The Balmoral Impact

[Formerly Wu]

The Balmoral Impact
A Tales of the Sefirem Sector Campaign

A Bad Omen

It was the transient deep water fleets of the Currentborn who kept the faith alive on Balmoral during the dark time before the First Reclamation. They lived via piracy - both as a way to fight back against the corrupted Archipelago hives and to restock the necessary supplies they subsisted on. With the coming of the Crusade, an organized campaign of raiding by Saint Iris of the Deep set the groundwork for the successful siege of the Archipelagos. The steadfast faith of the Currentborn was eventually rewarded, as Balmoral was granted the honor of becoming the sector capitol of Sefirem.

The population of Balmoral have prospered over the centuries, enriched by the growth of the sector and pride in their history. Many noble houses and military regiments proudly trace their heritage back to the Currentborn. Unfortunately, while the hives prospered, those who still lived in the deep water rarely saw the benefits. A sense of resentment, combined with a culture that associated piracy with piety, led to a simmering culture war...

-Excerpt from A History of Military Glories Concerning the Sefirem Sector

---

Somewhere mid-ocean, Balmoral (Sefirem Sector Capital World), 685.M41

The comet’s light in the sky had dimmed long ago to a unnatural red, sitting silently on the horizon as if brooding on the destruction it had wrought. Its light wasn’t enough to see by in the blackness of the starless night, so Bresard stood on the deck with a shuttered lantern in hand. Far below, the spotlights of the PDF cutter sitting in the kilometer long supercontainer’s lee searched the massive hull for more damage. Beside him, a team of ratings hauled at the capstan, drawing up the boarding elevator for the ship's visitor.

Presently the cart arrived, and as the gate opened Bresard’s hovering servo skull piped the customary whistle to welcome the boarding visitors - a PDF naval officer and his bodyguards. Bresard smiled. “Welcome aboard the Mighty Kusu. Captain Vayle, I presume?”

The uniformed man nodded curtly, removed his gloves and presented his hand, fingers spread. Bresard’s smile fell at the formal gesture. He should have expected a high ranking officer to be a Hiver. Setting down the lantern, he removed his glove and returned the gesture. The scars where his finger webbing had been removed were mostly healed, but he was always anxious about the inauspicious mutation being spotted when formality was forced upon him.

To his luck, the darkness was such that Vayle did not notice the bad omen and shook his hand without pause. “I’m afraid we have to make this quick. You’re not the only ship damaged by the shockwave. If you’re not in immediate danger of foundering we might have to move on.”

“Surely you wouldn’t leave us alone? These are dangerous waters, Captain - many pirates, and without power our communications and point defenses are down.” Bresard wasn’t actually too worried about pirates - he was on friendly terms with most of the local Drifts, and often bootlegged portions of his cargo for them when passing - but if he could squeeze the PDF for a few supplies his ship would be able to get back on schedule that much faster.

“We’re in triage mode right now. As the Governor has said, each man receives aid based upon need.” Turning to look over the rail, Vayle did not see Bresard’s scornful look at the unpopular slogan. “Even the Archipelagos have been hit hard.”

Bresard joined Vayle at the rail, as the crewmen and PDF troopers shared lho sticks behind them. They watched the conflagaration on the horizon, the last resting place of Emperor knew what. “Do they have any idea how the comet managed to get past the orbital defense grid?”

Vayle grimaced. “Not a comet, I think. Scuttlebutt says it’s one of our Cobras that went down, or maybe a frigate. Warp displacement, training accident... you didn’t hear it from me, of course.”

“Bloody hell,” breathed Bresard. But his eyes were on the PDF cutter below, not the horizon. The deck lights were flickering, then cut out entirely. The two stared down into the silent dark, seeing only mysterious flashes of light to mark where the cutter sat.

“Perhaps your generator has....” Bresard had time to say before the sound reached them. The thump of a distant, muffled explosion. Sharp cracks, not of lasgun fire but of heavy solid-bore ammunition. A mix of screams and throaty warcries drifted across the water.

The two captains stared in alarm. “Saint’s mercy, what is going on down there?”

---

Kommanda Shinbash’s kroozer has crashed on the Imperium’s sector capitol of Balmoral, after being teleported into low orbit by the sorceries of Inquisitor Lyr (as seen here). Though their crash caused a local catastrophe, their unexpected arrival means that the Imperium hasn’t figured out the nature of the invaders yet. The Kommanda has to gain a foothold quickly before they can organize to crush his outnumbered and stranded boyz.

Kommanda’s Misfits

Kommanda Shinbash (Warboss with Powerklaw, Cybork Body)
Guv (Big Mek with Kustom Force Field)
5x Nobs (2x Powerklaw, 1x Big Choppa, Mad Dok)
8x Tankbustas (1x Tankhammer, 2x Bomb Squigs, Nob w/ Bosspole)
14x Lootas
30x Shoota Boyz (3x Big Shootas, Nob w/ Powerklaw and Bosspole)
20x Slugga Boyz (Nob w/ Powerklaw and Bosspole)
12x Slugga Boyz (Nob w/ Powerklaw and Bosspole)
Battlewagon (Deff Rolla, Armor Plates, 2x Big Shootas)
Looted Wagon (Big Shoota)
2x Trukks

Balmoral PDF

Elysian Company Command Squad (Plasma gun, medikit, vox-caster and bolt pistol)
Elysian Platoon Command Squad (Plasma gun, platoon standard, vox-caster), in Vendetta
3x Elysian Infantry Squad (2x Grenade Launcher, 1x Flamer, 3x Demolition Charge and Vox-casters) in Valkyries with Heavy Bolter doors
Elysian Special Weapon Squad (2x Flamer, Demolition Charge) in Valkyrie with Heavy Bolter doors
Elysian Veteran Squad (3x Melta, Demolitions, vox-caster)
2x Elysian Drop Sentinels (Multi-melta)
Vulture with TL Punisher Cannons

As Balmoral is a water world, we decided to use some custom scenario rules to simulate a ‘water’ battle. Any part of the board that is not situated in area terrain, high ground or a vehicle wreck is ocean terrain. Any infantry unit in the water is in difficult terrain, and must swim for their life- they can not shoot or assault. Vehicles and ruins are considered to be boats for this game (or ‘hullz’ in Ork parlance), while smaller pieces of area terrain or forests are small islands or wrecks.

Game Type: Capture and Control, five objectives
Deployment: Dawn of War

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Terrain setup

Objective 1 is placed in the large building (ship) in the center south. Objective 2 is north of it, near center board, and objective 3 is north of that behind a walled wreck. Objectives 4 and 5 are placed in the open in the far east and west, respectively.

