{"id":2635,"date":"2015-01-08T04:27:15","date_gmt":"2015-01-08T09:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/?p=2635"},"modified":"2021-02-17T17:30:27","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T22:30:27","slug":"40k-apocalypse-the-fall-of-kimball-prime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/2015\/01\/40k-apocalypse-the-fall-of-kimball-prime\/","title":{"rendered":"PAGE Apocalypse 2015: The Fall of Kimball Prime"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/page-top-logo.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-42\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/kingbreakers-icon.png\" alt=\"kingbreakers-icon\" width=\"81\" height=\"81\" \/><\/a>The Kingbreakers&#8217; First Squad burst from their Drop Pod even before it hit the ground, running as one toward their objective. Flamers swept away a\u00a0pack\u00a0of zombie cultists without pause. Sergeant Scolirus&#8217; powerfist dispatched an intercepting greater daemon on the fly,\u00a0preserving momentum. The battle brothers each felt\u00a0the tingling energy crackle as they breached the\u00a0overlapping void shields but none\u00a0had a moment\u00a0to reflect on it. Their target in sight, Captain Angholan jumped\u00a0in a single bound to the top of the shield generators, ran across the battlements, and leapt into space, hurling an ancient\u00a0Vortex Grenade into\u00a0the smoking maw of\u00a0the corrupted Warhound directly in front of them.\u00a0At\u00a0this range the wildly unpredictable warp attack might prove as deadly to themselves as the traitor Titan itself.\u00a0But none would ever be able to say they had not given everything for the Emperor that had saved them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This past weekend the <a href=\"http:\/\/pagegaming.com\/\">Philadelphia Area Gaming Enthusiasts (PAGE)<\/a>\u00a0crew held its roughly annual major Apocalypse match. The event was expanded this year to two days: One\u00a0of Recon Squad skirmishes and a Cataclysm mini-mega battle, and another day of full-on Apocalypse battle royale. Sixteen players participated, with 24,000 points per side in the finale.<\/p>\n<p>A largely\u00a0successful\u00a0push was made by the entire group this year to field\u00a0painted armies and terrain, and tons of photos are up in the Flickr galleries:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tjkopena\/sets\/72157650067756576\/\">Recon Squad and Cataclysm<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tjkopena\/sets\/72157650148319505\/\">Apocalypse: The Fall of Kimball Prime!<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A full report of the campaign follows below.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2638\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9619.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2638\" class=\"wp-image-2638 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9619-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_9619\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9619-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9619-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9619.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2638\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">We march to war!<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>The Long War<\/h2>\n<p>This was\u00a0basically\u00a0the finale of a series of events loosely connected by narrative and players over the past half decade:<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2637\" style=\"width: 160px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/2010q1-combat-patrol-campaign-map.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2637\" class=\"wp-image-2637\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/2010q1-combat-patrol-campaign-map.png\" alt=\"Campaign map from the 2010 Combat Patrol League.\" width=\"150\" height=\"148\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2637\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Campaign map from the 2010 Combat Patrol League.<\/p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>2009 (Apocalypse): <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pagegaming.com\/index.php?n=Warhammer40k.2009Q4Apocalypse\">Chaos invades the planet of\u00a0<em>Caldor IV<\/em><\/a> for reasons unknown but is eventually ground\u00a0to a bloody stalemate.<\/li>\n<li>2010 (Combat Patrol league): Expeditionary forces begin <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pagegaming.com\/index.php?n=Warhammer40k.CombatPatrolTournament\">searching <em>Caldor IV<\/em> for rumored relics<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>2010 (Apocalypse): Fighting spreads throughout\u00a0the system\u00a0as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pagegaming.com\/index.php?n=Warhammer40k.2010Q2Apocalypse\">Chaos crushes\u00a0<em>Rittenhouse Hive<\/em><\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>2012 (Apocalypse): An\u00a0Ork incursion onto their flanks is\u00a0fought off by the Chaos forces.<\/li>\n<li>2014 (Apocalypse): Imperials fight back and begin to turn the tide, making a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pagegaming.com\/index.php?n=Warhammer40k.2014Apocalypse\">successful stand on\u00a0<em>Kimball Prime<\/em><\/a>\u00a0despite a newly forged alliance between Chaos and Maynarkh Dynasty Necrons\u00a0awoken by the conflict.<\/li>\n<li>2014 (Campaign Tournament): Imperials <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/2014\/11\/40k-the-debacle-on-caldor-iv\/\">rescue Magos Ferdinand from hiding on <em>Caldor IV<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and declare the planet\u00a0<em>Exterminatus<\/em>, cutting their losses.<\/li>\n<li>2014 (Recon Squad + Cataclysm Campaign): <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/2014\/12\/40k-the-cataclysm-on-caldor-iv\/\">Chaos retrieves <em>The Scythe of Unbound Light<\/em><\/a>, a long lost great\u00a0weapon,\u00a0even as the planet begins to crack.