2nd Edition 40K - 500 point scrap in the city

Jumping back to the days of yore, Andy T and I played our first game of Warhammer 40,000, 2nd edition this week. Andy played Rogue Trader back in his youth, and then took a break and came back to 3rd edition, so he's never played 2nd ed before. I last played second edition in 1998 - almost 30 years ago - indeed that was the last time I played any Games Workshop game. So this was very much a learning/re-learning game.

Running 500 point 'armies', I had two Space Marine scout squads led by a chaplain hero from the Éireannach Preservers, supported by a squad of ratling snipers. Andy had a single Spacemarine tactical squad of a Spacewolves-like chapter led by a captain.

The opening shot of the game - Andy's rocket launcher - evaporated four ratlings, causing the fifth to scatter into the ruins.

Closer at hand, my first scout squad left the cover of the purple shipping containers and occupied that combat squad for the remainder of the game, trying to whittle them down - but mostly being whittled down - until it came to close combat. In melee, the last scout (the veteran sergeant) slaughtered three enemy marines. The chaplain then joined in to finish off the last marine standing.

Across the battlefield, the second Éireannach scout squad ambushed the other combat squad led by their captain. They first pinned them down, then broke the squad. While the enemy marines rallied, the scouts continued firing, killing them to a man while taking no casualties themselves. The wolf captain then skulked off into the ruins. 

It was a very small game, with lots of rules flicking, but a lovely return to an old hobby friend. I have no interest in later 40K editions, but I'll happily play this one again.