Index Mardannon: Crusade Update 2013

Since 2004, we have been developing our little spot of the galaxy, which we call the Mardannon Sector.  Several sections of the zone have been detailed in our Index Mardannon segments, but today we're expanding the scope of the Index and adding an update to the running storylines and bringing everyone up to speed on where the state of Warhammer 40,000 campaigning rests.  This treatise examines the forces battling for dominance in the sector and where recent actions have left them.

Imperial Forces

• Black Templars - The warriors of the Black Templars exemplify the determination of the Crusade to dislodge heretic and xenos scum from the sector.  However, with their defeat at Nydrazom during the Chaos Invasion they are disorganized and regrouping a large force of ships while attempting to direct the Imperial forces involved to avert further tragedies.  Now, the Black Templars make haste to Vae Salubrious after the failure of Assault Group Salerio to stop the Black Skull Raiders from reaching that system.

• Ultramarines - Though they have not been seen since the Tessina Incursion (2006 campaign, not recorded), the Ultramarines chapter has pledged half a company to the Crusade.  They will rendezvous with the Black Templars upon completion of their muster at sector command...but that is subject to the vagaries of warp travel.

• Dark Angels - Master Grigori of the Dark Angels pledged his Strike Force of half a company to the Crusade.  After a brief strategy meeting, the Dark Angels move toward Vae Salubrious.  However, there has been no contact with the Master Grigori's strike cruiser since it made warp jump from Pandaemus subsector.

• Blood Angels - Assault Group Salerio was dispatched by the Crusade to stop Warboss Nokk's Black Skull Raiders from arriving in force at Vae Salubrious.  In this, they largely failed.  It is believed that portions of the Astartes section of the Assault Group survived, however no communications have been forthcoming.  Because of this, the Crusade turns it's sights on Vae Salubrious.

• Crusader Guard Regiments - The Imperial armies that accompany the Black Templars in the main crusade fleet have been reorganized into two major groups:  the Strongpoints and Storm Groups.  In effect, the Novus Soldati and the mix of other surviving troop formations (called Revenants, since their original regiments have been destroyed) have been amalgamated into a new regiment with it's own fighting tactics.  Though they suffered greatly at Caelum Subterraneous, it is a direct result of that fighting that has molded these soldiers into the fighting force they are today.  A force that will be directed at Vae Salubrious.

• Lumisi Geared Regiments - Along with the Crusader Guard, the Lumisi Geared Regiments suffered greatly at Caleum Subterraneous.  However, the sheer number of soldiers in these regiments allowed their commanding officers to sue for a command postion in the crusade, which resulted in the appointment of the Lumisi Colonel to the newly formed Crusade High Command.  The High Command is a council which consists of a representative from each of the Astartes chapters, the Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy, and now the Lumisi Colonel, with the Black Templar Marshal at its head.  This is a major breakthrough for the normal humans on the Crusade as it puts the Imperial soldier's voice on the council.  These regiments made warp jump to Vae Salubrious a few weeks ago, but no further communications have been received by High Command.

• Infinity Watch - Though they have been recuperating on their homeworld of Jade Ryu since the Ordavis Incursion, the chapter has not forgotten what it's duties are.  While the Crusade defends the worlds the Infinity Watch are sworn to protect, the chapter prepares all it's ships and manpower to rejoin the crusade and build new legends for the folk of Mardannon.  Soon, they will mobilize again and add a powerful force to the crusade's building momentum of war.

Chaos Forces

• Umbral Stalkers Cabal - Wreaking havoc across the sector, the Alpha Legion have insinuated themselves into many of the most recent wars, including scouring Ordavis, maintaining outposts on Planet Nokk and the horrible fighting at Nydrazom which first bloodied the nose of the Crusade.  Though splinter cells pop up all over, all the time, the current strength and disposition of the Cabal is largely unknown.

• Brotherhood of the Most Hated - The mad Chaos Warmaster Laserwulf continues his demented quest - to build a laser big enough to punch through the skein of reality.  He has crushed both Imperial and xenos civilizations in pursuit of this dream, and not since Khal-Duraas a thousand years ago has a chaos champion brought such destruction to the sector.  Currently, the Brotherhood has a commanding presence in the sector and even the Crusade itself is trepiditious about engaging his pirate fleet.

• Bile's Band - The legacy of Khal-Duraas lives on.  The warband that once served him has found a new master, and they will soon return to bring terror and death to the Mardannon Sector.  Since they razed the hive of Vogen on Tetrazom, and annihilated the hives of Tessina they grew fat on their plunder.  Now, decades later they threaten to return to reap more of the carnage they crave, for their depraved rituals and indulgences. Soon, the sector will learn that Khal-Duraas did not fade into nothing...

• Legion of Azu'kulman - Chaos begins to stir.  Though the warp is clearly visible in the night sky of most of the worlds of the Mardannon Sector, manifested as a great and terrible eye...trouble is brewing.  Over many worlds, increased psychic activity marks ill omens.  Could all of this be, as the Doomsayers claim, a sign that the Eye will soon open fully??