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For\u00a02015&#8217;s climax of this story arc,\u00a0the Legions of Discord brought\u00a0<em>The Scythe of Unbound Light<\/em> to the gates of the <em>Kimball Prime <\/em>Manufactorum, bulwark\u00a0of the Forces of Order\u00a0on the planet and last bastion of the Imperium in this system. Meanwhile the instigator behind this entire campaign was also revealed&#8230;<\/p>\n<h2>Kimball Prime<\/h2>\n<p>The entire weekend was fought over a single board, representing the main gate to the major Manufacturom on Kimball Prime (the venue, my house, being on Kimball St and my painting log being\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/pagegaming.com\/forums\/viewtopic.php?f=5&amp;t=1479\">the Kimball Prime Manufactorum Log<\/a>). Though we&#8217;ve <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/2014\/01\/40k-page-apocalypse-2014\/\">previously done well at building good Apocalypse boards<\/a>, this year a bunch of people built even more terrain so we&#8217;d have a single unified look.<\/p>\n<p>The table was just over 6&#8242; by 17&#8242; long, following <a href=\"http:\/\/rocketshipgames.com\/articles\/apocalypse\/sizing.html\">our usual calculations on sizing multiplayer and\u00a0mega-battle\u00a0tables<\/a>. Apocalypse deployment zones were L-shapes, with the teams taking one short edge and all but 4&#8242; of their respective long edges, creating a 2&#8242; strip of S-shaped no-man&#8217;s land. At one end was the parade ground and main gate fortress of the Kimball Prime Manufactorum, built for a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/2014\/09\/nova-open-40k-trios-recap\/\">display board at this year&#8217;s\u00a0NOVA Team Trios Tournament<\/a>. The other end was anchored by a series of giant skulls\u00a0emplaced on Chaos temples, representing <em>The Scythe of Unbound Light<\/em>. Both were essentially played as Aquila Strongpoints with Macro-cannons, the fortress actually being two strongpoints but one cannon, and <em>The Scythe<\/em> having two annexes. These were blended into\u00a0an urban core in the middle, with the ruins progressively more dense toward the center. Between and among all this both sides deployed\u00a0defensive constructs, with Discord&#8217;s Iron Warriors in particular laying down\u00a0extensive\u00a0siege works.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2643\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9663.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2643\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2643\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9663-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"The field of battle prepped and ready.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9663-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9663-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9663.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2643\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The field of battle prepped and ready.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Recon Squad + Cataclysm<\/h2>\n<p>The first part of the campaign used our <em><a href=\"http:\/\/rocketshipgames.com\/games\/recon-squad\/\">Recon Squad<\/a><\/em> rules for 200 pt skirmishes. These are very similar to the traditional GW Kill Team variant, but with tighter rules and better adaptations to 7th edition. Around these we used our <em><a href=\"http:\/\/rocketshipgames.com\/games\/caldor-iv\/\">Twilight on Caldor IV<\/a><\/em> campaign mechanics, in which\u00a0each player picks a legacy like Bodyguards, Sentinels, Headhunters, or Scouts from eight options, and tries to achieve that legacy through winning several specific scenarios\u00a0from eight missions\u00a0like Assassination, Installation, Excavation, or Breakthrough. The main\u00a0table was divided up with twine into four 4&#215;4 Recon Squad boards, with two more side boards assembled\u00a0for fighting at\u00a0the poles and in the swamps of Kimball Prime.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2610\" style=\"width: 233px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sentinels-legacy.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2610\" class=\"wp-image-2610 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sentinels-legacy-223x300.png\" alt=\"Legacy card for the Sentinels.\" width=\"223\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sentinels-legacy-223x300.png 223w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/sentinels-legacy.png 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 223px) 100vw, 223px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2610\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Legacy card for the Sentinels.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>A pack of Screamers dominated their matches, helping the\u00a0Legions of Discord to a healthy 116 to 83 victory in the vanguard battles of the imminent Apocalypse. In a key moment, however, a squad of The Fallen were run to ground in a\u00a0ruined Imperial chapel, yielding the first hints of the greater forces at work behind the scenes.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-42\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/kingbreakers-icon.png\" alt=\"kingbreakers-icon\" width=\"81\" height=\"81\" \/>Brother Teleos stepped carefully\u00a0among the rubble, futilely trying to avoid crunching in the\u00a0loose debris. The shadowy figures had clearly retreated into these chapel ruins\u00a0once the cultists they&#8217;d been using as meat shields had been\u00a0pulped. At the distinctive boom of a bolter firing behind him, instinct\u00a0spun Teleos\u00a0around instantly\u00a0even as another part of his mind registered that it was too late already. It took a moment then to process\u00a0that he was still functioning, and then another\u00a0to fully register the robed, power armored figure falling to the ground mere feet\u00a0away, a long monoblade raised toward him. Framed in the archway beyond stood Ghost Sergeant Harmon. The black clad Kingbreaker\u00a0gave\u00a0Teleos\u00a0the sign for eyes-up before silently stalking on deeper into the\u00a0chapel.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_2654\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9547.