I'm playing through the missions in the Pariah Nexus Crusade book, in order of appearance. The fourteenth and penultimate mission is called Reawakening.
In this mission, there are 5 objectives. The outer 2 are objectives A, the inner 2 are objectives B, and the centre one is objective C.
This obviously suggests a few strategies. You can either try to think a few rounds ahead and work to capture objectives that will become valid, or you can run around the battlefield and try to capture each objective while it's active.
Whatever the "correct" strategy is, I'm betting I get it wrong!
After narrowly escaping the tomb beneath the Blackstone pylon, Scipio Ω5-Quintus and the Blood of the Omnissiah discover that the eruptions of dark energies wasn't just an underground phenomenon. It's clear that some kind of devious macro-system is coming back online one relay at a time, ready to power a great awakening of a powerfully evil force.
Across the battlefields before them, a force of Tyranids and Genestealer Cultists are scrambling to claim these sources of power as soon as they appear. It's time for the Adeptus Mechanicus to abandon their hunt for Noctilith and fight for the preservation of the Imperium itself. The Blood of the Omnissiah must sabotage the crackling energistic nodes as they awaken.
Scipio Ω5-Quintus the Technoarcheologist leads a unit of Skitarii Rangers. Tech-Priest Engineseer 8-Dol leads a unit of Skitarii Vanguard. For distance and power, I'm throwing in a Sydonian Dragoon as well.
I'm using the Explorator Maniple detachment again. This detachment allows me to designate, at the start of each Round, one objective as my Acquisition Objective. When one of my units attacks while it or its target is in range of the Acquisition Objective, I can re-roll Wound rolls of 1. Additionally, once a phase, a Tech-Priest within range of my Acquisition Objective can change a Hit, Wound, or Save to 6.
The Tyranid Cult is back to its old healthy mix of actual Tyranids and crazed Genestealer Cultists:
Because there are more Genestealer Cultists than Tyranids in this army configuration, I'm using the Host of Ascension detachment from the Genestealer Cults codex.
I forgot to do this, so I did it in retrospect after the game and both armies chose Defensive. The goal of a Defensive army, in terms of rewards at the end of the game, is to end the game with half the army alive.
The Adeptus Mechanicus rolls high for initiative. The magii enact the Conqueror Imperative, granting all Ranged weapons the Assault keyword. They also designate Objective C as this round's Acquisition Objective, even though it can't actually be claimed (the mission dictates that all objectives are on the battlefield from the start, so they do exist, but only Objectives A are worth Victory Points.)
The Sydonian Dragoon claims the nearest Objective A, and spends 1 CP for Overwatch, with its eyes out for Aberrants. Servitors follow as quickly as they can, ready to hold Objective A when the Sydonian Dragoon moves on.
8-Dol and his Skitarii Vanguard make an Advance to Objective C. It's the Acquisition Objective so they can re-roll Wound rolls of 1. They fire at the Goliath Rockgrinder and impose 1 Wound.
Scipio Ω5-Quintus and his Skitarii Rangers take an Advance move and toward Objective B.
On the Tyranid Cult turn, the Goliath Rockgrinder heads toward the other Objective B (not that it can be claimed yet), and tries to fire its mining laser at the Skitarii Vanguard but misses. Its other weapons don't have enough range to try.
Aberrants suddenly appear near Objective C, but they fail their Charge to get close enough for melee.
The Genestealers run from deployment to nearby cover, and the Termagants claim the Objective A closest to the Tyranid Cult deployment zone.
No surprises this round, this is more or less what I'd expected.
The initiative roll is a tie, so initiative goes to the Tyranid Cult. The Adeptus Mechanicus activates the Conqueror Imperative again, and declares Objective C as the Acquisition Objective again.
The Goliath Rockgrinder moves toward Objective C, but just enough to get in range for a shot. It takes a shot with its big Clearance Incinerator and amazingly misses.
The Aberrants charge and kill 9 (yes 9) Skitarii Vanguard. 8-Dol kills one Aberrant, and the Skitarii Vanguard Alpha badly wounds another. (I also forgot during this combat that 8-Dol and the Skitarii Vanguard Alpha could re-roll Wound rolls of 1.)
The Genestealers hurry to claim an Objective B (it's not active yet, but a Tyranid Cult knows to plan ahead.)
