This summer, Battleground Games and Hobbies will be running a map based League. We are going to be using a slightly modified version of The Vogen Campaign (detailed below).
League Details:
Start Date: Thursday, June 24th 2010
End Date: Thursday, July 29th 2010
League Night: Thursday 6:30pm Players are STRONGLY encouraged to be present at 6:30pm on League Night.
Entrance Fee: $15.00
We are going to cap the League at 20 players.
It is suggested (although not necessarily required) that players be able to field 2000 points of their army.
ForgeWorld lists are legal.
Cities of Death scenarios will not be used unless specified.
The League will NOT make use of any Cities of Death rules unless specified although players are free to use them if they see fit.
League night will work like this:
End Week - This phase is where the scoring of victory points takes place. This phase will be ignored on week 1.
Campaign Phase - In this phase players will place pins / fortify territories. Placing a pin in an enemy territory is how to initiate a battle for that week. Your battles details should be worked out with your opponent. Things like time, points, other special rules, etc. will be up to you to decide. The Campaign Phase lasts for the entire week and contains the Battle Phase.
>>Battle Phase - Your actual game(s). Upon completion of each game please remove the appropriate pin(s) from the map. The player that loses the battle will remove his pin from the territory. If there is a draw, the defending (controlling) player will keep control of the territory. If there is no controlling player at the beginning of that weeks Campaign Phase then a draw will result in no one taking control of the territory.
The Vogen Campaign
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“We thought it was over. We couldn’t have been more wrong. Turns out the Night Lords left us a little present during the first war. The presence of so much death, confusion and panic lit up like a firecracker in the warp. Chaos was irresistibly drawn back to Vogen, hoping to feast on our pain. As it turns out, so was everybody else; right now just about every other heretic, alien and scumbag in the sector is fighting for a piece, either for or against Chaos. They want our city bad. But they ain’t getting it.”
Veteran Sergeant Hessel, 122nd Cadian Regiment
The Vogen Campaign is based on the Imperial city of Vogen on the planet of Khai-Zhann, predominantly because a lot of details have already been sorted out for the beleaguered capital.
The campaign is map-based; some of the locations within Vogen are of varying strategic importance and hence have a Victory Point total allocated to them according to their status. For instance, a hab-block may be worth 1 VP, the Palace Grounds 4 VPs, etc. Some locations, however, will earn you no VPs at all.
Basic Rules
The way the campaign is played is as follows:
I. Each player has a number of colored indicator pins which should bear their initials. The pins can be color-coded depending on which army the player uses, green for Orks, blue for Eldar, gold drawing pins for NPCs, etc.
II. Each player starts with one pin in a non-labeled, non-scoring square just inside the city walls; the place where your forces have breached the walls, their HQ, etc. This will be determined on the first night of the campaign. A square with one of your pins in it is occupied by your forces.
III. At regular intervals during the campaign (every week, on league night), each player may place another pin in a square next to one of their existing pins, even if the border between them is very small.
IV. If two pins of different colors are in the same map square after placement, you must play a game of 40K with the owner of the other pin. The loser removes his pin altogether, the winner claims that square by leaving his in place. If there are already two pins of different colors in a square, you may not move into it (no three- or four-player games)
V. If you lose all your pins, you’re out of the campaign.
VI. Games are of any agreed points value. If a point value can not be agreed upon the default point value will be 2000. Players will have the option to use a randomly determined Cities of Death mission unless specified otherwise in the location information.
VII. If your pin occupies a location with a Victory Point value and there are no opposing pins in that location, you can claim those points to add to your total. This will take place at the end on each week, on League night, before the new week begins.
VIII. At the end of the campaign (6 weeks), the player with the most Victory Points in total is the winner.
That’s the basic premise. This ensures everybody fights over locations of strategic importance. However, not everybody is available whenever someone else feels like having a scrap, so these rules are adjusted as follows.
