Hello Toad Warriors! Hopefully, you’ve all rolled crits on your Xmas presents and have a ton of new RPGs and other gaming stuff keeping you busy. And if you're working or not having as much fun, I hope you get to some RPG and tabletop fun in the near future.
Welcome back to Convinction! This is the continuation of my Five Parsecs from Home campaign set in the Warhammer 40K Universe. To check it out from the start, head here:
Ensnared - Conviction Battle Report I
·
October 10, 2025
“Duplicity! Deceit! Deception! To arms, Missionaries of the Burning Wrath! Fire with the fury of the Emperor or we will surely be overcome. Emperor Protects!”
In the end, travelling to Zeta Anaeran was an easy decision. The light of the Emperor shows the way, and Bishop Feverous can do naught but follow. Their ship, the Vengful Fury, safely delivered the Missionaires to this new world.
Zeta Anaeran is not a pleasant world. It was once, but no longer. Scarred by glorious battle, the endless green fields are now desert. Straddling a key warp travel lane, Zeta Anaeran has been visited by numerous Xenos threats. Orcs, Tyrannids, and Drukhari have all tried their metal against the Imperial forces of this world, and they have all failed.
The Empire stands victorious, but the world no longer produces crops. It is now a wasteland, dry and hot.
Little of this matters to Bishop Feverous. The only thing that matters is heretics and destroying them. With this in mind, the Missionaries land on this ruined but proud planet.
Zeta Anaeran is a dangerous planet, ravaged by past wars but also facing a current threat. Any Xenos encountered will have +1 enemies. The planet’s environment is also ravaged, oppressive heat bears down, meaning it will be impossible for any model to take a Dash action (add another 3 inches of movement instead of shooting or brawling).
The Missionaries land at the starport amongst the myriad of Imperial naval vessels. It becomes apparent that no matter how battered the country is, the empire will never let go of what it has.
Soon after landing, the Missionaries are approached by a Rogue Trader, Sir Erdwin, who implored the Missionaries to assist in rooting out a Xenos threat that has been festering in one of his mining concerns.
“Yes, I know it is property owned by my family, but we do not have the military might to exterminate this threat. I fear there is a great evil under that land, but I am unable to convince the local Astra Militarum Commander to provide proper forces. If you were able to uncover evidence, we could eliminate a threat to this planet and regain value for my family. You will be richly rewarded and have done a good service for our Emperor.”
Bishop Feverous did not want to deviate from his mission of destroying heretic evil, but Xenos are a threat that cannot be ignored. Plus, making a friend of a Rogue Trader would be a valuable resource.
Bishop Feverous agrees, and the Missionaries set out.
The Missionaries travel out of the starport into the blasted badlands. They approach the location the Rogue Trader gave them and fan out into a skirmish line.
Alright, first battle against Tyranids. 5 Hormagaunts with mandibles and 2 Leapers (they can’t fly but can jump over terrain, so ignore that note). On top of that, for the first 3 gaunts killed, replacements will come. I’m excited to get my Tyranid troops on the table!
New board, who this? Custom-built table. Imperial ruins with desert rocks. Looking forward to some battles across this planet! The Missionaries are set up on the right side, and the Nids are scattered through the battlefield.
Bishop Feverous surveys the dry battlefield. Once, a proud Imperial city stood here, only to be swallowed by the desert. While he can’t see any threat yet, the Bishop knows there are xenos out there. Emperor protects…
The Missionaries hear a skittering, a scratching of claws on the hard desert surface. Brother Ignis climbs a rock formation and peers into the glaring sun. He is astonished at what he sees, Xenos charging forward. Tyranids on this planet? Ignis waits for no orders, knowing what he must do. He aims his stubber, and he fires a stream of rounds into the Xenos and downs one.
Bishop Feverous sends a silent thanks to the Emperor that the Missionaries are blessed with such righteous warriors. The Xenos are a threat, but something that can be defeated by the grace of the Emperor.
Just then, the ground rumbles, and the middle of the ruined city explodes forth in a shower of dust and soot. Pouring out are more of the hated Xenos warriors. The scales have just become unbalanced.
At the end of turn 2, I rolled a random battlefield situation and got a very appropriate ripper attack. I interpreted this as Tyranid reinforcements bursting forth.
The tide has come, and the only question the Missionaries must answer is, can they be the breakwater? Sin and Bishop Feverous send a furious fusillade into the leaping xenos beast. It isn’t enough to kill it, but it drives it backward, stunning the creature.
Those dedicated soldiers of the Emperor, Brother Ignis and the psyker Lumious, work as a team. Lumious uses the Emperor’s grace to guide the stubber rounds from Ignis. Together, they dispatch many a xenos.
This is the first real opportunity for me to use Lumious's psyker ability, which guides the shooting of other characters. Effectively, it allows someone to shoot again, even if they can’t see the enemy. Paired with a character like Ignis, who has a powerful multi-shot weapon, you can really clean up.
Sensing that the Missionaries are firmly in control of the battlefield, Bishop Feverous challenges one of the leaping beasts to mortal combat. A flurry of razor-sharp claws meets the power of a blessed mace. The struggle is furious, but the Xenos is cast down. Never suffer the Xenos to live.
Victory is assured! The Xenos are trampled below the feet of the faithful!
But just then….
At the cusp of victory…
A low rumble starts…
Bursting forth from the ground come hundreds, if not thousands, of the vile Xenos scum!
The Missionaries stand ready to meet this new threat with little hope of survival. But what can servants of the Emperor do but stand when told to stand?
As they prepare to meet their end in the glory of the Emperor, Bishop Feverous’s vox crackles:
“This is Major Marrcus of the 44th Siege regiment. Clear the way, Missionaries, we have Xenos to purge.”
As if a mirage, Imperial Guard troopers with armour support appear from the desert and engage the Xenos in battle.
A successful battle for the Missionaries. The end section with the large-scale Xenos reinforcements was done for flavour and really shows this planet is under extreme threat. Plus, it allows me to get a few more models onto the table.
Post-battle results were good for the Missionaries. Sin was hit ‘off camera’ but recovered, only having his handgun damaged. Zeta Anaeran is a planet significantly under threat by Xenos and Chaos. What will the next mission bring? You’ll have to log in to find out!
Thank you for reading, everyone!
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.