False Hope Campaign - Iron Warriors Vs Orks

Prologue - 

The Ork Warboss Orkamungus suffered grievous wounds and has been out of the action for several weeks.  However, his dream of conquering the planet of False Hope continues with his minions.

Part of his dream is to acquire all of the tires on False Hope and create one massive tire pile and light it on fire.  To this end, his minions have continued collecting tires.

Since they have to go through a crossroads to bring them to his camp, the Orks have exposed their supply chain to attack.

Sensing an opportunity, the Iron Warriors Warpsmith strikes.


Campaign and mission details  -

The armies were 2500 points.

The mission was Maelstrom Cleanse and Control and the deployment was Vanguard Strike.

We were fighting on False Hope B21 (Orks) and B28 (Chaos).


Battle Report - 

 The Deployment

The Iron Warriors struck first at Dawn.  We played Night Fight for turn one and the Orks didn't sieze the initiative allowing the Iron Warriors to move and shoot first.  The Land Raider and Predator both use their smoke launchers.

The Vindicator Predator and marine squad all open up on the large Shoota Boyz squad providing cover for the Lootaz.

One the Orks turn 1 not much happened other than their Battle wagon moving up into the middle of the battlefield.

Both Dreadclaw Assault pods landed for the Iron Warriors.  The blue pod dropped right next to the Battlewagon and the marine squad inside jumped out and promptly blew it to smithereens with two melta guns.

The other Dreadclaw mishapped and was placed at the corner of the board.  The next turn it would fly off the board and attempt to deepstrike again.

The terminators had disembarked and prepared to charge.

Meanwhile on the left flank of the Iron Warriors, the Orks get shot up by the Predator and the Ogryn Berzerkers (Khorne Spawn) prepare to charge.

On the right flank of the Iron Warriors the Vindicator, Predator and Marine squad fire again, eliminating the Ork Shoota Boyz squad and getting first blood for their trouble.

The Ogryn Berzerkers charge right onto and over the top of the Semi truck and kill only a few Orks.

The terminators valiantly charge into the Ork Nobs led by Grotsnick, but none survive.

The Iron Warriors realize the large Nobz Squad must be stopped before it rips through their lines.  3 Squad disembark and fire alongside another squad and a land raider at the Nobz Squad.

A number of Nobz die, but Grotsnick lives.

On the left flank, the Orks finish off the Ogryn Berzerkers.

The Orks fire on the Predator and destroy it but only after committing both Lootaz squads to do so.

The Iron Warriors finish off Grotsnick and his remaining Nobz, but at what cost?

At this point in the battle points are sorely needed by both sides.  The Iron Warriors are up by a few points but the final turn would prove decisive.

The Iron Warriors move to stop their left flank from collapsing.

A squad of marines rush to make to the Orks' deployment zone for linebreaker but get blown away.

The other Dreadclaw lands and drops off a Dreadnought to try and grab objective 1 but it is unable to grab it.

The game ends after turn 5.


Final Score - 

Orks - 11

Iron Warriors - 8


Epilogue - 

The Warpsmith tried to stop the shipment of tires to Mungus but the Gods of Chaos weren't smiling down on him.

Lord Boroth wasn't pleased.  He had used the Warpsmith to great effect in the past but now on False Hope he had failed many times.

The Warpsmith received a communique that evening from Lord Boroth,

"You will return immediately to my command ship for censure."


The next battle may be the largest fought in quite some time.  Lord Boroth is anxious and decides from here on out, he will lead the Iron Warrior forces on False Hope.



The next battle report will be something special straight from Gen Con!

Heresy Era Iron Warriors

I decided about a year ago to embark on a new adventure.  I will be creating a 30k or 'Heresy Era' Iron Warriors army.

Initially I was not sure which legion or faction to do.  I considered Alpha Legion because i have always found them fascinating and also considered Mechanicum because I have always loved their background.  I have decided I will have some Mechanicum forces simply because they and the Iron Warriors go hand-in-hand.

