Renegads and Heretics vs Orks 1875: Metal Waaagh!

As part of our narrative campaign finally the orks attack the Renegades of Ferrograd, as currently they have been busy fighting against the Elysian D-99 veterans. This is a 1875 point game using a mealstrom of war mission. Will the dread mob of the orks triumph over the forces of chaos?

The Armies

Forces of Chaos: 1875

Renegades and Heretics: Combined arms detachment

Renegade Command – 85 (warlord:

covenent of nurgle, reaver, melta bomb

Chimera – 70

militia training, autocannon

10 Veterans – 120

2x melta guns, grenadiers

40 plague zombies – 120

Valkyrie – 135

multi-laser, missile pods, militia training

Leman Russ Battle tank – 150

militia training

Leman Russ Battle Tank – 150

militia training

Leman Russ Demolisher – 170

militia training

Renegades and Heretics: Combined arms detachment

Rogue psyker – 35

Platoon

Command – 85

20 men, militia training, sigil, krack grenades

Infantry squad – 95

20 men, militia training, sigil, krack grenades, 2x flamer

Infantry squad – 60

10 men, 2x melta gun, militia training

Chimera – 70

militia training, autocannon

10 Mutants – 30

horns and claws

Support squad – 80

3x lascannon, militia training

Chaos Daemons: Allied detachment

Herald of Nurgle – 95

level 1, locus of fecundity [smite, iron arm]

10 Plaguebearers – 90

10 Plaguebearers – 90

Soul grinder – 150 (proxied by a defiler)

daemon of nurgle

The Ork Horde

Orks: Combined arms detachment

Warboss (warlord: Brutal but Kunning)

Mega armour, lucky stick

15 gretchin

15 gretchin

Dakka Jet

extra shoota, fly boss

Dakka Jet

extra shoota, fly boss

Dreadmob Formation

Big Mek

big choppa, eavy armour

Paintboy

3 Killer kans

Big shoota

3 Killer Kans

Grotzooka

3 Killer Kans

Skorcha

Deff Dread

2x rokkit

Deff Dread

2x rokkit

Deff Dread

extra hand weapon, skorcha

Morkanaught

kustom force field

Gorkanaught

The Mission

Rolling for the mission we get Tactical Escalation, so each turn we draw up to the turn number in cards. According to the book we have hammer and anvil deployment so we just went with that instead of rolling for it. We place the 6 objectives around the table. Rolling for deployment zones I win the roll and select to set up and go first.

The objectives from my perspective: At the edge of my deployment zone on the left, just out side my deployment on the right, one in the middle, another in the middle behind sand bags and the last two in the ork deployment zone behind either ruin.

As I have a lot of models I have little choice than to put my models in a line. The soulgrinder anchors the left flank, supported by one of the 20 man infantry units and the chimera with melta unit. Behind then I place a battle tank as it has quite a good line of sight. In the centre I place the commander in his chimera. To the right of this I place the zombies to hold up the biggest threat, and the other unit of infantry hold the right flank. At the back of the right the mutants guard both the demolisher and other battle tank and the psyker hangs around here as well. There is a small ruin behind the zombies so I place the heavy weapons there for some cover and reasonable line of sight. I keep the Valkyrie with veterans in reserve, along with the plaguebearers who will deep strike in later.

The orks spread their armour along the whole line. The far right flank is held by the unit of kans with bigshootas supported by the deff dread with extra hand weapon. In the centre the Gorkanaught and deff dread take up most of the space. The left flank is held by the morkanaught, kans with skorchas and a deff dread. The last deff dread is hiding in the ruins in the middle left. Both units of gretchin are holding objectives towards the back of his deployment zone. Both dakka jets are held in reserve. His warboss and painboy are in the morkanaught while the bigmek is inside the gorkanaught.

Night Fight: turn 1

Steal the initiative: No

The Battle

Renegades Turn 1

As all of my infantry are rather close range, I move up with everything with legs. I try to move the battle tank on the left over terrain but it gets immobilised on a ruined aquila, damn the Imperium! The chimera with melta gun in moves up ready to unload melta shots next turn. On the right the demolisher moves up a little to be able to shoot at the killer kans.

Straight to the shooting phase and I run the infantry up, except the zombie who are slow and purposeful. The lascannons target the gorkanaught and get a single penetrating hit but the cover of night protects the walker. A roar goes off as the demolisher fires its cannon but the shot scatters and hits nothing. On the left the battle tank targets the deff dread it can see but the shot scatters and hits the deff dead in ruins, shaking it. The other battle tank targets the killer kans the demolisher missed and wrecks 1 and kills off 2 grots. Autocannon fire from the chimeras do nothing.

Score: Objective 2

Renegades: 1 – Orks: 0

Orks turn 1

Stomping forwards the metal wall of death moves ever closer, all of the walkers advance. The gretchin stay in place to hold the objectives.