The Servitors make an Advance move and take over control of Objective A for the Sydonian Dragoon. The Sydonian Dragoon moves toward Objective B, killing one Genestealer at range and another in melee after a successful charge.
Skitarii Rangers fire and remove another Aberrant, but because they overcharged their Plasma Calivers, 2 Rangers are toasted.
Objective B becomes active and Objectives A become inactive.
The Tyranid Cults roll high for initiative. The Adeptus Mechanicus enable the Protector Imperative (and I forget to declare an Acquisition Objective.)
Aberrants deal a ton of damage, but the Tech-priest Engineseer 8-Dol moves himself into the line of every attack. He falls, leaving only the Skitarii Vanguard Alpha on the objective. A noble sacrifice maybe, but it's the result of much cogitation. The Skitarii Vanguard's Rad Saturation ability imposes a -1 Objective Control to all enemies within range, so the Skitarii Vanguard still holds the objective. If the Skitarii Vanguard Alpha can somehow stay alive until the end of Round 5, then the Blood of the Omnissiah could control Objective C regardless of who else is in range. Then again, he's face to face with an Aberrant at the moment, so the chances seem slim.
The Genestealers attack the Sydonian Dragoon, dealing 1 Wound and suffering 1 loss of their own as the pilot prods them with a taser lance.
The Goliath Rockgrinder shoots at the Sydonian Dragoon and deals just 1 Wound. Could have been a lot worse. The Termagants huddle around Objective B and some start edging toward Objective C.
On the Adeptus Mechanicus turn, the Skitarii Rangers fire at the Aberrants and manage to remove the last of them. The Skitarii Vanguard Alpha is now alone on Objective C, which is a dud until the final round of the game, and I don't see how he'll possibly resist the coming onslaught of Termagants and probably a Goliath Rockgrinder.
The Servitors circle around the edges of the battlefield, hoping to sneak in to support control of Objective C. I don't see it happening, but special commendations for effort. As a war general, I have to admit that I think I've made several tactical errors so far.
The Sydonian Dragoon picks off another Genestealer, but the Tyranids still clearly control both Objectives B.
The Adeptus Mechanicus roll high for initiative and take the first turn, and retain the Protector Imperative. Objective C is again declared as the Acquisition Objective.
It's clear by now that the Blood of the Omnissiah focused on Objective C far too early in the game. For a victory at this point, they must capture one Objective B and then also end the game with Objective C.
It doesn't seem likely.
In a surprise move, the Servitors double back, firing uselessly into the Genestealers holding Objective B. They miss, but they make a lot of noise and then Charge. Again, all attacks miss because Servitors are utterly useless in combat, and also they have 0 OC so their presence on Objective B doesn't even contest control.
Another misstep from the Major General? Or a plan so ingenius that it's beyond human comprehension? Who can say?
The Sydonian Dragoon makes a Desperate Escape from the Genestelalers and fails its roll, so it takes 3 Mortal Wounds. No worries, it's still got 3 Wounds remaining. It moves to Objective C.
The Skitarii Rangers that had been protecting Objective C from range scurry over to Objective B, outnumbering the Genestealers and then clobbering a bunch of them. After it's all over, there are only 2 Genestealers remaining. Re-rolling Wound rolls of 1 definitely helped.
On the Tyranid Cults turn, the Goliath Rockgrinder revs its engine and rams into the horde around Objective B. Those useless Servitors? They throw themselves obediently in the path of the truck. Every Servitor is removed from the battlefield, but the Skitarii Rangers suffer no losses. The Adeptus Mechanicus has successfully captured an Objective B.
I admit that's not exactly why I sent the Servitors back to Objective B, but it was in the spirit of what I had in mind. I figured sending them back into the line of fire could possibly distract the Goliath Rockgrinder, and they ended up serving as a blockade. Close enough!
The Termagants fire their fleshborers at the lone Skitarii Vanguard Alpha, who heroically saves against 8 out of 10 Attacks. Sadly, he takes 1 Wound and falls, and the Sydonian Dragoon takes the other.
Final round, and the initiative roll goes to the Adeptus Mechanicus. They enable the Protector Imperative, and obviously declare Objective C (now the only active objective) as the Acquisition Objective.
Not to put too fine a point on what's at stake, but if they can control Objective C, then they'll win the battle by 5 VP. If they fail, then they lose by 35 VP (and the dead rise from necromantic energy, and those affected by the Stilling become undead, but no pressure!)
