Crimson Fists Are HERETCIS!

Servo-skulls vox record on. Inquisitor Fritz personal log M 41.12.00...

I have always suspected the Crimson Fists Space Marine chapter regarding the taint of chaos, and the events that unfolded today have only further sealed my righteous indignation against them. The inner circle knows of the incompetence and blundering at Rynn’s World- a single missile, not just any missile but one piloted by a lowly grot destroyed their entire fortress monetary. Only a taint in there gene-seed could allow such a thing.

In passing through the Behrgassi sector vox contact was made with a small strike force of Crimson Fists pacifying the remains of a rebellion on one of the home planets in the system. Seeing this as a chance to confirm some of my personal thought regarding the chapter I ordered the strike force to assemble at the star port for review and submission of their gene-seed to purity tests. Imagine their refusal from a direct command of the god emperor himself, which I am by extension of course…

Of course this could only mean one thing- the stain of chaos so by the immortal emperor of mankind I pronounced extermanatus on them and dispatched a small force of Grey Knights under my command. I would have preferred to send the space monkeys out of personal amusement, but the servitors are still having difficulties rounding up sufficient numbers…

The strike force landed just north of the star port by thunder hawk insertion and advanced with two venerable dreadnoughts and the land raider Dominatus in support. Contact was made with the Crimson Fists- four full tactical squads, two dreadnoughts, a land riader, and a full terminator group lead by both a captain and chaplain. Clearly the chaplain had failed in his imperial duty so his capture for interrogation was also of high importance.

Three points on the map were tactically marked to gain a stronghold point, one on either side of the drop point, along with a center point. The ‘Knight forces castled up behind the ruins of a building, under the support of a librarian and paladin squad and opened up with a fully volley seizing the initiative from the Crimson Fists. Targeting the heretics land raider had no effect while one of the dreadnoughts exploded from a direct las-cannon hit.

As the Crimson Fists advanced I ordered the two ‘knight squads forward opening up on their ranks with storm bolters and psy-cannons cutting down a tactical squad and putting heavy losses on another as return plasma and devastator fire reduced one of the ‘knight squads to combat ineffective- which was then ordered back to hold our objective.

Advancing their land raider and termiantors forward the Grey Knights pounded the machine with las-cannons, rending psybolts, and hunter killer missiles, eventually destroying all its armaments and mobility stranding it in directly ontop of the mission center point. I followed up swiftly by ordering the paladins and second ‘knight squad forward cutting their way through the advancing ‘fist terminators- putting their commander and chaplain to the force sword in the name of the emperor.

Unfortunately with the bolstered vigor of the heretics and the stranded land raider in the center, the strike team could not continue to push forward and route the Crimson Fists so I ordered the strike force to pull back and await storm trooper reinforcements.

Of special note is the vox-pic capture of the Crimson Fist land raider taking multiple penetrating hits from our las-cannons only to shrug them off and keep coming- if this is not further proof of their taint then I don’t know what is…

So I castle up in the corner going to work with the long range shots on the dreads and land raider taking out the ‘fists long range support- dreads. With them down I then go to work on the devastator squad camping in a building to the right with my Grey Knights- but being in range for storm bolter fire also meant I was in range for their plasma cannons as half the squad got cooked. Plasma Meh? Who still plays plasma?

With that squad down to combat ineffective I run them back to my land raider and hop inside securing my objective. I’m going to bypass the objective on my opponent’s side supported by two full tactical squads and take the one in the center- push the blob paladins forward and then run the second ‘Knight squad up.

For the entire game I fire all my las cannon, rending psycannons into that land raider, FINALLY stopping it in the center forcing the terminators to get out on foot, but I just can’t blow it up. Ugh, when 40K is like that. EVERY other penetrating hit was just vehicle shaken. I penned that thing at least four time a turn, my dice were HOT, just not on the damage chart side.

I advanced my ‘Knights up to terminators and opened up on them at point blank range dropping a few before charging and eventually killing the terminators on turn two- halberds and force weapons FTW!

Of course now we are moving into turn five and this is where my lack of timing lost me the game- I had been sitting back with the blob paladins and not advancing them turn three (duh!) so now they are moving up to the center with a dread in support to punch the land raider camping on the objective. I’m just short- if the game ends turn five it is a tie, if it goes on I’ll shoot it, punch it, and then move on with the Grey Knight squad for the win on two objective…and the game ends.

Fun as heck game, first time I’ve ever actually faced Crimson Fists so that was a treat. Firebase held up well, but I just couldn’t kill that land raider period. If I hadn’t immobilized it, nothing would have stopped it! Also messed up the timing with my paladins advancing since I was so caught up in trying to kill said land raider. I let that land raider dominate the tempo of the game rather then me taking it from the beggining. Important lessons here. 

Next time…