The Vogen Campaign
“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.
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:
1.
Each
player picks an army of 1500 points from their respective codex. They should
pick (and name!) the model to be their Warlord for the campaign. On the first
game whatever Warlord trait is rolled is kept for the campaign, though new traits
can be gained (see experience later). Lists can be changed from game to game
though a “static” list should be encouraged and will gain benefits when units
gain veteran abilities (see experience later).
2.
Each
player has a number of coloured indicator pins (available from any stationery
store) which should bear their initials. The pins can be colour-coded depending
on which army the player uses, green for Orks, blue for Eldar, gold drawing
pins for NPCs, etc.
3.
Each
player starts with one pin at a random square on the map’s edge; the place
where your forces have breached the walls, their HQ, etc. This will be
determined by the campaign organisers in the first week of the campaign. A
square with one of your pins in is occupied by your forces.
4.
At
regular intervals during the campaign (every week or so), 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.
5.
If
two pins of different colours are in the same map square, 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 colours in a square, you may not move into it (no three- or
four-player games unless the campaign organisers specifically say so…)
6.
If
you lose all your pins, you’re out of the campaign!
7.
Games
are of any agreed points value, and use a randomly determined mission unless
specified otherwise in the location information (See Vogen Locations).
8.
If
your pin occupies a location with a Victory Points value and there are no
opposing pins in that location, you can claim those points to add to your total
9.
At
the end of the campaign (decided by the campaign organisers), 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
1.
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
Fortifications. 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 Fortifications.
This can be used as an alternative to aggressive tactics if you’re simply
too busy to play.
2.
Certain
critical areas of the map have certain special rules and scenarios (a cathedral
may give Sisters players more Faith points per battle, a Gun Tower
automatically means the High Ground scenario is played, etc.). These are listed
on the separate document detailing Vogen’s important locations (see the website
address above).
3.
No
assassins may be used unless specified in the location brief.
4.
If
you are not present for a while, tell the campaign organisers and they will
fortify one of your squares every campaign phase. If you just can’t be
bothered, forget to make a move or to tell the organisers, you miss out, as you
cannot have a ‘backlog’ of turns and do them all at once.
5.
If two or more of your pins have been moved into the
territory of the same enemy, all of these contested squares can be resolved by
the same battle. This allows you to push forward in the surrounding zone if you
are doing well in a protracted battle; the game is representative of a larger
struggle. If a game is already in play in an unfortified square, fortifications
in other squares resolved by the ongoing game are ignored (forces have broken
through the weak point in the line). FOR EXAMPLE: Adi and Graham are playing
against each other. Due to the fact they cannot play often, the game runs on
for a couple of campaign turns. Normally, another pin would be placed in this
time, but the players are anxious not to take on any more opponents just yet.
Adi is doing well in the game. Therefore, Adi decides to put a pin in another,
different square occupied by Graham’s forces (this must be next to Adi’s
uncontested territory). Graham, playing defensively, decides to fortify (•) a
nearby square. The game they are already playing decides the fate of ALL
contested squares between Graham and Adi.
Gaining Experience
As your warriors gain in experience,
so their ability, courage and reliability will increase. Seasoned Warriors
learn even from defeat, but a string of victories will see your troops go from
green recruits to experienced veterans able to face any terror the galaxy has
to throw at them.
At the end of each game, nominate a
unit in your army in your army you believe performed well, deserves a medal or
has the eye of the gods upon it. This unit must not have been wiped out at the
end of the game. Choose an appropriate table from those below and roll on it to
see what ability the unit gains. The winner may nominate two such units and the
loser one. If the game was a draw both players nominate one.
The unit benefits will benefit from a
new veteran ability for the rest of the campaign. It is possible for a unit to
gain multiple veteran abilities in this way, but it may not take duplicates of
the same skill. If you roll duplicate on the second or subsequent roll, you may
choose which ability the unit gains. In addition, once a unit has received an
ability from one of the tables all its future rolls must be on the same table.
This reflects the specialism that comes from experience.
Warlord Experience
If your Warlord is the unit that is
chosen as the recipient of a veteran ability AND you won the game instead of
choosing two units and rolling on the tables below you may make a single roll
on the Warlord Trait table, that you have previously rolled on, and gain a new
trait.
