New Year’s Day Game: Warhammer 40k 5th Ed - Sisters of Battle vs Red Star Orks

So in accordance with ancient tradition, I hosted a game on New Year's Day. We've had some really fun ones in the (fifteen or more?) years I've hosted them, but the best ones were those that my late wife Pam helped organize. While I'd plan the game, she would plan a menu appropriate to the setting. Operation Sea Lion? British pub food and the best pork-and-apple pie I've ever tasted. Winter War? Finnish cuisine, but delicious meatballs and such, not disgusting herrings kept in a jar under the stairs for a year. Chicago gangster skirmish? Why deep-dish pizza of course. And there were many more. The meals were always awesome and it was so much fun to have the boys' spouses come by after the game to visit and enjoy the food. Now it's typically pizza, which is great, but working together with Pam on planning the game and food is just another one of the innumerable things I miss.

Anyway... this year I wanted to have a 5th Ed Warhammer 40K game. I've written here before that for me, 5th Ed is the best edition of 40K. We played a lot of it back in the day and the rules come back to mind pretty quickly. Also there's no mind-numbing Command Points, Strategems, or other mind-bending complications apparently lifted from competitive card gaming. Just pretty straightforward miniatures gaming. Yes there's some special rules, and we always forget some in the course of the afternoon, but nothing too taxing on the noggin. Plus it lets me get out the old metal models from my favourite period of 40K history.

I also wanted to inaugurate the Cathedral shown in the picture above... so it made the most sense to have a game where a couple units of Sisters were holding out against an Ork horde while both sides' reinforcements came on from Reserve. The scenario was based on one in the Bolt Action 3rd Ed rulebook that we've played before. It was a pretty big game too - just about 10 points shy of 2,000 points a side.

Half of the Orks came on in the first turn and the rest were in Reserve. Conscripts Mike and Hugh ran the Ork side while Dave and Chris played the Sisters. They chose a squad of Battle Sisters and a Retributor (heavy weapons) squad to start in the Cathedral while the rest would come on later. The Orks sent two Battlewagons (one carrying the Mega-Nobz, Warboss Ugrod Neksnappa and Big Mek Tarik Gutsmirk, and the other with a mob of 15 Boyz), another mob of Boyz, the Stormboyz, and a Deff Dread straight towards the Cathedral. You can see them in the first picture at the top of the post.

 

The Orks got to deploy their Kommando squad as Infiltrators and Scouts which was fun. They started on the far side of the Cathedral.

Eventually more Sisters arrived, followed by an Ork Deff Dread that appeared uncomfortably close to the Exorcist. Unfortunately for the Orks it was only able to immobilize the vehicle.

A buggy squadron also came on from Reserve on the same short table edge!

Meanwhile the Seraphim dropped in from Deep Strike to take on the Ork Stormboyz.

Back on the south side of the table the Penitent Engines charged the Deff Dread... while we all expected the Dread to be annihilated it actually took out one of the Engines!

The Seraphim were overwhelmed by the Mega-nobz with some help from the Kommandos.

 

Meanwhile north of the Cathedral things were going little better for the Sisters as a squad was charged and wiped out by a 15-strong mob of Boyz...

On the second-last turn of the game, though, Uriah Jacobus and nine Arco-Flagellants arrived and they were looking to get stuck in...

On the last turn the ideal opportunity presented itself with a mob of 15 'Ard Boyz just on the other side of the Blasted Terrace. The Arcos just needed a decent charge roll to get into close combat.

Back up north the Tankbusta Mob disembarked from their looted Rhino and started blasting away, while the Sisters who'd come in behind them set up a gunline.

You can see the charge roll for difficult terrain at the top of the photo... four inches was enough to get the Arco-Flagellants stuck in.

It wasn't even a contest. With Uriah Jacobus' Banner of Sanctity and the charge the nine Arcos added two more attacks to the four already on their profile... so that's 54 WS5 S4 attacks, plus four more from Uriah himself. Even with 'eavy armour giving them a 4+ save, the 'Ard Boyz were never gonna stand up to that.

Here's some more pictures of the battlefield at the end of the game:

Each side scored one VP for each enemy unit completely destroyed. As always happens in that kind of game there's always a couple units that are just barely hanging on with a couple of models left alive... but those don't count for any VPs. The final score was Orks 5VP, Sisters 3VP.

