Operation: Razorback

 

Points: 3000.

Deployment: Long Haul.

Primary Objective: Breakthrough.

The Imperial forces were determined to make up for the setbacks suffered in the last few months, and organised a much larger force, outnumbering the oncoming Tyranids significantly.

The Imperium regrouped it's forces into several strategic locations in the path of the oncoming Tyranid horde. In response, the Tyranids focused on a single perceived weak point in the Imperial lines, where the Rift Wardens were garrisoned. This forced the space marine commander, chaplain Quintos, to make immediate localised changes to the battle formation he had been assigned to.

The battle began with the Tyranid assault on the Rift Warden positions. It took four days for the Tyranids to break through due to superior delaying actions ordered by Quintos. The Tyranid swarm pushed through seizing a strategic site. A night time counter attack by a force of Knights from House Avalon failed to retake the location. Reinforcements from both the orbiting Rift Warden and House Avalon starships helped bolster the line though. The Rift Wardens suffered surprisingly minimal casualties whist holding the alien hordes back, potentially safeguarding numerous vital Imperial cities and installations. 

Battlefield Chaos - Talos

Points:32000.

Deployment: Ground War.

Primary Objective: Sabotage.

This engagement was one of two major battles that took place after six months of fighting in the Talos system. The battle began when several space marine forces fired artillery tanks against the massed Tyranid horde advancing. In response, the Tyranids turned on the space marines and forced them to retreat. The Rift Wardens called in all available reinforcements but were defeated once again. After eight hours of fighting the astartes had to be evacuated or be overrun.

Battle of Neiman Ford - Talos

Points: 3000.

Deployment: Ground War.

Primary Objective: Relic Hunt.

The battle of Neiman Ford was a large battle fought against the Tyranids by the Rift Wardens chapter. It took place at the Neiman Ford between three of the surviving Imperial cities. After suffering incredible losses in recent campaigns, the Rift Wardens tried to force a defensive line to hold out against the inevitable Tyranid encroachment. The Tyranids outflanked the space marines, defeating them once again and after weeks of heavy fighting, the Rift Wardens fell back to the tri-cities to resupply.

Battle of the Badlands - Vigilus Wastelands

Points: 3000.

Deployment and Mission: Crucible of Battle / Night Fighting.

Primary Objective: Scorched Earth.

Detachment: Gladius Task Force.

Opponents Detachment: War Horde.

After the Imperium lost their campaign against the Orks of the Scrap Cities, they fell back into the wastelands pursued by the greenskins. Arthurus gathered a company worth of battle brothers and dreadnoughts to hold off the wrath of Ghazkhull while the surviving forces retreated. Even so, the Orks had the numerical advantage.

Arthurus, decided to forestall their advance and ordered his brothers to hold the line. Initially the Rift Wardens were able to destroy the oncoming forces and were briefly able to push them back. The Ork hordes concentrated their war bands and rushed the space marine lines. Heavy fighting ensued and the battle lines became a deadlock.

Over the next two days, the Rift Wardens pushed the Orks back but then Ghazkhull arrived to bolster their numbers. Under his command, the Orks recaptured territory lost to them and inflicted heavy casualties on the space marines. With the main Imperial force now safely out of harm's way, Arthurus pulled his forces back to the hive cities and plotted a revenge against the Orks.

Battle for Bore-Hive Ultris - Megaborealis

Points: 3000.

Deployment: Opposing Forces.

Primary Objective: Duel.

Following the battle for the Blackstone mines, Arthurus led a small force north to protect Ultris from a force of Slaaneshi daemons. At the same time, that force of daemons had slaughtered through the bore hive and was headed south into the path of the Rift Wardens.

It was still an hour before dawn when the daemons overran an Astra Militarum firebase to the north of the Rift Warden position. When Arthurus learnt of this, he changed plans and turned his force to engage those daemons. In the initial minutes of battle, the daemons inflicted heavy casualties upon the space marines before being counter-attacked by Arthurus and his bladeguard. The daemons fell back away from the firebase and back into the outskirts of Ultris. There the Rift Warden advance was then stopped by a much larger force of Slaaneshi daemons. The Rift Wardens counter-attacked several times but to no effect.

Meanwhile, the firebase behind them, was retaken by daemonette reinforcements from the Warp. After a short fight, the daemons were forced to retreat into the streets, leaving a weakened marine force to hold the site and hold it against being captured.

By midday, as the sun shone down on the hive sprawl, the daemons tried again to dislodge Arthurus and his forces. The assault was repelled, with heavy casualties on both sides. The daemons were forced to retreat further into the bore-hive but by this time, the space marines had also been seriously depleted.

Clash At Emperor's Landing - Antares

 

Points: 3000.

Deployment: Behind Enemy Lines.

Primary Objective: Last Stand.

In the days since the failed battle of the space port known as Emperor's Landing, the Custodians fought several small engagements against Rift Warden patrols. A small force fought a series of successful delaying actions that allowed the defenders of the space port to ready a defence. Those patrols, however, fell to the blades and bullets of the Custodian brothers.

The following day, the Custodians continued their advance back to the space port, but found the Rift Wardens mobile defence difficult to breach. The garrison of the space port was composed of three companies, led by Arthurus himself. Among them, fresh reinforcements that had arrived from orbit during the lull in fighting and a lone Vindicare Assassin. Unable to breach the defences, the Custodes took to taking and holding three outer defence towers away from the main port.

The Custodes commander was left with three choices; she could assault the heavily defended space port, try to breach and capture the outer defences, or try a risky teleport assault. Despite having little knowledge of what forces actually awaited them within the Rift Warden perimeter, she did not expect a truly significant opposition and ordered her troops to prepared a full ground assault on the space port.

Battle of the Stygian Defence Line - Talos

Points: 3000.

