I'm running the Vile Secrets of Vulcoth campaign for Warhammer 40,000, and this is the battle report of the first scenario. The story of this campaign branches in two directions, so the choices of the Hero Army influences not only which scenario gets played, but also the enemies faced in the final scenario.
Story
Inquisitors Greyfax and Ostromandeus of Ordo Hereticus have recently taken notice of regular shortfalls in production. This in itself is heretical, but arguably doesn't require the Inquisition. However, they've each independently suspected heresy deep within Vulcoth's government for years. They've each doubled their monitoring of the planet since the Cicatrix Maledictum tore through the galaxy, knowing that the planet's position within the Imperium would make it an ideal world for Xenos or Chaos control. So they've joined forces to investigate the agri-world of Vulcoth in the Macharian sector.
They've targeted the central production facility on the planet as their initial stop. The inquisitors don't want to give the production facility any warning that they've arrived, so they plan a covert approach. They gather a force of requisitioned inquisitorial agents, along with a Deathwatch kill team, and make planetfall just behind cover of a large forest.
They must cross through the forest to reach the production facility undetected.
However, as soon as they enter the forest, they become aware that they're not alone. There's a patrol nearby, probably consisting of nervous backwater recruits, the kind that will definitely raise an alarm at the first sign of something suspicious.
Scenario special rules
Each army deploys on opposite sides of the battlefield. At least one unit from the Inquisition must reach the battlefield edge in the Opposing Army's deployment zone.
Each player places 1 Objective Beacon next to a tree within the forest. These Objective Beacons alert local authorities, and if both Objective Beacons are controlled by the Opposing Army at the end of the game, then the production facility is on high alert for the next scenario.
The Opposing Army in this scenario is a unit of Adeptus Arbites, and a unit fashioned after Gaunt's Ghosts (obviously not the actual Gaunt's Ghosts!) The Opposing Army starts the game with 1 unit in Reserve, so Gaust's Ghosts don't start on the battlefield. The reserve unit may not enter the battlefield until after the first successful Objective Beacon attempt.
Traps
When a unit controls an Objective Beacon for the first time, it rolls 2d6. If the result is less than the unit's Leadership, then the Beacon is situated near a dangerous feral plant, which attacks and deals 2 Mortal Wounds to all units within 3" (8 cm).
Army for Agents of the Imperium
The Agents of the Imperium army consists of:
- Inquisitor Greyfax (Warlord)
- Inquisitor Ostromandeus (without Stentor-I 52)
- UR-25 [Blackstone Fortress]
- 1 Adeptus Arbites Judge Dyer (a model-of-the-month, thank you Games Workshop)
- Navigator [Blackstone Fortress]
- Rein and Raus [Blackstone Fortress]
- 2 Servitors
- 1 unit of 5 Deathwatch
It's about 310 points, according to the back of the book.
The state of detachments for Agents of the Imperium is pretty dismal, and there really is no generic option. For this game, I've chosen the Ordo Hereticus Purgation Force detachment because it at least can benefit Inquisition and Inquisitorial Agents keywords. However, it also assumes your targets have the Chaos keyword, which in this case isn't true, so I'm choosing to apply it to any valid target instead. For the Agents of the Imperium, a detachment with too much specificity really breaks down, and frankly seems specifically counter to the very appeal of the Agents of the Imperium faction.
Army for Production Facility Patrol
I'm playing this army as an Agents of Imperium army, even though it's got a unit from Astra Militarum in it. It's a simple list:
- 1 unit of 10 Adeptus Arbites (plus their cyber-mastiff)
- 1 unit [Gaunt's] Ghosts (replacing the Astra Militarum keyword with Adeptus Arbites)
- 1 Eversor Assassin (actually an Aeldari model-of-the-month, thank you Games Workshop)
Once again, there's no detachment for this kind of army because I guess the authors of detachments didn't imagine an all-Arbites army (counting my Imperial Guardsmen as Adeptus Arbites). In fact, there's no detachment in the codex that focuses on the Adeptus Arbites, so I'm using the Imperialis Fleet detachment but swapping out the Voidsmen keyword for Adeptus Arbites (and I'm counting the Gaunt's Ghost unit as Adeptus Arbites instead of Astra Militarum). Yes it's a mess, but it's fine.
The Adeptus Arbites are local authorities, so they've been tasked with protecting the production facility. The Gaunt's Ghost unit are a personal force of one of the managers of the production facility, and they patrol the region regularly.
Because there's a singular Adeptus Arbites on the Inquisition's team, I'm going to do a Leadership roll before the Adeptus Arbites unit attacks that model specifically. They can always attack the rest of the Inquisitorial team, but to attack one of their own will require a Leadership roll.
