A 750 point 8th edition game ("Sabotage" narrative mission) between Space Wolves and Night Lords. A Nurgle-aligned warband of Night Lords has been detected on a planet in an outlying system. Reconnaissance indicates that they are gathering terraforming supplies with the intent to transform the planet into a contagion-breeding daemon world. Many imperial guardsmen died to bring us this information...
A space wolves task force has arrives in the system to address the threat. Reports indicate that the environmental engineering installations on the planet are heavily shielded, rendering orbital bombardment ineffective. The location of the primary void shield generator for a significant facility has been identified, and a light force has been dispatched to destroy the shield generator ahead of the main attack. The Astartes approach with stealth, and the Night Lords are caught unaware...
Deployment (12:30)
The heretic force was reported to include two maulferfiends, traitor marines mounted in a rhino and two squads of plaguebearers deployed as sentries, lead by a sorcerer and a warpsmith. As the astartes approached, only the sentries were visible on station.
The assaulting force was led by a wolf priest and a wolf guard battle leader, and primarily consisted of skyclaws and the elite huskarls known as "The Wulfen". Long fangs with specially modified silenced plasma cannons were to provide covering fire. Several fenrisian wolves, two of them cybernetically augmented, were also brought along for their talents as silent hunters.
Space Wolves 1 (13:00)
The astartes force stealthily approached the closest sentries. The cautious Wulfen held back to avoid revealing themselves, but the impetuous skyclaws, accompanied by the fenrisian wolves, raced ahead. The battle leader and wolf priest took off after them, in an attempt to regain control of the situation.
The Long Fangs fired several gouts of plasma at the sentries most likely to spot the approaching force, but failed to bring any down. Perhaps the silencer modification was interfering with the function of the plasma cannons...
The wolves and the leaders of the expedition chose their targets with care and brought down three sentries, but the headstrong skyclaws failed their charge, leaving two sentries alive and dangerously close.
Night Lords 1 (13:25)
The Emperor protects those who protect themselves. One of the sentries wandered in an unfortunate direction and spotted the wolf priest. The alarm was raised! The plaguebearer sentries quickly advanced on the approaching force, and the sharpest-eared of the other heretics emerged from scrambled to assist.
A foul sorcerer descended on daemonic bat wings to take command of the defense. His fould magics aided the plaguebearers, and through a warp in time itself they closed very quickly on the Space Wolves.
A maulerfiend and a rhino, stationed close by, also closed on the imperial force. The second maulerfiend was evidently slower to react, but its lumbering approach could be heard in the distance.
The space wolves' leaders, having chosen to lead from the front, were dangerously exposed. But the emperor smiled on their bravery, and they were spared. A skyclaw was lost to a hail of havoc missiles. The maulerfiend failed to engage the astartes.
Space Wolves 2 (13:41)
The wolf priest, attempting to salvage the operation, directed the fast-moving elements of his forces to clear a path toward the void shield generator while the Wulfen and Long Fangs held off the approaching enemy.
The Long Fangs trained their plasma cannons on the maulerfiend and, having dispensed with the silencers, damaged it significantly. But it was still coming. The Wulfen beat a challenge with their hammers against their shields as they advanced to intercept it.
The skyclaws lept up into the ruins, reluctantly heading for the void shield generator. The wolf priest, battle leader, and fenrisian wolves charged into a squad of plaguebearers, sending them back to the warp and consolidating toward the shield generator.
Night Lords 2 (13:50)
The warpsmith and traitor marines lept from the rhino and began pursuing the wolf priest toward the shield generator. The maulerfiend, evidently enticed by the Wulfen's challenge, advanced on them. The second maulerfiend arrived, charging toward the space wolf characters who were near the void shield generator.
The sorcerer landed a brutal psychic attack on the wolf priest, leaving him seemingly near death, but could not seal the deal with his plasma pistol. The traitor marines leveled their bolters against the space wolf characters, but only managed to bring down three of the fenrisian wolves. The rhino targeted the wulfen, but they raised their shields and strode through its fire. The warpsmith did manage to vaporize one with his meltagun.
The maulerfiend engaged the wulfen, wounding one. But their counterattack was devastating, and the daemon engine was laid low.
Space Wolves 3 (14:45, after a lunch break)
Supporting fire from the Long Fangs slew a few traitor marines and plaguebearers.
The wulfen stepped through the smoking wreckage of the daemon engine to advance on the warpsmith and the rhino, who were on the way to the shield generator anyway. The skyclaws leapt down from the ruins to put the remaining traitor marines to the chainsword.
The wolf priest applied a salve to staunch the worst of the damage from the psychic assault, and then the space wolf leaders and remaining wolves charged through another squad of plaguebearers to close on the void shield generator.
The skyclaws finished off the traitor marines, while the wulfen destroyed the warpsmith and damaged the rhino.
One plaguebearer remained to defend the shield generator, after the dust settled. Another fenrisian wolf was brought down.
The space wolf characters were in position to sabotage the void shield generator, but were overcome with bloodlust and forgot to do so. We decided that the fenrisinan wolves didn't understand the finer points of planting the explosives, so they also didn't make a sabotage attempt.
Night Lords 3 (15:19)
The sorcerer lept down and accelerated the approach of the maulerfiend, bringing it quickly to bear on the space wolves. The battle leader was wounded in a hail of psychic and ranged attacks, but remained on his feet.
The maulerfiend and the sorcerer charged into combat, dropping the wolf priest. The space wolves manage kill the last plaguebearer and would the sorcerer, and slightly damage the maulerfiend. The last of the fenrisian wolves were slain trying to defend the body of the wolf priest.
The Wulfen destroyed the rhino, and consolidated toward their surrounded battle leader.
Space Wolves 4 (15:39)
The skyclaws and the Wulfen made with all speed to aid the battle leader.
The Long Fangs also see that they will be needed in the fracas, and begin advancing while firing wildly at the remaining plaguegearers.
The charge from the wulfen and skyclaws manages to save the battle leader, as the wulfen pound another daemon engine to scrap and the skyclaws and battle leader finished off the sorcerer. The three squads quickly planted their explosives on the void shield generator. Unfortunately, the Wolf Priest's detonator was smashed in the savage maulerfiend attack.
Night Lords 4 (15:53)
The remaining plaguebearer was slain by plasma cannon overwatch while charging the Long Fangs.
End
The Space Wolves were unopposed for the moment, but out of explosives and needed to withdraw before enemy reinforcements arrived.
Sabotage roll...1d6+3 = 2+3 ... fails! The void shields remain up. It looked like they would have to do things the old fashioned way...
The consequences for the next stage in the campaign (Planetstrike) are that the Space Wolves will not receive any Orbital Bombardments, while trying to establish their beachhead on the planet.
Edited by: Volkov on 10/21/18