Deployment: Spearhead.

Primary Objective: Random Objectives Deck.

The first classes took place as the sun arose over the horizon, and giant Tyranid beasts stormed the central position of the Imperial lines, while smaller organisms crawled or flew over the northern and southern positions. The Rift Wardens were the first Imperial forces to engage the enemy. The space marines initially put up a solid resistance along the front, but lacked coordination between different Imperial factions. Imperial tanks and artillery fire inflicted casualties among the smaller hordes. The Tyranids in general suffered heavy fire as they attempted to breach the walls. Artillery beasts took a toll upon the defenders and within a couple hours, the Tyranids had broken through the central defences. The Rift Wardens split up their forces and relocated squads to help isolate and destroy numerous gaunts and genestealers. However, as the day crept forward, the battle was effectively over, having turned fully in the favour of the Tyranids. By midday, the Tyranids had reached the Imperial command bunkers, unhindered by the various minefields and automated turrets. 

The Battle of Teluu Salt Flats - Vigilus Wastelands

 Points: 3000.

The Battle of Teluu Salt Flats was a minor engagement during the Vigilus crusade, after a marauding war band of World Eaters attacked a Rift Warden garrison on the edge if the aforementioned salt flats. The site has been occupied by the space marines since shortly after their arrival on the planet. Following a series of local Ork raids, the space marine chapter decided to make this a strategic defensive sight.

A World Eater war band attacked the patrolling outriders on the edge of the salt flats, while Kharn the Betrayer led a force directly into the heart of the out post. As these attacks took place, on the far side of the salt flats, the servants of the Blood God deployed two companies to attack Imperial bridgeheads between the hive cities. The space marines were overwhelmed and slaughtered, and because of this defeat, the World Eaters were in a position to attack other Imperial forces unopposed.

First Battle of Look Out Point - Pariah Nexus

Points: 3000.

Deployment and Mission: Crucible Of Battle / Hidden Supplies.

Primary Objective: Supply Drop.

Detachment: Gladius Task Force.

Opponents Detachment: Awakened Dynasty.

The Rift Wardens attacked north of Hell's Point, capturing the Necron positions and the roads into the area. Captain Galadhus led his forces along the left flank, capturing the high ground and destroying thousands of enemy warriors. Hhis forces then attacked further south, pushing towards the Necron tomb complex but after three days they failed to capture any new territory.

Galadhus attacked again on the north flank, advancing on the left and gaining more ground. Then the Necrons counter-attacked, stopping the space marine advance. When the space marines took the enemy positions at "Look Out Point" they were in a position to block the enemy counter-attack, forming a boundry between the two forces.

Two days later, the space marines attacked towards the tomb complex and attacked multiple enemy positions, breaking through the Necron defences. Over the next few days, the Rift Wardens hunkered down and they defeated several big enemy counter-attacks. Further attacks though, were stopped by difficult terrain and the appearance of a vast Tesseract Vault.

Necron attacks were suspended at this time in order to bring in fresh warriors from the complex, despite the repeated Rift Warden attacks. The Necrons now reinforced, began to put increasing pressure on the space marines, who met frequent counter-attacks. Despite the initial successes, the battle bogged down into stalemate.

Wrath of the Aeldari - Kaelac's Bane

Points: 3000.

Mission: Field of Glory.

Secondary Objectives: Bring It Down, No Prisoners and Shock Tactics.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: No Prisoners, Raise The Banners High and Scry Futures.

Before the latest offensive, Arthurus had expected the Iyanden artillery tanks would be suppressed by counter-battery fire but this failed. The chapter master of the Rift Wardens set up specialist artillery forces to counter the prism cannons arrayed against them. This failed due to swiftly mounting space marine casualties. Arthurus' captains requested more units to contain the enemy arriving from the webway but Arthurus refused, because those forces were needed elsewhere across Vigilus. A pause in the Rift Warden attack led to the Aeldari receiving more and more wraithguard reinforcements.

The forces of Iyanden marched forward into the Rift Warden lines, led by wraithguard and supported by a powerful wraithknight. The space marines present put up a heroic defence and although they did inflict many casualties and destroyed a number of wraith units, they were unable to halt the Aeldari advance out of the icy wastes into the deserts of Vigilus. Arthurus ordered his battle brothers back and communicated to the Imperial command that Kaelac's Bane was most assuridly lost to the Imperium at this time.

Battle for Mech Station K-47 - Talos

Points: 3000.

Missions: All-Out War.

Secondary Objectives: Engage on All Fronts, Oaths of Moment and Surround Them.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Mental Interrogation, Spore Nodes and Surround Them.

Following the surprise victory of the hive by the Rift Wardens, the Tyranid organisms fell back to regroup to the South-East. The Rift Wardens under the command of chapter master Arthurus pressed home the advantage but reinforcements under captain Lorgraine failed to arrive in time to back them up and thus the Tyranids were able to join with further organisms and took up an unusual defensive position at a fallen Mechanicus station designated K-47. 

Captain Lorgriane reached the Imperial lines twelve hours later. The attack began almost immediately with 400 battle brothers split into three flanks. By the end of the day most of the station had been reclaimed. Attacks from the Tyranids continued along the front as they put up a fierce resistance and even limited counter attacks. Heavy and bloody battles occurred over the next two days and casulaties on both sides mounted. At the cost of heavy losses, the Rift Wardens with some Astra Militarum assistance managed to push back the Tyranid lines and secured a vast area of vital ground.

The Rift Wardens continued to push the Tyranids along the entire flank. One company under captain Lorgraine managed to breach the Tyranid lines on the right flank. After a further two days the Tyranid defence collapsed and the organisms were slaughtered down to the last. Arthurus handed control of the site to the local Astra Militarum commander and moved to engage the Tyranids at other vital locations.