Veteran Ability
Tables
D6
|
Fieldcraft Veteran
Ability
|
1
|
Infiltrate
|
2
|
Move through cover
or skilled rider
|
3
|
Stealth
|
4
|
Scout
|
5
|
Fleet
|
6
|
Fearless
|
D6
|
Melee Veteran Ability
|
1
|
Feel no pain
|
2
|
Furious Charge
|
3
|
Counter-attack
|
4
|
Hit and Run
|
5
|
Preferred Enemy
|
6
|
Fearless
|
D6
|
Gunnery Veteran
Ability
|
1
|
Night Vision or
Acute Senses
|
2
|
Relentless
|
3
|
Relentless
|
4
|
Tank Hunters
|
5
|
Tank Hunters
|
6
|
Fearless
|
D6
|
Vehicle Crew Veteran Ability
|
1
|
+1 BS
|
2 or 3
|
Re roll Dangerous terrain tests
|
4 or 5
|
Ignore Shaken results
|
6
|
+1 AV all facings (max 14)
|
Losing Experience
If a unit with a veteran ability ends
a game below half strength or having fled the battlefield it will lose one
veteran ability. If the unit was wiped out, it will lose two. Randomise which
if applicable. In the case of the Warlord they will always retain the trait
they started the campaign with.
Veteran abilities are only as
effective as part of a larger, cohesive force. If units around the veterans
change then previously solid tactics and skills could no longer be effective.
To represent this if an army list is
changed from game to game there is a chance skills are lost (become ineffective
or obsolete). When setting up a new game with the army list that’s changed roll
on the table below for each veteran ability/warlord trait gained.
Points changed by
|
0-99
|
n/a
|
100-200
|
6+
|
201-450
|
5+
|
451-700
|
4+
|
701-1000
|
3+
|
1001-1500
|
2+
|
That’s all Very Lovely
But how do I Win?
It’s not about the winning, it’s about
the taking part…..AND winning!
As the Campaign starts Vogen is
besieged on all sides by the ravaging hordes seeking to oust each other from
the city and claim it as their prize.
To this end the City’s Governor has
fled to the palace with his defending forces and activated the ancient void
shields to stop any attackers entering (or anyone leaving!) the palace.
The only way to win is to knock down
the void shield, enter the palace and seize control, flattening the Governor
and his force in the process. (see palace and generatorium locations for more
details on how to do this)
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 centre 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 –1Leadership for the whole of the next Campaign phase.
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.
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: The High Ground
mission is always played in this location 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 rebel’s 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 paralysed 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 defence 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 centre 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
defences, losing thousands of their number in a matter of hours. Eventually von
Guyen realised 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.
There is still enough power running
through here to power the ancient void shields that protect the palace from
attack, as long as the generators remain on…..
2 VICTORY POINTS: Steam
Geysers: There are D6 + 1 geysers on the battlefield (to be marked by
cotton wool). The geysers are placed randomly on the field so that two geysers
are at least 8” away from each other and they are 6” away from the table edges.
At the start of their turn each unit within 6” of a geyser suffers from 2D6 + 1
hits of strength 2. These hits are handled by the normal shooting rules.
Additionally if you
control the Generatorium then at the start of your turn in the Campaign Phase
you may blow up the generator which will deactivate the void shields around the
palace leaving it open to attack.
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 preliminary bombardment
in every game you play. You may also destroy one ‘dot’ of Fortifications in any
square or location per campaign phase.
Gun Towers and
Sniper’s Alley
These heavily armoured 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 defence mode. They are elevated 8”. Once the location is
claimed, they will fire upon the nearest enemy target every turn. High Ground
is always played 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 is always played in these locations.
Hab-blocks Alpha,
Beta, Gamma, Delta.
When the forces of Chaos hit Vogen
like a thunderbolt, much of the habitation districts were leveled 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 at the beginning of any turn, remove it
from play as it is
mobbed and murdered by a band of armed scavengers.
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
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
North Road Gate
When the re-conquest of Vogen began,
the loyalist forces used the Arbites Precinct as a jumping off point, fighting
their way through every building and street along the north wall until
capturing the North Road Gate. This enabled loyalist KZ-PDF and Cadian
regiments besieging the northern wall access to the city. With the capture of
the North Road Gate, the rebellion was effectively over, though this would not
be recognised until the fighting had ceased. Imperial forces were now able to
penetrate deep into the city virtually unopposed and bring up large scale
breaching batteries with which to hammer the walls of the Imperial palace.
4 VICTORY POINTS: If you control
the North Road Gate, you may re-roll any unsuccessful reserves rolls you make
in all locations.