First turn goes to orks. The big shoota boy squad deploys in the multiple levels of the southern ship, claiming objective 1. The warboss and nobs deploy behind a walled wreck on the western front, close to objective 5. The Guard deploys a squad of veterans and a command squad hiding in the eastern ship near objective 4.

Turn One

Kommanda’s Misfits: The rest of the army walks onto the board. An empty speedboat and a looted hull full of Tankbustas and the big mek pull up to the Warboss and nobs, while a battlehull and an accompanying speedboat full of boyz arrive on the eastern flank. A squad of Lootas walks on to high ground in the eastern corner. The shoota boyz get a sight of the guardsmen through the arched windows and open fire, spraying the side of the opposite ship with their big shootas but doing no damage to the squad inside.

Balmoral PDF: Reinforcements arrive, in the form of Valkyries. A large formation supported by a Vendetta appear on the western front, while the Vulture and aquatic Sentinels deploy to support the eastern front. For now, the Valkyries are content to sit back out of range of the Lootas and Tankbustas and open fire, trying to take the Ork’s boats out from under them. Unfortunately, the Vulture miscalculates how fast it has to approach to get range on the Lootas and finds itself in a vulnerable position. In addition, the big mek’s Kustom Force Field does overtime duty, protecting the hulls from a barrage of firepower that only succeeds in immobilizing the Tankbusta’s looted hull - out of range of rokkits, to the frustration of its occupants.

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Shinbash and his nobs.
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The shoota boyz, swarming the wreck of the PDF cutter.
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Lootas and hullz prepare to rush the eastern flank.

Turn Two

Kommanda’s Misfits: Engines roar as the hulls on the eastern front move to try and board the human-controlled ship. The speedboat roars ahead of the battlehull, arriving just in front of the ship. The Lootas support it by immobilizing the Vulture with firepower, while the shoota boyz score a few casualties with their peppering firepower. Guv manages to repair the engines on the looted hull, but the two ships stay stationary on that side of the map, secure underneath the Kustom Force Field with no need to break across open water for a while.

Balmoral PDF: The veterans in the eastern ship fight back against the orks attempting to board their ship. Fierce return fire catches the speedboat's pilot, causing the ramshackle craft to careen out of control. It explodes in the water 12 inches away - just south of the forested island in mid. The rest of the Valkyries take aim at the western hulls, but the Force Field saves them - at the expense of the Looted Hull’s engines, again.

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Valkyries arrive, and the eastern ship comes under attack.

Turn Three

Kommanda’s Misfits: Undeterred by the loss of the first craft, the battlehull pulls up alongside the human’s ship - but the boyz don’t get out quite yet, relying on the craft’s armor to keep them safe till they can pull up to a flank where they won’t have to swim. The waterlogged boyz in mid squig-paddle up onto the central island, covered by fire from the shoota boyz and lootas - who manage to get an incredibly lucky long range shot that downs a Valkyrie. Despite Guv’s swears and aggressive wrench-use, the looted hull’s engine refuses to start, so the two vehicles decide to stay under the shield’s umbrella for another turn.

Balmoral PDF: Unfortunately for the boyz in the battlehull, the aquatic Sentinels have approached through the ‘ship’ and are hiding in the ruins. (To quote the nob in command, “I did not know dey could do dat.”) The Sentinel’s multimelta ignites the battlehull’s fuel supply and it goes up in a shattering fireball, killing half the mob right out. Further firepower from the veterans (including a demolition charge), and command squad wreck havoc on the drowning orks, leaving the 20-strong squad left with only 3 orks bobbing in the water (who miraculously make their morale check). Meanwhile, while the downed squad of Guardsmen swim to the safety of the northern objective, the Valkyries move to engage a target other than the seemingly invulnerable western vehicles (a fact the Vendetta continues to prove with yet another round of ineffective fire). Two Valks circle the central objective, opening fire on the boyz below - who go to ground and avoid most casualties.

Turn Four

Kommanda’s Misfits: The odds are against the three orks as they scramble aboard the human’s ship - they have to face two squads of angry humans, as well as a Sentinel. It doesn’t faze them, though, as they charge into a multi-combat with the veterans and sentinels. The Nob’s power klaw rips apart the Sentinel, wrecking it, as the Boyz chop up a couple of the humies - but since they made the mistake of eating thirty minutes before swimming, they cramp up and fail to chase down the humies as they run. Meanwhile, while Guv finally smacks the looted hull’s engines back into working order, the Tankbustas and Lootas open fire on the same Valkyrie - a target priority mistake. The Valk is left shaken with a few broken weapons, but it’s not down yet - and worse, the Tankbusta’s bomb squig was loosed with too short of a fuse and it nearly blows up the Tankbusta’s own hull (though it fails to penetrate).

Balmoral PDF: With the game time starting to wind down, the PDF makes its play. Two Valkyries land on the central forested island, deploying flamer-toting squads. These squads swiftly burn out the orks with promethium and lasgun fire. A third Valkyrie along the north edge of the board, towards the eastern objective. Finally, the command squad repels the unlikely boarding party, clearing out the vulnerable orks with lasgun fire. Three objectives are now securely under PDF control.

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WAAAAAUGH.
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The PDF lands troops on the central island to clear out the orks.
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Forward, you dogs!

Turn Five

Kommanda’s Misfits: In trouble now, the Orks move to try and retake their points. The Warboss and nobs finally speed out, reaching their wide open objective to capture it. Meanwhile the Tankbustas chug forward, their rokkits immobilizing one of the Valkyries (though, in an excess of caution after last time, they fail to light their second bomb squig’s fuse) while the Lootas manage to shake another one. With a squishy target finally in range, the ship mounted shoota boyz open up with a hail of bullets on the central guardsmen - wiping one of the two squads down to one lone member, who was saved by going to ground.

Balmoral PDF: The PDF forces dig in to claim the objectives they own, abandoning any pretense of contesting the Warboss’s point. The Vendetta and mobile Valkyries circle, firing upon the approaching looted hull but failing to stop its progress.

A roll of the dice dictates that the game continues.

Turn Six

Kommanda’s Misfits: The looted hull picks up speed, but still can’t get quite close enough to the central island for its occupants to disembark without being stuck in the water. The shoota boyz take aim at the other squad on the island, but don’t manage to wipe them off the map.

Balmoral PDF: The lone guardsman climbs to the top of the down Valkyrie, and with a mighty cry heaves his Demolition charge at the oncoming hull! Unfortunately, the fiercely useful Kustom Force Field scores another defense. Guv gives the heroic guardsman the finger.

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Guv flips the bird at the brave guardsman, who can only respond with rage face.
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Final disposition of forces.

A roll of the dice dictates game end. Imperial Guard control 3 points, Orks control 2.