I finally settled on Iron Warriors because I already have a sizable 40k IW force and the possibility of fielding Perturabo, the IW Primarch on the table was just too much of a temptation.

Last summer my fiance also decided she was going to make a Heresy Era Emperor's Children army and another friend of mine who runs the Eye Of Isha blog has begun work on a Night Lords army so this interest along with a few others in my gaming group showing interest, has given me more impetus to get this project going.

Of course since Perturabo has now been released by Forgeworld my creative juices are really flowing!


Over the past year I have been collecting miniatures to put into my army.  My army will mostly consist of non-Forgeworld components.  I want to use a mix of current GW plastic with old GW plastic and metal.


I have currently collected the following:

- an old Metal and Plastic Whirlwind

- an old Mk I Land Raider which I will use as a Land Raider Proteus

- an old Mk I Rhino

- a second-Ed metal and plastic Vindicator

- an old Mk I Predator

- A Contemptor Dreadnought from Forgeworld

- 4 Plastic Dreadnoughts

- 30 or 40 various plastic marines from old Rogue Trader-Era Beakies to new Sternguard plastics

- Narik Dreygur, the Consul-Praevian Forgeworld event-only mini

- Archmagos Draykavac of the Mechanicum

- Forgeworld event-only Navigator miniature

- 4 Autocannon-wielding Mk 3 Armour resin Space Marines from Forgeworld

- 3 Plastic 3rd Edition-era Land Speeders

- the 2 red Forgeworld Horus Heresy rule books


My plans for new purchases:

- Buy Perturabo

- I want a second Narik Dreygur so I can convert one of them into a Praetor.

- 4 packs of various Iron Warrior shoulder pads from Forgeworld

- Buy Horus Heresy book 3 from Forgeworld because it has Relics for the Iron Warriors as well as the Mechanicum Taghmata Army list and scenarios.

- Buy Horus Heresy book 5 from Forgeworld because it has Imperial Cults army list.  I would like to have a human army possibly to go along with my Iron Warriors and Mechanicum.

- Buy at least one more Mk I Predator so I can field a Squadron

- Buy at least one more Mk I Land Raider or a current plastic Land Raider to rep a 'Phobos' pattern

- Buy a Shadowsword to use as Perturabo's special transport (its part of his special rules)

- Buy a Typhon heavy siege tank

- Buy some different arm options for the Contemptor Dreadnought.  ( I bought it used and it came with 2 multi-meltas, which is not really an ideal loadout.)



Coming up in less than a month is Gen Con and Forgeworld will be there.  I would like to buy a lot of the items listed above at Gen Con but money is a serious issue this year so I will probably end up just getting Perturabo and some shoulder pads.



I will continue to update this blog with my progress into 30k.

Until next time....

Summer of 2015 Podcast Roundup

Well over the years Podcasts have come and gone.

Some of my favorites are now sadly finished.  I used to love 40k Radio but its just not the same as it was when the original hosts were on it.  I also used to listen to World's End Radio, Turn 8, Deepstrike Radio and Second Founding and now they are all done.

Also it is sad news that two podcasts which have been long time pillars of the 40k podcast community and ones I love listening to are closing their doors: 11th Company and Independent Characters.

I've updated my list of Podcasts on the right side of my blog to include the new ones I am listing here.  I am also keeping the links to 11th Company and the Independent Characters because maybe, just maybe they will return one day. The Independent Characters will continue to have their forums active for the forseeable future so that is encouraging.

Anyways onto the new podcasts I have added to my Podcast roll call:

After Ullanor (30k)
This podcast is like a book club.  The hosts are reviewing each Black Library Horus Heresy book in order.  Each book usually takes up 2 or 3 podcasts to discuss.  It is really fantastic to listen to these guys go over each book chapter by chapter to discuss the story.

Its great for someone who is reading along with them so that you get analysis of the books you are reading.  I think it adds more depth of understanding to these novels.

Its also great for someone who has never read the books and is not sure if they ever will.  Its a great quick way to get the story of the Heresy without having to read the novels.

