vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Battlefleet Calixis - Malygrisian Tech-Heresy (742-770.M41): In the middle of the seventh century of M41, the insular and isolationist Calixian Mechanicus was again thrust into the spotlight when one of their own turned violently, irrevocably Renegade and dragged the Lathe Worlds into a sector-wide path of carnage.Explorator Arch-Magos Umbra Malygris was a militant renowned for his dedication to the destructive potential of technology. A devotee of the Divine Light of Sollex, the Arch-Magos attracted many of the most gifted weaponsmiths and researchers under the aegis of his organisation. Leery of the growing popularity of the militant Adept, High Fabricator Castellar moved to sanction Malygris and attempted to break up the cabal he had surrounded himself with.Aware of the danger posed to the entire Calixis Sector by the Renegade Arch-Magos and his deluded followers, the High Fabricator formally declared Malygris and all who obeyed him as Apostate in the eyes of the Omnissiah. Next, Castellar contacted Lord Sector Marius Hax upon Scintilla, and requested assistance. This unprecedented outreach from the formerly isolationist Calixian Mechanicus quickly drew Hax's attention to Malygris' threat.Convinced of the seriousness of the situation, Hax used his influence to dispatch several major concentrations of Battlefleet Calixis to assist in the search for the missing Explorator fleet. No less than five full battlegroups of warships, comprising both Loyalist Explorator vessels and detachments of the Imperial Navy, formed the pursuit of the heretical Arch-Magos.Malygris and his followers fled to the furthest reaches of the sector, always managing to stay at least one step ahead of his pursuers. Along the way, Malygris tested his research and weapons systems in a series of attacks that laid waste to several planets in his path rimwards towards the Halo Stars. Eventually, the Calixian Mechanicus and Battlefleet detachments tightened the noose.Malygris was cornered at the edge of the Synford System, caught between the advancing Mechanicus Explorator fleets and the flanking Imperial Navy detachments. The battle did not last long, as the Imperial Navy and the Mechanicus fleets ruthlessly destroyed any surviving enemy ships, including any intact pieces of debris large enough to support survivors. With a curt message of gratitude to the Imperial Navy, Castellar and his forces turned about and headed for their home port in the Lathe System.
Battlefleet Calixis - Margin Crusade (784.M41-Present): The Margin Crusade declared in 784.M41 by the Ecclesiarchy's Synod Obscurus did much to strip away the strength painstakingly built up by Battlefleet Calixis in previous centuries. Several capital ships (including the Chariot of Wrath) and a great number of Escorts were called away to fight beyond the light of the Astronomican to the galactic north. To date, none of these warships has returned to the Calixis Sector and news about the Crusade's progress remains sparse to nonexistent.In truth, the Margin Crusade failed within only three standard years of the beginning of the offensive, but the Imperial authorities have kept this reality a highly-classified secret, as they use the excuse of the Margin Crusade to requisition starships, troops and materiel for the Achilus Crusade raging in the Jericho Reach. As the Jericho Reach lies on the other side of the galaxy from the Calixis Sector in the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy, the Margin Crusade provides an excellent cover for the reality that a large amount of Calixian military resources are being routed through the secret Maw/Jericho Reach Warp Gate that exists on the edge of the Calixian Drusus Marches Sub-sector.Despite the ongoing drain of its warships to the Margin Crusade, Battlefleet Calixis has quietly expanded again and again over the last few decades. Even the dullest naval officers realise that expansion and exploration is occurring beyond the Maw, and eventually the Imperial Navy may play a part in the Koronus Expanse. As preparations proceed for more wide-scale operations, it remains to be seen just how well-equipped the Imperial Navy can really be for subduing the terrors to be found in the Expanse.
Battlefleet Calixis - Battlefleet Calixis Rank Hierarchy: The Imperial Navy is an institution with millennia of dusty tradition behind it and regulations so lengthy that they fill moon-sized scriptoria and data-vaults to bursting. Attempts to modernise the fleet and update its protocols have always been doomed by the sheer size and inertia of an organisation spread across 100,000 light years of space and potentially centuries of time. On top of this, each Segmentae Majoris Battlefleet is so riven with its own traditions and precedents that it is hard to be definitive about even something so fundamental as rank below the very highest echelons.In all cases, the constant risks attendant to fighting ships mean that the Imperial Navy's chain of command has to be robust enough to survive shocking casualties in battle and still keep functioning. A great deal of ink has been spilled codifying responsibilities and duties such that each will know their place, although in practice these become guidelines at best, useless bureaucratic nonsense at worst. Incessant training still drums the same message into every shipman's head -- keep doing your duty even when the world turns to flame and death and the frozen void yawns just inches away.What follows is a breakdown of commonly held ranks and responsibilities within Battlefleet Calixis. Even within this broad structure many variations occur at the sector level that are unique to the needs and necessities of that locale; commodores may command fleets, admirals may command squadrons and warrant officers may command warships according to necessity.