Final Thoughts: Custom game rules are fun, even when Dawn of War mucks everything up. I think we both made some significant mistakes - Vulture positioning cost him firepower early, and my late game Looted Wagon movement prevented me from contesting when I should have. We also had some crazy dice luck - the luck in repelling of the Battlewagon and Trukk on the eastern front matched the luck of my Kustom Force Field on the western side. Overall, very satisfying game.

---

The sound of heavy boots clanged on the deck outside the Mighty Kusu’s interior tertiary steering room, interrupted briefly by the crunch of bone and the distraught boarding whistle of a shattered servo skull. A blur flew past the open bulkhead door at high speed, before a green hand caught the far side of the door and checked its owner’s momentum. The grinning face of Nadgers the ork pulled itself back into the portal.

“GUV! Come quick!” His eager voice was cut as he caught his breath from the run. “Some of da boyz found more humies hiding down in one of da cargo bays! You in?”

Though he darted a look at the excited nob, the mek did not respond. He continued to contemplate the steering room’s bewildering array of buttons, levers, dials, weathered displays, autoscribe readouts, miniature shrines, blood-spattered vox panels, and notable lack of any window ports with a sour expression on his face.

“What da zog is da point of all dese gubbins? And what’s a hull need three diff’rent steerin’ rooms fer? Gonna have ta tie all dem together, simple-fy it. Piloting don’t take more buttons den I got fingers,” Guv muttered.

Nadgers, aware of being ignored, bit his lip and fidgeted impatiently. “Okaygonnagobye!” he said as his head disappeared around the rusted bulkhead.

“WAIT.” Guv’s gravely voice echoed down through the halls of the container ship. Nadgers poked back around the corner curiously. “Where’d da Kommanda get off to?”

“I last saw ‘im topside, tryin’ ta find a gun big enough ta blow up da humie’s escape hullz what were gettin’ away.”

Guv scowled. “Do ya think he has a plan fer gettin’ us off of dis soggy planet?”

Nadgers shrugged. “We’re just stranded on a damaged hull in da middle of a ‘uge ocean on da biggest humie fortress world in da sector. How much of a plan do we need?”

Guv nodded and returned to his work with the creeping hint of a smile and an off-tune whistle on his lips. Nadgers was right, of course. They’d been through worse.

[SevenSins]

great fluff, and an interesting game variant

[totgeboren]

Too bad about the loss, but a great report nonetheless!

The custom scenario rules sounds really interesting, and I must say the battle became better when I ignored the pics (though the models looks great). The pics made it slightly harder to imagine the battle at sea, but they helped explain what really happened.
I could really imagine the seaborne battle, with orky boats speeding about and vicious boardings taking place and so on.

Keep the reports coming!

[Formerly Wu]

Launch Over It

Docks District - Shrine of St. Iris, Balmoral - 685.M41

“It means we’re losing.”

The boy looked up at Cyrus quizzically. “Whaddya mean? Confessor Damien said we had a great victory against the heretics.” He returned his chin to the rusted metal railing and continued to watch the Imperial Guard officer and her retinue navigate the docks, handing out parchment flyers to any dock worker with an open hand. He admired the trimmed uniforms with wide eyes.

Cyrus shifted his bulk in the chair and snorted. “Yer gettin’ water in yer ears, swimming with that crowd. Use yer eyes instead. Hitch, you want to inform the kid what it means when the Hivers start nosing around Shrine, or should I?”

Hitch was sitting at a cracked table set back from the bar’s open porch. The old man was the perfect image of an aged Currentborn - his skin tanned by sun and salt spray, his grey hair braided in a long ponytail, and his mutant finger webbing treated as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. He slowly sipped the mysterious beverage in his mug before responding in his cracked voice. “Balmoral proudly serves the Emperor, and all who can honor the tithe and walk among the stars with the Imperial Guard.”

The boy’s eyes lit up at the old man’s words. “Thus,” Hitch continued, “the fact that they are coming to Shrine and the other Floats, calling on volunteers to join, means that too many sons of Balmoral aren’t coming home. If they need us, that means the war is going poorly.”

“What’s more,” chimed in Cyrus gruffly, “if those Hivers don’t get what they want out of volunteers, they’re going to send their thugs in to grab us off our ships and make us volunteer.” He aimed a wad of chewed mollusk juice at the spittoon. “Just look at how nervous that officer is of walking in our territory. She’d see us beaten in the streets and sent off to the stars just to make herself feel better. Saint Iris would be appalled.” He instinctively looked up, as if he could see through the bar’s ceiling to the giant weathered statue above whose massive pedestal formed the anchorage of Shrine. Everyone knew why the revered Saint pointed her accusatory finger in the direction of the Archipelago Hive.

The door to the ancient desalinifier creaked open, and Hilda stepped through bearing steaming plates of sea greens and pollock for the afternoon crowd. The brief gap in conversation due to the food was broken by the boy. “I want to go serve the Emperor.”

Cyrus’ belly laugh showered the table with scraps of fish. “YOU? You want to join the Imperial Guard?” His eyes got a wicked gleam and his voice lowered to a conspiratorial tone. “You know what they do to make sure you’re old enough when you join?” He grabbed his dull knife and loomed over the boy.

“They take a sharp razor,” he said while brandishing the knife, “and they run it right down yer neck.” With great flourish, he mimed this to the cowering boy. “If the razor comes up with hair, then they let ya in. But if it’s clean...well, you don’t want to know what they do about young ones like you wasting their time.” He sat down heavily with a mischievous grin on his face as the other men in the room chuckled at the teasing.

“What...what about the women? Like that officer? Women don’t grow beards.”

“Well,” coughed Cyrus, his japes disarmed by the sharp boy. “They, uh, do something else. But what do ya want to go to the stars for? I hear most other planets are dry land, ya know. Last time I saw you without water under your feet, when we landed at Polyen Island, you nearly vomited yourself to death. You were born for the ocean life.”

The boy thought about this for a while. “Then I’ll go join the PDF here on Balmoral, and fight the Orks.”

This prompted a fresh round of guffaws from Cyrus. “ORKS? On Balmoral? What cheap dreadfuls have you been reading?” The big man was turning red from laughter.

“It’s true! I heard it from Seth, who has a cousin who helps run the voxcaster station! He said he had a friend who said that the PDF is trying to find a flotilla of Orks what’ve been sighted in deep water!”

“Don’t laugh, Cyrus.” Hitch’s voice was grave, and the sudden change of tone from the old Currentborn silenced the bar. “I think the boy’s right about that.”

Cyrus gave a half laugh, still trying to keep the mood. “Don’t tell me you believe in that hearsay, Hitch...”

