Draco Sector: Campaign Turn 1 Results

+++Draco Sector Campaign Turn 1 End+++

In the last century, the planets in and around the Draco Sector have been experiencing turmoil in the form of riots, and in some instances, outright rebellion. The Imperial forces have quickly put the uprisings down, but there have been undercurrents of unrest and a push against the governing authorities. There has been a theme of dread and a concern of some impending doom it appears the populace has been made aware of. Astropaths have been experiencing psychic turbulence and often experience haunting nightmares that have led the representatives of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica into a panic, trying to uncover what might be causing such a disturbance in the warp.

A dark terror is rising on Ephesus. The Imperium is unaware of the daemonic being that sleeps within the planet's core. Inquisitors have been sent to the sector to find out why there has been nothing but silence from the once compliant mining world. There is more than just rebellion on Ephesus; there is outright corruption and daemon worship there. The conflict has grown heavily in high orbit around Ephesus between the arriving rebel fleets and the Imperial fleets, including smaller contingents of Bakka made vessels. Ess'g'ull'ich, a daemon prince of Chaos, has been rallying forces from throughout the sector to congregate on Ephesus and form up as a fleet and army under the banner of Chaos. Steel Legion Imperial Guard forces have been all but eradicated from the surface of the planet, but hope still remains while the Emperor's light shines. Ess'g'ull'ish, in collaboration with a Chaos Sorceror Malikai, have been sending forces to hold back the hammer that is the Imperial fleets that have bear bearing down on them. Chaos has not been successful in procuring the human sacrifices it needs to awake the sleeping beast below, primarily because of the victories won by the might, steel, and faith of the Imperial battle-groups.

Adding to the chaos that has been ensuing in the sector, Ariel, a balanced world, ripe with human resources and minerals, has seen a greater increase of Dark Eldar raids upon the surface. Because of the looming threat from Ephesus, the Imperium has not been able to send as much aid at it needs to to prevent the world from being stolen by xenos hands. Dark Eldar have not only taken countless captives, they have been so successful that they have gone beyond their hit and run raids and the planet has become a slave factory under their tyrannical and cruel rule.

The planet of Persephone IV, implanted with Ork fungus that it is constantly struggling to beat back, has luckily not seen difficult attacks on their citizens and the Imperial Guard, combined with a small presence of Inquisitorial Storm Troopers, have been able to stem the tide of an Ork uprising. How long will this hold out?

There have been persistent rumblings from local small Rogue Trader conglomerates that Craftworld Mymeara is making its slow journey through the Veiled Region and has come under assault of Necron fleets that have arisen like undead from the dark abyss. It has come to the mind of the Inquisition of the Ordo Xenos on Persephone IV that the smaller and less vain and xenophobic Eldar of Mymeara, knowing their history with Exodite and Corsair Eldar, might actually be a desperate partner in the struggle against the daemonic might of Chaos, the endless, lifeless legions of the Necrons, and the rising mob of the greenskins. The Imperium is winning, but the margin of victory is thin.


End of Turn 1 Results:
Imperium vs Chaos Winner: Imperial Navy/Battlefleet Bakka
Xenos Winner: Dark Eldar

Underdog: Craftworld Eldar

The Draco Sector at the end of Campaign Turn 1.

++Rewards for Use in Campaign Turn 2++

+Imperial Navy+

Triumphant Admiral: Imperial players may take the following admiral with the following special rules in place of the regular admiral in an Imperial Navy, Battefleet Bakka, or Adeptus Mechanicus fleets in games of 1500pts of greater:

125pts

Ld10 + 2 re-rolls

The vessel with the Triumphant Admiral adds +1 to any boarding actions. This does not stack with other boarding bonuses. If the vessel the Triumphant Admiral is on receives Bridge Smashed critical damage or the ship is destroyed, the Triumphant Admiral has been killed. The awards the enemy player +1 campaign point that should be reported in the submitted information. 

+Dark Eldar+

Sacrifice Frenzy: Dark Eldar may re-roll the result of one boarding action of their choice per 750pts of the game's set point value.

