Here's hoping it all works out. Smile I'll probably say if certain things don't work or are difficult to work into the story, my only slight concern is for that the imperial force might get overrun too quickly and only be able to play a few missions.
NARRATIVE: The Backstory.
This story begins with an ambitious archon, Khirareq of The Destroyers. Her kabal's recent raids against the Tau empire have been met with heavy resistance, as the upstart young race has begun to consolidate its worlds on the fringes of the galactic east. Heavy fortifications and tightly bound defences have taken their toll on the raiding parties. Whilst the devastation and suffering inflicted upon the Tau has been considerable it has not been enough to counterbalance the losses the elder have taken, or the woeful intake of slaves in their recent raids.
Potential challengers for Khirareq's title have started to gather within the kabal, the atmosphere is tense inside the fortress and the ever prevalent assassination attempts have increased in frequency, their instigators being swiftly added to the gruesome collection of statues at the foot of the archon's throne. The recent events have drawn many eyes from beyond the spire's walls, old rivals and cunning archons from the lower tiers circle like vultures, paying close attention to Khirareq waiting for her control to slip.
Aware of the many eyes fixed upon her, Khirareq decided to enact a rash gambit, summoning her chief Haemonculus she used the twisted and ancient creature's blasphemous knowledge to engineer a scheme. A plan to bring down an Imperial Hive world, enslave much of its noble houses and thus reassert her grip on the Kabal...
Battle 1: Narrative
With her already weakened kabal there was no chance that Khirareq could lay waste to a hive world, a direct assault would be a moronic and feeble attempt at best and downright suicidal at worst. However with the massive density of the population diseases were already common-place and spread rapidly throughout the lower tiers of the cities. Though the main focus would be the planet's primary hive (Sakry), there was no reason not to inflict as much unnecessary terror and suffering on the lesser race as they desired.
Consulting her chief Haemonculus for some virus or toxin to unleash on the human cattle of the world, Khirareq learns of the Curse of Unbelief and the devastation wrought on Imperial worlds by it. Here was the weapon for her plans, a virulent plague that would sow agony and fear throughout the population. As friends and family would rise from their graves to fight the living, a perfect distraction to weaken the defences and break the resolve of those left alive. After all, why should any of the true heirs of the Eldar race fear to use even the weapons of gods for their desires?
Khirareq then tasks the haemonculus with retrieving as many samples of the plague as possible...
Battle 1: BattleSo this is based on what used to be an Imperial world overrun by the zombie plague (Curse of Unbelief). I stole a fair few ideas from the old DE slave capturing mission, if you were wondering.
DE must steal as many of the 5 objectives as they can and then escape with them. Chaos have to kill as many DE as they can to stop the escaping. DE all arrive on turn one from a 12" strip on a random board edge, chaos start with a small presence with other units in reserve to arrive as the game continues. Once carrying an objective a unit's speed is not limited but the DE must exit through the point they came on from. Each sample will increase the affliction on the Imperial world, so incentive to grab as much as possible
Goal: Sample collecting.
1. Zombies infestation happens
2. Additional Zombie squads
3. Zombie units have the endless horde rule
4. Additional Zombie squads
5. Vile savants and Daemonic invasion
Points:
DE 1000pts ish
Chaos 1250pts
Army lists:
DE
HQ: Hammy Ancient Liq DG vb 120
Elite: Grot x4 Ab liq 160
Raider (dis) 60
Troops: Warriors x10 SC 100
Raider (dis) FF SR 70
Warriors x10 SC 100
Raider (dis) SR FF 70
Fast Attack: Reavers x3 CC 86
Reavers x3 CC 86
Scourges x5 SCx2 130
Chaos:
On Table: Plague Zombies x30 130
Plague Zombies x10 50
Plague Zombies x10 50
Plague Zombies x10 50
Plague Marines x8 Plasma 207
Reserves:
HQ: Chaos Lord MoN 80
Elites: Terminator x3 Reaper Autocannon 120
Fast Attack: Blightdrones x3 126
Blightdrones x3 126
Hvy Support: Land Raider Achilles 300
Deployment: The Chaos deploy 30 zombies to hold objectives 1 and 4, The plague marines stand in the top left corner from where the rest of the chaos reserves would be arriving and each squad of 10 zombies holds 2,3,5. Weird blue bit bit (bottom centre) DE Webway gate.