The Imperial Truth (30k)
This is another 30k podcast but they focus more on gaming and hobby aspect of playing games in the 31st Millenium.

Very fun podcast to listen to.  I would encourage any Heresy Era gamer to listen to this one, After Ullanor and the following podcast.

Eye Of Horus Podcast (30k)
The Eye of Horus podcast is based in Australia and unlike the previous two I've listed above is definitely not kid-friendly.  This podcast contains adult themes and words just as a warning.

I have to say, however that this is currently the podcast I am most addicted to.  They release EVERY WEEK, which is kind of ridiculous but also great as there is always new content to listen to.  They are also very entertaining and quite funny.

They currently have a few episodes out dedicated to specific factions such as the Mechanicum and Imperial Cults.  These episodes are fantastic for someone trying to figure out where the rules are for these factions and then also how to build armies for them

Their Fluff/WAAC section of the podcast is great because they take listener submitted army lists and critique them and rate them on a Fluff scale and a WAAC scale.

Also the Eye Of Horus has a very active Facebook page where they are constantly adding listener pictures and its worth a look.

I can't say how much this podcast has enthused me about 30k its just a great listen.

The Imperial Voxcast (40k)
This is a long-running 40k podcast hosted by Bill and Dawson which is focused somewhat on competitive 40k but not to the point where its condescending like the 11th Company sometimes felt.

The 11th Company always tried to be 'fair and balanced' but came off as WAAC gamers on occasion even though I know they weren't and they were always god at explaining their point of view which really helped me understand where they were coming from and gave me new respect for tournament-goers.

The Imperial Voxcast is kind of an 11th company 'light' but still very informative and entertaining.  I believe it is currently manned by just two guys who definitely know what they are talking about.

If you are interested in current 40k news and developments as well as codex reviews you could do a lot worse than the Imperial Voxcast.

Preferred Enemies Podcast (40k)
Preferred Enemies is another more competitive-focused podcast with current event news and codex reviews along with Tournament talk and hobby info.

Preferred Enemies is another fairly long-running podcast that when you want to know about that new hot codex they are sure to have a full review along with competitive list-building tips.

Very easy to listen to podcast and I recommend it.

NGC 40k Podcast
The Narrative Gaming Club 40k Podcast is basically a podcast featuring members a group who have decided to go 'all-in' with 'narrative gaming' as opposed to 'tournament' or 'competitive' gaming.

They have chosen to focus on modeling and story-telling as the basis for their 40k hobby experience.

This is a brand new podcast which just released its first episode last week.  While it is still trying to find its way as a podcast the first episode is quite good for a first attempt and the host, Peter, seems to be perfect for the job.

The first episode starts with an introduction to the two main contributors to the podcast, Peter and Mark.

I must give full disclosure here as I am a good friend with Mark and so I listened to this podcast because of him.  That being said, I still found this first episode to be quite engaging.  I listened to the whole thing in one sitting and I enjoyed every bit of it.

Peter then goes on to talk about the hobby segment of the episode which is focused on the Imperial Knights he is working on.  He mentions that you can look at pictures of the Knight in the Hobby Spotlight section of the web page, which is a little confusing.  The Hobby Spotlight section is in their forums.  To access the section you must click on 'NGC40K Forum' and then enter the forums to find the Hobby Spotlight to view the pics of his Knights.  It took me a little while to find that.

Also in the podcast they talk about Peter's Apocluck Apocalypse Campaign.  It basically a way for people in the group to play with all of their big toys, like an Eldar Phantom titan, on a regular basis.

I actually played in one of these Apocalypse games and I have to say I was impressed by it.  We got through I think 6 turns in one afternoon and I never felt like I was being rushed even though we had timed turns.

The only part of the episode I thought was a bit out of place was the 'Bolter Porn' section.  I enjoyed the discussion much more than the sounds of bolter fire.

I believe in the future they will discuss more campaigns they have run as well as individual games which had a strong story element to them and I am looking forward to that.

Overall it was a great first outing and hopefully many more episodes will follow.


Well that's it for my Podcast roundup.

