Fortentaf Diaries 3

...from the campaign journal of Garis Weiner, engineer for Wrath of Erickheim.

We had just finished loading the Wrath onto the barges when riders appeared and met with the general. Soon as you know it, we were unloading the barges and headed back towards Tilman's Ferry. Sure enough, the place were being overrun by those furry skaven, and they had one of them abomination with them. Those creatures are damn scary I tell you. Oh, along the way, the general managed to recruit the giant, 'Ol Bold to fight for us. Of course, we had to part 3 heads of cows and a wagonful of good mead.

The general took charge of the left field and left the right field to the mage Marius, where the Wrath was deployed, along with the pistolkorps and Edgewaters militia. The center was held by Fort Fosburg's detachment of artillery and handgunners, as well as the crossbowmen. A company of mercenary knights were on hand too. The Braeme's archers took up position near the giant on the left.

The verminous tide came upon us in their multitudes, the abomination making its way towards the general and his knights. The dreaded plague furnace craked its rotting wheels towards the center while two large blocks of clanrats scurrying on the right, facing off with the Wrath and the pistolkorps.

Their magic was desultory, with the priest hurting himself from a miscast. Their shooting was a bit better with a volley from the jezzails killing a mortar crew. Fortunately for us, the lightning cannon overshot.

I put all steam into the Wrath's advance and we almost came to grips with the clanrats. Unholy magicks protected the priest from the well-aimed shots of the marksmen and the crossbowmen reduced the number of jezzail teams. "Ol Bold hid himself behind some trees, in the hope of catching the abomination by suprise. The suprise was on the giant, when the abomination slithered and smothered him in its many limbs.

Gravely wounded, the giant heaved his huge club and brought it down onto the monstrosity, splitting the putrid flesh. The wounds were too great for the beast and its previous injury from Jaeryd's fireball denied its body to heal itself. With a massive crash, the thing lay still.

Emboldened by their numbers, the clanrats marched closer to our lines, undeterred by the tank's terrifying presence. Another block of rats, this one led by one of their magic user, fled at the sight of Wrath, no doubt aided by Marius's dreaded Doom and darkness spell. These fleeing rats were easy meat for the pistoliers who scattered them.

The general led the charge against a unit of Rat Ogres and ran them down but 'Ol Bold was pulled down by a pack of giant rats. In the center, a second cannonball connected with the furnace, and with a mighty crash, the whole contraption came falling down. The priest emerged unscathed. Sporadic shooting by the handgunners and outriders picked off several more monks from the huge block coming towards our lines.

After failing to hit anything since the start of the battle, the mortar crew suddenly outshined themselves with an accurate round on a block of 30 clanrats. half of the rats were blown to pieces and the rest simply fled away from the battlefield. This freed up our right flank and we began to drive towards the center with the Wrath aiming for the skaven general's unit of stormvermins.

Having pulled down the giant, the giant rats continued their rampage and slaughtered the crossbowmen as they tried to flee from combat. The Wrath steamed towards the stormvermins and scalded them in hot steam. Unnerved, they ran but was eventually caught and most of them were grounded down. the nearby remnants of the jezzail team fled at the sight of the approaching tank

The remaining monks had swept into a band of flagellants and proceeded to wipe them out, but not before the prophet of doom managed to strike down the already injured priest. The plague monks swept into the nearby handgunners and again, their unholy rot prevailed. The cannon crew were next in line and it was then that the cannon failed them as the powder fizzled. Even as the remaining monks crested the mound where the cannon used to be, they did not have time to savor their victory as Jaeryd and Marius cut them all down with magical energy.

Oh, yes. I almost forgot. Early in the battle, the company of hired knights managed to destroy the warp-lightning cannon but they in turn were lost when they fled from the stormvermins and ran into the pack of giant rats. Goes to show you can't really rely on these showy knights-for-hire.

Now, after policing the field, we're on our way north again. I dread what we will face there.

Fortentaf Diaries 2

...from the campaign journal of Arthur Hellas, of the Falcon Dragoons.

Several days back we had received Brother Kholmar's replacement. It was Brother Barik. The general arrived with the mage MArius and several other new detachments, including a contingent from Fort Forsburg, that included the steam tank, Wrath of Erickheim.

