Fourth 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).
Since I (effectively) retired in April of this year, I’ve been wargaming more in the last few months than I have in years–and I’m loving it. This free time and the excellent GF rules have really rekindled my passion for the hobby. I’m adapting all my 40K armies to GF (you can read more about them in my “Armies of the Jungle” posts), and in between our regular sessions at Portals, I’ve been playing impromptu games (usually against Dylan) and coaching him and Daniel (the newest gamers).
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, louder, for the people in the back:
If you’re burnt out on 40K, try Grimdark Future. It’s free, and it’s fun. You’ll fall in love with gaming again.
I’ve been playing so much, and having so much fun devising army lists, that I’ve neglected this series. To catch up, let me tell you what happens when an irresistible force meets another irresistible force. Or, rather, when one close-combat army fights another.
Game 4: Fearful Symmetry vs. Waaagh!shingdun Kommandos
Warboss Zlapnutz could not believe his beady red eyes. To be sure, he had expected–nay, hoped–that he and his troupe of Orc Marauders would encounter someone–anyone–to fight on this raiding mission for food, water, and supplies. Though he was somewhat surprised, he was nevertheless not shocked (and certainly, not intimidated–Gork dat grokshyte!) that the “someone” had turned out to be a host of ghostly Warp entities.
No, what was gobsmacking Warboss Zlapnutz was what the Wormhole Daemons were doing:
Running straight at the Orcs.
Not assuming firing positions. Not hunkering behind cover. Certainly not retreating or–Mork forbid!–fleeing. No, the tiger-headed daemons (and the really big zoggin’ tiger with them) were moving as quickly as possible toward the Orcs, weapons at the ready.
Warboss Zlapnutz had never experienced any behavior like this from any foe (besides other Orcs, that is). He removed his horned helmet and wiped a single but heartfelt tear from his rheumy old eyes.
Then he put his helmet back on, brandished his power klaw, and bellowed to his Boyz: “At ’em, ladz! Leggit!” This day might or might not be the last of his life (and if the latter, no worries), but it certainly was the best.
My brother-in-law Drew is a long-suffering Ork player. I say “long-suffering” because his Greenskins (named after a certain American football) often fight against Space Marines, his least-favorite army. “Least-favorite” because Marine players typically stand-back-and-shoot against Orks, a tactic that while effective, annoys him.
So, you can imagine Drew’s joy when I told him that the army he would be facing would not only NOT “stand-back-and-shoot,” it was INCAPABLE of doing so, as it has no guns. I am referring to the Fearful Symmetry, which in 40K would be considered a Khorne Chaos Daemon army; in Grimdark Future, they’re called “Wormhole Daemons of War.”
Fearful Symmetry
As I discuss in-depth here, the Fearful Symmetry is my tiger-themed proxy army of “rakshasas” (demons from Hindu myth) that I built many years ago. Led by a disgraced former commander of the Sabretooth Tigers of Veda, the rakshasas, while evil, battle the foes of mankind.
The army is so easy to use, even a Baltimore Ravens fan could do it: just charge the enemy and engage in close combat ASAP. For my 2000-point battle with Drew, I brought the following:
- Great Ghost Tyger (counts as Ascended Harbinger of War w/ wings [Bloodthirster])
- Rakshasa Knight (counts as Champion of War w/ Great Beast upgrade) and six Greater Rakshasas (count as Beast Riders [Bloodcrushers])
- Four packs of 10 Lesser Rakshasas each (count as Blood Warriors [Bloodletters])
If you’re familiar with Khorne Daemons, then you know that the (proxied) Bloodthirster is the heaviest hitter, able to take down an infantry squad or a battle tank in a single round. The (proxied) Bloodcrushers also pack a huge punch, and the Bloodletters don’t suck.
Under the Grimdark Future rules, half of the units in a Daemon army can either “Ambush” (aka Deep Strike) and/or Scout (get a free move before the game starts). This is a terrific ability that really enables the Fearful Symmetry to immediately start putting a hurt on the other guys, especially since the “Beast Riders” (proxied Bloodcrushers) are Fast (able to run/charge 16″ each turn) and have Impact 2 (meaning that when they charge, they each do an extra 2 hits on their target unit, hitting on a 2+).
Accordingly, the Great Ghost Tyger, the Greater Rakshasas, and one pack of Lesser Rakshasas Scouted ahead before the game started. My smug sense of satisfaction with this maneuvering didn’t last long, however….
Game 4: Fearful Symmetry vs Orcs
As you might expect, Drew’s army had plenty of regular Boyz, as well as some Ultra Veterans (Nobz in mega-armor), some Jump Pack Orcs (Stormboyz), and a Great Battle Truck (Battlewagon).
In typically aggressive fashion, Drew drove the GBT at top speed towards my lines, running over a pack of Lesser Rakshasas that I had Scouted forward, killing several of them (Great Battle Trucks are Impact 9). Ouch! The Orcs came out of the gate ready to rock ‘n’ roll….
Two could certainly play that game, so I smashed my Greater Rakshasas into a mob of 20 Orcs in Drew’s deployment zone, trampling them underfoot. Take that!
Drew was just getting warmed up. He had his 3-Orc mob of Ultra Vets jump out of the Great Battle Truck and lay into my Lesser Rakshasas. At the start of Turn 2, he dropped the Jump Pack Boyz onto the far end of the field to contend for one of the five objectives we had put out while setting up the game.
The game was very much punch and counter-punch, with the two armies trading blows in the center of the table.
Some games have subtle strategies and clever tactics, with feints and diversions. Not this one. It was just two assault armies beating on each other.
The closest thing to caginess that this battle had was that Drew managed to fend off the Great Ghost Tyger for the first two turns, keeping all of his units out of charge range.
But there’s only so long one can do that. On Turns 3 and 4, the GTT (I’ve nicknamed him “Ivan Drago” because he MUST BREAK YOU) got his paws on some Orcs. RAWWRRR!
Despite a lot of hard fighting, the battle ended in a tie. A rematch will be in order….
Post-Game Analysis
This was a great time, with two well-matched armies. Mine had two very expensive units (the Great Ghost Tyger, and the Greater Rakshasas), so one would think that the Orcs would have significantly more numbers. However, Drew had sunk some serious points (about 600) into the Great Battle Truck, so though he outnumbered my tiger-daemons, it wasn’t by much. The battle could have gone either way.
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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.