Month: April 2022

Invasion: Shrine World

Invasion: Shrine World

+++++Excerpted Account of Lanto Tokastio, Lexmechanic of the Adeptus Mechanicus, appended to Ministorum world Suldon Tertius, Segmentum Obscuris+++++

It’s difficult to trace the movement of idea, you realize. Quite difficult. And I’m a specialist. My main task has been monitoring the spread of language amongst the faithful for sixteen cycles now on our glorious Shrine World of Suldon. The way that one parishioner’s slight variation in phrasing a blessing to the Emperor can not only spread but become dogma. To illuminate to your Ministorum superiors just how faith… flows… from pilgrim to pilgrim as they arrive on our great world and depart carrying faith to all the planets in the Imperium.

And I’m certainly not a xenobiologis, but the core root of the Orkoid language structures are still Low Gothic. So while they do have some degree of differences, we presume that ideas might spread from Ork form to Ork form using similar structures of spoken language, mimic behaviors, and more. That is excepting the strong evidence of imprinted notions in their species or collective psychic potential, of course.

This is predicated on the presumption that the Orks indeed do want what their hideous broadcasts from those massive landing vehicles demanded. I think the exact broadcast was “World of Teef. We iz here for da Teef!” As such the root of our question is: why did this Waaagh migration go out of their way to reach Suldon Tertius? They skipped many more resource-laden and other defended systems to get here. And given that Orks seek scrap and a fight most of all, those would have come to the Waaagh easier elsewhere.

There’s a bigger plan in place, and the best I can figure is that some notion made its way through the race to their leaders. In the course of their predations, they did hit another Shrine World prior to heading here–Karasan VII–which was pre-emptively subjected to Exterminatus when it was found that the holy tombs of heroes were being pillaged. At least some Orks returned to their ships from the initial assaults and before the planet was destroyed. And my best hunch is that some one of the Orks found their way into the crypts there.

For good Imperial citizens, the crypts are places of solemn contemplation on Shrine Worlds–as we pass by the stacks of skeletal remains we’re reminded of all who sacrificed their lives for conquests in the great Emperor’s name. But what would an Ork see? What would they see?

Teeth. “Teef”. Rows and rows of skulls, all of which hold the prospect of the teeth amidst them. All it would take is a single Ork who saw the catacombs making it back to its ship. Then when relating tales to each other in transit–as Orks are known to converse socially, mostly as a prelude to violence, but still–that single Ork could have remarked that it was a shame that Karasan VII was destroyed as underground it was full of teeth. I’m sure it would have been much more crude. [At this point Lexmechanic Tokastio adopts a low loud voice to impersonate an Orkoid]. “Pity wut da planet gone. Dem tunnels wuz full of teef, I tellz ya.”

Again, I’m no xenobiologis, but if ideas can spread through rumor, idle comment, and more amongst Imperial Gothic, is there a reason that speech in the Orks’ crude Low Gothic could not be the same? We see it amongst our own Low Gothic speakers. Why would the Orks be different? The story of vault after vault of teeth could spread, and not just spread but grow. Certain points of re-telling one is inclined to exaggeration. And goodness knows the Orks are stupid in their way. Stupid enough to believe it? To believe that an Imperial Shrine world is a haven of teeth waiting to be simply plucked from the skulls of the dead?

Never mind the fact that yes, with our massive population on Suldon plus the contents of our own crypts, that there are technically more teeth on this world than perhaps all but the densest of hive worlds. And yes, to the extent that a Waaagh of Orks could hyper-fixate on the commodity that passes for wealth in their system, it would make them see this world as particularly valuable. And the Orks are certainly cruel enough to torture some captives from prior Imperial worlds they’ve demolished to learn of the nearest other Shrine World.

That’s my guess of why they’re here. Memetic language actions transforming pure happenstance into aggressive focus. My only hope is that the Sisters of Battle who were first dispatched, and the company of Space Wolves that are en-route to support with counter-planetfall, will arrived in time. Sources say that the general Ministorum troops and pilgrim-conscripts are not stopping the Ork forces spreading from their landing zones. May the both the Sisters and Sons of Russ save us from this mad Greenskin attack on our planet.

++++++ End Excerpt +++++

Knight Night / Fight Night Two: Tag Teams!

Knight Night / Fight Night Two: Tag Teams!

One of the most popular 40k theme events at Drawbridge is back for round two: it’s Knight Night / Fight Night Two! This time with Tag Teams. The event happens on Thursday, June 2nd with a start time of 7pm. Rules and restrictions for the event follow, and whether you took part last year or are new this time, we’re hoping this is a great event that can coincide with all the new Knight releases that are soon dropping from Games Workshop. We purposefully are timing it to fall with enough time to get new kits and rules, build, and paint for the event. So check out the rules below!

