Korinthion V Campaign Update: War of Attrition

One advantage of the Covid-19 lock down has been that the young Crusader has had fewer school club and tournament commitments, which has given us more time to play.  Ironically for the most recent game, I decided to get out the Forgeworld Realm of Battle City boards, when unknown to me, they had just been discontinued.  It is a shame they are no longer available, because they look great on the table.  But they are cumbersome to store and then get out, especially compared to a neoprene gaming mat.  And they never sit flat (although putting a blanket underneath helps), which can make scenery a little wobbly.   Never mind, we will get years of enjoyment out of them yet.

As for the campaign on Korinthion V, it has turned into a slow war of attrition with the Ultramarines seemingly having the upper hand for a series of battles, before the initiative swings the other way.  The Iron Warriors have some of the strongest units in the game, mainly because they seem to fit the Iron Warriors theme: the Sicaran Arcus and the Terrax Pattern Termites.  We have started putting a Veteran squad in one of the termites and a melta tactical support squad in the other.  Veterans are very strong, and with Tank hunter and plenty of combi-meltas, they are a clear threat.  Another squad in a rhino provides extra firepower when needed.  The Arcus is very dangerous and ironically would be perfect for countering the IVth Legion's most fearsome unit: the Siege Tyrant Terminators.

The Ultramarines' tactics revolve around trying to get the Suzerain up the battlefield in their Land Raider and into charge distance of the Siege Tyrants.  If they get stopped in No Man's Land then they rarely feature meaningfully in the battle: they will get wiped out if they have to foot slog very far.  The XIIIth Legion doesn't have any dedicated veteran squads painted, so the tactical squads are repurposed as outflanking veterans in their rhinos, armed with melta bombs, whose main job is to arrive behind enemy lines and remove the Arcus and Basilisks from the battle.  The Damocles Command rhino is crucial here: allowing the Reserve rolls to be modified.

Maybe one day I will paint some Ultramarine cataphractii as a Fulmentarus squad.  If anything, these look more dangerous than the Siege Tyrants, but are suitably expensive to put on the field.  I am also keen to paint up a Locutarus storm squad, since the Legion-specific units obviously give each Legion its unique character.  However, given my priority is to have the VIIth Legion available for a battle against their nemesis, the IVth Legion, that may be some time away.

I have, however, painted a couple of new units for the XIIIth Legion: four Javelin attack speeders, two with the missile launchers and two with the twin-linked lascannons.  Only one squad has made it into play so far, and clearly is not very reliable by itself; a two-pronged attack looks far more likely to either inflict the damage required or to divert the Iron Warriors' firepower from the Predators, Sicaran and land raider. .

The IVth Legion's Domitar Ferrum automata have proved surprisingly effective.  Yes, they are over priced, but if they are able to move up the battlefield such that when the XIIIth Legion's Sicaran - full or Cataphractii terminators - gets within charge distance, they are able to destroy it before it gets too close to thee Iron Warriors' gun line.  Their other use is shielding the quad guns on the first turn.  An expensive way to do this, but being over-priced helps to balance the game given the Arcus and the termites are under-priced.