Warp Rift The Netzine

Issue 27 Horizon From the Nexus Publishing House

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+++ Submissions +++ +++ Warp Rift Publication Team +++

All types of article are desperately needed, to keep this publication alive. In some cases, Roy (Horizon) Amkreutz Void Stalker II submission includes inclusion on the web site at: www.epic40k.co.uk, or through www. tacticalwargames.net. Please include a note with your submission if you would like this Iain (Cybershadow) Watcher in the Dark clarified. Submission via e-mail implies approval for publication. Ray Bell Admirality Reg Steiner War Veteran Editorial Send your submissions to: Davide ‘Kratz’ Ferrari [email protected] Jack Watling Magician

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[email protected] Credits: Cover Picture Christian Schwager

Send your battle reports to: Additional Graphics & Pictures: Kharneth, John ‘Magelord’ Reed, Christian Schwager. [email protected]

Warp Rift • Issue TwentySeven • January 2010 +++ Apocalypse +++ +++ Warp Rift Blog +++ Issue twentySeven – Content:

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Through various issues this issue took a longer http://www.players.tacticalwargames.net/tiki- Encyclopedia Gothica waiting then what I intended. But, alas, these view_blog.php?blogId=10 Admirals & Commander 4 things happen and most of all Warp Rift didn’t Fighters & Bombers : Rule Mod 6 crumble! Rogue Traders 10 +++ Warp Rift Forum +++ As official support might be non-existent the community is still going strong if looking at the Check out the Warp Rift forum at: fan made material: from full fleet books to poetry and from campaign software to fleet building http://www.tacticalwargames.net/forums/index. Showcase applications it is all being done. cgi?act=SF;f=89 Tau Space Stations & vessels 15 So a big thumbs up for all of you investing there time in this game called Battlefleet Gothic. +++ BFG: Fan Supplements +++ This issue of Warp Rift sees the second and last Officer’s Mess part of the story started in issue 26. The Ship - part 2 of 2 18 The last few months a couple of fan made additions But before we get there we have an article on have been released to support Battlefleet Gothic: expanding the options for our admirals, a quite extensive and heavy rule modification regarding fighter and bonber rules, a review of the Fantasy • Battlefleet Chronicles: Diasporex Nomads Void Stalker a development upon the list as presented in a Editorial Flight Games book Rogue Trader and its merits Battle for the Stygies System 29 to Battlefleet Gothic. previous issue of Warp Rift with more!

In the showcase Harkon brings us once more • Starblade some heavy conversion work for the Tau Empire, a poem-art book plus narrative scenarios. with some really large space stations... The CLOSING PAGE Word is that the first supplement to the Art of Craftworld 32 Command is also being on the brink of release. After we have read the concluding end to ‘The by John ‘Magelord’ Reed Ship’ a neat campaign article is given us in the Soon to be expected an encyclopedia and more Void Stalker section. from the Chronicles team. enjoy, Horizon Horizon Encyclopaedia Gothica If more than one such add-on is purchased for for + cost point purchased (original total is new the ship, add-on same the such one than more If point add-on. or ship’s upgrade the the receiving cost to multiplied 10% cost and add-ons upgrades crew and weapon, ship, the of each campaign, a in paid cost 10% normal the like Just lists. upgrade campaign the from ‘goodies’ special those ‘purchase we now Only time. second a personage We ‘spend’ our points we used for a fleetcommander Second a maybe and force. battle ships our have we Now torpedo. our special all choose Then or points. Chieftain, 100 for (or race) that to Admiral applies whatever or that Warlord, with start Let’s First Not anymore. points? of waste a re-do Maybe a check? get failed to a way on expensive real a seem it Does can you cheap points. 40 for a re-roll one points Or with commander re-rolls. 250 three with “measly” Admiral a an have For fleet. ‘lead’ to the kind some of out Commander picking a and with forces, start to has game one-of Every Started Getting upgrades! and skills some) (atleast getting for use to rule a is here now Well, going. campaign a get to tough it find us of Most campaign. a play we unless have cannot we skills crew and upgrades those after lusted have players us of all games, one-of many In Introduction Get themost outof your Admiral : :

10% = new total) must be multiplied again by 10%. 10%. by again multiplied be must total) new = 10% to bring the improvements with him to the fleet he fleet the to him with improvements the bring to leader’s)(or ability other Admiral’s and re-rolls the of cost the blend to meant is breakdown costs The rules. core the of section Campaign the from straight come rankings These fight! the to brings title, other or War-Chief, or Admiral the skills and items useful and ‘real’ some for costs points those use we Now you fight.that scenarios the in you of receive Marks or re-rolls many how determines Yourrank options. those of some over look us Now,let remain question. some is there can if later, into ones checked be can which details The unknown. but upgrades, two got vessel priced It to some battleship spot may be easy description. item each not used, you math the with check-sheet opponent, your hand the on costs points the to extras each any for limit Just ruined. be would surprises surprise the other, some engineer to attempting are game this for battle-opponent your and you If cruiser. point 180 a of cost 10% the than more certainly is battleship point 300 a of 10% So upgraded. is percentage that ship a the of as priced are add-ons the and of many upgrades Now his. over look you And math. your check to have battle-buddy your It hurts never purchased. be can upgrades many so if time, fourth or third a on so And total) new second = 10% + total new (first By RegSteiner 4 the “Appeals” chart once. A Solar Admiral may may below. See “Appeal”. an at Admiral attempts two make Solar A once. chart “Appeals” way the the on roll to in elect can each points Instead, above. the described spend NOT to elect may option Special Admiral Solar Admiral Fleet Admiral 9 Leadership Commander Subsector 8 Leadership Commander Group Battle Commander TABLE PROMOTION IMPERIAL 18) = (10% 180 of ship! point 180 a for 18 points at each items 5 NOT 10%. another by multiplied added, is option second a if used is total new the then the purchased, item by per cost, points multiplied ship 10% and is rule improvements the - race’s lists upgrades different a when cost, at upgrade’s an looking of question a is there If fleet. your for leader point 100 a ifyou purchased purchased. fleet, for of the add-ons 100 points commander the of cost the to is limited ‘purchase’ can leader fleet a improvements The commands. Leadership 10 Leadership 10 Leadership 9 Leadership 8 Leadership

: An Admiral and Fleet Admiral Admiral Fleet and Admiral An :

4 re-rolls 4 re-rolls 3 3 re-rolls 3 re-roll 1 2 re-rolls 2 re-rolls 2

300 points 300 points 250 points 200 points 150 points 100 points 75 Encyclopaedia Gothica +0 Leadership 1 re-roll 1 Leadership +0 Captain TABLE PROMOTION ELDAR re-rolls 4 +2 Leadership Warlord re-rolls 3 +2 Leadership Boss War re-rolls 3 +1 Leadership Boss Big re-rolls 2 +1 Leadership Boss re-rolls 2 Leadership +0 Nob Big re-roll 1 Leadership +0 Nob TABLE PROMOTION below. See of instead. “Appeal” attempt an purchases make and the above, listed make upgrades NOT the to elect each may option Special Chaos of Marks 3 & re-roll 1 10 Leadership Warmaster Chaos of Marks 2 & re-roll 1 10 Leadership Overlord Chaos of Marks 2 & re-roll 1 9 Leadership Lord Chaos Chaos of Mark 1 & re-roll 1 9 Leadership Tyrant Chaos of Mark 1 & re-roll 1 8 Leadership Champion Chaos Exalted Champion Chaos TABLE PROMOTION CHAOS/RENEGADE Leadership 8 8 Leadership

: A Chaos Overlord and Warmaster Warmaster and Overlord Chaos A :

1 re-roll 1

50 points 50 points 200 175points points 150 points 125 points 80 points 40 points 225 points 200 175points points 100 points 75 points 50

Shadow Prince Prince Shadow re-rolls 2 +2 Leadership Prince re-rolls 2 +1 Leadership Lord Shadow re-roll 1 +1 Leadership Lord or two points, then the Tyranid player may have have may player Tyranid the then points, two or one by roll D3 the wins player Tyranid add- the less If two ons. then points, two is difference the If selected. was commander own his use when to chose player non-Tyranid the or than upgrade add-on less one have may player Tyranid the If the non-Tyranid the by roll player wins one point, rolled. number the match and each a D3 die, roll to is A suggestion add-ons. and upgrades any into getting of means a as use to costs leader or leader comparable no have fleets Necron and The Tyranid NECRONS AND re-rolls 3 9 Leadership Aun’O Tau Kor’O re-rolls 2 9 Leadership Aun’el & Tau Kor’O re-roll 1 9 Leadership Tau Kor’O re-rolls 3 8 Leadership TauAun’O Kor’el & re-rolls 2 8 Leadership TauAun’elKor’el & re-roll 1 8 Leadership TauKor’el TABLE TAUPROMOTION re-rolls 4 +2 Leadership King re-rolls 3 +2 Leadership

5

200 points 200 175points points 125 points 100 155 points 155 points 130 points 125 points 275

80 points 80 points 75 points 50 start of a campaign, after all! door’ after ‘back campaign, a of the start be may just This manner. this in selected commander games the game keeping on subsequent agree to later, need local in The players the games. or group, future any in add-ons, any in so, add-ons be or manner, cannot upgraded this have additional If and upgrades games. gaining ship, additional upgraded in use ship’s to the save registry to possible is it sometimes Lastly, = 6. = 5. = 4. = 3. = 2. = 1. chart. below the use ship, available bribery any a choosing of in Instead wasted attempt!). were points those all means ( a a 2+ where failure a is success appeal, for an Roll chart. Appeals Special ship by ship a not fleet, system. upgrade entire the for difference total allowed the is This selected. be can items of numbers equal non-Tyranid means a match course player. the Of than upgrades more two or one

Escort squadron of 4 Escorts. 4 of squadron Escort type Cruiser Heavy 1 Cruiser) (or Grand type Battleship 1 cruiser. standard single a then unavailable, if - types Cruiser Light 2 type Cruiser Standard 1 Escorts. 3 of Squadron Escort 1 of alternative an OR , Cruiser Light 1 Reg Steiner. Reg

