[batrep] Warhammer 40k 9th Arks of Omen – Space Wolves vs Genestealer Cults - 5th 40k BC league game 2

Would you believe if I told you Arfinn survived this encounter?

Behold the epic clash between two of the galaxy's most fearsome factions: the mighty Space Wolves and the insidious Genestealer cult. In this second match of the 5th edition of the 40k BC league - Tricities region.

As the two armies faced off in the Data Scry Salvage mission, the air was thick with tension and the smell of blood. The Space Wolves knew that they were in for a fight, as they braced themselves for the relentless onslaught of the enemy horde.

The battle was an intense struggle, with both sides gaining and losing ground in quick succession. Heroes emerged, only to fall moments later, as the fate of the conflict hung in the balance. The Space Wolves fought valiantly, their ferocity matched only by the cunning of their foes. But would it be enough to withstand the unrelenting tide of the Genestealer cultists?

Space Wolves vs Genestealer Cult

Game 2023-07 - 40kBC League S05R2

This was a game I played for the 5th 40k BC League in the Tricities region, where I pitched the Vlka Fenryka vs a Genestealer Cult in their day of ascension.

The mission we played was Arks Of Omen: Grand Tournament - Strike Force Data Scry-Salvage meaning there were 6x main objectives and one unit would have to stay back to perform the Data Intercept action to score bonus points.

Deep in the heart of the industrious continents of Stygius IV, a fierce battle will soon emerge between the Space Wolves and the insidious Genestealer Cult. 

On Ascension Day, the Genestealer Cult sabotages the spaceport spire with an ionic storm that disrupts communication between the surface and orbit. The Space Wolves, led by High Thane Guthorm Steelborn, launch an incursion into cultist territory to retrieve codes that will shut down the lasers. They must secure scattered data terminals and intercept their data.

The Genestealer Cult won't be easily defeated - driven by a fierce determination they will do whatever it takes to protect their secrets and secure dominance over this planet. In this battle of wills, only one faction can emerge victorious, and the fate of the spire, and all those who seek to control it, hangs in the knife's edge.

The Genestealer Cultists, deep in their territory, are led by all of their heroes, with their Primus, Iconward, Clamavus, Nexos, Kelermorph and Magus all leading the throngs of cultist rebels. 

The Wolves have the support of the Terminator Wolf Guards and Icewail, an old Whirlwind support vehicle that should suppress the enemy lines for their ferocious charges.

Turn 1 - Space Wolves

The Western Large Silo - a trap sprung!

Space wolf scouts infiltrate ahead. The ranged specialist pack led by Tollak and Arfinn's Stalkers with their sniper rifles take shelter at a tall silo to the western edge of the battlefield. If they can strengthen the hold there they would have a commanding view of the battlefield.

Jackals advance ahead of the force, but the battlefield seems empty, as the cultists are all hidden in tunnels. Their engines revving and the flamers spewing toxic smoke, they close in from the west towards the silo.

Bloodclaws and Grey Hunters stand ready to bolster the western front, their weapons at the ready and their eyes fixed on the incoming enemy.

Amidst them stands the mighty Guthorm. For the glory of the Emperor and the honor of the Space Wolves, they will not falter, they will not yield, and they will emerge victorious. They advance forward to control one of the Data Terminals on the large Silo.

The pack of Fenrisian Wolves, sensing the imminent danger, bares their teeth and growls in anticipation of the coming fight, but are kept in check by the well-trained Cyberwolf, fashioned with a suite of sensors that beep erratically as it detects the presence of hidden cultists nearby and are ready to intercept an y data the Astartes uncover as they control the data terminals nearby.

Suddenly, the trap is sprung! The enemy Genestealers emerge from the tunnels, charging forward with lightning speed towards Arfinn's Stalkers and Tollak's squad.

It seems as though their fate is sealed, with death looming just ahead. But these warriors of the Space Wolves are not so easily defeated. With weapons at the ready and courage in their hearts, they stand firm in the face of the oncoming horde.

As the Genestealers close in, the Space Wolves prepare to meet them head on, ready to fight to the bitter end.

The Eastern Repair Shop - charge!

The Mistwalkers, led by Ove Bloodhawk and his hammer, infiltrate a repair shop deep on the eastern flank, ready to pounce out at the incoming foe.

While another squad of Jackals speeds up over toxic ooze towards the east, near the repair shop.

With a thunderous roar, the mighty Thunderwolves charge forward, their leader Osmond Wolfrider at their head. They join forces with the swift and deadly Mistwalkers, ready to take on any foe that dares to stand in their way.

With a fierce battle cry, the Mistwalkers surge forward from the Repair shop, their weapons gleaming in the light. They charge towards the enemy with unbridled fury, determined to intercept and stop their advance no matter what the cost.

The enemy revealed!

Out of nowhere, a deafening roar erupts as hundreds of rebel fighters burst into motion, flooding the seemingly empty battlefield with their presence. The air is thick with the stench of alien mutants, their filthy forms emerging from every corner, weapons and mutations at the ready. 

