fungus-beer from the cooler.  "'nd it better be frosty this time or I'll snip off yer ears!"

The Orks move into position as shown in the diagram with the blue arrows.  The kommandoz take cover behind the rocks after losing so many troopers.  The remains of boyz1 aslo takes cover - behind the polluting battlewagon.
The two mobz of boyz both run, foregoing any shooting this round.  The battlewagon moves at cruising speed and also will not fire this round.

The runtherd plys his whip and "gently encourages 'dose snotlingz" to return to their posts.  Injuries are disappointingly minor, but at least the shriek of grots is soothing to the ladz below, so he feels like he's doing his part.
The only attack is made by the orks this round is by the kommandoz, shown by the lone red arrow.  They manage to kill one space marine and wound the librarian.
Overall a poor round for the orks...

The ultramarine terminators move into position to scour the orkz in the boyz1 unit from this world.  Tactical-squad2a moves towards the center, while squad 1b links up nearby with the captain.  The squad led by the librarian moves to get good shots at the cowering kommandoz while reciting a poem praising the Emperor.

Attacks continue to rain upon hapless green heads without mercy or compassion, as follows:

• On the battlewagon from the dreadnought, and tactical-squad1b.  Every round, beam, and missile bounce harmlessly off the thick rusty armor.
• The snipers shoot the big gunz.  The missile misfires, slamming into the cliff face, but the master sniper puts a round right thru the center of the bellowing runtherd and one other gretchin.  (The gretchin are  secretly delighted at this, especially those with new welts rising on their backsides!)
• The librarian calls upon the power of the warp and fires a jet of burning light into the kommando orks.  2 are incinerated, leaving shooty shadows on the rocks behind them.  The squad1a unleashes a hail of bolter fire that slaugters the remaining orcs, leaving only the nob alive.  He takes one look around at his lack of men to lead and decides to make a run for base ("I needz some more ladz!  Proper onez dis time - these were too weedy!  Yeah, dat's it!"
• On boyz1 by the tactical-squard2b and the terminators.  They lose another 5 members of their not-so-merry band.  The terminators draw their hands across their throats and point meaningfully at the survivors...

With such inter-racial-relations completed, the terminators slam into the orks mob of boyz1 like the wrath of the Emperor himself!  The assault is short, ugly, and brutal.  Only one ork dies, but that, combined with their heavy prior losses is enought to break them.  As they try to flee the field they are cut down by the terminator squad and their limbs and bodies are thrown on top of the battlewagon so that "they will not sully the good earth they defile with their alien blood, brothers!"

The orks in boyz2 move into position to assault.  The warboss and his nobz finish their poker hand and disembark in the face of the terminator squad.

A hail of loud and fairly unaimed greenskin fire is unleashed  as follows:

• The snipers are targeted by all of the battlewagon's weapon systems.  The barrage of shells and bullets does absolutely nothing as they merely duck behind the rocks they stand within.
• Without a runtherd to goad them, the gretchin tap the triggers of their zzap cannons and fire into tactical-squad1a with a measly strength-3 hit which is easily shrugged off by the boys in blue.
• The nobz exit their vehicle with a hail of bullets, all of which bounce harmlessly off the thrice-blest armor of the terminators.

Seeing that their foes have ignored their firearms, the orks charge them and attempt to rip their heads off instead.  Results are as follows:

• Very few of the spread out force of boyz2 can actually "get stuck in" with the marines before them, but they manage to kill the hated librarian while taking 3 losses of their own.  They have sufficent numbers that even though they lose the assault, they stay with it.
• The nobz and warboss make their displeasure at the mess the terminators made of boyz1 known when they kill 3 of their enemy while losing 1 nob and another injured in return. A draw means this grudge-match will continue next turn...

Few of the ultramarines see the need to move in order to continue the ork extermination they have begun.
Tactical-squad2a moves towards the battlewagon, as does the captain.

Volleys of firepower are once again sent scorching across the battlefield as follows:

• The battlewagon is targeted by both tactical-squad1b and the dreadnought.  The squad weapons do nothing, but the multi-melta of the dreadnought rips apart the engine compartment and one side of treads - wrecking it completely!  A cheer goes through the ultramarine ranks as the grinding engine shudders to a stop and it flops over on it's side.  The warboss is livid that his "sweet ride" has been broken and vows vengeance!
• The snipers missile explodes in the midst of the gretchin, who were thinking about bailing anyway.  When two of their number are blasted into a fine green mist it is settled!  They push the kannon over in their haste to get to the very vital tasks they just remembered they needed to do at home...