“Use yer eyes - isn’t that what you told the boy?” Hitch leaned forward. Five shipping fleets have missed their schedules in as many weeks. Do you know any Float pirates what could do that? Or could keep the prizes hidden without word getting out? Not since Saint Iris was alive, that’s for sure. And that’s not even counting those ships what were never found after the Wave.”

Hitch’s dark eyes met each persons gaze in the bar. “The current is changing, and we must take care not to get swept away. May the Emperor grant us the strength to stay afloat.”

While the men around the bar murmured the prayer’s response, the boy turned back to the porch. He looked up, over the floating docks and anchored ships, the workers and the Guard recruiters, and viewed the distant horizon where blue water met blue sky. It was a brilliant sunny day - except for the tiny stain of black, oily smoke sitting on the horizon, issuing from something just out of view.

---

The security of Balmoral is taken for granted, and the Imperial Guard are slow to respond to the threat of Kommanda Shinbash’s forces in the open ocean. The Kommanda works to build his forces by raiding the fleets and semi-permanent Float settlements of the Currentborn, and is on a mission to acquire a valuable tool he can use to escape the planet.

Waaagh! Shinbash

Warboss with Powerklaw, Cybork Body and Bosspole
Big Mek with Kustom Force Field
4 Nobs with 2 Powerklaws, 2 Big Choppas, ‘Eavy Armor
14 Lootas (2 squads of 7)
5 Tankbustas with Bomb Squig
30 Shoota Boyz with 3 Big Shootas and Nob (Powerklaw, Bosspole)
20 Boyz with Nob (Powerklaw Bosspole)
12 Choppa Boyz with Nob (Powerklaw, Bosspole)
12 Choppa Boyz with Nob (Powerklaw, Bosspole)
10 Grots with Runtherd
Dakkajet with Ace Pilot, Supa-Shoota x3, Red Paint
1 Battlewagon with Deff Rolla, Armor Plating, 2 Big Shootas
2 Trukks with Rams
Aegis Defense Line with Quad Gun

Balmoral PDF

Elysian Company Command Squad with Plasma Gun, Regimental Standard, and Vox-Caster
Elysian Veteran Squad with 3x Meltaguns and Demolitions
Elysian Platoon Command Squad with Plasma Gun, Platoon Standard, and Vox Caster
3x Elysian Infantry Squad with 2x Grenade Launcher, 1x Flamer, 3x Demolition Charges and Vox-casters
Elysian Special Weapon Squad with Demolition Charge and 2x Flamers
4 Valkyries with Multiple Rocket Pods and Heavy Bolters
Vendetta
2x Drop Sentinels with multi-meltas
Vulture with TL Punisher Cannon

Setup: The Aegis is placed mid south, next to a large building facing northwest. To the north sits a small hill. Two battlements are placed to the north, while a dilapidated bastion sits on a hill in the east. Deployment is along diagonals (can’t remember name), and the gametype is Relic.

Orks vehicles deploy as a convoy, with the trukk boyz leading at the edge of the deployment zone. The nobs footslog behind, while the Lootas and Grots man the Aegis. Shinbash, having rolled Outflank as a Warlord trait, takes the mob of shoota boyz with him behind enemy lines.

The Guard deploy conservatively, with two Sentinels behind the northeast battlements and the plasma command squad in the dilapidated bunker. The rest of the army remains in reserve.

Turn 1

Orks: The convoy moves forward, while the Trukk boyz pile one squad out to capture the Relic. The Lootas and Quad Gun target the dilapidated bastion, and the Guard quickly learn the danger of their location as several guardsmen die to glancing hits.

Guard:. The Sentinels move out from behind cover, and their multi-meltas send the forward Boyz trukk Kareening south into the hill - acquiring First Blood. The boyz emerge from the wreck mostly unscathed, and suffer only minor damage from the plasma guns of the bastion.

Turn 2

Orks: As the Dakkajet screams overhead, Shinbash’s outflanking boyz arrive directly behind the dilapidated bastion. Shinbash, upon discovering the rule that you can’t assault units in a bastion, bellows a challenge to the commander. The guns of the Lootas and the Quad Gun take out one of the Sentinels, and the Nobs hop in the trukk the boyz left and speed forward to finish off the last Sentinel. The Nob carrying the Relic begins to scurry south, intent on taking refuge in the lee of the Aegis and the large building.

Guard: The Guard’s air cavalry does not arrive, but their special weapons do. A unit of Veterans does deep strike behind the Ork convoy, but their meltas fail to disable the Battlewagon. Meanwhile a Vulture streaks out of reserves, trying to take up position to flank the Aegis line - ignoring Quad Gun rounds on the way in. The Guard Commander, fancying his chances better in a duel than in being shot out of the bastion, disembarks and pummels the shoota boyz squad with plasma fire and grenades.

Turn 3

Orks: Shinbash charges into combat with the Command squad, fighting a duel with the enemy Commander. Though the commander’s power fist gives him a chance against the beast, he can’t defeat him and is overcome - granting the Orks a VP. The Battlewagon, eager to krump but unwilling to expose themselves, use their deff rolla to tank shock the Veterans, sending them fleeing. The Relic inches further towards the south. The Lootas pepper the Vulture, but only deal a hull point’s worth of damage.

Guard: The cavalry arrives. The Valkyrie-mounted platoon streak out of reserves, weapons blazing. The Vulture switches to Hover mode and opens fire with its punisher cannons, annihilating one Loota squad while the rocket pods and demo charges of the rallied Veteran squad chew up the other. The guns of the other craft target the two squads of boyz, blowing away one and reducing the Relic-bearer squad down to the lone nob.

Turn 4

Orks: The tide change hits the Orks badly. The Grot-fired Quad Gun takes shots at the Vulture, but only succeed in knocking off a hull point. In desperation, the Battlewagon guns its engine and does a Dukes of Hazzard to ram the skimmer, which succeeds in immobilizing it in a bad firing arc - but not destroying it. The Looted Wagon full of Tankbustas opens fire at the nearest Valkyrie but don’t deal significant damage, while the Wagon moves to block for the terrified Relic bearer. They are joined by the Nobs, who have piled back into their trukk and rocketed back to the front lines. Shinbash, realizing the mistake he’s made in taking the bulk of his force across the map (and on learning that bastions have a max capacity of 10), begins to foot slot it back towards the fight. The outmaneuvered Dakkajet streaks off the board, intent on coming around for another pass.

Guard: The flight drops into Hover mode to deal its punch. The Vulture annihilates the Grots manning the Quad Gun, removing a majority of the Ork’s anti-air firepower. Meanwhile the Guardsmen leap out into combat, and the storm of special weapons and demo charges destroys the Battlewagon (with the explosion killing a good half of the Orks aboard) and annihilates the Nob’s trukk (though not before it Kareens into their formation, killing several guardsmen on the way). The Boyz and Nob squads are reduced to lone members by concentrated firepower - though it comes at a price, as a misdirected Demo charge annihilates one of the Guardsmen squads. The Big Mek’s shields on the Looted Wagon keep it safe from the lascannons of the Vendetta.

