S.E.

"I want to smoke a cigarette in the slag of Isstvan.

I want to feel the scorching rays of a double sun, bouncing off my mirrorshades.

I want to feel my cat-ears plastered to my head in a Zeta windstorm.

I want to spread this incendiary truth as wide as my smile."

2v2

There is a four player game approaching, and to apply an interesting twist an interesting mission was in order.

Objectives:
The players on each side roll off. The player who scores lowest is attempting Objective A, while the higher roll is attempting Objective B. Objective A is to cause as much damage as possible to the enemy, only this player receives Kill Points for units they destroy (one point each). Objective B is to capture and control as many objective markers as possible, they receive one point for each objective held at the end of their opponent's turn. Before deployment, place five objective markers at least 12" apart, (and from the board edge) rolling off to place the first marker. Only scoring units from a player attempting Objective B can hold a marker, any enemy model may contest. The side with the most points wins, otherwise it is a tactical draw.

Deployment:
Roll a scatter die. Follow the direction to the table edge, from there draw a line through the center of the table, this is the center line. Each side rolls off, the winner chooses to deploy first or second on the table half of their choosing, the opposing side deploys in the opposite half. No models may be deployed within 9" of the center line.

First Turn:
All players roll, each side adds their results together, highest result chooses to go first or second.

Game Length:
Random, roll at end of turn 5, on a 1-2 game ends, and so on...

Thoughts?

The R-37a Gun Droid

These little guys showed up not long after IKE was trampling the painting table, (more pics here), and its about time Adept Phoboes put them to use in the Phasian War.

You might notice that they are a little light, with only T3 and one wound, but this is hopefully balanced out with their firepower (hopefully). Making them a mobile jetbike unit (but not a cheatin' eldar jetbike unit) should give them some cover saves and keep them out of combat most of the time.

Your thoughts? They are always welcome....

Zombie Minigame

Here is a fun little game I made this afternoon out of curiosity. I'm not saying this is balanced or anything, but I did try :) I think it worked out pretty fair.

Determining direction of attack / deployment zones.

Marines walk on from their table edge; zombie zone marked out for setup. They rolled a 6 for DT... (hungry zombies!)

Ready!

Pistols do nothing, and combat is joined. Marines do pretty well. Wounds on the zombie "unit" from Fearless are a definite advantage.

Zombies begin to crowd around.

One Marine fails a storm shield save and is eaten!

Heavy slogging as more undead catch the scent and move in.

"Yeahahh!!" The crowd is thinning...

In the end, two marines remain after dispatching 27 zombies.

Sound / look fair? Give you any ideas? Leave a comment!
Home-engineering of games and particular scenarios is something I would like to try more of.
:) Chris

Strategy Points

Over the course of a war army generals will make use of many tactics, masses of infantry and armor will be destroyed, and the survivors will be stronger and more deadly. Strategy Points (SP) allow a general to bring resources from one battlefield to another, advance the skills of veteran units and even select the battlefield and objectives.

Many missions have stratagems (or assets), anything purchased with SP is in addition to points allocated from the mission being played and do not effect each other. For instance, if a Cities of Death mission was being played, a player may purchase two sewer rat stratagems (one with SP, one from the mission). Only one of each stratagem (or asset) may be purchased with SP, (therefore a player cannot have 3 sewer rat stratagems for instance).

Earning SP:

Each game played will earn the player one or more SP depending on the game result.

Loss – 1

Draw – 2

Win – 3

Spending SP:

SP may be spent many different ways, from purchasing abilities and upgrades to challenging missions.

Veteran Skills – A unit may be selected to earn veteran abilities for one SP. Refer to the section in the 40k rulebook (pg 263) for specifics. The only difference is that the number of units nominated is equal to SP spent (a unit will still lose a veteran ability if wiped out, etc.)

Cities of Death Stratagems – A stratagem chosen from the Cities of Death book may be used for one SP each. These are often mounted upon trailers (or carried around, reused, etc.) and are able to be used from battle to battle. All stratagems chosen must be represented with a marker, treat any stratagem marker as an immobile vehicle with AV 11 (unless otherwise noted).

Planetstrike Stratagems – Stratagems from the Planetstrike book may be purchased at the costs listed (1 SP equals 1 Stratagem Point). Like the CoD Stratagems, use markers to represent all stratagems chosen (unless already represented), these are AV 11 immobile vehicles (unless noted).

Strategic Assets – Strategic Assets are purchased from the Apocalypse books, one asset may be purchased for one SP. Strategic Assets may only be used during a single game and do not carry over from battle to battle (unlike stratagems).

Spearheads – The ability to use a spearhead formation may be purchased for one SP. Like veteran abilities, a spearhead formation will lose its abilities, and the ability to be fielded as a spearhead, if wiped out during any game. Spearhead formations can be found on the GW website as well as in a WD(?).

Challenging Missions – A player may select the mission to be played against a selected opponent. The challenger may choose from any of the Standard Missions, Cities of Death and Battle Missions for one SP, or a Special Mission or Planetstrike for two SP. An Apocalypse game may be challenged with 3 SP, an apocalypse game may include more than two players, if so, the challenging side may divide the SP cost between them.

Thoughts?

Daily Lope 08

On the outside of the Western Fringe there is a section of war-scarred space. Once known as the Phasian System, the Phasian Cloud spins around a warp storm which has taken residence within its star. Several planets stay caught in the magnetic pull of the storm, orbiting through interstellar ruin.

The Phasian Cloud travels through the galaxy faster than it should and is beginning to reach the Odin System. The Imperial world of Odin Prime, beset already by heretic forces, now faces the oncoming warp storm and its inhabitants. The Inquisition has taken command of the system's defenses under the overall command of Inquisitess-General Bacardi.

The Phasian War will work on a strategy point system, which are earned by playing games, in addition to campaign maps. Strategy points are earned after a game; win 3, draw 2, loss 1. These points can then be used to purchase veteran abilities, stratagems (from Planetstrike or CoD for points listed, Apoc for twice), spearheads, or challenge special missions. (A definitive list and fiddly rule-bits will be it's own post, soon.)

This way an army could win a game (earning 3sp), then challenge an annihilation mission, and purchase a power generator for those veterans. If the power generator survives it can be used in the next game(s), like the veteran abilities in the main book. Thoughts?

And I will leave you with a (blurry) picture of my map (before any hex-mapping, etc). I hope that helps with your campaign thinking,

Ricalope.

A Rare Find

The tech-adept was almost astonished, the captured walker seemed to be communicating in High Gothic, his meant that the machine spirit was indeed interactive. The machine's code was complex and secure, but eventually the holy viral programs of the Mechanicus sunk into IKE's mainframe, control was subverted to the tech-adept. Even after the programs took effect the machine refused to acknowledge its holiness or even that it was a machine spirit.

Either way, it didn't matter much. The executioner and thermal cannons would prove very useful in the Imperium's upcoming endeavors.

(More pics.)
Ricalope.

Daily Lope 04

Scratch-build rules, not proxies or stand-ins, homemade awesomeness. Here are three of the datasheets that I ave done up so far (the blank one is available for download at the GW site). First, Charion the 609th's medivac (medic's datasheet coming soon).

The Ciaphas Vanquisher was a smaller super-heavy designed for the Oden PDF, mainly used for (apocalyptic) street fights. I need to finish this guy.

And, the Beer Wagon.

What are your thoughts? Balanced/unbalanced?
In the near future I hope to post datasheets for Swimming Eagle's super-heavy walker and the dreaded Quadraped, amid other things...
See you for the next "daily",
Ricalope.