AAR: June 3, 2013 - Mixed Motives

In a random occurrence of fate (or is it destiny?) four armies have congregated at the same location for wildly different reasons, but they all see each other in the same light - an unknown and potentially lethal enemy!  Only one of these forces can return successful, three of them will slink home with their goals unfulfilled...

Annihilation mission with corners.  Highest points still standing on the table wins the game after 4 rounds.

4x6 table.  Some ruins exist here, mixed with vegetation and a few structures that have been emplaced years ago in order to study the strange alien glyphs.

A rusted tank sits in the center of the field.  Sensors indicate that it is filled with a toxic fungal goo - one of the favorite drinks of greenskins.  The poison may be of use to other races as a weaponized chemical gas.

Orks vs. Xeno Cleanser Space Marines vs. Tyranids vs. Blood Owl Space Marines with a 605 point limit.

Chainsawz Ladz - Orks: 
HQ - Big Mek (Shock attack gun, Ammo runt)
Troops -10x Gretchin (Runtherd)
Troops - 20x Boyz (Nob with power claw)
Troops - 18x Boyz (Nob with power claw, 2x rokkits)
Heavy Support -3x Lobbaz (3x Ammo runts, 8x Gretchin)

"Whoa!  Iz dat a whole tank of Fightin' Juice?!  Whoopie!"

Xeno Cleansers - Space Marines
HQ - Captain Izzak (Power sword, Storm bolter, Terminator armor)
Troops - 9x Sniper Scouts (Sergeant, Missile launcher)
Troops - 10x Tactical Marines (Sergeant)
Heavy Support - Predator Tank (Autocannon, 2x Heavy bolters)

"Sensing xeno swarms!  Close in and eliminate!"

Dark Hornets - Tyranids
HQ - Hive Tyrant Jijj-ol-kklick (Bonded exoskeleton, Heavy venom cannon, Scything talons, with Psyker powers of Leech Essence & Paroxysm)
Troops - 10x Genestealers (Adrenal glands, Reinforced chitin, Rending claws)
Troops - 22x Hormagaunts (Chitin, Scything talons)
Fast Attack - 3x Raveners (Devourer, Scything talons)

"We smell interlopers...  Commence the feed!"

Blood Owls (Undercover Stealth Force: Wearing Ultramarine Colors) - Space Marines
HQ - Captain Codyius (Power weapon, Boltgun, Power armor)
Troops - 10x Tactical Marines (Heavy bolter, Meltagun, Sergeant with Plasma pistol)
Troops - 10x Tactical Marines (Flamer, Missile launcher, Sergeant with Power fist)
Heavy Support - Dreadnought (Multi-melta)

"The Emperor demands knowledge of these ruins...  Take it, brothers!"

Initiative rolls result in the following battle order: Chainsaw, Xeno Cleansers, Blood Owls, and then the Dark Hornets.

The players select their corners in order, with the angrily buzzing Dark Hornets getting the final corner by default.

Each of the four armies warily eyes the other three - wondering who will lash out at who first...

Using the sheer cliff as a natural barrier, the Orkz set their forces up with an eye towards defense.

The Lobbaz are confident that they can rain heavy projectiles on the enemies here.

Two mobs of ladz cover either end of the hill - ensuring that their army can not be flanked.

The Big Mek who leads this expeditionary force has a small retunine of grot slaves to help lug the Fightin' Juice home.

The Xeno Cleansers have responded to their sensor readings that alien lifeforms have congregated at this point.

Their scouts hide in the center of the map, ready to blow the brain-case of any foe open at the command of their captain.

Tactical marines advance into the area in two groups, supported by a Predator tank on one side and the Captain on the other.

"Sir!  I'm getting some strange signals from the south!  Looks like an Ultramarine signal, but the IFF is all wrong!"

"Traitors?  Or are they grave robbers who have stolen another chapter's fallen heroes!  Either way, we must end them..."

But they are neither!

The Blood Owls are here under secret orders to retrieve ancient knowledge from a sevitor who was left on this site over a thousand years.  It has recorded several odd flares of energy which may help to better predict the occurrence of warp storms in this sector.