Encyclopaedia Gothica new tactical element as you can’t afford to just just to afford can’t away. you them throw as element tactical new whole and a adds try and you for Bombers and make Fighters created now conserve I’ve rules rules These the system. all this are detail in Now 3: 2: 1: : now that are system the GW to changes main the essentially rules, original my read not have who you of those for squadrons, of race’s each weaknesses and strengths various the establishing and rules as original the bombers comprehensive; refining as torpedo well more and far Boats Assault is covering edition this rules, Here of is the edition second my andbomber fighter

you get additional squadrons for every launch bay.launch every for as squadrons obsolete additional get carriers you make not does they more this the have, ship, the bigger the Bomberss, versus dogfights! Fighter and on clashes Bomber versus elaborate Fighter and incorporate to Fighter to rules of mainly set is a this how show left, to are dice many the is change each you as dice, destroyed a by represented Bombers or on. goes game the as decrease slowly to Bombers and Fighters of number the any causes this all, produce them you’ve once more launched not do you fleet, the in Bombers Now every ship carries some Fighters and and Fighters some carries ship every Now Fighters six now is there squadron each In and Fighters of number limited a is There Fighter and Bomber Rules Mod By Solar Admiral Nathan Gull(S.A.N.G) Rule 1: Rule a battleship carries). battleship a of squadrons value base its to (in addition bombers additional eight get be 4and must fighters be must 8 4 squads squadrons, of strength total a of bays launch with battleship Emperor an so fighters, are half and bombers are half exactly ship, the on bays of of to equal launch squadrons the all strength total on a number add bays Launch of each. 2 squadrons of squadron carry battleships one and Bombers of one and Fighters carry etc) battlecruisers heavy, (grand, squadrons: cruisers all less standard, as none with carry escorts battle a for of alternatively or four two battles) battleships smaller and carry and campaigns for (recommended three cruisers cruisers Grand Bomberss, each, of one and 2: Rule below. detailed as etc. exploding ships capital by or fighters, by Lances, and only Batteries Weapon by removed are destroyed, are counters squadron of the 6 members all when left, are many show to how possible) if faction one for dice coloured (same counter each of top on ordinary D6 a to place bombers), comparison in take can Manta a hits more many how represent could 6 the 6s, in come this but story would make them very bad in and background rules these so also the in 1 of squadrons in come (Mantas squadron a to ships 6 with game Fighter and Bomber counters now start the the start now counters Bomber and Fighter Escorts carry one squadron of Fighterss Fighterss of squadron one carry Escorts 6 movement and SO etc.) SO and movement before phase, Bomber and Fighter of the end at the ships attacking Bombers from applied is (damage normal as ships goes normal everything and before orders the special after in move you phase then Bomber orders, you and special Fighter essentially an so phase), insert every in Bomber out and fought Fighter are both encounters in but than phases, rather phase movement sides their own on move ships only Bombers normal and any (Fighters then move out later) fight (explained Bombers and encounters Fighters then move first, Bombers and Fighters that so adapted is now phase movement the ordnance, not themselves 4: Rule ship. a onto loaded if re-armed are Boats Assault is and bombers torpedo carrier later explained the as destroyed, unless inside that harmed is be can’t squadrons they recovering to benefit only The well. as destroyed are destroyed is which ship a on squadrons Any wish. you if phase movement next the in be re-launched may then they are, squadrons you to the where remind similar or ship somewhere the for sheet data the on squadron the place carry), can ship that squadrons maximum the ship to up (only the onto recovered be may ship Bomber friendly a of or base the with Fighter contact into comes any which squadron Bombers and Fighters recover To can happens. launching Bombers the or turn the move Fighters launched the nor ship launching the neither of any movement phase, start Rule 3: Fighters and be can Fighters Bombers at launched the Fighters and Bombers now count as ships ships as count now Bombers and Fighters

Encyclopaedia Gothica equal or beat that score destroy one enemy ship ship enemy one that destroy dice score any that beat need, or you equal score what see to these of rules end the at table kill” to not or kill “to the consult and attacking is that squadron the in ship if bombers the a for D6 each roll engaged) or types multiple are there fighters (the attacking be will you enemy of type what nominate attacks To make 3. with fighta-bommas and Thunderhawks and 1 with Mantas Tau except extension by 2 initiative has (and bombers) torpedo and Boat bomber Assault every that note first, have attack to likely less they are they meaning because initiative low last going rather automatically now than initiative for roll lower bombers the one/ones. before goes highest is whichever same, the score that for any a dice roll etc. second highest side, second the each first, attacks on score ship initiative highest each the for score total the the add get to and score dice the dice to squadron a the for rating roll initiative initiative, for roll First other). each chasing after anyway space of area different a in up end will fighters the other each as engage places they when original their from moved the possible are if as counters matter not far does (it as touching counters other, of with the line one facing is faction there that one another, so counters touches the up counter line squadron one When each another’s as onto high! sky him blow latch and melee tale to swirling attempts ship a in individual engage ships The dogfight! a start they contact squadrons) other any or Fighter Encounter: go! we here so boring, too and disappearing other then each engaging fighters found I as the rules in changes largest the of one is and revamped Engagements: 5: Rule

when squadron markers (Bomber or or (Bomber markers squadron when Engagements have been completely completely been have Engagements having higher initiative rendering them relatively relatively them rendering chaos by initiative higher negated having is advantage 3 this defence but 4+s with need fighters with Chaos fighters attacking 3 Imperial attack 5+s, need 5 fighters defence Imperial with attacking 4 attack with fighters Chaos instance for So attacking. were you type the of randomize) to D6 a (roll squadron random a in ae t iu 1 s a iha ob atcig a attacking Bomba Fighta a so 1, all minus are at hit made to rolls their except as way bombers same ordinary the in runs bombing make Fighta Bombas that note more Fighters, and much Bombers to lances that deadly and rules are Batteries Weapon there below make and take to cruiser) above a example down the in bombers of worth cruisers (two them of few are overpowered, there remember but tremendously seem may Bombers 5 equals cruiser. the which crippling hits those, of out 6s two and 5s three say gets and 20D6 destroyed= bombers four the – Bombers) 6 of bombing (4squadrons 24D6 the rolls 2+2, then player a and 1+6 3+5, 4+6, a and gets squadron, say every against turrets player for the 2D6 hits, rolls 8 and 5 of armour lowest 2 with turrets, 4 cruiser a so attack bombers shields), of squadrons full value (bypassing point armour damage lowest a the scores beats or equals any squadron, which each in bomber each for D6 a roll you made, been have shots effective, turret once squad), every at less shoot turrets are since bombers of waves form turrets cannot the bomber but every counter against any shots apply turret not get you does more, waves the forming squadron, for a (not rules bomber old a squadron, destroy each 4+ a against on shots original turret the make to rules, similar ship: Capital Vs Bomber at table rules. these of end the attributes the on found be can each squadron for ratings defence and attack initiative, The equal. 7 bombers can replace as many of the bomber bomber the of many with wants player the as as carries ship torpedo the squadrons or replace Boats can Assault bombers carries which ship A them. represent to marker fighter a over dice coloured a different use table, attributes on the see can you as version better a just are and fighters as act they ships, your of one board on squadrons fighter your of one replace they and each pts 10 at fleet your of pts 500 per squadron elite 1 purchase bommas, can You bombers) or Boats fighta- Assault bombers, torp Thunderhawks, elite (no units fighter race; elite have only each can you for best, the of squadron best the of type new a are Elites rules. Games Specialist official the in be would it as same the is Boats Assault take to ships some for needed cost points as the so and does normal boats assault take can which ship Any points. 60 additional an cost would bombers torpedo carrying cruiser class Eclipse Eldar an so bay, launch per +15points pay Dark Eldar, must Tau or vessels of Eldar Tau ordnance, and Eldar superiority the to Due points. 40 bombers, pay would cruiser torpedo class Dictator cruiser Imperial carry an while to heavy points class 60 pay Styx would Chaos a example, For the on bay launch vessel. of point strength per pts of +10cost additional an at bombers torpedo carry to 6: Rule as act fighters and torpedoes normal. the roll then the if failed removed, is is salvo torpedo the 4+ a on squadron, the for D6 a roll then touches marker torpedo marker a fighter a if torpedoes: Vs Fighter 4+). a by followed 6 a need (you damaged is ship the 4+ a on again, it roll 6 a scores to 6s that need dice each for 7+ then is armour requirement the lowest if hit, its as 5+ with cruiser Any ship with launch bays can be upgraded upgraded be can bays launch with ship Any Encyclopaedia Gothica e bc t te ohr hp n r-r, hn a when re-arm, must and ship then mother bombers the to torpedo back get the ship, capital a from fired torps normal as move which squadron the of front in torps remaining the place fired), are torps other when ships the capital for of phase start shooting the (at fires bomber torpedo a When 1. strength to reduced is the marker torpedo if the then top, bombers less on or 3 to reduced dice is squadron the underneath a and have their marker of top on placed bombers salvo torpedo Torpedo two strength Bombers: Torpedo the in ships three squadron. only be still will there leave ship they the when then squadron their in ships the of three only with instance for cruiser a onto squadron loads boat Assault an if ships, lost any regain are on which loaded (Squadrons a board ship do not destroyed. is squadron the then run and hit a fails boat Assault an if runs, more make to redeployed be then may they weapons, and explosives of stock men their the the hit and replenishing attempted run show having to reloaded is it where ship a it onto loaded is it then until run attacks run and and hit hit make cannot its on succeeds an If boat successful. assault be to likely less are runs and hit only is there troops if less with that show to and 6+ a need you left one 5+ a need you left are ships there two if successful, be the to in 4+ a left need you ships squad three are there if 3+, a on attack run and hit a leftmaking in ships succeeds it four squadron are a in there if it 2+, left a five on are succeeds there also if hit 2+, the a on then succeeds squadron run the and in ships if six bombers), are were (which they there if attacks as turret Boats Assault after attack attack run and hit a an enemy make ship Boat attacks Assault the When an base. ship’s enemy with contact into come they when except race their of bombers the as same the act Boats Assault squadrons. bomber Torpedo or Boats Assault eetr h fgt ih feh av dpoig as deploying salvo then fresh a can with it fight squadron, the the re-enter strength in more bombers, are 4 there than if 2 less are there if torpedo 1 salvo strength a gains and reloaded is a it onto ship loaded is it if fire, to torpedoes no has and runs bombing make cannot it except bomber a as acts then it torpedoes its fired has bomber torpedo it makes it too complicated. The effect of a plasma plasma a of effect The complicated. too it makes it ship the I think but you to up its hits attacking, are it bombers the ship another from miss shots if the that rule a in put to want may you but ship, the hit will bombers the miss that ships other as them, at shoot can with contact in are Bombers the ship the only that say to tend I although runs, bombing bombers small the ship), the swarming but are at turrets only used against blaze weapons all the in (all Lances arcs and Batteries Weapon all with ship the with contact base in still are and run bombing a made have they if phase shooting the in bombers at shoot to possible is it Also, on). locked is ship a if Bombers or Fighters of against point Lances for per strength 2D3 (roll destroyed are Bombers or Fighters eight so 4D3, rolled, are rolls 3 and 2 4 2, 1, a say then strength of lance a so destroyed, are Bombers or Fighters many how you tells result the D3, a roll has lance the strength of point every for ships, some least at destroy to guaranteed now are for 10D6, Lances rolls is destroyed, or Bomber Fighter 10an 4+ every of strength Battery Weapon a so destroyed, is Bomber or Fighter an 4+ a on has, a Battery Weapon the rolls strength of point squadron every for D6 a against fired battery a before, weapons did they than hit they when less destroy but Bombers, and Fighters destroy and hit to easier Rule7: bombers. ordinary like act fire only they where bombers, dogfights in engage and torpedoes their ordinary like runs bombing make CANNOT bombers torpedo that note usual, Lances and Weapon Batteries find it much much it find Batteries Weapon and Lances 8 Pyro-acid batteries Pyro-acid claws Massive tentacles Feeder plasma Bio squadron the from ships D6 loses generator pulse Star Portals whips Particle arcs Lightning Sepulchres salvo. torpedo Impaler killed. Lance Phantom cannons Bombardment destroyed is Bomber or Fighter an 4+ a on has, Heavy Gunz destroyed is B or F an 3+ a on has, WB the Eldar Weapon Battery squadron the in destroyed ships Lance Pulsar destroyed squadron is B or Lance F an 4+ a on destroyed has, Battery Weapon the battery Weapons squadrons on effects Weapon covered. partially squadron a in ships D6 and template the under completely squadrons all destroy cannons Nova range. within fighter tiny every in suck or destroy will it but course, its alter slightly and a battleship maul only might realspace in tear a whatever, or warp the into all them sends implosion or range, within Bombers warpdrive and Fighters all A destroys range. within squadron every on hits 2D3 does cruiser point damage 8 lance an do so up), (rounding hits, hits original original the quarter the = shots half = shots lance of drive overload on and Fighters Bombers was instead : strength of lance battery XD3= ships in the the in ships XD3= battery lance of strength : : cannot use on squadrons on use cannot : : When fighters contact it treat it as a as it treat it contact fighters When : : cannot fire on squadrons on fire cannot : : Same as lances as Same : : : 2D6 for the point every HGof strength : strength of lance battery X2D6= X2D6= battery lance of strength : : No effect on squadrons on effect No : : Same as lances as Same : : Same as heavy gunz. heavy as Same : : No effect on squadrons on effect No : : D3+1 ships in the squadron squadron the in ships D3+1 : : D6 for every point of strength strength of point every for D6 : : Same as Weapon Batteries Weapon as Same : : any squadron within range range within squadron any : : : D6 for every point of strength : same as heavy gunz heavy as same : : Encyclopaedia Gothica o te eann bmes yu a ol hv a have and of of fighters squadron 1 only incomplete maximum can (you bombers remaining the for thing same the do squadron a battle, next the for plus fighters 3 of fighters 6 of squadrons full five have will fleet the so 3, us and gives .5 which 6 by it the times take then We onboard. battle next the for squadrons full five are there means that 5.5, get 6 to by this divide we battle, a after left fighters 33 of a total have you if so squadron, understrengthed the in left are fighters many how shows this six, by it and multiply decimal the over,take left squadron strength part a have you then number, the of end the at decimal a is there if squadrons. strength strength full produce low to show together merged to been have is squadrons this most) at board on can Bombers of bays one and launch Fighters of squad 1 without have only escorts (so start the the to at board up on had only they squadrons have of number can original ship each except wish you however may fleet you the throughout has, these fleet distribute your squadrons of number strength total the full you gives score number each this divide 6, and by them) on transport were to they ship a unless escape can’t and victors the by killed and down hunted be would others any as on loaded have must you which (the disengaged which survived ship a inside but squadrons counts only squadrons side losing that the their of all up Bombers count side and winning Fighters of number total the up add battle every of end the At time! next dry leftand you’rehigh replacements, get don’t and once at all them expend you if replaced, killed are who pilots their and bombers fighters, get to have you as time a at some use only you advise I but battleships, on 4 and cruisers grand on 3 Bombers cruisers, of on 2 1 escorts, on and Fighters of original squad 1 the with of with amount come campaign ships a all doing then are rules you these if vital, be can Campaigns: For campaigns fighter conservation conservation fighter campaigns For for half of your total escorts rounding up. So if you 1 if up. So rounding and escorts total your of cruiser half for each for 1 battleship, each for 2 to: equal want you as fleet your throughout distribute to squadrons Bomber of number Fighter a of and squadrons number a gain you effect the applying of instead granted, is appeal any if campaign; a in Bs Fs and Toadditional total.) gain in 1 of bombers have a battleship, three cruisers and seven escorts escorts seven and cruisers three battleship, a have Tau Bombers Tau Fighters Adept Mech Bombers Adept Mech Fighters S. Marines thunderhawk Ork Fighta Bommas Tyranid Bombers Tyranid Fighters Dark EldarBombers Dark EldarFighters Eldar Bombers Eldar Fighters Bombers Chaos FightersChaos Imperial Bombers Imperial Fighters Type of Squadron Squadron Attributes Table

