Operation Raider - battle report

A quick battle report using the operation raider mission from last week.

The forces;
The Children of the All Father (Genestealer cult, defending)
Patriarch
3 broods of genestealers
3 mobs of initiates (with two flamers)
2 squads of brood brothers (with lascannons)
Stratagems ; 2 ammo stores, 1 krak attack, 1 escape hatch

Ultramarines (attacking)
Chaplain
3 squads of Terminators (1 with thunder hammers)
3 Dreadnoughts (1 with assault cannon, 2 with multi-meltas)
2 Land speeders (1 with assault cannon, 1 with heavy bolters)
2 Tactical squads (missile launcher and flamer each )

Report;

Outpost 117-A was a little known settlement consisting of two habitat domes surrounded by bunkers and razor wire. Unbeknown to the marines the cultists deployed in an all round defence. The patriarch and one brood of genestealers occupied one habitat dome. A mob initiates occupied the other habitat the second mob occupied a nearby bunker. The two brood brother squads occupied the bunkers at the entrance of the outpost. Each brood brothers squad was reinforced with an ammo store. Two broods of genestealers and a mob of initiates went into reserve.

Unaware of the cultist's deployment the marine’s first wave arrived. All the units’ bar a tactical squad arrived on turn one. The bulk of the marines deployed in one quadrant close to their table edge, with a terminator assault squad, a speeder and an assault cannon dreadnought deployed across the rest of the table. The marine’s deployment was largely uneventful but a tactical squad did trigger a krak attack and lost two marines. After all the marine had deployed the cultist positions were revealed.
Unperturbed, the space marine’s started shooting by using a crash and burn stratagem to fire a space ship at the outpost. The first piece of debris was aimed for the patriarch’s habitat dome but scattered on to a nearby bunker containing a mob of initiates. Fortunately for the initiates the bunker survived the attack. The second piece of debris hit the habitat dome containing a mob of initiates destroying it and killing twenty its occupants and forcing the unit to flee. The third and fourth pieces were targeted at the brood brother squads. One missed with no effect while the second destroyed a bunker killing several of its occupants. The survivors were then raked with fire from the nearby assault cannon armed dreadnought claiming several more casualties. The rest of the shooting was uneventful with both of the multimelta’s missing nearby bunkers. The assault terminator squad charged the habitat dome containing the patriarch but could not damage it.
In response cultist reinforcements began to arrive. Flanking brood of genestealers went after a nearby land speeder while a flanking mob of initiates went after a squad of terminators. In the outpost a mob of initiates left the safety of their bunker to engage the assault terminators. Patriarch and his stealers used an escape hatch stratagem to move into position to assault the Chaplin and tactical squad. Shooting was largely ineffective with the mobs of initiates killing two terminators with small arms fire while the brood brother lascannons failed to hit the nearby dreadnought. In hand to hand the cult performed better with the outflanking initiates destroying a squad of terminators while the second mob pinned the assault terminators in combat. The patriarch transfixed the space marine Chaplin and his brood attacked and destroyed the nearby tactical squad while the patriarch dispatched the Chaplin. The only upset to the cults attack was the outflanking genestealers inability to hit or damage a landspeeder.

With the loss of several squads the marines began to re-organise their attack. The missing tactical squad suffered a mishap and was delayed for a turn. The marines near the Patriarch moved into effective firing range. While the rest of the marines engaged nearby cult units. In shooting the assault cannon armed dreadnought killed several brood brothers from the squad out in the open. The assault cannon landspeeder killed several of the newly arrived genestealers while multimelta armed dreadnought fired on the newly arrived initiate’s mob. Everything else fired on the Patriarch’s brood decimating the squad which held firm due to the presence of the Patriarch. The two dreadnoughts followed up on their attacks and assaulted then destroyed the brood brother squad and newly arrived initiate mob. In reply the cultists destroyed the terminator assault squad inside the outpost.
The cultist defences were reinforced by a newly arrive brood of genestealers moved to assault another nearby landspeeder. The Patriarchs decimated brood withdrew into a nearby bunker, while the initiates in the outpost moved to reinforce the Patriarchs brood. The remaining brood brothers squad fired on and missed the approaching dreadnought. The two remaining genestealers brood assaulted both the land speeders and succeed in stunning one.

The marine attack was then reinforced by the newly arrived tactical squad which arrived to engage the initiates inside the outpost. The rest of the marines moved destroy the Patriarch and his defenders. The multimelta dreadnoughts fired on and missed the bunker containing the Patriarch. The undamaged landspeeder fired on the newly arrived genestealers killing several. The assault cannon dreadnought assaulted but failed to damage the bunker containing the last brood brother squad which contain the Cults last remaining anti vehicle weapon in the form of the lascannon.
In response The Patriarchs brood once more left the safety of the bunker. The Patriarch moved into another bunker while the rest of his brood moved to delay the last terminator squad. The initiates in the outpost moved to support the patriarch while the other Genestealer broods moved to engage the nearest marine units. The brood brother squad inside the outpost fired on the dreadnought assaulting their bunker but missed in reply the dreadnought destroyed their bunker forcing the squad into the open. The initiates fired on the approaching terminators but had no effect. The patriarch’s brood assaulted and pinned the terminators in combat.

With time running out the marines closed in on the bunker containing the patriarch. The multi-melta dreadnoughts easily destroyed his bunker inflicting a wound on the patriarch and killing several nearby initiates in the explosion. The landspeeders target targeted the two Genestealer broods outside the outpost destroying one brood in the process. The tactical squad downed several more of the initiates defending the outpost. While the assault cannon dreadnought downed several of the defending brood brothers. The dreadnought followed up by assaulting and destroying the brood brother squad there by destroying the last anti vehicle weapon in the cults arsenal. Elsewhere the terminators finished of the Genestealer brood trying to stop them from entering the outpost

Lacking effective weapons the patriarch moved to join the last initiate mob in the outpost which moved towards one of the last intact bunkers. Outside the last surviving Genestealer brood moved to assault the terminators about to enter the outpost. The assault proved deadly with all the terminators slain without any casualties suffered in return.


However time was running out for both sides. The marine dreadnought moved towards the last remaining mob on initiates while fire from the nearby marine tactical squad downing several initiates. The landspeeders finished of the last brood of genestealers. The multimelta dreadnoughts destroyed the bunker the initiates and the patriarch had planned use for cover.

Running out of time and cover the patriarch and the last initiate mob sought refuge in one of the last bunkers.

In response the marine units closed on the bunker but all the heavy weapons fire failed to damage it.

Inside the bunker the Patriarch and the last cult unit consisting of several initiates could only let out a sigh of relief as darkness fell allowing them to slip away into the night.

Result;
Win Genestealer cult ( 7 v 12 on kill points)