They form up in a line to secure the building that houses the data.  Once the other enemies are detected, the plan shifts to include defense and destruction of the inhuman!

"We must hold these aliens off until the data is collected!  URAAAAA!"

The Tyranids are here for the toxic brew contained in the copper tank.  By drinking this lethal mixture - they can incorporate its chemical structure into their own venom sacks.

The Hive Tyrant directs its forces to swarm into the area and feed on anything they come into contact with.

Which of these titanic forces will claim victory this day?

Mob1 moves up to protect the pet grot of the Big Mek (who are making an awful din with their squeals of terror).  Anything to shut those runts up!

The first sounds of battle begin:

• Mob1 shoots their large and inaccurate sluggas at the Genestealers.  Two of the chittering aliens fall - one of them blown to tiny chunks from a spiraling rokkit.
• The Big Mek spins up his Shock Attack Gun and unloads a spray of hot, liquified snotlings into the trees where Xeno Cleanser's Scout1 is hiding.  Two of the space marines drown in a vile manner as snotling juice materializes inside their lungs.
• The excited Lobbaz unload thousands of pounds of shells into the midst of the Blood Owls Tactical3. The carnage is awful.  Four of the men go down with various mechanical armor failures.

All of the Xeno Cleanser Tactical squads move forward. 

The tank rumbles into the center of their force - ready to move in any direction.

The scouts take careful aim at their victims...

Coordinated weapons drill commences:

• The Predator Tank fires its main gun and obliterates a snarling Hormagaunt.
• Scout1 attacks the Big Mek and his grot slaves.  One of the gretchin dies and the marksman pops a round into the Big Mek's chest cavity.
• Scout2 fires a krak missile towards the Hive Tyrant, but it misses.
• Tactical1 shoots at the mob of Hormagaunts and take down another 3 zenos.

"Captain Codyius!  We aren't the only forces of the Imperium here!  Do you think they will assist us in our mission?  Or are they heretics?"

The Captain is not sure - so he leads his squad towards the Orks.  A known foe!

The Dreadnought moves up to get a good view of the field.

Tactical1 splits into two 5-man squads and moves to cover both sides of the target building that houses the data.

Attacks are made:

• Tactical3 fires at the Ork mob, but they are just out of range.
• The Dreadnought turns one of the orks of Mob1 into a greasy mound of ground ork-burger with its multimelta.

With a cry of bestial delight, the leaping hordes of aliens rush towards their prey!

The Genestealers slam into the Orks, while the Hormagaunts hit the Scouts of the Xeno Cleansers.

The Hive Tyrant leisurely moves towards the tasty-looking fellows of Tactica1...

The Hive Tyrant attacks with its heavy venom cannon:

• Only one marine of Tactical1 falls - a testament to their skill at fighting xenos everywhere.

The Genestealers rip through the lightly armored, yet stupidly brave ladz of Mob1.  Twelve of the boyz are ripped to chunks outright and the nob loses an arm.  Morale is shockingly low!  Six of the Genestealers fall in the onslaught.

The weight of this brutal assault carries the two remaining aliens into a red rage and the Orks that try to flee are all cut down!

The trees provide poor cover indeed from the sycthing claws of hungry Hormagaunts.  Scout2 of the Xeno Cleansers are brutalized as four of their number go down!

The lone surviving sniper falls back - bewildered at the ferocity of the aliens.

Seeing that the Blood Owls are too timid to make a southern flank assault, and noting the "gud fightin'" to the north, Mob2 moves to the sound of the guns!

The grot are all terrified by the nearness of the gore-drenched Genestealers.  It takes several severe beatings to bring them all under control...

The Orks fight back:

• The Gretchin attack the slavering Genestealers and manage to down them both!  There is much rejoicing in their ranks at this proof of their mighty (>ahem<) valor.
• The Lobbaz take hasty aim at the Blood Owls Tactical1 and the smoldering hunks of pig iron cause three of the marines to fall and Captain Codyius is wounded.

The lone sniper of Scout2 moves up into the hills.

Tactical2 and Captain Izzak charge towards the Hormagaunts - seeking vengeance for their fallen brethren.