Advanced Rules
I. Instead of adding another pin, you may FORTIFY one existing pin. Add a dot • (clearly marked) to the pin you have fortified. When fighting a game in this location, you have an extra 100pts to spend on your list. This may be done more than once, adding 100pts per fortification and another dot to the pin, but no more than three times in any one location. Some of the locations already have fortifications, eg (•••) would mean someone defending that square may spend 300 extra points on their list.
If you are not present on League night one of your territories will be fortified for you. Remember that this REPLACES your ability to place another pin.
II. If someone is contesting a square with you but you cannot play them for any reason (holiday, too chicken, no time, etc.), you are considered to have lost the battle. If you foresee this being a problem DO NOT sign up to play in the League.
III. Certain critical areas of the map have certain special rules and scenarios (a cathedral may give Sisters players more Faith points per battle, etc.). These are listed in the next post detailing Vogen’s important locations.
IV. No assassins may be used unless specified in the location brief.
V. If you are not present for a while, tell the campaign organizers and they will fortify one of your squares each week. If you just can’t be bothered, forget to make a move or to tell the organizers, you miss out, as you cannot have a ‘backlog’ of turns and do them all at once.
VI. If you are not present to play a game with someone who has invaded your territory you will be considered to have lost the battle.
The Vogen Campaign
Map Location Special Rules
122nd Cadian HQ
One of two islands of resistance to von Guyen’s rebels, the commander of the 122nd Cadians, Colonel Karnow had anticipated the rebellion and put his HQ on high alert. Karnow ordered the bulk of the regiment to remain billeted in their fortified camps to the north of the city, trusting that the KZ-PDF could contain any trouble that occurred. This proved to be a costly mistake as the majority of the KZ-PDF had gone over to the rebels and much of Karnow’s forces were trapped outside the city. Thousands of frenzied cultists hurled themselves at the Cadians HQ, but the defences were well planned. Heavily fortified bunkers, minefields and razorwire protected every approach and eventually, the rebels were forced to settle for simply containing the Cadians. Only when reinforcements fought their way to the city to relieve their comrades did the re-conquest of Vogen become possible.
2/4 VICTORY POINTS: Imperial Guard players may claim their base for 2 Victory points. It counts as having two ‘dots’ of fortifications. However, if the base falls, the player that takes it can claim the Imperial Guard base for 4 victory points as the Guard’s morale is broken.
Administrative Quarter
The commerce that is the lifeblood of Vogen is regulated and controlled from here, by the fiscal accountancy scribes and legislative scholars of the Imperial Office of Outlays. These loathed, but necessary, officials pen the multitude of laws and regulations that govern and monitor the mercantile and financial activities of the populace. Almost as soon as the first shots of the rebellion were fired, the citizenry of Vogen began tearing down the buildings here with savage abandon and it not certain whether rebels or loyal citizens perpetrated these acts of violence. Despite the fierce fighting nearby at the gates of the Adeptus Arbites Precinct House, Imperial scribes attempted to restore some kind of order to their destroyed records, but the vengeful populace had proven to be exceptionally thorough.
2 VICTORY POINTS
Angel Square
This was once the site of many hundreds of Imperial celebrations in Vogen’s long history, thousands of jubilant citizens flocking to hear the proclamations of the Ecclesiarchy from the nearby Basilica. Coronations, declarations of war and knighthoods have all taken place under the shadow of the massive statue of Sanguinius that casts its steely gaze across the square. Formerly Celebration Square, the site changed its name when the immense statue of Sanguinius was erected to commemorate those of the Blood Angels Chapter who gave their lives in the defence of Khai-Zann, during the Myele Insurrection. The statue is a great and potent symbol of Imperial power, and if it should be toppled by the forces of evil, the effect on the morale of the Imperial forces would be devastating.
4 VICTORY POINTS: If a non-Imperial player takes Angel Square, they can elect to topple the statue at the center of the square. If this occurs, all Imperial forces (Imperial Guard and all their variants, Sisters of Battle, Adeptus Arbites, and all Space Marine Chapters) suffer from –1 Leadership for the whole of the next Campaign phase (the week of play after this event occurs).