Next blog post I will be discussing 30k Iron Warriors.

False Hope Campaign - Iron Warriors, Night Lords and Noise Marines Vs Space Marines and Sisters of Battle

Prologue - 

As the Warpsmith continues his fight against the Imperials to the south, Sorceror Melkor is investigating a rumor to the north.

A Night Lords scouting party had spotted what they believed to be a Cerastus Knight along with a company of Sisters of Battle taking up position on a river crossing to defend one of the entrances to one of the largest cities on False hope.

Melkor has been tasked by Lord Boroth to see if these rumors are true.  If a Knight Household along with a whole company of Sisters has arrived on False hope, than perhaps a full scale assault by the Might of the Iron Warriors' Grand Company will be required.

Lord Boroth send Melkor to find out the truth of things.


Campaign Info -

On the Planet of False Hope the Imperial held hex B4 is being assaulted by Chaos from hex B9.

The mission is Maelstrom.  Each side has one deck of cards and you start with 4 cards and draw up to 4 cards each turn.

4,500 points per side.


Battle Report - 

 The Deployment as seen from the Chaos side.

 AJ was able to use his Cerastus Knight for the first time.

Turn one the Imperials go first.  After infiltrating Scouts, a drop pod of the Dragon Lords Space Marine Chapter descends from the heavens and lands right in front of a Lesser Brass Scorpion (the rules being used were for a Decimator).

The Sisters of Battle begin their advance towards the Chaos Marines through the forest just outside of town.

Tigerius casts Prescience and Perfect timing twin-linking and making the weapons of the Centurions ignore cover.

The Centurions then proceed to eliminate the vast majority of the Noise Marine squad in the building.

The Blue Scribes, which is hanging out with a unit of Pink Horrrors inside a ruins summons a squad of Fleshhounds.  The Lesser Brass Scorpion moves to assault the drop pod.

The Brass Scorpion is unsuccessful in destroying the drop pod and the hounds get charged by the Imperial Knight.

Two Sisters of Battle Dominion Squads loaded up with 4 Melta guns in Immolaters with twin-linked Multi-meltas arrive from outflank and proceed to eliminate two Iron Warriors Rhinos, forcing the Iron Warriors to respond.

A Chaos Heldrake flies on and roasts some Space Marines hiding in the ruins next to the drop pod.

The Imperial Knight gets stuck in combat with the flesh hounds for another turn and a Blood Thirster is summoned in the ruins.

Meanwhile in the forest outside of the city, three Obliterators teleport in behind an Exorcist hoping to eliminate it with melta.  The gods of Chaos were not kind on this day and they failed to do much to the Sisters of Battle tank.

After killing a dominion squad and one of the Immolators, Saint Celestine and a squad of Seraphim deepstrike in to wreck more havoc behind the Chaos lines.

A squad of Landspeeders also arrive from reserve and shoot the Obliterators off the table.

The Cerastus Knight assault the Blood Thirster and they duel it out inside the ruins.

A Squad of Night Lords moves to attack a lone Sisters Of Battle unit out on a flank.

In the center of the battle right on top of the main bridge, a Dreadclaw assault pod arrives.

 The Cerastus Knight finishes off the Blood Thirster after several rounds of mostly ineffective combat.

The Dreadclaw assault pod is destroyed and everyone is killed save for the Chaos Lord Neil.

The battle is looking bleak, but there is one hope for the forces of Chaos.

Sorceror Melkor plays one final gambit to try and wrestle victory from the jaws of defeat.

He charges into combat with Saint Celestine and challengers her to a duel to the death.

He has been seriously wounded but hopes his Mark of Tzeentch will protect him from the Sait's deadly sword.

She swings and wounds him once, but it is enough.  The blade penetrates a weak spot in his armour and he slumps to the ground.

The Imperials have won this fight. 14 to 6 is the final tally.

Epilogue - 

After being hauled from the battlefield by a few Iron Warriors marines, Melkor eventually recovers from his wounds and swears vengeance against Saint Celestine.