- Turn 1:
The DE emerge from the webway gate. All vehicles move up towards objective 2 and the Haemonculus and Grotesques disembark towards the undead guarding it. The scourges move forward through the ruins and the reavers angle for bladevane attacks on the larger zombie squad holding objective 1.
The Haemonculus and Grotesques open fire with their liquefiers, 11 hits between them, but only killing 3 zombies. The warrior squads then cut down the remaining undead with a hail of splinter rifle shots and the raiders open fire on the zombies guarding objective 3 but the shot are simply strike the puss-filled decaying trees which burst in a shower of ichor. The both reaver groups bladevane through the central zombies, killing 6 between them but have to swerve wildly to avoid careering into the large ruined hab buildings leaving themselves dangerously expose to the undead's charge should they choose to lumber after the bikes! The scourges open fire but only manage to mow down a further 4 of the shambling horde in the ruins, but the zombies seem to barely register the loss of their fellows.
The Chaos army begins to mobilize, the plague marines abandon their objective to head towards the Eldar force to try and take down some of the raiders, the central zombie horde turns and climbs through the ruins towards the isolated reavers and the unit guarding objective 5 also abandon the objective and come round the corner to charge the second group of reavers.
The Plague marines run forward into range of the DE hoping to do some damage before the disintegrators can cut them down. The large zombie group then charges the first reaver squad whilst the 10 man group engages the second. The reavers only kill one zombie from the last squad and 2 from the smaller unit before 4 of their number are dragged down by the swarming horde. The remaining reaver from each unit fails the morale test and fly at full speed back towards the portal, the large zombie horde consolidate back towards objective 1 but remain out of cover and whilst the second squad retreat back to objective 5.
- Turn 2:
Both the reavers manage to regroup and try to put as much distance between them and the undead horde as possible. A raider heads to objective 2 and the warriors disembark to seize the objective, whilst the second raider deposits its passengers on objective 1 and along with the Grotesques' raider angle for some shooting into the plague marines. The Grotesques and Haemonculus head towards objective 1, preparing to assist the warriors against the inevitable zombie charge. The scourges take to the sky and fly over the hab building to catch the zombies in the crossfire between them and the warriors whilst there is no cover for them.
The warriors holding objective 1 and the scourges poor all the fire power they can into the zombies but much of the damage inflicted the creatures shrug off not even seeming to noticing the potent mix of hypertoxins being driven into their frames, only 7 fall to the fire power from the squads. The warriors on objective 2 and their raider fire into the zombies on objective 3 but once again the puss-filled trees absorb most of the shots and only 3 zombies fall. The raiders open fire on the plague marines and bring 2 down.
The Plague marines continue their advance and the central zombie unit advance on the warriors holding objective 1.
The marines open fire one of the raiders but only manage to glance it twice as the flicker field deflects a penetrating hit from the plasma gun.
The zombies charge through the ruins onto the warriors none fall to the frantic snapshotting of the warriors and when they come to close quarters the warriors fair little better only bringing down 1 zombie for the 6 of their fellows dragged down but the undead. miraculously they hold their ground and opt to fight on.
- Turn 3:
The scourges, Haemonculus and grotesques moved to support the warriors in the combat. Whilst one of the reavers headed around the steal objective 4 where it had been let exposed, the other reaver set herself up for a suicidal bladevane run on the zombies holding objective 5, hoping to buy the other some time to escape with the objective. The warriors re-embarked with objective 2 and moved towards the webway portal, preparing to make their escape.
The raiders all opened fire into the Plague marines cutting down all but two of them, whilst the warriors fired into the zombies on objective 3 bringing that unit down to 5. The reaver then bladevaned through the zombie squad on objective 5 and managed to kill 4 of them.