Battlefleet Calixis - Warrant Officers: Warrant Officers (also known in some quarters as "Petty Officers") act as the equivalent of sergeants and corporals in a planet-bound army. It is their job to disseminate orders from higher authority, ensure that those orders are carried out and maintain discipline amongst the enlisted ratings with regular floggings. They are called Warrant Officers because they are created through the issue of a written warrant from either fleet administration or the captain of the ship. Warrant Officers occupy positions of trust on the ship and a captain with even the most mutinous of crews can keep the ship running as long as he can rely on his Warrant Officers.Ship's Master - The Ship's Master is generally the ship's most senior Warrant Officer and most experienced voidsman.Gun Captain - A Gun Captain has command of a single gun crew on a warship. The Gun Captain must know how to do the jobs of all the men under his command and often achieves the post only after decades of working his way up through all the different enlisted ratings. Gun Captains are highly respected individuals and there is often a great deal of rivalry between them over who’s crew is the fastest and most accurate on the ship.
Battlefleet Calixis - Honourific and Specialist Ranks: Master of Ordnance - The Master of Ordnance co-ordinates the efforts of the deck crews to ensure everything is fuelled, armed and ready to launch at a moment's notice. They are also responsible for maintaining discipline and training standards among the kind of hotshot pilots attracted to Attack Craft service is said to be an art form in itself.Master of Arms - The Master of Arms is charged with ensuring that all weaponry onboard is serviceable and ready for action, from the greatest Macrocannon to the meanest Stub Pistol. The Sergeants-at-Arms report directly to him, and by extension all armsmen aboard a warship are under his control, and so he also performs a role akin to chief of police aboard ship.Sergeant-at-Arms - A Sergeant-at-Arms has charge of a squad of armsmen anywhere between six and twenty strong with responsibility for close action in naval combat (such as hit and run attacks and boarding actions). A Sergeant-at-Arms' greatest responsibility is the keys entrusted to them for the weapons lockers found on every deck of a warship.Bosun (Boatswain) - The ship's Bosuns are disciplinarians and taskmasters in a crew, assigned to oversee the common ratings and indentured workers, determine their duties, and ensure they are carried out.Ship's Surgeon - Sometimes also called the Chief Chirurgeon or unofficially, "sawbones," the Ship's Surgeon has charge of the medicae facilities aboard the vessel.Officer of the Watch - The Officer of the Watch draws up duty rosters, assigns watches and attends the ship's chronometers. On most Imperial warships the title of Officer of the Watch is rotated through the ranking commissioned officers.Fleet Commissar - Just as the regiments of the Imperial Guard have Commissars appointed to them to ensure their unwavering loyalty to the Emperor, the warships of the Imperial Navy are host to Fleet Commissars.Ship's Confessor - The Confessor works tirelessly to promote the Imperial Creed among the crew and weed out Heretics. In these duties the Confessor is usually assisted by lay-preachers chosen from the most faithful on the lower decks.
Battlefleet Calixis - Enlisted Ratings: Ratings take care of the functions that need muscle instead of training -- hauling shells and missiles, re-routing cables, clearing debris and conducting basic maintenance (i.e., scrubbing the decks). They are the basic voidsmen aboard a ship.Ratings in this class typically have a myriad of sub-classifications (ratings) that specify their role further, e.g. Gun-Layer Third Class, Fuse-Changer Second Class and so on. Ratings make up the bulk of the warship's crew and will be the ones doing most of the fighting in boarding actions.Armsman - Armsmen are crewmembers trusted to carry weapons at all times onboard the ship and maintain the contents of the vessel's weapons lockers. They keep discipline among the lower ranks and protect the crew as needed -- usually by wading in with truncheons or shooting first and asking questions later.Voidsman - Voidsmen (also referred to by the more archaic term "shipmen" on some Imperial Navy vessels) are those ship's crew with some training and skill, the enlisted ratings most likely to be entrusted with tasks such as conduit-maintenance, bulwark repairs, cog polishing, or other jobs that might require some skill and autonomy.
Battlefleet Calixis - Articles of War: The laws and guidelines of the Imperial Navy are every bit as byzantine and convoluted as those governing the rest of the Imperium. The Imperial Navy is a hard service, and it requires hard work and demands hard discipline aboard its warships and in its ports.While to the outsider the Navy appears mindless and its ships space-going hells full of casual brutality accompanied by the constant song of the lash, nothing could be further from the truth. While severe discipline and savage punishment are indeed hallmarks of the service, the behaviour of officers and voidmen in the Calixis Sector is carefully and rigidly controlled by a unique set of laws, known from the lowest rating to highest ranking Admiral in Battlefleet Calixis as the Articles of War.These articles, and their countless rules, clauses, and sub-clauses that fill entire data vaults at the Admiralty Spire on Scintilla set rules governing everything from grooming standards to the right and proper punishments for high treason. While most of these articles are arcane, little understood, and rarely enforced, there are a few that every voidsman and Imperial officer knows by heart and lives in constant fear of contravening.
Battlefleet Calixis - Naval Discipline: Naval discipline is brutal. The regulations cover a dizzying variety of infractions, and for most of them the punishment is death. Infractions vary from fleet to fleet, even from ship to ship. According to Battlefleet Calixis regulations, for example, crew members caught sleeping during their watch are to be beaten to death by their comrades, those that neglect maintenance are to be electrocuted, black marketeers are strangled, and hoarders are starved.Even minor failings such as an unkempt appearance or speaking after curfew might earn a flogging. Page after page, chapter after chapter of the regulations of the Articles of War codify punishments in exhaustive detail. In every case the attitude is taken that branding an indelible message on the rest of the crew is more important than the individual lives of any wrongdoers. Crew have no rights of appeal nor indeed trial beyond what the captain grants them, and his word is law.This being said, few captains are ferocious enough to execute their crew as often or as viscerally as the regulations demand. The best command through respect as much as discipline, and for most the threat is enough to wield absolute authority. However, the Navy wants captains that are feared and respected, not loved. Where the captain fails in his duty, the Fleet Commissar stands ready to ensure discipline is properly maintained.
