Prologue -
The Iron Warriors have lost a number of battles on False Hope. After the initial success of stealing the Geneseed from the Marines Errant they have met with mostly defeats.
Having had enough losses Lord Boroth, overall commander of the Iron Warriors has called in aid in the form of the Death Guard and Night Lords and has decided to personally lead the next assault.
Campaign Info -
Joe (Space Wolves), Christine(Sisters of Battle) and Wolfman(Space Wolves) on the Imperial side each with 1500 points against Me(Iron Warriors), Seti(Night Lords) and Dacio(Death Guard) each with 1500 points as well.
We fought in B22(Chaos) and B14(Imperial).
Mission -
We played a standard Maelstrom mission, one deck of cards per side, draw four cards per turn and you can discard one. Also before the game starts remove 6 cards from the deck. Standard Secondary Objectives apply.
Deployment -
This is after the movement phase on turn 1.
(I forgot to take a pic at deployment.)
The Chaos side won the roll of for first turn and decided to go first. Joe wanted night fight and we rolled for it and we won so no night fight.
Everything thus far was going according to plan.
Because of the Drop Pod Assault rule, my dreadclaw dropped in and hit on turn 1. Chosen disembarked and prepared to fire 3 meltaguns into the side of the vindicator.
The Death Guard moved forward and popped smoke. The Night Lords and the Iron Warriors took pot shots at the Imperial Forces doing little damage.
The Space Wolf Bikers, Terminators, and Dreadnoughts on the Chaos left flank all advanced.
The Chosen squad fired and took off one hull point and the Storm Bolter, not quite what I'd had in mind.
The Sister of Battle disembark and fire at the Chosen, eliminating them. The Vindicator fires and blows up the Dreadclaw.
The Space Wolves concentrate fire and with the Sisters' Exorcist help, destroy the Nurgle Landraider.
Lord Anus disembarks and is not pleased.
The Iron Warriors left flank rearranges to make sure the Predator doesn't get assaulted by the Space Wolf bikes.
Lord Boroth and his terminators deepstrike in. They had a mishap, however, and were placed waaay in the back of the board. They would take the rest of the game to get back into the fight.
On the Chaos right flank the Death Guard move forward to take an objective whilst Lord Anus and his terminator squad advances forward into the teeth of the Space Wolf guns.
The Bikers and 2 Dreadnoughts line up an assault into a Death Guard squad on the left flank.
The Sisters of Battle Dominion Squads outflank and attack the right of the Chaos lines
Lord Anus after being shot at by most of the Imperial forces is left alone with one wound remaining.
After shooting the Death Guard squad has been whittled down significantly.
The Imperials disembark and prepare to attack the Death Guard holding the objective.
After the assault only one Plague Marine is left standing.
As a counter-punch, an Iron Warriors Marine squad moves forward and jumps out of their rhino to hammer the Dominion squad with bolter and plasma fire.
The Plague Marines charge into a Sisters Squad and kill several of their number.
After winning combat and chasing them down the Plague Marines regroup in the crater holding the objective once again.
After killing the final Plague Marine the bikes and Dreadnoughts move on to their next target.
Logan Grimnar and company disembark from the Landraider and prepare to kill Lord Anus one way or another.
After annihilating the Plague Marine Squad and destroying Night Lords rhino the Space Wolves prepare to finish off the last Plague Marine.
Almost all of the Chaos vehicles have been destroyed and things begin to look grim.
The Iron Warriors move up to take an objective marker. The Night Lords Lord deep strikes in with a squad of terminators to take back the left flank.
One of the Night Lords marine squads charges into the bikes and Dreadnought.
Meanwhile on the right flank of Chaos the Plague Marines are getting whittled down and the Imperials look to take back the objective.
The Sisters rhino moves in to flame the terminators.
Logan Grimnar and company move in and the Night Lords respond by moving a Marine Squad up to challenge them.
The Night Lord Terminator Squad is almost completely wiped out by shooting.
With the last Plague Marine eliminated the Sisters and Space Wolves move in to claim the objective.
Logan Grimnar and the Night Lords' Champion duel to death while the squads fight a brutal melee round.
When the smoke clears, no Night Lords remain.
At this point the Space Wolves with their Sororitas allies have pulled ahead in points but there is one last gambit that can be played. If Lord Boroth and his terminators can make a long charge through the wrecked vehicles, and Boroth kills Grimnar in a duel, the forces of Chaos might yet prevail.
Unfortunately the distance proved too great and the charge failed. Chaos lost the battle.
Outcome and Analysis -
The Imperials won the battle by only 3 or 4 points. Just like my previous game against the orks Maelstrom screwed me in the last turn.
Against the orks in the previous game, on turn 5 the orks scored 5 points. Before that we were either tied or I was ahead by 1 or 2 points. On turn 5 he had a great draw and I had a horrible one.
The same thing happened in this game it was close the entire game until they drew good cards at the end and we did not.
I don't feel that Maelstrom is particularly fair anymore. I have given it a chance the last year, and I have seen many lopsided games and some close ones. After this string of disappointments I feel like I want to try something new as far as missions go.
Epilogue -
Lord Boroth had come to the battle himself to stop the forces of the False Emperor and he too had failed. He would not take this loss easily and vowed to have his revenge.
The teleporter would be looked at and the technician who operated it eliminated. Such technology could usually be counted on but at times it could be unpredictable and at those times the balance of a battle could swing because of it.
Lord Boroth was getting worried because the Chaos Command Post was now threatened on False Hope and would soon be under siege by the Imperials. Now was the time to dig ones heels in and not give one step back.
Perhaps the next battle would be the turning point in this war. Only time will tell....