No sooner had the general arrived, we set out on the march to punish the Dark elves, for their complicity in the death of Brother Kholmar. Words reached us via the ogres, who had engaged the elves and we hasten to their last reported sighting. True enough, the evil ones were set up with 3 of their accursed bolt throwers on a hill and a regiment of cold one knights harrying up the flank. In the center, a large mass of corsair stood still, as if daring us to come to them.
Brother BArik immediately split our forces, with him leading an attack on the right and the mage Jaeryd leading the attack from the left.

The mortar battery had just finished setting up before they came under a withering hail of bolts. The first volley didn't take out the battery but the follow up volley surely did. The heavy volume of fire also took their toll on the archers, who were unnerved by the ferocity of the bolts in cutting them down. The hellish rate of fire also took their toll on my band of pistoliers. It killed Jarv and Talfer, and gravely injured Ormer. I had my revenge for sure, when i charge them crews with Farney at my side, wiping them out. Cutting them down was sweet, but it won't bring back the guys.

I heard from the Wardens how Master Marius's spell of Doom and Darkness harried the cold one knights, prompting them to flee the battlefield. They also told me of how the Edgewater militia broke ranks and fled from the charging corsairs. He also told me how an assassin leapt from the corsair's ranks as the knights charge hit its flank. He was aiming for Brother Barik, yet Sigmar's blessings was with the priest. The envenomed blade failed to pierce his armor and he, in return, managed to wound the assassin.

The heavy horses charge broke the corsairs and they were cut down as they tried to flee. The enemy general's whereabout is still unknown. Back in camp, I could see the engineers affecting repairs on Wrath of Erickheim suffered during the fight. All in all, we got off pretty lightly with few casualties. The huntsmen regrouped and rejoined the fray while the unnerved militia now has latrine duties.

The men's pent up anger over Brother Kholmar's death was spent, but we are determine to honor him by fulfilling his original mission. By Sigmar's will, we shall prevail.

Note: This is the second battle fought in Fortentaf by the Erickheimers. What challenges will the future bring?

Fortentaf Diaries

...from the campaign journals of Bregan Harker of the Outriders squadrons...

It was the 12th day in our march towards Fortentaf when the scouts returned with news of another force converging on the road we were traveling. Brother Kholmar immediately despatched a small band of troops to gather more useful information.
As we neared the other force, we became aware of a multitude of heraldic colors and emblems emblazoned on their banners-Bretonians! Though not evil as some other creatures, the men of Bretonia are too far from home to be up to nothing good. Brother Kholmar sensed this too, yet his duty as emissary to the Baron required him to inquire of the knights' intent.
Escorted by his band of Border Knights, the monk rode up to the Bretonian commander. What transpired in the meeting is not known to me, but many whispered that the knights were feverish with thoughts of the warpstone and seemed obsessed with its claimation.
Barely had the monk returned that trumpets from the Bretonian side brayed their charge, pursuing Brother Kholmar. We roused and met them in a small clearing not far from camp...

From the letters of Battle Wizard Jaeryd Firemane to Baron of Erickheim...

My Lord,
Tis my sad duty to inform your lordship of the demise of your brave champion, Kholmar at the hands of Bretonians here in Fortentaf. We encountered the Bretonians on the road to Fortentaf and they attacked first, eager to spill our blood and restrain our search of the warpstone. Brother Kholmar wisely placed us in clever positions and we were able to harass the knights all the time.
In their eagerness to come to grips, they abandoned their pitifully wretched peasants behind and these were easily dispatched by the pistoliers detachment and myself. Using a band of free-swords, Kholmar managed to trick a group of knights into leaving behind their support. He hid himself behind a hill and caught the seperated group in the flanks. Alas, fate took a twist and a Paladin himself revealed himself in the group of knight. Although outnumbered, the remaining knights held their ground, no doubt bolstered by the courage of the paladin.
Trapped in combat, Brother Kholmar and his Border Knights could not react to the flanking charge delivered by another unit of knights. this proved their downfall as the melee swept them away and in the confusion, your champion was pulled down and slain. Too late to prevent their murder, the pistoliers and myself could only exact retribution.
The jubilant errant knights hoops of joy turned to screams of pain as a hail of lead pierced their mail and send several tumbling off their saddles. Unnerved, the cowards fled the field and scattered into the woods. The regrouped knights of the realm tried to escape the same fate yet the wind of magic was strong that day. Sigmar smiled on us and my bolts of fiery death claimed several more. Surely they have had enough, as even their general was weak enough to quit the fields of honor.
As you have often said, tis the crows that are the true winners after a battle. We scavenged what we could and buried our dead, as well as the enemy. For Brother Kholmar, we built a funeral pyre for him. His ashes we shall throw to the winds, so his spirit may protect the unwary, even as we continue on our mission.
Lest your lordship decree otherwise, the mantle of command lies with me now. Master Throngrave has shown me the visions and I too sense the danger in the winds of magic. Fear not My Lord, your command will be done. Tomorrow we will strike camp and move on. I entrust this letter and Brother Kholmar's hammer to your Lordship's side.
May Erickheim prosper under the blessings of Sigmar.