Battlefleet Calixis - Port Wrath: As benefits any major sector of the Imperium, the Calixis Sector boasts a wide range of naval and commercial facilities to support travel amongst its star systems. The Calixis Sector's Imperial Navy headquarters is located at the orbital void-station known as Port Wrath within the Golgenna Reach Sub-sector.This Imperial Navy installation is a huge combination dockyard and naval base serving as headquarters for Battlefleet Calixis. It half protrudes from a metallic planetoid orbiting Mundus, a white dwarf star in the Golgenna Reach, and bristles with Lance batteries matching the firepower of most fleets. Commanded for over fifty standard years by Rear-Admiral Zoila Kusch, this is the mainstay Imperial Navy installation in the sector.
Battlefleet Calixis - Patrol Operations: Patrols make up the majority of Imperial Navy operations within any given sector. Most vessels will spend most of their time patrolling, moving through the Wilderness Space between inhabited star systems. Passing along commonly-travelled routes, quarantined zones and areas of suspected hostile activity with varying frequency, most voidfaring criminal activity is encountered by Navy patrols first. Many patrols are fairly light, consisting of a squadron or two of Destroyers or Frigates, performing cursory sweeps of dust clouds and asteroid fields.Only in areas of known hostile activity are patrols heavier, referred to as "fighting patrols," consisting of as much as a Cruiser and several squadrons of Escorts, often supported by Attack Craft for more detailed investigations. Where patrols cannot frequently reach, long-range Augur stations and sentinel satellites provide a measure of security against enemy forces, giving system ships a degree of early warning about invading fleets, marauding pirates and other void-borne menaces.Most patrols are only given a simple numeric designation, but over the years, well-established patrols have gained identities of their own, named for their bases or granted honorifics for notable actions. The Stygian Vanguard, for example, patrol the centre of the Hazeroth Abyss Sub-sector from the Stygian System, while the Golgenna Third Extinctum, have a long legacy dating back to the Angevin Crusade.
Battlefleet Calixis - Notable Patrol Groups: Patrol Group 686, "Retaliator" - Officially known as Patrol Group 686, "Retaliator" Group is commanded by Commodore Teodor Evard Naremmus, a decorated officer hailing from a family on Sepheris Secundus with a distinguished history of naval service. The patrol group consists of seven vessels: a Light Cruiser and two squadrons each of three Frigates. The patrol is technically classified as a minor battlegroup, due to the presence of two War Worlds on its route and its proximity to the Koronus Expanse, a region known to harbour criminals and alien threats in abundance. Given the variety of potential enemies that could appear in the region, the crews of Retaliator Group are all battle-hardened veterans where such crewmen are available. Retaliator Group has been responsible for innumerable defensive actions against pirate vessels, and have crushed several smugglers over the centuries.
Battlefleet Calixis - Battlefleet Calixis Fleet Composition: Frigates - Frigates fill the ranks of Battlefleet Calixis, where they are prized commands for the youngest and most aggressive naval captains. While a Frigate may not seem as prestigious as a Cruiser or Battleship, their versatility means they are the Navy's ship of choice for all manner of actions. Frigates are tasked for convoy escorts, patrols, anti-piracy operations, and even attacks on rebel ships and voidstations. They routinely skirmish with the Frigates and Raiders of seditionists, pirates, and even hostile xenos races. Thus, a Frigate captain is "in the mix" much more often than his counterparts aboard the Battlefleet's larger vessels.Sword-class Frigates - The Sword-class Frigates have been a mainstay Escort vessel for Battlefleet Calixis ever since its founding. Every system aboard one of these frigates has been tried and tested in innumerable engagements. Its laser-based weapons and turrets are accurate and hard-hitting, its plasma drives are rugged and reliable in extreme conditions. Few task forces do not include at least a pair of Swords to guard the flanks of larger vessels or pursue smaller, faster raiders.Light Cruiser - Light Cruisers are the eyes and ears of the Battlefleet. Smaller and faster than true Cruisers, Light Cruisers have the massive fuel and supply reserves for deep void patrols. These may last for standard years, even decades, and thus Light Cruiser commanders must be independent-minded and self-reliant. Light Cruisers are also used as the flagships of small squadrons of Frigates and Destroyers tasked with escorting convoys or hunting pirates.Dauntless-class Light Cruisers - Light, scouting Cruisers are the eyes and ears of Imperial fleets. They carry enough fuel and supplies for patrols that last months or even years, and enough firepower to dispatch any smaller vessels foolish enough to close with them. The Dauntless-class Light Cruiser is popular because it combines the manoeuvrability of a Frigate with a daunting forward Lance armament.Cruisers - A Cruiser is a warship through and through. These are the ships of the line of Battlefleet Calixis, the heavy-hitters that fight major naval engagements. These warships are rare -- building one takes centuries if not longer, and requires knowledge and technology from Mankind's golden age now only known to the most powerful Tech-magi. However, each vessel --often five or more kilometres long -- carries the firepower to burn planets. They are designed to win wars, and the Imperial Navy guards them zealously.Lunar-class Cruisers - The Lunar-class Cruiser makes up the backbone of Battlefleet Calixis. Its (relatively) uncomplicated design dates back to the dawn of the Imperium, and it can be constructed at worlds normally unable to build a ship of the line. Its variety of weapons batteries, Lances, and torpedoes make it both a versatile combatant and dangerous foe.