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2654\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2654\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9547-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Fallen and Kingbreakers have a standoff in a ruined Imperial chapel.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9547-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9547-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9547.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2654\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fallen and Kingbreakers have a standoff in a ruined Imperial chapel.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In the next part the Recon Squads gained 300 points of reinforcements and piled into a single <a href=\"http:\/\/rocketshipgames.com\/games\/cataclysm\/\">Cataclysm battle<\/a> over\u00a0half the main board.\u00a0On the edges of the parade grounds a seesawing conflict\u00a0was fought between Mechanicum automata and Chaos Cultists joined\u00a0by summoned daemons. Across the battlefield, an isolated band of Imperial Fists\u00a0were rolled off the flanks\u00a0of the temple grounds\u00a0by daemons and traitor\u00a0Marines. Coming to reinforce the position, Clan Raukaan\u00a0troops found themselves ambushed\u00a0by Night Lords. Despite a steady armored push up\u00a0the center of the battle, Major Zdarsky&#8217;s 59th Armageddon crashed onto\u00a0the enemy objectives too late to swing the Imperials&#8217; fortunes.<\/p>\n<p>By\u00a0the end both warmasters were slain but Discord continued its successes, holding the majority of the six primary objectives in scoring rounds after Turns 2, 4, and 6 to earn 20\u00a0points to Order&#8217;s 14, both having also assassinated\u00a0several opposing warlords. Squads on both teams squads secured their legacies, with the daemons&#8217; Penetrators claiming\u00a0an Order objective and the Kingbreakers&#8217;\u00a0Bodyguards successfully\u00a0executing\u00a0a flying block\u00a0for Major Zdarsky and his armored column.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2664\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9559.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2664\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2664\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9559-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Lizardmen fight against the Imperium that would scorn them.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9559-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9559-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9559.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2664\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lizardmen fight against the Imperium that would scorn them.<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_2663\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9588.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2663\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2663\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9588-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Night Lords stalk the shadowed alleys and ruins.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9588-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9588-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9588.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2663\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Night Lords stalk the shadowed alleys and ruins.<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_2662\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9601.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2662\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2662\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9601-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"The Cataclysm underway.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9601-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9601-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9601.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2662\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Cataclysm underway.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Apocalypse<\/h2>\n<p>The next day the conflict at the Manufactorum gates expanded again.\u00a0Companies of Space Marines, packs of Cultists and Daemons, Mechanicus\u00a0war engines, and all manner of armies descended on the battlefield.<\/p>\n<h3>Setup<\/h3>\n<p>Six primary objectives were placed before deployment in a ring around the board:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The main gates of the Kimball Prime Manufacturom;<\/li>\n<li>The base of\u00a0<em>The Scythe of Unbound Light<\/em>;<\/li>\n<li>The headquarters\u00a0of Discord&#8217;s siege works;<\/li>\n<li>Clerics&#8217; dormitories at\u00a0an Imperial\u00a0Shrine;<\/li>\n<li>An Imperial Aquila Strongpoint with Vortex Missiles;<\/li>\n<li>A newly arisen Necron Citadel.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After all deployment was complete,\u00a0each player additionally placed a secondary objective anywhere 12&#8243; from table edges and other objectives.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/apoc-board.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2674\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/apoc-board.png\" alt=\"apoc-board\" width=\"484\" height=\"228\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/apoc-board.png 484w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/apoc-board-300x141.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 484px) 100vw, 484px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Scoring was held after turns 2, 4, and 5 (game end). Primary objectives could only be scored by troops in the mid-game rounds. All troops had Objective Secured regardless of detachment structure. Primaries were each worth the current turn number. Secondaries were worth one point each. Warlords, superheavies, gargantuan creatures, and mighty bulwarks were additionally worth a point each, with an additional point for slaying the designated warmaster (chief warlord).<\/p>\n<p>Having handily won the preceding day, Discord took the prerogative of choosing to deploy and play first or second and chose second. They also got a free Macro-Cannon on <em>The Scythe<\/em> for their successes throughout the campaigns.