Warzone Octarius: Pankallis Assault - Phase 1 Stage 1: Battle 4

 A sudden withdrawl of Hive Fleet Kraken lessened the pressure momentarily on the Imperial Fists 1st and 3rd Company detachements defending the Pankallis System. But a new threat emerged shortly after the Tyranid withdrawl, a T'au Exploratory and Colonization Fleet entered the system.

Thanks to the T'au Crusade rules, we now know a lot more about the Pankallis System, which the T'au call the Lok'tok System. It is ruled by a Dictatorship (The Imperium of Man). It is comprised of 5 planets. Lok, the core planet, is an Agri-World. Mak is a Civilian World. Kam is a Militarized World. Alat is another Civilian World. And finally Alath'yaras is orbited by a Fleet Installation.

There might be some difficulty reconciling the T'au Crusade rules with the overall Warzone Octarius Pankallis Assault rules, but we'll see how things play out and deal with problems as they arise.

As a first probing move, the leader of this leading element, Shas'vre T'au Sul'an Zol Resk, leads a small detachment to clear out a suitable landing zone and establish an initial beach head.

Battle Size: Combat Patrol

Mission: Sweep and Clear

Mission Victor Bonus: 2 units can be Marked for Greatness

T'au Sept Agenda: Protect the Leadership - +D3 Diplomat points if 1 Leader survives, +3 if both.

Imperial Fists Agenda: Know No Fear - +2 XP for each tally the unit passes Morale tests.

**Note** The Armour of Contempt, and all other rules from the April 2022 Balance Dataslate are in effect.

Forces

Hunter Cadre Sul'an - T'au Sept

Crusade Blessings: 2

HQ    Cadre Fireblade Sul'an, Warlord, Puretide Engram Chip, Strength of Conviction

T        Strike Team Els'im, Pulse Rifles

DT    Devilfish Nishino, 2 Seeker Missiles

HS    Hammerhead Murakan, Ion Cannon, 2 Seeker Missiles, Smart Missile System

FA    Piranha Ren'as, Fusion Blaster, 2 Seeker Missiles

Strike Force Darsway - Imperial Fists

Crusade Blessings: 2

HQ    Captain Jacheus Darsway, Warlord, The Burning Blade, The Hand of Dorn

T        Tactical Squad Strech, Combi-Grav, Power Sword, Heavy Bolter

EL      Dreadnought Carnak, Assault Cannon, Dreadnought Power Fist, Storm Bolter

HS    Devastator Squad Dassian, 3 Heavy Bolters, Missile Launcher

Deployment

The Imperial Fists won the roll off and chose the side where they could hide out of line of sight from the firepower of the T'au.

The T'au won the roll off to go first, and selected Kauyon Tactical Philosophy.

Captain Darsway and Squad Strech, ready to advance
and secure the obectives around the basilicum.

Dreadnought Carnak and Devastator Squad Dassian,
ready to take up positions in the ruins.

Piranha Ren'as, Hammerhead Murakan and Devilfish
Nishino, carrying Strike Team Els'im.

Fireblade Sul'an, ready to hold this obective and direct
the battle.

The dead Guardsmen are the actual objectives for the mission.
The numbered markers are for the T'au Agenda.

The fourth objective hidden in the basilicum.

Pregame move from Devilfish Nishino. Turns out you
can only do this with Mont'ka. Dirty cheatin' T'au.

Turn 1

Devastator Doctrine is in effect.

Hammerhead Murakan looses a salvo of Smart Missiles at Dev Squad Dassian, but the power armour turns away all strikes.

Strike Team Els'im dismount...

...and move to protect Leader 1, and claim an objective.
In reality, the pregame Move of the Devilfish meant very little.

Captain Darsway follows Squad Strech, holding one obective.
Strech fires at Fire Team Els'im, killing 2. Captain Darsway lands a grav
pistol shot on Devilfish Nishino, inflicting 2 damage.

Dreadnought Carnak and Squad Dassian move into the ruins,
which provide wide fields of fire. They inflict 5 damage on Hammerhead Murakan.

Strech charges Devilfish Nishino, attacking it through the wall.
They inflict 1 damage.

Both the T'au Leader objectives are controlled by the T'au, so they lose no hit points.

Turn 2

Tactical Doctrine is active.

With line of sight to some targets, the T'au engage the advancing Marines.

Fireblade Sul'an invokes Target Sighted on Strike Team Els'im.

Fire Team Els'im steps up onto the parapet and sights in on Dev Squad Dassian.
Using Pulse Onslaught, Relentless Fusilade and Coordinated Engagement (with Fireblade Sul'an),
they unload. Sul'an kills 1 Marine, while Els'im kills 1 more, and wounds another. That
is the difference that Armour of Contempt can make. Dev Squad Dassian passed their morale, earning
+1 Know No Fear Tally.