Arbites Precinct
The second island of resistance left within the city when the rebels began the Khai-Zhan uprising, the Precinct House of the Adeptus Arbites saw some of the heaviest fighting of the war. The grim and imposing façade of the Judges headquarters, studded with pillboxes, loopholes and gun nests, is a fearsomely well-defended building and every approach is heavily mined and protected by yard upon yard of razorwire. Using their connection to the water purification plant, the Judges were able to infiltrate the entire city, springing ambushes on unwary rebels and plant booby traps in their midst. In the latter stages of the war, regiments of loyalist KZ-PDF were able to use the Arbites Precinct as a jumping off point as they cleared the north wall of the city towards the North Road Gate.
4 VICTORY POINTS: Any player wishing to occupy the Precinct House must first oust the Adeptus Arbites stationed there. Find a willing Imperial Guard player and play a game against them. If you win, you may occupy the Arbites Precinct House. The Precinct House already has two ‘dots’ of Fortifications. (The player playing the IG in the area must play in a manner that preserves the integrity of the League)
Basilica Imperius Dominatus
The oldest structure in the capital city, the Basilica Imperius Dominatus, or Basilica as it is more commonly known, is the hub of the Imperial cult of Vogen. Every day the priests of the Ecclesiarchy rang the faithful to worship and despite horrendous damage suffered during the fighting, the preachers and minor functionaries continued to lead the faithful in prayer over the crash of artillery and rattle of gunfire. On the third day of the war, warriors from the Night Lords Chapter of Chaos Space Marines overran the Basilica and murdered every one of the priests, hanging their mutilated corpses from the statuary around the temple’s cloisters. These terror tactics would prove to be a miscalculation as they merely spurred a wrathful population to unheard of acts of zealotry, recapturing the Basilica from the Night Lords despite horrific losses and bloodshed. The ruined shell of the Basilica once again echoed to the sound of Imperial hymns and prayers, remaining in loyalist hands for the remainder of the war.
2/4 VICTORY POINTS: If a Sisters of Battle player controls the Basilica, they benefit from D3 extra Faith points in every battle they play. The Basilica is worth 2VPs to non-sister Imperial players, and 4VPs to Sisters and non-Imperials; as the Basilica is a potent symbol of Imperial authority and cannot be seen to fail.
Building 235
With the destruction of Vogen’s genatorium, von Guyen’s techs were forced to rig a temporary power grid in a nearby building. With jerry-rigged energy generators connected to the underground geysers, von Guyen was able to supply power to his traitorous army. However, once Imperial auguries had identified the building, its destruction was immediately assigned to a battalion under the command of lieutenant Badenhall of the 122nd Cadians. After three hours of fighting, the building was captured with a casualty rate of 83%. It was later discovered that the generator machines had been removed from the building to another location before the assault was launched.
4 VICTORY POINTS: Games in this area must be played using the Spearhead scenario. A building must be placed in the middle of the table, this will represent Building 235 and will be the sole objective. Players may opt to use the High Ground mission (Cities of Death) with Building 235 as the objective.
Cartel House Dwellings
When the families of the various family cartels journey to Vogen, they reside in magnificent townhouses in the segregated western quarter of the city. The rebellion had, in part, been fuelled by Governor Kadulus’ excessive profit skimming which resulted in a terrible financial burden being placed on the workforce. When the rebellion broke out, many amongst the rebellious populace saw this as a chance to take back their hard-earned wealth from those who had profited from their toil and sweat. Many of the fine townhouses were ransacked and their occupants murdered before they could escape. When Imperial forces began clearing the district in preparation for their attack towards the North Road Gate, they were forced to destroy armed gangs of squatters who had taken up residence in the houses of those they had murdered and attacked anyone who came near. Desperate to hold onto what they saw as rightfully theirs, the commencement of the Imperial assault had to be delayed several days as vicious skirmishes were fought amongst the ruined finery of the wealthy to dislodge the squatters.