This army is about 330 points, bearing in mind that the Ghosts are from another codex entirely and probably throw everything out of alignment.
Round 1
The Patrol roll high for initiative and take the first turn, although the Ghosts unit is in reserves until the next round.
The Eversor Assassin has Scouts 9", so moves up 9" for free. Then she moves her normal Move speed of 9" into the south forest, gaining the benefit of cover, and getting dangerously close to the south objective. She has enough movement to reach the objective, but that would bring her out of cover, so for now she's going to stay put. Strategically, she doesn't actually have to control the objective until the end of the game anyway, and narratively it makes sense that she's still doing reconnaissance. She doesn't know for sure that there's a threat, she's just surveying the landscape at the moment.
The Adeptus Arbites Vigilants makes an Advance straight down the centre of the battlefield. This brings them close to the north objective beacon, but not so close to be a distraction. They're not necessarily after the beacon yet, because they haven't spotted the intruders. Then again, they're not not after the beacon, either.
On the Inquisition's turn, Greyfax decides to play it cool. She decides that she and her Adeptus Arbites officer, Judge Dyer, along with UR-25 and a servitor, will stroll toward the patrol squad and politely introduce themselves. No need for high alert here. They roll a 5 for Advance, so they get within Charging range of the patrol.
Meanwhile, she's told the Deathwatch kill team to disappear into the northwest forest.
Rein and Raus make an Advance move into the same northwest forest, within inches of the north objective beacon. Like the assassin, they don't need to control the beacon yet, and are happy to watch over it with the benefit of cover.
Inquisitor Ostromandeus, the Navigator, and a servitor roll 1 for Advance, so they walk super casually toward the south beacon.
Nobody's fighting yet. This isn't a battle, this is a chance encounter of 2 different Agents of the Imperium armies on a peaceful planet within the Imperium of Man.
Round 2
Both armies roll 3 for initiative, so it goes to the Inquisitorial Agents, the army that didn't have initiative on the previous round. Greyfax and Judge Dyer continue to play it cool. He wisely lets her do the talking ("I shoot. You talk.") and she rolls a 6 for Leadership 4+.
"What are you doing on Facility V-Prime property?" the Proctor Vigilant asks Judge Dyer.
The Judge doesn't get the chance to answer. As planned, Inquisitor Greyfax speaks up immediately, "What are you doing questioning an Inquisitor of the Imperium? Are we not permitted to freely survey the domain of the Emperor of Man?"
Well, Judge Dyer didn't exactly expect diplomacy.
While Greyfax and the patrol talk, Inquisitor Ostromandeus, the Navigator, and their servitor make another Advance to the Objective Beacon. They reach base contact with it, and take control. They don't even notice the Eversor Assassin mere metres away in the woods.
Nor do they notice the feral plant lurking near the beacon. They might be springing a trap. I roll 2d6 for Inquisitor Ostromandeus's Leadership, and he fails. He takes a Mortal Wound, and their combat servitor takes the other.
Everyone else holds fast. The Deathwatch monitor the situation, and fail a Leadership roll to spot the Ghosts approaching. Rein and Raus also fail a Leadership roll to spot them. To be fair, I imagine they're probably pre-occupied with what could become a messy situation with the patrol.
On the patrol's turn, the Vigilants fail a Leadership roll to disbelieve Greyfax, so they keep talking.
"I'm sorry, Inquisitor, we weren't told of your arrival. If you're on your way to Facility V-Prime, we can offer you escort."
"Why would I require escort, are we in danger?" Greyfax asks, just as a shot inconveniently rings out in the distance.
"The personal guardsmen of Superintendent Ryoss and Chief Ellisar drill in these forests, I think."
Greyfax asks, "Are the Adeptus Arbites undermanned, or underskilled? Or both?"
"I wasn't consulted when the guardsmen were brought in," the Proctor Vigilant responds in, Greyfax detects, a tone even flatter than the characteristic Arbites monotone.
"I see," she says. Of course the names of Superintendent Ryoss and Chief Ellisar are familiar to her. She's monitored their activity for years.
"The use of mercenary guardsmen suggests a disturbing lack of faith in the Imperium's protection," Greyfax says, as if to herself. "Or else that they're trying to protect something they don't want the lawful Adeptus Arbites to know about."
The Proctor Vigilant remains, unsurprisingly, stoic.
"Damning, either way," the Inquisitor says, as more shots ring out.
The shots being fired are, of course, the Eversor Assassin and the Ghosts themselves, who have been brought out of Reserves this round.
