Tales of Fire and Ice: Escape from Tarsis Ultra

*UPDATE* One of the other guys who participated in this game wrote a post on his blog including more pictures. Here's the link: http://thewildriderhost.blogspot.com/2012/06/super-mega-team-battle-go.html

*END UPDATE*

This was the board setup... disregard the inches marks... they're supposed to be feet.

So... I played one of the most awesome games of 40k I've ever played tonight. The mission was... unique, to say the least...

The game went like this:

Background:
Farseer Madiyas of the Saim Hann craftworld after casting the runes saw a swirling vortex that would cost thousands of Eldar lives if not quelled swiftly. At the heart of this maelstrom was a human dignitary from the planet the mon-keigh call Tarsis Ultra. The planet is currently acting as a staging point for several chapters of Space Marines a well as a regiment of Imperial Guard. Knowing that his craftworld lacked the military might necessary to face such an assemblage of forces he and his council of seers decided upon a desperate plan. They would lure a host of their dark kin from the webways and a splinter of hive fleet Leviathan to the planet. Tarsis Ultra would be utterly destroyed by such a force, but the concern of the Eldar is that the machinations of Chaos are stopped, no matter the cost.

Mission Summary:
With Hive Fleet Leviathan bearing down on Tarsis Ultra the forces of order must fight a desperate delaying action to ensure that the remaining planetary dignitaries are evacuated.
Points:
6000pts per side divided among all players on the team
for example if the FoO have 4 players then each player brings 1500 list following normal force org
Board Size 4' x 12'

Forces of Order deploy first anywhere on the table or in reserve
Forces of Disorder go first and can either be in reserve or come in on first turn like dawn of war

Objectives:

Forces of Order
Defend the evacuation craft
Forces of Disorder
Destroy the evacuation craft before they are able depart the planet
Evacuation Craft

Starting on turn 2 roll a d6. On a 4 up the next evacuation craft arrives. Roll a d3 to determine the number of game turns the craft remains on the planet loading passengers
While landed the evacuation craft have 4+ cover saver from enemy shooting but count as stationary for assault purposes. The evacuation craft can fire their weapons normally during the FoO turn.
After the number of turns have elapsed the evacuation craft depart the battlefield at their max speed toward the defenders board edge.

Evacuation Craft (Stormraven Gunships)

FA 12 SA 12 RA 12
Fast Skimmer
TL-Multi Melta - Nose
TL-Lascannon - Turret
Ceramite Plating
Power of the Machine Spirit

End of Game

Game ends when either the last craft is destroyed or is safely off the table.
Winning
The side that either defends/destroys the most evacuation craft wins.

I was part of the Forces of Order, playing Copper Dragons. My team included Imperial Guard (Dale), Space Wolves (Reese), and Tau Empire (Yancy). The Forces of Disorder included Eldar (Eric), Dark Eldar (Jeff), and Tyranids (Austin).

Unfortunately, we (the Forces of Order) failed to protect the Two landing craft that actually showed up. Even so, the game was awesome. We held the line along the 3' mark of the Attacker's Table, and only deep-striking Tyranids got past it... Which was unfortunate, because they then quickly disabled our Ordinance Battery, which was comprised of a Manticore Rocket Launcher, a Basilisk Self-Propelled Gun, and two Masters of Ordinance calling in orbital strikes. The first landing craft was destroyed by the combined might of two Fire Prisms, causing it to explode killing all the dignitaries both inside and awaiting evacuation from that landing point. Later, the second landing craft to arrive was promptly charged and crushed by a raging Carnifex while it was attempting to load passengers. There were no survivors. The third landing craft never arrived, and was presumed to be intercepted by Hive Fleet Leviathan while entering orbit.

There were a ton of epic moments during the game, including but not limited to:

My Tactical Squad loses all 7 bolter marines to shooting, gets charged by Dark Eldar Wyches, draws the battle for two turns, and then beats the Wyches by one in my opponent's next player turn, and then sweeping advances them to death.

Vulkan He'stan charges into an ongoing battle between a Grey Hunters squad with a Wulfen vs. an Eldar Seer Council on Bikes. He then manages to kill one, take a wound from one, and then the Grey Hunters score a second wound, causing them to rout, allowing Vulkan and crew to cut them down while they turned tail and ran.

Einherjar the Firebrand lived up to his reputation and shrugged off a melta shot from an Eldar Fire Dragon, walking away only stunned.

A landspeeder with Multimelta and Heavy Flamer killed a squad of 10 Eldar Swooping Hawks in two turns. Not super epic, but he did manage to kill 7 at once with it's first flamer burst.

Also, there was a Ymgarl Genestealer that just refused to die for a turn and a half, even with a bunch of heavy flamers leveled at them.

Here are some pictures... I have no idea how to break them up among the relative turns... but they look cool, so enjoy. Also, it seems that for whatever reason the pictures uploaded backwards, so start from the bottom and work your way up if you want the pictures in chronological order.