The objective: Capture the ork warlord trapped in the wreck of a Warcopta.

Keeping the adobe buildings to her right, Lady Serillian ran forward, her band of Inquisition stormtroopers following close behind.

From her earpiece, she could hear her assistant, Donala, issuing orders to the stormtroopers that were part of his strike team. His tactics were sound; his orders clear and concise.

Reassured, she focused on the task ahead. The wreck of the ork Warcopta was burning in the center of the deserted town, and it supposedly was carrying a valuable ork warlord. Given the rugged anatomy of the orks, there was a good chance that this greenskin was alive.

She wanted him. The Imperial was losing the war for Hegira, and this ork leader might offer valuable insight into the xenos’ plans.

Setting

The location is the town of Larissa, approximately 200 kilometers southwest of the Susa City, the capital of Hegira. This small desert town has long been abandoned, its population fleeing before the advancing ork army that now is entrenched just outside the capital city.

The time is 3 999 738.M41. An Inquisition strike team has landed deep behind ork lines after Imperial aircraft, on the orders of Inquisitor Georgene Serillian, shot down an ork Warcopta that was carrying a high-value target to a meeting with the warlord of a sizable feral ork tribe.

There are many feral tribes appearing across Hegira, all springing up in isolated areas where ork spore has taken root. This tribe, noted for painting itself blue, is very primitive, but they have acquired a few shootas and stubbas from the corpses of the ork army (orks rarely pay attention to their dead).

Still, while primitive, this tribe is numerous, and the ork warlord in charge of the greenskin invasion, the self-proclaimed Kaptin’ Rumlar Grimrekkah , is willing to arm the entire tribe if it will bolster his army’s ranks and join his budding Waaagh!

The wounded ork warlord in the Warcopta is a lieutenant of Rumlar—and a kind of ambassador seeking to enlist the tribe..

Scenario Details

A burning ork Warcopta is located in the center of the town. The ork force enters from the north table edge; the Inquisition from the south edge. The objective: the wounded ork warlord who is unconscious in the Warcopta.

Rules: Shadow War: Armageddon

A sniper and Stormtrooper prepare to fire on the advancing orks.

Victory Conditions: Capture and escape the table with the warlord. (Warlord can be moved by any figure.)

Notes: This scenario allowed larger-than-allowed forces than in the rulebook. Each side was given 1,500 points to create a force, with no limits on numbers. Both sides were allowed two special operatives.

Both sides were given a psyker at no charge. Normal Warhammer 40K rules (7th edition) were used for the psykers, with the sole restriction being that no area-effect spell could impact more than three figures.

—

“You boyz,” Grazgok shouted, pointing to five orks to his left. “You goes up behind the building. Get behind the humies.”

The five greenskins showed their fangs, as close to an ork smile as existed. They were eager for a good fight, and they nodded and hurried through some palm trees and around the eastern edge of the town.

“The rest of you lot,” the ork leader barked, “we go straight in. Butt some ‘eads.”

The rest of his war party roared with delight. The shooting was about to begin.

—

First Shots

Approbator Adonai Drusus leads one stormtrooper, the assassin, the sniper, and the two Crusaders down the town’s main street and through the eastern courtyards that will take him to the Warcopta.

Careful to make maximum use of cover, most of his team has no line of fire to the orks advancing across the market area in the center of town. The orks are screened by buildings.

The Lady Serillian advances on the western side of the town, using buildings to screen her advance forward. The rest of her stormtroopers, along with the psyker and Deathwatch Veteran Brother Deon, accompany her.

The stormtroopers leave the inquisitor’s side and move into position in the alleys and the second floor of a tall building, giving them cover and a good field of fire to the Warcopta. Serillian and Deon advance farther north, as they feel more confident of their combat abilities and are willing to risk melee with the xenos.

Primitive, blue-painted orks pour into the town, heading straight for the Warcopta.

Five orks advance up the eastern side of the town, moving to flank Drusus and his companions. The remaining orks follow Grazgok into the open market and advance on the Warkopta. A small group of Grots, accompanied by a Runtherd, move down the main street.

As the orks reach the main street, the Inquisition team opens fire. Several Grots are hit, and they fall the ground. The sniper targets Grazgok, but his armor protects him from the high-powered shell.

On both sides, the psykers attempt to cast witchfire. The Primaris Pskyer manages to cast “Inferno” on one ork and kill it. The ork Weirdboy attempts to cast ‘Eadbanger and suffers the Perils of the Warp. He bursts into flame. As Grazgok doesn’t think much of witchcraft, he just chuckles at sight of the burning Weirdboy.

Click here to read Part 2 of this battle.

—

The Corvus Cluster is a Warhammer 40K blog documenting our gaming adventures in the fantastical sci-fi universe of Games Workshop.