+Craftworld and Corsair Eldars (underdog bonus)+

Undying Resolve: Any game won by Craftworld of Corsair Eldar in campaign turn 2 awards them an additional +1 campaign point.

For more into on the Draco Sector Campaigin, go to the following link:

http://afterimagedan.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-draco-sector-specialist-games.html

Keep those submissions coming! More into on the planets of the Draco Sector to come.

The Draco Sector: Specialist Games Global Campaign Intro

Welcome to the Draco Sector: Specialist Games Global Campaign page! In this post, the groundwork and backstory for the campaign can be found, as well as the starting map. This campaign is for anyone who plays any of the Specialist Games in the 40k realm by Games Workshop. Campaign rules near the bottom!

+Credit+

I would like to thank Bix from "The Veil's Edge" for making the backstory and fantastic maps for the Draco Sector. It makes this campaign possible. Please stop by and thank him at The Veil's Edge Website. Bix has done a lot of work to make this setting awesome and it is ripe for a campaign. He has also stated his intention to continue writing the story of the Draco Sector and may even incorporate the events of this campaign into the storyline!

Let's begin with the backstory:

++Galactic Position++
The Draco Sector is located far to the galactic south along the rimward fringe of the Segmentum Tempestus, at the very edge of the Imperium. The Segmentum Capital at Bakka is many months warp

travel to trailing and the sectors southern reaches border the wilds of The Veiled Region, where the Astronomican fades to but a whisper.

The Draco Sector is located near the Veiled Region to the galactic south-west.

The Draco Sector at the start of the campaign.

++History++
Imperial archaeologists have found compelling evidence of widespread human settlement in several of the sectors systems, estimated to date back possibly as early as M23. Early Administratum records show that the region entered the Imperium during The Great Crusade, after the prevelant pre-imperial human power, the Coricyn Dominion ceded its territories to an Expedition Fleet of the God-Emperor; compliance was completed and the sector formally recognised in 950.M30.

The Draco Sector was so named, after the stable warp corridor known locally as the Dragons Spine that spans its length; it was divided into five sub-sectors centered around the translation points of the spine, these were Typhon, Scatha, Glaurung, Fafnir and Laverna; the sector capital at that time was established on the old Coricyn home world of Bellerophon.

During the Heresy the sector remained in loyalist hands and reletively unscathed despite uprisings along the Typhon Sub's border with the Vulturnus Gulf; this greatly benefitted the region in the Great Scouring that was to follow. As resources in the fractured Imperium were at a premium, the Draco Sectors largely untouched infrastructure was able to capitalise on the supply demands of the counter offensive, bringing great wealth and power to its noble houses and corporations.

For the next four millennia, the sector enjoyed prominent status within the Segmentum and basked in the Golden Age of the Imperium. In M35 a warp storm of epic proportions erupted in the Laverna Sub tearing apart the local star Moloch and swallowing most of its surrounding system; the loss of these mining worlds cost millions of lives and robbed the sectors industrial powerhouses of a rich supply of raw materials. The aftershock from the storms birth also disrupted warp travel in the region for several centuries effectively cutting off the Laverna Sub and severely hampering trade throughout the sector. The storm that brought so much calamity still rages to this day and has become known as the Nimbus Tormentum.

In M36 the sectors fortunes were in steep decline, the rot of heresy set in and during the late years of The Age of Apostasy in a period known as The Plague of Unbelief, the sector capital Bellerophon was the centre of an uprising in support of the heretic Cardinal Bucharis. The revolt plunged the whole sector into bloody conflict and both the Glaurung and Fafnir Sub's were lost for over a decade. The heresy was eventually quelled a year after the death of Bucharis by Imperial forces returning from fighting on the Hive World of Vaust in the Segmentum Pacificus. Bellerophon never truly recovered from the onslaught.

The Draco Sector today has regained some of its status through moderate stability and good trade, although still a shadow of its former glory; it has many heavily populated and important worlds. Like so much of the Imperium in these dark times of the 41st millennium it must ultimately fend for itself against a myriad of threats from without and within its borders. Dark Eldar raiders are an increasing peril, striking frequently from their accursed webway portals and The Laverna Sub has ceased to be, having slipped from Imperial control; it has become the Laverna Marches, a lawless stretch of space, travelled by Rogue Traders, home to Pirates and far worse. 