Turn 5

Orks: The Relic bearer scurries into the gap between the Aegis and the building, and the Looted Wagon moves to plug the gap so no troops can follow. The Dakkajet arrives a bit late, but its guns manage to annihilate one of the standing squads. The two Nobs left standing roar and charge two of the underpowered Guardsmen squads - leading to one successful combat and one death. The Kommanda’s boyz approach within striking distance of the platoon command sitting on the central hill - but even with the Waaagh!, they fail their assault attempt.

Guard: The Guardsmen and Platoon Command on the hill, supported by Valkyries overhead, stand strong and open fire on the approaching horde. They cut through the shoota boyz but fail to significantly injure the Kommanda. One of the remaining infantry squads, seeing the relic slipping away, load up into their Valkyrie and shoot forward - finding just enough space between the building and the board edge to arrive, cornering the Relic bearer. If the game ends this turn, the Orks will win by two points (3 for the Relic and 1 for the Warlord, vs the Guard’s 2 for First Blood and being in the opponent’s deployment).

Turn 6

Orks: But the game doesn’t end. The Tankbustas pile out the front of the Looted Wagon and crowd the tight confines between the Valkyrie and the Relic Bearer, intent on preventing the Guard from disembarking to capture. Unfortunately, the sight of a vehicle gets the best of them, and they shoot and assault it to bring the vehicle down. The surviving guardsmen deploy in the crater. Meanwhile the Kommanda’s remaining Orks charge into the teeth of the Guard, wiping the squad out but taking even more unsustainable casualties. The Dakkajet approaches the rear of the Valkyries and opens fire, but only succeeds in stripping some hull points. The sole surviving nob makes for the Quad Gun to try and provide fire support.

Guard: The Guard only have one objective at this point: kill the Relic bearer. The guardsmen deployed in front of him fire - but he dodges behind the Big Mek’s force field. Unfortunately for him, the Vendetta hovers to a point with line of sight on his hiding location. All it takes is one botched save. The lascannons blow the Relic bearer away, leaving no scoring units in range of the Relic. Emboldened, the Platoon command squad charges the Kommanda - not because they expect him to win, but because it ties him up to prevent him from escaping to the Guard’s deployment zone for a tie. They are successful, as the dice determine game end.

Final Score: Guard 2, Orks 1.

Final Thoughts: Both sides learned some new wrinkles of 6th Edition on the fly, particularly with regards to how buildings work. The ability to customize terrain to your battle plan was fun, and definitely changed how the game played. From the Ork’s view, the choice to Outflank with the Shoota boyz was probably a mistake - I wanted to make sure my Warboss was rolling deep if he was on the other side of the board, but it threw off my battle plan of choking the midfield. Overall the game was a lot of fun, and a great introduction to 6th. Next game we’ll return to some of the ocean-based house rules we used in the previous games - with a fun twist!

--

What little sunlight managed to filter through the grime-stained windows of the Mighty Kusu’s bridge shone on the chaotic diorama of the Kommanda’s Thinkin’ Wall. A slapdash mess of Orkish glyphs, smeared diagrams, and nailed-up schematics annotated with crudely written Low Gothic, the surface seemed to be vaguely organized around a complicated plan entitled “Opurashen Launch Over It”. One crucial portion of the plan, a technical diagram emphasized with a chalk circle, was the target of a thrown choppa that embedded itself in the bulkhead with a sharp screech of metal.

The sudden sound brought the argument-turned-fistfight between Nadgers and Guv to a swift halt. The two of them looked up at Kommanda Shinbash as he sat back down in the captain’s throne. “I get it already,” he growled. “Da boyz mucked it up. Now stop squabblin’ bout whose fault it was.”

Guv released Nadgers from the headlock and shoved him away with a grumble. The two nobs returned to the squalid briefing table. Nadgers discovered a crack in his favorite goggles, but his annoyance was mollified by the sight of Guv carefully counting the teeth he’d lost.

The Kommanda leaned forward and ripped off a fin of the shark carcass that took up a good portion of the table - dinner for the hungry orks. His mouth half full of bloody flesh, he continued. “Alright. So we didn’t get da control gubbins from da humies. Can ya make do without?”

Guv gave a dismissive snort. “Without da gubbins, we can’t control da rig. Without da rig, we can’t raise da wreck of the Not Yerz No More from da bottom of da ocean. Without da wreck, we ain’t gettin’ spacey-ship quality engine wotsits. And without dose, dis hull we’re on ain’t never breakin’ out to orbit - no matter how many plasma generators we hook up to it.”

“Bleedin’ zog,” grumbled Nadgers. “Lootin’ da p..pl...dat energy wotsits was ‘ard enough. Now yer sayin’ all dat work addin’ void gubbins wasn’t worth nothin’? What good are dey, anyway?”

“Not much. Without thruster gubbins to focus power, all plasma is good for is makin’ big booms. Da spacey gubbins gave us armor, but we’re stuck on da water.”

Nadgers slumped on the table in frustration, sending detritus clattering to the deck. “I hate da water. And it won’t be long before da humies start throwin’ their big dakka at us. Dis blows.”

The Kommanda shoved his chair back and walked to the window, a mug of mushroom beer in his hand. He stared out at the fleet of looted hulls spread out around the massive container ship. It was a true Orkish armada - made up of everything from speedy skiffs to hulking trawlers, powered by everything from belching promethium engines all the way down to enslaved humans manning oars. They were all armed to the teeth and flew the Kommanda’s flag - but it was badly outnumbered by the full might of the Imperial capital world.

With a glint in his one good eye, the Warboss strode over to the Thinkin’ Wall. He peered at the ripped parchment map and the long range pict captures, showing the towering spires and sprawling dockyards of the Archipelago Hive.

Guv and Nadgers stared with curiosity as the Kommanda picked up a knife. With a squeal of metal, his clumsy handwriting crossed out and rewrote a single word.

“Opurashen Launch Over Into It.”

[SevenSins]

Goody, more shinbashing!
Seems the conversion to 6th has gone smoothly

[Fox Of 9]

cant wait for the whole launch into it plan to start.


David

[Formerly Wu]

THE FIRE SHIP

“The skipper! The skipper-“

The bridge was a mess of blood and shattered glass. Curfael was on his hands and knees, sobbing, piling together a mass of tattered viscera with his hands and trying to stuff it back into Captain Harold’s ruined torso. Smoke from the refinery fires was pouring in through the broken window, adding a caustic petrochemical stench to the smell of blood and ruptured intestine. With no one at the conn, the Prayer of Service was drifting off-course, away from the harbor entrance and into the path of the following ships.

