Third in an ongoing series
“PORTALS,” a gaming store, has opened on Kent Island, MD, a few minutes’ drive from my home, featuring “Tabletop Thursday” open play from 5:00 to 9:00 pm. This has given my neighbors Nate and Dylan, my brother-in-law Drew, Drew’s son Daniel, and me the perfect opportunity to get together, move minis, and roll dice, using the Grimdark Future rules from OPR Games.
(Why Grimdark Future? Because all of us agree that it is sooooo much easier and quicker to play than 10e Warhammer 40K. You can read my take on it here).
Our inaugural game at Portals was a closely-fought battle that the Imperial forces had managed to win in the end. Our second game saw Nate team up with his brother Dylan, their combined force of Ultramarines and Space Wolves defeating the expanded “Alien Alliance” of my Dvergar Steeljacks (Space Dwarves), Drew’s Orcs, and Daniel’s Alien Hives (Tyranids).
Drew couldn’t make it to our third game, so we decided to do individual matchups instead of team games. Dylan was looking to try out his fledgling Human Defense Force (aka Astra Militarum, aka Imperial Guard) vs Daniel’s Bugs, while Nate asked for a piece of my “Evil Robotz (TM).”
Yblis’ Centurions
Still stinging from my disappointing loss to Nate two weeks prior, I was determined to make up for it and prove who was king of the Jungle. Nate has quickly evolved into a skilled player, and I would not underestimate him again. For our 1500-point one-on-one bout, I brought the following collection of “Robot Legions” (Grimdark Future’s version of Necrons):
- Lucifer 1.0 & Unit 3.1 (Count as 10 Guardians w/ jetpacks and hyper swords)
- Unit 2.1. Ten Warriors w/ reaper rifles
- Unit 2.2. As Unit 2.1
- Unit 2.3. As Unit 2.1
- Unit 2.4. As Unit 2.1
- Unit 2.7. Five Eternals w/ flux carbines
40K players familiar with Necrons will recognize the “Warriors” as…well, Warriors, and the “Eternals” as virtually identical to Immortals. The Warriors pack rifles of relatively short range (18″) with one shot per round, of good intensity (-2 on opponent armor saves). The Eternals’ guns are also only 18″, but have two shots per round, and rolls of “6” on a hit grant an extra hit.
“Guardians” are similar to Necron Lychguard–tough-as-nails close combat specialists with power weapons–but the Robot Legion army rules give them the option to purchase jet packs. Jet packs grant the Guardians flight (allowing them to ignore terrain, including difficult terrain), negate the Robot Legion’s inherent slowness (Robots only move 4″ per turn, 8″ if they run or charge), and allow them to “Ambush,” a happy rule akin to Deep Strike, that lets them charge on the turn they arrive.
My plan was simple: tramp forward to seize objectives, blasting Ultramarines in range, and perching on said objectives, relying on Robot (Necron) toughness to hold them. As Nate is fond of hanging back and shooting, my Guardians would Ambush his back lines and wreak havoc. Let’s see if it worked out.
Game 3: Yblis Centurions vs Ultramarines
Our battleground was a ruined cityscape that Nate set up, with 5 objectives strung along the center of the board between the deployment zones (as per the GF rules). We took turns placing units, with me keeping the Guardians in reserve, as Ambushing units do not start on the board, and cannot appear until the beginning of Turn 2, at the earliest.
Nate started acquiring his army a few years ago, and is about that Primaris life, so he brought several squads of what I call “New Marines,” (even though they’ve been around for years) as well as a unit of old-school Terminators. Or, you know, the Grimdark Future equivalent (GF has versions of each 40K faction, and some that 40K doesn’t (like Space Lizardmen, or Space Skaven–more about that here).
Objectives consisted of an inspirational Imperial statue; a landing pad; two sections of a crashed spacecraft; and a non-functional (but repairable) gun battery atop a ruined building. I spread out my guys in a line, intent on taking four of the five objectives; the gun battery, on my extreme right flank, was too far away from the others to be worthwhile for me. Nate clustered his guys around the three objectives in the center and my left flank. Off we went!
If you’ve never played Grimdark Future, the biggest change from 40K is that instead of one player moving, shooting, and charging with their entire army while the other player sits back and waits, players alternate using units. So, in a turn, Nate might move and fire with a unit, then I would, then Nate would, then I would, and so on. It’s a lot more dynamic and fun than 40K’s approach.
Before the game started, Nate had a unit of Vanguard Infiltrators do a Scout-type move that let them move forward 12″, taking the objective on the landing pad. On Nate’s first turn, they skedaddled back to the Ultramarines’ line. In Grimdark Future, units claiming objectives need not stay on them; they can “tag-up-and-go,” something like what you sometimes see in baseball.