Xenos Forces

• Black Skull Horde - The scattered ork kingdoms of Magnum Sierra are relatively quiet after Hive Fleet Mah'nunnah hit.  After thousands of years of being rounded up and coralled in Magnum Sierra subsector for thousands of years, the orks here follow the standard cycle of cull, buildup, Waaagh! and cull.  However, it pretty much guarantees a limitless supply of alien soldiers for any ork warlord who manages to create a supply chain...

• Black Skull Raiders - The Black Skull Warlord Nokk is attempting to break out of Magnum Sierra and form a new domain!  If successful, the cunning Warboss could set the stage for a new ork Empire and the re-emergence of xeno power in the Mardannon Sector.  Currently his fleet is heading directly for Vae Salubrious, and all the forces the Crusade can muster are congregating there to prevent this.  However, the Warboss has pulled out all the stops and drove directly for the spiritual heart of Mardannon.  Imperial forces failed to intercept the xenos invaders, and now hope for the citizens of Vae Salubrious rests on the edge of a razor.

• Eldar - Numerous Eldar factions have been flitting around the sector for many years, but not since ancient times before the Old Crusade have they been involved in much fighting.  A Swordwind known as "Killing Frost" has fought both in the alien warzone at Tangrus III (Nokk) and fought during the invasion of Nydrazom against chaos forces.  At the same time, the Dark Eldar Kabal of the Writhing Lash appeared during the Nydrazom engagement and fought with everyone, including their craftworld kin.  Yet a third eldar faction has been present in and watching the events of the Mardannon Sector War with great interest - the craftworld of Tetu'tethann.  As usual, all their goals and motives remain unscrutable, and they seem inhumanly capricious.  However, one thing is certain - eldar activity in the sector is on the rise.

Grim Outlook

The next few campaigns will center on these storylines.  Announcements as to the nature of those campaigns will take place at the appropriate time, but for now it's important to note how grim the darkness of the far future is.  There is ONLY war.

We have something here at the Wargate that a few of you might actually know about.  It's called the Master Campaign Record, or "MCR" for short.  You'll see more of this as we go on, but here's the basic gist.  There's a record of every game played at the Wargate for all campaigns, and this record also gives us a lot of information at a glance.  It helps us remember where campaigns took place, who won them (the "Victor") and who lost the hardest (the "Vanquished").  Yet it is more than that.  You see, there are other values that it tracks that I will talk about when I do an article on the MCR itself.

For now, we know these three facts from the information in the MCR:

1. Bile's Band and the Brotherhood of the Most Hated are the most powerful forces in the Mardannon Sector.  They will become major plot points for the narrative going forward, until another force dethrones them.
2. Chaos and Xenos are overrunning the sector.  The last several major wars have been clear defeats for the Imperials, and the effect is beginning to snowball the Imperial forces down the hill of annihilation.
3. Almost every major Imperial military force has been Vanquished.  This means they suffered a crippling defeat.  Almost every major Chaos and Xenos force has been the Victor, without ever being Vanquished.  This means that almost every enemy force outclasses the Imperials.

It's not too late!  The sector can be saved, but not without a lot of grim and bloody fighting.  There won't be a status-quo to maintain if the aliens and xenos decimate the sector.  Sign your troops up today for next year's Warhammer 40,000 campaign!

The Imperium needs you!

It's Time to Address Edition Bloat

Howdy folks!

Today we're going to talk about some things that have been brought up over the last few weeks on Game Day, and how we've decided these things should be dealt with.  Honestly these could have been broken up into two articles, but since I've been lazy on updates I thought I'd give you a double-tap to make up for it.


Campaign Evolution

With only a few people working on expansive open-ended campaigns, some things will slip through the cracks.  Most of our campaigns are well worked out before hand, but new items are continually added for Coolness' Sake.  However, there are often unforeseen problems when the ruleset is expansive and we've run into a serious one.  With the new campaign model, it's possible for weeks to pass without any battles.

No sir!

Now, we are going to be using the "Expository Turn" sequence at the beginning of the campaign for every single Campaign Turn.  The idea is this:  if a Campaign Turn is going to pass without any battles, that turn becomes an Expository Turn and a new turn is played until a battle or three comes up.  We believe that this is a simple solution to a big problem, and also alleviates an issue we have seen before involving map campaigns.  With this rule in place, you can expect to see more map campaigns next year.

Consider this an official addendum to the Brightflow Gap.  We don't usually modify campaign rules once they've "gone live" but this is a special case (even considering last week's rules changes).  Don't look for it to happen very often, so consider yourselves lucky to be on the first free-moving large map campaign we've done since 2009.


Edition Bloat:  The Scourge of Worlds

Second on the agenda today is addressing what I'm calling "Edition Bloat".  It has been mentioned to me that I should jettison a large portion of the old material we have, due to the fact that it's no longer in use.  Well, I might skim through various rule and army books looking for inspiration but by and large this is true.  There's an entire shelf here at the Wargate that is devoted to "dead" editions of some of our favorite games.

Well, I won't name any names.  Everyone knows what I'm talking about.