Battlefleet Corona - Battlefleet Corona: Battlefleet Corona is a vast fleet of Imperial Navy vessels charged with the the protection of the vitally important Belis Corona Sub-Sector within the Segmentum Obscurus. Battlefleet Corona forms a component part of the Bastion Fleets which make up the massive Battlefleet Obscurus, as do its neighbours, Battlefleets Cadia, Agripinaa, and Scarus, as well as the more distant Battlefleets Gothic, Tamahl and Odessa, among others. Located near the Eye of Terror, this Imperial Battlefleet must maintain constant vigilance against the Forces of Chaos and the dreaded Black Crusades led by the Warmaster Abaddon the Despoiler.
Battlefleet Corona - Belis Corona Sub-Sector: The Belis Corona Sub-sector is one of the closest sub-sectors to the vitally important Fortress World of Cadia and the Cadian Gate, the only predictably stable Warp route that leads out of the Eye of Terror and into the realm of the Imperium. The Imperial Navy shipyards for the sector are located on the Forge World of Belis Corona. Belis Corona is a vitally important Imperial Dead World which serves as the Segmentum Obscurus' primary base for the Imperial Navy's Battlefleet Obscurus as well as essentially the Imperium's administrative capital for the entire Segmentum. There is a vast conglomeration of orbital dockyards in geosynchronous orbit about Belis Corona where entire sector battlefleets can be serviced and refitted. Massive stockpiles of munitions, supplies and other war materiel are stored in armoured bunkers buried many kilometres below the planet's barren surface.
Battlefleet Corona - 2nd Black Crusade: As part of the 2nd Black Crusade launched in 587.M32, Abaddon wove a terrible hex upon a number of worlds close to the Eye of Terror, seeding them with the taint of the Dark Gods. Leading a small band of his elite warriors from the Black Legion, Abaddon breached the Imperial Navy base at Belis Corona. While his fleet launched a diversionary attack against the orbital shipyards, Abaddon and his Bringers of Despair, the strongest and most vicious members of the Black Legion's Terminator elite, landed on one of the system's outermost moons. Slaughtering the garrison, Abaddon crafted a complex sorcerous ritual using their mangled remains and invoking a curse that would sink deep into the core of the moon. Only centuries later would the curse awaken at the Despoiler's behest and do its terrible work, unleashing a mutagenic plague upon the Imperial defenders stationed there. By the time Battlefleet Corona had mustered to repel the attacks on the core worlds of the Belis Corona Sector, Abaddon had already departed, his mission complete.Shortly after the assault on the shipyards of Belis Corona, an attack occurred on the Inquisitorial vaults of the world of Nemesis Tessera. Hidden beneath layers of ice and snow, the Inquisition had constructed a watch station from which to study the Eye of Terror along with hexagramatically warded cells to hold daemonic prisoners. It remains unknown if this was the work of Abaddon, but in a swift and brutal assault, one of the cells deep beneath the station was opened and the daemon contained within was released. By the time Inquisitorial forces had secured the facility, the attackers were gone, leaving only a trail of smoking corpses and spent Bolt shells to mark their passage.
Battlefleet Corona - Battlefleet Corona Fleet Composition: At the time of the 13th Black Crusade, Battlefleet Corona consisted of the following vessels that took part in the valiant Imperial defence:7 Battleships 13 Cruiser Squadrons 17 Escort Squadrons
Battlefleet Corribra - Battlefleet Corribra: Battlefleet Corribra is a small fleet of Imperial Navy vessels charged with the protection of the Corribra Sector. The dockyards and Fleet Command headquarters for the sector is located on the Hive World of Thesselonia.
Battlefleet Corribra - Corribra Sector: The Segmentum Tempestus is the region of Imperial space to the galactic south of the Segmentum Solar. The Imperial Navy's fleet headquarters in the Segmentum is the world of Bakka. The Segmentum is roughly organized into 200 light-year cubes, each of which is designated as a Sector.The Corribra Sector lies at the southern-most point of the Segmentum Tempestus to the galactic southeast of Terra. This sector is heavily populated, but is under constant pressure from xenos and Heretics on all sides. Imperial commanders must maintain a constant vigil to ensure their beloved Imperium does not disappear under the predations of these invaders. The Adepta Sororitas are known to maintain a large presence in the sector. The Feral World of Janus IV is the home of the Arch-Abbey of the Order of the Argent Shroud and their presence is felt by the citizens on all planets of the Corribra Sector.An extremely large sector, virtually every starfaring race has, at some time, possessed a presence within this region space. Far beyond the southern (rimward) most boundaries of the Corribra Sector lie the scattered worlds that make up a sizable portion of the Ork presence in the galaxy. Planets in the sector are under constant alert for Ork raids that emanate from the heart of the Greenskin-controlled worlds and though there has not been a major WAAAGH! in the area for over three thousand years, the Imperium never gives up its vigilance. A new, strong Ork Warlord could come to power at any time, gathering Boyz under his rule to bring terror to the sector.The Eye of Terror is far from the Corribra Sector, though the Forces of Chaos are adept at travelling through the Warp, so for those servants of the Ruinous Powers in pursuit of a worthy goal in the eyes of their foul masters, the distance involved need not be a limiting factor. More likely, Chaos Fleets emanate from the Maelstrom which lies just a few Warp jumps away from the coreward flank of the Corribra Sector. Dark Eldar raiders are also a threat the sector has to contend with occasionally. Every few decades, Corribra Sector seems to come under the scrutiny of these corsairs and several human outposts and settlements may be lost before the forces of the Imperium can mobilise an effective defence. Unfortunately, by the time aid arrives, the Dark Eldar have, invariably, vanished back into the Labyrinthine Dimension of the Webway from which they emerged.