Many reports suggest that an Eldar Craftworld moves slowly through the Veiled Region, as both Craftworld and Corsair Eldar vessels have been spotted. The Eldar, however, are not the only Xenos threat encountered by Imperial forces.  Recently, there have been increased encounters with Genestealer cults and other Tyranid creatures within the sector. This has led the Administratum to be concerned with the possibility of a full-scale Tyranid Hive Fleet lurking also in the Veiled Region. 

Chaos forces have not been entirely silenced, as there are still rogue cults and even rebel/heretical fleets in the sector that still pose a threat. Have these fleets left or are they waiting for the opportune time to strike?

In the last years, the planets of the Draco Sector have been experiencing turmoil in the form of riots, and in some instances, outright rebellion.  The Imperial forces have quickly put the uprisings down, but there have been undercurrents of unrest and a push against the governing authorities. Some say that there are looming Chaos forces lurking in the sector, possibly in the form of a Chaos fleet, and their proximity has been causing these seemingly daemonicly-inspired uprisings.

There has been a theme of dread and a concern for protecting against some impending doom it appears the populace has been made aware of. Astropaths have been experiencing psychic turbulence and often experience haunting nightmares that have led the representatives of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica into a panic, trying to uncover what might be causing such a disturbance in the warp.

The sectors Imperial forces stand ever vigilant against the encroaching darkness, bloodied but unbowed, hoping against hope that this, The Time of Ending is not as many have prophesied, humanity's last stand. But with the increasing alien and heretic threat, has the Time of Ending begun?

++Campaign Rules++

The rules for this campaign will be relatively simple and there is very little for the players of the campaign to keep track of. Heck, you don't even need to sign up! The campaign will take place over periods of time in which I (afterimagedan) and a few other people who will be helping out will take in the results of any Games Workshop 40k era Specialist Game played around the world, tally the results from each faction based on the following score list, and develop the story further! Players will simply play games and report the following to this email address: 

dangleason1@gmail.com 

...with the following information:

____________________________________________

Which factions were in the game? 

++Faction 1  Win (3pts) / Draw (1pt) / Loss (0pts)

++Faction 2  Win (3pts) / Draw (1pt) / Loss (0pts)

Submitted backstory of this battle in the Draco Sector (1pt for both factions):

++Please include info about your Admiral/General for inclusion in the story!

Fleet submitted to Gothicomp Painting Competition (2pts for that faction, please attach):

Picture of battle (1pt for both factions, please attach picture):

++Fully painted fleet/army and nice game board in battle picture? (1pt for both factions):

____________________________________________

Campaign Turn 1 is the month of May so get those games started and submitted! More updates and videos soon to come!

Deliverance - Perseus Sector Part 2

Here is the second video of the Perseus series! This video was made in partnership with Helios Ravensnest and Fearless Games. The entire series is posted HERE.

The planet Tarith has been taken by Dark Eldar and what is left of Battlefleet Perseus has been sent fleeing. The Adamant Light, an Armageddon Class Battlecruiser flees for its life, only to meet up with another Imperial cruiser. This video was based off of our Battle Report 4: Imperial Navy vs Dark Eldar. Let us know if you have recommendations or requests for the next one!

For all Doran'Por and Perseus sector videos, please click the "Doran'Por and Perseus" link at the top of the blog!

Various Ships Update

Here are some Imperial Transports that I have been working on. They are made from Firestorm Armada transports and they have antenna added to them. The one in the center back is supposed to look like the bridge. These will be primed up and painted soon with a couple other lovely surprises. 

Three are the start of 3 new strike cruisers for the Salamanders fleet (was going to be Raptors but the green looked more salamanders). I am using two sets of parts from an alternate parts ddealer, resin caster GW parts, and some launch bays. These will be carrying a whole bunch of Thunderhawks. 

Finally I will not have to use stand-ins anymore for a Retribution or torpedo Dauntlesses! I really like how they turned out. 