\u00a0Each team took up to 30 minutes to deploy, with Seize the Initiative unavailable. Modified Apocalyptic Reserves were applied, with a schedule of earliest arrival based on maximum unit movement speed. Each turn the commander\u00a0for each team\u00a0could designate one unit to make an All Out Attack, advancing at triple its movement but foregoing shooting\/running\/moving flat out. Both commanders also\u00a0selected eight Strategic Asset cards to be given to their warlords in need\u00a0throughout the match.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2685\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9716.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2685\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2685\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9716-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"The Sentinels of Terra and the 59th Armageddon await the onslaught.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9716-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9716-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9716.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2685\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Sentinels of Terra and the 59th Armageddon await the onslaught.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>Battle<\/h3>\n<p>The Forces of Order had a nearly decisive first turn, inflicting major\u00a0losses. The Kingbreakers&#8217; Librarius of Rorschach make a suicidal Drop Pod strike into the heart of the enemy deployment zone.\u00a0Binding their psychic potential together, they cast a massive Warp Vortex directly on top of a corrupted Hellhammer,\u00a0blasting it immediately into the Immaterium. Though\u00a0the entirety of the Librarius gave their lives\u00a0for the action, their\u00a0angry spirits lived on in the vortex they&#8217;d spawned, sucking a number of Greater Daemons back into the Warp throughout\u00a0the battle.<\/p>\n<p>Nearby, punishing bombardment from the 59th Armageddon and a contingent of the Sentinels of Terra on the parapets of the main gate fortress obliterated a\u00a0Void Shield Generator\u00a0and a corrupted\u00a0Baneblade on the leading edge of the Discord siege works. Covered by\u00a0the withering hail of fire, the Knight Errant Greenheart simultaneously charged across the battlefield and plowed through the zombie cultists futilely blocking its way, stomping through their lines and crushing the other Void Shield Generator guarding the Discord siege headquarters.<\/p>\n<p>At the far end of the battlefield, Clan Raukaan Centurions and Sternguard made a mass drop on the Necron Citadel and astoundingly earned a\u00a0critical first turn kill of the emerging Transcendant C&#8217;Tan before it could wreak havoc.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2713\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9826.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2713\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2713\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9826-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A Great Unclean One exchanges mighty blows with a Terminator Sergeant.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9826-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9826-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9826.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2713\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Great Unclean One exchanges mighty blows with a Terminator Sergeant.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Reeling from these blows, the Legions of Discord worked grimly\u00a0to pull their battle plan back together. Four greater Daemons bound together in a Tetragon of Darkness shrouded the Chaos troops in protective wards from the enemies\u00a0now running amok\u00a0among their lines, while the nanites and scarabs of the Necron Citadel did the same for the automatons.\u00a0A massive blind barrage shielded the advance of hordes of Lizardmen, Night Lords, and other traitors in the shadows of a many-legged Greater Brass Scorpion toward the Mechanicum&#8217;s Aquila Strongpoint. One of Ahriman&#8217;s Covens sacrificed itself en masse ahead of the group to\u00a0spawn a bevy\u00a0of warp rift vortexes that would plague the\u00a0soldiers of Mars for the entire battle. Responding in kind, a Dark Angels Librarius began tearing at reality ahead of the oncoming army. Together the two bands of psykers turned that entire quadrant of the battlefield into a crazed,\u00a0unpredictable nightmare\u00a0where instant death might come at any moment, no matter how brave\u00a0the warrior\u00a0or thick the armor.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2690\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9733.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2690\" class=\"wp-image-2690 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9733-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A Dark Angels Librarius recklessly tears rifts in reality all about the incoming Chaos Marines from their Aquila Strongpoint.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9733-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9733-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9733.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2690\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Dark Angels Librarius recklessly tears rifts in reality all about the incoming Chaos Marines from their Aquila Strongpoint.<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_2686\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9857.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2686\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2686\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9857-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A band of Chaos Marines marches toward the Mechanicum's Strongpoint.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9857-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9857-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9857.