Battlefleet Corribra - Role: Battlefleet Corribra is all that protects most worlds in this sector from alien attacks and invasion. A little more than fifty warships have the duty to patrol and guard the Corribra Sector. This is no small task for so few starships. Fleet Command tends to be very slow in replacing destroyed or ancient ships so the shipyards within the sector, particularly those at Thesselonia, have grown adept at recovering and repairing the most crippled of ships and making them battle worthy again in just a few standard years. Every ship's Captain and every Admiral knows that each vessel is a valuable resource that can never be squandered through futile actions or tactical ineptness -- such crimes are almost always punishable by death. As a result of this policy, Battlefleet Corribra has kept itself active under the most strenuous of campaigns and invasions and remains the very first line of defence the Imperium has within this sector of space.
Battlefleet Corribra - Notable Vessels of Battlefleet Corribra: Righteous Recrimination (Emperor-class Battleship)Divine Order (Retribution-class Battleship)Corax (Nemesis-class Fleet CarrierCronus (Mars-class Battlecruiser)Perseus (Jovian-class Battlecruiser)Damocles (Tyrant-class Cruiser)Deimos (Tyrant-class Cruiser)Furies (Tyrant-class Cruiser)Harpeis (Tyrant-class Cruiser)Phobos (Tyrant-class Cruiser)Juno (Gothic-class Cruiser)Hermes (Dominator-class Cruiser)Broadsword (Dictator-class Cruiser)Cygnus (Dictator-class Cruiser)Daedalus (Lunar-class Cruiser)Janus (Lunar-class Cruiser)Corin (Dauntless-class Light Cruiser)Fidelity (Dauntless-class Light Cruiser)Vernoia (Dauntless-class Light Cruiser)Nemesis (Siluria-class Light Cruiser)Thebes (Siluria-class Light Cruiser)Themis (Siluria-class Light Cruiser)
Battlefleet Corribra - Escort Squadrons: His Hammer (Sword-class Frigate) SquadronDeliverance from Despair (Firestorm-class Frigate) SquadronEmperor's Hand (Cobra-class Destroyer) SquadronExalted in Belief (Cobra-class Destroyer) Squadron
Battlefleet Gothic - Battlefleet Gothic: Battlefleet Gothic is a vast fleet of Imperial Navy vessels charged with the the protection of the Gothic Sector within the Segmentum Obscurus. Battlefleet Gothic forms a component part of the Bastion Fleets which make up the massive Battlefleet Obscurus, as do its neighbours, Battlefleets Tamahl and Odessa, as well as the more distant Battlefleets Cadia, Agripinaa, and Scarus, among others. The Gothic Sector lies adjacent to the great Warp rift known as the Eye of Terror and was the location where Abaddon the Despoiler's 12th Black Crusade, colloquially remembered as the Gothic War, was fought from 139.M41 until 160.M41. The Forces of Chaos were defeated by the Imperium during that conflict, but Abaddon managed to seize several of the Blackstone Fortresses which he would use to eke out a more successful conclusion over 800 standard years later when he launched the 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41.
Battlefleet Gothic - Gothic War: The Gothic Sector's most important attribute was that it was the location of the six known Blackstone Fortresses, the powerful xenos artefacts originally created by the Old Ones to serve as weapons against the Necrons during the War in Heaven over 65 million standard years ago. When Mankind re-discovered the worlds of the Gothic Sector during the Great Crusade, the Imperium discovered the Blackstone Fortresses and eventually transformed them into Imperial naval bases. During the Gothic War, the capture of these fortresses would become Abaddon's prime objective and he would manage to wrest control over three of the six known to exist. He used their powerful xenos technology to strip one planet of its atmosphere and transform another star into a supernova that destroyed its surrounding planetary system. Unknown to the Imperium, Abaddon managed to escape into the Warp with two of the three Blackstone Fortresses the Forces of Chaos had captured and they would eventually play a pivotal role in the 13th Black Crusade he launched against the Imperium 800 standard years later.The 12th Black Crusade, better known as the Gothic War, had been preceded by the unleashing of a catastrophic Warp Storm on the Gothic Sector in 142.M41 that soon cut it off from both outside communications and Imperial reinforcements, leaving the defence of the sector to those Imperial ground and naval forces already present. Battlefleet Gothic, the primary Imperial Navy force in the sector, was forced to fight over the following two decades against a series of Chaos warfleets numbering from eight to twenty led by varying Chaos Warmasters, including Abaddon the Despoiler of the Black Legion. The Imperial forces also had to defend against Eldar, Ork and human pirates who sought to take advantage of the situation to benefit themselves. The death toll ran into the billions as scores of worlds were ravaged by the onslaught of the Forces of Chaos as Abaddon sought to seize the Blackstone Fortresses.In 151.M41 the Warp Storms blanketing the sector finally began to abate as the grip of the Ruinous Powers was weakened following several Imperial victories. Imperial reinforcements, including detachments from several Space Marine Chapters, were rushed into the Gothic Sector by Segmentum Command. Following an alliance against the Forces of Chaos by the Imperium and elements of the Craftworld Eldar who feared Chaos' acquisition of several of the Talismans of Vaul (Blackstone Fortresses), Abaddon's own warfleet was pursued into the Schindelgeist System where the final great battle of the war ended in a famous victory for the Imperial Navy. By 160.M41 the situation had stabilised and the Gothic Sector was cleansed of the remaining Chaos, Ork and pirate forces.
