Viktor was an actor. The rhyme wasn’t lost on him. The children he’d grown up with cruelly mocked him about it daily from when he naively announced it in scholum one day. “Viktor actor, Viktor actor, Viktor actor”, they’d chant, somewhat unimaginatively. Feth them. If only they could see him now. In fact, if only anyone of consequence could see him now. Here on Alpha.220 he was living as Ta’gur’sta, a menial worker in a factory full of menial workers. All of the humans on this planet had a T’au name that they used in preference to the Imperium name on their birth documents. None of them knew he wasn’t from this planet. None of them knew he was here with a far more important purpose. He was delivering the performance of his life.
With the advent of 9th Edition and the lovely looking Crusade rules for campaign play, myself and John S. decided we’d kick off a campaign. John has been painting up the new Necrons and I decided I needed more table time with my Genestealer Cults. I’m using the Brotherhood of the Burning Sun, who have featured on Ur’veil and in the Inquisitor Calicus Rackham games I’ve been playing. The Brotherhood are being led on a crusade by Magus to establish a Dur’fla’ta to establish a place of worship and welcome for the Celestials.
The Necrons have awoken by protocols to establish their own crusade. Signals from an approaching Azhura Mazhdan Dynasty Tomb Fleet. Skorpek Lord Zoraktor, the Shining Son, is leading his forced from 40 million years of slumber on a planet whose name they no longer know, to create a place ready for the gift the Tomb Fleet brings.
The Game
So, this was to be our first game of 9th edition and we decided to keep things small, with a 25PL game. We accidentally used the Eternal War – Incisive Attack missions, instead of one of the Crusade missions, but it wasn’t a problem. The mission was simple, control more objectives and score more points.
I deployed my Magus, 10 Acolytes and 5 Aberrants, but kept my Atalan Jackals (loaded up with Demolition Charges) and Kelermorph in reserve. John deployed his whole force (2 units of 10 mixed Necron Warriors, 3 Scarabs, 3 Skorpek Destroyers and a Skorpek Lord).
Highlights
- My Acolytes charging the Scarabs, destroying them and then consolidating into a unit of Warriors.
- The Acolytes being smashed by Warrior fire and the Skorpeks.
- My Magus attempted to cast Psychic Stimulus on the Aberrants to get them to charge the Skorpek Destroyers. Roll a 1 and a 3, but needed a total of 6. I use a reroll and get 1, 1, causing 2 wounds to the Magus. Doh!
- My bikes arriving ready to throw all of their Demolition Charges against the Skorpek Lord. 4D6 of kill goodness. Ioll 4D6 for throwing the dDemolition Charges, get 11… not great, but not too bad. Roll to hit needing 3s, hit 8… pretty good. Need 2s to wound, roll five 1s from the eight dice! *facepalm* A lot of stratagems were used to bring about that utter failure. It didn’t cause a single wound…
- The bikes retreat to surround the Magus, but are wiped out by shooting and the Skorpek Lord.
- The Aberrants eventually charge the Skorpek Destroyers, but are wiped out, after failing to hit/wound!
- The Kelermorph had some pew pew fun in the backfield, but it was inconsequential and he was eventually wiped out.
This was a very decisive win for the Necrons and a disaster for the Cultists! We did the Crusade post game updates. Nothing of consequence yet, but there will certainly be advances in a few games.
His co-workers saw Ta’gur’sta lift crate after crate into position. It was backbreaking work… he didn’t need to act out the stoop in his posture. What they didn’t see was Viktor discretely open each crate, tamper with some of the contents and then seal it up again. Inquisitor Rackham, his patron, would be pleased. This simple task would hinder the cultists. His actions until recently seemed to be in support of the nefarious Brotherhood that had spread across this planet, but his mission had changed. He was still ensuring some of these crates fell into the Brotherhood’s willing hands, but now they’d find the contents less than perfect. He cracked open another crate and took out one of the devices. A small imperceptible adjustment rendered it inert. He placed the Demolition Charge back in the box and took another. Viktor was an actor and an operative. With each flawlessly delivered line and each secret act of sabotage he was helping to wage the Inquisitor’s covert war.
Until next time,
Owen