The games are coming thick and fast at the moment for me. I recently had a 2,500 point battle between my Astra Militarum and Chaos using the second mission from the Gathering Storm book. We also used the Empyric Storm Cards which were fantastic fun and this article will detail the odd and wonderful moments the cards produced.

The Mission

The mission pits the Guard against waves of Chaos over eight turns. The Guard deploy in one half of the table with the board split down the long edge. At the start of the Chaos player’s turn they move on from their board edge. Including flyers. And can Deep Strike on their turn one also.

When a Chaos Infantry unit, Flyer or Walker is completely destroyed it goes into Ongoing Reserves ready for the Chaos player’s next turn.

The Guard score one VP per enemy unit completely destroyed. Chaos score three VPs for each unit wholly in the Guard deployment zone and one VP for each unit partially within the Guard deployment zone – at the end of the game. Plus First Blood and Slay the Warlord are available to both sides.

Firstly this was a great mission. So much death and destruction! We didn’t play it completely accurately because I was meant to bring Dark Angels. I didn’t. Guard only! For Cadia!

Chaos go first. Guard cannot seize the initiative.

The Board for the Empyric Storm Cards Game

Astra Militarum List – 2,500 points

• Emperor’s Fist Armoured Company Formation; a Punisher Tank Commander plus Executioner buddy with Plasma Sponsons, two single Vanquishers, another Executioner with Plasma Sponsons. A single Enginseer with two Servitors.
• A Emperor’s Shield Platoon; Five Infantry Squads and each sergeant had a Power Axe, PCS and Sentinel with Multilaser. The five squads formed a single blob.
• Company Command Squad with Creed, Nork Deddog, Astropath, Field Medic, Officer of the Fleet and three Flamers.
• A Mastery Level 2 Primaris Psyker who joined Creed. With Biomancy.
• A Mastery Level 2 Primaris Psyker who joined the blob. With Divination.
• Two Priests who joined the blob.
• Commissar Yarrick who joined the blob.
• A Vulture.
• Two Wyverns as two units.
• Veterans with Shotguns, Demolitions Doctrine, three Melta Guns in a Chimera.
• Veterans with Shotguns, Demolitions Doctrine, three Melta Guns.

A lurking Cadian Chimera

Chaos List – 2,500 points

Unfortunately I don’t have this list and so I am going off memory. This force was also using the Khorne Blood Tithe rules.

• A Bloodthirster
• 3 units of Possessed
• 3 Chaos Spawn
• 2 squads of eight Berzerkers of Khone
• 2 Land Raiders with 2x Twin Linked Lascannons
• A Rhino with Possessed inside (I think)
• 4 squads of 3x Bikes, each with a Melta Bomb dude
• 2 or 3 squads of ten Cultists
• 5 Deep Striking Terminators

Empyric Storm Cards

For those who are unsure what these are, they are new cards released with the first Gathering Storm book: Fall of Cadia. The missions in the book use the cards but you can use them in any games you wish.

Basically at the start of each player’s turn a card is drawn and it’s effects take place. Some are instant and occcur right away for one or both players. Others last for a game turn so it’s effects are felt by both players. Simple.

Double Effects

My enemy had no Psykers which was good! This therefore only benefitted me. Once a power was used and successful you can resolve its effects again. Without the need for a new psychic test. If a power targets a unit then a different unit can be targeted for the second effect.

Well, this was fun. At the end of my psychic phase my blob had a 4+ Invulnerable Save as did Creed’s Command Squad. And both the blob and Creed’s unit were Invisible! What!

This occurred at the start of my second turn. I ran my blob up the board a little into some ruins and Creed remained in his three story ruin over looking the battlefield. A trap was set.

The trap was sprung! The blob was charged by a lot of units; Possessed, Bikes (failed their charge), three Chaos Spawn and a Bloodthirster of Khorne! All these units were hitting my blob on sixes due to Invisibility! Yarrick and the Bloodthirster were in a challenge.

Whoever the dude was on this Miniwargaming Battle that had two Priests in a blob, thank you. Having two Priests is amazing in a blob. You will probably get one War Hymn to work. But if you get two off it is superb. I was re-rolling my wounds and my 4+ Invulnerable Save! This blob, over the next four turns killed all three Chaos Spawn, the five Possessed and the Bloodthirster. And then another five Possessed that charged them later on in the game.

The Bloodthirster did kill Yarrick though, but Yarrick came back with one wound on the next turn. It’s a rule he has, on a 3+ he returns with a single wound. Like a boss! The Bloodthirster was then killed, wait for it, by attacks from a single Priest and one Guardsmen – who took his final wound. Yarrick had done most of the hard work.

And the Helldrake could not shoot at Creed because he would be Snap Shooting his Template weapon. And the Havoc Launchers which are Blast weapons could not target Creed too! Win!

Leadership Reduction

This was so close to making a big change to the game. But didn’t. The card gives everyone minus one Leadership but Demons and Psykers have minus two leadership. So we drew the card, saw it, OK fine. Then realised Chaos needed to take around five Leadership tests for 25% or more losses. But it was before the card was drawn so they didn’t get the reduction in Leadership! If that card had come just one turn earlier there might have been a lot of running Demons!

Wound Regeneration

During the big slot fest between my blob, the Possessed, the Chaos Spawn and the Bloodthirster this card appeared. Every model on the board regains one wound. No roll needed it just happens. This meant Yarrick regained his lost wound as did the Bloodthirster. Plus all the Possessed I had reduced by a wound in melee  were now back to two wounds each again! This probably extended that combat by at least a turn.

Wound Regeneration – Empyric Storm Cards

Instant Casting

This card lets a random Psyker use one power right away, no test needed. It just happens and any power the Psyker knows can be cast. I chose Smite which is Assault 4, S4 and AP2. And targeted the Bloodthirster. It took away one wound. While minor this might have made the difference.

Instant Cast – Empyric Storm Cards

Bring Infantry Back to Life

The Chaos side did not have anything on the board that was able to make use of this one. But I brought Nork Deddog back to life! He was killed on turn one from the Helldrake coming in and Flaming him to death. But now he rises again adding three wounds to Creed’s squad and shielding them from some more shooting attacks.

Bring Models Back To Life – Empyric Storm Cards

Game End

We called it a draw. But a rematch is in sight soon! We got to turn six of eight and it was hard to call. I had 14 VPS from killing Chaos units. But Chaos only needed five units in my deployment zone at the end of turn eight to beat that.

We will certainly be using the Empyric Storm Cards again as they add a level of randomness and fun that I have not experienced before in any 40K games.