On the left the rokkit kans target the chimera but thankfully they do no damage. Both deff dreads shoot at the transport as well but most of the shots miss save for 1, which I get lucky and save with stealth thanks to night fight. Next all of the many and varied shots from the morkanaught shoots at the chimera, but the mega cannon scatters wide, the blaster misses but its rokkits manage to shake the tank (thankfully the passengers pass their test). Grotzookas fire into the zombies and get 18 hits! Shredding 13 of them with ease. The gorkanaught adds its weight of fire into the zombies but only kills another 5. On the left the kans with skorchas run towards my lines.

Assault phase and the closest deffdread can make a change if it rolls about a 10, and he makes it! The walker wrecks the transport with ease, gaining first blood.

Score: First blood

Renegades: 1 – Orks: 1

Renegades turn 2

Deep striking in, the unit of plague bearers without herald appear behind the ork lines, they scatter a little but still end up behind the gretchin on the right. With their chimera wrecked, the infantry squad with melta guns move though the wreckage towards the walker that did it, ready to get revenge. Everyone else moves up ready to charge.

Melta guns ready, the infantry shoot at the deff dread, and with a lucky hit, explode the walker where it stands as it revels in the destruction it has wrought. On the right the demolisher targets another deff dread, but the shot scatters a little, clipping the dread still stunning it, and wrecking a killer kan. Not letting the kans regroup from their loss, the heavy weapons target them and explode on1 and glance another. Battle tanks fire now, targeting the deff dread with rokkits (on the left) and shake it, the second tank does nothing.

Assault phase and the plague zombies weather the overwatch from the gorkanaught but fail to make the charge. On the left the infantry charge into the shaken deff dread and with their krack grenades wreck it before it can even attack them.

Score: Nothing

Renegades : 1 – Orks: 1

Orks turn 2

The Warboss calls a WAAAAGH! A single dakka jet comes in from reserve straight for the infantry on the left. Both units of gretchin move to target the plague bearers. All the walkers move closer to me, while the big mek gets out to repair a kan.

Working away the big mek manages to restore a hull point on the damaged killer kan. Shots from the grots only brings down a single plaguebearers. The kans on the right run towards the demolisher while the morkanaught runs as well. Shooting from the dakka jet guns down 8 of the infantry and the gorkanaught kills just as many zombies.

Assault phase and the gorkanaught charges into the zombies aided by a killer kan. Some how only 2 zombies die though, which is rather good for me. On the left the kans charge into the infantry and kill them all, the grenades fail to do anything letting the kans rip them apart. On the right the unit of kans charge the demolisher shaking it twice, leaving it alive on a single hull point. Morkanaught, it attempts to charge into the infantry squad with melta guns, and I get lucky hitting it twice with overwatch. The shots explode the walker forcing the warboss out into the open.

Score: objective 3

Renegades: 1 – Orks: 2

Renegades turn 3

In from reserve the herald and his unit appear, they deep strike in but scatter into a crater but they all live. The Valkyrie flies in towards the dakka jet, and the infantry on the right move to attack the killer kan. Shaken but not stopped, the demolisher backs away from the killer kans.

I attempt to cast smite on the grots next to the herald but he fails, but then manages to cast iron arm. The witch casts creeping terror and perils, taking a wound and become in possessed! Finally.

With the killer kans so close together, a shot from a battle tank hits and manages to wreck 1 of them, and the demolisher snap fires its heavy bolter and wrecks another. The last one is taken down by the chimeras autocannon. On the left battle tank hits the kans wrecking one. Mulit-laser fire from the valkyrie does nothing to the dakka jet. With the warboss on the floor, the melta guns shoot at him and manage to get a single wound on him, the soul grinder attempts to same but does nothing.

On the right the infantry charge into the kan engaged with the zombies, and using their grenades wreck it. The gorkanaught then kills off 6 zombies. On the right the first unit of plague bearers charges into the grots next to them, 1 dies to overwatch then the daemons devastate the unit, they run and the daemons claim the objective. The soul grinder attempts to charge the warboss but fails to roll high enough.

Score: Hold the line

Renegades: 2 – Orks: 2

Orks turn 3

The gretchin keep on running, while the second dakka jet comes in on the right after the possessed witch, the other jet moves to meet it. On the right the remainin deff dread moves to the infantry and the big mek joins it, to fix him.

Again using his fixin tools the mek regains a hull point on the walker. Newly fixed, the dread uses its skorcha on the infantry next to him and burn 4 and clips the possessed reducing it to a single wound. The first jet targets the wounded psyker, its overkill and he gets ripped apart. The second jet then shoots at the heavy weapons team, they go to ground but still 2 die, and the last runs off the table.