Knight Night / Fight Night Two will be a tag team royal rumble style event held at Drawbridge Games, where Knights of all shapes and sizes will be able to climb into the ring and try and see who can make it to the end.

Knight Night / Fight Night Rules:

Teams of two Knights (can be a single player who brings two, or pairs of players who each have one) will be placed in a central, circular Royal Rumble arena. The goal is to be the last model standing–knocking all of other competitors “out of the ring”–and that last standing model wins the event for their team.

To start the event, all teams will have the Power Level of the two models in their team calculated. The highest two PL total teams will have their models start in the ring. After each round, the next two teams in PL are added to the ring (making their grand entrances, with entrance music if so desired).

Every round of combat all participant Knights in the ring are dealt a playing card, and play turns will run in that order: lowest numbers first, with suit order high-to-low in reverse-alpha to break numerical ties, so Spades > Hearts > Diamonds > Clubs, with Aces low. The active Knight will move, shoot, can charge and fight. Note that models attacked won’t swing back (there’s no ordinary combat phase). The goal is to incapacitate opposing Knight models by taking all of their wounds, which represents knocking them out of the ring (over the top rope). There are a few different special rules we’ll be using that will both help this happen, and give Knights a chance to keep fighting in the ring.

“Recover In the Corner” action: Declare at the start of your turn. Roll 1d6 and recover that many wounds. Can move (including advancing) but cannot fire any weapons, charge, or make any melee attacks until the start of its next turn.

“Re-roll Chip”: Every Knight gets one re-roll chip. Every Tag Team who put up a promo (posted on the Drawbridge event page, see below) gets a second re-roll chip per player participating in that promo. The player with the best promo (judged by Enrico) gets a third re-roll chip. Re-roll chips can be exchanged or traded as you wish during the game with other players. They can be spent to re-roll any one d6 roll (including the “Out of the Ring” table or the result of a “Recover in the Corner” action). They can also be spent to get rid of the card you’re dealt at any point for turn order, and be dealt a new random card from the deck. Note that no one will have CP’s to keep things simple, this is a sort of replacement for that.

“Out of the Ring” chart: Whenever a model is reduced to 0 wounds, they immediately must roll on the following chart (any model rules that might trigger on “when reduced to zero wounds” such as exploding are ignored). Conceptually a Battle Royale is about throwing your opponent out of the ring and their feet hitting the ground (indicating they’re out). While we don’t have an actual ring to be thrown out of, these are the results when the participants take those devastating finishing attacks.

RollResult
1 “I’ll get you back”Both feet hit the ground and this model loses. However, they’re not quite ready to accept that. They immediately get a single turn of shooting to try and take an opponent with them (using lowest profile), and then are removed from the board.
2 “Ouch, he’ll feel that one”Both feet hit the ground and this model loses. It is removed from the board.
3 “Thats a tough break, J.R.”Both feet hit the ground and this model loses. It is removed from the board.
4 “Hanging on the ropes”The Knight hangs on, just barely. It is restored to 1 remaining wound, and cannot be targeted any further this round until it acts or until the start of the next round if it has already acted this round.
5 “Push thru the pain”This model grits its teeth and keeps on fighting. Immediately roll a d6 and restore that many wounds to the model. This model cannot be targeted/damaged any further during the current opponent’s activation.
6 “You just made me angry”This model channels the punishment into newfound strength. Immediately restore the model to the highest number of remaining wounds for its middle tier on its damage chart. This model cannot be targeted/damaged any further during the current opponent’s activation.

Painting Requirements: All models participating in Knight Night must be painted to a tabletop standard and based. Part of this hobby is, well, the hobby, so I want to encourage people to paint and get models finished for events. There will be additional chances at prizes for those who paint up a new Knight model for the event.

Tag Team: Players can choose to field two Knights from the following lists, or bring one Knight and team up with another player. You can choose and coordinate teams in advance, and we can also pair up likely allies on the day of the event–so don’t let having just a single Knight limit you. Come and have fun and game with new and old folks in the community alike. Activations are separate by Knight model, but victory goes to the team (even if one of the team member Knights has been eliminated). And we’ll have an extra Knight model with rules on hand in case we have uneven numbers to make certain all can join in the fun.