Defence Rating

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5+ 4+ 2

3 4 3 4 3 4 3 6 2 5 2 4 2 3 Rating Attack

9

6 6 6 6 6 6 5+ 4+ 3+ 3 6 4 Same as Imperial Same as Imperial 4 2 1 3 1 2 2 3 2 3 2 5 Rating Def.

6 6 6 6 6 5+ 4+ 3+ 2+ 4 1 4 3 3 2 4 2 6 2 6 2 4 2 3 Rating Init.

6 6 6 6 5+ 4+ 3+ 2+ 1+ 5 Turrets on 6+not kill 4 Are treated as Assault Boats Ork Torpedo have Bombers an attack rating of 2 No bombers just A. boats Turrets D3-1kills, Lance: hit on 5+not 4 D3-1kills Lance: Turrets D3-1kills, Lance: hit on 5+not 4 D3-1kills Lance: Rules Special

Attack Rating

replaced, crippled Tyranid ships cannot launch launch cannot usual. as bombers and ships fighters Tyranid crippled automatically replaced, are they so ships their on spawned are they as campaign a in Tyranids to apply not do your bombers of and fighters all replacing for rules and The ships. any on station can you which Bs and Fs of squadrons 9 equals escorts the for 4 and 2 you of for BB, gain then 3 each the for cruisers the 6 6 6 5+ 4+ 3+ 2+ 1+ 1+ 6