Tactical1 moves towards the hulking Hive Tyrant, their boltguns blazing!

The sounds of battle continue:

• The Predator Tank fires at the Hive Tyrant, but the monstrous creature's hardened chitin resists all attacks.
• Tactical1 shoots at the Hive Tyrant and manage to get a single explosive boltgun round under the beast's armor.  It is wounded!
• Scout1 shoots at the Ork's Big Mek - the Marksman of this group is determined to take the horrifying Shock Attack Gun out.  He succeeds!  A silvered, high-velocity bullet removes all thoughts of how to use the weapon from the Big Mek's brain.  It also removes most of the brain itself...  The grot all whine with horror as their (sort-of) kind master falls.
• Tactical2 unloads their weapons into the Hormagaunts.  Five of the aliens are blown to bits.

Tactical2 dispenses the Emperor's Holy Mercy by utterly destroying the remaining Tyranids.

"Rest easy, our fallen brothers - you have been avenged..."

Tactical3 moves up to the top of the building to secure the building and to give their rocket launcher a clear field of fire and a better vantage point for spotting targets.

Hoping to either come to some sort of arrangement or at least prevent the unannounced marines from flanking or attacking.

Tactical1 moves to retrieve the vital data inside the building.

The Dreadnought moves up into the field and sees movement in the trees!  The massive war machine pivots its weapons to the motion...

Attacks are made:

• The Dreadnought fires into the trees from the hip and drops a sniper.  "I saw a flash of black and thought for 'shore that's a Tyranid!"  Yet another senseless hunting accident.  "Sorry about that, brother!"

The Hive Tyrant is non-pulsed by the loss of so many of its minions.  They live to serve the hive, after all.

The massive creature strides confidently towards the small and crunchy-on-the-outside, gooey-in-the-middle Space Marines.

"Time for a little snack..."

The beast bears down on its foes:

• The Hive Tyrant unloads its heavy venom cannon on Tactical1.  The blast scatters off the field to no effect.
• Indignant - the monster wades into melee combat to get satisfaction.  A Xeno Cleanser Marine is daintily eaten and the rest fall back in horror.

Weeping and wailing the loss of their kind (sort-of) master who was downed by a snipers bullet, the Gretchin fall back to avoid sharing his mind-blowing fate.  Compassion only goes so far, after all!

Mob2 pulls in tight to the cliff.  Without a leader, the Ork army has lost their stomach for battle and has decided to 'turtle up' and wait for the other armies to beat each other down.

"Why shood we do allz da werk?  Har-har!  Er...  Yeah...  Datz it."

A pathetic, token attack ensues as an unconvincing proof that they are not, in fact, cowardly greenskins:

• The Lobbas blindly fire their cannonz and Tactical1 and cheer as 3 of the Blood Owls are blown to bits and the Captain is wounded as well.

Tactical1 continues to fall back, firing as they go.

The Predator Tank rumbles up into a more forward position.

Tactical2 moves at a run to dominate the center of the map and give the beleaguered Sniper1 unit some support.


Grim resoluteness yields a series of unrepentant attacks:

• Sniper1 attacks the Blood Owl Tactical2 unit - wrongly taking the hunting accident for a willful attack.  When will the senseless violence between those who should be brothers end?
• The lone survivor of Sniper2 shoots at the Hive Tyrant, but the beast moves in a blur and the shot misses!
• Tactical1 also shoots at the looming behemoth, but their bolter fire bounces off the tough chitin of the Hive Tyrant.
• The Predator Tank's main gun tries to convince the Xeno that it should leave.  The argument is wounding, but the creature only screams in rage! 
• Tactical1 thinks they can get in some good hits while the beast is distracted by the tank.  They rush to assault it, but the attack is futile!  Another of their number is scooped up, sucked dry, and discarded by the monster - the survivors fall back in confusion.

In hopes of proving to the Xeno Cleansers that they are not tainted by chaos, Tactical2 falls back - away from their brother Space Marines.

"We will show our purity by fighting the alien that threatens your... pristine tank!  We should fight at each others side - not at each others throats!"

