Over the Christmas break, Rowan and I played our first game of Necromunda with his Redemptionist gang. I used a Goliath gang that has already played a couple of games. The scenario was one from Outlanders, where the Goliaths had been hired to protect a Guilder caravan from a Redemptionist raid. It was played in conditions of Grim Darkness – not just the ordinary grim darkness of the 41st millenium, but a specific terrain condition which shortened visibility to 16″. As both gangs were quite close combat orientated, this didn’t have as much effect on the game as it might have done.
‘North’ is at the top of this picture
The Goliaths deployed in a long line across the field, the Redemptionists in two tight groups near the centre. The centre contained some big buildings but cover at the edges was pretty sparse.
Goliath gangers hold the central building
Juves run to hide behind something solid
Near the north edge of the table was a big building where I deployed most of the Goliath gangers, including the leader. The flanks were held more weakly, mainly by juves. The pair on the west flank seemed particularly exposed, so I pulled them in closer to the gangers and behind some cover.
The Redemptionists charged up, spending each turn running forward. The eastern group moved diagonally across towards the other and it soon became apparent that both groups were going to attempt to break through along the western edge of the field. Goliaths from the eastern edge started running forward and across the field in an attempt to encircle them, while the flamer Goliath and a juve climbed up the central structures.
The first group of Redemptionists push forward
Both groups of Redemptionists rush toward the West flank
The pair of juves who had initially run for cover had to be sent back out as it became clear it was going to be difficult to stop the Redemptionist surge. They took up positions behind a low wall that ran along the north edge of the field and readied their weapons.
Two juves prepare to be steam rollered, while their comrades shout encouragement from a safe distance
A juve high up on the central structures managed to get close enough to fire at one of the novices with his autopistol, it was a difficult shot, but he brought him down in the first casualty of the game. The Redemptionists moved up behind the cover of a long wall, while Goliaths closed in all around them. There was a brief pause while one of them exchanged shots with a Goliath at the corner of the brick tower, then the Redemptionists realised that pressing on was their best option as the Goliaths were closing in all around them.
Novice goes down to a well placed autopistol shot
Not much had happened yet – the Redemptionists had rushed forward trying to avoid contact, and had been particularly successful given the darkness. Then, in the last couple of turns, it all kicked off as they ran across the last stretch of open ground before their objective.
Two redemptionists escaped off the table edge to raid the caravan, the zealot charged one juve with his massive chainsword and hacked him down, while the other Goliath juve took a blast from a flamer. The flamed juve escaped unhurt, while the flamer ran out of ammunition. (Too much time praying, not enough maintaining weapons, probably). In the following turn, the surviving juve gunned down the zealot before being shot to pieces by the remaining redemptionists who had closed to point blank range.
They in turn came under a hail of autogun fire from the Goliath gangers lined up by the brick tower, which knocked down three more Redemptionists. In their next turn these downed Redemptionists crawled off the edge of the table and the game ended. The Goliaths escaped relatively lightly with just two juves down, compared to six Redemptionists, but the Redemptionists managed to get four gang members off the north edge, with another four crawling off after being downed.
The final charge
As the scenario didn’t mention the condition that the gangers had to be in, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and counted those too. With eight outlaws, the Guilder caravan was well and truly looted. No payment for the Goliaths, and the Redemptionists went away with a great haul.
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