6 6 5+ 4+ 3+ 2+ 1+ 1+ 1+ 7

6 5+ 4+ 3+ 2+ 1+ 1+ 1+ 1+ 8

5+ 4+ 3+ 2+ 1+ 1+ 1+ 1+ 1+ 9

4+ 3+ 2+ 1+ 1+ 1+ 1+ 1+ 1+ 10 Encyclopaedia Gothica about BattlefleetGothic?” Warpwith have fanzinethatto a does butwhatRift, Dark to up follow Heresy. the Fine you may being say: “A role-playing is game, nice, It Trader. Rogue Role- major second playing Game set their in the Warhammer released 40,000 universe: Games Flight Fantasy this) reading of time (by ago months few A Check out http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ forcool free extra downloads regarding the Rogue Trader game. Rogue Traders By ‘Horizon’ Roy Amkreutz good read for any Battlefleet Gothic fan, especially especially fan, Gothic Battlefleet any for read good real a information is of wealth view The battles. space on role-playing a brings the on and themselves details of vessels a lot offers It combat. spaceship and spaceships on section large a Traderhas so do Rogue that to fact the are reasons of reasons catching eye most the but a number a quite are There 10 it in “our” Battlefleet Gothic universe. As Rift As universe. Warp Gothic “our” Battlefleet in it the through you Rogue Trader book and guide give you ideas on how to use will article following The Navy and Adeptus Mechanicus. theImperial to extends also it but fleet, ofcourseones the having Traderor Rogue a starting Encyclopaedia Gothica and ideas for your fleet admiral/captain this chapterthis admiral/captain fleet yourfor ideas and game.Ifyou’re backgrounds,stuckmotivationswith characters which are directly ‘known’ in our spaceship the Trader Rogue mainly Magosand the Explorator are these as are it players Gothic Battlefleet us For character your give to substance. factor random a with yet not a tedious task. There are manylayers and options, requireitreadingof issecondgrasp it a togetthe all may book the It characters. our create can we how us and tables shows guidelines various Through Chapter I-Character Creation Citadel available the miniatures. of because 40k started they spaceshipminiaturesnowhere available atthat time the had thatintention they createtospaceship game. a Butthere since 40k, Trader fact Rogue before the ago, long mentions RPG. Trader he Rogue enough the Interestingly to blessing his gives he which in Merret Alan by letter a read can we Inside interestthe way. is inagood raised and phenomena celestial mysterious various Add to these ships. Eldar Craftworld and flotilla Chaos small a ships, Imperial wrecked see the can we In details Expanse. Koronus the showing pages, two spanning map, white & black great a inside the On backgroundthe acouple we see of Rogue Imperial vessels. A In vessel. details: his of bridge the of on team his Trader lotswith with setter scene Good Cover chapters. Battlefleet the other some toattention less to pay and players Gothic chapters useful more the focus upon more give will I ezine Gothic Battlefleet a is gi a utbe hpe t da ies rm for from ideas draw to chapter suitable a Again character. Providing of your lots of tables and rank advances. creation the into deeper goes chapter This Chapter II-Career Paths give certainly youwill afew or more to ideas follow. This chapter is a must read for us Battlefleet Gothic Battlefleet us for read must a is chapter This Chapter VII-Navigators in powers Warhammer psychic 40,000Universe. on background great for a gives focus it primary as it a read to everyone urge isn’t I But Gothic. Battlefleet that chapter a Again Chapter VI-Psychic Powers available to your Trader Rogue characters. and does it gives nice information on various kind of equipment what does chapter The player. Gothic Perhaps a chapter of less interest to sole the Battlefleet Chapter V-Armoury andfun motivation. to bits interesting for just Gothic, Battlefleet in some character your flavour quite has It characters. your to available straightforward talents the detailing very time this but III, chapter as same Again, Chapter IV-Talents andbasic advanced to your skills character. Straightforward as the title: what are the effects ofthe Chapter III-Skills background more information for any provides of characters. the also It Captain. your 11 opnns edd o a esl rm h Plasma Drives to the Crew Compartments to Sensors. the from vessel a for needed components Components little effort. to& statisticsthe rules make will them possible with adjustment easy An weaponry. dorsal the is cruiser battle to majorcruiser changefrom the that now we playerGothic Battlefleet a largeasones), realyet the (except Traders Rogue for off-limits cases most in intentional choice. It an also mentions Battleships: battlecruisers are of absence the notes also book The Light Cruisers and Cruisers. Each described in detail. Ship types for upgrades. room is there if afforded and be may type ship what Ship Profit factor ofthe Rogue Traderthat generated determines the is It impact. most has Detection itself GenerationComponentsand forexample. battle On Power Detection, depth: more combat space a give to new are some but player Gothic Battlefleet a to * little differencesthroughout the ship. the recognizing and used getting ships;‘their’ to get life aboard a Starship and how attached crewmembers * possible… player should go into this chapter as open minded as Gothic Battlefleet waiting a that say would been I all haveof First for! we chapter the then, right All Chapter VIII-Starships various Navigator the Houses. on background offers also It travelled. is warp the how work Navigators how us shows It players. Starships Characteristics : the game uses Transports, Raiders, Frigates, : the introduction gives a description on description a gives introduction the : : It starts with describing the essential the describing with starts It : a e o te ae ey custom very are them of few a : regards the Machine-Spirit and the shadow of past Starship Combat: As Battlefleet Gothic players we History. It isn’t all bad but it certainly makes them know how space combat works in ‘our’ game; Rogue ‘lively’. Trader starship combat has a lot of comparisons with Battlefleet Gothic but has added some additional Essential Components: For each essential component details, which are better for role-playing, yet did not there are various types available, for example for a include some things we Battlefleet Gothic players are plasma drive one may choose from various Jovian quite used to. patterns or a Lathe Pattern. Having a cruiser or escort sized vessel limits the choices somewhat. In Perhaps the biggest difference is the fact that in the weapon part it is nice to see how varied Weapon Battlefleet Gothic we are used to a massive fleets and Batteries really are. now in Rogue Trader it is quite common, more like normal, to have one escort fighting another escort. Supplemental Components: Again there are various You won’t see a large fleet action here anytime soon. types available for specific components. Weapon Battery variants (Thunderstrike, Mars, The first thing that makes a difference is the use of Sunsear and Ryza patterns) and Lances (Starbreaker, the rules surprise and initiative. Two factors which Titanforge patterns) each with its own statistics and determine the start and order of the combat. cost value. Other essential components are Cargo and Passenger Through the skills of the players’ statistics a lot of Compartments and Augments and Enhancements. actions are determined and rolled for. Next we can add additional facilities as Crew Reclamation Facilities, Temple-Shrines, Observation Moving and manoeuvring is quite similar with Domes and others. maximum movement, half movement and the fact More expensive and rare upgrades fall in the Aerotech escorts can turn 90 degrees and capital ships 45 (eg Bridge of Antiquity) and Xeno-Tech (eg Ghost degrees once per turn. But instead of just having the Field) components. speed you want (moving as far as you want) you need to do a skill test to adjust speed accordingly. It applies NPC Vessels: Gives us two pre-generated vessels to turning. with all their statistics that our Rogue Trader may encounter during his voyages. Last we are shown an And yes, Rogue Trader also has Come to New example Wayfarer station. Each entry details which Heading. But the book also details Role Playing rules Constructing Ships: first of a ship type is selected. The essential and supplemental components are used. like Aid the Machine Spirit (better manoeuvrability), book gives eight basic hull types. Each has its own disinformation (better morale), Flank speed, focused set of statistics like Speed, Manoeuvrability, Armour Example Rogue Trader Vessel: A pre generated vessel augury and more. Some of these extras could find a and Hull Integrity. The selection ranges from cheap which starting players may use as they start playing. place in Battlefleet Gothic as well. But I will cover Jericho-class Pilgrim vessels, Havoc-class Merchant An easy way to get into the game if you are not fond this in the conclusion later in this article. Raiders and Dauntless-class Light Cruisers. of or lack time to create your own spaceship. The A Special Order like Brace for Impact is split into Sabre, a modified Firestorm Class vessel, a quick and several options (through skill tests) like: Hold As ships are almost considering ‘living’ each ships manoeuvrable asset to any Rogue Trader. Fast!, Put your backs into it! and Prepare to Repel gains a random (or pre-set) complication with Boarders. Encyclopaedia Gothica Encyclopaedia 12 Shootings can be done in the arcs, as we know it from rules are introduced ‘on the way’. The last part may seem odd, Enemies of the Imperium, Battlefleet Gothic. Gunnery is resolved using the but it is important in that it notes that a single capital ballistic skill that is modified by range. The result of Chapter X - The Game Master ship going renegade will be able to carve their own this means first a hit on the Void shield that absorbs little Empires. This to show the enormous potential the first hit automatically. Then the gunner needs This chapter is not an introduction guide to become of a single vessel. to roll if the shot has penetrated the armour of the a game master (I would’ve appreciated that…) but a enemy vessel by using the battery strength value guide to be a good game master in the Rogue Trader Chapter XII - Rogue Traders versus the armour. setting. Again some rules are introduced as the Lances do no have to make that roll versus armour. chapter progresses. A detailed read on the background of the most important personage in this very book. If there is The degree of success a hit has means the shot has a Chapter XI - The Imperium one thing you will learn from this chapter it is that higher chance of inflicting critical hits. So no extra Rogue Traders are powerful beyond measure. Upon roll but woven into the attack itself. Critical Hits do The beginning of the background Treasure Cove. It receiving their mighty Warrant of Trade and perhaps all the nasty things they do in Battlefleet Gothic as starts of with giving brief backgrounds on institutions a Grand Mission in name of the Holy Emperor well but a bit changed (Sensors damaged, Internal like the Adeptus Terra, The Administratum and himself a Rogue Trader is given a mighty fleet and Damage) and normal ones (Fire!, Bridge Smashed The Adeptus Custodus. In between a two page army to explore the stars and bring forth the Light under a different name, etc). spanning map with the Imperium and the location of Mankind. of the Koronus Expanse. Then it continues with In the battle boarding is also an option, this can some important zones in the Imperium of Man. This chapter provides another great source for be resolved through skill tests but the more daring Planetary Governance and Planets of the Imperium creating your character and perhaps fleet in Battlefleet Rogue Traders may even attempt to play this out as give a great insight on how large everything really Gothic. In small boxes we can read brief exploits of an adventure itself! is. The planet description is neat. The language and legendary, infamous or forgotten Rogue Traders; culture parts again useful. Then it flows into detailing perhaps giving ideas for future Battlefleet Gothic A very important aspect on your ship is the crew. Communication in those vastnesses. Another large battles and or scenarios. And in Battlefleet Gothic this isn’t an issue but in part is reserved for The Warp: travel, Astronomican, Rogue Trader we are supposed to keep them happy. Navigation, Warpspace channels, Gates, Portals and Chapter XIII - The Koronus Expanse A bad morale among the crew may lead to mutiny! It the creatures… is also important to keep the crew level high enough The following section covers the ‘rules’ for crossing Great full coloured map: a more detailed version of to run your ship. the Void and how illegal shipping and unregistred the black and white version inside the hard cover. ships are taken care of; from Pirate to Alien. Great background. Great setting. Many planets. The chapter ends with detailing sailing the void The chapter then introduces an important read: Many ideas. Plain simple: an excellent setting! A outside of combat and how celestial phenomena The Stellar Fleets. Starting off with detailing the chapter that will see many re-reads on my part. influences the ship. When making deep void runs it registration of ships we learn of the Merchant Fleets, is also noteworthy to know that you carry enough which represents 90 percent of the Stellar Spacecraft The second half of this chapter is just as great with food and supplies on board. in the Imperium. This is rounded with a description its information on the denizens of the Koronus on the Civil Fleets. Expanse. Most importantly these are the Orks, Slaves Chapter IX - Playing the Game The section on the Imperial Navy Battlefleets gives us of Darkness: Chaos Pirates and Renegades and the how the command structure within the Navy works infamous Eldar. But also two newer races going by In essence it describes how to play the game but as from the Lord High Admiral to the Captain of his the names of The Stryxis, a trading race, the alien the chapter continues a whole bunch of tables and ship. Rak´Gol Marauders, an evil corsair race and more. Encyclopaedia Gothica Encyclopaedia 13 All of them offer great backgrounds to create your Concluding alien and/or mercenary fleets in Battlefleet Gothic. In An aspect that intrigues me most is the fact that my opinion a real cool starting point is the Whisper What can I say? The book in itself is a great read. Rogue Trader lays focus on small battles, an escort of Anaris… Anyone who is interested in role-playing should versus another escort. The details in the rules give certainly get it. The book provides a very rich setting enough options to create a lot of variants in the Chapter XIV - Adversaries & Aliens but the 40,000 universe is large and Rogue Traders outcome of that vessel. Re-creating these small travel everywhere and anywhere so there is no battles in Battlefleet Gothic would be quite possible. A thought out chapter on breathing life into the stopping you in playing your games in another area of Stripping out the role-play elements and mixing rules enemies, trade partners, friends and other non- the universe. To mind comes the Eastern Fringe with into BFG would work pretty well. It could lead to fast playing characters. With pre generated profiles for Kar Duniash and the Tau Empire. A large operating and quick battles played under an hour which still the quick starters. ground for Rogue Traders and Merchants. provide an interesting game play. And it is written in the Battlefleet Gothic rulebook Chapter XV - Into the Maw Bu what if you are not interested in role-playing? that the most common engagements are small sized. What if you rather stick to Battlefleet Gothic and The large fleets we usually see are not common. A very cool starting adventure for a Rogue Trader space battles? If you have to money to spare it is still and Company. It guides the game master from start a great buy even if you never go on and play the role- So all in all I am very positive about this book. A good to finish an entertaining story into the Koronus playing game. The background given in this book, expansion to anyone who is into the background of Expanse. on all the various levels and issues, is great as an the 40,000 universe and Rogue Traders in general. inspiration. If you have trouble creating a character The book is ended with a large and handy index. to command your fleet this book contains a wealth of Horizon material to work with. Encyclopaedia Gothica Encyclopaedia 14 Tau Space Stations & Vessels by Harkon Showcase

