With Retaliation coming up in March, I figured that I would give an overview of the first event including fluff so that people had an idea of what was involved and what you can expect if you attend the second part of the campaign.
Bristol Vanguard Treachery was the first part of an ongoing campaign that was designed to loosely follow the heresy as is written, but diverging from it as the campaign developed to establish our own history.
The format of the event was to have two teams; the loyalists and traitors. The loyalists would be the attacking force assaulting the traitors staging ground, whilst the traitor forces defended against this assault (initially). The first mission provided the attacker with some special rules that aimed to provide the feel of the wrath the loyalists were bringing with them. Subsequent missions would be affected by the outcome of the previous mission and each round had a special mission that would provide a permanent buff for the rest of the event for the winner.
Event scoring was kept to a minim with the outcome resulting in either a win, loss or draw. The side with the most wins claimed the overall campaign weekend.
Players were asked to bring lists that felt fluffy within the theme of the event and all armies were required to be fully painted.
There were ten players in attendance which whilst was less than was expected, actually worked out well as we all got to play each other!
The event was held at BIG and Vanguard terrain was used to give players a more immersive feel for the games.
The players were split into two teams and team leaders selected. The role of the team leaders was mainly to decide who would get to play the special mission (depending on which army suited the mission best) and to generally give the other leader grief.
Each mission had a piece of introductory fluff from either the loyalist or traitor viewpoint dependent on what team they were on. This helped to set the scene and allowed players to engage with the narrative.
Mission 1 - Vengeance
Mission 1 saw the loyalists assaulting the staging ground of traitors in a modified kill team came.
Loyalists
Treachery; there was no other word for it. On Istvan III the heresy was uncovered by the acts of those who used to call themselves brothers, massacring thousands of Astarte’s as if they were nothing but insects. There can be no way back for these heretics who now scuttle around on the planet of Istvan V preparing themselves for the attack that they must know is coming, however, it is doubtful that they have expected with what force we bring to bear and what vengeance we will claim for those betrayed in the atrocities they have committed.
Traitors
Treachery; that’s what they are calling it; they are nothing but loyal dogs protecting their false emperor who no longer even wishes to fight alongside his sons; how could they be so blind? The Warmaster has shown the true path to be taken, and his acts thus far have shown he has the strength to do what must be done, kill those that oppose, weaken them and strike at the heart. This, however is a duty that lies down the end of a long path, one of which only the first steps had been taken. First, however, those loyalist fools who have appeared in orbit of this planet must be dealt with.
The rules for this mission can be found at the following links:
Traitors
Loyalists
Special Mission 1 - Planetary Air Defence
During the various battle planning stratagems that were carried out on the loyalist flag ship in orbit of Isstvan V, key positions were identified that would need to be captured or destroyed if the loyalist attack was to prevail. Most critical was a command node that co-ordinated the planetary air defence net. With teleporter jammers and impenetrable overlapping hydra positions an assault from orbit was impossible. It would be suicide to attack such a well-defended position by ground with no orbital support… but the primarchs agreed; the attempt must be made.
The special mission for both sides is here. This was a fun mission and saw the loyalists try to destroy or take control of the air defence platforms to maintain air superiority throughout the weekend. If the traitors won, they would impose a permanent -2 for reserves for the rest of the campaign. if the loyalists won, they could grant one unit a game with the skyfire and/or interceptor rule.
The loyalists took the planetary defence network and secured themselves some anti-air defence for future games; however, the traitors would soon turn things around....
Mission 2 - Ambush
With the loyalists having the upper hand and taking the first game (narrowly) it was time for the traitors to get some payback. This mission saw the loyalists forces being drawn into an ambush, the likes which has never been seen before.
It was another modified kill point game in which the traitor forces gained more VPs than the loyalists per unit destroyed. In addition, the traitors got an extra VP for each unit out of the deployment zone and the loyalists gain 1VP for each unit that remained alive.
Loyalists
After the initial fury of the assault, it was
clear that the loyalist forces needed to push out of the initial landing zones
to ensure that a solid staging area could be achieved. This would allow a base
of operations and a permanent resupply point to be established for the forthcoming
hostilities. To do this, smaller sections of each loyalist legion were sent to identify
improved tactical positions where the flow of war could be dictated by them and
not the enemy; however, as solid as these tactics were, all legions were taught
them as the basics of their trade and traps could be made out of tactical
decisions so ingrained into warriors who follow these tactics so stalwartly as
the loyalists did…… however there were no life signs indicted by any or the
augur scans carried out by the fleet in orbit so this task should be an easy
one…
Traitors
After the initial fury of the assault, it was clear that the loyalist forces would need to push out of their initial landing zones to ensure that a solid staging area could be achieved. This would allow a base of operations and a permanent resupply point to be established for the forthcoming hostilities. To do this, smaller sections of each loyalist legion were sent to identify improved tactical positions where the flow of war could be dictated by them and not the enemy; however, as solid as these tactics were, all legions were taught them as the basics of their trade and traps could be made out of tactical decisions so ingrained into warriors who follow these tactics so stalwartly as the loyalists did…it was made even easier to lie in wait when the use of the dark powers newly granted to the followers of Horus masked their locations so well!