1 VICTORY POINT.
Dealers’ Accommodation
The middle-men who negotiate the sales and prices of the Vogen kelp cakes to off-world buyers often travel far and wide across the landmass of the planet to secure the best prices. When they travel to Vogen it is customary for them to stay in this fashionable district, enjoying the lavish hospitality of the family cartels. By day they work in the sweat pits of the Vogen Trading House and by night enjoy the exotic delights of the Pleasure districts. When hostilities erupted, many of the fine hotels were largely unoccupied, and were subsequently occupied by von Guyen’s officers. An Imperial kill team, posing as citizens pressed into the rebels service, infiltrated the hotel and were able to administer a lethal toxin to the wine at a banquet celebrating the capture of the Palace of Peace. The upper echelons of the rebel command structure were thrown into disarray by the subsequent deaths and the traitor army was paralyzed for nearly twelve hours. Imperial forces used this time wisely, fortifying their positions and advancing into strategic positions within the city. Following the mass poisoning, rebel officers became much more cautious, moving from building to building, eventually abandoning the district as more of their number succumbed to explosive booby traps and time delayed bombs.
2 VICTORY POINTS. A Callidus Assassin is still operating here and may be used by Imperial players at the normal points value.
Execution Square
When the defense laser batteries were constructed on Gibbet Hill, public executions were moved to the more sheltered location of Khai-Zhan square, which was renamed, with typical Arbites imagination, Execution Square. Lawbreakers, heretics, traitors and witches were dragged in chains to the center of the square and either shot or burned at the stake for the citizenry’s edification. For the majority of the war, Execution Square served as a staging area for the rebel army of cultists as they laid siege to the Adeptus Arbites precinct house. For days the rebels hurled themselves at the bronze gates of the Judges, but could not breach the defenses, losing thousands of their number in a matter of hours. Eventually von Guyen realized he was achieving nothing other than depleting his own army and settled for simply preventing the Arbites from breaking out, though he was unsuccessful even in that.
2/4 VICTORY POINTS: 4 Victory Points for Chaos players, 2 for all others.
Genatorium
Virtually all of Vogen’s power comes from coastal wave generators and is channelled to the northern genatorium. From here, power is distributed throughout the city and this was one of the first buildings targeted by von Guyen’s rebels. The heroic resistance of loyalist KZ-PDF units gave the workers time to booby trap the machinery with crude explosives and the resulting detonation flattened buildings for two hundred yards in all directions, opening a breach in the north wall. The area around the Gentorium became a no-man’s land as automated underground turbines continued to pump out scalding hot water in man-killing steam geysers.
2 VICTORY POINTS: The steam geysers follow the rules for Magma Vents outlined in Hostile Terrain, WD255, p36. There are D6+1 geysers on the battlefield. You could use cotton wool to mark out where the geysers are.
Gibbet Hill
Situated on an exposed and windswept rocky island to the northeast of the city walls, Gibbet Hill has always had associations with death. Once, convicted murderers were hung by the neck until dead here, but now it is a fortified gun emplacement. When public executions were moved to the more sheltered location of Execution Square by popular demand, the hill was fortified and defence laser silos constructed atop the old detention complex. Gibbet Hill was the scene of fierce fighting due to its elevation above the city. Though only fifteen metres or less above sea level, it provides a vantage point from which the Imperial palace can be bombarded. The fortress changed hands many times during the fighting, until there was virtually nothing left of the original buildings.
5 VICTORY POINTS: If you control the arsenal of laser silos on Gibbet Hill you may use a preliminary bombardment (edit this later) in every game you play. You may also destroy one ‘dot’ of Fortifications in any square or location per week.
Gun Towers and Sniper’s Alley
These heavily armored gun towers changed hands many times over the course of the war, their strategic location overlooking the Basilica and law courts making them ideal vantage points for forward artillery observers and snipers. Indeed these were among the few structures that survived the war relatively intact, despite attempts by both sides to reduce them to rubble. Chentelle Street, the long road that led from Harikon’s Bastion on the south wall to the gates of the Palace of Peace became known as Sniper’s Alley and, soon, it was a brave soldier who dared to try and cross from the east side of the city to the west.