Although Conscript John visited before the game and Conscript Hugh had to leave near the end, we had a good visit and a fun game. Above (L to R) you can see me, Chris, Dave and Mike.

I love hosting the New Year's Day game and it was unfortunate that some of the guys were sick and couldn't make it. But I have resolved to try and host more games this year so we'll see how that goes.

Happy New Year and all the best in 2026!

Xenos Rampant - A 30k Battle Report

The Galaxy is in flames! The Horus Heresy is played out...using "Xenos Rampant" from Osprey.

It is always great to welcome a friend from the hobby world for a game - and a particular treat when they travel from far away. So it was pretty awesome to welcome hobby enthusiast and unbelievably talented painter "MartinN" (aka Nick) on a recent visit to Canada. It's a long, long way from his home in Bavaria, so to make the trip worthwhile, I wanted to run something a little different for Nick. Lucky for me, he is a very relaxed fellow - and when I suggested giving "Xenos Rampant" a go, he was happy to oblige!

What is "Xenos Rampant"?

"Xenos Rampant" is a set of sci-fi skirmish rules published by Osprey. They were first released in 2022, so this is hardly breaking news here. Those familiar Osprey's wargaming rule ouevre in general will surely note the word "Rampant" in the title and suspect a kinship with the "Lion Rampant" rules - and you would be right to, as they share a common author. You can find many reviews and play-throughs of the rules elsewhere online, but I can confirm that, while the two rule sets share many familiar ideas in terms of core game mechanics, "Xenos Rampant" is a delightful, figure and scale agnostic tribute to sci-fi wargaming in general. I had a specific goal for the games with Nick - could they be made to work for the 30k setting?

Spoiler alert: YES. I loved it. Here are a few photos and notes of our own game. 

The Mission: Scenario Kilo - VIP Extraction

I love the whole "both sides show up and try to kill each other" type-game as much as the next gamer. And we are talking 30k setting-wise, of course, so that style of game pretty much tracks. But the 30k setting is also so much more - at its best, it reaches into some of the sci-fi-of-the-absurd from the Rogue Trader days. I figured the "VIP Extraction" mission might make for a nicely warped background. We just needed the right sort of "VIP" for the setting.

The VIP and his flunkies await assistance...

And so - meet Totally Legitimate Plenipotentiary Ruler Effrey J. Trumpstein.  TLPR Trumpstein and his staff have been out on a tour of the explodium refinery facilities in the desert segments of their world. Suddenly, the shuttle is forced down in an isolated area. The vessel is wrecked, but Trumpstein and his staff have (mostly) made it out from the wreckage...they access a terminal near the explodium pipeline and signal for help...but that signal is intercepted by more than Trumpstein's planetary militia...

"It's not all wall-building! We've got work to do!"

Both loyalist and traitor detachments detect the signal. The chance to take "custody" of TLPR Trumpstein is too much to pass up - and in any case, his custody must be denied to the other side! Detachments from the Loyalist VII Legion Astartes and rebel XVI Legion Astartes descend on the target coordinates with a clear objective - secure Trumpstein, and eliminate any problems that arise.

The Detachments

A 24-point detachment resplendent in the fine colours of the XVI Legion Astartes

When I started reading through the "Xenos Rampant" rulebook, one immediately encouraging clue was that the competing sides are described as "detachments", and not "armies"...it's a little thing, but to me this is always a clear signal that the writers have a sane take on gaming...

Stubborn idiots wearing yellow. 

Anyway, for the test game, I opted to use similar detachments for both sides - after all, we were experimenting here, and I wanted to keep it relatively straightforward. One great feature of the "Xenos Rampant" set is the provision of different rules to customize the troops types so that they might closely reflect your chosen setting as possible. 

In "Xenos Rampant", each unit in the detachment has a number of "Strength Points" ("SPs") - either 5, 10 or (in some cases) 15. Note that "SPs" are not the same as the "points cost" to select the unit - so I try to keep each element straight in the roster below.  

Each side, Loyalist and Rebel, had a 24 point detachment:

Example of how you can just use a bunch of cool figures to represent the flunkies, rather than worry about which model has which power/ability/etc. This is the Commander and his detachment. They are bad-ass. The apothecary is a reminder that the unit has the "combat medic" ability.