This was a brutal game in which I personally bore the brunt of Robs awesome mechanicum. I lost several units on the first turn and couldn't really get back from that. This however was the aim of this game; it wasn't meant to be balanced and allowed the traitor forces to get stuck in.
At the end of game two, the traitors had managed to get some revenge by winning nearly all their games!
Rob, what a douchebag!
The rules for this mission can be found at the following links:
Traitors
Loyalists
Special Mission 2 - Fall of a God
When the ambush had been sprung, it was clear
that the loyalists were fighting against all odds, however with the sighting of
a traitor primarch on the field hope that the loyalists could survive
diminished drastically. However, secretly hidden within one of the small legion
forces travelled a primarch, who upon hearing that one of his traitorous
brothers was sighted nearby, directed his force to meet this foe head on; this
battle had become about more than just surviving; it became personal…the sight
of these primarchs duelling in the dust covered plateau will forever be etched
into the memories of those who witnessed it….
VPs depended on the method of killing blow that removed yours or your opponents primarch first as stated in the table below.
Method of Killing Blow
|
VPs Scored
|
Close Combat by your primarch
|
6 VP
|
Close Combat by any other units
|
3 VP
|
Shooting attack
|
1 VP
|
Whoever won this mission would gain +1 leadership in the next game to the whole army (up to a max of 10). The loser gained rage when facing the legion that removed the last wound from the fallen primarch for the next round.
The loyalist primarch Ferrus took this challenge on and destroyed the traitor primarch in a twist of history (which is what I was aiming for) to allow the traitors a morale lifting leadership boost. This however only delayed the inevitable, as the traitors had gotten a taste for murder..
The missions can be found here.
Mission 3 - The Long War
In game 3 I wanted to give people the sense that they had been fighting for weeks, gaining little ground at a high cost. The aim of the game was to gain ground by ending the game with more units in your enemies deployment zone. However, special rules were added to ensure that it wasn't that easy to run or move fast due to the war torn battlefield strewn with debris and bodies.
To run, you rolled 2xD6 and picked the lowest and any vehicles moving over 6" had to take a dangerous terrain test. Both fast attack and heavy support were classed as scoring.
Loyalists
After weeks of bitter fighting, it was clear
that this war would not be won quickly, and that the loyalist forces would now
need to change tactics. The traitors were too well dug in for a quick victory
to occur and through some means of deception their true number had been
concealed as the enemy now outnumbered them; it mattered not, victory must be
claimed over the traitor’s at almost any cost. The fighting was hard going with
ground being paid for by the blood of Astarte’s inch by inch. This would not
however prevent the loyalist forces from their advance; judgement must be
carried out against those that would dare betray the emperor.
Traitors
Although the initial assault was devastating, the
traitors knew that they had to let the loyalist forces break themselves upon
the rocks that were the traitors defensive positions, as doing so would reduce
their numbers and weaken their resolve. Through dark sorcery, the traitors true
numbers had been hidden, however what was obvious now was the loyalists blind
obedience to the emperor had set them on a course that would end only when
their enemies were destroyed or they had all been wiped out; it was the
intention of those loyal to the warmaster that the latter occur…
Special Mission 3 - Pride of the legion
During the betrayal on Istvan III, the traitor
forces revelled in the destruction of those still loyal to the emperor so much
so that they took great pride in taking grim trophies such as helms, insignias
and the heads of those whom carried great importance amongst the loyalists. There
was no reasoning for this other than the grim satisfaction of seeing the horror
in the loyalists eyes when they saw them, however this impact was felt even
harder on Isstvan V, where Company banners of the loyalist fallen were defaced
and used to goad those who would dare assault those loyal to the Warmaster.
This was mission was fun and incorporated a loyalist legion banner which had been captured and desecrated by a unit of traitors (due to them doing so well!). It was for the loyalists to gain this banner back. The traitors scored for each enemy in line of sight of the banner, which increased when they were within 12".
If the loyalists ended the game with the banner they earned a massive 8VP.
The good thing about this mission, is that the banner, if dropped, remained exactly where it was dropped during the last game. So there was potential that the next pair of players on that table would be able to claim it. I believed this happened at least once and was a nice little extra.
The rules for this mission can be found here.
End of Day 1
At the end of the first day, it was apparent that the traitors were edging it. They had won two of the three missions and were looking to repeat this success on the second day.
To ensure the narrative remained true to the current success for the traitors, I had written missions that reflected this success.
As the traitors were winning, the direction of the event was for the loyalists to fall-back and ensure that the true scale of the heresy was known to all by escaping or sending out a signal.
Mission 4 - Know No Fear
Game 4 was used to represent the momentum that the traitors had gained within this war. The loyalists forces were in a controlled retreat and had left a small force on the front line to buy them time to send the signal.