Anyway, a certain set of wargames have it in their mind that the edition should change every four years, apparently no matter what.  While I could see this might be necessary if the ruleset is completed, it never ever is.  Every edition we get a few army books, and then the main rulebook changes.  This results in certain armies being renewed every edition, while others languish for far too long using older rules that either no longer apply or no longer function as intended.  The books in use change, but they are essentially the same thing.  Yet, we have multiple copies of books on the shelves of the same exact name.  Many of these we can never use in the game again.  You might call this "Edition Bloat".

Some companies, long lording their wisdom over us, have forced us into this.  Or rather, they have attempted to, and by and large it has worked.  It's their business model - selling incomplete games.  Of course they'll have to redo the rulebook they just published when they change the basic model of the game.  And now, in some circles, it can cost you $50-175 just for the text needed to run your army if you are a new player and you want a rulebook as well.  It's absolutely ludicrous, and it's gone too far for this club.

Honestly, the greater crime isn't their dodgy sales model, it's the complete lack of regard they have for us long term gamers.  Apparently they believe that every four years the player base completely changes.  They have been depriving us of a complete edition of the game, and I believe that to be the long term plan.

I have collected miniatures for more than twenty years.  I have seen editions come and go.  Most players have stayed, but what it has begun to seem like to me is that they fear more than anything not being able to sell a "new edition" and it all leads up to the next one right out of the gate.  I think we as veterans are done with this, and the complaints have led to the idea I'm leading up to.

First, a story.  A long time ago when I was in high school, there weren't many miniature wargamers around the small town we dwelled in.  Jerry Wargate and I cast around, and eventually found the only two other gamers in the entire town:  the thirtysomething pair of outcasts, Keith and Randy.  We had a lot of fun playing in Keith's garage, as they had a great setup close to the national forest, no adult oversight and a collection that vastly outstripped ours (at the time).  We played a lot during Warhammer 40,000 Second Edition.  

Keith and Randy had begun playing during Rogue Trader and there were many treasured artifacts in their massive collection.  Lots of relics of games gone by.  Yet when Third Edition came out, I was mystified - everything was getting cooler about the game - miniatures, game mechanics...but they refused to even look at it.  They felt robbed by the publisher of the game, and I didn't understand why.  A few months ago, I began to feel the exact same thing.  Of course, I held out until Sixth Edition before I - and the Club - decided it was too much.

Yet now add the new rumors - when Warhammer Fantasy Battle is set to change editions next year, apparently they are extending the game's life for 1 year.  Apparently, this is so they can get all the armies into hardcover books.  Then, there will be Ninth Edition - which they say will completely invalidate all your fifty dollar army books.  Yes - the game will shift so hard your stats won't even translate.  The wind says they want to sell one rulebook and one army book with all the lists in it.  At least, that's what the rumor mill says.  Yet I have news for the people deciding on how to go forward.

Get a grip.  It's ludicrous, and we as a club will put up with this any longer.  If we don't get hardcover army books for this edition (for whatever game!), or the next edition is a huge shift that invalidates our books, then we have decided not to come to you for our rules anymore.  We are very capable of adapting models to our games, and really all you need a rulebook for is a reference point.  Since we do all our own gaming, and outside of the club none of our members are active in this mythical "metagame" we really only have to worry about our own "metagame".  The biggest pill to swallow this year is how expensive everything is getting, way beyond what it's worth in material and far beyond what it's worth practically.

Not all games suffer from this.  Warmachine and Flames of War are spectacular, with far more miniatures than rulebooks required.  Even when editions change in these games, your models and squads (and sometimes armies) aren't completely invalidated.  We will continue to support these games.

The Solution

1. We will no longer slave to your edition grind.
2. We will maintain the latest current edition that we deem to be worthy as a rules reference.  We will call this edition the Reference Edition.
3. We will create and maintain balanced army lists for our chosen edition of the game.
4. We will publish a Wargate FAQ for each game system detailing any changes we feel necessary to maintain balance.
5. We will update these armies when new models we like are created by the parent company.  

There are several caveats to this, but basically that's what it boils down to at this point.  If they continue to deprive of us of a complete and balanced edition simply because they are selling models instead of rules, we will publish our own rules.  If this scenario occurs, if you are a member of the Wargate, you won't have to buy army books because we will maintain our own.

We have several talented wargamers here among us, and many folk seem to forget that though they might have a designer job for a large company they are really just wargamers.  In fact, designer talent is at an all time low in a certain large company.

Don't get me wrong.  I like shiny new texts.  I love new books.  I hate buying the same one with the same rehashed stories again and again.  The club hates it.  This article is a direct response to the will of our gaming club.

How Much is Too Much?  I'm not sure.  I do know that Enough is Enough.  Now we're going to do things the way we want them done if no company is willing to do that for us.

So, many of our club members wanted a plan of action.  I told you I had been thinking of a solution, so here it is in a nutshell.  Obviously this will take some time to complete if we have to do it, yet we are all up to the task.

• Upon the release of a new edition (of one of the systems in question) where the current edition does not have a full hardcover book for all factions (or a facsimile thereof), the Wargate will suspend the change to the new edition.
• For each army that did not receive a hardcover treatment that there is at least one member who wishes to collect and pursue it, the Wargate will address that army in a format consistent with the current Reference Edition.
• When new models are released for the current edition, rules for those models and units will be made available for the Reference Edition.  Basically, free army updates.