Palace Gate
The lavishly decorated Palace Gate on
the eastern wall was one of the first symbols of Imperial rule to fall when von
Guyen’s rebels struck. Adorned with larger than life marble statues of Governor
Harikon Kadulus and his immediate family, the gate stood as a monument to his
greed and vanity. Protected from the east by two vast bastions, the gate was
well defended from an enemy outside the city walls, but vulnerable to traitors
within. The opening of the rebellion was signaled by the detonation of
breaching charges at its base, destroying the gate, toppling the vast statues
and completely blocking the eastern road from the city.
0 VICTORY POINTS: The Palace Gate
has been destroyed and is tactically worthless. However,
the Bastions on
either side are heavily fortified and count as having two ‘dots’ of
fortifications.
Palace Grounds
This once fertile and pleasant park
was used for state functions and gala dinners of the Governor when Vogen’s
temperamental summer would allow such events to be held outdoors. These events
were said to be magnificent and only those members of Vogen’s mercantile
cartels who currently enjoyed the Governor’s favour would be invited. However,
the ornamental gardens and lush orchards of the palace grounds were burned to
the ground in the early stages of the war to prevent enemy infiltrators from
approaching the palace undetected.
4 VICTORY POINTS PER HALF: The
grounds consist of hectares of rolling greenery, with much
of the vegetation now
burnt to the ground. All games in these regions follow normal Warhammer
40,000 rules. Use a
standard green table and scenery. The grounds cannot be fortified.
Palace of Peace
The Governor’s Palace sits at the
centre of Vogen and is perhaps the oldest structure on the planet, with the
exception of the Ecclesiarcial temple. Cunningly designed by Leonos del Torquemas
to be both an architectural masterpiece and impregnable fortress, the palace is
designed to be a maze to those not familiar with its layout. Numerous blind
alleys and killing grounds masquerade as ornamental hallways and marble flagged
plazas, every square inch covered by concealed bunkers and decorative
loopholes. Three centuries ago, in response to increased warp storm activity
around the Eye of Terror, Imperial engineers strengthened the walls of the
palace, obscuring much of its beauty, but rendering much of the structure
virtually indestructible. Only after an immense bombardment from the Vogen Law
courts was a breach finally blasted in
the walls and the Adeptus Arbites, who had so bravely held their precinct throughout
the rebellion, were granted the honour of leading the final assault on the
palace. The rebels died to a man and, deep in the palace dungeons, the
victorious Arbites discovered the bodies of von Guyen and Governor Kadulus.
10 VICTORY POINTS: This is a
fortress, indispensable in times of war and the jewel in the crown
of Vogen. The Grand
Assault scenario is always played here. It already counts as having three ‘dots’
of fortifications.
You may not move into
the Palace unless you have a solid foothold in Vogen. Such a massive undertaking
as claiming this fortress requires well-established supply lines, troop bases
and specialist equipment. Therefore, to take the Palace you must have garnered
no less than 8 Victory Points and the void shield generator must have been
blown up (see generatorium, above).
The palace is
occupied by the Governor and his defending forces. Another player(s) will
command these defenders.
If you lose control
of the Imperial Palace in the Grand Assault, you must lose D3 pins as well as the
pin claiming the Palace as your forces are routed. These must be the pins
nearest the Palace of Peace.
If you win then Vogen
(and the campaign victory) is yours as your forces have gained superiority over
the city. It will only be a matter of time before the other attackers are
destroyed or sent fleeing from the city.
Railhead Depots and
Terminus
The major rail artery from the massive
harbour facilities on Vogen’s southern coast enters the city next to the HQ of
the 122nd
Cadians
where every item of rolling stock is vigorously checked before it enters the
city. Suicide bombers packed a train with high explosives and drove it through the
gates of the railhead terminus before detonating it. Fortunately, the blast
shielding of the Cadian HQ protected it from major damage, but the devastation
wreaked within the rail terminus was catastrophic and 90% of the facility was
damaged beyond repair. Throughout the fighting, the smashed railhead had to be
swept regularly for enemy saboteurs en route to the Cadian’s HQ and fierce
battles erupted in the twisted metal graveyard as von Guyen’s troops attempted
to break the Cadians resistance.
2 VICTORY POINTS EACH: If you
control either the railhead depots or the terminus, you may assault the 122nd Cadian HQ from this
location. This bypasses the fortifications of the 122nd HQ.
