The Pinturama Campaign: Kill Team on Luna Seta !

The Pinturama Campaign is a combination painting challenge and campaign, encouraging me to complete many of the unfinished models I have while integrating them into an ongoing campaign. Read the campaign outline here. The campaign background material can be found here.  Part one of the campaign, featuring the Space Marine probe into the foothold of the Tau invasion is here: Showdown on Sena'goso. The Tau counter attack on the Space Marines, The Vengeance of Mont'ka, details the continuation of that first deadly encounter. 

A lone Myconid rancher, tending his heard, watches a star fall onto the foggy plains of the Luna Seta countryside. Within hours, planetary defense forces receive a panicked vox transmission from an outlying corral."...slaughtered. Transmissions.....interference. We can't see anything. Send help..." And with those last words the vox fades to static. Following orders sent from the planetary comptroller, the corral location is immediately relayed to Captain Edgar, commander of the Raven Guard detachment in the capital fortress of Stinkhorn. Turning to the hulking armored forms behind him, he nods and the teleporter hums to life. "We have them now, Sergeant Dupin.Victorus aut Mortis."


Tau Infiltration Team
Total Roster Cost: 199

Shas'la Chi'r prepares to strike.

Elite: Stealthsuits (7#, 199 pts)

   1 Stealthsuits, 199 pts ((C:TE, pg. 35); Unit Type: Jump Infantry (Jet Packs); Stealth Armour; Fusion Blaster; Acute Senses; Deep Strike; Infiltrate; Relentless; Stealth Field)

Shas'ui Wo'bu leads his team on Sena'goso.

      1 Stealthsuits (Stealth Armour; Burst Cannon; Infiltrate; Stealth Field)

      1 Stealthsuits (Stealth Armour; Burst Cannon; Infiltrate; Stealth Field)

      1 Stealthsuits (Stealth Armour; Burst Cannon; Infiltrate; Stealth Field)

      1 Stealthsuits (Stealth Armour; Burst Cannon; Infiltrate; Stealth Field)

      1 Team Leader (Stealth Armour; Hard-wired Drone Controller; Burst Cannon; Fusion Blaster; Infiltrate; Stealth Field)

         1 Gun Drone (Unit Type: Jump Infantry (Jet Packs); Twin Linked Pulse Carbines; Relentless)

Shasla Go'ro in his XV15

Kill Team Specialists:Shas'ui Wo'bu, Team Leader. XV25 Stealthsuit modified with stimulant injectors, giving him the Feel No Pain special rule. Shas'la Chi'r: XV25 Stealthsuit supplied with experimental overdriven stealth field, giving him the Stealth universal special rule. Shas'la Go'ro: After working in the jungles of Sena'goso, Go'ro has grown adept at navigating his XV15 through difficult terrain and thus has the Move Through Cover universal special rule.

Sergeant Dupin teleports into the fray.

Sergeant Dupin's Response Squad

Total Roster Cost: 200

Elite: Terminator Squad (5#, 200 pts)

   4 Terminator Squad, 200 pts ((C:SM, pg. 64 & 136); Unit Type: Infantry; Power Fist x4; Storm Bolter x4; And They Shall Know No Fear; Combat Squads; Combat Tactics)

      1 Sergeant Dupin (Unit Type: Infantry; Power Weapon; Storm Bolter; And They Shall Know No Fear; Combat Squads; Combat Tactics)


Kill Team Specialists:
Sergeant Dupin's tactical dreadnought armor has an integrated-shield machine spirit giving him the Feel No Pain universal special rule. Brother Ligeia, an experience urban fighter, has the Move Through Cover special rule. Brother Usher has the Night Vision special rule thanks to the improved auspex of his ancient terminator armor. 

Brother Usher in his Terminator armor.

Brother Ligeia marches steadily into battle.

Order of Battle

• Mission: Kill Team

• Deployment: As per Battle Missions book, page 90

• Points: 200 

• Initiative: Tau win initiative and deploy first.

• Spoils of Victory The victorious army will receive an one extra roll for the chance to steal the initiative in a future battle.

The Tau infiltration force meets the Raven Guard terminators at the Myconid corral on Sena'goso.