Will This Curb New Games?

As I've said, I'm not averse to new material.  The problem here is how many Space Marine Codexes and Orcs & Goblins Army Books that are on the shelves.  Frequently old editions get donated to the library - that's why we have three Fourth Edition Codex: Eldar.  So, I'm looking forward to a bunch of stuff from Battlefront and Privateer Press.

I'd love to get some more folk into the idea of collecting Epic 40,000.  A recent turn of events has our eyes on Classic Battletech.  Going forward, we'll be periodically testing the waters on these fronts.  There's already great room to integrate these games into larger wargame or RPG campaigns.  I'd also like to check out Bolt Action.  More of a personal touch to WWII, and like others I've mentioned it has great integration potential with Flames of War or perhaps even World of Darkness - or all three!

So, don't worry.  We have plenty on our plates, and won't be slowing down on gaming at all any time soon.  There's no need to think this is an alarmist post, because it's not.  It's not one I made lightly either, since many of you know how I feel about certain intellectual properties.  Yet, I'll not have you think that I need every member of the club to buy into a new edition every time it rolls around, or that your continued membership is solely dependent on your ability to continually buy new versions of your army book and all the models you'll need now that your list is invalid.  From now on, we will only change when we deem it necessary.

I hope this addresses some concerns some of you had.  Our club isn't a store that will die if the next edition doesn't sell - we aren't trying to sell you anything.  Well, except maybe some 2013 Wargate T-Shirts that might be coming soon.

The Reaping of Caen Campaign Log

The Reaping of Caen

2013 Season 2

Warmachine Campaign

Black River Settlements Near Sul, 608 A.R.

Cygnar and the Protectorate have been at each other's throat, as the two major cities on the Black River alternately laid siege to one another.  Of course the close proximity of the two cities directly across the river from each other exacerbated the bitter nature of the siege, yet the religious fervor and dogged determination of the Menites repulsed the Cygnarans from Sul and set their cannons on Caspia. The savage battle recently ended in a tenuous truce - but peace is in short supply in the Iron Kingdoms.

High Exemplar Kreoss has moved troops into the area north of the walled cities, and has been forcibly converting the populace.  His Cinerators move from town to town, and the judgement of the Creator passed upon the folk who live there.  It has become a place of fire and dread, where starving refugees hide amidst shuttered homes while they are burned down around them.  Into this battleground our Warcasters find themselves thrust.  Though they all come for different reasons, they all know this battlefield could very well be their last.

Welcome to the Black River.

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Campaign Rules

The campaign will follow a three month round-robin format, where each player will play each other player at least once per month in a sanctioned campaign game.  This gives each player twelve campaign scored games to play, so roughly once per week per player.  Any games set a date for and missed by either or both parties, that game will be scored as a Loss for the missing party and a Draw if both parties accede as standard.

Each game will grant a number of Campaign Points.  

• Wins are worth 3 points.
• Draws are worth 2 points.
• Losses are worth 1 point.

In addition, Battlefield Influence will be calculated as percentage of winning games for each Warcaster.  The Influence total is the amount of earned Campaign Points that count for each Warcaster's Total Score.  Each player will contribute to their faction's narrative according to the ranked Total Scores at the end of the campaign. The player with the highest score will be the Wargate's Steampunk General for 2013!

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Faction Narratives

For the Protectorate of Menoth, High Exemplar Kreoss scourges the lands closest to Sul to ensure there are no Cygnaran spies or Morrowan unbelievers standing between the walled city and the supply lines to the Northern Crusade.  Now is a time of action, and he dares the Cygnarans to respond - which they promptly do once they hear of the Wracks being left up and down the river, left in the middle of desolated villages.  Kreoss will pass Judgement on the unbelievers, and reap Caen of the rest of the rabble.

For Cygnar, Lt. Caine's recon patrol is tasked with investigating disturbing reports across the Black River.  Once the Cygnarans see the torn bodies nailed to steel torture devices, they are certain of what has happened.  For Caine, it's a little different.  It had been a while, but now he crossed the path of High Exemplar Kreoss once more.  Caine vowed Revenge upon the Menite and his cultists for the humiliations he received during the skirmishes leading up to the siege, and at the Castle Du Vantaine.

Yet this battle isn't interesting because of the friction between Cygnar and the Protectorate.  The East Bank is about the get a lot more crowded.  In fact, it's lousy with Warcasters.

For Cryx, War Witch Deneghra has seized the confusion to move a small force up the river to reap the souls of the unprotected masses there.  In fact, she has been doing this for quite a while pursuing her own ends.  The initial reports that Lt. Caine was to investigate were in fact Cryxian movements, but the Menites got to the sites first and burned everything.  Above all else, Deneghra desires the Power she can gain in this fertile and confused area.

However, Ios has made itself known.  Chasing Deneghra south and intent on destroying her and every other spellcaster he finds, Lord Arcanist Ossyan of House Vyre desires Redemption most of all.  His myrmidons are mysterious and powerful.  His followers are skilled Iosan Mage Hunters.  Every other Warcaster on the East Bank is his prey.