A humiliating malfunction of Imperium technology then occurs:

• The missile launcher of Tactical3 fires at the Hive Tyrant, but the warhead fails to arm in-flight and it careens off of the aliens thick hide without effect.  "It didn't go in - it just impacted on the surface!"

With a foul odor and an explosion of corrupted earth, the Tryanid Raveners burst from their underground tunnel!

The Hive Tyrant moves to attack the annoying Predator Tank whose huge explosive shell caused it some irritating  and temporary discomfort.

Scything claws whistle as they cut the air:

• The Hive Tyrant coats the Tank in venom, but this proves totally ineffective...  A small windshield wiper, flicks the goo from impairing the drivers vision.  "Your slime shall not stop the Emperor's Holy Cause!"
• The Raveners attack Xeno Cleanser Tactical2.  A Space Marine falls and Captain Izzak is wounded.
• The Hive Tyrant pounds on the armored flank of the tank, but only succeeds in marring the paint.  "I just waxed this thing too!  It never fails..."

The Orks cower in fear - hoping that the tank of Fightin' Juice will not be blown up before all of the silly aliens leave the field.

"Dat wood be so suky.  'Cauze we iz thirsty!"

A random assortment of kitchenware sails into the air:

• A load of kettles and pots falls into the midst of the Blood Owls.  A marine from both Tactical1 and Tactical3 gets knocked out to the sound of ringing gongs.  "Datz oir spechal ammo, 'umies!  Eat it!  Har-har!  Hee-hee!"

Tactical1 reels backwards.

"Sir!  I have received confirmation that the Blood Owls are in fact, a sanctioned force and allowed to wear other chapters colors!"

Tactical2 and Captain Izzak charge into the freshly revealed Raveners to settle them for good.

"We shall not suffer the alien to live!  The scum of the universe must be punished!  Yea!  Punished with annihilation!"

Attacks fueled by self-righteousness land like hammers:

• Tactical1, Sniper2 and the Predator Tank all open up on the Hive Tyrant, but only the heavy main gun of the Tank makes a lasting impression as green ichor sprays into the air.
• Tactical2 opens fire on the Raveners, killing 1 and wounding another.
• Sniper1 draws down on the Raveners and blows another one away.
• Captain Izzak leads his brave men into close combat with the slavering Raveners and they put the last one down.  The cost is high - 2 Tactical Marines are taken out by the alien killing machines.

The shattered remnants of Tactical1 and Tactical2 recombine into a single force under the command of Captain Codyius.

"The Xeno Cleansers have agreed to fight with us, brothers!  Keep your focus on the alien!  For the Emperor!  URAAAA!"

The mortified tactical marine with the rocket launcher attempts to recover his lapsed kill rating:

• Tactical3 fires a krak missile at the Hive Tyrant, but this time the rocket's engine gives out before it reaches halfway to the target...  "We must clean our stealth armors and weapons more frequently, brothers!"

The Hive Tyrant jumps on top of the Predator Tank and begins slashing at the armor in a blood frenzy!

All of the expeditionary forces that the Tyranids brought to the field have fallen - only their huge leader remains...

Will the rage-powered attacks be effective:

• Boom!  Yes!  The turret of the tank is shorn from the base of the battle platform and soon the interior is a mass of sticky flames!  The Predator Tank is now smoking wreckage!

At the end of turn 4 the game is over!

The Blood Owls Win!  The final tally of points remaining is 338 for Blood Owls, 295 for Chainsaw, 253 for Xeno Cleansers, and 98 for Dark Hornets.  A gruesome and chaotic melee was had by all!  The hyper-aggressive Tyranids were pounded on much worse than the other teams - because nobody likes bugs...

"May this vital data we have collected serve the Emperor well.  Mission accomplished!"

Chainsawz Ladz - "Itz fun ta watch 'umies kill each otter!  Hey!  Fightin' juice tank iz still okay!  Letz go, ladz!"

Xeno Cleansers - "You Blood Owls better pay for that tank!"

Dark Hornets - "I will return with more of the swarm..."

* (Special Thanks to my nephew Chapter Master Jarius of the Blood Owls who collaborated with me to write up this AAR!  GG!)