In my first turn, my guys (having no range on Nate’s) trundled 8″ forward (as you’ll recall, Robot Legions have the Slow rule). Nate moved up and fired, dropping a few Centurions here and there, but Robot Legions are about as sturdy as their Necron cousins, having decent armor, and a Self-Repair rule that lets them ignore failed armor saves on a subsequent roll of “6.”
At the start of Turn 2, my Ambushing troops (led by Lucifer 1.0, whose model is a Necron Lord, but I count as a Guardian) dropped in behind the Ultramarines, appearing just over 9″ away (as the Ambush rule requires). Nate had a unit fire on them, to no avail, and then my slicer-dicers jumped down and went to work, cutting their way through the Ultramarines, including the Infiltrators who had taken the landing pad objective.
As the second and third turns of the game went on, my guys continued to stump forward, taking objectives, and wearing down the Ultramarines with gunfire. Reaper rifles have a short range, but even Primaris armor is hard-pressed to defend against them when they hit, which they did about half the time (Warriors hit on a 4+ on d6).
The Heavy Intercessors blasted one squad down to a single robot, but I had two other units nearby, whose combined fire killed two out of three Ubermarines and caused the third to lose Morale, which meant that he couldn’t hold the objective.
In the center and (my) right end of the board, the Centurions ensconced themselves in cover atop the crashed spaceship objectives, and fired at any BlueyMarine who poked his nose out.
At the start of Turn 3, Nate’s Terminators used Ambush to land atop the gun battery objective that I had decided to eschew. For their efforts, I spent Turns 3 and 4 blasting them with my Eternals, then tagged that objective just because I could.
While Nate dropped some of the Guardians in close-range fighting, he was unable to rid himself of them, and chose to make a last-minute rush to take or at least contest some objectives. It was not a success. The game ended with Yblis’ Centurions holding all five objectives, a crushing win for the “Evil Robotz!”
Post-Game Analysis
Immediately after the game, Nate was bewildered at how the Robot Legions had done so well against his Ultramarines, and what he could have done instead, but the simple truth is that he got into a shootout with Necrons, which I’ll take any day. Individually, Warriors aren’t better than Primaris Marines, but I had more of them, so it became a battle of attrition–and no matter what color they paint their armor, Marines are hard-pressed to win those.
Additionally, he didn’t have enough close-combat ability to deal with the Guardians, who each had two attacks, hitting on 3+, with a -1 armor save, and “to hit” rolls of “6’s” forcing armor saves at -4 (OUCH!).
Without some guys who could punch, Nate would have needed to devote several squads to shoot, shoot, shoot the beHaysoos out of the Guardians, but then the other Necrons would have marched unhindered onto four out of five objectives. Perhaps Nate would have been served better by starting the Terminators on the board and letting them dance with the Guardians.
A most satisfying victory for your humble Jungle Guide, which nicely washed away the stain of my previous defeat. On a side note, Daniel got his first solo win by beating Dylan. Let’s see what happens next time….
BRINGING “FUN” BACK TO FANTASY. Swordfights, monsters, magic, bad guys, an evil witch, a mystical amulet, and a lucky cat: this book has all that, plus amazing artwork for each chapter, in an easy and fun read that boys and fans of old-school fantasy will love. Meet the new heroes of classic swords-and-sorcery, The Scorpion & The Wolf
Finding a cat and fighting for their lives was just the beginning for two young adventurers seeking their fortunes amidst the squalid city of Northarbor, where danger lurks in every alley, and it’s best to trust nothing but your own sword. The pair soon have more trouble than they can handle as they contend with scheming villains, a mysterious cult, and a cosmic menace.
“The Scorpion” is a small, intelligent lad from a desert pharaohdom, looking to leave behind his former life as an assassin. But will his blades and skill at magic be enough against the perils he faces?
“The Wolf” is a hulking warrior and shaman from a far-off nation. Fearless, fun-loving, and a physical powerhouse, the Wolf is keenly interested in exploring the world, and discovering his next meal.
The Scorpion & The Wolf is a young adult fantasy novel featuring amazing interior black-and-white illustrations by Alyssa Scalia, who previously collaborated with Kenton on his books Stray Cats, Pimmi Makes A Friend, and How The Kangal Got Her Mask. Boys in particular will love this tale of action, adventure, mystery, and fun. Don’t miss out! Get The Scorpion & The Wolf now!
Kenton Kilgore writes books for kids, young adults, and adults who are still young. Follow Kenton on Facebook for frequent posts on sci-fi, fantasy, and other speculative fiction. You can also catch him on Instagram.