Friday, January 25, 2008

Battle Report: Necrons vs. Imperial Guard Sabotage

Advancing unchecked, the Necron forces continued to move across the expanses of Arcadia Secundus, approaching what appeared to be some kind of Necron beacon. D Company, 1st Battalion of the 4th Infantry Regiment defended the beacon, ready to sell their lives so that the Necrons could not activate it. Unknown to the Imperial forces, some Eldar in the area moved to reinforce their position--the Necrons had to be prevented from activating the beacon at any cost.


Scenario: Raid Sabotage
Necron Forces: Badelaire
Imperial Guard Forces: Darkwing
The Forces
Necron ForcesPoints
Necron Lord with Staff of Light, Veil of Darkness and Gaze of Flame175
Necron Lord with Staff of Light, Resurrection Orb140
Flayed Ones (5)90
Flayed Ones (5)90
Immortals (6)168
Warriors (14)252
Warriors (14)252
Scarabs (7)84
Destroyers (5)250
Total Points:1250
Imperial Guard Forces (D Company, 1st Battaltion, 4th Infantry Regiment)Points
Command Platoon (5) with 1 Fire Support Squad (6) and 1 Anti-Tank Squad (6)310
1st Infantry Platoon with 2 Infantry Squads (25)202
2nd Infantry Platoon with 2 Infantry Squads (25)184
3rd Infantry Platoon with 2 Infantry Squads (25)184
Total Points:880
Turn 1
D Company forms a defensive circle around the beacon.
D Company made a defensive circle around the beacon, preparing to fend off an assault from any direction. After hours of tense waiting, the Necrons appeared, in a long battle line to the east. The mainstay of the line was held by over two dozen Necron Warriors, screening a squad of Immortals directly behind them. A pair of Necron Lords supported the line as well. On the left flank were several scarab swarms, while the right flank was held by a formation of Necron Destroyers. Before the Guardsmen could reposition to face the threat, two squads of Flayed Ones teleported in, one squad of five to the northwest, another squad of five to the southwest.

The Imperial Guard repositioned to face the threats. Most of the infantry squads moved to face the advancing Necron battle line, leaving a pair of infantry squads and the Fire Support Squad to deal with the Flayed Ones. A pair of Heavy Bolters and an Autocannon from the Fire Support Squad opened up on the Flayed Ones to the northwest, killing two of them. On the east side, the Anti-Tank squad fired at the Destroyers, and the Missile Launcher's Krak Missile brought down a Destroyer. Lasgun fire killed some scarabs to the southeast.

Turn 2
The Necron Battle Line
A single Flayed One repaired itself and rejoined its comrades. The Scarabs moved behind the cover of some trees. The line of Necron Warriors and Immortals advanced. One of the Necron Lords used his Veil of Darkness to teleport himself and one of the Necron Warrior squads to the other side of the battlefield, directly west of the Guardsmen's position. Then the Necron opened fire with their gauss weapons. The Immortals fired at an infantry squad, killing seven of the ten guardsmen, and the three survivors fell back. The Destroyers fired at a Command Section, killing all five members and wiping it out.

The Eldar reinforcements began to arrive in the form of a squad of Guardians and a squad of Dark Reapers. They came on to the battlefield behind the Flayed Ones to the southwest. The Guardians opened fire with their Shuriken Catapults in a bid to kill them, but only felled two of them. The Anti-Tank Squad's lascannon shot another Destroyer from the sky, while the massed lasguns of the guardsmen managed to kill only a single Necron Warrior.

In a desperate bid to take out the squad of Flayed Ones before they themselves charaged, both the Guardians and the Dark Reapers assaulted them. The two squads together felled a single Flayed One, and the combat continued.

Turn 3
The Necrons continue to advance on the Imperial position
Two of the Flayed Ones got back up, as did the single Destroyer and Necron Warrior that had just been felled by Imperial fire. The Necrons continued their advance. The Warriors that had been teleported to the west flank opened fire, killing eight guardsmen. The Destroyers fired on the Anti-Tank squad killing five out of six. The Immortals opened fire on an infantry squad killing all ten and wiping the squad out. The Scarabs broke cover and advanced to assault an infantry squad. The scarabs killed five guardsmen, to the loss of 1 scarab base. In the fight of the Eldar against the Flayed Ones, a single guardian fell beneath the claws of the Flayed Ones, and the fight continued.

The rest of the Eldar reinforcements arrived. The Swooping Hawks dropped grenades on the Necron Warriors that had teleported, but their grenades landed wide of their mark, doing nothing but tearing up the earth. The Swooping Hawks landed north of the Imperial position and fired their lasblasters at the northwest Flayed Ones, killing two of them. Lasgun fire killed 2 Necron Warriors. The Falcon grav-tank arrived to the west of the Necron Warrior squad that had teleported, and opened fire with its Pulse Laser, Scatter Laser, and twin-linked shuriken catapults. The Pulse Laser missed and the Shuriken Catapults were ineffective, but the Scatter laser killed three Warriors. A second guardsmen infantry squad assaulted the scarabs. Three guardsmen died in the assault, but they brought down 1 scarab base and wounded another base twice. The Warlock brought down a Flayed One, but another Guardian was killed.