The Eversor Assassin deals 1 Wound to Inquisitor Ostromandeus, but he's got 3 more to spare.
The Ghosts open fire into the forest and annihilate the Ratling Twins. Rein and Raus have Toughness 2 and a Save of 6+. Even with the benefit of cover, they're toast against a 9 Strength auto-cannon. A long-las glances off the armour of the Deathwatch, but causes no Wounds thanks to a Command Re-roll for a Save.
Not gonna lie, it was a tense round, and the Inquisitorial Agents are down 2 models and no closer to the edge of the battlefield. I'd really been counting on Rein and Raus to make a run for it, and it's honestly quite the shock to have lost them already.
Round 3
Both armies roll 1 for initiative, so the Production Facility Patrol steals initiative back from the Inquisition.
Right from the start, the Proctor Vigilant rolls Leadership 7+ to defy Inquisitor Greyfax, and succeeds with 11.
"Sorry to hear about your concerns," the Proctor Vigilant says to the Inquisitor. "I've been tasked by the Governor of Vulcoth to protect our production facilities, no matter the threat. I don't think this is exactly what he expected."
"Nobody expects the Inquisition," Greyfax says, bracing herself.
The patrol opens fire. 10 blasts from their shotguns deal several hits, but the Inquisition is well armoured so Greyfax only takes 1 Wound (she has 3 more to spare), and they lose their combat servitor.
In the distance, the Ghosts continue firing into the woods, shouting like Catachans. They're not sure whether they've hit anything, but the gardening crew might thank them tomorrow when they find all the pruning's already done.
On the other side of the forest, the Eversor Assassin charges into Inquisitor Ostromandeus and unleashes a series of melee attacks that leaves Ostromandeus on the ground. Inquisitor Ostromandeus is removed from the battlefield.
On the Inquisition's turn, the Navigator runs into the forest. It's what Inquisitor Ostromandeus would have wanted. No, it really is. Somebody's got to get to front gate of the Production Facility to get it open.
And besides, the moment the Navigator leaves the range of the Objective, the Eversor Assassin controls the objective for the first time, which triggers the trap. I roll a 3 on 2d6, which is a fail, and so the Eversor Assassin takes 2 Wounds, leaving her with just 2 to spare.
UR-25 opens fire at the Adeptus Arbites and deals 0 Wounds, thanks to some bad Wound rolls and some good Saves. Judge Dyer also fails to deal any Wounds. Inquisitor Greyfax takes aim at the Proctor Vigilant and kills him.
Seeing that the situation has shifted, the Deathwatch kill team decides to live up to its name. They fire their bolters, clearing out 5 Adeptus Arbites.
The board state has changed drastically this round. Most significantly, one objective is now controlled by the Eversor Assassin, and the other will be easily contested by the Ghosts and Deathwatch.
It's pretty clear now that the Adeptus Arbites are cannon fodder in this scenario. If the Inquisition wants to get to the next scenario without the production facility being on high alert, they need to focus on either the Eversor Assassin or the Ghosts. The Assassin, having been attacked by a feral plant, is the obvious target.
Round 4
Just 2 rounds to go now, and the Inquisition rolls high for initiative. First thing's first. The Navigator moves to the edge of the battlefield, so he's well on his way to the Production Facility gates. Mechanically he doesn't arrive until after Round 5, but the Inquisition's minimum goal for the scenario has been met. Whether they'll find the Production Facility on high alert or not remains to be seen.
It's a numbers game now. The Inquisition has 8 OC available, and the Patrol has 10. Inquisitor Greyfax, Judge Dyer, and UR-25 bolt into the cover of the woods, into base contact with the beacon. Inquisitor Greyfax succeeds on her Leadership roll and avoids setting off the trap.
Then they open fire at the Ghosts. UR-25 manages to kill 2 Ghosts (even after a Command Re-roll) thanks to good rolling and AP -1. Judge Dyer, as usual, doesn't even hit anything.
Inquisitor Greyfax takes a risk and fires straight at the leader of the Ghosts. She hits with a 3, but fumbles her Damage roll. Command Re-roll does Damage, but the Ghost has an Invulnerable Save of 5+ and rolls a 5.
The Deathwatch score several hits and rolls well on Damage, but the Ghosts roll better on their Saves.
Not quite the turn the Inquisition was hoping for, but at least the numbers are equal now. It's 8 to 8, assuming the Inquisition stays alive.
On the Patrol's turn, the Adeptus Arbites take a Battle-shock test for losing have their unit on the previous turn. They pass, so I guess they've seen 60% of their squad die horrible deaths before. Vigilant doesn't begin to describe these guys.