The bloody close-combats that were begun last round continue:

• The tactical-squad1a strikes back to avenge their fallen leader.  One orc dies, as does 1 ultramarine.  The orcs continue to pile in so that the line of yelling green limb that hack and tear seems never-ending.
• The last surviving terminator continues to taunt the nobz as he strikes at them.  The wounded nob gets his head punched off, but the ultramarine's victory is short lived as the warboss and his toughest nob grab him by both arms with power claws and have a short, grim, contest to see "who can get the biggest chunk of 'umie?  Ya gets the last fungus-beer if ya winz!"

The warboss and his nobz take cover behind the wreckage of the battlewagon from the snipers who are looking in their direction.  The kommando nob and the remains of the big gun crew continue to scamper for a hole to hide in or "to regroup, yeah, dat's it!"
The nobz fire their weapons pointlessly at tactical-squad1b as nary a single round strikes home.

The on-going assault between the boyz2 mob and the marines of the tactical-squad1a continues, but not for long as the remaining 3 troopers are finally swamped and cut down with the loss of only a single boy.  Bloodthirsty hoots of delight sicken the ultramarines and they promise to stop their foul cries soon.  Very soon.

The forces of the ultramarines move in for the kill.  The dreadnought stomps towards the celerbrating orks of boyz2 with murder on his mind.  The captain and the two mobile tactical-squad flank the nobz and move into position to crush them in a vice of fire.
Shooting into the foe as their end draws nigh yeilds the following results:

• The dreadnought fires as it walks, to no effect.
• Snipers target the mob of boyz2 and kill 4 orks, wounding the nob to boot.  The wicked greenskin party is over quite quickly after that.
• Tactial-squad2b fires at the soon-to-be-engaged nobz and bolter fire kills two of the nobz.
• Another nob is burned alive by the flamer in tactical-squad2a.

The marines then close with the foe in close-combat:

• The dreadnought and the ladz in boyz2 scuffle, but no one is seriously hurt - it's all in good fun!
• The tactical-squad2a slams into the nobz and then bounce off again (in peices) as they're snipped into large chunks by power claws and big choppas.  A nob takes a wound while "dealing with dese here runty 'umies."
• Then the captian and his tactical-squad enter the fray, much to the ork warboss' eventual disappointment.  The painboy thinks the humans look far too pink and injects one with a vile goop in his 'urty syringe - he does turn green, but then he dies.  A total of 3 of the space marines are killed, but the remaining 2 nobz and the painboy are crushed like rotten eggs by the captain's thunder hammer.  The warboss is wounded as well, which just makes him more mad.

All of the fighting orks remaining are locked in close-combat, so none of them move, other than to surround the dreadnought and hack away at it.
The gretchin manage to sneak away without getting shot at again, while the nob kommando continues to think of ways to "train some ladz who won't die on me." as he also heads for home.
The assaults continue, but niether one has a happy ending for the orks:

• The warboss strikes with all his might at the enemy captain who killed his poker-buddies.  He manages to wound him, but has most of his major bones shattered and many internal organs liquidated in return.  He expires thinking that this was "really a bad day to go fer a drive, after all."
• The mob of boyz2 pound on the dreadnought and try to find small seams to pry into.  They are rewarded by first snapping its power conduit, which shuts down the enemy completely, but then - being orks - they set the power cable alight...  In the resulting explosion, 5 orks are killed.  The nob "can't believe what a bunch of shrivel-brains he's got 'ere, me lad.  Oh, noes."

All of the marines fire into the remaining orks and they flee the battlefield in a panic.  They never make it out of the marines boltgun range alive, as the ultramarines insure that their demise is swift and humane.

Only the thoughtful kommando nob and four gretchin (who will keep their participation in this little fiasco a secret) have survived the conflict.
The game is over, and the orks won't soon forget this stunning defeat!

The Dark Purist wins!  His force mix, position in the terrain, and tactics prove too much for the Orks.  Another fine victory for the ultramarines and for the glory of the Imperium!  He still had 43% of his initial force in points on the table to that very large ZERO that Chainsaw had on the table.  Ouch!

"Boom!  Headshot!  Target is down.  I repeat: the target is down."

"Who picked this army?  Those ladz were weak - I need to get tougher Orkz for our next fight!"