Turn 4
The Swooping Hawks assault the Destroyers
Two of the Flayed Ones repaired themselves, as did three Necron Warriors. As always, the Necron battle line continued to advance, firing on the move. The Immortals targetted the Command HQ section, killing all five and wiping the squad out. The Destroyers fired on another Command Section, killing all five and wiping it out. The Necron Warrior Squad fired on the last Command Section, killing three of them. The second squad of Necron Warriors killed the last member of the Anti-Tank Squad. A Necron Lord used his Staff of Light and killed another guardsman. The Flayed Ones advanced on and assaulted the Swooping Hawks, but the Swooping Hawk Exarch took to the air, flying around the Flayed Ones and laying about with his Web of Skulls, killing all three of them. To the southwest, three Guardians were ripped apart by the Flayed Ones, and the survivor and the Warlock fled the battlefield, leaving the Dark Reapers to their fate. Against the scarabs, the guardsmen delivered two wounds to the scarabs while suffering a single casualty in return.

The surviving guardsmen quickly moved to surround the beacon, using their bodies as living shields to keep it away from the Necrons. The Autocannon in the Fire Support Squad felled a Necron Warrior, while the Eldar Rangers, who had set themselves up in positions to the south, opened fire on the Necron Warriors, but their fire proved less than effective. The Command Section missed with its weapons, and the Falcon took aim on the Destroyers, but missed with everything. The Swooping Hawks advanced towards the Destroyers, who were approaching dangerously close to the objective, and assaulted them. The Exarch again proved his mettle in combat, killing three of the destroyers with his Web of Skulls. The last surviving Destroyer fled the battlefield, and the Swooping Hawks backed up to the reverse slope of the hill, trying to shield themselves from the massed Necrons on the other side. Against the Flayed Ones, two of the Dark Reapers were killed, and the sole survivor fled. The guardsmen delivered another two wounds to the scarabs.

Turn 5
The Command Squad holds its ground against massed Necrons

One of the felled Destroyers repaired itself, as did a single Necron Warrior. The Destroyers continued to fall back, as they had been reduced to below half their original numbers. The Necron Lord again used his Veil of Darkness to move himself and his squad of Necron Warriors closer to the beacon. The Flayed Ones advanced, and again the line of Necron Warriors continued to advance towards the beacon. The Destroyers, falling back, still managed to open fire and kill three guardsmen. The Immortals fired on the Swooping Hawks, killing four of them, leaving only the Exarch alive. He was then targetted by the Necron Lord and was killed by his Staff of Light. The Necron Warriors fired open the Fire Support Squad, killing six and wiping the squad out. The other Necron Warrior squad fire upon an infantry squad, killing three and causing the squad to flee. In battle with the scarabs, two more guardsmen died, but they delivered two wounds to the scarabs, and the fight continued.

The last Dark Reaper fled the battlefield. The Falcon advanced, and promptly missed with all its weapons. The Rangers fired their sniper rifles, and killed a single Flayed One. The Command Section's meltagun vaporized a single Necron Warrior. The guardsmen delivered four wounds to the scarabs without suffering any casualties.

Turn 6
The Guardsmen make a final bid to stop the Necrons from activating the beacon.

Now there were only three guardsmen defending the beacon--two members from the 1st Platoon's Command Section, and a single guardsman from one of 1st platoon's infantry squads. The Necrons Lords, Warriors, and Immortals advanced on them. The Necron Lords fired with their Staffs of Light, missing with one, and succeeding in killing the lieutenant with the other. A unit of Necron Warriors fired on the Falcon, causing three glancing hits, stunning the crew. The Immortals opened fire, killing the last member of the Command Section. The Necron Warrior Squad then moved into contact with the beacon and began the activation sequence. The guardsmen locked in combat with the scarabs inflicted three wounds, finally wiping them out. The guardsmen from the two squads lined up to fire upon the Necrons with everything they had in a desperate bid to stop the beacon from being activated.

The Rangers opened fire on the Flayed Ones again but did not wound anyone. The guardsmen opened up with four lasguns, a bolt pistol and two flamers at point blank range on the Necrons in contact with the beacon, and caused a single Necron to fall. They then declared their final charge and assaulted the Necrons, striking with bayonet and rifle butt in their last defiance. Two of the guardsmen were killed on the charge, but they managed to bring down two of the Necron Warriors. The lone member of the 1st platoon assaulted the Necron Lord and was cut down. There was nothing left to stop the Necrons now...

Conclusion
Just as the Necrons were about to complete the activation sequence, the entire area around the beacon exploded in a ball of light. Ships from the Arcadian 2nd Fleet opened fire on the site, destroying the beacon and all the Necrons around in a fiery conflagration. It was a costly victory for the Arcadians, but in the end this action would prove to be ineffective. The destruction of the beacon alerted the Necron tombworld just as effectively as activating would have. Despite the best efforts of the Arcadians, more Necrons would be arriving soon. Very soon.

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