The Skitarii Rangers make a Desperate Escape from the Genestealers and succeed, moving to claim Objective C. They fire everything they've got into the Termagants and manage to remove all but 4 of them. The Sydonian Dragoon pitches in and kills another Termagant.
The Goliath Rockgrinder puts itself into reverse and slams into Objective C, killing 2 Skitarii Rangers.
The Genestealers rush to Objective C. They kill 3 more Skitarii Rangers despite the Protector Imperative, but take a loss to Scipio Ω5-Quintus's archeotech pistol.
Everyone seems to be on Objective C at this point, and it's practically a mystery to determine who actually controls it. The Goliath Rockgrinder is 3 OC, plus 3 Termagants, plus 2 Genestealers. That's 8 OC.
The Adeptus Mechanicus has 1 OC for Scipio Ω5-Quintus, plus 2 OC each for 3 remaining Skitarii Rangers (I had no idea they were 2 OC), plus 2 OC for the Sydonian Dragoon. That's 9 OC.
The Blood of the Omnissiah wins by 1 OC, for a victory by just 5 VP. I don't think there can be a narrower victory, and honestly I almost called the game back in Round 3.
I didn't expect to enjoy this mission half as much as I did. I liked the idea of objectives that were only active for part of the game, but the setup seemed too simple. Each objective in a row, each army deployed equidistant from the centre. Why wouldn't each army just politely line up at each objective, and then maybe do some fighting in the final round?
That's what I'd anticipated from reading the mission. What a surprise twist it was to play the closest game I've played, maybe ever. And it was a real roller-coaster, too. When the Aberrants took out 9 Skitarii Vanguard in one round, I thought there'd be no stopping them. Game over. But it turned out not to be over.
Using the Servitors for what the God Emperor surely intended them as was supremely satisfying. I know Servitors are cannon fodder, but in 40k it's not common to exactly want cannon fodder. My army is full of heroes, indestructible cyborgs that know no fear. They don't need cannon fodder, they have armour and faith in the Omnissiah! But when a Goliath Rockgrinder is speeding toward you with its grinders switched on, you start to see Servitors in a new light.
What a great example of how a simple mission design can be made a great mission with just one gimmick, and the usual emergent strategy of a player who has no idea what he's doing.
The Adeptus Mechanicus are the surprise winners. At the end of the battle, the Adeptus Mechanicus searched for archeotech as usual. They succeed with a roll of a 5. Scipio Ω5-Quintus gets a personal roll but fails it. But he has 2 archeotech parts (actually he has 3, because I keep thinking you need 3 parts to build), and he rolls a 4 for a Force Field, and then a 6 to gain a Technodermis. With this equipped, Scipio Ω5-Quintus has Save 2+ and 4 Wounds.
They get 1 Requisition Point, and each unit gains 1 XP for taking part in the crusade. Looking at the pile of dead, I think they failed to earn extra rewards for their Defensive footing. I'm rewarding the Servitors, as ridiculous as it may seem, with the Marked for Greatness bonus 3 XP. In total, here's where the army is:
The Servitors gain, appropriately, the Blooded Battle Trait. They roll a 1 on a d3 and gain the Enhanced Bionics feature, which grants them an Invulnerable Save 4+. Yes, my Servitors have an Invulnerable Save 4+.
It seems I forgot to recognise 8-Dol when he gained enough XP to earn the Battle-hardened Battle Trait. He rolls a 2 and gains the Voltagheist Shock ability: Once each battle, he can roll a d6 as a response to a Charge and deal 3 Mortal Wounds on 3+. A very strong ability that, with just 1 mission remaining, he'll get to use exactly once!
The Tyranid Cult gets 1 Requisition Point, and each unit gains 1 XP for taking part in the crusade. This was a pretty bloody battle, and they too failed to earn extra rewards for their Defensive footing. Here's the Crusade Forces that have seen action so far, whether they were in this battle or not:
The Tech-priest Enginesser passes his Out of Action roll with a 10, as do the Servitors with a roll of 8.
In nearly every way possible, this was the climactic battle I'd hoped for at the end of the campaign. It's a little inconvenient that there's one more mission to go, but its title lends itself well to serving as an epilogue, so that's likely how I'll set it up. The next and final mission is Final Acquisition.