Game Night

 Got together with friends and played a couple board games.

The first game we played was Return to Dark Tower, a remake of the class Dark Tower game.

Its got a companion app on the tablet that guides you through the game and controls the tower via bluetooth.

I was the spymaster. We defeated the caravans and then took about three attacks to defeat the BBEG.

The next game up was a favourite of the group, Twilight Inscription.

I was the Argent Flight.

Chad won, but I was happy with my score.

Back to Roots

 I played a game with my son Terjoe today and it was only his second time in the new edition and last game did not go so well. With that in mind, he took on the straightforward Ork Kommando team while I grabbed the Death Korps for a second edition rivals flashback game.

Trying something different this tine, with captions on the images directly.

Kill Team Predictions for 2025

 As we come to a close on 2024 and settle into the new edition of Kill Team, I decided to look into my crystal ball and make sone predictions about what we might see in 2025.

#1 We will see two more releases each with two new teams and sone volkus terrain like the Brutal and Cunning release coming next week, then a new Kill zone release with 2 more kill teams. 

#2 The next release will be a team of Emperors Children / Noise Marines versus Grey Knight's, maybe called sound and fury. The Grey Knight's team will be the first with just 5 operatives but really strong, while the Noise Marine team will mix astartes and daemons.

#3 The midyear release will be Tau Battlesuits team versus a true sisters of battle team (named Fire and Ice?). Both teams will be around 8 operatives, the sisters with power armour and bolsters and flames whole the Tau have a mix of powerful mech suits and drones. 

#4 The new Kill zone will be a jungle / forest theme with abandon structures covered in vines and trees as well as thick stands of bushes/trees. The kill teams will be Catachan jungle fighters versus a Tyranids scouting brood. The deathworld veterans will be skilled in close up fighting and moving through terrain with ease, and the tyranids force will be a mix of lictors, termaguants, hormaguants, genestealer, and maybe a tyranid warrior. 

Wish list teams I would to see in the new year but I don't think are on the radar are:

Alpha Legion: mix of astartes and cultists with lots of sneaky tricks

Iron warriors: chaos marines with focus on dark tech, obliterator virus

Craft world Eldar: Warlock leading guardians with options for close combat weapons, shuriken rifles, flamers, fusion guns, a heavy weapon platform, a wraithguard, and a ranger, and a guardian squad leader.

Bring on 2025!

Blood Rain - Part 2

 Part 1 here

"Hold him still."

Brasalion's eyes popped open as a surge of pain ra through his body. Over him loomed Mardil with blue warp fire coursing over his arms and flowing into Brasalion's body while two other marines held him down.

"There," the sorceror muttered, "that should do it." He held out his hand to Brasalion as the other two let go and pulled him back to his feet. 

"Report."

"We have secured the area around the power conduits and the guns remain operational." Brasalion could hear the thump of the guns' firepower in the distance as confirmation. "But Lord Helixian has sent ordered for us to move west to fortify the high ground there. It appears the Aquilons have not abandoned the fight and are going to try and land there to use the high ground to launch SAMs at our fuel transports."

Brasalion frowned at their audacity. "They will not be landing in good order. We'll move double time to get there first. Can everyone keep up?"

Mardil sighed. "Your injuries were easily healed by Quintara's graces, and Jogcest needed only mechanical repairs," he said as he indicated the heavy gunner holding the reaper chaincannon. "But Nadum was truly nothing but ash, not even the geneseed could be retrieved."

Brasalion picked up his weapon and started moving to the west. "No matter, contact Davok and tell him to send us some backup." He climbed up and over some rubble. "Squad 3, move out!"

* * * * *

Tinqiu and I got together for the send mission of the three part narrative campaign from the Hive Storm dossier, Scrambled Drop.

The mission map combined with the rules looked like a really tough one for the Aquilons on offence, but I was prepared for surprises.

I set up primarily in the central stronghold with 4 marines, and only two near the top stronghold, with minefield and razor wire making the approach of the main one difficult and under fire.

