Mordraden III Campaign Concludes

Last Wednesday was the climactic multiplayer game for the Mordraden III Campaign. With the planet finally succumbing to the ravages of the Warp as it’s tendrils begun to envelop the whole world, there was only one safe place left; the Necron beta site where Imotekh the Stormlord had been forced to start again in his attempts to escape the planet. The Necron technology was the only way to survivie damnation, and the remnants of the planet’s survivors all wanted to utilise it, or at least stop others from escaping through sheer spite….

In the (sadly unreported) Midpoint Game the players had stumbled upon Imotekh’s alpha site for escaping the planet, and in his absence had stripped it bare, looting various supplies and essential systems for their own survival and leaving it useless. Imotekh was then forced to activate the beta site, but could only just complete it in time to escape; although everyone else left on the planet were hoping to use it to escape as well!

In that game, James F, Matt S and Craig P had all claimed Parriahric Spheroids*, which they had used for their remain matches. They now returned with these devices, which would allow them to escape through the portal, and teamed up with Mo, who was controlling Imotekh. Against them were Pete B, Paul S, Andy P, Gareth T, Matt P, Paul N, Bob B and Rafal; that was 12,000 points arrayed to try and stop the 6,000 points of the attackers from escaping the planet!

There were some extra spheroids floating around for defending players to try and capture and switch sides, enabling them to escape, and Mo could deploy forcefields to protect his troops or allies. However Imotekh’s nightfight and lightning rules caused the most consternation amongst the defenders, along with his C’Tan Shard, which was making everything difficult and dangerous terrain.

Boarok Facebeater was the first to escape the planet; utilising a necron forcefield, he zoomed away from the rest of his troops. The defenders surrounded the trukk, exploding it, and tried to pen him in. However, he (and his surviving nobz) cut through the defenders and escaped through the portal. (Although he might have left his nobz behind? – I can’t quite remember that!)

Just after this, Marneus Calgar sneakily switched sides; this practically doomed the rest of his force, who were deployed amongst all the other defenders, and suffered the wrath of their erstwhile allies. However, their sacrifice allowed Calgar and his honour guard to be next to escape the planet.

Librarian Mortash was the third to leave; he drove his landraider straight through the portal! Meanwhile Imotekh was finding his footslogging towards the portal much harder work; his detrimental effects against all his opponents had marked him out as a priority target. He was attacked by the combined assault of two units of lesser daemons and a mob of boyz; only the timely intervention from Craig’s orks in a counterattack saved him from this! But crucially he had been held up in his progress towards the portal…

Attrition had been playing a part throughout the battle, and it had meant that the remaining Tyranids were so exhausted they were unable to fleet or run. This was a concern to Hive Tyrant Annutseba, as he was finding it hard to keep up with Mortash’s landraider he was hiding behind. In the last turn of the game, he assaulted the final defenders in his way, and then managed to roll the all important 5 for consolidation that just allowed him to leap into the portal to safety.

As the warp enveloped the world, and Daemon Prince Vrax the Festering Pustulance of Mallow IX roared exultations to his god, Imotekh was last seen in the midst of a whirling combat, unable to utilise the escape route he had planned….