The scourges, grotesques and Haemonculus charged in to aid the warriors in the combat, and finally managed to crush the undead under the weight of their attacks, suffering only 1 wound to a grotesque, in return. The warriors joined by the Haemonculus (taking one paintoken) then seized the object and began to head towards the portal, to scourges also began their retreat and the Haemonculus set the grotesques lose to charge down the remaining plague marines.
Rolling for reserves the Land raider Achilles arrived along with a single unit of blight drones. Both moved up to drive off the dark eldar raiders.
The land raider proceeded to open fire on the 2 central raiders wrecking one and glancing the other and used it’s machine spirit to put a wound on the Grotesque aberration. The plague marines opened fire hoping to bring down the grotesques bearing down on them but failed to harm the monstrosities.
The 4 remaining zombies on objective 5 charged the reaver who failed to defend to even harm them before the dragged the bike down and tore the rider to shreds, managing to roll 4 6’s to wound.
]
- Turn 4:
The Haemonculus decides that he has all the samples required and decides to leave before the chaos retaliation that is no doubt on its way and order the withdraw of his forces. He and the warriors slowly begin to pick their way towards the portal through the ruined buildings. The scourges also fall back but managed to fail 2 dangerous terrain tests and lose 2 of their number. The squad of warriors with their objective put the engines on full blast and fly back through the portal, with the remaining reaver close on their tail, both no doubt looking to report their success to the archon. 2 Objective captured! The grotesques unable to think for themselves doggedly continues with their masters last order and advance on the plague marines.
The remaining raider opens fire on the zombies on objective 3 killing all but 1 of the squad, the scourges, Haemonculus and warriors run towards the portal. The grotesques use the liquefier gun on the Plague marines, managing to get ap3 but the plague marines don't seem to care as another layer of ichor is added to their already encrusted armour.
Unperturbed by this, or perhaps just to stupid to care, the grotesques carge into the remaining marines and tear them limb from limb, earning their 3 pain token.
For chaos reserves both the plague hulk and the second squad of Blight Drones arrive, the Plague hulk deepstrikes next to the grotesques and the Blight Drones attempt to cut off the Haemonculus by arriving next to the raider, however they scatter badly and end up back in on-going reserves. The first unit to blight drones move up to engage the Grotesques and the Achilles also moves up.
The Plague hulk lets lose its rot cannon on the grotesques drenching them in its foul blast, but only managing to do 1 wound, not statisfied the vile machine belches forth a torrent of rancid vomit, but the grotesques remain unscathed. The Achilles unleashes its fire power into the remaining raider wrecking it and removing any chance of the Haemonculus retrieving his beautiful creations.
The Blight Drones Glide forward to engage to grotesques, and the grotesques leap upon the leading drone and tear in to pieces in their drug and suffering induced rage, the Drones retaliate with vigor and one of the grotesques falls to their onslaught. Each side dealing 3 wounds and tying the combat.
- Turn 5:
The Haemonculus watches fondly as his monsterous creations engage with the daemons, before turning and stepping through the portal with this warrior escort and the precious plague sample. The scourges also fly through the portal abandoning the grotesques to die.
The grotesques unaware that they had been abandoned continue to fight on dealing a wound to the drone and not taking any in return, the daemons held there ground and continued to fight.
The remainder of the chaos forces arrived to late to catch the DE as they fled through the portal and the plague hulk moved in to crush the grotesques with its iron claw. The grotesques fought on as any drug pumped creature managing to kill the 2 remaining drones before being torn apart by the plague hulk.
- TL;DR:
Grotesques sent on rampage/sucide charge while Dark Eldar escape with 3 of the 5 objectives.
4a. Please refrain from double posting. You may "bump" a post every 48hrs if you feel you are not getting responses. Double posts in project logs are acceptable. /Your friendly mod Vas
Subject: Narrative Campaign 
Fri Apr 11 2014, 22:00