These three with the heavy gunner on the high vantage. The Chosen lord is ready to go out the door and remove heads from shoulders.

The Aquilons had only 2 drops they controlled out of 10, and most of them landed in zone 1, the farthest from the action. Not to mention a few got the injuries on the way down. Terrible luck for Tinqiu.

Landing in cover far from the action.

The death corridor.

The Aquilons try to form up in cover under the watchful eye of the reaper chaincannon and the Balefire Acolyte.

The Chosen moves out of the stronghold to kill a human with plasma fire that had the audacity to move too close.

Using cover to keep out of line of sight of the firebase, the Aquilons take down the plasma gunner and butcher that charged forward to clean up the top sector.

The Chosen comes under fire but does not die. Not good for the imperials.

The combined firepower of the marines is daunting to overcome.

The Chosen charges, kills two humans healing all his damage. Then he gets charged by two more, eventually kills them and heals a lot more damage. Healed something like 20 points of damage. Insanely OP. 

With the Chosen having dispatched half the Aquilons by himself and still going, they had one operative securing the top stronghold but was alone in facing down four marines. 

This mission is unbalanced a thte best of times, but with the currently overpowered Legionaries defending and some bad drop rolls, it made for a massacre. We had fun, but definitely agreed some balancing issues need to be addressed. To finish out our little narrative campaign, we agreed next time to do 3B which seems more equal instead of 3C which seems to be another turkey shoot.

Sabotage the Bridge

I can't play Kill Team with others as often as I want so the NPO rules have been a godsend as now I can point at the table and say "I'm not playing with myself really, I'm playing agains the NPOs!"

Anyway, all that to say I played again against the NPOs, this time with the Corsairs against the Chaos Marines on the derelict Ribicon Dynastry, where the Void Hunters needed to sabotage the bridge controls before the chaos legion took them into the warp.

The board setup as the mission describes with lots of added flair from my ITD terrain collection.

91 wounds of Marines and a chaos Arbites.

The Void Hunters preparing to storm the bridge.

On the right.

Centre forces to fight over the main control.

The left flank.

On the left the marines take first blood as the Corsairs advanced too close to the blades.

On the right the chaincannon sends bullets flying through the open hatch.

The wraithcannon heavy gunner continues to prove his worth as he rips apart the marksman.

The Felarch tried the trick with the warding shield and once per game interrupt to bait and kill a brawler but my rolls were terrible and it killed the leader with one wound remaining.

The Fatedealer retreated to try and keep the marines from overrunning his position.

In the centre, both sides moved up but no shots were exchanged.

The mortally wounded brawler was finished off and the Eldar advanced on the right flank.

Turning point 2 starts and the marines have the initiative. Wasting no time, a brawler quickly dispatches the Shaderunner.

But the duelist's pistol barrage of fusion and shuriken return the death.

Seeing an opportunity where the NPOs left the centre objetcive too undefended, the gunner runs in and sabotages the control panel.

Furious, the heavy marksmen returns fire with deadly accuracy before the Arbites finishes the wounded corsair off.

On the right flank, the objective is sabotaged without effort.

On the left, the Marksman advanced and threw smoke so that the Fatedealer's return fire is not effective.

End of Turning point 2, the Eldar control the right flank while the marines control the centre, with the left flank locked in combat.

Turning point 3, the Eldar get initiative and the wraithcannon again proves its worth as it sends another NPO to the warp.

This gives the chance to the Marksman on the left to advance to negate the cover of the fatedealer. He survives the first salvo, but not the second.

The psychic Wayseeker uses the warding shield on the heavy gunner and goes on guard.

The renegade Arbites runs out and is quickly lightning struck.

Turning point 4 the heavt marksman in the control room comes out to shoot at the threat at the rear, but is quickly overwhelmed by the fire[power.

The last marine runs back to try to defend the last objective from being sabotaged, but the agile Eldar quickly ran in and destroyed it with ease.

Victory to the Eldar!