Seth leapt up from the vox-station and kicked Curfael, who doubled over and collapsed with a whimper. “Clod! Sinker! He’s dead!” The navigator was broken, weeping openly and covering his face with blood-smeared hands. Seth spat and took hold of the conn. The engines roared and the rigging-servitors skittered over masts that had long since cracked and tattered to nothing. The bow of the ship hauled over, halting its dead course.

A glance around Sigmus Harbor showed Seth what remained of the impromptu tug fleet. Bellingham and Iris Eyes were still in formation, harried by ork hulls but still at full sail. The southern formation- Cyrus’s boys and the guild-wharfers- were separated from the Prayer by a looted trawler, booming with guns and rocket fire. As Seth watched, a shell from the PDF shore batteries shattered its stacks, sending fire and plasteel raining down on the howling savages loading its decks.

The Admiral’s scow, the Jenny Dearling, had been overtaken and boarded by another orkish ship. Greenskins swarmed over it, butchering the volunteer longshoremen and yeomen with abandon. The Jenny was already listing heavily- either torpedoed or deliberately stove in- and Seth noted with grim satisfaction that its remaining crew was busy lashing themselves to their attacker, entangling the two ships with mag-grapples and nets. If the Admiral was headed for the locker, he was bringing the bloody greenskins down with him.

Battery fire from the shore was getting heavier, tearing up the sea around them. The PDF cutters had finally giving up on trying to interdict the renegade tug armada, abandoning them to their fate in the free fire zone. They hauled over, returning to their stations, pouring las and autocannon fire into the pursuing ork vessels. A school of makeshift jetskis was approaching from starboard, the xenos pilots whooping and twirling makeshift grenade-bolas. Seth had just clicked the comm system on, trying to alert Hansen on the forecastle stubber, when he saw the massive black clouds shrouding the harbor mouth shudder and puff, as if from the pressure wave of some unseen force.

Two seconds later, the sound hit.

It was shattering. A giant’s scream; a warning blast meant to travel across miles of open sea, to ward off the largest of the sea-ghasts and to announce salvation to entire hives. The ship’s horn of the Mighty Kusu broke over the harbor like an exploding volcano, temporarily drowning out the rolling thunderstorm of death and battle. Colors swam before Seth’s eyes, as if his ears had overloaded and spilled over into his vision.

Then the bow broke through the smoke. As Seth’s vision cleared, he stared aghast into the death’s-head face of what he had come to stop.

He had never seen one of the hive-haulers so close before. The duty of servicing the beasts belonged to the bonded freighter guilds, which traveled out to their deep-sea anchorages and returned with hold after hold full of cargo. It was these ships- huge in their own right- that harbor-rats like the Prayer tended to. To see the Kusu bearing down on him at full steam- its skyscraper prow bearing a scrap-heap idol to the ork’s filthy gods, running deep from loads of promethium and plasma, burning and pockmarked from artillery and missile fire already…

It was madness. It was too much mass, moving too fast. It had broken through the reinforced jetties guarding the harbor exit as if they weren’t even there. Its keel must already be scraping the harbor floor. Soon it would hit the wharfs, crushing the thousands of PDF manning the shore batteries, splintering the warrens of storehouses and back-canal residentials like twigs. From there it would plough into the hive proper, through the casings and support pipes, into the foundations. And there it would explode, killing everyone and everything Seth had ever known.

It seemed so ridiculous now. The drunken night before, with the Admiral rallying all the old Sigmus salts around the flag of resistance. Our last bloody stand. Stealing back their ships from PDF confiscation, sailing hell bent for leather into the teeth of the oncoming orks. The Currentborn would shove that monster Kusu off; that’s what us harbor-rat tugs were for, ain’t it. Save the rotten hive from itself. But what did they even know? What hope did they have against a hive-hauler fire ship? What could they even do to something that large?

Seth gritted his teeth, thinking of the Prayer’s hold. Old det-charges, sinker mines; even a stolen melta. A last resort; one final gift from the Admiral and the illicit armory of the Currentborn resistance.

I know one thing to do, he thought as he gunned the engine.


----

Kommanda Shinbash has launched a blunt-force strike on the Archipelago Hives. The massive container ship Mighty Kusu is burning full steam into Sigmus Harbor as the biggest kamikaze fire ship that Balmoral has ever seen. If the Imperial Guard can’t stop the beast’s progress, its sheer momentum (and holds full of promethium) will gut the Hive.

--

Let’s hear it for Apocalypse games! This is an approximately 4000 point battle with apocalypse stratagems in place and a special scenario. Though storywise this game was only between Guard and Orks, we had more players and needed more points so the Orks are joined by Chaos Demons and Chaos Space Marines.

We concocted a scenario based off our water rules from earlier games. On an 8x4 board, we divided the long edge up into 4 sections of 2 feet each. The ‘west’ edge of the board was marked as land, while the remaining segments were marked as water (difficult terrain that prevented shooting and assaults, unless you were in a transport, hovering, flying, or on a bike [jetski]). The Guard got to start on the land in a very fortified position, while the Orks (and Chaos) started off on the far side of the water.

This obvious imbalance is compensated by the unstoppable approach of the Mighty Kusu. After the first turn, the giant container ship appears on the far side of the board - automatically destroying any non-flying units and terrain underneath its wide berth (its bow takes up approximately 3/4 of the board section, but subsequent hull segments takes up the whole section). Non-flyer reserves can come in automatically on board the ship, where they ignore the water rules. The Kusu has the resilience of an Ork titan (AV14, three structure points, 3 power fields) but no guns beyond the destruction caused by its presence. Each turn, the Kusu advances another whole board segment.

The scenario is very simple - the Orks win if the Kusu manages to reach land within the 4 game turns the scenario allows for. The Guard wins if they can stop the Kusu before it can crush them.