Battlefleet Gothic - Notable Squadrons of Battlefleet Gothic: Blue Squadron (Sword-class Frigates) - Took part in the defence of the Gothic Sector during the 12th Black Crusade (Gothic War).Omega Squadron (Sword-class Frigates) - Took part in the defence of the Gothic Sector during the 12th Black Crusade (Gothic War).Red Squadron (Sword-class Frigates) - Took part in the defence of the Gothic Sector during the 12th Black Crusade (Gothic War).Costa Barbarus Patrol (Firestorm-class Frigates) - Took part in the defence of the Gothic Sector during the 12th Black Crusade (Gothic War).Lexus Squadron (Firestorm-class Frigates) - Took part in the defence of the Gothic Sector during the 12th Black Crusade (Gothic War).Patrol Group Erinyes (Firestorm-class Frigates) - Took part in the defence of the Gothic Sector during the 12th Black Crusade (Gothic War).
Battlefleet Gothic (Game) - Battlefleet Gothic (Game): Battlefleet Gothic is a tabletop miniatures game of starship combat based in Games Workshop's fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe, and is sold by Specialist Games.Battlefleet Gothic is a starship combat game, and focuses around the incursion into the Gothic Sector of the Imperium of Man's Segmentum Obscurus of Chaos Warfleets under the command of the Warmaster of Chaos Abaddon the Despoiler, and the subsequent campaign by the Imperium to restore order, known as the Gothic War or the 12th Black Crusade.Battlefleet Gothic is also the formation of the Imperial Navy based in the Gothic Sector after which the game is named and which is a major protagonist in much of the supporting fiction.
Battlefleet Gothic (Game) - Introduction: Battlefleet Gothic is an extension to the Warhammer 40,000 universe, providing the ability for players to stage space battles between fleets of starfaring warships. Players select starships from a variety of fleets representative of the various Warhammer 40,000 races. The game as packaged includes rules and background for space fleets of the following factions:Imperial Navy (representing Battlefleet Gothic)Chaos (representing Abaddon and his Chaos allies' warfleets)Ork FreebooterzEldar CorsairsSubsequent additions and expansions published in numerous Games Workshop sources expanded the game to include fleets for:Space MarinesOrk WAAAGH! fleetsCraftworld EldarDark Eldar RaidersT'au Empire (including Demiurg, Nicassar and Kroot ships as well as T'au vessels)Tyranid Hive FleetsNecron RaidersAdeptus MechanicusThere are also numerous Imperial factions that have starships represented in Battlefleet Gothic such as the Inquisition, Adeptus Arbites, Adeptus Mechanicus, and Rogue Traders as well as numerous types of Imperial transports that are represented using current Battlefleet Gothic models as well as Forge World models and the old space fleet models.Battlefleet Gothic starships are represented by 2-10 cm-long models. The rules and miniatures were originally available in Games Workshop stores, although reclassification as a "Specialist Game" means the rulebook is now available in PDF format from the official home page. Additionally, Forge World has produced numerous lines of miniatures for Battlefleet Gothic, ranging from models to replace ordnance markers to entirely new vessels.
Battlefleet Gothic (Game) - Gameplay: Players take turns moving their ships and shooting, as well as undertaking more advanced maneouvres such as ramming, boarding, or disengaging. Each player may perform actions with all of his ships before the turn ends. The turns are divided into 4 phases, the Movement Phase, Shooting Phase, Ordnance Phase, and End Phase.During the Movement Phase, the player can move his ships across the tabletop. Different ships move at different speeds, and turn at different rates. Smaller Escorts (frigates and destroyers) are typically the fastest ships in a fleet. Ships can also go into "Special Orders" during the Movement Phase. Special Orders allow ships to move/turn faster, reload their ordnance, or increase the efficiency of their firing, at the cost of being less able to perform other functions later in the turn (or in other turns); for example, if a ship uses a Special Order to increase power to the engines to turn, the ship's firepower is halved that turn.During the Shooting Phase players fire their ships' weapons. Weapons are divided into two broad categories. Weapon Batteries represent massed broadsides that target an area of space, rather than being precision weapons. Lances represent more precise weapons consisting primarily of super-energised lasers, and target the enemy ships directly. Ships are protected from incoming fire by shields and armour. Enemy fire stopped by a ship's shields generate blast markers. Blast markers disrupt shooting, and slow down ships moving through them. They also temporarily bring down the shields of any ship in contact with them. Once shields are down, incoming shots impact against a ship's armour. Shooting can reduce a ship to a drifting, powerless hulk, or cause it to explode spectacularly. It can also cause critical damage, which covers a wide range of debilitating effects. Weapons can be taken offline, engines damaged, etc.During the Ordnance Phase warships use weapons that move and fight independently of the vessel. This typically includes Torpedoes, Fighters, Bombers, and Assault Boats. Ordnance must be reloaded between each use by using a Special Order. Ordnance ignores shields, but can be stopped by point-defense turrets mounted on most ships. Ordnance can also be fired on by a ship's main weapons. Although fragile, most forms of Ordnance are very difficult to hit.The End Phase is when damage control occurs. Each ship which is suffering from critical damage can attempt to repair itself. A variable number of blast markers are also removed during each End Phase.