Battle Report 4: Imperial Navy vs Dark Eldar

+++Imperial Navy vs Dark Eldar+++

Scenario: The Bait

+Imperial Navy (BFG:R)+

Armageddon (ld 8)

Dictator (ld7)

2 Cobras (ld 7)

+Dark Eldar (BFG:R)+

Torture (ld 8, Fiend Ascendant Pattern Carrier)

4 Corsairs (ld 7, 2 Venomed Blade Phantom Lance variant, 2 Lost Hatred Weapon Battery variant)

Here is the zoomed out overview of the board with only a slight bit of the left side cut off. The Armageddon is the "Bait" fleeing from the Dark Eldar.  The Imperial player is able to go first.

Here are the Dark Eldar, waiting to engage.

The Armageddon curves right around the asteroids, and Dictator and the Cobras enter the board and launch everything they've got.  10 torpedoes total and 4 bombers.

The Dark Eldar Corsairs go on All Ahead Full and blast forward. 

The Torture pushes forward but hangs back behind the Corsairs.

Tbe Corsairs fire on the Armageddon and cause no damage but take down both shields.

The Torture launches 3 fighters escorting 1 bomber.

The Dictator reloads ordnance,  the Cobras reload, and the Armageddon fails to lock on. The Cobras move forward to engage.

The Armageddon shoots the Corsairs, causing 2 damage and 1 critical, finishing the escort off.  Two torpedoes from the
Cobras were braced by the Corsairs and the rest were killed by turrets.

The Corsair push forward and cause 3 damage to the Armageddon while the Torture fires on the Cobras, killing one of them.  The bomber attacks the Cobra but fails to damage it.  The remaining 3 Dark Eldar fighers destroy the 4 Imperial Bombers.

The remaining Cobra disengages.  The Armageddon takes a damage from moving through the blast markers. Both cruisers shoot the Corsairs and kill one of them.  Torpedoes fired from the cruisers do one damage to the Torture.  Where the cruisers ended up after moving is shown in the following picture.

The Dark Eldar move into near point blank range and fire upon the Armageddon, which braces against 1 hit from the Corsairs but takes 2 damage from the Torture.  The Torture's bombers hit the Armageddon causing 2 damage. The Armageddon is now crippled.

Both fleets take the turn reloading and maneuvering. 1 damage is done to the Torture.

The cruisers fly away from the Dark Eldar and exchange some fighter and bomber attacks.  There is a missing picture after this one where the Dark Eldar fly up right behind the Armageddon and fire upon it, causing 1 damage which is braced.  Bombers from the Torture also hit the Armageddon causing 1 damage which is braced.

The Corsairs fire point blank at the Armageddon, which braced.  Bombers press forward the strike either cruiser.

The cruisers make their way into a circular movement.  The Dictator reloads.  The Armageddon causes one damage to the Corsair.  

The Imperials come together to nearly complete their circle and kill a Corsair with lances from the Armageddon. The Dark Eldar fly up as close as possible to fire upon the Dictator without being able to be rammed by the Armageddon.  The Dictator takes only one hit and braces some.  This is a big mistake for the Dark Eldar...

The Dictator makes a clumsy failed leadership to navigate the asteroid field and takes 3 damage (ouch!) which cripples it. The Corsairs brace, seeing what is coming, but it isn't enough and the Corsair is finished off.  Enough damage was caused by the Armageddon to cripple the Torture.  That was it! The Dark Eldar had pretty much no chance after that! The Imperial disengaged and that was the game! Imperial victory!

The Doran'Por and Perseus Sectors

I first noticed the battle reports that Helios Ravensnest from Fearless Games was doing on his youtube channel in late 2011. I was fascinated by the way he did his battle reports, with video, storyline, and narration. So I struck up a conversation with him. And now, quite a long time later and a few more battles into the Doran'Por series, we have decided that my game group would make some videos that intertwine and would take place in the Perseus sector, the closest sector inward toward the center of the Imperium. Here are the videos in order so you can access them easily. Hope you enjoy our nerd fun videos and your Battlefleet Gothic motivation increases!