Like all Mercenaries, Drake MacBain is all about the Money.  As for the man who hired him, MacBain is pretty sure he was investing on the behalf of Khador...but he didn't seem to talk like a Khadoran.  Either way, there weren't very many questions asked.  The contract is to engage and destroy any warjack movements on the East Bank of the Black River for a few square miles north of Sul.  MacBain means to fulfill this potentially very lucrative contract.

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Campaign Updates

1. (4.7.13) - Lt. Caine's Long Range Recon intercepted the Word of Menoth just north of Dustville, a tiny burg Kreoss had just put to the sword.  The Menites fight fiercely, but Kreoss is forced to withdraw north after a particularly close encounter with Caine's twin Spellstorm pistols.
2. (4.14.13) - Lt. Caine continues to rally forces around the Black River, and encountered the Cryxian Warwitch Deneghra!  Though her 'jacks inflicted grievous damage on Caine's, she was lost in a puff of smoke after being subjected to a torrent of spellstorm pistol blasts.  Drake MacBain encountered a small section of Kreoss' Cinerators and was pushed to the West Bank in flight.
3. (4.16.13) - Kreoss is surprised by Lord Ossyan's strange powers when they encounter each other in a narrow canyon.  The High Exemplar breaks off the combat to assess the situation - there are many more warcasters here than the Menites originally thought.  Lt. Caine arrives and chases Ossyan through the canyon, confounding Ossyan's manipulation of time by manipulating where he's at himself within that time stream...
4. (4.17.13) - Drake MacBain returns to the East Bank and pushes into Ossyan's hiding place, where battle is joined and the Lord Arcanist retreated to the forest for cover.  The steelheads moved toward the nearest town, rather than pursuing the Iosans into the forest where they would be at a disadvantage.
5. (4.28.13) - MacBain continues his push along the river, and finds the hiding spot of Warwitch Deneghra.  After a short battle, the Cryxian witch decides discretion is the better part of valor after running afoul of one of MacBain's Nomads.
6. (5.5.13) - Lt. Caine pursues Warwitch Deneghra to the West Bank, where she is found by Exemplar Kreoss and chased even further away from the center of the action.  Doubling back, Lt. Caine engages the column of Drake MacBain as it moves south, and forces MacBain's forces back north towards the East villages.
7. (5.12.13) - Drake MacBain's professional "ethics" drive him on towards the largest formation he can find - the Exemplar host.  Kreoss is not amused, and divides MacBain's forces.  MacBain decides to withdraw rather than risk losing more money on repairs.
8. (5.26.13) - Exemplar Kreoss roundly bests Warwitch Deneghra as she attempts to terrorrize riverside villages closer to Sul.  He chases her right into MacBain's battlegroup, who destroy many of her assets and force her back onto the West Bank.
9. (6.2.13) - Exemplar Kreoss, fed up with Caine's shenanigans in harrying the flanks of his battlegroup, attempts to lure the Cygnaran into a trap.  Very nearly succeeding in capturing the elusive warcaster, Kreoss forces Caine to back off from the hotzone and captures more territory along the West Bank.  Caine then encounters MacBain's group, and seething with vengeance makes quick work of the mercenary infantry accompanying.  MacBain withdraws to the forest ridge to avoid contact with stronger Cygnar forces.
10. (6.9.13) - Exemplar Kreoss, keen to get the better of his Cygnaran nemesis, arrives in force at an extraction site for the Blood of Menoth.  The area had recently been shelled by the Cygnaran batteries a few miles away, but Kreoss quickly seized the vital areas and forced Lt. Caine to back off.  After loading all the barrels they could onto their wagons, the Menites absconded with a large load of the valuable Blood.  Lt. Caine returned to the extraction site when the Protectorate's battlegroup withdrew, and found the Cryxian Warwitch Deneghra picking among the ruins.  After holing up near the building, the witch made a terrifying attack on the Cygnaran gun mages...but disappeared in a puff of oily black smoke.

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Campaign Results

Cygnar wins the campaign!

Dave Bone is 2013's Steampunk General!

The win was narrow, but my Gun Mages pulled out the campaign win!  Cygnar has done well by me, and I really like the faction story and look.  Now that I've figured out how Caine is supposed to fight (very sneaky) my game really picked up.  Once I had the upper hand in most fights, our canny opposition had to invent new ways to beat me.  Namely, by sticking to the objectives - which for some reason I have a hard time locking down.  I like Cygnar so much now that I have a large stockpile of Revenge I think I'll break from my normal routine.  My next Warmachine army will also be Cygnar!

Coming in close on my heels is the resident champion that I managed to dethrone this year - Skim's Exemplar Kreoss didn't get to mete out as much Judgement as he wanted to, but he did get close.  I'm sure next year he'll be keen to burn and mutilate some more unbelievers.  Honorable Mention goes to Joe Kool's Drake MacBain, who I'm told made enough Money while pillaging the Black River to have more Steelheads when he takes the field next time...and probably repair all his 'jacks as well!