The true face of the cult is finally revealed, and the Space Marines' auspex scans light up with targets from every direction. 

Despite the cultists being revealed, they still lurk in the shadows, waiting for their chance to strike. But the Space Wolves are ready for them. 

The Long Fang squads unleash a hail of fire at the oncoming Jackals on their bikes and quads, their weapons tearing through the air with deadly accuracy. Explosions light up the battlefield as the vehicles are blown apart left and right, but even with their krak missiles, there are simply too many of them to take down in one volley.

Undeterred, the Mistwalkers charge, their eyes fixed on the enemy as they prepare to face them head-on, knowing that the Thunderwolves are not short behind. However, even their fierce courage cannot overcome the obstacles in their path, and Osmond Wolfrider and his pack struggle to cross the distance, failing in their charge. Ove and his scout pack stand firm, ready to fight alone on this initial engagement, their weapons at the ready as they prepare to face the enemy with all the strength and skill they possess.

"For the Allfather! I will smite you down, alien!" Ove screams as his weapon glows hot as he cleaves through the cultist bike riders, their twisted forms falling before him like chaff before the wind. He pushes forward, eyes set on the infantry lines at the rear. The enemy may be many, but he is a Space Wolf, a warrior of the Imperium, and he will not be stopped until the battle is won.

Turn 1 - Genestealer Cults

Reinforcement waves

The ferocity of the Wolf Scout pack sends the enemy falling back in fear of retribution. As they run away, the Magus channels a Psychic Stimulus to force the frightened rebels to turn around and shoot as they retreat. As the warp energies are channeled and she is about to pour her soul into the cultists, Ingvar presses his shamanistic totems close to his power axe and sends a psychic backlash that startles the mutant psyker and keeps the enemy from retaliating.

Feeling the threat at their back, the Jackal bikers spin around with lightning speed, their flamers trained on the Mistwalkers who they were just engaged with. A tunnel opens up as the Iconward commands and more quads suddenly join the unit. The air fills with the acrid smell of promethium as the bikers unleash their fiery wrath, immolating the scouts and removing them as a threat to the cultist rear lines.

The genestealer ambush

On the western front, the Genestealers charge and engage the Scout squads sheltering under the platforms the large silo. 

The genestealers move with a deadly grace, their scything talons slicing through the scouts' light armor with ease. In mere moments, squad Tollak is butchered to the last man, leaving nothing but broken bodies in their wake. From the platform above, Arfinn Wyrdwalker watches in horror as his packmates are cut down one by one. But fate has other plans, and by some miracle, a single member of his squad, Kiffa, survives the onslaught. Together, they must fight on, determined to avenge their fallen brethren and emerge victorious in this brutal battle.

Turn 2 - Space Wolves

Avenging the Fallen

With grim determination, the blood claws and grey hunters charge towards the sounds of battle, their weapons at the ready. Battle Leader Ornolf leads the charge, his mind racing with the possibilities of what horrors the genestealers might have inflicted upon their fellow warriors. Though he has seen much in his many centuries of service, he knows all too well the brutal butchery that often follows a genestealer ambush. He prays to the Allfather that fate has spared at least a few of their comrades.

The air hums with the charged energy of the Longfangs' weapons as they take aim at the unsuspecting jackals, their precision guided by the steady hand of Alarel the Silent in his imposing terminator armor.

Guthorm Steelborn charges forward, leading the Space Wolves in a brutal assault against the jackals. The air fills with the sound of gunfire and the scent of blood as they mow down wave after wave of enemy reinforcements. The Long Fangs' Lascannons join the fray, unleashing a deadly barrage that leaves no survivors in their wake.

With thunderous booms, Icewail rains death upon the cultist horde, its shells exploding in bright flashes of fire and smoke, clearing the way for the Space Wolves to charge into the fray uncontested.

At the eastern repair shop data terminal, a shivering howl is heard as a pack of Wulfen outflanks the Jackals like a pack of ravenous wolves, their eyes wild with fury and their claws tearing through flesh and armor alike. The Jackals are caught off guard by the sudden attack, and they fall quickly to the Wulfen's brutal assault.

Osmond's Thunderwolf Cavalry charges towards the eastern data terminal, their war cries echoing across the battlefield, as they prepare to face the horde of cultists standing in their way.

Turn 2 - Genestealer Cults

The charge of the Acolytes

As the Thunderwolf Cavalry charges forward, a trap is sprung and the sound of the Genestealer Cult reinforcements emerging from hidden tunnels takes over the eastern front. 

A sea of Acolyte Hybrids wielding improvised close combat weapons, such as Rock Drills, Rock Cutters, Pickaxes, swarm towards the wolves, bolstered by the Iconward calling in reinforcements from the back. The cavalry will have to fight tooth and nail to break through the enemy's lines.

The acolytes' Rock Grinders send sparks flying as they rev up, their operators eagerly anticipating the moment to charge forward and crush the enemy cavalry with their makeshift spears.

The cultists' chaotic shouts and laughter filled the air as they fired their weapons, their twisted devotion to the Patriarch driving them forward with no regard for their own safety.

