+ inload: 40k Battle report – Tensions over Neues Tremo part I +

+ Belligerents: Bezoan Skitarii (Lucifer216); Lamb's World Imperial Guard (Apologist) +
+ Limitations of conflict: 150 Power Level +
+ Battle site: Snakepit Plains, Neues Tremo, a frontiersworld in the Magyar system, Sector Antona Australis. [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+] +

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+ Overview and background of the conflict +

The keen and hidden ears of the Bezoan Magi hear much – and while little of the morass of information their informants gather stirs the lords and ladies of the isolated world to direct action, reports that machines produced on the world have been altered by other Imperial forces is one such.

Such are the rumours that swirl around the Lamb's World 18th: that their attendant Enginseers; scions of Forgeworld Slav Nasr, have altered – or worse – investigated Holy Script from the regiment's artillery and support vehicles. To the Bezoans, this is provocation that justifies warfare. 

A whisper here, a rumour planted there. Agents Provocateur begin to move amongst the inhabitants of the nearby frontiersworld of Neues Tremo – populous, rich in mineral wealth, but politically remote and naïve in the ways of the Adeptus Mechanicus; and the world descends into international war. A bribe here; a secret promised to be protected there – and the Lamb's World 18th are tasked with restoring peace.

So the stage is set; and the players enter ...

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+ Fellow PCRC members Lord Blood the Hungry and Omricon kindly set up a battlefield for us; representing the outskirts of one of the dusty, moth-eaten townships typical of this planet. 

+ For the mission, we used a modified version of the Epic: Armageddon tournament scenario:

+ There are six objectives; three on each side, including one on the board edge of each player. At the end of the third or subsequent turns, a commander can claim victory if he has achieved at least two of the following objectives, and the other commander has achieved fewer.

• Blitzkrieg: Capture the objective on the enemy board edge.
• Take and Hold: Capture at least two objectives on the enemy table half.
• Defend the Flag: Hold all objectives on the friendly table half.
• They Shall Not Pass: No enemy units completely within the friendly table half.
• Break their spirit: Completely destroy the opponent's most expensive unit (in this case, a Leman Russ squadron for Lamb's World [30PL]; and a unit of Vorax [24PL] for the Bezoans.

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+Set up and early turns +

The history of the Lamb's World 18th might have been very different, were it not for the belligerent and dogged nature of Lief Talog. Having suppressed the incipient Neues Tremo rioting, the regiment were divided up into garrison forces – and with the immediate threat removed, many of the Lamb's World officers prepared to relax into a deployment of policing a cowed and politically impotent population.

Talog, however, was a stern and paranoid intelligence officer attached to the Lamb's World 18th. Undoubtedly effective , he was nevertheless widely loathed by the men under his command, and regarded as 'difficult' by his peers. He personally ensured that his orders were carried out, even as other officers were demobilising; and as a result, his informants were well-placed to intercept a datapacket dropped by a drunken Munitorum overseer. The orders were clear – huge volumes of materiel and esoteric ammunition were being shipped to a supposedly abandoned region of the salt-plains.

The intercepted orders were enough to warrant an investigation in force; and Caef Whittaker – the nearest senior officer – responded. After two days of travel across the parched earth, the township of Snakepit appeared on the horizon. Slowing his forces to a crawl, Whittaker's eyes widened as an opposing army emerged to meet them...

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Recon in force proves a sensible approach – the Lamb's Worlder's grab what cover they can. Communication with base falls ominously silent, the vox-net choked. Whittaker demands the two Enginseers break through the comm-scrambling.

The Bezoans move forward urgently, eager to eliminate the isolated Guard quickly to avoid word spreading. Taking the Imperial Guard forces by surprise, the impact of their ambush is limited by their impetuosity and short-ranged guns.

Massed warriors of the Skitarii and Cult Mechanicus advance relentlessly, supported by heavy armour. The terrible and inhuman form of Archmagos Toshiba looms over them all.

Whittaker's infantry advance under the cover of the trees, their armour units anchoring their left.

On the right, a platoon sets up around an abandoned farmstead, protecting the mortar teams and artillery.

Confusion reigns as some officers wait for confirmation of enemy activity. Coming under fire, Lief Derwyn decides alacrity is best, and orders his men forwards.

Whittaker takes command, ordering his command staff to disseminate a general order to advance and engage.

Vulturax drones open up on the Leman Russ squadron, but their swift movement robs them of decisive impact. Keyed-in Dunecrawlers add their weight to the fire, but guard armour proves resilient enough to limit the damage.

Shepherded by their commissars and priests, Lamb's World officers lead the advance on the left flank; pouring men forward into the cover of the factorium.

The recently-raised statue of Beggar-King Astelak looms large over the battlefield; gazing down impassively over the warring soldiery. Adeptus Mechanicus forces continue their headlong advance, while the ogryns and Tauros scout vehicles redploy to intercept the advancing Vorax battle-automata.

Counter-charging Lamb's World grenadier elites drop down from their Valkyrie, capturing the objective and opening up on the Mechanicus vanguard.

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The Slav Nasr priests crawl over their Leman Russ charges, repairing and reconsecrating battered armour even as the tanks buck and roar. One of the Vulturax is blown out of the sky, and the supporting Thallax squad is atomised by a Manticore missile strike.

The long-range guns and indirect fire of the Imperial Guard begin to tell, with casualties across the entire advancing front. Mechanicus morale begins to fail, as auto-preserve subroutines kick in and individual Skitarii go to ground. Nevertheless, the majority of the casualties are to the Skitarii's light infantry – their big guns remain a very real threat.

The Vorax absorb the directed fire of an entire reinforced platoon and keep on coming. As a squad of men are bloodily scythed down by chaingun fire, the increasingly urgent requests for heavy support are met by a pair of Leman Russ diverting their fire to the robots; along with heavy bolter and Rapier laser carriers. Despite this, only two go down – and it is left to the abhuman ogryns to block the charge.

More Lamb's World troops advance, sticking to the cover of the shrine and terrain. The entire battleline begins to move forward, to make good on the early casualties they have caused and halt the Mechanicus advance.

Whittaker watches in dismay as the Valkyrie takes strike after strike, the pitches into the ground with a burst of flame. Grenadiers perish in the explosion, and the right flank hangs in the balance.

Magos Toshiba paused the screeds of data inloading through her augmented micronoosphere to analyse an unfamiliar flesh-emotion. After a moment, she recognised it as irritation. Filing the concept, she blurted orders for the heavy Kataphractii servitors to follow her. Progress was slowing – and bigger guns would modify the equation in a way even her unaugmented prey could understand.

The surviving grenadiers are mobbed by the crackling horror of the electropriests, their carapace proving little protection. Their burnt-out husks litter the ground even as the aura of the chanting priests grows visibly stronger.

Still the Lamb's World guard prove staunch. Casualties have been light, and now the infantry are within striking range. They await the order to fire.

The skitarii have other ideas, clanking and drifting forward menacingly. Having closed the range, their specialisms are now in place. The fate of the 18th hangs in the balance...

+ [+ Part II can be inloaded via this noosphericinloadlink +] +