Game 3: Battle for the Primary Hive Armory

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## The Children of the Jade Serpent Lore

The Psychic scream that emanated from the Adeptus Mechanicus dig-site, tore through the minds of the Genestealer Cult known as the Children of the Jade Serpent. In the wake of this scream, this beacon, the magi of the Cult shared a vision of the coming of the gods.

What they saw was not the flowing beauty of the Jade Serpent, but darkness, emptiness. From within that darkness they saw a cold order, shifting and undulating endlessly. This scintillating blackness they called the Obsidian Serpent, Harbinger of Silence.

Afraid of this unknown entity, the Magi sought guidance from their Patriarch. They communed with him, and from his alien mind came a message.

“Be unafraid.” He said, “the Void comes to this world. You are to aide our cousins as we have on other worlds. We will not linger once our task in aiding them is complete. The Children of Jade owe nothing to the Obsidian. If we cannot leave, we are to die. Weaken the oppressors hold. We will not be judged by the Void.”

## Toby's Mechanicus Lore

The Primary Hive Armory is defended by a detachment of Planetary Defense Forces assigned by the Governor to protect the munitions Forgeworld Caldus has provided them. The PDF forces, nicknamed the Tunnel Snakes, are veterans of the many gang wars fought against the residents of the underhive. They have no practical experience in off-world conflicts however, and have never encountered Xenos or any serious Chaos threat.

On the day of the attack, an expeditionary force of Skitarii led by Magos Exitor-Dho XXVIII has arrived to acquire armaments before being deployed to investigate the disappearance of the excavation crew that unearthed the artifact. The PDF forces stand rather in-awe of the enigmatic Mechanicus forces and their esoteric weaponry and equipment. Sergeant Blake arrays his squads for review before the Magos, eager to display their martial competence and combat readiness.

## Scenario Crunch Details

### **Board Setup:**

Play on a 30x44 Incursion-sized board.

Three objectives go on the long-wise center line of the half table board: One right at the table center, and the other two each 16" from the center towards the short sides of the board.

Each of those three objectives should be on a large ruins-corner block, and the two small wall sections and scatter terrain can be placed anywhere around the table. The Mechanicus player chooses all terrain placement details.

### **Forces:**

750 pts and 6 starting cp for each side, max 2 detachments, no limits on units or vehicles.

Mechanicus also gets a patrol of PDF Astra Militarum forces that begin on the table:

* Two infantry squads with flamers and missile launchers
* One Chimera with double heavy bolter and dozer blade
* Two Armored Sentinels with AutoCannons in a single unit

In compensation, GSC get a modified Sustained Assault rule (representing a seemingly-endless horde of cultists attacking the armory):

* At the end of any GSC turn, player can remove ANY of their units from the table, placing them in the "Sustained Assault" pool. Destroyed GSC units also go immediately into the "Sustained Assaut" pool.
* At the end of each GSC movement phase, player may roll a dice for each unit in the "Sustained Assault" pool.
* On a 4+ (2+ for Troops units) that unit can be set up wholly within 6" of any battlefield edge (and potentially within 1" of enemy units). Alternatively, if the unit has rules or stratagems that allow it to be set up somewhere other than the table during deployment, it can exercise/pay-cp-for those rules at this time instead of being set up near a table edge. If a unit goes into the teleportarium or shadows or equivalent, it can then exercise that alternative setup rule immediately (for example if terminators are destroyed, go in the "SA" pool, and then roll a 4+ at the end your movement phase, they can be deployed into the teleportarium and then immediately teleport onto the board, all during the same end-of-movement phase.)

### **Deployment and Turns:**

First, Mechanicus deploys their PDF contingent: Pick two objectives, all PDF AM units must be deployed wholly within 10" of those two objectives.

Second, GSC deploys all their units, at least 9" from the PDF units, and either wholly within 10" of the third (unclaimed) objective, or wholly within 6" of any table edge, or using other sneaky GSC deployment rules. This 6" border around the table edge, and circle around the third objective, comprise the GSC deployment zone for all rules that reference deployment zones.

Third, Mechanicus deploys at most 250 pts worth of AdMech units, anywhere on the table more than 9" from enemy units. The other AdMech units are placed in Strategic Reserves at Zero Cost in CP, and may come in on ANY turn AFTER the first, counting the entire table border as their "own board side" (so potentially within 1" of enemy units), and are NOT destroyed if they have not come in by the end of T3.

GSC takes the first turn, no seize attempt allowed.

Game runs for 5 turns. So far both our campaign games have ended on turn 3, so I think 5 turns should feel like plenty. Given the Sustained Assault for GSC, I don't want to force Mechanicus to hold on for a 6th turn.

### **Special Rules for the PDF Astra Militarum units**

The PDF units begin "fixed" (like in classic wargames) and cannot move until they have lost any wounds to enemy action, or the start of round 3. They cannot be deployed embarked inside the Chimera. They can NEVER perform the "Loot the Armory" action.

The can fire as normal in the shooting phase, and potentially even make attacks in the Fight phase, but can't charge or pile in or consolidate until allowed to move by the conditions above.

The two infantry squads have the Objective Secured rule.

### **Objectives and Scoring**

Primary objective: At the end of each turn after the first, a player scores 5 pts for each of the three objectives they control.

Secondary objectives:

* Both sides get "Bring it Down": 2 pts for destroying a vehicle/monster unit with fewer than 10 wounds, 3 pts for destroying a vehicle/monster with 10 or more wounds.
* Both sides get "Loot the Armory": Infantry units can start an action at the end of their movement phase when within 3" of an objective they control (only one unit can be looting a single objective at any time), which is completed at the start of their next movement phase. Their side gets 3 pts when the action is completed.
* Both sides get "Control the Armory": Scored at end of game (end of round 5), an extra 6 pts for each objective they control.