15 Showcase 16 Showcase LSRTau Vessel Vespid Vessel 17 LSRTau Vessel Vespid Vessel WAAAAAGH Part 2 - 2 of 2 The Ship By Dominic Amlôt

Chapter Six “What is it soldiers!!! Get out there; this is the day you will fight for your Emperor.” The time was 2.30. They had just come from the briefing, it had basically been about telling them how victory was assured and that the God Emperor would “Umm… we just got here, what are we supposed to do?” Williams spoke, but not let them fall. Suddenly klaxons started to sound, people were running to and having once been a officer himself he knew what sort of fuse they had for fro, commanding officers shouting orders, a steady scream of jets grew closer and ignorance. closer, the banshee like noise of their guns penetrated the wail of the klaxons. “How dare you! Get out there now! Where you fight does not matter as long as Barely had they made it into one of the bunkers before explosions started to rip you fight,” he practically screamed at them. Running out without a backward through the compound quickly followed by the tracers of the anti-air guns. The glance they shouldered the weapons that they had been issued. It looked like they crudely made Ork fighta-bommerz were shredded by the defensive fire but not had come out just at the worst moment. Ork speed freaks were kicking up dust before they had unloaded the full force of their weapons’ loads on the outer- outside the walls, giving supporting fire to the forces that had already charged in compound wall, creating a breach almost a kilometre wide. The smoke plumes through the breach. Guardsmen fought and mostly died in hand to hand combat reached high into the sky. The light on the door of the bunker went from red to with creatures twice their size. Unnatural moans of pain filtered through the green as the last explosions went off. noise of combat.

“That was different,” Vinx whispered to Trina, not wanting to break the ghost- “Well what are we waiting for?” asked Trina sarcastically. like silence only broken by the occasional stutter of the vox caster as a new wave of orders came in. “The Space Marines?” answered William tensely.

A powerful voice came from one of the men standing next to the vox caster, “Funny! Let’s get going, wouldn’t want to miss the party,” Vinx said caustically. the stars on his shoulder marked him out as a colonel, “Men, the outer sentries Officer’s Mess Officer’s have spotted dust plumes, we have no reinforcements due and cannot make radio They ran to the massed guardsmen on the walls, giving the fight in the breach a contact this means that they are Orks. Their ETA is five minutes. It looks like wide berth. A massive greenskin brute detached himself from the raging battle, the bomber attack was meant to coincide with their ground assault. Get to your hacking a guardsman in two all the while screaming and firing his pistol. He saw stations, we will not lose this base!” them. He charged, bringing his choppa down in a killing blow. Vinx dived out of the way, the blade missing him by scant centimetres. As he was skidding away he Troops rushed out to their stations. Soon Vinx Trina and Williams were the only put a pinpoint bullet dead centre in the beast’s head. Undaunted by the massive ones left. head trauma, the Ork turned, aiming his gun at Vinx. Then Trina and William impaled him in the torso with their bayonets, letting rip with their guns as they

18 slashed away. “Isn’t that a little pre-emptive, almost makes you think they expect us to lose,” Trina muttered to her comrades in the brief lull in the fighting that the descent “Takes more than one bullet to kill those tough bastards,” said Trina offering her of the rok had created. hand to Vinx. Ignoring her he pulled himself up. Annoyed with her sarcasm at his brush with death he pretended he hadn’t heard her over the roar of battle. “We need to get out of here, were no use to anybody dead,” Williams said.

“Let’s go people, we can argue when the greenskins are dead,” said Williams “Cool, let’s do that. Oh wait, we’re surrounded on all sides,” Vinx mentioned as if this little fact wasn’t very important. Nodding their assent they restarted their climb to the walls, all the while ducking as wild, inaccurate Ork slugs ricocheted around them. After climbing to the top “There are still plenty of jets,” Trina said. of the walls and looking down at the wasteland in front of them, they wished they hadn’t. “Yeah, and unless you haven’t noticed, none of us are pilots,” Vinx snapped.

To their left was a hive city; just below that was the equilateral jungle even if it “Well, I trained as a commercial pilot before I joined the Imperial navy, how wasn’t so bad that the hive was on fire, what really scared them was out front. much different can a shuttle be from a plane?” asked Williams. Across the defensive trench lines infested with Orks and their vehicles were three huge Gargants, lumbering metal beasts dedicated to the Ork gods Gork and Vinx and Trina shared an ‘if we let him fly it I hope it has an ejector button’ look. Mork. Firing massive shells, breaking up any formation of guard that tried to Their conversation finished just as the fighting started again in full swing. No- form together they unleashed a hail of fire, all the while getting slowly closer and one noticed them slip away into the shadows. As soon as they were out of sight closer. When they got in range of the Imperial gun line it would all be over. and out of mind they headed for the hangers. As predicted there were several obsolete looking fighter jets ready fuelled, they went to the one that looked like it The scream of jet engines thundered closer. Looking up, Williams could just see had been in service for the least time and hopped in. four squadrons of Lightings intercepting the Orks’ air force, allowing a squadron of Marauder bombers a clear shot at the target. They released a massive pay Something jumped out of the shadows, raising their guns to fire all they saw was load. It crippled one of the Gargants but the other two turned several of their a cowering man in the robes of an Adeptus Mechanicus initiate. monstrous guns up at the sky, ripping into the aerial formation. Barely any of the jets, Marauder and Lighting alike would be returning to base. “Please take me with you!” he cried out as they lowered their weapons “There wasn’t enough room on the first flight out of here. They said they would come Despite the loss of one of their massive war machines, the Orks continued back for me but they didn’t.” undaunted, and now the trio could see why: barely visible but still there in the distance, coming down from the sky a bare hundred or so miles away to the right Williams looked into the cockpit, there were three seats. Anyone who didn’t have was a massive Ork rok. It was a huge asteroid, filled with every imaginable type a seat would be tossed around like a rag doll until their neck was broken. He Officer’s Mess Officer’s of weaponry. Massive thrusters fired, slowing its descent. It smashed into the would have to leave one of his people behind if he was to take this snivelling ground, shaking the earth. Although they were at least a hundred miles away, wretch with him. it doesn’t take long for a teleport to work, soon waves of Orks were pouring out of the Gargant’s feet. Almost as soon as this thought had registered, devotional Seeing the look that passed across their faces the initiate realised that they weren’t Hymns started playing out of the speakers around the base, nicely covering the going to take him with them. “I have records that say you were conscripted, an roar of jets as a transport shuttle and an escort of two Thunderbolts took off, no order to have you executed on sight will be passed to all Imperial planets within doubt carrying the commanding officers of the installation. 20 light-years of this system; you can’t go anywhere. If you take me with you I won’t do it!”

19 assortment of rags crawled through the wall. Surprised, they were all momentarily “The lives of my friends are worth more to me than you are,” said Williams coldly, silent: why would anyone try to sneak in to this doomed hive? Then sir stepped raising his las-pistol. forward, “So do you want to explain exactly what you doing here?”

“NO PLEASE DON’T…AHHHHH,” William put a bullet into the initiate’s foot. “Umm… ” One of them replied stupidly. The standoff continued.

“We can let the Orks finish him.” “You look like you have been through hell, so why did you come here? It’s just gonna get ugly. You must have seen the amount of Orks that are arrayed They left the bleeding man of the floor, taxiing the aircraft onto the runway. They outside?” took off as the final elements of the outpost’s defenders broke and ran, the Orks’ crude vehicles scant seconds behind them. They watched as the guardsmen were “Well why are you here? This place is completely uninhabited; this section of encircled and wiped out to a man. They saw the victorious Orks celebrating their the underhive is nearly inaccessible, the only reason you would be here is if you victory, and throughout these events they felt no pity, maybe the war was getting expected an attack and if that was the case there would be more than five people. to them but they had changed since they had started fighting. The only other reason is that you wanted to escape for whatever reason.” Vinx had put two and two together much more quickly that the others. William turned the nose of the aircraft towards the far distant hive, having barely enough fuel to reach it. They flew across open wastelands covered with “Perhaps you are right and that we do want to escape or perhaps we should just corpses and burnt out shells of vehicles now only useful to the circling vultures. shoot you now?” As they reached the hive city they saw the heavy fighting and death pervading the landscape. “If you want to escape we have a plane outside. It’s out of fuel but you look like the type of people that could help us get some.” Spotting a clear patch of ground they set the aircraft down and continued on foot to the hive’s walls, it was a patchwork of broken masonry and plastic. It didn’t “We thought we heard a plane coming in, but by the sound of the engine it isn’t take them long to crawl through a sizable gap in the wall. They found themselves very big, not nearly big enough for all of us,” sir said in an accusatory tone. in a dimly lit room filled with rubbish and five men pointing guns at them. “There must be an air base round here somewhere, if there’s an air base all we “So do you want to explain exactly what you doing here?” need to do is steal a shuttle,” William spoke tiredly.

“Umm….” “Oh ‘only’ steal a shuttle, is that it? Because the only airfield I see round here is on top of the spire and that has at least 100 guardsmen on high alert guarding it day and night,” snipe said annoyed. Chapter Seven Officer’s Mess Officer’s “The only reason we couldn’t steal one of their aircraft isn’t because they’re There was a rustling noise in the walls. Gun quickly walked over and placed his guarding the airfield it’s because they’re guarding the only way up except for the ear against the crack in the wall. He quickly made a flurry of symbols with his skies. If a registered aircraft were to land nobody would care, it could take us all hands. Understanding what he wanted, Ayden woke sir, snipe and hack, gesturing as long as you didn’t go above a certain speed,” Trina mused. to the noise emanating from the wall. Nodding, they picked up their weapons and prepared to face whatever sort of Ork came through. “This could work, but we need the ID code or they’d just shoot us down,” Vinx said, instantly spotting the problem in the plan. What they saw was something completely different. Three people wearing an

