AAR: March 29, 2013 - Space Hulk Entry

A mighty space hulk has emerged from a rift in the warp.  A monstrous spaceship that bears signs of a rough passage through the warp and the scars of many battles.  The markings are strange - unknown.  No signals are detected on board.  Could just be space garbage, but it never hurts to verify things like this...  Both the Orks and the Storm Herald Space Marines send a small expedition to determine the nature of the craft.  Their mission objective changes rapidly once the enemy is detected on board an exposed and natural entry point.  The goal now is to eliminate the foe and then check out the spacecraft!

Annihilation mission with corners.

4x6 table. A section of the spinning craft has a measure of gravity (in the form of centrifugal force).  It is at this location that both boarding parties detect the other and war cries are sounded!

Several sections are open to space and debris is everywhere.

All of the cramped alleyways open into the rooms that make up some form of large airlock and entry-point into the rest of the craft.

Orks versus Space Marines with 999 point limit.

Chainsawz Ladz: 
HQ - Big Mek (Shock attack gun, Ammo runt)
Troops -15x Gretchin (Runtherd)
Troops -15x Gretchin (Runtherd)
Troops - 22x Boyz (Nob with power claw)
Troops - 22x Boyz (Nob with power claw)
Elites -10x Flash Gitz (Blastier, More dakka, Painboy)

"Me haz muv'mint, boss!  Muv'mint!"

Dark Purifiers
HQ - Captain Drakon (Thunder Hammer)
Elites - 10x Terminators (Power fists, Sergeant)
Elites - 10x Assault Terminators (Jump packs, Sergeant)

"Knock-knock!"

The greenskins win the initiative roll and they set up first on the red corner.

The Space Marines plan their approach carefully from the blue corner.

Both sides want to force the other to withdraw so that they can explore the space hulk uncontested.

The orks send in their angry ladz!  They plan on assaulting the space hulk from multiple entry points, to make sure that some of them will find those pesky 'umies and rip their heads off.

Each mob of boyz forces a group of grot to go inside first.  "Jist in case dere iz any booby trapz."

The Flash Gitz are led by an excited Big Mek (who really wants to rip into the guts of this spaceship to find some fancy gubbins!)

The boarding party of the Space Marines also elect to enter via multiple points.  Captain Drakon leads the squad of Terminators down the short hallway.

The Assault Terminators use their jump packs to rocket down the longer hallway, fingers hovering above the triggers to their blessed weapons...

Whose house is it?  Let's find out!

All of the ork forces run to get into position.  Each of the five possible means of ingress are now filled by combatants.

None of their keen powers of observation (ahem) notice that the Nob of Mob1 seems a bit - odd - even for an ork...  The three grot who have climbed on each others shoulders whisper to each other in fear.  All they wanted was better grub, but now their huge height has placed them in charge of 22 ladz - any of whom would love to eat them if they are discovered...

No attacks are made yet, because no enemy has been sighted.

Their bizarre orkish mot'un detktors are going mad with squeals and beeps - so the enemy is close.

The Space Marines move forward at a walk, not wanting to give the orks a target.  The alien's marksmanship is pathetic, but in these cramped corridors, accidents might happen...

The Terminators arrive in the first room, but no enemy is in sight.

No line of sight has been established as yet, so not attacks are made.  The sound of orkish hooting echoes through the hallways, alerting the warriors to the location of the vile alien.

"It won't be long now, brothers!  Steady!  Steady!"

With frightened squeals, both groups of Gretchin are prodded into the largest chamber of the wreck.  One mob of grot can see the menacing shapes of flying Assault Terminators and they almost faint from their panic.

Mobs of ladz charge up the hallways behind the grot, glad that the stupid things will provide them some cover.

The Flash Gitz line up their super-charged weapons down the hall - laughing to themselves about the Space Marines they think will soon come down the hall and into their sights...

Gunfire erupts:

• The soiled figures of Gretchin2 shoot their rusty popguns at the mighty Assault Terminators.  As one would expect, loud noise and a few sparks are the only results.

Insulted by the amateurish attack upon their dignity, the Assault Terminators hit their jump jets and fly into the main room.  This conveniently takes them right past the waiting weapons of some disappointed Flash Gitz and they slam into the crying midget aliens.

Captain Drakon leads his own group of Terminators into the main room.  They see the alien foe and do as they have been trained to...

Attack:

• The Terminators send a withering wall of screaming projectiles and roaring promethium into Gretchin1, killing 12 of them.  The remainder do not flee, but only because they see a dark corner to hide in.
• The Assault Terminators go through the lightly armored and hopelessly under-trained grot like Space Navy sailors spend credits at port.  Quickly and with gusto!  None of the small aliens are left alive at the end of the short moment of butchery.