- Space Marine Commander and command squad (i.e. Elite infantry/detachment commander - enhanced with "high powered blades" and "combat medic") - 9 points, 5 SPs

- 2 x 10-man tactical squads with bolt guns (i.e. Heavy infantry, with "increased squad size") - 4 points each, 10 SPs each

- 1 x 10-man assault squad with chain swords and pistols (i.e. Heavy infantry, with "increased squad size", "assault doctrine", "close quarters doctrine", "mobile" and "skimmer" rules to account for the jump packs and close assault weapon load out) - 7 points, 10 SPs

As you will see if you squint at the photos, each SP= 1 model in each unit. And while the assorted special rules let you capture some flavor among the different squads, they are abstract enough that you do not sweat the load out of a specific figure too much. This is the sort of thing that I observe to be slightly triggering to a lot (although by no means all) GW players, but I find personally awesome and liberating.

The Table

The table was 4'x4', featuring some old temple ruins from some long-gone, pre-Imperial compliance civilization. Explodium pipelines ran over and through these ruins, as well as a roughly paved service road. Finally, the remnants of the VIP's downed shuttle craft dotted the site. 

The Imperial Fists hunker down, as is their wont...

The VIP placed right in the middle - near the terminal his flunkies were using to signal for assistance. The detachments competing to put him into custody deployed 9" in from opposing table edges. I took command of the Sons of Horus while Nick took charge of the Imperial Fists. Battle was. joined!

Another photo of the VII Legion setup...

The Engagement

Both Nick and I sought to advance to the VIP, take him "into custody", and spirit him off our respective table sides. The forces were evenly matched, and fittingly enough, the opposing assault squads repeatedly assaulted one another on one flank. My jump troopers were ultimately able to wear out Nick's guys, driving them back. My jump troops were now free to pounce on one of Nick's tactical squads, and while we were not able to rout them, we tied them up and opened a clear path for my Commander to reach TLPR Trumpstein and his entourage...

It's brother vs. brother in a chain sword brawl! Oh yeah!!

On the other flank heavy gun battles wore down one of my tactical units - lucky for me, they bent-but-did-not-break. All together, they tactical and assault marines were able to jam up the Imperial Fists long enough for my Detachment commander to spirit Trumpstein away to a, er, secure location. Yes...that's it...a secure location...safety first with The Warmaster, of course!

"Sir, you'll need to come with us."

In all the action took about five turns, tops. On reflection, I wish I had more terrain available, particularly some buildings, to break up line of sight a bit more - that might have compelled more maneuvering. I would also expand the size of the playing table, as a 6' x 4' would still provide plenty of fun while challenging players with a bit more maneuvering. 

My assault squad can be seen here fleeing tactically repositioning after a less-than-successful attack on the Imperial Fist tactical squad at the right side of the photo - but at least we delayed them.

Conclusion

For my part, I loved "Xenos Rampant"! You roll buckets and buckets of dice while exchanging fire and hurling your units into violent assaults. The units for the most part wore down very slowly, but this made sense given the nature of the stats of the troops involved - to me this "felt" right, very much "marine vs. marine". It's got enough detail to provide for flavor and character, but abstract enough that you are not fussing about which precise version of plasma pistol or power sword or whatever is equipped on the model. 

XVI Legion Praetor, accompanied by flunkies, sets out to accomplish the mission. His iterator is already putting out the good word! 

It is also SO easy - and fun! - to assemble detachments. In the future I can see how it would be fun to, say, include a lightly-equipped militia rabble alongside the Marines, or to include a unit of Marines from an allied Legion featuring some different traits. The newer version of 30k is certainly more flexible in terms of force construction, but there are still a bunch of rules to watch and hoops to jump through. "Xenos Rampant" keeps it WAY more simple.  

Should you ditch 30k to play "Xenos Rampant" instead? I'm not here to make that case per se - the 30k game is a specific sort of wargame experience, and I have enjoyed many, many games of 30k myself over the years. 

But I would still very, very much suggest picking up "Xenos Rampant" and giving it a try! Think of it as a fun, easy sort of palate cleanser. If you have a 30k force, odds are you already have more than enough painted models to try it out, so it is not hard. The "GW Hobby" can be engaging, but it's good to try different stuff, and this is a fun and easy way to enjoy the setting you love without burning the calories needed for the full GW rules experience. The hobby is not a zero sum game, after all and Osprey have some wonderful skirmish rules out there. Give them a shot!