A Myconid stampede can be frightening. Or silly.

• Battlefield Conditions: Sergeant Dupin's terminator squad has teleported directly into the Myconid corral that is being attacked by the Tau Stealthsuits. A small herd of Myconids, driven into a frenzy by the noise and lights, has started to stampede. They will move 2d6" in a random direction each round. The scatter dice will center on the yellow-spotted bull, and the raging herd extends in a 6" radius from him. Any unit in the Myconid herd receives a +3 cover save, but cannot shoot during its shooting phase. Furthermore, moving in, through, or out of the Myconid herd counts as moving through dangerous terrain. If the herd hits a wall or table edge, the herd will "bounce back" the remaining distance in the opposite direction. The herd moves at the end of each round, after both sides have finished their turn.

Round 1: The Stealthsuits break into 3 teams, attempting to flank and eventually surround their slower and less agile adversaries. They jump from cover and move forward to attack. Although their fusion blasters are out of range, their burst cannons are not. A lucky shot from Go'ro critically injures Brother Ligeia as he attempts to close rank. The Tau then use their jetpacks to jump back into cover and away from enemy reprisal.

Tau stealthsuits lay down a punish rain of plasma into the approaching Raven Guard Terminators.

The Tau jump out of view- frustrating the marines.

Dupin's squad splits into two, the terminator on the left pushing his way through the rampaging Myconid herd and running forward. The stealth systems on the Tau suits cause havoc with the Raven Guard's targeting auspices and several marines, including Sergeant Dupin, are unable to find them. Usher locates one and fires, but his storm bolter is unable to penetrate the enemy's armored suits.

The Myconid herd gallops away from the gunfire to the far side of the pen and remains out of the fighting for the rest of the conflict.

Round 2: The Tau continue to use their jetpacks to full advantage, leaping into range while firing at the oncoming Terminators. Shas'la Ch'ir scores a lucky hit against his foe as his burst cannon penetraties the ancient suit's most delicate systems and renders it unable to continue. The rest of the team, however, is not so fortunate. The remaining Raven Guard terminators march forward despite the intense fusillade. The stealthsuits jump away from the Space Marines and find cover.
 

Dupin furiously strikes down Ch'ir with his power sword.

Dupin, seeing his right flank weakened with the loss of his battle brother, splits off from the others and moves towards Go'ro and Ch'ir. His storm bolter is unable to hinder the Tau's battlesuit operation. In a furious close combat assault, he strikes the suit down with his power sword, easily pushing the energized blade through its armor in a swift killing strike. The rest of the squad continues to shoot, but are still unable to slow down the more agile Tau.

Wise use of cover gives the agile stealthsuits a significant advantage.

Round 3: The Tau continue their plasma-fueled onslaught and strike down another battle brother. Their nimble battlesuits allow them to surround the terminators and shoot at them from all directions, the volume of fire compensating for the relative hardiness of their enemy's tactical dreadnought armor. As quickly as they emerge and fire, they jump back into hiding and prevent Dupin's squad from effectively retaliating.

Dupin maintains his momentum despite his losses. Although their storm bolters fail to strike true, Usher and Dupin mangle their foe in close combat, easily striking down Ch'ir and another Tau stealthsuit in hand-to-hand melee. 

Round 4: With the remaining Raven Guard squad closing in and their own rate of fire significantly reduced, the Tau are unable to take down any more terminators. Wo'bu almost hits his target with a beam of super-heated plasma, but the marine makes good use of the Tau's own cover and the Shas'ui succeeds in only melting part of the barricade.
 
Dupin ignores the drone hounding his rear and targets another stealthsuit at close range. It explodes in a burst of explosive shells and lifelessly plummets to the ground. Usher closes in to assault Wo'bu in close combat, but the Tau leader manages to strike first at the terminator's vital components and shuts it down cold. 

Round 5: Desperate to the end battle quickly , Shas'ui Wo'bu continues to fight. He strikes Dupin down with his fusion blaster and unceremoniously ends the battle.