Battlefleet Gothic (Game) - Battlefleet Gothic: Armada: Games Workshop published the 'Battlefleet Gothic Annual' once a year after the game's release, with the exception of 2003, where the Annual was replaced by a 160-page supplement, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada. Among others, Armada introduced four new Imperial fleet rosters (Battlefleet Armageddon, Bastion Fleets, Battlefleet Cadia and the Reserve fleets of Segmentum Obscurus), as well as gathering the fleets previously mentioned into an official rulebook with updated fleet lists.
Battlefleet Gothic (Game) - External Links: Port Maw - An unofficial, community-driven fan site dedicated to Battlefleet Gothic.Cypra Probatii International - An unofficial, bilingual (English and Polish) article-orientated portal dedicated to Battlefleet Gothic.
Battlefleet Gothic (Game) - Sources: Battlefleet Gothic Rulebook by Andy ChambersBattlefleet Gothic - Armada (Video Game)
Battlefleet Gothic Armada (Video Game) - Battlefleet Gothic Armada (Video Game): Battlefleet Gothic: Armada  is a real-time strategy video game adaption of the classic tabletop game with the same name developed by Tindalos Interactive and published by Focus Home Interactive on April 21, 2016 for Microsoft Windows.The game takes place during Abaddon's 12th  Black Crusade, also known as the Gothic War, where players must defend the Gothic Sector from the Orks, Chaos, Eldar Corsairs and traitorous factions of the Imperial Navy. Later downloadable content added two other factions, the T'au and the fleets of the Space Marines, to the game.
Battlefleet Gothic Armada (Video Game) - Gameplay: Players take control of 4 factions, including the Imperial Navy, Chaos Fleet, the Eldar Corsairs and the Ork Freebooterz. Each faction possesses their own unique warships and favoured playstyle. Players can also customise their warships' weapons, crew, subsystems, and Void Shields.A level up system is in place where players gain experience from battles in which they earn more experience when they win but gain less if they lose. After gaining specific levels, players access better ship classes, various equipment upgrades, and crewmen.In order for the players to customise their ships they must first earn renown points before they can buy upgrades. Every ship in the game possesses a limited number of slots for upgrades, with the exception of the Orks'.
Battlefleet Gothic Armada (Video Game) - Campaign: Players take control of an Imperial Navy captain named Spire on a mission to investigate the sudden communication blackout from Orbital Station Aleph. While there to investigate the blackout, an unnamed Commissar suggested sending a boarding party to investigate the orbital station. After the boarding party entered the station, they reported signs of fighting from within the facility, and after a search, they discovered the entire station crew had been slaughtered.In fact, Imperial Navy armsmen turned Traitor were responsible for the murders. Now servants of Chaos, they next sought to ambush the Imperial boarders. The entire boarding party was slaughtered to a man in the unexpected assault, while Captain Spire's ship came under attack from a Chaos-controlled defence platform. After destroying the defence platform the Chaos forces sent Escort ships to eliminate the Imperial threat, but Captain Spire and his valiant crew destroyed them first.After eliminating the Escorts, a massive Chaos Warfleet arrived under Abaddon the Despoiler's command. Captain Spire attempted to warn Battlefleet Gothic's Fleet Command of the Chaos threat, but unfortunately, the enemy forces jammed Spire's communications, and the only way to send a warning was to risk an emergency Warp jump close to a star.The Imperial ship successfully escaped to warn Fleet Command of the impending danger. Captain Spire's actions were then closely scrutinised and he was put on trial by Inquisitor Horst to determine if he was telling the truth about the encounter, or deceiving Fleet Command because he had been corrupted by the influence of Chaos.Spire was exonerated at the trial and promoted to the senior rank of Admiral by Lord Admiral Cornelius von Ravensburg. Spire is next sent on several missions that prove crucial to defending Imperial worlds from rebellions and an Ork incursion. Finally, Spire is tasked with repelling a Chaos invasion of the entire sector, leading into the final events of the Gothic War and the Battle of Schindelgheist that brought that conflict to an end.