Knight Options and Choices

Knight Options: Players can choose any non-character Knight from the Imperial Knights or Chaos Knights codex with gear allowable from the data sheet (no relics or warlord traits). None of the rules for households or dreadblades or infernal/iconoclast or whatever the new rules hold for factions or for detachments are permitted, and no upgrades that aren’t part of the basic datasheet entry for the Knight are allowed. If the new codecies have stuff that are odd, we’ll review case-by-case. These are vanilla versions of the data sheets folks. If you’re inclined to run one of the Knights from Imperial Armor Compendium, just run which one you’re thinking of past me. All Knights must be Titanic, so no Wardogs or Armigers or other smaller-class Knights.

When is a Knight not a Knight: We’re not able to allow in every Xenos and Chaos faction, but applications to field other types are allowable if they’re comparable in stature to a Knight (note they may not be comparable in points). We know this limits participants in a way, but don’t worry we’ll be sorting out other new events soon (we’ve got a Biker squad based plan coming on the horizon, hint).

  • Stormsurge
  • Wraithknight
  • Gorkanaut
  • Morkanaut
  • Stompa
  • Lord of Skulls
  • Seraptek Heavy Construct

That said, you know you want to paint a Chaos Knight. Give in. Paint one up.

What about my special rules?

Instead of the normal faction or chapter or household rules (or warlord or relic or chaos mark or detachment or…), instead you get to pick one of the following Wrestling Roles or Tropes for your Tag Team. Everyone knows that what makes good rumbles is the storylines, so at the start of the event or before, you (and your partner) can pick the trope for your team, get your benefits, and cut that promo.

Wrestling Role / TropeIn-Game Ability
BabyfacesStart the battle as the good guy team, the audience favorites. The crowd’s cheering spurs them on. As such, at the end of each team member’s activations, rolls a d6. On a 4+ they regain one lost wound. The team can make a Heel turn during one of their activations if they wish (they have to turn on an another Knight while it’s down, or cut a nasty promo, etc.). If they do so, they get the Heels ability which replaces their Babyfaces ability for the rest of the game (cannot subsequently change again).
UnderdogsEach Knight in the team gets an extra re-roll chip at the start of the event.
Evil ForeignersCan only be taken if the team includes one of the Xenos options (Eldar, Tau, Orks, Necrons). You’re playing up your Xenos status in front of the crowd, and they’re booing like crazy. You gain one bonus re-roll chip each time you reduce an Imperial or Chaos Knight to zero wounds for the first time.
HeelsEither player on the team can spend one of their re-roll chips to immediately negate any opponent’s reroll chip usage. The team can make a Face turn during their activation if they wish (again, they have to do something kind: jump in to help a Knight that is being ganged up on or cut a positive promo, etc.). If they do so, they get the Babyfaces ability which replaces their Heels ability for the rest of the game (cannot subsequently change again).
The Mordian ScrewjobsOnce, and only once, during the event the team members can choose the result of any opponent’s out-of-the-ring roll rather than them rolling. Be careful, the fans can get pretty angry at this one.
Cheap HeatMake sure you insult the city in which you’re fighting. You come out of the gates strong. On your first turn on the table you cannot be targeted until you’ve acted, and you get a +1 to all hit rolls for that first activation of the game of each of the team’s Knights.
The Ricky MortonsYou know your job is to take a beating. So take a beating you shall. Both members of this team automatically go last in every round, but they both get the Feel No Pain (6+) rule.
Garbage WrestlersThe others might fight fair, you brought a chair. Notify the tourney organizers in advance if you’re doing this one. If you have a folding chair (or ladder or table) modeled at the size of your Knight model, you can use them in battle as an additional one-shot weapon. You can bring one (or a different one) for each member of the team. Revealing the rules now:

Chair Melee Str 16 AP -3 Damage 3d3 Special: This weapon can only be used once per game. When attacking with this weapon, you do a single additional attack with the Chair in addition to any other melee attacks. This attack gains +1 to hit rolls.
Charlie Browns from Outta TownOkay, so you play Tyranids or Genestealer Cult and you’re not allowed at this match. Well, come in a mysterious costume and wrestle under an assumed name. This one is for the converters only: if you do up a tag team of Tyranid monstrosities with assimilated Knight parts or Genestealer Cult looted Knights, then I suppose we would reward your creativity. They must be modeled appropriately (show us pics in advance) to “count” as an Imperial Knight. If so, we’ll let you field it with the rules of an Imperial Knight.

Wait. Promo?