The snarling Thunderwolf cavalry, led by the valiant Osmond, fought with fierce determination in the narrow corridor between the repair shop and the generator. However, the relentless swarm of genestealer hybrids armed with brutal improvised weapons and their unyielding determination proved to be a formidable challenge even for the legendary warriors and their powerful mounts.

The Kelermorph's gambit

As the Kelermorph makes a hasty retreat, a horde of Neophyte Hybrids emerge from the shadows, brandishing their flamers and shotguns in a show of force. They stand ready to defend their cult and face the wrath of the Grey Hunters.

The Cult's desperate gambit fails as the Space Wolves withstand the volley of fire from the Kelermorph and Acolytes, led by Svigir Forstgaze and his Terminator armor.

At the enemy backlines, infiltrating Acolyte Hybrids move with lightning speed, their lithe frames slinking through the shadows like serpents. They blend into the background, but their beady eyes never miss a detail as they gather crucial intelligence on the Space Wolves' movements and weaknesses.

Turn 3 - Space Wolves

The terminators arrival

The thunderous boom of teleportation announces the arrival of the pack of assault terminator veterans, as they land behind enemy lines ready to wreak havoc.

With a roar of vengeance, the Space Wolf Terminators arrive at the site of their fallen Wulfen brethren.

The vengeance of the Space Wolves is unleashed as the second pack of terminator veterans arrives, their weapons unleashing a deadly hailstorm of fire upon the surviving acolytes.

With the howling of Fenris, the Space Wolves unleash a vicious close combat assault, led by the unstoppable force of the Terminator Veterans and bolstered by the the Longfangs, who drop their heavy weapons and draw blades, overwhelming the Genestealer Cultist forces.

Amidst the deafening sounds of the battlefield, the Longfangs emerge victorious, reclaiming control of the repair shop with their weapons at the ready, the stench of death and decay lingering around them from the bodies of their brothers and their mounts, mingled with mutant scum in an insult to the Allfather.

The Wolf Lord's gambit

Sigvir and his Grey Hunters rally and unleash their fury, charging towards the horde of cultists in a bloody melee. With Thane Guthorm leading the charge, they carve a path through the enemy lines, leaving only the elusive Kelermorph to flee from their wrath.

Arfinn and his packmate move with wolf-like speed up the silo gantries, their keen eyes scanning the battlefield for infiltrating acolytes. The air is filled with the crackling sound of snap shots from their sniper rifles, their movements fluid and efficient in the chaos of battle.

Turn 3 - Gene stealer Cults

As the fates dictate

The Kelermorph stands defiantly, his pistols at the ready as he faces down the charging marines, determined to protect the Genestealer Cult's plans at any cost.

Behind him, the Iconward surges forth, bringing in more reinforcements to bolster their defense.

Sigvir's squad faces their end as the Kelermorph's devastating attack wipes them out, leaving Thane Guthorm alone and vulnerable to the enemy infantry. Despite being targeted by a hail of fire from every Acolyte standing in his way, Guthorm stands his ground raising the Shield Eternal to protect himself. With a mighty leap from his jump pack, he prepares to unleash his fury upon the horde of mutant foes.

Turn 4 - Space Wolves

The Wolf Lord, his armor shimmering over the dim light of the generator, emerges from the smoke and debris like a primal force of nature. His eyes fixed on the Acolyte Iconward, who is frantically searching for an escape, the Wolf Lord charges towards him, a thunderous aura emanating from his hammer. The acolytes part like water before a charging bull, their confidence crumbling under the weight of his imposing presence. With one swift blow, the Iconward is reduced to a bloody smear on the ground, his will to command the cultists shattered. The morale of the enemy forces takes a nosedive as they realize the full extent of their impending doom.

Arfinn and his packmate, leaving behind the carnage of the Genestealer charge just moments before, perch on the higher platforms of the silo gantries. With discipline, they scan the area through their sniper rifle scopes, looking for their next target. In the distance, they see the magna-lasers failing, a sign that their mission to disrupt the enemy's defenses was successful. The tension builds as they feel the atmospheric pressure change, and then it finally comes. The skies light up with the intensity of the orbital bombardment, raining fire and destruction on the enemy positions. A sigh of relief for even these veteran stalkers, as their mission is finally accomplished.

As the last shots ring out and the battlefield falls silent, the Space Wolves stand among the carnage and devastation, their faces grim and weary. They know that this is only a temporary victory, a small triumph in a war that has yet to be won. The enemy may have been beaten back for now, but their taint still lingers, a constant reminder of the danger that lurks just beneath the surface.

The fallen brothers are mourned, their sacrifice remembered, but there is no time to rest. The Wolves know that they must remain ever vigilant, ready to defend this world and all those who call it home. For the price of failure is too high to contemplate, and the enemy will not stop until they have achieved their ultimate goal.

With a heavy heart and a steely determination, the Space Wolves steel themselves for the battles to come. They know that the future is uncertain, but they will face it head-on, with courage and honor, for the glory of the Imperium and the survival of all that is good and just in the galaxy.

Space Wolves 86 x 83 Genestealer Cults