Anyway, it was SO awesome to host Nick - thanks for visiting us in Canada. 

And that's it for this post - stay tuned for more painting (soon, I hope!). 

At Last, a Yom Kippur War Game!

After some months of collecting and painting my own Egyptian and Israeli forces for the 1973 Yom Kippur War, I'm finally hosting a game*, set in the Sinai during the latter part of the war. The Israelis have crossed the Suez and are wreaking some havoc in the rear areas of the Egyptian army, basically trying to do all they can before the inevitable ceasefire.

I've set up a pretty straightforward three-objective game: the objectives being the SA-2 Guideline SAM at bottom, the house at centre, and the well in the courtyard at top. The Egyptians start with an infantry section and ISU-152 near the SAM but otherwise the forces start off-table. We used Bolt Action 3rd Ed for the game, leaving the movement and weapons ranges the same despite the models being 15mm rather than 28mm. I think it looks cooler that way.

  

The SAM with attendant infantry and SP howitzer.

The Israelis had four infantry squads in M3 halftracks, two weapons sections and the command squad in a fifth halftrack, three M51 Ishermans and four Magach-6 tanks. They faced three Egyptian infantry sections, two DShK HMG teams, two AT-3 Sagger ATGW teams, three T-62s and five T-55 tanks.

Egyptian infantry rushes towards the centre objective.

Conscript Mike picking out reinforcements coming on-table while Conscript Dave surveys the landscape.

Two Magach-6s and more infantry reinforce the attack on the SAM position.

DShK teams move up to join the infantry in the centre while Egyptian tanks sweep to the left to support the SAM position.

IDF infantry deploys in the wadi and open up on the Egyptian infantry.

 

Meanwhile, the Egyptian infantry occupies the objective and the DShK teams deploy in support.

Around the SAM position the original Egyptian infantry section was wiped out but a reinforcing section arrives from reserve.

Having taken the far objective (well) the IDF sweeps towards the centre. The Egyptians were all set to unload on the advancing IDF infantry but they were hosed off with supporting fire. Nice coordination!

IDF infantry rushes the ground floor of the building. This is where they'd end the game.

Over on the Israeli left the IDF infantry have taken the well objective with the heavy weapons sections and command squad. Their FN MAGs, light mortars and Blindicide rocket launchers have reached out and touched some Egyptian assets but have taken a few pins and casualties as well.

On the other flank the Israeli assault has kind of stalled - the infantry in the wadi were cut up by the Egyptian infantry that's now close enough to control the SAM objective. After much discussion the Israelis decided not to send their infantry up - they'd end up too far away to contest the objective before the end of the game. 

The M51 Ishermans pounded away at the opposing T-62 and succeeded in immobilizing it.

Egyptian tanks sweep around the centre objective and knock out a distant Magach-6.

Takeaways: it was a really good looking game (IMHO) but maybe a bit on the big side for a Thursday Bolt Action scrap, there were 14 or 15 order dice per side which is a lot for us. After the first turn I decided to allow activation of a tank TROOP on one dice which sped things up a bit. 

There weren't as many burning tanks as I would have liked to see either. I'd based the BA stats on relative gun/armour stats for the models in Fate of a Nation, the Flames of War Arab-Israeli wargame. The 115mm guns of the Egyptians were penetration 8+, the 100mm and 105mm guns, and Saggers, were penetration 7+, the Blindicides and RPG-7s were penetration 5+. As for armour I rated the Shermans as Medium tanks (9+), T-55s and T-62s as Heavy tanks (10+), and the Magach-6s as 11+ armour. So an AT-3 (if it hit) would glance a Sherman on a 2 and penetrate on 3+, or glance a Magach-6 on a 4 and penetrate on a 5+, all from the front. Comments welcome.

All in all a fun time and I think for the next one I might turn up the AT weapons a bit and make the game a bit smaller. But this one was fun and looked great.

Shalom and yo'um said!    
 

*of course Conscript Greg has an amazing collection of YKW stuff and has staged many games, including our Prairiecon game that made it into Wargames Illustrated! But this was the first YKW game staged with the models all painted by me :-)