2 VICTORY POINTS per gun tower location: Each of the Gun Towers has both Lascannon and Heavy Bolter Sentry Guns, set on point defense mode. They are elevated ~8”. Once the location is claimed, they will fire upon the nearest enemy target every turn. Players should use an Imperial Bastion to represent a Gun Tower. The scenario that should be used is Spearhead with the Gun Tower in the center. Players may also choose to use the High Ground scenario (Cities of Death) in these locations, with the gun towers themselves as the objective.
2 VICTORY POINTS for Sniper’s Alley South,
4 VICTORY POINTS for Sniper’s Alley North: A Vindicare Assassin is operating in Sniper’s Alley and may be used by Imperial players at the normal points value.
The Gauntlet (Cities of Death) is always played in these locations but does not make use of the Scenario Special Rules except for the how reserves work.
Hab-blocks Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta.
When the forces of Chaos hit Vogen like a thunderbolt, much of the habitation districts were levelled by artillery duels between rebel and loyalist forces. Many of the workers had looted the nearby mercantile districts and were unwilling to relinquish their new possessions. When forces from both sides attempted to traverse this rubble choked wasteland, they found themselves under attack from blackened and wretched gangs of workers, driven mad by the shelling, who steadfastly refused to abandon their homes. Fiercely protective of their shattered domains and obsessed with obtaining more of their filthy possessions, the area swiftly attained a dangerous reputation where a lone sentry could be dragged into the shadows by crazed looters and murdered for the laces in his boots.
1 VICTORY POINT PER HAB: If a model is All On Its Own (define later) at the beginning of any turn, remove it from play as it is mobbed and murdered by a band of armed scavengers. All games played in Hab Blocks Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta will be played on a 4'x4' table.
If you have all the Hab-blocks under your control, they are worth 8 VPs in total.
Hab-blocks Epsilon & Zeta
Largely demolished during the fighting, this region became a relative haven for refugees displaced by the fighting. Both forces attempted to clear the area several times, as the camps made ideal staging areas for saboteur teams to operate from in secrecy. Riots were a regular occurrence in this district, erupting as citizens, both loyal and traitor, would fight for scraps of food and their possessions.
1 VICTORY POINTS EACH Games played in Hab blocks Epsilon and Zeta will be played on a 4'x4' table.
Harikon’s Gate
These swallow-tailed bastions guarded the eastern approaches to Vogen and the river crossing at Cho-Kai Bridge. These bastions were to play little part in the conflict as the rebels were already within the city and their open rears rendered them largely useless in terms of attacking the city.
0 VICTORY POINTS
Imperial Senate House
The Senate House was built when Vogen was first founded and, at the time, stood as a symbol of co-operation between the planet’s various family cartels. Local laws were passed here and disputes between the cartels resolved. During the uprising, the building was more or less empty and von Guyen’s men seized the Senate House in little under an hour. As a tactical base it was practically valueless, as its plan was indefensible and its structure unfortified. Early on in the fighting, it was used as an ammo dump by von Guyen’s troops, but when Imperial saboteurs managed to detonate the ammunition, it was abandoned. When Cadian troops attacked from the north, they pressed it into service as a field hospital and it was said that the screams of the wounded could be heard over the incessant artillery barrages as far away as the Ecclesiarchal palace in the southern quarter.
1 VICTORY POINT
Mercantile and Pleasure Districts
The once prosperous mercantile and pleasure districts, popular with the moneyed members of society, lay to the north of the Palace of Peace and were a target of opportunity once the rebellion began. Looters from the nearby worker habs took the chance to ‘liberate’ much of the merchandise from this district in the mistaken belief that this uprising was a simple civil matter and they could wait it out in comfort. The fighting in these districts was fierce as the main push of the Cadians northern forces advanced through here once the Imperial Fists had taken the Genatorium breach.
2 VICTORY POINTS EACH