Both the big mek and deff dread charge into the infantry but the mek kills them all before the dread is able to do anything. The warboss charges into the zombies to help the gorkanaught and together they kill all of the zombies. On the left the kans charge into the troublesome melta squad and kill 4 of them, as they can't do any damage to the kans they run and escape.

Score: More dakka, overwhelming fire power

Renegades: 2 – Orks: 4

Renegades turn 4

Dropping into hover mode, the valkyrie drops off the veterans next to the gorkanaught. The unit of plague bearers with out herald hold an objective while the other goes after the gretchin. The soul grinder grabs an objective. The running infantry fail to rally.

Psychic phase and the herald once again fails to smite the gretchin, but does cast iron arm.

With both of their melta guns, the veterans some how miss, leaving them stranded and bound to die next turn. Again able to fire its demolisher cannon, it targets the gorkanaught but the shot scatters and kills a veteran with melta gun and stuns the valkyrie. A battle cannon shot targets the big mek but that shot scatters and stuns the gorkanaught. Firing its harvester cannon, the soul grinder wrecks a killer kan.

Assault phase and the grinder charges into the remaining kans, wrecking them with out taking any damage, it also manages to consolidate back to its objective.

Score: Objective 6, objective 4, objective 2

Renegades: 5 – Orks: 4

Orks turn 4

On the right the deff dread grabs the objective in the ruin while the warboss goes after the veterans before they can cause any issues. Both dakka jets go after easy targets.

Shooting from the first jet kills 5 mutants and the other targets the running infantry with melta guns killing them. It can only snap fire but the gorkanaught shoots at the chimera, and does nothing.

Assault and the warboss charges into the veterans, he kills 7 and the last 2 run for it.

Score: Nothing

Renegades: 5 – Orks: 4

Renegades turn 5

Again the heralds unit gets closer to the grots and this time the soul grinder moves to aid them.

Finally the herald casts smite and it actually kills off 2 of the grots. But I fail to cast iron arm.

Getting desperate, the immobilised russ targets the warboss but can't get past its armour save. The other targets the gorkanaught but that shot scatters right on top of the big mek and instantly kills him. The final blast comes from the demolisher targeting the gorkanaught and it stuns it.

The herald and friends attempt to charge the gretchin in cover but snake eyes means they fail.

Score: objective 6

Renegades: 6 – Orks: 4

Orks turn 5

Both dakka jets focus on the my warlords chimera and the warboss moves to the still stunned flier.

As a long shot the gorkanaught shoots at the chimera and wreck it, getting enough 6's to hit. The first dakka jet kills off the command squad while the other then finishes off the running veterans.

Assault and the warboss charges the flier while its still in reach and explodes it.

Score: Slay the warlord, king slayer (3), objective 2, big game hunter, supremacy (3)

Renegades: 6 – Orks: 11

That was a devastating turn, and I pray that it goes on...

Renegades turn 6

Both the soul grinder and herald ensure they can charge the grots this turn. The other unit just holds the objective.

I cast iron arm.

I need to kill the gorkanaught this turn, but the demolisher cannon blows a weapon off it, while the battle cannon shakes it leaving it on a single hull point. The other battle cannon again shoots at the warboss but does nothing.

Assault phase and the soul grinder and daemons charge into the gretchin, killing every last one and claiming objective 3.

Score: objective 3, objective 3, objective 3

Renegades: 9 – Orks: 11

Orks turn 6

Both dakka jets fly off the table, the warboss goes after the immobilised tank.

Shooting from the gorkanaught kills 3 mutants leaving it up to the deff dread on the right to kill them off.

Assault phase and the warboss charges into the battle tank, wrecking it with ease.

Score: objective 1, objective 5, blood and guts

Renegades: 9 – Orks: 14

Again we roll and the game ends

Renegades: 10 – Orks: 15 (line breaker to both)

Victory to the orks!

Post-Battle

The battle started very well but just deteriorated as the game went on. All of my renegade infantry dies, that's to be expected and the daemons lived which was nice. I misplayed the soul grinder this game, he should have chased down the warboss with him, as it would only have taken a single wound to finish him off. This might have made a bit more of a difference in the game, plus the grinder could probably go toe to toe with the other walkers and live. Next time he will be in the middle of the table instead of on a flank.

I am not sure if the two 10 man units or one unit of 20 would be better for this list. Two units deep striking means i'm more likely to at least get a unit in turn 2, but they don't have as much staying power. However if I have a unit of 20, they will likely have to walk most of the time otherwise it will be difficult to deep strike a unit of 20. plus as they can't run being slow and purposeful, a unit of 20 in base to base is a nice target for a blast. I guess it depends what I am fighting as to if they deep strike in.

I am starting to be a bit happier with this list now that I have added in a few daemon units for some staying power, as the models I have for a pure renegades force, isn't great at the moment. But I think I might have to drop the valkyrie, as it doesn't do much, its just a fancy transport.

What do you guys think about the list?