Yes, promo. Players and/or Teams are encouraged to make a promo and share it in advance of the main event. Think of the pilot of the Knights as their manager, and cut a promo about how your Knight is gonna triumph in the event. You can write it on the facebook page by starting the post with [Knight Night 2 Promo] in brackets so we know what it is. Be sure to include a picture of your painted Knight (or tag team or knight equivalent). And if you’re really feeling it, feel free to record a video promo version. Be as creative as you wish. It’s not required, but you do get bonus re-roll chips if you try something (and the best gets even more bonus re-roll chips). So give it a go!

Prizes

As always, we’ll have a few prizes for the event. Everyone who attends and plays will get entered in the draw, and players will get additional entries for various things during the course of the evening. Bonus entries for painting a new model for this event in particular, for eliminations of opposing models, and for being the first eliminated. Five bonus entries will go to the winner of the event and the model voted to be best painted by the players. The draw will be at the end, and players need to be present to win.

Drawbridge Games Events

And also as always, these big events are free to members. Non-members can participate for $5 and are absolutely welcome, but at the low price of a single yearly membership ($35 for the year, rather than any monthly dues) you get the benefits all year long: 10% discount on all product, 20% discount on select preorders, and ability to use the tables and terrain in the store for all your gaming.

Crusade: Deity of Death

Crusade: Deity of Death

Planetary Empires campaign continues to churn, and I slide to a more flexible raiding party role for a while to reset my force to explore some Ynnari lists that get me blending Drukhari and Asuryani forces (and maybe a few Harlequins at some point too).

Prologue

The prophet had come, had walked the halls of the Craftworld and the alleys of Commorragh. More than a few had followed her, seeking guidance and insight or perhaps more insidious things. Followers of Archon Yraleath the Calcimineer noted that he had sent some envoys to make contact with those of the Saim Hann Craftworld, where their Kabal had some ties through varied exodites, corsairs, and more. There was a rumor that a Spiritseer was in contact with him, some long-lost ally who had spent time amidst high Commorragh themselves. The call of the prophet, the sounding of a potential for so much death, had motivated the sights of Kabal and Craftworld together on the planetary cluster Scylla Quintus.

The forces gathered in the Webway, united by the prospect of war against the varied assembled forces, war in the name of the goddess of death. Drukhari Kabalites stood in long ranks, eyeing their long-lost relatives amdist the Rangers and Guardians who stood in the Asuryani force. Yraleath stood speaking to the Seer, their conversation low. Sharp eyes noted a curved Hekatarii blade slung at the Seer’s waist. Had they spent time in the fighting pits, or a gift from some Drukhari consort? The opaque blue glow of their Seer’s mask gave no hints on the wearer’s demeanor, and their body language was deferential to that of Yraleath. At their feet glowed a single rune carved in the strange earth of the unstable realm. As they spoke, it seemed to glow, until lighting on fire.

Yraleath then spoke to the assembled forces. “It’s time for us to depart, to join our forces in attacking those of this system. The sheer scale of death and destruction these planets have seen have merely set the stage for death yet to come. Whether you believe the prophet’s words, or are here simply to chase some excess and violence to shave off another day of chase from She Who Thirsts, we go forth for war united. Fight in your bands, but know we fight together. It’s a particular delight seeing you brethren commit to war. A very particular delight seeing you needing… nay, wanting… to see your shots flense the foe, your blades draw blood. You grew up on the Craftworld, but inside is something older.”

The Spiritseer then spoke, their voice low but commanding as it modulated through the mask’s speaker. “We may work at similar aims, but we are different. Do not forget that.” The Archon bowed with an absurd deference, as if accepting the comment but also making light of it. The Seer continued, undeterred. “Our actions in these battles walk the line of death, bringing forth Ynnead as we are promised. The very spirits buried in our stones and our wraithbone cry out for death–the death we are about to mete out. Let us sally forth and destroy all we face. In the name of Ynnead and of the Prophet herself!”

Game One: Demons and Dust

The initial strike of the combined force of Ynnari devotees brought them to the outskirts of an industrial segment of a small town, once occupied by the mon-keigh. There was death here, and soon enough it revealed just what sort. The very walking dead–spirits of dust in armor–had convinced some cults amongst the mon-keigh to rise up and start unspeakable rituals to spread their predations.

The mechanized portions of the Aeldari force dispensed with the cultists on the left flank, whilst on the right a group of arena-trained wyches dove into the masses of warriors to tear them apart. The sheer bloodshed was unimaginable, as the wyches had to fight desperately given the tight quarters atop a small industrial platform.

In the distance, the rituals of the dust-suited warriors culminated, and daemons of a sort leached their way into realspace. The lines of Kabalite warriors barely got to fire before the malign sorceries of the assembled foes tore into them. Heads exploded and bodies fell rigid with destroyed minds in the mental onslaughts.

