First Contact

[Luthaaren Von Tegale]

Hi All,
Inspired by DAWGIE's batreps I thought I'd share the following account of my new guard squad's first brush with the enemy.

The squad advanced in a loose line down the shallow draw, the chapel on their left and the ancient ruins on the river bank to their left. "Well this is it lads, the LT said push out to the chapel - see if the greenskins have reached that far".
The words had only just left his lips when the sound of raucus laughter filled the draw and over the rise to the south appeared the enemy - about half a dozen of the green b******s. "Firing line - now" barked sergeant Lutzow and his squad formed a line either side of him training their lasguns on the oncoming enemy who seeing them bellowed their crude warcries and firing into the air began to run toward them. "Wait 'til they close a bit" cautioned the Sergeant "Rohwer, target the centre of their line with frag" he added to the squads grenadier to his right. "okay now - let 'em have it"
The line erupted with fire as the Orks screamed in towards the guardsmen, firing as they came. Four of the brutes fell but the last three came on including the leader with a huge mechanical claw. Rohwer was sent crashing to the floor by a hit from one of the Ork guns.
"Rapid fire!" yelled Lutzow, again his troops responded and the rate of fire increased as the cracks of the lasguns merged with the screams of the onrushing orks. And then all was still, save the hiss of steaming orkflesh scant yards from the Guard's firing line and the groans of the felled Rohwer.
"Okay lads, 360 defence and loot up the enemies weapons" called Lutzow as he checked out Rohwer who was shaken but otherwise unharmed - "emperor be praised" Rohwer breathed, "emperor and a good flak vest" retorted the sergeant".
With that the squad pulled back to the platoon CP to report that they'd bumped into the enemy. What's more First Squad, K Platoon, 43rd Jaeger were combat virgins no more!


This was a fun little game of 40K 3rd Ed on a 4' square table using a small Ork patrol against the first squad of a new Imperial Guard force I'm building. Now having started playing 40K in the Rogue Trader years with a group that never used points values or army lists I'm carrying on with that ethos for this new 40K collection, also I'm using the rules as a basic tool to play the games, bending/breaking as and when I see fit. The Orks are based around a handful of old Warhammer and 40K Ork(c) characters from my past armies rebuilt using the new plastics and thus far have about 40 warriors plus an armoured train - sorry guys no pics, I'm a luddite at heart!
The Imperial Guard will be a reinforced platoon of HQ, 3 Rifle squads, 1 Mortar squad and two sentinels. I'll also be adding assorted vehicles as I feel inclined. I'm planning on playing a "campaign" solo - following the exploits of the platoon from first contact to their eventual destruction at some point, hopefully, far in the future. To start they are thrown against the Orks, but if they survive this warzone will then get R&R before being thrown against another enemy!


all the best

vT