The Battle of Doran'Por (Doran'Por Sector)

The newly formed "Son's Of Horus" have stolen the Second Planet killer that Abbadon had built. Now they plan to show off their power and finish what their late Warmaster started, and they have chosen the Tau Sept world of Doran'Por as their first victim. Will the tau stop the Chaos forces from destroying Doran'Por? Will the Ad Mech's support be enough to turn the tide? Stay tuned.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

The Kalous Run (Doran'Por Sector)

After the lost of their Sept World, the Tau have decided to leave the Doran'Por Sector to find a new Sept world so they may rebuild. Only 4 more supply ships need to reach the fleet, and once they do they can head out. But the Eldar have other plans in mind....

Trailer for Future Videos 

The Conflict of Perseus - Xetic (Perseus Sector)

Deliverance (Perseus Sector)

The Conflict of Perseus - Xetic

Here is the first video of the Perseus series! This video was made in partnership with Helios Ravensnest and Fearless Games.  The entire series is posted HERE.

The Tyranid fleet enters the Perseus sector and draws near toward the planet Xetic.  The Carcharodons are all that stand in their way.  This video is based off of our Battle Report 3: Space Marines vs Tyranids. Let us know if you have recommendations or requests for the next one!

Making BFG:R Tyranids 2

Here are some of the emergent drones being worked on. I am having to fill their mouths with hot glue to fill it up, then I move on to cover the whole top part and texture it. I am making 6 of them. 

These are the Juvenile hives. The one on the right is about where I want it to be with the hot glue but I will be adding some green stuff afterward. I want these to look like a step up in the evolution of a hive ship, from an emergent drone, tons juvenile, to an adolescent. Some day I will make an adult hive. 

Here's where I want them to be before I add green stuff. I am definitely happy with them but I will hopefully like them more when they are entirely done. 

Battle Report 3: Space Marines vs Tyranids

+++Space Marines vs Tyranids 1500pts+++

+Tyranids (current BFG:R)+
Adolescent Hive Ship + Extra Spore + Reinforced Carapace + Solar Vanes Ld 8 = 360 + RR
Adolescent Hive Ship + Extra Spore + Reinforced Carapace + Solar Vanes Ld 8 = 360 + RR
5 Claw Kraken 250
2 Vanguards 60
10 Drones: 6 Pyrodrones and 4 Biodrones 200
5 Biokraken with Tenacity 275
1505 (5pts over by permission)

+Carcharodons Chapter Space Marines (current BFG:R)+
Master of the Fleet 50
Ultima 450  Ld10
5 Strike Cruisers (SC), all extra shield. 2 are the gun variant (GSC) 800
GSC1 Ld9
GSC2  Ld10
SC1  Ld10
SC2 Ld10
SC3 Ld8
5 Hunters Ld10 200
1500

Scenery
The scenery was set up by Gavin as I got all the gear we needed for the battle, along with amazing creepy free ambient space music. Here's Gavin's Space Marine pose:

Here's the usual Gear:

Table Setup:

Scenario: Fleet Engagement

Both fleets chose wedge so we deployed under the style B requirements. Gavin (SM) won the roll-off and chose the "north" side with the planet.
The Tyranids (me, duh) were forced to deploy first so Hive 2 was put down. In the end, the Tyranids were clustered and the SMs crowded around the planet, most in its gravity field.

+Tyranids 1+
Just about immediately, I failed my first synapse roll. Luckily, the second hive was there and it held out until the last roll. At that point, I used a RR to make sure I had some good first turn control. With full control of the fleet, I pushed forward to go through a gap in the asteroids and anticipated some early conflict based on the planet being there to allow his fleet to get close with extra turning.

+Space Marines 1+
All Space Marines besides the rear Strike Cruiser squadron used the planet for the free turn. They curved around the planet and launched torpedoes and Thunderhawks, setting up turn 2 to be huge. (sorry about the blurry picture)

+Tyranids 2+
The Tyranid Kraken all went on All Ahead Full to get as close as possible so as to engage the next day. Each other squadron passed their Synaptic Control checks. The Tyranid batteries from the Pyrodrones and the Hive ships destroyed the Space Marine torpedo waves.

The Tyranid Hive Fleet pushes forward towards the endangered planet, though the Carcharodons stand in their way.