With the last of their enemy smoldering on the ground, Shas'ui Wo'bu orders the remaining stealthsuits to finish their mission. The tachyon beacons are fitted into place, Imperial  communication lines are severed and the Tau move quietly back into the night. Other infiltrated teams across Luna Seta report in and the next stage of the Tau invasion is begun. Mantas are boarded. Remora drones, prepared by Pathfinders already on-planet, are activated. Tiger Sharks and Barracudas race to their objectives. A salvo of missiles rise up from Sena'goso and swarm across the void to Stinkhorn, capital of Luna Seta. In a meticulously planned orchestration of explosions and landings, Lena Seta is under siege and all Imperial vox bands are overridden with a single repeating message. "People of Luna Seta: By right of settlement your planet is liberated from the heartless and callous rule of your Imperial overlords. Your uncaring emperor is dead. Submit to the Greater Good and enjoy unending peace and prosperity." 


Debriefing: Terminators are not as mighty as some may attest to.  A few unlucky rolls, and in the case of this match up, quite a few unlucky rolls, brings them down rather easily. If the Tau burst cannons all hit and wounded, there was a 125:216 (about 57%) that the Terminators would make their armor saves. Even two successful wounds meant a 25:36 chance of making their armor saves; about a 69% chance. These are hardly surefire odds. Compounding this problem were the two fusion blasters the Tau had, their stealth ability, and their jet pack ability to move, shoot and move again. Had the rolls been slightly different, the Space Marines might have won the day. As it was, their inability to wound with their storm bolters and close in for assaults sealed their fate.

The universal special rules made little difference, other than not targeting those units with Feel No Pain.   


Spoils of Victory: Their invasion well underway, the Tau may reroll a single chance to steal the initiative.


Next: Victorus aut Mortis !

Painting Countdown to 2012: Update

My favorite new Kroot of Carrot squad. His eyes say "Oh shit ! Look out !"

I have been painting my ass off. If I can also paint off my belly, that would be extra great for my self-esteem and chances of being shirtless at the lake this summer.

I have updated my goals a bit, working hard to have my 2000 point Tau list and my 1500 point Space Marine list completed by January 1st, 2012. I have also changed my Raven Guard list, adding in another tactical squad and their drop pod.  


Here's some pics of what I've finished since my last painting update...

Kroot Carnivore Squad "Carrot".

Kroot Hounds: Part of the 2000 point "Banana" squad. I got them second-hand without legs, so I made some. 

XV-88 Broadside with two shield drones. I have two done for my 1500 point Tau list.

Helios pattern Crisis suit. Possibly the last Tau battlesuit I will ever paint until new ones come out.

"Banana" squad member. All 10 for the 1500 Point list are done.

To complete my 1500 point Space Marines I need to finish:

• 3 drop pods, two for the Tactical Squads and one for the Dreadnought. These are built, primed, and base coated.

• 1 Chaplain with a jump pack. He is built and in the final stages of painting. I need to complete the details and flock. I was never happy with the first chaplain I painted, and to make him more like the rest of his flock, he is a custom build. I am still working to figure out how I am going to finish him up. To make him distinct from the others, he will be in stark white armor.

• A 10-man Tactical Squad. These are built and primed. I am going to try a new painting method to get that Raven Guard black to look good. If I could go back to choose another a Space Marine chapter to paint, it would not be a black one. Black requires a great deal of subtlety to pull off really well- subtlety that I am often sorely lacking. I am working up from a black primer, base coating in Charadon Granite, highlighting in grays, and washing these out with coats Badab Black. The various details, such as shoulder pads and weapons, are painted at particular stages as required. It seems to work okay, but is time intensive and the results are less than satisfying.  

To complete my 1500 point Tau list I need to finish:

• Two Devilfish transports. These have been base-coated and some details filled in. I need to wash them with the ubiquitous Devlan Mud and start on the final details. I have magnetized both already and the drones are completely done. Due to an over excited use of weathering powder, I will probably redo the four engine pods. I was never happy with them anyway and they aren't that hard to work on. 

My 2000 point list requires me to finish:

• 10 Kroot from the Banana squad. These are base-coated and some details need to be added in before washing them, highlighting, rinsing and repeating.

• 10 Kroot from the Tomato squad. These are basically in the same state of completion as the above squad. 

Wow. So close. 

Those Orks in the drawer are getting restless.