Note: Both entries are part of the ongoing warhammer fantasy battles campaign taking place at Legio Malaysia.

Nimphora VII Campaign: Turn 5-End Game

In turn 4, the planet saw some destruction as the lands began to sink and disappear. The IG commander, Yee How, managed to escape the doomed planet at the end of turn 4, making him the second commander after Shazli's ultramarines to do so. At the moment, his Node lies unguarded in the Polar Waste.

The beginning of turn 5 also saw the search for Nodes intensify as Jin's Inquisitors, Mark's IG and Zaki's Hive Mind successfully sought out Nodes. In Mark's case, he placed it in his last remaining territory as all his territories were lost to the dying planet's crumbling.

As the planet continues its dying contortions, each commander's territories has dwindled drastically. Mark is left with Dread Anchorage. Zaki has Calidas Fertarii, West Coriy and Plains of Omen. Raymond is left with Noxa Irput, Oncalth and Demonstalk Vale. Jin's Inquisitors hold Roofspine Mountains, Coldaroth, Bloodfields and Crystal Isle. The chaos forces of Lexis owns Icefloe Shores, Icebridge Vale, Crag Mountains and Rock Arbor. Nahri's IG forces is keeping Tahiri's Throat, Tobrau, Mead Valley and Ilim's Fields.

Those with the Nodes will try to exact the Bloodprice to escape while those without will try and wrest it from those who has them. The end is at hand!

Nimphora VII campaign: Turn 4

At the beginning of Turn 4, only the ultramarines have managed to successfully searched for and activated a Node of Power, hence they became the first force to evacuate the doomed planet. Hive mind Zaki too managed to find a Node but was unable to utilise it in time.

All the riots, raiding and general chaos attributed to the local populace has died down, in some cases suppressed with deadly force. What is left merely waits for the end, all hope gone. With darkness fully encompassing the planet, the ground continue to tremble even more violently than before.

In the north, the territories of Moonlight Ridge, The Bones, Floodplains of Beslan, Jendras Baxo and Gars Vinolin were swollowed up by the earth, wiping them out from the map. In the centre, Unggroth, Ingra Mobis and Kartonga suffered the same fate. In the South, only the Central Tundra and the Eastern Glacier were affected.

The Node stored by the Tyranids at Gars Vinolin were lost to the ground before it could be activated and the remains of the Ultramarine's Node too was lost. The territories has started to dwindle, even as the commanders enter the last phase for their survival.

Nimphora VII Turn 3-Beginning of the End

The thickening malevolent energies of the warp has almost engulfed the planet in its entirety, panicking and affecting the local population in unexpected ways. Driven insane or purely out of desperation, the locals struck out at the nearest targets.

Disruption of supplies, raids, uprisings to name a few, all manner of local unrest prevailed in the territories occupied by the various commanders, forcing them to divert their forces and suppress the chaos.

This was most evident in the north. IG commander Mark lost control in half of his occupied territories of Brokeback Cape, Dread Anchorage and Sunken Swamps. Fellow IG commander Nahri too faced unrest in three of his territories of Jendras Baxo, Mead Valley and Ilim's Fields, effectively denying him use of two foundries and a communications relay unit.

The Ultramarines too were not spared from the unrest as the shield generator in Roofspine Mountains went offline when its underground cables were swarmed by mutated rodents. East Coriy too suffered a panicking influx of refugees fleeing the nearby tyranids. In West Coriy, the fleeing refugees set random fires that utterly confuses the Synapse creatures there.

