Adeptus Titanicus 1988

 I tried a game of the original Adeptus Titanicus from 1988 with Number 1 son.  AT88 included 6 Warlord Titans with interchangeable weapons, 8 expanded polystyrene buildings, 2 range rulers, dice and rules.  20 or so years ago, I magnetised my Titan weapons and started painting my loyalists in Warp Runners colours and traitors in Death's Heads' colours.  One day I might summon the courage to try painting the flames on the Warp Runner legs and carapace!

We played a simple game, 2 Nemesis class Warlords on each side.

Death's Heads.

Warp Runners.

We faced each other across a city using my card/plastic Space Marine buildings.  I only used the tall ones, so that they would block LOS completely.

The battlefield.

On the right, both sides gave Advance orders.  As the titans came into range, void shields flared as plasma fire, autocannon and multi-launcher missiles flickered back and forth.

Exchanging fire as they close.

On the left, the Titans moved more slowly and exchanged fairly ineffectual long-range fire.

Long range duel.

Turn 2 resulted in Charge orders for the Death's Head on the left flank, closing the gap quickly.  Both sides managed to repair a couple of void shields.

Closing the distance.

On the right, void shields winked out under sustained las-cannon, autocannon and heavy plasma gun fire, followed by a powerful plasma cannon blast.  The traitor staggered back as both close combat arms crashed to the ground.  The close combat titan was left without power fist or chainfist!

Goodbye close combat weapons!

Continuous fire pummelled the Titan, striking deep into the hull.  Plasma, lasers and explosive shells wreaked havoc, damaging first the plasma reactor, then the MIU (Mind Impulse Units - how the crew control the Titan via neural links), legs and a carapace weapon mount.

Leg, reactor, MIU damage...

 On the left flank, Charge orders bring the loyalist into contact with the traitor.  Weapons fire flickers back and forth as the Titans close, the Warp Runner losing a multi-launcher while the Death's Head's Defence Laser is blown off.  The Warp Runner's chainfist scores a single close combat hit before being disabled by return fire in the next turn.  Both Titans have lost their void shield generators, though at this close range the shields would have merged anyway, offering no protection from each other.

Damage mounts on both sides...

Finally, the inevitable happens. As the Death's Head on the right stands immobile, desperately trying to repair the reactor, the Warp Runner pounds it with every weapon.  Peppered by autocannon shells, las-cannon and maximal plasma gun/cannon fire, after 5 or 6 "no further damage" rolls, luck finally runs out for the traitor as the reactor loses containment and the Titan is engulfed in a plasma reactor breach.

First traitor Titan suffers reactor meltdown.

On the left flank, the Warp Runner is lucky enough to fire first.  Multi-launcher missiles spray armour fragments across the battlefield and a Defence Laser shot pierces the traitor plasma reactor.  Standing close to the traitor, the Warp Runner's MIUs are fried by the plasma explosion and the crew are left stunned.

Fortunately for them, the Imperial forces have triumphed.  All that remains of the traitor forces are 2 craters filled with radioactive lava.  The Emperor Protects!