Imperial Misunderstandings...

Or Camo And Feathered Wings Clash At The Cooling Towers

"Master Korlael, the Catachan unit that witnessed the ravings of the Fallen we ran to ground this morning are deployed on the other side of this subterranean manufactorum's cooling vents.  Squads Zanthor and Scalprum are moving into position to ensure that whatever the guard may have heard will not leave this world." 

The long awaited meeting between my Dark Angels and the picture perfect Catachans of the Wachtmeister's 40K2ndAC army finally occurred and it was great fun.  It was my first game with the 2nd edition ruleset since I was a teen.  The combination of nostalgia for the old days and the satisfaction of fielding the colorful 2nd edition army I've been working on for the last year was an awesome feeling.  Unfortunately that feeling didn't translate into onboard success since the Catachans defeated my Dark Angels 12VP to 5 VP.  However since I play more for the love of the game rather than competitiveness, getting our asses handed to us by a bunch of baseline humans was only a small speed bump in the road to pure happiness that this classic game generated.  The Wachtmeister took notes during the game so I will leave the detailed battle report to him.  Follow along after the jump for some awesome pictures of the action and a version of the events that fits with the perceptions of my members of the 1st Legion...

"Fortunately the guard squads in question are not numerous but they do have some armor assets in support of their force that could bring us some trouble sir"

"Sergeant Zanthor, it is imperative that we dispose of this problem as quickly as possible before the rest of the army is alerted and we have a larger... difficulty on our hands.  Make the elimination of the armor our first priority"

"Sergeant Scalprum deploy your squad's heavy guns in the center of our lines so we can target the armor regardless of where it appears."

 

"Sergeant Zanthor, advance your squad behind the silo to get your meltagun in place in case Scalprum fails to destroy that damned Leman Russ holding the left flank." 

" Techmarine Hephaestus, support the parallel advance of the shorter ranged weapons of the 9th squad, we must get that Multi-melta and Heavy Bolter in position to fire on their artillery."

"Sir, the atmospheric heat distortion being generated by the cooling facility is disrupting our sensors.  The firepower of our heaviest weapons is proving ineffective against their armor and artillery positions."

"Sergeant Zanthor, our efforts to eliminate their battle tank from a distance have failed.  Lead your squad in an attack on the Leman Russ.  May the emperor protect your men and guide your weapons!" 

"Sergeant, we have to stop those squads from reaching the hardline communications hub at the center of the cooling towers.  We have been jamming their vox-links but if they can connect with that hub, they'll be able to notify Imperial Army command about what's happening"

"Master Korlael, the Leman Russ has been destroyed but it veered wildly as it exploded and it's headed straight towards Squad Zanthor!"

"Sir, Haphaestus has single-handedly engaged the Catachan squads in hand to hand combat in an attempt to prevent them from establishing a vox-link with army headquarters."

"Master Korlael, too many of our men have been rendered combat ineffective by the heavy fire from the Catachans.  We must retire from the field before our efforts end in defeat!"

"Sergeant Scalprum, establish a link with Epistolary Azathor aboard the Caliban's Vegeance in orbit.  We will need reinforcement with the specialized skills of the Deathwing and the 10th company in order to complete our mission and maintain the secrets of our sacred order.  I don't care how many of these thrice-damned guardsmen have to die in order to achieve that goal!"

TO BE CONTINUED!

(Sometime in August)