Obviously both the Vigilant Squad and the Ghosts rush the beacon. The Ghosts pass their Leadership roll with a 7 for 6+, so they don't get entangled in that strangler vine that's wrapped itself around the beacon. The Vigilant Squad, on the other hand, rolls 5 for 7+, so every unit within 3" (8cm) of the beacon takes 2 Mortal Wounds. This could be a big deal.
The Ghosts lose 1 Tanith soldier. The Vigilant Squad loses 2 judges (the cyber mastiff is safe, don't worry.) And the Inquisition loses nobody, because Inquisitor Greyfax eats Mortal Wounds for breakfast (she's only got 1 Wound remaining, though!) That makes it 6 OC (Patrol) to 3 OC (Inquisition) at the moment, and that's not even counting the Deathwatch, who very wisely kept their distance.
Now for the first melee combat of the game, if you can believe that. Thanks to the trees and the beacon in the way, it's a surprisingly tight fit.
The leader of the Ghosts attacks UR-25 and deals 1 Wound, but UR-25 auto-heals 1 Wound at the start of each Round, so I'm not concerned.
One of the Ghosts stabs Judge Dyer, and he falls, out of action.
The Adeptus Arbites, furious at Inquisitor Greyfax's execution of their leader and squad, focus their attacks on her. She manages to get by with 0 Wounds, thanks entirely to her Invulnerable Save 5+, twice!
The Inquisition is down a number, so they need this close combat to help even the score. Unfortunately, all of their attacks are blocked, and they score not even 1 Wound in their rebuttal. It's still very much anybody's game, but maybe the Adeptus Astartes can lend a power-armoured hand?
Round 5
Final round, and the Inquisition rolls high. The Adeptus Astartes move toward the beacon to get this job done right, and then they Charge. Due the tight space, they're only able to attack 1 Tanith soldier and the leader, but they deal a total of 5 Wounds. The Tanith soldier is out of action, and the leader is down to 1 Wound.
UR-25 deals 2 Wounds to the last remaining Tanith, but that's not enough for removal. Inquisitor Greyfax does better and removes 1 Adeptus Arbites. She tries to dismantle the cyber mastiff, but rolls 1 and 2 for her Attack. She should've brought her sonic screwdriver.
On the Patrol turn, the Ghosts must do a Battle-shock test. They roll a 4 when they needed a 6+, which means they're unable to contest an objective, which means they definitely fail their mission. However, they've just earned a Command Point, which they spend for a re-roll. They roll a 9, so they're still in the game.
In a surprise move, the Eversor Assassin (remember her?) edges away from her objective beacon just enough to close the distance between her and Inquisitor Greyfax. She needs to be within 12", but was 1" short, so her move brings her perfectly within range.
She takes 4 shots, and scores 3 Hits, which in turn score 3 Damage. Inquisitor Greyfax saves, but for that 1 dice that rolls a 1. That's her last Wound.
Or at least it would be. In desperation, she spends a Command Point for a re-roll, and rolls a 5 Invulnerable Save.
Next up, the Adeptus Arbites attack Greyfax. They do their level best, but her Save is 3+ so everything bounces off her armour.
The Ghosts leader has a chainsword, and manages to catch an Adeptus Astartes off-guard. That's 1 space marine out of action, and quite an achievement for the Ghosts (or what's left of them, anyway).
The final tally is 4 OC for the facility Patrol and 6 for the Inquisition. The Patrol is unable to alert confirm the alarm sent by the Eversor Assassin, so the production facility is not on high alert.
Post-game administration
This turned out to be a great narrative scenario to play. Everyone had a unique goal, and it was hard to know whether a delay tactic was useful or harmful. Obviously it ramped up in the end, because it was designed that way, but I was happy to see that it actually worked.
Inquisitorial Agents
This army suffered some heavy losses, but luckily all but 1 of them succeed on their Battle Scar rolls. Rein (or is it Raus?), or the one with the sniper rifle anyway, rolls 1 and gains a Battle Scar:
DISGRACED Having committed some gross failure in battle, these warriors are excluded from high strategies and tasked with unheroic actions. You cannot use any Stratagems to affect this unit and this unit cannot be Marked for Greatness.
The army gains 1 XP for the battle. I'm awarding Inquisitor Greyfax the Marked for Greatness bonus of 3 XP, basically because she stayed alive for so long.
- Everyone; 1 XP
- Greyfax: 4 XP
Vulcoth
This army is set to change with each scenario, so I'm not tracking XP for it.
Next battle soon
The next scenario takes the Inquisitorial Agents into the unsuspecting production facility. What will they find there? Inquisitors Greyfax and Ostromandeus expect the worst!