Balmoral Guard Regiment (Imperial Guard with a dash of Grey Knights)

Company Command Squad
2 Platoons of 3 infantry squads, a special weapon squad, 2x heavy weapon squads each (gear largely irrelevant to the game)
2 Veteran Squads (Meltas and Meltabombs)
2x Leman Russ
1x Leman Russ Vanquisher
2x Multimelta Sentinels
5x Stormtroopers with Plasma
3x Vultures (One with Punisher Cannons, 2x with Lascannons and Missiles)
2x Valkyries
Basilisk
Eversor Assassin
Sapper Boats x3 (AV11/10/10, 2 HP, Fast, Heavy Stubber, can remove a structure point from the Kusu if they roll 4+ while in base contact with it)


Kommanda Shinbash’s Armada (Orks, Chaos Demons, Chaos Space Marines)

Warboss with Powerklaw, Cybork Body and Bosspole
Big Mek with Kustom Force Field
4 Nobs with 2 Powerklaws, Big Choppa, Painboy, Cybork Bodies
14 Lootas
8 Tankbustas
30 Shoota Boyz with 3 Big Shootas and Nob (Powerklaw, Bosspole)
30 Choppa Boyz with Nob (Powerklaw, ‘Eavy Armor, Bosspole)
12 Choppa Boyz with Nob (Powerklaw, ‘Eavy Armor, Bosspole)
12 Choppa Boyz with Nob (Powerklaw, ‘Eavy Armor, Bosspole)
Dakkajet x3 (Ace Pilot, Supa-Shoota x3)
1 Battlewagon with Deff Rolla, Armor Plating, 2 Big Shootas
2 Trukks with Rams
1 Looted Wagon
3x Killa Kans (Rokkits)

Bloodthirster (Wings, Exalted Gifts)
Lord of Change (Wings, Exalted Gifts)
Soulgrinder (Daemon of Tzeentch)
Skullcannon
10x Plaguebearers

Chaos Lord (Mark of Khorne, Axe of Blind Fury, Juggernaut, Sigil of Corruption)
10x Chaos Space Marine Bikers (Mark of Khorne, Icon of Khorne)
10x Chaos Space Marine Bikers (Mark of Khorne, Icon of Khorne)
Heldrake with Autocannon
Maulerfiend
20x Cultists

--

The Guard deploy in classic formation - tanks and artillery in the center, surrounded by guardsmen manning the defensive lines shoulder-to-shoulder. Heavy weapons teams take up position in the beachfront fortifications, while snipers occupy the high lighthouse. The sapper boats sit in the water, while the aircraft, stormtroopers, and Eversor assassin lurk in reserves. A few non-combat Imperial officials observe the fight from the towers at the back of the map.

Sigmus Harbor
Balmoral PDF
Balmoral PDF 2
Harbor Defense Guns
Harbord Defense Guns 2
Imperial Observers


The Armada deploys as far forward as possible - a mix of shabby speedboats and reinforced fishing trawlers (trukks and battlewagons), surrounded by crazed jetskiers (Chaos bikers) and flying greater demons (no way to make those fit fluff, oh well). The Nobs and Warboss deploy in the battlewagon, while the Mek and Tankbustas deploy in the Looted Wagon.

A lot of water to cover.

The Armada gets first turn, and we’re off!

Turn 1

Armada: Shooting up spray and promethium smoke, the hulls rocket forward as a vanguard for the approaching Kusu. Their intention is to land and silence the Imperial’s guns, but more importantly to get out of the way of the oncoming ship.

Guard: The big guns of the Guard open fire, trying to provide cover for the approaching sapper boats. The artillery’s shells blast huge gouts in the water in an effort to take out the jetskis, but their approach isn’t slowed. Though a Kustom Force Field protects some of the hulls, a solid hit from an autocannon causes one speedboat to careen out of control and beach itself on one of the bay’s small islands, and another stalls out the engine of a hull (the Looted Wagon full of Tankbustas). As the ships are stunned, there is a terrible realization - the Kusu’s fast approach means that any hulls that get delayed aren’t moving quickly enough to escape its wake! Knowing this, the Sapper boats run up in an effort to block the approaching armada, hoping to slow them down enough that the boat crushes them.

Turn 2

Armada: The Kusu appears - a massive structure loaded with 70+ orks and their big guns (the Soulgrinder). In a desperate panic, the Tankbustas pile out of their stricken craft and onto a nearby island, trying to take down a Sapper boat - but their shots go wild. The rest of the armada kicks it into higher gear in an effort to stay ahead, leaving the doomed orks to be crushed. One of the trawlers (the battlewagon) rams straight through a Sapper boat to sink it, as another is destroyed by the flying Bloodthirster. One of the dakkajets makes an appearance, swooping in over the ship and gunning down one of the beachfront Sentinels. The Heldrake screams in and fires on the heavy weapon teams, mowing several down.

The Kusu's Approach
Screaming hordes of Orks line the bow.
Look out below - the Kusu's not stopping for anything.
And I mean anything.

Guard: With their objective in sight, the Guard turn their big guns to the effort of bringing it down. First off is an Apocalyptic barrage from the Scheduled Bombardment stratagem - the ship’s predictable movement making its shots easy to place. The long range guns strip the ship’s shields and send its passengers flying, but don’t manage to take out the Soulgrinder. The tanks are less effective, with their artillery bouncing off the heavy hull plating. In addition, Guardsman Marbo appears on board the ship (the cook of the Mighty Kusu, having planned revenge on the Orks in his weeks of hiding) and hits the packed boyz with a demo charge - causing the Lootas to turn tail and run. In addition, a flight of Valkyries appears, barraging the Orks with rocket pods in an attempt to clear a drop zone for their meltabomb-wielding Veterans. A Stormtrooper squad deploys onto one of the harbor islands behind the oncoming jetskis, but their plasma guns can’t quite take out the crazed madmen.

Make waves, boyz!

Turn 3

Armada: The inexorable approach continues, as the Kusu pitilessly crushes all stragglers into the waves - and bringing the Cultists and Kans with it out of reserve. The screaming hordes hit the beach, with the ork-filled hulls aiming for the center lines while the Greater Demons and Chaos jetskis avoid the massed lasguns by aiming for the heavy weapons fortifications in the north and south. As many units as possible pack onto the slim edge of beach, knowing that the Kusu will soon arrive to destroy them - unfortunately the Battlewagon doesn’t quite make it on, and faces inevitable destruction. The daemons and jetskis cause havoc among the front lines, and the Lord of Change wrecks the Basilisk with its warp fire. On board, the Orks swarm the isolated cook - but the nob unwisely accepts a challenge, and gets a knife to the throat as a reward. The Soulgrinder on the ship moves out of the way of further barrages, but is unable to down any of the Valkyries with its guns. The Heldrake attempts to down one of the Valkyries but only grazes its hull.

The Armada smashes into the beachfront lines.
A zoggin' cook!

Guard: The remaining sapper boat heroically pulls alongside the oncoming hive hauler, but fails to place its bomb in time and is crushed under the waves. Poor Seth. Another barrage hits the Kusu, dealing more damage to the hull, but the tanks and heavy weapons teams still struggle to make more than a dent. A second orbital barrage hits the Orks packed into assault, doing horrific damage to the mob. Most importantly, however, is the arrival of the Vulture squadron. The flight swoops over the cityscape of the Hive and unleash a storm of drunken missiles and lascannons, battering the Kusu and stripping away two structure points! Suddenly, sinking the ship in time seems like a real possibility. Lasgun and plasma fire batters the Lord of Change, dealing some wounds. The stranded stormtroopers, faced with near-certain death, keep cool under pressure and use their grapnels to scale the Kusu’s hull - just making it on board with a lucky 6 inch difficult terrain roll! The Valkyries swoop in over the hull of the Kusu, their engines screaming as they brake hard and try to secure an LZ. The Eversor assassin also arrives on the southern flank, preparing to strike her target: the Lord of Change.