20 “Don’t worry about the ID there isn’t a computer alive that my man couldn’t hack,” sir said. Running, las-blasts scorching the ground around them, they skidded through the open gates. Heading down a passageway, they emerged into the middle of “Well then it looks like we’ve got a plan, but we still need the fuel,” Williams a vehicle park. They figured that if they were going to get out they would need said. some transport, so clambering into a solid-looking armoured personnel carrier they fired up the engine and ploughed through buildings and fences alike. A “The fuel shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve got an idea… ” smattering of bullets pattered the side of the hull harmlessly. Even when a heavy bolter started to churn out rounds at them all it did was put harmless dents in “That’s your plan, you’re crazy!” They were looking down at a massive pipe. It ran the side of the armour. Ten minutes later they arrived to find the others, pipe in all the way from hive to hive supplying them with fuel. Because of the importance hand, feeding it through the wall. Jumping out of the carrier, they headed over of this objective it was heavily guarded. At least twenty guards patrolled the giant to the group. ‘filling station’. All they need to do was get one of the supply trucks, fill it with fuel and drive out to where they had come in, feed the pipe through the wall and “Nice wheels, hope you weren’t followed, I’ve been listening in on the voxcaster then just start pumping. in the truck, hearing all about the theft of an armoured troop carrier. They say they’ve been getting a tracking signal from it and they had a clear bead on its The problem was the twenty high-alert guards that were patrolling the pipeline. location.” If just one got the word out that they were under attack, they would be up to their butts in storm-troopers in a couple of minutes. So they had devised a plan that “Oh crap.” was filled with loop holes and unthought-of problems. “Exactly.” Snipe, Trina and Vinx would go down the pipeline for about ten miles and shut off the gas by blowing a small hole in the pipe; while the guards were running Just then, as if someone had heard them, autoguns and lasguns started firing. All down there, they would leave. Then sir, hack and Williams would head down to it would take was a single shot to hit the half empty tanker and the whole place the controls and start siphoning off the fuel while Ayden and gun would start would go up in smoke. Returning fire, they ran for the small room they had come shooting up the storm-trooper compound in an attempt to delay them. If it all through in. went according to plan, the three groups would meet up back were they began, pump the fuel into the plane, fly up to the top of the hive city, fight through the Williams turned to hack and Vinx, “How much fuel does it need exactly, we’re soldiers guarding the airfield, find and try to steal a shuttle while being shot at not going to space?” and hope that it was fuelled and serviced and then fly out of there with no trained pilot to an unknown destination. Simple, right? “Well what we’ve got in it should do it at a stretch,” Vinx replied.

In fact, at first it went off with out a hitch. The guards left to check out the “What about the codes?” sir shouted over to hack. Officer’s Mess Officer’s explosion down the pipeline. Although they took most of the vehicles with them they left one that was capable of carrying the fuel. Williams started to siphon of “I’ve been working on them, I’m certain that I’ve cracked them,” hack answered. the fuel and everything was fine. Trina, snipe and Vinx were almost back at the meeting point, their tanker was almost full. But it all started to fall apart at the “Good! In that case let’s get the hell out of here; I take it the others are already on storm-trooper base. At the right moment Ayden and gun started to fire into the the outside?” base, but it was all for nought they did no damage and only succeeded in being almost encircled. They had two choices: stay and be killed or run like hell towards They nodded assent to both questions, squeezing through the hole in the wall. the only place that seemingly wasn’t filled with troops, their base. They had barely made it to the other side before an over zealous storm-trooper

21 threw a grenade in their direction, taking a portion of the hive down behind them. Just as the troopers were raising their guns, hack increased the flier’s power, swung the aircraft round and went to full afterburn still on the ground. This Looking at the caved-in area as the dust settled, Trina turned to others, “Wasn’t quick thinking blasted red-hot jet wash over the guardsmen, incinerating and this meant to be covert, as in not telling everyone we’re here sort of thing?” obliterating those directly behind the engines. They were the lucky ones. Outside the immediate blast radius, agonising screams of pain filled the air, as effective Shaking his head William climbed into the aircraft. “We’ll be able to take off in as any kind of alarm. Williams saw the half incinerated body of the cleric they a sec.” had shot, there wasn’t much left, he had been standing right below one of the engines. “Wait, you’re flying us? Do you have any experience? I think I should take care of it,” hack said. “And this time stay dead,” William spat at the body. “We have to get moving, find a shuttle, hotwire the engine and let’s get going.” “Well if you say so, but when we get shot down, it’s your fault.” They fanned out across the landing pads, checking the various shuttles on stand- “Whatever.” by. Hack shouted, “This one,” sticking his head out of one shuttle’s hatch. Ducking back inside he climbed into the pilot’s seat and began checking the controls, They took the aircraft up slowly, turning the nose skywards. The engines screamed muttering to himself as he hacked into the systems. briefly as they fought inertia. As they reached altitude, a flurry of questions erupted from the comms equipment. If hack got even a single question wrong As the others ran towards the shuttle hack had chosen, across the airfield one then they would just be a bright explosion in the sky. But hack knew his work of the cargo elevators rose to the surface, there was a squad of guardsmen on and, luckily, no-one actually cared to ask where they had come from. it. Without a second’s thought Vinx dropped to one knee and fired a volley into the men, dropping them like stones. Then another squad appeared from a Reaching the top of the hive spire, they came into land. Hack begun to power second elevator platform. Snipe and gun took care of them, but more guards kept the flier down and Williams, Vinx and Trina opened the hatch. A phalanx of coming. guardsmen was standing in front of them, guns levelled. As another group stepped out from a hanger, Vinx, snipe and gun ran, firing over “Uh-oh.” their backs as they dashed to the landing pad that the others had made for . Hack was almost done, hacking into the navigational system. Williams was starting the engine, it roared to life, the whine of the engines grew in intensity; the last Chapter Eight three dove headfirst into the hatch as the others laid down a stream of fire on any guardsmen that poked their heads up. A familiar looking man stepped forward, he had crutches and it looked like his Officer’s Mess Officer’s foot was had been shot. Suddenly, recognition grew in their eyes. This was the “Wait a sec, how are we going to get past the aerial defences? We can’t use any bureaucrat they had shot back at the battle at the outpost before they had stolen codes like we did last time. Won’t they know this is a stolen shuttle; they’ll just the aircraft. shoot us down… ” panted snipe

“Thought you’d seen the last of me? What you didn’t know was that there “Really, really good flying?” Vinx suggested, answering the first of snipe’s was a secret tunnel. Myself and several guardsmen managed to escape to the questions with one of his own. underground intercity railway. We got here shortly before you,” he smiled a sickly smile. “Shoot them, you won’t trouble us any more.” “Right…” sir said.

22 here, the only way through is if we circle round through the equitorial jungles The engines flared briefly. A few bullets dented the hull but the ship was designed and come at it from the west,” Vinx stated. to take much sterner punishment than the guardsmen’s guns could dish out. Taxiing from their pad to the runway they started to gain speed. Hack fed more “Do we have enough fuel?” Trina asked power to the engines and the shuttle rose into the sky. But as they gained height they came under almost immediate attack from the anti-air guns. Hack only saw “Fuel’s not the problem. The greenskins have massed in the forest, if we were one way around this problem. Without even telling the others to get ready he cut to be shot down we would be surrounded on all sides by feral Orks,” William the engine. The shuttle plummeted, shouts filled the compartment as they fell, answered. every one pinned to their seats. As the ground filled the viewports, at about 800 feet, the engines roared back to life and they sped away out of range of the AA “Let’s get going, wouldn’t want to waste any time,” hack said annoyed. guns – unable to depress their barrels to fire at targets below their own height. The aircraft went to afterburner, the wail of its engines reaching a crescendo until “Never ever do that again!” sir shouted. it exploded into the sound barrier, shaking the ground. They climbed to 5,000 feet and started to speed for the jungles. “We’re alive aren’t we,” snapped hack, “which reminds me: how are we going to stay alive? All we did was delay the inevitable.”

“We could go into space,” Trina murmured. Chapter Nine

“In this crate, we wouldn’t last five minutes, and unless you have a nice destroyer They had been flying for nearly an hour before they saw it; they were getting ready in your back pocket we’re stuck here,” hack said, angry at her stupidity. to start curving away, ready for the flight across water. It was a huge monolith. It gleamed, sending out a ungodly black light. They all watched, somehow transfixed. “What about the space port on Phoenix Island?” Williams asked. As hack banked their shuttle they spotted something move on the pyramid-like structure. It glowed a ghostly green then shot out. It hit the rear engines in a “Even if we found a ship small enough to get undetected into space but big enough perfect shot, they plummeted from 5,000 feet to 500 in about 20 seconds. Hack to hold us all, then we would just be trapped in orbit.” managed to flare the aircraft’s wings, slowing their descent but not enough. They ploughed into the ground leaving a massive trail. Luckily nobody was seriously “But what about the empty merchant vessels?” hurt. But that didn’t really matter; they were deep inside Ork territory surround by feral Orks and some metallic structure that really didn’t like them. “I’m sorry, what empty merchant vessels?” They climbed out of the wrecked shuttle, grabbing what supplies they could and “At each spaceport there are always a few Caravel class transports. They’re just started to walk towards what was apparently a Imperial base. Then, a flash in the Officer’s Mess Officer’s about warp capable and are usually used as tugs. Flat out in-system, they’re as fast undergrowth, something metal, a familiar green flash shot out. It missed Trina by as a Nova class destroyer and they even have a few weapons,” Trina was talking scant centimetres, blowing a hole in the dirt by her feet. She rolled to the ground to hack like he was a idiot, which was brave of her since he was probably the scanning the undergrowth for any sign of her attacker. Then all hell broke loose, smartest person any of them knew. a skeletal figure broke from cover marching towards them, followed by about ten more. They opened fire, the humans started running, jumping over fallen logs “Well then, it looks like we have a heading: Phoenix Island,” gun said simply. and wading through streams they made their way to the Imperial base.

