Glorious Rebellion!

During what came to be known by the Hinterlands Insurgency; Imperial planet Stuke, of the Scargill sub sector became plagued by civil unrest and disorder. The entire Scargill system was beset by attacks by several invading forces that sought to destroy the forces of humanity in the area. Drukhari, Necrons, Orks, Death Guard and World Eaters all tried to plunder the wealth of the system. The planet Stuke had a far more covert threat in the guise of The People's Popular Front of D'Keddes, a genestealer cult. The planetary governor Pluto Darrke was aware of the infestation but also fully aware that Thatcher Magz planetary governor of Scargill and sworn enemy would like nothing more than to annex Stuke and execute her rival. With this in mind Darrke came up with the cunning plan of employing a mercenary force to end the genestealer threat without sending his main force to chase rebels in the wild steppes of Stukes vast expanses. As luck would have it one of Darrke's spies managed to contact a Kroot force whose skilled forest craft could root out and eradicate the genestealers. Landing a Kroot War Sphere in the wilds was easily acheived with some judicial rerouting of defence forces. Once they landed the Kroot went out hunting, with the scent of genstealer hybrid taint in their hounds nostrils the Kroot war party came upon a small settlement run by the Slaughterers Guild called Mount Offal. With whoops and yells the Kroot attacked!

Greetings, it's been a while but I've finally made an attempt to write a report on a recent game I've played. Our gaming group is currently playing a crusade and as a result I seem to have less time to devote to this blog. First world problems, I suppose. So Phil a long time adversary decided to create an all Kroot army to coincide with the new Tau codex and that in itself is noteworthy. I got my camera out to celebrate said event, took pictures and here is the result. We've been playing using the 10th edition Crusade rules and the Goonhammer crusade management website. Here is the link to The Great Cavan Crusade. I would recommend it as they update it regularly to include each new Codex army.

The Kroot

Phil was using the Kroot army with leaked strategems but his army on Goonhammer is thus; 6 units of carnivores, Two units of Kroot hounds, two Warshapers, a Trailshaper, 2 units of Rampagers, a Lone Spear, unit of farstalkers, 2 Krootox and two units of Vespid Stingwings. A lot of bodies to get through.

The Cult

My freedom fighters consisted of a ten Aberrant Aberrant squad with Abominant nestling in there, 2 x 20 Neophyte squads with assorted antisocial weaponry, in which a Primus skulks. A Rockgrinder, proxied with a fantasy Stegadon holds 5 flamered up Metamorphs, 2 units of 10 Acolyte Hybrids - one with demo charges and the other with mining weapons (these have the Iconward and Biophagus in it). A Nexos hides in the other Neophyte squad. Two units of five Purestrains and 2 Achilles Ridgerunners makes up my army.

The Mission    

The mission was overwhelming dread where there are six objectives and you score 5vps for one or more objectives held, 5vps for more than youe opponent and 5vps for passing a battleshock test while on an objective. Ideal games for infantry heavy armies which we both have.

The Horde of Kroot enter Mount Offal from the North & East eager for Genestealer flesh!

The People's Popular Front of D'Keddes however were not taken completely unawares and struck first. 

The Kroot force, mainly infantry attempted to sweep over their numerically inferior foe. 

To summarise turn one, my infiltrating purestrains attacked and killed a unit of kroot hounds units on the left, then consolodated into their owners. One the other side of the table my other purestrains got into the  Farstalkers. In Phil's turn he struck back killing both sets of purestrains of which one came back into cult ambush. The rest of the Kroot came forward to engage my army. Because of the infiltrators starting on objectives I got ahead on vps. 

Lying in wait Purestrain Genestealers attack a pack of Kroothounds then, barely stopping clash with their Carnivore handlers.

A second unit of Purestrains attack the farstalker band.

The Kroot swarm up to the centre of town.

They engage the Ridgerunners.

The game continued with my Hybrid Acolytes armed with mining weapons running amok aided and abetted by the Rockgrinder/Stegadon. The main reason for this was both the Iconward and the Biophagus gave them lethal hits and a 5+ fnp. On the lower half of the table a Carnivore unit with Butcher Boy - my new least favourite Kroot did a similar number on any unit that he came into contact with. This was, I think largely because the Shaper had a nifty enhancement that gave him +1 to hit on a wounded unit I think.

 

A second wave of Kroot attempt to save the Shaper.

The Ridgerunner is swarmed.

Kroot hounds attack the Acolytes but are wiped out.

Rodent Infestation Squad #13 advance on the inavders.

Waste Disposal Crew #3 advance on the other flank acompanied by Commander Zargnut.

The Bloody Headcrushers emerge from a concealed tunnel at the rear of the Kroot. 

The Neophytes look on as the Ridgerunner is martyred.

Having dealt with the Kroot hounds Tunnel Clearance team #9 advance on the enemy while Revolutionary Asset #3 who looks like a Stegadon but acts like a Rockgrinder advances to squish some bird boned mercenaries.