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2686\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A band of Chaos Marines marches toward the Mechanicum&#8217;s Strongpoint.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>With little\u00a0left in reserve following\u00a0the punishing first round strike, the\u00a0Forces of Order were stretched thin to cope\u00a0with seemingly endless Discord reinforcements and slowly the momentum shifted.<\/p>\n<p>Deep in the Discord lines, isolated\u00a0bands of Kingbreakers, Dark Angels, and Raukaan fought brave\u00a0tactical battles\u00a0to\u00a0claim\u00a0important ground, but were repeatedly swept away by outnumbering opponents: Once\u00a0the Siege HQ was threatened by Order forces, Land Raiders full of Chaos troops appeared to fight them back. With the Necron Citadel about to be overrun by\u00a0combined arms, a large band of Cultists arrived\u00a0to hold\u00a0it until the Maynarkh could regroup. Again and again the story repeated, snatching victory from the loyalists.<\/p>\n<p>On the Imperial side, wave after wave\u00a0of Necron flyers harrassed the Mechanicum position. Though many Tech Thralls and reinforcing Raukaan gave their lives to shore up the Strongpoint and the Greater Brass Scorpion was eventually brought down, the redoubt was inevitably\u00a0overcome in a flood of Chaos Marines.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2691\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9795.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2691\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2691\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9795-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Deathwing drag down a daemon spawned on the parapets of the main gate fortress.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9795-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9795-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9795.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2691\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Deathwing drag down a daemon spawned on the parapets of the main gate fortress.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Most devastatingly, late in the battle\u00a0several small squads of Chaos space marines outflanked onto the Imperials&#8217; position around the shrine dormitories. Having already repelled a large attack of Soulgrinders, lesser daemons, and zombies, the position had been thought secure.\u00a0Heavy shelling from the 59th Armageddon combined with\u00a0sustained fire and assaults from the Kingbreakers and allies eventually\u00a0cleared the position, but the damage had been done. Stretched thin across the multiple objectives in the area, there wasn&#8217;t enough time for Order forces to\u00a0shore up the position before a final,\u00a0desperate, high speed\u00a0strafing run of an entire squadron of Necron Doom Scythes managed to wipe the defenders off the primary objective in the closing moments\u00a0of the battle.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2687\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9902.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2687\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2687\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9902-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Inquisitor Hersch and Kingbreakers Tacticals investigate noises in the alleys around the shrine dormitory.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9902-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9902-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9902.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2687\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Inquisitor Hersch and Kingbreakers Tacticals investigate noises in the alleys around the shrine dormitory.<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_2688\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9955.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2688\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2688\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9955-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Maynarkh Doom Scythes make a high speed formation strafing run through the occupied city ruins.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9955-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9955-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9955.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2688\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maynarkh Doom Scythes make a high speed formation strafing run through the occupied city ruins.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Midway through the battle, however, the last of Discord&#8217;s primary\u00a0siege works had been\u00a0finally cracked open. Exposed therein was the\u00a0treacherous mastermind of the entire campaign: No less than Cypher himself! His position was immediately obliterated beyond all recognition by the Sentinels of Terra and the 59th Armageddon. Presumably nothing could have survived the\u00a0severe overkill, but the Fallen&#8217;s fate is unconfirmed: Deathwing\u00a0rushing to the\u00a0site were intercepted en route and unable to gather evidence either way.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/apoc-movement.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2679\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/apoc-movement.png\" alt=\"apoc-movement\" width=\"484\" height=\"228\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/apoc-movement.png 484w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/apoc-movement-300x141.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 484px) 100vw, 484px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Outcome<\/h3>\n<p>The Imperial bulwarks\u00a0on <em>Kimball Prime<\/em> are lost before the might of <em>The Scythe of Unbound Light<\/em> and the Manufacturom lost to Chaos, but the instigator of this campaign throwing the sector\u00a0into disarray is revealed!