“That’s gonna be a problem, the Orks completely own the skies between there and It was in a clearing, little more than a shanty town. They ran through the gates

23 and were met by a man even bigger than sir. He was painted green and for a the Orks attacked, none of them had slept for at least 20 hours. Exhausted they second they actually thought he was an Ork. Then he spoke. “You must have been stood in the centre of the compound. Floodlights lit the base, just outside range in that aircraft,” he smiled grimly, “Looks like you’re stuck here with the rest of us the Orks were shouting in their guttural language. Klaxons wailed, the occasion now. We need new bodies for the grinder as it is.” With that he walked away. bullet flew overhead matched by the occasional explosion of mines in the jungle, and then the attack really got underway. Moving around the camp they got a few suspicious looks but nobody openly challenged them. That’s when they spotted a way out, a clear path that looked Feral Orks ran screaming at the walls, leaping on top of their fallen brethren to like it led to the eastern wasteland. They were just starting to walk down the path get at the defenders. Every time one Ork leapt over the walls he was filled with when someone wearing a battered Cadian uniform stepped out of the jungle, bullets, but then the gates blew as a crude Ork device detonated from one of from a hitherto unknown position amongst the trees. the greenskin bodies lying by the gatehouse. The Orks came charging through. Desperately, the humans fought, their faces lit up with a ghostly glow from the “You wouldn’t be trying to leave now would you?” His lasgun was raised pointing burning gate as they were embroiled in a vast melee. at them. “I told you this was a bad plan,” sir yelled. Backing away, Williams spoke cautiously, “No of course not… Sir.” “Well it looks like it’s all going to plan. All we need to do is regroup with the others “Good, why are you still standing here? Back to your post soldiers.” and get the hell out of here,” Williams shouted back above the din of battle. They were fighting back to back in the courtyard. “Where are we gonna go now?” sir muttered under his breath. Then the Orks unveiled their masterpiece, a stroke of greenskin genius. While “Well, all we need is a distraction. The next time the feral Orks attack we should the dazed guardsmen in the gatehouse who should have been watching the jungle be able to leave,” William spoke in the same quiet tones. paths with their heavy lascannon and autocannon were battling their immediate attackers, several ramshackle, red-painted vehicles belonging to the Ork speed “Oh we just wait for that do we, because it’ll be easier to leave when we’re freak clan sped up the path, pouring automatic fire into the defenders. But luckily surrounded by Orks than just shoot the lone guard.” sir said sarcastically. not every one was so embroiled in the combat as to not see them coming, Trina was standing on the walls next to gun, she shouted a warning to him. He looked “Trust me,” Williams said smiling. out at the approaching vehicles horrified but then nodded. Standing on the wall he started to hose the Ork vehicles with bullets, enough for them to concentrate “I’ve know you for all of half a day. How am I meant to trust you,” sir said angry on him. at Williams. “All I know is that you’re being hunted by just about everyone, including the Imperial guard who we’re supposed to be helping, and that you Without warning Trina jumped off the wall landing neatly on the back of an Ork need a ride of this rock.” trukk where an Ork was firing a massive shoota at the melee around the gate. Officer’s Mess Officer’s He turned with an almost comical look of surprise on his face at the fact that a “It’s not like you’re any different, you’re being hunted for god knows what and human had just fallen out of the sky but it didn’t take him long to reach for his without us you’d still be stuck in that hive surrounded on all sides by Imperials choppa. Trina kicked his legs doing absolutely no damage. Shouting she leapt and Orks!” to her feet and gutted the Ork with her bayonet just as he was about to slice her in two. Turning she but a bullet square in the back of the driver’s head. Pushing “Fine, we’ll use your plan.” the body to one side, she slid into the driving seat, grabbing the wheel. There were just two pedals, accelerator and turbo-boost – no brake. Who would have They didn’t have to wait long. They had arrived at about midday, it was dark when thought it was an automatic? She slewed the vehicle round and headed for gun

24 who had climbed down from the wall. He jumped in, grabbed the shoota and and no other way across the seas they would have to try to board one of the started mowing down Orks in scores. She drove in through the wrecked gate gigatankers at the harbour city. However, this could be a problem, feral Orks heading to wherethe others were fighting, ramming Ork mobs as she went. poured out of the forests day and night. The harbour defenders had been almost wiped out even though bands of Ork hunters were in the process of destroying She had picked up the rest of their motley crew but hadn’t yet seen sir and the feral Ork nests. Williams. Then she spotted them, backed into a gap between two buildings where the Orks could only get at them one at a time. But the two men were weakening. But with Ork speed freaks now roaming the area, staying where they were wasn’t an option either. Kicking up a dust plume, they sped towards the sound of battle “Down,” yelled gun and the two men dropped to the earth. The Orks trying to at the harbour. The Ork trukk was becoming almost impossible to drive, the front get at them turned at the voice to see gun grinning behind his shoota. He let rip and back sections were coming apart and three of the six wheels were completely and the greenskins died. flat meaning that Trina had to keep making course corrections or risk drifting off. Even though they would have to ditch it soon, they had made good progress Williams and sir clambered to their feet. “Figures...she...would...leave...us...last,” in the trukk. They were barely a mile away from Death Mire harbour when the sir said slowly, tired. engine finally sputtered and died on them. They jumped out and started to walk away, but not before sir ripped the massive shoota of the back of the car. “Yeah...whatever.” “Very imposing,” snipe muttered to Vinx. The stolen Ork trukk ploughed its way towards them, its occupants firing out into the masses of Orks now pouring in through the gate. Trina slewed sideways, “I could take him,” said Vinx sniggering. squashing Orks as the truck slammed into the wall by the alleyway. The two men jumped in. It didn’t take them long to reach the ruined harbour city. The smoke plumes were high, the sounds of battle were clear and it looked like the city was perpetually on William turned to sir, “So what sort of plan was it again?” Having not yet caught fire. Stepping warily through craters and ruined buildings, they moved cautiously his breath sir just mumbled something abusive. closer to the battle. Then they saw it, Space Marines and hive militia stood side by side against insurmountable odds. Orks rampaged through the lines. They could The trukk wobbled dangerously as it bounced and jolted over the path, each rock even see a squiggoth in the distance. Ork submersibles and ships littered the bay, making it seem like another part of the vehicle had come adrift. They could see that the tide was out and they looked like a giant’s playthings. the shoddily-made parts were falling off it. All of Vinx’s expertise in engineering wouldn’t help them if they had nothing left to repair. They had made a clean They had no choice. To run away they had to fight. They quickly made their break from the camp. As Williams had predicted, the Orks and the Imperials presence known. Sir started letting rip with his massive shoota. The others were too busy trying to rip each other’s throats out than try to stop them leaving opened up, using their various procured weapons. Ayden ran to a group of Orks, with their escaped vehicle. One of the other Ork trukks had tried to follow them toasting them with his flamer. Officer’s Mess Officer’s but a burst of fire from the shoota soon put paid to any attempts to stop them. They gave the location of the monolith a wide berth, they didn’t want a repeat of And then they saw their chance. The squiggoth had a rope ladder rolled up and what happened to them the first time. locked to the top carriage; a quick shot from snipe blew the lock off, letting the ladder unwind. The squiggoth was standing by a platform. All they needed to do was jump the metre or so gap and grab the ladder, and then they could climb Chapter Ten up. Dealing with the Orks would be a simple matter of a grenade and a burst of bullets. No-one would stop a squiggoth; it was just a short ride to the beached They left the equitorial jungle close to Death Mire. Since they now had no aircraft ships, as it was they could already see the tide turning. They started to run. They

25 jumped, they grabbed. One of them missed the jump. Sir tumbled to the ground, impaling himself on the waiting greenskin choppas. Gun cried out. The others “Good let’s do that. Come-on we don’t have all day.” They started to climb down all felt affection for the bear of a man that had been through so much in his life. the rope ladder. They had barely made it to the shoreline when the beast bucked But if one thing being in the army and living your life as a bounty hunter, living once then died. with death told you, it was how to prepare for it. A few tears were shed but they could grieve later. They boarded a slightly damaged Imperial submarine. Trina asked an obvious question, “Won’t the Orks just shoot us with their air force?” Snipe tossed a grenade into the swarm of Orks at the squiggoth’s feet while the others cleared the platform on the animal’s back. Before the Orks could react “It’s a sub; they’ll never see us,” hack put in. they were dead. Anger for their fallen comrade had fuelled their hatred of the greenskins, lending them speed. Soon the cabin that sat atop the squiggoth “Well if you say so…” Trina said not completely convinced. was empty of all Orks. There was a simple switchboard on one of the walls, it controlled the beast. There were little electrical devices attached to the brain of “I do, now if you’ve finished bickering we should leave,” Vinx said. the creature and its limbs.

Amongst the wreckage of the carriage there were several artillery pieces. Most Chapter Eleven looked like simple mortars but others appeared to be relatively complicated energy weapons. Suddenly the squiggoth bucked violently. The trip was uneventful, a blessed respite. The sub had been slightly damaged. This slowed them down, but not significantly as they sailed on just below the “Sorry,” Vinx and hack muttered, they hadn’t quite got the hang of the control surface. Ork fighters patrolled the skies but they didn’t spot the sub’s track. But panel. They understood what most of the buttons were but it looked like they had despite this and the need to avoid the occasional Ork stolen Gigatanker, nothing been testing to see what others did. much happened. It was the quiet before the storm.

It didn’t take long for the Orks on the ground to realise that the squiggoth was They beached the submarine happy to leave it; but the second they left they had no longer on their side; they started to climb up the rope ladder, all the while to restrain themselves from climbing back in. Stretched before them, like some hammering the beast with their shootas. The squiggoth roared in pain and surged twisted landscape, was Phoenix Island. It was a wasteland littered with carcasses, forward towards the harbour. Gun leaned over and sprayed those Orks still stripped clean of their flesh by the toxic fumes and shells of exploded vehicles. In clinging to the ladder with bullets and they fell away. On the swaying platform the distance they could see thousands of raving Orks pouring across a damaged they felt the beast stagger and go into its death throes. It had, however, already bridge to the island spaceport, what was worse there were Orks already on their served its purpose; it had carried them across the Ork lines and to the ships that side of the island. were already half submerged with water. But there was one thing they hadn’t though about: what were they to do about the half-dead beast when they got “There in that hangar over there,” Trina said, gesticulating at a distant shadow- Officer’s Mess Officer’s off the platform? Left to its own devices the crazed and dying creature would covered object wreathed in smoke. The fight for the island was already underway. probably try to stomp them. Space Marines stood in knee high acid, the corpses of Imperial guardsmen already dissolving around them. Williams turned to hack and Vinx, “How can we stop this… thing… following us?” The heroes of the Imperium put up an impressive showing but the fight was not going the way of the Space Marines. The Orks were boxing them in, herding “Well I think that if we press this button for long enough it should make it go into them together. As they watched, a squad of Marines was obliterated by an Ork cardiac arrest,” Vinx answered while hack nodded. rokkit. The thin line was breaking, and then the remnants of the Imperium’s

26 finest ran for the safety of their Thunderhawk gunships. A vile shout started to pulsate through the numberless greenskin horde as the Thunderhawks took off, They had almost made it though, all they needed to do was to kill one group Orks heading for orbit. silently and they would have a clear run at the metal monstrosity - still easier said than done. “They’ll be back,” Trina said hopefully for to herself than anyone else. Near the feet of the nearest Gargant there was a small group of Orks roaring and “Yeah, but only after a lengthy bombardment,” said Vinx, as always cynical. cheering. They looked like they were betting on a contest between two grots. It wouldn’t last forever but it provided vital distraction for them. They all drew “We’d be completely exposed,” hack said depressed. knives. Taking on Orks in close combat is always ill-advised, but they had no “ choice. Their guns would have lit the place up. They needed to do this as silently So die now or die later, which to choose,” snipe said, annoyance showing on his as possible and quickly. There were three Orks and the two grots. Each of them pale features. picked a target.