Thanks to everyone who played, it was great fun.  Yet now I have to tell you that Dave Bone is the Wargate's 2013 Steampunk General!

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It was night when the Cygnarans crept back along the bank headed towards the extraction site.  When they arrived, Lt. Caine took an extra long time with the recon maneuvers before he ordered his troops into the area proper.  With a glance, he could tell the Menites had been working hard to get all the "blood" back to where ever they were going...probably Sul.

In any case, they were all gone now.  The Menites, the Iosans and even the Cryxians had all backed off.  He was sure MacBain was lurking somewhere nearby, but since the last time he'd gotten reports from further up the east bank, Caine had decided that MacBain's contract must be up.  They were partying way too hard to be "on the job".

Caine smiled.  He remembered the last time he'd seen Kreoss up close, and the look of surprise and pain on his eyes behind that damned armored mask.  Revenge...well it's ok cold.  He cast his gaze south, along the trail on the other side of the river that the Menites must have followed.  It was easy to tell - those oil-laden wagons made heavy ruts in the sandy banks of the river.  Yeah, revenge is ok cold, Caine thought to himself...but he decided at that moment he liked it much better hot.  Specifically, as hot as the rune-graven lead bullets that burst from the muzzle of his Spellstorm pistols.

"Let's get a move on, men." he called to his officers.  The Gun Mages formed up and waited for the next order.  "I think we can catch them if we leg it towards Sul."

The Battle of the Brightflow Gap Begins!

It's time again!

A new Warhammer Fantasy Battle season is upon us, and this one is packed with more awesome than ever!  We've incorporated several changes in the way we'll be playing campaigns going forward, based on trends from the last three years.  Our system is always evolving, and we've made some recent breakthroughs that should make game day run a little quicker.  No more table queues that can't get filled!

You can check out the campaign page by following one of the links to the right.

For the second half of this year, we'll be running three month campaigns.  The Brightflow Gap is one of those, and the next one will be just as awesome.  Next year, we'll begin a two month campaign schedule with a tighter schedule of games using the new team system.

Now, however...all of Wissenland is in danger.  The men of Schloss Bestrafe must obtain the aid of the Zigler family, who rule most of the land on the Bretonnian side of Brightflow.  However, Duke Zigler knows the evil of Fekul-Hoof.  Together, the Imperials and Bretonnian men may overcome the bestial hatred of the chaos mutants.  Yet, older eyes watch the deeds of these men...for the Lizardmen have a stake in what occurs near Khazid Grimaz, and the foresight to plan accordingly.  Should the need arise, the Ahuiateteo will march to war beside the men.  To this end, they have contacted various Imperial Magisters around the Brightflow - but have found a friend in Magisters of the Celestial Order.

The vampires of House Von Klockenshrok have thrown in with Fekul-Hoof.  Only a dead creature would be so insane as to enter a bargain with the beastman shaman, but the alliance stands...and the beastman tribes leave Von Klockenshrok holdings unspoiled.  If they could be called that in the first place...

The Face-Eaters have found a new ally and patron.  The King's Vengeance has occupied an ancient dwarven outpost, and made it's image their own.  From this Citadel of Bones, the King decree has been issued to his subjects - conquer all of this land.  The ogres, bereft of allies after the dark elf victory at Greystone, found themselves approached by emissaries of the King.  Now, their commission is a much better deal - all they can eat, all they can carry...and all they can kill.

We're going to have a blast with this campaign.  I'll see you fellas on Game Day!

Bleak Pilgrimage Campaign Log

Bleak Pilgrimage

2013 Season 2

Warhammer 40,000 Campaign

Artax System, Vae Salubrious Subsector

The Great and Powerful Warboss Nokk, the Ineffable Gullet, is an accomplished Black Skull Ork raider captain.  His meks have just finished his ships on the planet Tangrus III.  Now dominated by xenos orks, the planet gave up most of it's raw materials to the mekboys a long time ago.  The ork raider's fleet is sizable...and as a warboss, Nokk has quite a reputation amongst many of the ork tribes present in the sector.

He has attracted an even larger Waaagh!  After absorbing other Black Skull bands on Nokk and stamping out the other tribes, those orky warriors quickly gave him fealty.  After readying his horde to leave the tainted planet of Tangrus III, he pointed his ships directly at Vae Salubria itself.  Inexplicably, as he was about to give the order to engage the warp drives - something strange happened.

The Umbral Master, Galean of the Alpha Legion, appeared alone on Nokk's bridge.  After casually killing a few of the boyz that rushed him, the sorcerer called for parley.  Amused, Warboss Nokk decided to listen.  It was well, for Galean had forseen the ork flotilla jumping directly into a powerful warp storm.  As this would derail Alpha Legion plans for that part of the sector, Galean offered his services to the Warboss.  He would guide the fleet to Vae Salubrious safely and quickly, if the orks would only harass Imperial outposts along the way.

So be it, said the great Warboss.

As the fleet left the Naograssa subsector, the Mechanicus deep space outposts at Artax picked up the warp ripple.  Broadcasting a plea for help, a single Blood Angels strike cruiser appears at the Artaxian orbitals.  The Sword of Erebus ordered the stations to be on alert, and that the Blood Angels would avert the coming disaster, whatever it was.