<\/p>\n<p>Both teams\u00a0claimed 5 superheavy\/gargantuan\/bulwark and 3 warlord kills, though Order also dispatched the Discord warmaster&#8212;Cypher cowardly hiding in\u00a0a bunker! After\u00a0Turn 2 Order had a small lead (19 to 15), but Discord gained\u00a0a slight advantage by\u00a0Turn 4 (40 to 37), and then\u00a0Order&#8217;s long edge collapsed in Turn 5, yielding a final total score of\u00a065 to 51 in favor of the traitors, heretics, and xenos.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2666\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9551.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2666\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2666\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9551-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A solitary sniper eyes up the battlefield.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9551-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9551-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9551.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2666\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A solitary sniper eyes up the battlefield.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Analysis<\/h2>\n<p>A few points on the game play itself as well as the design of the match.<\/p>\n<h3>Game End<\/h3>\n<p>With 120 points up for grabs, the\u00a065-51 Apocalypse outcome\u00a0certainly wasn&#8217;t a blow out.\u00a0With another turn before scoring the end several of the objectives would have\u00a0been closely fought, potentially dramatically changing the outcome. The Kingbreakers in particular were setup for 6 turns, and didn&#8217;t have time to move\u00a0back onto the\u00a0Dormitory objective when the game ended early. By\u00a0that\u00a0point though most of the (merely mortal) warlords were ready to pack it in after a long, brutal campaign. We did\u00a0a reasonable\u00a0job of keeping things to our\u00a0schedule, but this was a packed\u00a0weekend of two long days of gaming. Regardless, in the future we&#8217;ll probably score every turn and commanders will have to be prepared for the game to end early\u00a0in the event that\u00a0the group starts to flag.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2744\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9790.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2744\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2744\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9790-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"The Mechanicum's Strongpoint is overwhelmed in a combined tide of living and corrupted metal.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9790-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9790-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9790.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2744\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mechanicum&#8217;s Strongpoint is overwhelmed in a combined tide of living and corrupted metal.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>Balance<\/h3>\n<p>Our group consciously works to make\u00a0our Apocalypse battles\u00a0more than just Titans\u00a0point &amp; clicking at each other from across the table. In this\u00a0match basic troops, heroic\u00a0warriors, and giant war machines all felt equally important and critical. To a very large extent the game came down to a couple combat squads\u00a0of Tacticals slugging it out with some Chaos Marine stragglers over a primary objective in the last turn. Among the factors contributing to this are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Major units, defined as anything with more than 9 hull points\/wounds, are &#8220;negotiated&#8221; between the teams. For this match\u00a0we agreed not to allow Reavers, though we have in the past, mostly because one in the group isn&#8217;t painted and very very few of our players are familiar enough to use them effectively. Otherwise everything was allowed and this rule basically just prevents surprises, and enables some shifting around of excess Baneblade-chassis to roughly balance the superheavies across the two teams.<\/li>\n<li>Tons of line of sight blocking terrain as well as barricades, rubble, and other smaller\u00a0terrain providing places for the little guys to hang out.\u00a0In addition to the board pieces placed pre-game, we ignore the official Apoc rules and leave ruined\u00a0vehicles in place (as destroyable wreckage) as well as amending the 7th edition core to\u00a0still replace exploded vehicles with craters, so that infantry\u00a0have places to hide, particularly after spilling out of a transport.<\/li>\n<li>Permitting only Troops to hold\u00a0the primary objectives in the mid-game scoring obviously makes them critical. Giving all Troops the Objective Secured rule regardless of detachment is also a nice and very relevant buff. A good number of points came down to having Elites vs Troops on the secondary objectives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_2727\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9911.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2727\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2727\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9911-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A full handful of plasmacannon Sentinels lurched about in Order's backfield waiting for deep striking traitor Terminators to squish.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9911-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9911-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9911.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2727\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A full handful of plasmacannon Sentinels lurched about in Order&#8217;s backfield waiting for deep striking traitor Terminators to squish.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>Deployment Zones<\/h3>\n<p>The funky deployment zones used here definitely made things interesting.\u00a0It&#8217;s certainly\u00a0not uncommon in Apocalypse for a section\u00a0of the board to get blown away early.\u00a0This\u00a0setup though makes the long ends of the L-shapes &#8220;obvious&#8221;\u00a0focal points for massive\u00a0bombardments and attack because they&#8217;re\u00a0exposed on two sides.