Battlefleet Gothic Armada (Video Game) - Notable Characters: Lord Admiral Cornelius von Ravensburg - Commander of the Imperial forces stationed in the Gothic Sector who is tasked with its defence against Abaddon's 12th Black Crusade, Ork and Craftworld Aeldari incursions. He personally aided Admiral Spire in several missions, including the final confrontation against Abaddon the Despoiler.Admiral Spire - Before the start of the 12th Black Crusade Spire was Captain of a Dauntless-class Light Cruiser whose task was to patrol the sector from hostile threats until a scouting mission to explore an Orbital Station, that Sector High Command lost contact with, unleashed an unexpected series of events. After dealing with the Chaos-controlled Defense Platforms and Chaos Escorts, he and his crew escaped a pursuing Chaos fleet and warned Imperial High Command of Abaddon's whereabouts and invasion course. After Spire's mission, Lord Admiral Cornelius Von Ravensburg promoted him to the rank of Admiral and tasked him with defending the Gothic Sector against Abaddon's 12th Black Crusade.Inquisitor Horst - An experienced agent of the Inquisition, Horst's extensive knowledge of Chaos allowed him to deduce many of Abaddon's stratagems before they were put into play. This allowed the Imperium to prepare counter-measures, or even waylay the Despoiler's plans, at several key junctures.Captain Tiberius Solarian - A Space Marine Brother-Captain who hails from the Imperial Fists Chapter, Solarian responded quickly to petitions for Astartes aid from the Gothic Sector. He now leads a Chapter fleet to grant assistance to the Imperial Navy and Imperial Guard in defending the sector from Chaos, Ork and Eldar incursions, both in space and on the ground of many beleaguered worlds.Fabricator Cambrius - A senior member of the Adeptus Mechanicus, Cambrius serves as its representative to the Gothic Sector Council during the Gothic War, and he was fully committed to supporting the Imperial Navy in their efforts to defend the sector.Prince Eldrathain - Eldrathain was an Eldar Corsair Prince who led a sizable Corsair fleet during the 12th Black Crusade. Depending on the player's choices, he will aid the Imperial Navy against Abaddon's forces, or alternatively, the player must eliminate him along with the Forces of Chaos and the Orks.
Battlefleet Gothic Armada (Video Game) - Game Modes: During the course of the single-player campaign, skirmish and multiplayer modes, a variety of game types are possible:Convoy Escorts - Attackers must destroy half, or if possible, all of the convoy ships escorted by the defender while the defender wins if they manage to reach an escape route without losing any convoy ships or only 1 is destroyed while the rest escape.Space Station Assault - Attackers must destroy a space station in order to win while the defender wins if they manage to destroy or rout the attackers.Breakthrough - The defenders must protect orbital platforms and destroy or rout the attackers while the attackers must destroy or rout the enemy fleet while also destroying the defenders' platforms.Data Recovery - The defender must escape while protecting crucial strategic data from boarding actions by the attacker. The attacker must steal the data from the defender and escape to achieve victory.Assassination - Defenders must defend their admiral from the attackers until the admiral's flagship escapes from the battle.
Battlefleet Gothic Armada (Video Game) - Reception: The game has received positive reviews and has a score of 79% on Metacritic. IGN awarded it a score of 7.1 out of 10, saying "Battlefleet Gothic: Armada's promising space tactics are bogged down by excessive obscure details." PC Gamer awarded it 80%, saying "A tubthumping tribute to the 40K universe, with perfectly grim design. Multiplayer definitely needs work on its balance though."
Battlefleet Gothic Armada (Video Game) - Sources: Battlefleet Gothic: Armada (PC Game)Battlefleet Gothic Armada Official Website
Battlefleet Koronus - Battlefleet Koronus: Battlefleet Koronus, officially known as Passage Watch 27-Est, is a small fleet of Imperial Navy vessels charged with the protection of the Koronus Expanse, a dangerous unexplored region of the Halo Stars located beyond the Calixis Sector in the Segmentum Obscurus, which lies on the northern edge of the known galaxy.At the docks of Port Wander, through the Koronus Passage, and into the Expanse beyond, the grey-hulled and crimson-prowed ships of Battlefleet Koronus defend Imperial interests and provide a bulwark for the Calixis Sector against the horrors that lurk in the depths of the Halo Stars.Officially known as Passage Watch 27-Est, this fleet detachment is nominally under Calixis Sector Command, but given a great deal of leeway in pursuing its directives -- defend Port Wander and other Imperial outposts and void stations along the Halo Margins, patrol the Koronus Passage, and launch expeditions into the Koronus Expanse to eliminate potential threats to the Calixis Sector.These actions gave rise to the detachment's unofficial name amongst Navy personnel and civilians alike -- Battlefleet Koronus. This squadron, commanded by Fleet-Captain Nathaniel Horne, is on extended detached duty from the rest of Battlefleet Calixis.
Battlefleet Koronus - Battlefleet Koronus: Established in 673.M40, Battlefleet Koronus is not large, especially compared to Battlefleet Calixis as a whole. It is comprised of several Cruisers, Light Cruisers, and Battlecruisers, supported by multiple Destroyer and Frigate Escorts. These warships possess most of the combat experience in Battlefleet Calixis, as they are almost constantly in conflict with raiders, pirates, and the occasional xenos vessel that comes through the Maw to plunder the Calixis Sector. Passage Watch 27-Est is hard-pressed but vigilant, and on occasion has sent its distinctive grey-hulled, crimson-prowed vessels on counter-actions and reprisals into the Koronus Expanse.Today, Battlefleet Koronus operates largely independently of the sector's overview. It is one of the few fleet detachments not to lose forces to the ongoing demands of the "Margin Crusade," and has even seen a slight growth in strength as exploration and interest in the Koronus Expanse grows.Defending the sector against the predications of the Expanse is one duty that cannot be allowed to lapse, and since one of Battlefleet Koronus' tasks is to protect Zone 15 (and the Warp Gate to the Jericho Reach), its ships are so far immune to requisition.Battlefleet Koronus stages from several locations, including Port Wander in the Rubycon II System, Copernicus Depot at the edge of the Drusus Marches, and Fleet Base Metis in Zone 15. However, with the exception of Fleet Base Metis, few warships may be found at these locations at any one time. The majority of Battlefleet Koronus is on constant patrol, the better to project its power.