Vultures swoop in.

[Formerly Wu]

Turn 4


Armada: Though burning and falling apart, the ship’s momentum keeps it moving forward as it destroys the contents of the final water tile - if it can’t be stopped immediately, the Orks will win. The Chaos demons and bikers swarm the ramparts, slaughtering guardsmen and wrecking two of the remaining tanks. On board the ship, the surviving Orks (minus a few extra boyz for their trouble) finish off the cook and rally to challenge the troops in the planes overhead, while the shoota boyz engage in a running firefight with the boarding Stormtroopers. The Soulgrinder downs one of the hovering Valkyries and closes to engage the survivors in assault - but the machine underestimates the veteran guardsmen, who come equipped with a surplus of high explosives. A quick round of Bozo Buckets later, the daemon engine falls. The remaining dakkajets arrive and call a Waaagh! in an attempt to bring down the other Valkyrie, but their guns (and those of the Kans) are unlucky and ricochet off its armor.


Almost...there....


Guard: The beachfront defense is overrun by the screaming hordes, but the brave Balmoral guardsmen fight to the last with lasgun and bayonet. The Eversor assassin pounces on the injured Lord of Change, dismembering the greater daemon in a drug-fueled fury. All of this is useless, however, if the diminished guns can’t stop the out of control container ship this turn. Fortunately, the Guard’s daring (and suicidal) airborne raid has paid off. The strategically placed demolition charges and melta blasts deal the final blow to remove the ship’s last structure point.


Lord of Change vs Eversor.


Final Result: The bow of the ship collapses into the water, dramatically killing the ship’s momentum in a huge plume of oil-tainted water and smoke.The rest of the superstructure pancakes into itself in a hellish scream of splintering plasteel. Though the ensuing explosion wipes out Sigmus Harbor and most of the combatants, the Imperial Guard has successfully prevented the Hive proper from being gutted by the Orkish kamikaze attack. Victory to the Guard!


Final Thoughts: Wow, this game was a blast for everyone involved. A well balanced and unique scenario setup that came down to the wire, combined with great terrain and the ability to throw all our cool models on the table made sure everyone had fun. The Orkish side made some mistakes - a lot of our points were wasted in getting run over by the boat (which was admittedly hilarious), and we should have done more work to prevent the boarders from landing successfully. But everyone got to do what they liked and got good kills, so fun was had by all.


----


Every surface of the Archipelago Hive was covered in a thin layer of shattered glass that glittered like snow in the light of the inferno raging over Sigmus Harbor. The huge plume of oily smoke burned with a bright orange blaze, blotting out the sun and casting Hive’s shadow over the hastily abandoned civilian dockyards on the far side of the mountain. The uncanny desolation and shadows hid the sight of the green skinned figures levering open the maintenance cap of the dockyard’s main promethium pipeline.


“Wotta fight dat must ‘ave been,” said Nadgers wistfully as he wrenched at the stubborn rust-jammed hatch.


“Cor, yeah,” muttered Guv as he clambered up onto the pipe with a purloined crowbar in hand. “You really missed a great dyin’ in a big boom time.” He jammed the tool into the crack of the open hatch and leaned on it heavily.


“Hrrrrn.” Nadgers snuck another glance at the conflagration before shoving Guv out of the way to take a whack at the crowbar. “But it sure sounded like a good fight before da whole dyin’ part.”


Guv leaned on a nearby regulator valve, happy to let Nadgers do the hard work. “You know da Kommanda’s got a bigga fight den dis in mind - if we eva manage ta get to it.”


With a final heave, the heavy steel cap swung open with a clunk. Nadgers stuck his head into the massive pipeline and quickly drew back. “Worrr, wot a stench,” he said, gagging at the petrochemical reek. “You was right, though, ain’t much more den a finger’s worth of stuff down in dere. You sure dey ain’t gonna turn it on while we’re in it?”


Guv snorted derisively and snatched the crowbar back, adding it to the collection of gubbins on his belt. “Dey’d ‘ave to be dumber den a sack o’ grots ta turn on da gas with dat big fire burnin’. Speakin’ of which...” He turned and picked up his sack of grots and tossed it into the hole. “GO TAKE A LOOKS,” he bellowed into the cavernous pipe as the disoriented creatures clambered out.


A slugga shot rang out down by the water, and presently Kommanda Shinbash returned from sinking the fragile skiff they’d used to infiltrate. He threw down a bag containing a wet pile of food, gubbins and ammunition. “Alright, you lot. This is da last of it. We need any more stuff we’ll ‘ave ta scrounge it.”


Guv and Nadgers loaded up and strapped on their backpacks while the Kommanda surveyed the distant Hive. “Alright, ‘ere’s da plan. While da humies is distracted by da big boom, we get in da pipe and book it up dere right quick,” he said, gesturing down the network of fuel lines to where they began to stretch up into the massive Hive. “We find a way out, go all sneaky-like up top to where dem spacey-ships is.” He pointed to one of the massive spires, an ancient looking structure with an observatory and landing pad that clung perilously to the edge of the Hive. “We take our pick of ‘em, an’ den we’re free.”


“No boyz, one bag of loot an’ a whole lotta gits in front of us. Feels just like old times, eh boss?” said Guv.


“Just like old times,” grinned the big ork, as he vaulted onto the pipe and wedged himself down into maintenance hatch.


Nadgers was the last to enter. He took a moment to stare out over the glimmering ocean, stretching out to where the endless sea met the towering sky.


“Zog you, water. We’z outta ‘ere.” A moment later, the pipeline cover slammed shut and left the docks in silence.

[Sqallum]

Hhaha, love it. The boat scenario was awesome, I think I shall steal it!

[Theocracity]

Thanks Squallum!

I would advise if you plan on running a similar scenario to keep a close eye on the balance. The all-or-nothing nature of the scenario and the rules involved meant that we were worried about it being too hard or too easy to sink.

As it was with our situation, since there were no D strength weapons, Vultures instead of Vendettas, and limited turns to shoot it we kept a 'shadow count' of structure points as if the ship was one AV level lower. If the Guard was struggling to dent it we were ready to switch over to make things more interesting. It didn't need to happen fortunately.

I would just advise keeping a careful eye on the balance of the scenario and be prepared to make on-the-fly changes that keep it fun for everyone.

Thanks for reading! We had a lot of fun putting this together and hope you do too!