Inside the Space Hulk

The battlecarrier Black Moab has discovered a lost scientific vessel, floating in interstellar space. Although the ship is swarming with lifesigns they aren't the good kind. Unfortunately, the ship probably contains extremely valuable scientific data that must be recovered. Inquisitor Lord Voulgaris has ordered officers to secure the ship.

The main docking points on the ship have been locked internally. Thus, a single squad was sent over in a shuttle to work their way to the docking control station. If these locks can be overridden (or even destroyed) then a larger assault can be attempted.

Having busted out the Space Hulk the other night, I decided to give the solo rules (found in the Deathwing expansion) a try. Re-theming the game as a mission for my Inquisitorial Stormtroopers (but using the standard rules), I set up the first mission.  

The game started out extremely fortunate for me. The first turn saw only a pair of genestealers enter play. Meanwhile, on the first two turns, I had a total of 11 command points (out of a possible 12). This allowed me to quickly advance the sergeant and the flamer. Although the genestealers got more reinforcements on the second turn, I was able to flame the board section adjacent to their entry point and keep that group pinned there for a couple turns.  

Things still managed to get pretty hairy at the end, as a swarm of genestealers appeared near the top. The sergeant was able to blast his way up past the last crucial turn, allowing the flamer to slip in behind him. However, the only way to secure the victory was to flame the board section containing the sergeant. This prevented any further stealers from stopping the flamer from achieving victory, but also cost the sergeant his life. The only flaw in an otherwise perfectly executed mission.  

The solo rules actually make the game a bit easier, as the stealer blip placement doesn't always make the smartest move. I had to overrule it a couple of times. That's okay though. I've always though the game was a little too hard for the marine player anyway, so this is a nice leveller. 

Mission Report

Sergeant Kastin led the team from the front, with flametroooper Rutiz just behind him. I had the middle position, with Pvt. Traklin behind me, and Pvt. Passenfar bring up the rear. The Sgt. and Rutiz advanced quickly through the corridors while the rest of us covered various side-passages. There was little movement at first, but when the enemy appeared, they did so in force. Passenfar got the most action as he held the rear, gunning down bugs by the handful. Traklin and myself only managed occasional shots as bugs flashed past deeper in the ship. We lost line of sight to the Sgt and Rutiz, so could only follow their exploits on radio. The Sgt. apparently led the charge, while Rutiz laid down flamer fire to stymie the bugs approach. 

    I hate to comment on exactly what happened at the end. As near as I can make out, the Sgt cleared the way for Rutiz to have a clear shot at the objective, but at the last moment, a bug came out of nowhere. Responding instinctively, Rutiz flamed the area... and unfortunately caught the sergeant in the spray. Considering the darkness, the close confines, and the speed of the enemy, the mistake, though tragic, is understandable.

Cpl. Taglon 

After Action

Casualties

K.I.A. Sgt. Wen Kastin

Confirmed Kills

Sgt. Kastin: 4

Pvt. Rutiz: 2

Pvt. Traklin: 1

Pvt. Passenfar: 8