“There has to be a way, I refuse to die after coming all this way,” gun muttered. They went for the Orks, ignoring the grots, this was their mistake. They struck, leaping out of shadows plunging their combat knives into the bodies of the Orks. “A way? Against that? We are lost!” Williams said his face twisted with anger and Two were dead before they hit the ground, the other one lay there gurgling quietly, guilt. his throat slit.

“Well… ” Ayden started. But they had given the two grots a chance to run. Trina threw her knife, it embedded itself in the head of one of the grots. The other one ran off into the “Well what? We don’t have long,” darkness.

“Those Gargants over...” “Crap,” Trina retrieved her knife but it was too late to get the other grot.

“Are you insane? We can’t steal a Gargant,” Williams said. “He’ll light up all the alarms in this place in seconds,” Ayden said, barely audible. “Why not? It’s not like we’ve got any choice. At least this way even if we are caught then we can go down with a real fight,” Ayden said, irritated at Williams’ lack of “Well we better hurry then,” gun spoke equally quietly. a survival instinct. They moved forward hurriedly though still stealthily but it was all for nought; they “What have we got to lose, we stay here we die, we try to sneak to the hangar we’ll entered the control cabin, it was empty. No guards. The controls were simple, just probably be caught. We go over there like that, as flame said, even if we get caught some levers. The problem was the Gargant’s engine, it used some old combustible Officer’s Mess Officer’s we can give them a run for their money,” Trina said a light in her previously dark fuel to drive it, Vinx warned them, the engine needed to warm up first or it could eyes, a flare of hope. explode. It would take time to do this, time they didn’t have.

“Fine, we wait till nightfall then we attack.” Orks, alerted to their whereabouts had run to the Gargant and were starting to climb up the ladder to the metal monster’s cabin access hatch. Williams and gun Williams didn’t really know the meaning of nightfall having spent most of his shot each one as they came up. Other Orks, deciding that they didn’t want to add adult life on a ship that was always lit. They tried to move stealthily, difficult since their names to those of the recently deceased, started to bombard the hatchway they could only see the Gargants by the sentry’s torches. forcing Williams and gun to duck inside. They continued to pin them down even

27 as more greenskins started to climb up the ladder again. “Right, well we don’t have long. Let’s get this bird in the air,” Williams spoke Williams and gun fought a running battle as they retreated back to the command impatiently. As if to underline this point the first of the Orks that had chased the room. As they reached it the huge metal beast lumbered into action, the engine Gargant appeared at the hangar door, firing. No further persuasion was needed. roared. As if in answer to this, the Gargant’s cannons opened up. Suddenly, the They slammed the ship’s hatch shut and secured it. Orks on the ground were in disarray but the Orks that had already boarded ran into the cabin, yelling their guttural warcries. They charged into the room. Each As Williams and hack strapped themselves into the two pilots’ seats Vinx ran in, of the humans faced up to a greenskin warrior. The Gargant came to a halt as Vinx “We’re ready to go.” turned from the controls, ducking a choppa swipe. Its cannons also fell silent as gun also joined the fray. Now they were surely doomed; since the vehicle had “What, just like that? No death defying wait? Things are getting easier!” stopped it wouldn’t take long for more Orks to start climbing into the Gargant and when that happened they would be destroyed by weight of numbers. They did “The ship is quite new, it’s been kept in good condition and the Orks haven’t the only thing that they could in the situation. They ran. had time to defile it.” The ship also had weapons, two small lances to deal with asteroids and fighters. Williams yelled, “Grenades!” As they pelted through the hatch in the bulkhead they each threw a grenade behind them. “Help me!” Williams threw his weight “Wait, how are we going to get out of here. The main doors are closed and the roof against the massive Ork designed hatch. The others joined him and pushed it shut doesn’t open,” gun asked stupidly. as the grenades went off together. “The roof does open,” Vinx said smiling. He pushed a button, an arc of fire leapt There was a moment of silence. They reopened the hatch. The room looked like from the ship’s lances making a new, massive, skylight. “These ships just levitate some debauched ritual had gone on. Bits of Ork were hanging from almost right out of here.” everywhere. Amazingly the controls still worked. Ork devices are crude and badly made, but they are resilient. The ship started to rise. A flash of blue around the ship notified the ‘crew’ that its shields were raised. And only just in time, nearly out of range but still capable They resumed their insane charge towards the hangar and the one thing that of hurting them, the second Gargant raised its massive arms and started to fire. might save them. But now the Orks were prepared. The steady thump of artillery Vinx responded with the lances, shredding the beast. They left the atmosphere pieces battered the sides of the Gargant. Usually small arms fire isn’t very effective seconds later, gathering speed they fled into space.. against this sort of lumbering giant, but with literally thousands of guns firing at the Gargant, some bullets found targets in the hydraulics around its feet. Smoke started to emanate out of the machine every time the engine chugged but Epilogue gradually they outdistanced the Orks on foot. And then they were there; through everything they had reached their final destination on this planet. Williams looked down at the planet below; as they had entered orbit, an accusatory Officer’s Mess Officer’s voice on the ship’s voxcaster had told them that if they left they would be treated The Gargant halted, they quickly climbed down from the great metal animal that as cowards. They didn’t stop. Their death warrants had already been spread had taken them the last leg of their journey. They opened the hangar’s side door. amongst the remaining Imperial planets in the sector. The ship was preparing to Inside was a ship. It was tiny, a bare 300 or so metres long. jump, he turned away. There was nothing left for them here any more. The ship made the jump; they headed into the unknown, they plotted no course, the ship “You’re sure that this can travel through the warp?” hack asked sceptically. would leave warp space on its own time. They would go wherever the Emperor took them. “Of course,” Trina answered. The End

28 Void Stalker to draw up a Master Roster of ships, and keep track keep and ships, of Roster Master a up draw to have will players these of Therefore,each defenders. Battlefleet the from Gothic page rulebook 154, rules, apply to the attackers and Experience Ship The for first the game! exceptchoice, Tree the Campaign determine should an at the quick them glance game. A the of length for the ally consider will and shooting, and moving player,that as time same the at turn their take will playerNeutral The defenders. the attackersor the of will behalf on fighting is player he/she whether declare to have Neutral the begins, game each Before different races,depending scenario.the on sudden attack! The neutral playerwill play aseries of a by into action surprised NavyImperialfleet arean forces has defending The which system. Stygies fleet the infiltrated Chaos a are forces attacking The Rules “fair.” War not rarely Fun is! the is primary objective Also, here. adjustable. easily everything about this campaign is is one hundred percent this 1500-2000 though about points, of fleets with best works It Note: solar system. Stygies the in set is and players, three for designed is one This war! massive a of fate ultimate the and played, be to scenario next the orlosing determines battle a winning where campaign, a tree is This Battle for theStygies System By Porter Max Zasada a.k.a.Moox Imperial. Neutral: Orks with 500points. the carnage. from can they whateversalvage to poised areraiders Ork Meanwhile, strike. fell one in forces Imperial of Stygies solar system, and are trying to rip the heart out Attack: Surprise Scenarios The tied down by the suggestion! don’ttoo butfeelterrain, placing consideration when into location the dramaticstuff! Take the to Well,on shipthe as normal. of cost points the change will This list. his from refit ship and apply ONE of the refits to it,then strikethat one game, MUST each choose for he fleet buildinga When secret. in results the down write and times, Neutral the player should rolltables Refitson six the the other two players are drawing up Master Rosters, will have refitswhich the other players do not. While vastlydisparate ofgalaxy, the parts someof shipshis and represent fleetswhich are cobbled togetherfrom place game. the over all each from Leadership come ships of his However,as beginning determine the at will randomly values player Neutral The battles.between repaired considered is damage all ships, destroyed However,forth. so fordestroyedandexceptships of Location: Mersk. Attacker/Defender: Chaos/ Chaos forces have infiltrated the infiltrated have forces Chaos 29 Chaos/Imperial. Neutral: Necron Tomb Ship. seems to be lurking… ship Necron a is, thing only The Chaos. of forces the depletetraitor to ruse the fleet, initiatesNavy clever a Bait: The Ship. Tomb Necron Neutral: Chaos/Imperial. Defender: won’t ship Necron alien interfere. strange that Hopefully system! the flee to attemptfeeble their in them crush Chaos of ships mighty the Let have? Emperor False Run: Blockade Chaos/Imperial. Neutral: Orks with 800points. for the convoys! wait in lying foe a on take to but would,usually they to be a great opportunity not to prey on the convoys as out by stopping the shipment of supplies. Orks find this the starve Imperial is Navy now do to has fleet Chaos Convoy: oain Aoay Attacker/Defender: Anomaly. Location: Attacker/ Nebula. Cloud Curtain Location: Location: The Bricabrac. Attacker/Defender: ih hi dvos ln ucsfl al the all successful, plan devious their With Having snatched swift victory from the from victory swift snatched Having ht oe i te olwr o the of followers the did hope What Void Stalker committed by placing this in the Stygies system! I’ve heresies any for apologize Ialso difficult. too be shouldn’t it map, the change or forces, different use around,tree the change to want you Ifthat’s Andit! paththe directly down, to Major Neutral Victory! favors him/her. that If result the Neutral the player towardwins, move campaign along the directs points more with player Imperial or Chaos the lose, Eldar the Should battle. this in points for competing are andEldar/Chaos Imperial. Neutral: None. filthy the mon-keigh, and of indeed of all life! world long-lost their cleanse to decide themselvesworking toward the same goalthe as Eldar Exterminatus: Navy 10assault afull needs points! Imperial the campaign, the win To it. cut to going Imperial/Chaos. Neutral: Eldarwith 600points. lost Maiden world. maybe difficult as the Eldararrivetry to and retake a Time to reconquer the heart of the system! However, it time has come to free the system from the chaotic taint. Assault: Planetary Special addition: Chaos and Imperial forces Imperial and Chaos addition: Special Major.Stygies Location: Attacker/Defender: aren’t wins marginal the addition: Special Major.Stygies Location: Attacker/Defender: ho ad meil ocs find forces Imperial and Chaos ih h ivso cuhd the crushed, invasion the With 30 Void Stalker 31