In Jerdeh, Hive Mind Zaki faces an unnatural stampede of mutated beast that trampled through its killer broods. The central continent too saw the templar Raymond losing contact with his forces in Orkern's Nest and Unggroth. The Inquisitor Jinn had to contend with an uprising in Lakehome, temporarily suspending the operations of the nearby communication relay. He also lost contact with his forces in the recently occupied Crystal Isle as the last report indicated broods of genestealers infiltrating across the territory.

The recent offensive of IG commander Yee How has stripped his forces in the Polar Waste and the garrisons there were ill equipped to cope with the rampaging ice beasts that stalked the lands. The Black Legion of Lexiss were not immune to the unrest as a tide of uncontrollable spawn laid siege to the communication relay there and a freak and impassable storm lashed the regions of Icebridge Vale.

As the dying planet nears its end, who shall find the Nodes of Power to escape?

Nimphora VII Turn 3-Darkness in Despair!

Turn 2 saw some reversals as players fielded bigger armies with which to pound their foes. Having replenished their forces, the commanders took to the field. In all, 7 battles were fought with the number of territories held by each almost the same.

Hive Mind Zaki still have the highest VPs score with Shazli's Ultramarines trailing a bit behind. With the start of Turn 3, commanders will have begun their search for the Nodes of Power. It stands to reason that someone is bound to find one, but could they hold on to it or activate it in time to escape the doomed planet?

Even as the planet heaved in its death throes, more special rules comes into play, to reflect the deteriorating condition of the planet. The end is near...

Nimphora VII Campaign-Turn 2: Tremors Underneath

Turn 2 started quietly enough with only 1 battle being fought (that I know of) on Sunday. It was a 1750 game pitting Zaki's Nids vs Mark's IG. The fight ended with the IG forces victorious (barely) with no serious damage on both sides.

I expect the action to pick up during the New Year.

Even as Nimphora VII is showing signs of deterioration, battle rages on to find the means to escape the dying planet.

Nimphora VII-New Forces On Planet

New forces are on planet!

The rumored Space Wolves force remains a rumor, and in their stead, another IG force under Commander Mark and dubbed the jungle Boys has made Planet Fall.

Black templars astartes too has made their appearance, landing their forces in the still neutral territories on Nimphora VII.

Battles continue to rage across the planet even as the planet itself begins to crumble...

The Killing Begins-First Day On Planet

I know I'm supposed to post only at the start of next turn, but the events on Sunday was really exciting and furious that I just had to post. To my knowledge, 5 battles were reported to have taken place. If there's more that I'm yet unaware of, please let me know.

The tyrannids under Hive Mind Zaki crushed all opposition after its brush of defeat with the Black Legion of Lexiss. Against IG commander YeeHow, the tyrannids came bursting out of the ground and took over the foundry in Ilim's Fields.

Elsewhere, Leexiss's Black Legion continue to consolidate in the south, expanding their control in the areas surrounding Icebridge Vale with control of Rock Arbor and Icefloe Shores.

Commander Nahri consolidated his victory against rival IG commander YeeHow by setting up a defensive line in The Bones.

The inquisition suffered badly this round. Losing several land raiders and several squads of precious Grey Knights. They even lost contact with the small force in Icefloe Shores as it was overrun by chaos forces under Warmaster Lexiss.

Deep in their defensive network, the ultramarines observed the battles raging around, biding their time to strike, even as two more chapters, those of the Black Templars and Space Wolves has yet to exit the warp.

NIMPHORA VII CAMPAIGN-TURN 1: PLANET FALL!

Hi folks! Last Sunday was awesome. Although I did not stay to see all the games being played, I heard that more than 5 games were played, cool! Until I know how to fix my pics, I'm afraid my posts will be without them for a while.

Situation

With the roiling clouds fast enclosing the planet, the shipwrecked survivors of the various flotillas gathered their wits, and surveyed their new refuge. With hindsight, many commanders did not panic in their haste to abandon their vessels and guided their troops to safety and strategic positions on the ground.

The northern part of Nimphora VII saw the tight formations of Ultramarines drop ships making their landings in the mountain ranges, securing for themselves a strong defensive line from which they could strike out. They hold Moonlight Ridge (Command Module), Roofspine Mountains (Shield Generator), Heaven's Spine, Tolinaru and East Coriy.