Some long charges were made in turn two, from the Hybrids and Rockgrinder in the picture above , and more importantly the Abberrants into the rear of Phil's Rampagers.The Abberrants did a number on them with a truly redonkulous number of sustained hits and dam3 weapons made them former enemies of the cult. Another important engagement was Butcher Boy's attack on my Warlord's Neophyte unit, the Vespids came down shot them up a bit as did the Carnivore unit, but before that I had a smug secret grin that I was going to use when I overwatched and virtually wiped out the Carnivores,  with four flamers and other nastiness. Sadly I rolled pathetically for the flamers and all the other weapons, and Phil made the whole thing worse by saving too many saves for liking. The smug secret grin was then put back, for use another time and the Neophytes got wiped out, but came back in cult ambush.

The Headcushers live up to their name by wiping out the Rampagers in a single frenzy of mayhem. This was probably the pivotal engagement, a long charge and a stupid number of sustained hits crushed Phil's most dangerous melee unit.

Having dealt with the Ridgerunner the Carnivores led by Butcher Boy make towards Waste Disposal Crew #3, as they usually tidy up for the rebellion they may be overmatched in this combat.

To make matters worse some Vespid Stingwings flutter down to thin the faithful's ranks.

Massed shooting from the Kroot inflict two wounds on an Abberrant. Despite wanting to eat them for their genetic material both Carnivore squads feel that discretion is called for and they edge away nonchalantly from them.

Overwatching with four flamers yields a far from satisfactory harvest of cooked chicken. The Carnivores make enough saves to cause concern for the Neophyte janitors.

The Acolyte Bomb Squad make an appearance.

Having caught a Carnivore squad some deftly applied hammers kill them all bar the Shaper with them.

As is usually the case, turns 3 - 5 were much quicker due to attrition, but with cult ambush and a Kroot reinforcements strategem there were a lot more recycled units than what is considered normal. The cult moved onto objectives killing any previous occupants while the Kroot lollygaggers arrived from my tavle edge to threaten two objectives I thought were pretty safe. I lost one by trusting T3 Neophytes with a battle scar* to mount a defence. The other one had a unit of five Metamoprhs with flamers on there and they were much better at defending (probably because twice the cult icon brought them back up to full wounds negating the Kroot scent of blood special rule).

Meanwhile at the back of the battlefield two units of Kroot appear. One passes a long charge and chomp their way through Rodent Infestation Squad #13 while in the distance 5 cult reinforcement Purestrains attack the other squad . 

Not to be outdone by Kroot high command, some more cult reinforcements arrive to secure a lamppost for the good of the People's Popular Front.

The Blessed Arsonist pulled the best job of the game, hold an objective torch anyone who comes near you, give any tasty Kroot to **Catering Corp #11 to provide sustenance for the rebellion.

The Aberrants destroyed another unit of Carnivores along with the Shaper who had the sneak away from the enemy enhancement. For the first time in 6 outings my Rockgrinder got to use Tank Shock, his own lesser version built in, then his close combat attacks to wipe out a ten bird unit in one fell swoop. The final turn of the game saw me fail to kill off Butcher Boy (admittedly he was surrounded by ineffectual Neophytes) and a failed long charge to squish the last unit of Vespids with my Aberrants. All in all though a good result for the cult that gave me a win.

The last picture of the game has Butcher Boy fending off some Neophytes and a unit of Stingwings holding an objective. Presumably darkness fell and Butcher Boy scarpers and the Vespids flutter away. Final score was 45 - 25 to the cult.

Debrief

I think that was one of the most brutal games of 40K, that I've played in a long while. It was incredible fun too. There were so many combats that I thought 'that should be alright' , but turned out not to be. The Kroot all have stealth, and if they smell blood ie. a unit is wounded they get +1 to wound which is very thematic and horrible to defend against. They also have reinforcements shenanigans too, but then so do the cult so I can't really complain. Phil was as usual a fun and wily opponent that gave me plenty to have to think aboutall through the game. I think the Kroot detachement is quite a handfull in a good opponents hands and but for some well over the average dice rolling at certain points, could well have spelled more doom for the People's Popular Front.

The campaign management step of the game was easy to remember as I have the battle itself recorded of Goonhammer so I gained a battlescar for the ***Bomb Squad courtesy of Butcher Boy's unit. Accoring to the site a unit of carnivores got ****battle scars as did the Kroot Lone Spear. On the plus side I gained *****four battle traits and Phil got one. A carnivore unit got Raiders (rerolls 1's to hit while on objectives).

Plans in the making

I think putting a Locus in with Commander Zargnut will aid him as he'll gain always strikes first, but I'm beginning to think retiring the twenty Neophyte units into four units of ten gives more flexibilty. I'm also thinking of bringing the Patriarch in to the crusade to give it a bit more welly. So that's the state of play for my so-to-be-not-so-underwhelming genestealer cult that may soon be able to play Onslaught sized games! 

Thanks for reading.

* Deep Scars, that gives everyone targetting you lethal hits. 

** Catering Corps #11 as yet do not have a great military tradition but are nonetheless vital to the dietary requirements of Sewer Blockage Team #46 whom are notoriously picky eaters.

*** Crippling Damage! So they cannot advance and have -1 to their movement ffs.

**** Disgraced and Battle Weary. 

***** Abberants and Acolytes got United by Adversity (free heroic intervention) the Acolytes also got Purgators (free grenades strat once per game) and the Iconward got Claim Stalker which gives him stealth withing range of an objective. A bumper crop of abilities that should be worth at least 2-3 Cps a game.