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Discord&#8217;s\u00a0significant siege works,\u00a0most of their forces on that point\u00a0were obliterated early on. Probably Order&#8217;s\u00a0Sentinels and 59th Armageddon should have advanced <em>en\u00a0masse<\/em> to roll down that flank a bit after it\u00a0was opened up, but they were harassed\u00a0enough by deep striking Oblits and Daemons to stay put. In turn, that gave space for the large number of reserves Discord had held back to roll on and just barely mantain that point.<\/p>\n<p>On the opposite\u00a0end, Discord didn&#8217;t manage to knockout Order&#8217;s\u00a0Strongpoint at that leading edge for quite some time, but the writing was on the wall with an inexorable wave of enemies\u00a0working toward it from multiple angles. Order placed a ridiculous amount of forces around the main gate objective for mostly psychological reasons, as well as not wanting to split up commanders&#8217; forces, but we should have allocated some of them down at the opposite end.<\/p>\n<p>So, both sides expected the brunt of the fighting to be at those points, but neither adequately realized how true that would be. Encouraging\u00a0that kind of analysis\u00a0is a good thing, so I think this deployment setup worked well without being more\u00a0punishing on any particular player than Apocalypse can be anyway.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2728\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9692.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2728\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2728\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9692-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Grenadiers oversee the battlefield.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9692-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9692-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9692.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2728\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grenadiers oversee the battlefield.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>Strategy<\/h3>\n<p>To that end, this match\u00a0was actually really strategic. Though definitely not\u00a0a perfect game,\u00a040k done well is by no means a beer and pretzels affair. That&#8217;s surprisingly also true of Apocalypse. With enough attention to terrain, scenario, schedules,\u00a0and balanced teams, there&#8217;s\u00a0a ton of strategy to be had.<\/p>\n<p>For the most part,\u00a0Apocalypse\u00a0doesn&#8217;t have the same tactical game that standard 40k does. There&#8217;s just too much going on, and not enough time\u00a0to\u00a0micro-optimize play or avoid all mistakes. I almost certainly removed\u00a0my warlord on a failed save he didn&#8217;t actually fail but was too harried to catch that the power weapon attacking him didn&#8217;t defeat his artificier armor. At the same time, I know his unit\u00a0lived through a turn when they could have gotten crushed because an opposing player\u00a0was moving too fast trying to get in all of his actions, and accidentally blocked\u00a0the Discord Warhound from going after them. It was actually\u00a0jarring going from Recon Squad, which is very tactical, to this monstrosity.\u00a0My skirmish Saturday\u00a0against Colin&#8217;s Fallen was extremely chess-like and tight (and awesome!), whereas Sunday&#8217;s chaos was all about the broad strokes, having a well designed list and making the appropriate large scale\u00a0moves that\u00a0sailed well above all the really fine grained stuff.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2729\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9799-e1420708761215.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2729\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2729\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9799-e1420708761215-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"A Typhoon heads out on patrol.\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9799-e1420708761215-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9799-e1420708761215-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9799-e1420708761215.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2729\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Typhoon heads out on patrol.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>To a large extent,\u00a040k is a game of resource management and area control rather than micro-maneuvering, and in my eyes is a better game for it. Apocalypse done right takes that to a different\u00a0level even as it swings on pivotal dice rolls just like any other match. Discord won this game\u00a0because they kept a large number of units in reserve and combined them well with strategic asset cards to bring them on in the most effective\u00a0places at just the right times. Ultimately it came down to just a couple Chaos Marines posing a significant threat, combined with a few flyers in position to sweep away the counter-response.<\/p>\n<p>Though the gambit looked very promising at the start, Order didn&#8217;t have enough oomph left after its\u00a0initial alpha strike even\u00a0though it was largely successful. Compounding that, we\u00a0didn&#8217;t wipe out enough of the opposing defenders in the mid-game to prevent Discord from sneaking small groups of reserves into critical positions. Most importantly though, the alpha strike and serious buildup around the main gates\u00a0left all our troops committed in the wrong places going into the end game, and we just weren&#8217;t as able to adapt as the opposing army bringing in new troops all around the board.<\/p>\n<p>In sum: Two very different strategies, both almost worked out, one wound up with a solid win through intentful strategic play and a lot of pre-game thought. That&#8217;s exactly how it should work. And along the way there were ridiculous piles of armies\u00a0and huge models\u00a0being pushed all around the table&#8230;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2684\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9792.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2684\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2684\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9792-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"The Apocalypse somewhere in the early turns.