The Painful Lessons

 At the beginning of June I had my first plain jane real game of Adeptus Titanicus, each side with 1750 pts and normal match play. 

It was a game of painful lessons.

My list was an Legio Fureans Axiom Maniple with Warlord, two Reavers, and Two Warhounds supported by two Serperos stalkers.

My opponent was Desc440 playing with a Legion Gryphonicus Dominus Maniple with Warlord, two Reavers, and two Warlords and a band of three Questoris knights.

We had corner deployments, my main mission to retrieve an object and hold it or get it off the board (near the bottom of the screen) while Desc had a hidden objective to get off my board edge.

Titan Hunter Infantry are the most anoying.

On the right flank the Gryphonicus warhounds were making a break for the edge with the knights in tow for absorbing hits.

While on the left Reaver Nian ran up to secure the objective and try to carry it to safety.

In the centre, Reaver Raum and Warlord Amarok tried to distract and destroy the enemy.

Nian took a vortex missile to the legs and was nearly destroyed. 

Then the vortex continued to stay on the titan and nearly ripped off her head!

At the beginning of turn 2 the Titan Hunter Infantry tried to finish her off.

The Gryphonicus titans advance into the Fulmineus line.

On the right flank the Warhounds and Knights continue to advance.

I wanted to get Nian out of the line of fire in my back area but when she tried to move the machine spirit awakened! Being Fureans I choose to be Impetuous but rolled a 1"! 

Nian is cursed.

On the right flank my warhounds and stalkers tried to slow the warhounds but the Knights continued to run cover for the larger titans. The warhound carrying the objective is able to make it off the table before the knights are brought down.

In the centre the titans exchanged fire!

The combined damage from the Vortex blast, Titan Hunters, and fire from the Gryphonicus titans finally brought Nian low.

As Raum and the enemy titan exchanged body smashes, Amarok opened fire and damaged the melta cannon. Hope rises in my chest!

With the objective now safely off the board, the Gryphonicus warhound and remaining knight turn to fight!

Leaving one warhound behind, the other warhound and stalkers turn to aid the fight in the centre.

Raum got knocked back, and overheated his own plasma reactor kills the titan who falls back and knocks into the warlord. Hope dies.

The last knight finally dies to the warhound and now we have a duel.

In the centre the other warhound and Serperos stalkers try to take advantage of the weakened shields but would fail to make much headway, and the stalkers are eliminated by the mighty volcano cannon.

Not pictured: The Warlord Amarom getting absolutely blasted by the Gryphonicus Warlord and Reaver and getting both plasma annilihators blown off. At this point, with little hope of salvaging my pride, I conceeded.

I learned a lot of lessons through the pain. First and foremost, the weapons on the titans are not optimal, with a mix of short and long range on Nian and not enough shield stripping dice on Amarok. Also, I misplayed my strategems failing to get a lot of value from them (including forgetting one entirely after activating it). Finally, I should have sent more to secure my objective and not let one bad day for Nian doom my chances of accomplishing it at all. 

Back to the drawing board.

The Trial in the Tunnels

 Another campaign match! This time my Knights of House Victrix have retreated into a tunnel system and the Warhounds of Legio Solaria have been dispatched to find the High King and drag him out to be executed for treason, but little do they know its a trap! 

House Victrix with Dark Mechanicum allies. The High King in his Acastus Knight Asterius.

The warhounds of Legio Solaria.

Each of my banners in this mission are hidden by auspex counters, including two false readings. When the warhounds come within 18inches, or the enemy Knights with 12inches, the counter is revealed and my troops (if any) are placed.

My goal is to get the High King out the entrance where the Solaria titans came in and link up with allies outside the cave (on another table). The Loyalists win if they can be in base to base contact with the King at the end.

The warhounds march and reveal the Cerastus Lancers and Atrapos knights that moved up the middle.

The lancers charged the surprised titans and took out the first warhound.

Nearby the Atrapos make use of a chaos ritual to warp displace into range to charge as well, and with their lascutters cut down a second warhound!

While the fighting rages, Styrix and Moriax knights move up.

The Majera knights accompany the High King.

What could be on the right flank?

The third warhound opens up in desperation after being damaged, and with maximal plasma wipes out the Atrapos knights, while the Lancers are killed by plasma from the fourth warhound!

Legio Solaria breathes a little easier with the Cerastus knights gone.

The Serperos advance.

The Questoris Majera and Styrix knights combine their firepower with the Asterius and try to bring down a third warhound.

Damaged, the warhound falls but not before turning the Moriax knights into a crater.

The Solaria allied Lancers move up to tie up the Questoris knights.

Fearing the High King might escape, the remaining two warhounds form a defensive barrier at the cave entrance.

The stalkers move up to try and clear the way.

Unfortunately for me, the plasma of the Warhounds continues to devastate the smaller banners and all up one stalker is eliminated. It charges but fails to bring down the larger mech.

The Questoris knights pile in and try to keep the lancers engaged.

The High King, sensing escape is not in the cards today, carefully keeps out of sight. With neither of us accomplishing our goal, the game is a draw.

Meanwhile on the main table, my allies try to get to the cave entrance (right behind the green titan in teh centre in this pic) but the loyalists keep them too busy.