The Space Marine Thunderhawks began wading into the Tyranid Antibodies, cutting a squadron and a half down before most of them had to return to their mother-ships.

+Space Marines 2+
The Hunters and Strike Cruisers reloaded their ordnance while the Ultima Battlebarge and the Gun Strike Cruisers locked on. The entire fleet advances to pass through the gap in the asteroids. The Hunters burst forward, turn to their port side, and prepare for a torpedo strike.

Gavin and Michael consider their targets...

and then this happened......

 Survey the damage.... Space Marines, with a good turn of rolling and lock on, can do some devastating damage with bombardment cannons.

The Gun Strike Cruisers destroy a Biokraken, the Ultima kills two more of them (that's the amazing roll in the picture above, doing 6 hits), and the Hunters kill a Vanguard and 2 Claw Kraken. Quite a turn for the Space Marines!


+Tyranids 3+
The Hives immediately reload ordnance and use their last reroll.  After this, the Claw Kraken turn and engage the Hunters with their claws and batteries, killing two of them and causing them to brace for impact.  The Biokraken fly forward and do 2 hits the the Ultima Battlebarge and knock a shield down with their batteries. The Pyro and Biodrones fire at Gun Strike Cruiser 1, knock 2 shields down, and do 1 hit. The Hive ships then fire at the same target, doing 2 hits, crippling it.

4 of the Antibodies were destroyed by Thunderhawks. The Antibodies ended the turn, lurking behind the Kraken ready to board the oncoming Strike Cruisers.

+Space Marines 3+
The Ultima locks on, the Strike Cruisers reload their ordnance, and the Gun Strike Cruisers fail to lock on. The Hunters navigate the asteroids and flee the Kraken claws. Their batteries happen to do a hit to the Biokraken! The Ultima, having pressed forward into the asteroid gap, kills 2 Claw Kraken (wow) and the newly launched Thunderhawks would the Kraken once (I believe this was a mistake in the game because none of the SM ships has ordnance reloaded).

The Antibodies pose for a strike during the next turn.

+Tyranids 4+
All synapse passed. The Claw Kraken damages the Ultima 1 time, the Biodrone does another. Hive 1 launches Antibodies and kills the remaining Hunters (game changer).  Gun Strike Cruiser 1 (currently crippled) took 3 hit and runs from Antibodies (dorsal, starboard, and port). The Drones cause enough damage to the Ultima that its shields are knocked down (the blast markers are shifted in the picture but should be against the Ultima's base).  This was a dangerous place for the Ultima to be in because it allowed for all those Feeder Tendrils to attack it.  This was another possible game changer: The Ultima took 8 critical damages: dorsal, starboard, port, prow, engine (now down to 8 hits left), and 3 fires (!!!).  In the end phase, it repairs all the fires with a good roll.

+Space Marines 4+
Sensing the downfall of the Ultima Battlebarge, the Carcharodons decided to disengage. Close game! Lets' see the victory points...

This was the table after the Space Marines disengaged.

+End Results+
Space Marines: 151.25 Victory Points (including the rerolls and the 5 points over)
Tyranids: 330 Victory Points

+TYRANID SOLID VICTORY+

+Conclusions+
Gavin: [not received yet]
Dan:  Part of the purpose of this game was, besides the campaign, to test out the Tyranid BFG:R list.  There are some things that need to change about it: the Claw Kraken have more guns than claws. This is a problem. Feeder Tendrils are way to situational, and it makes the Vanguard more of a gun ship, but it used to always be a close combat ship. This needs to change. Really, the Tyranid fleet was tons of fun to play, but they aren't easy to work with.  Having all front facing guns makes some of their positions really dangerous. For example, Gavin out-maneuvered me in this game and forced me to turn closer to him so he could cross my T on lock-on.  This hurt like hell.  The 2 hit escort rules in the new BFG:R were very simple to use and proved to be lots of fun. The Kraken feel a bit slow at 20cm movement, but the 2 hits makes them worth it. Also, we are using the original Kraken 4+ auto brace instead of shield instead of just giving them a shield. Overall, this was a great game, loved using the new Tyranid fleet, loved using the Battlemarkers, learned a lot, and loved seeing the Carcharodons do what they do.