We begin the campaign just as the Ork fleet arrives in the Artax system.  It's too big for the Sword of Erebus and the few Imperial escorts to attack directly.  However, opportunity soon presents itself.  As battleplans are drawn, Captain Salerio of the Blood Angels 5th Company identifies the target of this campaign, plain as the light of the Emperor.

The ork flagship Dumstah must be destroyed.  If it continues on its present course, it will go past Abraxia to Vae Salubrious itself.  The Sword of Erebus must now make a bleak pilgrimage to the holy shrine world, and make sure the orks don't get there by disrupting the fleet.  Now, a running game of cat and mouse will play out across 3 star systems.  If the Blood Angels fail...the shrine world will be crawling with orks, defiling and plundering orks.

The Emperor protects.

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Campaign Rules

The campaign will be scored as normal Battlefield Influence, save there are only 2 factions.  Players can bring allied forces as they like, and in some scenarios will be restricted in their force selection.  Any number of players can play in a campaign game.  Each week, a scenario will be played with a Game Master.  The Game Master will set up the terrain and objectives, as well as decide deployment zones and adjudicate "hidden" special rules the players will have to contend with.

As we play games with Narrative Game Masters, it will open up many new sorts of game play for us.  Many games from forgotten yesteryear were set up to have Game Masters, and we're going to reconnect with that interesting sort of gaming by having an entire campaign run in the Narrative fashion!

Each week will see the execution of a prearranged scenario.  You'll still deploy as normal, but the objectives and battlefields will be more fixed.  Each scenario will have interesting events and conditions that aren't usually possible in a normal game, and / or each army will receive extra equipment or forces.  Each scenario is designed to be as balanced as possible while still driving the narrative forward.

As in all these games where a Game Master is used, he is the final arbiter of the rules.  Players might not like surprise conditions that adversely affect their game, but be assured everything is planned out ahead of time to not give one side or the other a great advantage during any one game.  The Game Masters won't be playing in this campaign, so have no reason to hinder one side or the other.

The campaign will proceed as a standard Season 2 game, beginning on April 1st and ending on July 1st.  The player faction with the highest Influence score wins the campaign!

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Campaign Updates

1. (4.7.13) - Warp Drop Into Artax
• The Imperial Guard garrison of an orbital station at Artax is taken completely by surprise and destroyed by Nokk's flotilla.  There is nothing left of the south quadrant orbital defenses but debris.
2. (4.14.13) - Artaxian Plunder
• The Raiders see the poor state of the Artaxian defenses and rampage around the southern sector's most populous cities for almost a week, stealing almost everything of value and depopulating the area.
3. (4.21.13) - Set Course for Abraxia!
• The timely arrival of Inquisitor Kylan disrupted the plans of the Alpha Legion, and as a result the ork fleet is delayed by warp storms.  The Blood Angels are commanded to intercept the flotilla before it attacks Abraxia.
4. (4.28.13) - Attack on Station 29-IM:8
• Attacking the next station in the Abraxia system, the orks fall upon a beleaguered Lumisi regiment in a vicious blitzkrieg!  The Blood Angels had been waiting with scout units on the ground, patient for the planetfall that would soon come.  However, the ork force was simply too large, and the Imperials narrowly lose Station 29-IM:8 to the hordes of Nokk.
5. (5.5.13) - On the Rok
• The Blood Angels attempt to land directly on one of the ork roks, but cannot get past the fusillade of orky firepower defending the landing zone!
6. (5.12.13) - The Green Tide
• Near Station 29-IM, the Blood Angels rally with other crusader marines to beat back the greenskins, but they are forced to yield when the center is overrun by killa kans and 'ard boyz!
7. (5.19.13) - I've Got Bettah Loot to Pillage Elseplaces!
• The orks prepare to flee the well prepared Imperial defenses, then discover that they aren't so well prepared.  The final ork assault before the flotilla departs Abraxia takes a massive toll on the Space Marines who attempted to follow them back to their ships.
8. (5.26.13) - Breach
• The Blood Angels attempt to land Assault Group Salerio on the main hulk of the ork fleet.  The orks are prepared, however.  After the hull breach, only a handful of marines and supporting Imperial Guard live to carry out the assault.
9. (6.2.13) - Reaction Swarm
• The hulk's superstructure is weakened as orks comb the decks for space marines.  However, so few are left that the orks never encounter them where they can bring their full force against the valiant marines.
10. (6.9.13) - Destruction Derby!
• The attacking Imperials score a lucky break when their scout forces demolish several key structures inside the hulk, throwing the ork coordination (such as it was) into chaos.
11. (6.16.13) - Heart of the Hulk
• Almost all of the Imperials aboard the Ork hulk die in a futile attempt to assault the main reactor.  The Orks barely notice there are enemies on the ship.
12. (6.26.13) - The Last Hope of Salubrious
• What started as a heroic assault on the ork fleet became an absolute disaster for the Blood Angels chapter.  As the ork fleet hurtles towards the last warp jump of it's crash course for Vae Salubrious, the Assault Group Salerio withdraws from the hulk.  Their ship is barely noticed by the ork fleet and still almost destroyed.  The last remaining Blood Angels send an astropathic warning to the Salubrious jump point, and escapes the pursuing ork ramships.