Tyrranid Broods could be made out making planet fall on Gars Vinolin (Communications Relay) and West Coriy (Command Module)in the north as well as in the central Plains of Omen (Shield Generator) and Jerdeh. A last brood was seen landing on Crystal Isle in the south.

Grey Knights transports too made a tight landing, this time in the central mountains of Ingra Mobis (Automated Foundry) and Lakehome(Communications Relay) as well as its low lying plains of Bloodfields (Shield Generator) and Coldarath (Automated Foundry). A small group was also seen heading for the Icefloe Shores.

A Warband of Black Legionaires consolidated in the southern part of Nimphora VII. Staking out positions in the wintry Icebridge Vale (Shield Generator), Crag Mountains and the Central Tundra (Command Module). Encroaching the central plains, they hold Renanbrau (Automated Foundry) and Stonethrow Flats (Communications Relay).

Two Imperial Guard Regiments was amongst those making planet fall. commanded by rival commanders, one landed his survivors on the central plains, holding terrain in Tobrau (Automated Foundry), Hargona's Reach, Tahiri's Throat (Command Module), Mead Valley (Communications Relay) and Jendras Baxo (Automated Foundry).

The other Commander split his forces, half landing in the south, holding to the Polar Waste and Western Glacier (Communications Relay) while the other half struck North, landing in Sunken Swamps, Ilim's Fields (Automated Foundry) and the Flood Plains of Beslan.

The last force destined to arrived on Nimphora VII's final days has yet to exit the warp but rumors has it that the templars is in ill mood of their "diverted" passage.

Another group that has yet to make an appearance was believed to be astartes of the Space Wolf Chapter. NO one knows how they will fare and how they will deal with their enemies.

And so, that is how the survivors fare on their first day on planet. Scouts and recon groups strike out to learn the lay of the land, and in their course, meet and engage other hostile forces.

NOTE: I will post 1 post per turn. Whatever happened in turn 1, I will post at the start of turn 2, and so on. So, you guys are welcome to issue challenges, comment and boast of your exploits in such posts as this one.

WARNING!: Nimphora VII is a dying planet. It is deteriorating and slowly consumed by the warp energy that surrounds it. Expect the coming Turns to be more challenging with new "suprises" coming your way.

I hope everyone will have a good time.

Nimphora VII has a corner!

Well, the meeting with Mr. William Phang (Owner of Comics Mart, MIdvalley) went very well. After explaining our campaign requirement, he graciously pointed me to the corner next to the warhammer shelves. It is a bit out of the way but just what we needed. He suggested that it's better to have it there, since people coming and going in the shop might 'accidentally' brush by the stuff had we put it somewhere more 'open'.

I'm quite happy about it and the space is just nice to fit an A3 size piece of map for the Nimphora VII campaign. I will have to talk to him (William) some more on the placement of strategy cards and markers in his shop and I foresee no problem with that as Jinn is part of the store.

Time really flies and the campaign is due to start this Sunday. I hope all the players are excited about this as I am.

NIMPHORA VII CAMPAIGN

I just posted the rules for this wh40k campaign I running at CM starting on the 20th Dec 2009. It should be fun and slightly bigger in scope compared to previous campaigns. So far, 10 players have signed up. I'll be running the thing as Campaign Organizer (CO) and won't play in it.

Basically, it is a race against time to escape a dying planet. The players will have to fight each other to gather resources and find the means of escape. There's a mix of Space marines, Chaos, Nids, IG, and the inquisition. Sadly,, no Orks, Eldar, De or Tau.

Planetfall!

Da orks 'ave arrived on Arenxis Minoris!

Siding with the chaos forces already on planet, the ork Warboss, Grimfang Blacktoof has agreed to aid the Vile Chaos Lord Minthras to rid the planet of all imperium forces and their allies. In return, the chaos lord has promised a bounty of rare teeth as well as the chance to fight some of the Imperium's finest!

Making a crash landing on Haides continent, the ork contingent hastily prepared a shantytown from which they will strike out. This base of operations of sorts was just completed when lookouts reported shadowy silhouettes moving closer towards the ork's base.

With a hastily assembled force, Warboss Grimfang leads his boyz into their first battle on Arenxis Minoris... (Read the battle report soon)