While the masses fell, the damage to the armored dust-warriors carried the day. Too many suits perished, and their leader fled on their strange disk-like conveyance–followed by their warriors teleporting to some distant fighting ship. The core of the Ynnari held long enough to secure the battlefield, and turn the carnage and interrupted rituals into work for the goddess of death.

Game Two: Breeding Nests

Pouring over careful scan data, Archon Yraleath found a likely spot to strike. The Seer may be a true believer, but Yralreath was more cagey. Finding a way to use violence and war to duck the predations of She Who Thirsts had been what he had done for generations. He painted pictures of the battlefields, triptychs of life becoming death, and it had held her at bay thus far. Tho each time, a bit less, he knew. That’s why the words of the prophet were at least worth listening to now. And if he could turn that Seer and their forces into a tool for his own machinations in the Commorragh, then all the better.

But that meant playing the Seer’s game, and interpreting the strange visions. After their prior battle, the Seer had spoken of the various ways the goddess of death was denied–the armored warriors of the mon-keigh with their dust bodies being only one such method. His scans turned up another: multiple tendrils of a cosmos-spanning hive fleet had reached Scylla Quintus, and the way that the fleet destroyed everything but turned it into more Tyranid… life… was perverse enough an affront to him. Their sheer lack of artistry, of freedom, of creativity in destruction? That was worth ending–and Yralreath pitched that much to the Seer.

Agreeing to strike at the hive fleet, the forces set upon a spot where an initial tendril bombardment had seeded the very ground with the invasive organisms that called to and guided their forces. The Ynnari forces were tasked with finding the various nests where they were buried and eliminating them, so that the spread of the Tyranid vanguard organisms would be blunted. Of course, some of the beasts were already on the ground near these, defending them while the rest of the fleet drew closer. Fierce Tyranid Warriors were cut down in droves by the Wyches, but they seemed almost limitless in response–and killed many of the area-trained themselves.

The Spiritseer’s Guardians rode with them in a Wave Serpent, and rushed toward the mental commanders of the Tyranid force. A pod of Zoathropes nearly destroyed the crew of the Wave Serpent with their mental onslaught. The pilot hung on long enough to deliver them, and the Spiritseer put an ancient curse of Doom upon them, which enabled shuriken to tear through their armored forms with precision.

The forces of the Archon and the Seer were able to unearth and destroy all four of the buried nascent vanguard organism nests–fusion blasts and grenades destroying each of them. The worse of the Tyranid forces were held at bay, in no small part thanks to the sacrifices of both Drukhari and Asuryani transport craft crew. One daring Raider interposed itself of the hordes of smaller beasts and the birthing creature that carried them, only to be shattered by their small claws and finally shot thru by the spines launched by the mother-creature. As the Ynnari forces withdrew in victory, they knew that deaths of some of their number were the price to pay for the goddess of death to tighten her grip on the system, and the eventual rise of Ynnead herself.

Painting Progress

Plenty of painting these past two weeks. First, I finally managed to put the highlights on my second Ravager, this one equipped with Dark Lances. As I’m playing Ynnari right now, I’ll have to paint up a Heavy Support choice for the Asuryani to be able to field this one. But glad it got it done, as it adds more heavy firepower to my forces.

Very first of my Asuryani forces that I finished up was a Wave Serpent. I’ve got a pretty mechanized infantry approach to Drukhari, so to balance that I’ll need a whole lot of Wave Serpents too (tho I may swap back on occasion to a pure Drukhari list just to make progress on many Venoms). Pretty pleased both with how it turned out, and with how it matches my Drukhari forces well. These two armies are going to really click together.

Finally, I needed to complete the Spiritseer leader of the Asuryani side of the force. I did them up with a weapon swap to be holding a Hekatarii blade, to make them fit just a bit closer to my Drukhari forces. I will likely do up a Farseer too soon, but I had this model and they seemed good to try out the various colors (hard to do the arms/glove with the armor highlights, but do a different set of lowlights for the robes still in the same base color. I think it turned out okay tho.

Overall I’m pretty pleased with the painting progress so far, and if I’m going to hit 365 or more Power Level painted this year it’s time to focus in (as we’re nearing the end of April already). So I think it’ll be Aeldari that become the year’s focus–especially because when I set them on the table they look so slick and unified (even between Asuryani and Drukhari).

Painting Challenge 2022 Progress

Warhammer 40k Aeldari 2022 Power Level Painted Total: 115/365