Forthcoming Attractions

A new year!

If we've been quiet so far, it's only because a combination of school holidays and then going back to work doesn't leave much time for fine detailed brushwork and fluff generation. But quiet isn't the same as inactive...


It's campaign time! Inspired by the new urban battles set and its snazzy modular map, plus the fact that a month of toil has netted me a new battlefield, Stylus and I are going to fight out a short campaign. Here's the rules in advance of our first fight, which will be written up by the end of next week. Stay tuned for blood and battle!

++M41-03319//Ωd4++
++Classification: Hereticus Extremis++
++Precoded data burst follows. In His Name We Trust++

Zamaroon is a primitive world, isolated at the edge of the Rylstone system in orbit around the star Rylstone VII. The surface is mostly (45%) dense jungle containing traces of a vanished stone-age society. The remainder is 30% ocean, 15% dustbowl/desert, 10% tundra. Owing to heavy atmospheric interference from volcanic ash, scans of the surface are unreliable from orbit. This made it an excellent location for a Tyrannic research project undertaken by a cell of Inquisitors. 

A small base was established by the foot of the Zamar Prime volcano. Excavations were subsequently made, and a secure underground laboratory was created. The Inquisitors, de Vaulot, vaan Kloees and Marchius, worked in secret for three standard Terran years on captured xenos specimens. The nature of their work is not known. An automated space elevator maintained supply, firing pods into orbit for later collection.

All communications with the base were lost two orbital periods ago. The final communique was from Inquisitor Hurous de Vaulot, a broken transmission that seemed to indicate control of the specimens had been inadequate.

His final request was for an emergency evac team to be sent to destroy the research “lest it spread and prove the ruin of the Rylstone system”. The automated space elevator must also be shut down to prevent the launch of contaminated pods. 

Accordingly, Drop Teams of the 9th Hagan Lampreys have been released to your command. You are further blessed with an accompanying detachment from the Crypt Angels chapter, to assist with site capture and destruction. 

Advisory – we have no intel on the situation on the ground. All recon images are out of date (see attached files). Orbital bombardment assets are currently unavailable due to the ongoing T’Pau Sept incursions in the system.  

High Command out. 

++We Are His Sword. We Are Placed On The Neck Of His Foes++ 

The Zamaroon Campaign – Operation Clean Slate

We're planning a series of five matches, but who knows where that will end up! Narrative battle write-ups, special characters and troops who can gain experience using the Chapter Approved 2018 rules (even though they're Open Play and we're doing Matched), and that's before we've actually done any fighting. 

The protagonists are:

Imperium

9th Hagan Lamprey Tempestus Scions and Crypt Angels Space Marines

Goals – Capture and destroy the Inquisitors’ research, disable the space elevator, kill the surviving xenos

Xenos

Tyranid Hive Fleet Afanc 

Goals – capture and subdue the attackers, get the xenos onto local Imperial worlds

Each battle will take place on one of the three maps below. The Imperium have initiative and get to pick the first map and mission. 

Whoever wins now holds the map. While they’re busy locking down the area, the loser gets to plan a counter attack. So they’re the attacker next time out, picking the map and the mission for the next game. 

After each game, Glory Points are scored as follows: 

1 per map currently held by your team. 

X per Campaign Goal scored during the battle 

NB - All Jungle areas on the maps are considered forest (+1 to saves, -2” to charge and advance moves). Expect better pictures of the new scenery once it has made its debut in a report! 

Main Compound

++Standarised layout for Imperial supply, including barracks, scriptorium and corpse starch processing plant. Advanced warning and defence perimeter facilities accessible. Power currently offline.++ 

Points of Note – the Sentry Tower on the right-hand side contains the Sensorium controls for the base. It’s effectively an Imperial Bastion for determining who is inside and can shoot out, but replaces all its weapons with a trio of mortars (as per Guardsmen heavy weapons teams). These can only fire if the tower is powered, which can be done by capturing and holding the building on the far side of the battlefield on the jungle. That’s STC Imperial Design for you, always thinking practically. That building also has Imperial Bastion stats for determining people inside, but has no guns at all. 

Advance Scans – if you hold this territory, you can pay 3 CPs before the next battle to activate the tower’s sensorium grid. You automatically have the first turn, regardless of normal mission rules. 

Command and Conquer – if you hold this territory, you receive an additional CP at the start of subsequent battles. 

Supply Depot

++Logistics and supply  centre, equipped with drop pad sites, launch coordination centres and basic storage areas. Building 1-A houses the Space Elevator control and access.++

Cargo Infestation – if held by the Xenos, this territory is worth an extra Glory Point after each battle as they can launch infested pods towards the rest of the Rylstone System. 

Mission Goal  Imperium – Destroy the Space Elevator. Building 1-A has T9, 20 wounds and a 3+ save (as per an Imperial Bastion). If you can destroy it during the game, it’s worth 2 Glory Points. This can only be scored once in the Campaign. If damaged but not destroyed, it start the next battle at this location fully repaired thanks to automatic servitor maintenance.

Mission Goal Xenos – Realign Space Elevator Controls. If you are in control of building 1-A at the end of a battle (use standard Objective rules to determine this), you score 2 Glory Points as you launch infested pods precisely towards Imperial assets. This can be scored multiple times during the campaign, but only when the battle is fought at this location. If the building is destroyed, you can no longer score this bonus in the campaign. 

Deep Research Access

++Main access portal to the sub-volcanic archive. Hangar doors inoperable. Only known access point to the deep lab. The research must be in here somewhere.++

Points of Note – The access hangar is represented on the right hand side. Build into the side of a volcano, it is inaccessible from above, and the top and bottom 12” walls block LOS (the middle 24” is open). Indirect LOS weapons cannot fire into this area (see our previous games), and deep strikers cannot deploy into it. 

Burn Everything – If held by the Imperium, this territory is worth an extra Glory Point after each battle as they systematically destroy the research projects down below. 

Survivors – If you hold this territory, you can field Inquisitors (Imperium) or Genestealer Cultists (Tyranids) in your next list to represent survivors rescued from the site.

Thermal Steam Tunnels – if you hold this territory, you can spend 3 CP to set a squad of Troops into deep strike in subsequent games. This represents using the thermal power ducts to infiltrate the rest of the base. When set up, the squad emerges within 3” of a single building doorway on the battlefield and cannot be within 6” of enemy models. Models unable to set up in this way are lost.  

Mission Goal Imperium – Sector Secure. If there are no enemy models inside the Access Hangar at the end of the battle, score 1 VP and 1 Glory Point. 

Mission Goal Xenos – Infiltrate. Score 1 VP and 1 Glory Point at the end of the battle if you have any models inside the Hangar.