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9792-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9792-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9792.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2684\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Apocalypse somewhere in the early turns.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Closing<\/h2>\n<p>It took a lot of advance work and was a looong weekend, but this was a\u00a0stellar event encompassing a huge swathe of 40k gaming: Skirmishing, Apocalypse, campaigns, narrative, frantic late night painting, the whole shebang.<\/p>\n<p>Again, lots\u00a0of photos are up in the Flickr galleries:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tjkopena\/sets\/72157650067756576\/\">Recon Squad and Cataclysm<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/tjkopena\/sets\/72157650148319505\/\">Apocalypse: The Fall of Kimball Prime!<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rocketshipgames.com\/40k\/invite\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-2699\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/g6587.png\" alt=\"g6587\" width=\"148\" height=\"45\" \/><\/a>We&#8217;ll also be posting the PDFs driving all of this, and are also considering hosting a larger event around the\u00a0Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA) area sometime in the future. If you are interested in either\u00a0of those, please sign up for our very\u00a0low-volume, announcements-only\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/rocketshipgames.com\/40k\/invite\/\">mailing list<\/a><\/strong>!<\/p>\n<p>Next up is our regular tournament\/event at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.redcapscorner.com\/\">Redcap&#8217;s Corner<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Saturday, January 24th. Details will be posted to <a href=\"https:\/\/groups.google.com\/forum\/?fromgroups#!forum\/redcapscorner40k\">the store&#8217;s 40k mailing list<\/a> and\u00a0the <a href=\"http:\/\/pagegaming.com\/forums\/\">PAGE Forums<\/a> shortly, but armies are 1850 points and entry $10. Be there or be\u00a0forever a traitor\u00a0enslaved to laughing gods!<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/page-top-logo.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-42\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/kingbreakers-icon.png\" alt=\"kingbreakers-icon\" width=\"81\" height=\"81\" \/><\/a>Captain Angholan subtly motioned for his\u00a0men to wait as he stepped forward onto\u00a0the dais. In the complete silence he\u00a0could hear the soft boom and crunch of the\u00a0colossal battle going on outside the courtyard. Here though the air was completely\u00a0still and stale, dead.\u00a0Ahead stood the\u00a0motionless monarch, flanked by row after row of\u00a0his automatons. Eyes locked on his opponent, Angholan swept his softly flaming Vorpal Blade languidly\u00a0across the arc of the room, then pointed it straight at the Nemesor. Deep in its hollowed eye sockets he thought he could see a slight\u00a0upbeat in the small lights set there. Then, wordlessly and as one, the ranks of automatons slowly\u00a0moved forward, enclosing their leader safely behind. The licks of flames at the edge of\u00a0Angholan&#8217;s\u00a0blade burst to life as First Squad stepped up to join him.\u00a0It\u00a0could go down that way too.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_2689\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9873.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2689\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2689\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9873-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"The Kingbreakers' Captain Angholan and Squad Scolirus fight their way onto the Necron Citadel to challenge Nemesor Zahndrekh personally.\" width=\"530\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9873-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9873-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_9873.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2689\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Kingbreakers&#8217; Captain Angholan and Squad Scolirus fight their way onto the Necron Citadel to challenge Nemesor Zahndrekh personally.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/pagegaming.com\/40k\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-343\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/page-top-logo.png\" alt=\"page-top-logo\" width=\"459\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/page-top-logo.png 459w, https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/page-top-logo-300x135.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 459px) 100vw, 459px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Kingbreakers&#8217; First Squad burst from their Drop Pod even before it hit the ground, running as one toward their objective. Flamers swept away a\u00a0pack\u00a0of zombie cultists without pause. Sergeant Scolirus&#8217; powerfist dispatched an intercepting greater daemon on the fly,\u00a0preserving momentum. The battle brothers each felt\u00a0the tingling energy crackle as they breached the\u00a0overlapping void shields &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/2015\/01\/40k-apocalypse-the-fall-of-kimball-prime\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[411],"tags":[272,46,340,187,85,255,257,239,232,17,254,251,274,178,29,198,24,191],"class_list":["post-2635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-campaigns","tag-40k","tag-apocalypse","tag-chaos","tag-chaos-daemons","tag-dark-angels","tag-fallen","tag-featured","tag-imperial-fists","tag-iron-warriors","tag-kingbreakers","tag-lizardmen","tag-mechanicum","tag-miniatures","tag-necrons","tag-page","tag-raukaan","tag-space-marines","tag-traitor-guard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2635"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3606,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635\/revisions\/3606"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}