"Dey did dere job!" hoots the Nob of Mob2.  The orks move into position to attack the Assault Marines.  All of the orks howl their battle cry of "WAAAGH!"  It sounds horrible in the bowels of this trashed derelict and the space marines are glad their systems can auto-damper the noise.

The sole remaining 4 gretchin hide in the corner and shoot their tiny guns in a vain hope that they will hurt one of the walking tanks that oppose them.

Mob1 charges into close quarters combat with the Terminators.  The false-Nob wisely leads from the rear so they will not be discovered.

The disappointed Flash Gitz move to the tunnel to the south, hoping that this long hallway will become a killing ground eventually.  They range in and check power levels.

Attacks follow:

• The Gretchin weapons do nothing.  Duh.
• Mob2 assaults the Assault Marines in a foolish display of valorous stupidity.  The Assault Terminators live up to their title by showing the orks how it is done.  A whopping 11 are butchered and the nob is wounded.  The unscratched Space Marines laugh as the rest of the orks stagger under the weight of their power.
• Mob1 assaults the Terminators with a bit more success.  They still lose a horrible number of ladz (8 to be exact), but they do take down 4 of their foes, which is 4 more than Mob2 handled!

The Space Marines are all locked in combat, so none of them move tactically this turn.

The Storm Heralds are using the small doorways to limit the number of aliens that can fight back in a sound display of tactics.  The orks howl in frustration as not all of them are able to reach their enemy.

Fierce fighting continues:

• The Assault Terminators finish the job with Mob2 by slaughtering 9 more of the aliens.  This proves enough of a lesson for the scant survivors and they run away from school.
• The Terminators assault Mob1 and kill 5 more of the greenskins.  Two of their own number fall in the conflict.

The Big Mek sends the Flash Gitz down the tunnel in order to give him even more cover and to get them in range of all the humans.

The fleeing orks of Mob2 dodge and weave around the snorting Gitz and manage to escape the confines of the ship.

The battle continues to rage:

• The Gretchin valiantly shoot at the Assault Terminators in a vain attempt to be more than just a unit of walking meat-shields.  They fail.
• The Flash Gits fire at the Assault Terminators and blow large holes in 2 of them.
•  The Big Mek yowls as he unleashes the power of his own weapon and two of the Assault Terminators suddenly find themselves hosting small, rabid, snotling 'guests' inside their suits of armor. 
• The assault between Mob1 and the Terminators continues without much action as 1 Space Marine goes down quickly followed by 2 ladz.

The Assault Marines turn to the snarling pack of orks in Mob1 and slam into their rear.

The pincer assault is brutal.  The combined attack of the Terminators and the Assault Terminators crush the ladz of Mob1, leaving only the three grot who are pretending to be a Nob alive.

The 'Nob' flails his arms around and seems to run in two directions at once, causing the Space Marines to pause in confusion.

The grot sitting at the top of the false-Nob finally gets word down to the legs as to where the way out is and he scampers to the south door.

Mob2 finally leaves the battlefield as well - quite relieved to have survived the encounter.

Overpowered ranged weapons fire:

• The Flash Gitz shoot again at the Assault Terminators backs, but the armor proves it's worth as only a single man's power supply fails.
• The Big Mek fiddles with the settings of his Shock Attack Gun and is rewarded with a surge of power as a capacitor blows!  A wave of living, screaming ooze erupts from the warp and consumes 2 of the Assault Marines completely - leaving only a pile of smoking bones (Got a double 6!).
• The Gretchin hope to assist in the fight, but they fail - once again.  No one is shocked.  No one even notices they have pulled their triggers.  The humiliation is a heavy burden...

The Space Marines move into position to clean up the filth that remains in the room with them and end the humiliation that is writ large on alien faces.

The 'Nob' may be acting strange, but it is still an alien and must be purged!

None shall be left alive:

• The Terminators shoot and assault the fake-Nob of Mob1.  It is difficult to be sure from the chunks of steaming offal that remain, but Captain Drakon thinks the Nob might have been three smaller aliens.  Oh, well...
• The Assault Marines tire of the noisemakers coming from the corner of the room.  They stomp the Gretchin into the floor plates without mercy.

At the end of turn 5 the game is over!

Chainsaw Wins!  The final tally of points remaining is 297 for Dark Purist to 535 for Chainsaw.  A clear victory for the greenskins with a difference of 24% in the point spread.  The Space Marines must withdraw, allowing the orks to have their way with the ancient and mysterious spacecraft.

"Dis mot'un detktor iz busted - it sayz dey iz in da room!  Dat can't be rite!"

"Opps!  Wrong house!  Buh-bye..."