Caught flat-footed, Captain Darsway finds a Piranha bearing down on him...

...and then he is consumed by darkness.

Driven by the felling of their Captain, Dassian wrecks
Hammerhead Murakan, and Carnak inficts 2 damage on Sul'an...

...before charging into Els'im, pulping two of them. They fail
to do anything meaningful in return.

Also, Devilfish Nishino failed to do anything to Squad Strech, trying to bump them through the wall. Sometimes, interactions in this game are weird.

SCORE

T'au: 10     Leader 1 HP: 3     Leader 2 HP: 3

Fists: 10     Dassian: +1 Know No Fear

Turn 3

Kauyon Tactical Philosophy is active (6+).

Assault Doctrine is active.

Fireblade Sul'an invokes Target Sighted on Strike Team Els'im.

Strike Team Els'im Falls Back from Dreadnought Carnak.

Fireblade Sul'an tries to Markerlight Carnak, but fails to hold the beam steady. 

Strike Team Els'im repeat their deal from last turn, employing Pulse Onslaught, Relentless Fusilade and Coordinated Engagement with Sul'an. Sul'an killed 1 Marine, and Els'im severely over-killed Sergeant Dassain, perforating body multiple times.

Piranha Ren'as, fresh from melting a Marine Captain, tried to repeat his trick on Carnak, who used Smokescreen, firing both Seeker Missiles, which missed, and hitting with his fusion blaster on a 6, which became 2 hits, which both wounded, at AP -4. But Armour of Contempt makes that -3, and Light Cover makes that -2, and he then proceeded to tank both wounds. Stud.

Ignoring Piranha Ren'as, Carnak goes for the head of the snake.

Squad Strech Falls Back from the futile fight with Devilfish Nishino.

Even with his Strength of Conviction, Sul'an is no match for the might of Carnak.

SCORE

T'au: 30     Leader 1 HP: 3     Leader 2 HP: 3

Fists: 20

Turn 4

Kauyon is active (5+).

Assault Doctrine is active.

Carnak takes the combined fire of Els'im, Ren'as and Nishino, 
resulting in him taking 1 damage.

Moments before Carnak smashes through that wall and utterly
annihilates Nishino. Also Strech killed 2 more members of Els'im,
leaving Shas'ui Els'im as the lone survivor trying to protect Leader 1.

SCORE

T'au: 40     Leader 1 HP: 3     Leader 2 HP: 2

Fists: 40

Turn 5

Kauyon Tactical Philosophy active (4+).

Assault Doctrine active.

Els'im and Ren'as desperately try to clear their home obective, with Ren'as protecting Leader 2, while Els'im heroically protects Leader 1 alone, staring down Carnak.

Squad Strech kills Els'im with bolters, and puts 3 mortal wounds
on Piranha Ren'as, which allows Carnak to finish him off with his Assault Cannon.

SCORE

T'au: 40     Leader 1 HP: 2     Leader 2 HP: 1

Fists: 70

Summary

Strike Force Darsway secures their first victory!

Defenders: +1 Planetary Assault Point (Battle)

Defenders: +2 Planetary Assault Points (Winning)

Mission Victory Bonus: +1 unit Marked for Greatness (Captain Darsway)

Strike Force Darsway: +1 RP

Captain Darsway:    +1 XP (Battle), + 3 XP (Marked)

Tactical Squad Strech: +1 XP (Battle), +1 Kill (Ranged)

Devastator Squad Dassian: +1 XP (Battle), +1 Kill (Ranged), +2 XP (Know No Fear)

Dreadnought Carnak: +1 XP (Battle), +3 XP (Marked), +2 Kills (Melee), +1 Kill (Ranged)

Attackers: +1 Planetary Assault Point (Battle)

Hunter Cadre Sul'an: +1 RP

Protect the Leaders Agenda: +3 Diplomatic Points, +1 unit Marked (Piranha Ren'as)

Fireblade Sul'an: +1 XP (Battle), Battle Scar: Chest Wound (-1 W)

Strike Team Els'im: +1 XP (Battle), +3 XP (Marked), +1 Kill (Ranged)

Piranha Ren'as: +1 XP (Battle), +3 XP (Marked)+1 Kill (Ranged)

Hammerhead Murakan: +1 XP (Battle)

Devilfish Nishino: +1 XP (Battle), Battle Scar: Angered Machine Spirit (No Strats, Command Reroll)

The Attackers (Orks, T'au, Tyranids) still have a solid lead, 11-6, but the Defenders have made up some ground. Their initial push into the Lok'tok System (Pankallis System as the Imperium would call it) having been rebuffed, Sul'an will have to try something new to seize a landing zone for the rest of his forces to establish themselves in.

Next time, Hunter Cadre Sul'an will come face to face with the 1st Company. It will be interesting to see how the Balance Dataslate changes will shake out.

Until next time, happy gaming!