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Campaign Results

Orks Win the Campaign!

Tough luck for Assault Group Salerio!  The Imperials suffer another crippling loss with the failure of the defense effort.  Now, a fleet of ork ships stand poised to invade Vae Salubrious itself!

The Black Skull Raiders, manned by none other than Jerry Wargate, tore through the opposition this time.  Watch out for more ork heavy equipment in the form of battlewagons and dakkajets next time, as the ork horde is swelling as we speak.  Emeraldwulfe's Assault Group Salerio will have to return for revenge for their brothers in the next round of this saga.  Therein we will battle for the defense of Vae Salubrious itself!

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"So's then I tellz him, 'Relax, buddy.  I'ze not gunna bash yer hed in, ol' Snakrot'," Nokk slowly intoned to Morgutz, his right hand nob, with a morbid grin. "I sez 'instead I'ze gunna take ten o' yer teefs, two o' yer fingurz...and that shiny dakkagun thar."  He slowly patted the silvered weapon now cradled in his thick, green, clawed hands.

Morgutz took a deep swig of his gloomdraught beer.  "You let 'im off on da cheap, boss."  The nob licked the foam from his nasty ork lips as Nokk slowly nodded.  "Tiz a good fing he makes such good 'draughts."  Nokk nodded more eagerly, lifting his reverie from the powerful new weapon.

"Yerp." the Warboss declared before tossing back his own beer laden mug.  Of course he had his nobs nab up Snakrot's barrels, as well as claiming those teeth and fingers Nokk believed he was owed.  Truth be told, the Warboss couldn't really remember what it was Snakrot owed him for.  Not that it mattered much.

Suddenly, the entire ship rocked with a horrible blast.  Lights of many different colors flare all around, and horrible klaxons started going off.  A blast of steam jetted from somewhere overhead, but both Nokk and Morgutz were more concerned with how much of the gloomdraught they had spilled.

"WHAT DER MORKIN GORK WAS THAT??!!" Warboss Nokk yelled as he shot bolt upright to his feet.  Whatever it was, the danger seemed to have passed, for no more explosions were forthcoming.  The klaxons still blared however, and Nokk quickly shuffled to the control podium and slammed his claws down on a big red button.  Immediately, the klaxons ceased and the normal lights restored.

"Lost mer beer..." lamented the distaught Morgutz.  If a nine foot, six hundred pound ork nob could ever said to be sad, at that moment Morgutz was indeed.  He stared at the floor where the foamy substance had landed after the violent jarring the bridge had just taken.  Upon seeing Morgutz in this condition, Nokk cast about for his own lost mug.  When he saw it empty, tipped over on the ground, he couldn't help but experience a similar feeling.  

Just then, two meks ran inside to Nokk's command bridge.  Nokk glared at them, and they shrank from his gaze.

"Apologies Boss, we had a little...err...problem." one of the meks began to stammer.

"What kind of...problem?" the Warboss growled menacingly.

"Errr...." the same mek continued, and the other one gave him a vicious elbow nudge.  "Beakies, boss.  Beakies on the ship."

"What??"  Nokk grabbed for his new dakkagun, and Morgutz was almost cheered up at the prospect of fighting the big humans.

"It's ok, Boss...it's all under control now."  the other mek spoke up for the first time.

"It iz, izzet?"  The Warboss glared at them, his towering hulk literally gazed straight down into thier wide and fearful eyes, which stared straight up at Nokk's smoldering pits of red.  The horror on the mek's eyes betrayed their full belief in what they told the Warboss, and he was satisfied.  "Fine den."  

The Warboss abruptly turned back to Morgutz.  "Get me cup thar, Morgutz.  I'll get da barrel out again!"

Reaper Miniatures: Digging Through the Bones!

Last week, we got our Kickstarter pledge from Reaper Miniatures' Bones.  We had a blast opening it up, and we even posted a video over at the new Facebook page.  We're going to be adding features on prominent miniature companies, including Reaper and Wargames Factory, our club's favorite manufacturers.  To start it off, I thought I'd let everyone in on why we're wrestling with the storage right now.

Well, we jumped into the Kickstarter for the Vampire reward, but other than that, we got the following:

• Deathsleet
• Ebonwrath
• Pathfinder Red Dragon
• There Be Dragons!
• Mythos Monsters
• Spider Centaurs
• Kaladrax
• Cthulhu

Here's a link to a breakdown of the Vampire level stuff we obtained.

Now that I've had a chance to sort some of it out, there's even more cool stuff than I could have thought of.  More info on some Mordheim and Necromunda bands that will be available for the next campaigns and more options for RPG characters will be rolling out shortly, as soon as we can get them cleaned up, based and in a case.

Jerry Wargate and I posted a video of the opening of the vault.  More updates later this week, as we'll be wrapping up last season's campaigns and starting the next!