The traitors would gain VPs for each unit that had moved out of play on their opponents table edge or were within 3" of it. The loyalists gained 1VP for each traitor unit that didn't escape or get close to their table edge. The loyalists were allowed to deploy further in to give them a fighting chance.
Loyalists
The tide has turned; the traitor forces have
broken through and threaten to prevent us from regrouping and staging a counter
attack. It falls upon those battle hardened and most loyal to the emperor to
slow this advance down to allow our brothers the time they need to regroup and
prepare; we will buy our brothers the time, and make the traitor scum pay for
every one of our own that dies here; they will pay dearly this day….
Traitors
The tide has turned, the traitor forces have
broken the back of the loyalist army and they are now showing their true shame
and running; however some still honour the warrior’s way and have taken
defensive positions to try and halt our advance allowing the rest of their
forces time to retreat. The traitor’s need to wipe these forces away and catch
the enemy on the run before they can escape.
I played Paul from the Viet Taff and his word bearers. It was a bloodfest and an utterly brilliant game. I had also managed to use the banner (I painted one for mission 3 based on the Wordbearers) so it only seemed fit that I use it to taunt them!
Special Mission 4 - The Butchers Bill
In any battle the most insignificant terrain
feature, the most worthless piece of ground can for minutes or perhaps hours
become so valuable that the blood of heroes and the wealth of an army’s supply
does not outweigh it. The true general knows when such a price is worth paying,
and when the butchers bill is sheer folly – Robute Guiliman, ext. “On War”.
In an interesting twist, once a unit was removed, you could 'pay the butchers bill' and pay a number of VPs to bring them back on from one of the deployment zones. This resulted in a tactical game in which you could bring in extra units (those that had been killed) to try and score more VPs, however, at the end of the game it would cost you when you had to pay back those VPs. The winner of this special mission allowed their team to pick their warlord trait in the final game.
I believe the loyalists won this game, however it was too little too late, as the traitors had won game 4.
I have misplaced mission 4 and will endeavour to dig it out should someone want it.
Mission 5 - Leave Nothing Behind
The aim of this mission was to show the extraction (cowardly retreat?) of the loyalists;it is the traitors aim to stop them!
One objective is placed within the loyalists deployment zone as is classed as the extraction zone, one loyalist unit at the end of the loyalists players turn within 6" of this objective can chose to extract and is rmeoved from the table.
There are 3 further objectives in the centre of the table in a line and act like relcis of their chpater, geneseed or something suitably important for the loyalist player, the traitor doesnt care about these and gains no VP for controlling them. If a loyalist player extracts with one of these relics then they gain significant extra VP.
If at any point the traitor player controlled the extraction zone they gain VPs.
This was a fun game, and tactical as well. You could extract a unit a turn but you would suffer as your army was losing these units, so you tended to see smaller less important units being extracted and the big hitters remaining on the board.
Loyalists
The Traitor ambush has been weathered but the
loyalist losses are crippling. They have no choice but to try and extract off
world and prepare for the Warmasters assault on the remaining loyal worlds of
mankind.
In the dark days ahead every resource will be
vital, and the loyalists must ensure nothing of value is left behind. The
geneseed of the fallen must be gathered, technology secured and transported to
the extraction zone.
Traitors
All has gone to plan. The Warmasters trap has
sprung tight around legs of the prey and now they attempt to limp broken and
bloody from this world, to return to their master in shame and defeat clutching
what minor trinkets they can carry as they go.
The warmaster has decreed that this will not be
tolerated, their plunder must be stopped and
their landing zones overrun before they can make good their escape!
I played Toby and his brilliant world eaters army in the last game, and it was great. We've met many times on the battlefield and he hated my glaive so naturally I brought it! I was very lucky for it t survive in this game as his contemptor dreadnought failed a charge through difficult terrain after taking about 8 hull points of it!!
End of Day 2
At the end of the weekend, there was no surprise that the traitors had stormed ahead and taken the win, beating the loyalists into submission. However, the bravery of the loyalist forces allowed some of the forces to escape and send word of the betrayal. All the guys attending stated that they had enjoyed the event and each player got to chose a purity seal.
As with all Bristol Vanguards events, we emphasise that the hobby side is just as important as the gaming side. As a result there was a best painted unit and best army nomination, but you could only only enter one!!
Winner of the best unit award was Richard Mills, he received a £10 forgeworld voucher.
Best Army
Matt Woodsmith winning best painted with his Wordbearers and World Eater allies.
Rob Hill with his Mehcanicum.
I hope this gives you an insight of what to expect at the next event Retaliation; it will see the traitors embarking upon their heretical crusade with the loyalists trying to impede them on their way. It will be 5 games again, however the first will be a prologue to the first event using a 250 point force in the closing days of the first campaign and will allow more time for the bigger games.
For further information either see the Bristol Vanguard facebook page or email Bristol.vanguard@yahoo.co.uk or danielqevans81@yahoo.co.uk.
Dan