Spaceport Complex
The reason for Vogen’s continued
dominance of planetary affairs, the sole spaceport on the planet is where all
Vogen’s imports and exports arrive and depart. The landing fields and warehouse
complexes stretched far to the north of the city and Imperial forces were
forced onto the defensive as traitor units attempted to wrest control of the
facilities. Units of the Cadian 122nd stationed outside the city walls were able to
lend their strength to the defence of the spaceport, but were annihilated when
Thunderhawks carrying debased warriors of the Night Lords Chaos Space Marines
dropped from orbit and struck within the defensive perimeter. Reinforcements from
the north, in the shape of fresh regiments of Cadians retook the spaceport
several days later, but it was only to find the landing platforms and runways
cratered and booby-trapped. Engineers from the Departmento Munitorum worked
non-stop for days to repair the sabotage and soon fresh troops were able to be
brought in from off-world.
0 VICTORY POINTS: Any forces with a
pin in the Spaceport Complex may place a pin in any unnamed location on
the map (it does not need to be adjacent to a square occupied by that player).
They may not place a pin in a named location. They may also Deep Strike any
units they wish to keep in reserve if the scenario uses the Reserves rules.
Trading Houses
The main business of Vogen took place
here, in the heaving, sweating floor of the trading house as the cartel’s
representatives negotiated with off world buyers. Competition was fierce and
fights common as the methods of sale frequently became little more than brawls.
Von Guyen’s troops neglected to seize this building early in the fighting and
by the time his troops moved into the building, the major financial resources
of the family cartels had been transferred off world, depriving von Guyen of a
major source of funds with which to motivate his troops. Von Guyen had the
buildings demolished by artillery in a fit of pique, a decision which would
later cost him dear as it allowed the Imperial counter-attack to reach the
northern walls with an abundance of cover and his own forces with nowhere to
mount an effective holding action.
2 VICTORY POINTS
Vogen Law Courts
The foremost authority on the planet,
the law courts were the preserve of the wealthy, where members of the
mercantile cartels would bring any grievances to the Chief Judge of the Adeptus
Arbites. Only the most serious and public cases were tried here and frequently
these attracted the avid attention of the masses. During the reconquest of
Vogen, Imperial officers quickly realized that the capture of the Law courts
was a necessary precursor to the assault on the Palace of Peace. The south wall
of the palace had been under repair when the uprising occurred and the position
of the Law courts, so close to the damaged section of wall, made it a logical
position for Cadian heavy artillery pieces. Von Guyen’s forces realised this
also and fought tooth and nail to deny the Cadians occupation of the building.
Some of the most desperate fighting of the war took place in the streets
surrounding the Law courts as both forces attempted to wrest control of the complex.
Eventually, the building was to fall into Imperial hands when warriors of the
Imperial Fists arrived and swept the defenders from its corridors and rooms.
The bombardment of the palace walls could now commence.
5 VICTORY POINTS: Any player
controlling the Arbites Law Courts may discount two ‘dots’ of fortifications
when attacking the Palace of Peace.
Vogen Theatre House
Patronised by the wealthy members of
Vogen society and trade negotiators, the finest works of Imperial playwrights
were performed here. The building’s enormous armaglass dome was said to be the
most magnificent example of Leonos del Torquemas’ work, the architect who also
built the Palace of Peace. Actors once trod the boards here, re-enacting the
heroic deeds of the Emperor and his Primarchs, but one of the first shells
fired by the rebels scored a direct hit on the armaglass dome as the Governor’s
players enacted scenes from the infamous ‘Downfall of Vandire’. Lethal shards
of glass, each as large as a man’s arm, slashed downward, killing hundreds of
theatre goers in seconds. A second shell followed the first, demolishing the
east wall and killing the actors in its fiery detonation and there were those
amongst the survivors who claimed that, given their performance, this was a
blessing in disguise.
2 VICTORY POINTS
Water Purification
Plant
Since 98.3% of Khai-Zhan’s surface is
ocean, the water requirements of the populace is easy to meet, although the
high salt content of the water requires rigorous purification before it is fit
for human consumption. The vital nature of this facility made it a prime target
for the rebels, but its strategic location next to the Arbites precinct made
its capture an extremely difficult proposition. The rebels’ reluctance to
flatten the plant with artillery played into the hands of the Arbites, who used
the underground pipe system to launch raids behind the rebels’ lines and
throughout the city. Vicious battles were fought as the rebels attempted to
wrest control of the purification plant from the Arbites and provide their
soldiers with a readily available source of fresh water, rather than the
desalination capsules they were forced to rely on.
0 VICTORY POINTS: Any forces
occupying the Water purification plant may use any unnamed location on the map
when they place a pin (it does not need to be adjacent to a square occupied by
that player). They may not place a pin in a named location.
D3 units per game may set up as infiltrators
if you own this location.
