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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, my friend Sascha is moving away. So\u00a0we all decided to send him off proper by\u00a0burning down a monastery of his beloved Swords of Dorn Space Marines!<\/p>\n
Fourteen players\u00a0came together Saturday\u00a0for our Sword Sworn<\/em>\u00a0one-shot narrative campaign. Many heroes were made, villains created, and a ton of great games fought, with literally not a single unpainted model in play. This is a quick recap of the action. Many more photos are available via Flickr<\/a> or Facebook<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n In the grimdark of the far future, a new hero is born every minute… and eaten the next.<\/p><\/div>\n On the quiet planet of Hedron IX, the Swords of Dorn maintain one of their chapter’s training monasteries. This one specifically focuses on training Scouts in the art of piloting Landspeeder Storms to swoop onto objectives in\u00a0turn five. The monastery has unexpectedly come under attack by the Blood Fed,\u00a0a wretched mob of traitors, xenos, and galactic refuse come treacherously from their hiding holes to avenge imagined slights and punish the ostensibly vainglorious Swords of Dorn. Opposing them, in their moment of need the Swords of Dorn have called the many valiant allies with which they have shared mutual oaths over the decades to defend both honor and body to join them under the banner of the Sword Sworn alliance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Icons for the Sword Sworn and Blood Fed alliances.<\/p><\/div>\n Our campaign begins with the invaders amassed at the monastery\u00a0walls. The campaign\u00a0is played over seven major regions of the chapter monastery:<\/p>\n The Blood Fed start in control of the Siege Front and are working toward the chapel: Even if the Sword Sworn successfully rebuff them in the larger battle for the monastery, the Blood Fed’s leader and his personal army advances forward each turn.<\/p>\n There are three separate measures of success for the campaign—<\/p>\n Training monastery of the Swords of Dorn on Hedron IX.<\/p><\/div>\n A specific mission is associated with each map region, with the alliances alternating choosing regions to attack each round and thus the missions for each\u00a0match to use—<\/p>\n All of these are well tested and tournament-ready, based on our standard scheme of 20 victory points: 9 for primary objectives, 6 for secondaries, 5 for tertiaries.\u00a0Each mission has a short list of secondary objectives from which players choose individually. This enables players to make strategic choices\u00a0and play to their strengths, e.g., doubling down on\u00a0killing versus objective grabbing or vice versa.<\/p>\n Mission writeup for the Munitorum.<\/p><\/div>\n There are multiple special characters at large\u00a0in the campaign, including the aforementioned leader of the Blood Fed. In addition to their in-game presence, each special character awards 10 campaign points each round to the alliances for either their survival or death (interpreted as being forced to retreat) as appropriate.<\/p>\n The only characters\u00a0known to both teams initially are the Scout Initiates Mynaugh and Te’Janus<\/strong>. Having been caught\u00a0in the initial\u00a0fighting, they are now swept away\u00a0in the battle. Completely overwhelmed and seriously questioning signing up to be\u00a0Space Marines, sheer luck just barely lets them survive, carried from one awful circumstance to another. This is\u00a0represented by the Initiates being randomly assigned to a match each round,\u00a0in which they are placed somewhat randomly between the two forces and huddle down until saved by the Sword Sworn or overrun by the\u00a0terrifying invaders.<\/p>\n All of the special characters and tokens.<\/p><\/div>\n In addition, there are three\u00a0types of tokens given out at various points—<\/p>\n All of the\u00a0tokens may be used at any point, and carry\u00a0into the next game if not used.<\/p>\n Appropriately enough, the Blood Fed wound up comprised of primarily\u00a0Chaos Marines, a\u00a0few\u00a0Space Marine contingents apparently having just thrown in their lot\u00a0against the Emperor, and a band of Tyranids come for the feast. Facing off against them, the Swords of Dorn were backed by a full host of Space Marine loyalists, Tempestus Scions, and an Emperor’s Fist Armoured Company.<\/p>\n As kind of a going-away party we wanted everybody to get a chance to play with multiple people. So we played rotating doubles, with the alliances choosing which of their players to team up each round. After some quick strategy discussion about first round teams and missions, the campaign\u00a0was on!<\/p>\n Traitor Governor Friedman launches the surprise night attack.<\/p><\/div>\n Scout Initiates Mynaugh and Te’Janus<\/strong>\u00a0find themselves\u00a0amid the heaviest fighting, defending the Primaris Gate. Caught without any support, they’re exposed to a massive charge by a ravening horde of Tyranid monsters. Mynaugh\u00a0lays into the horde with his minigun, but both barely escape the Red Terror.<\/p>\n The Blood Fed’s leader is revealed by his thrust against the Primaris Gate as the Planetary Governor Friedman<\/strong>, unsurprisingly turned traitor. More is at hand though then just a minor rebellion as Governor Friedman is clearly being rewarded for his actions,\u00a0growing in power and size as the\u00a0blood flows.<\/p>\n Outside the gates, the Sword Sworn gamble on a counter-offensive, attacking into the Siege Front.\u00a0They are eventually rebuffed, but at the worst moment the Warp-fired visage of\u00a0Brother Edelkraut<\/strong>, a storied hero of the Swords of Dorn presumed long dead, appears and\u00a0empties his wrath into the invaders.<\/p>\n Outcome:<\/strong> No change in regions, but the Governor breaks through the Primaris Gate.<\/p>\n The map after Round 1.<\/p><\/div>\n Chaos Daemons overwhelm Swords of Dorn Scouts while Crimson Fists rush to their aid.<\/p><\/div>\n Presumed long dead Brother Edelkraut appears from the Warp to support a Lamenters Chaplain in his moment of need.<\/p><\/div>\n Scout Initiates Te’Janus and Mynaugh stare down the oncoming horde.<\/p><\/div>\n Having barely escaped being eaten, the Initiates Mynaugh and Te’Janus<\/strong> immediately stumble into an even worse horror: The soul corrupting might of Chaos! Still trying to escape the carnage around the Primaris Gate, they’re harried by Raptors and driven toward the maw of Nurgle’s mightiest minions.<\/p>\n His\u00a0rage growing ever more powerful,\u00a0Governor Friedman<\/strong> sweeps through the Dormitorium feeding civilians to his dark gods. The Swords’ desperation growing\u00a0as the heretic works ever closer to the chapel, Brother Edelkraut<\/strong> lives up to his legend, moving so fast from fight to fight that he often seems\u00a0to be in two places at once.<\/p>\n At the previously quiet Munitorum, the\u00a0defense forces are\u00a0overtaken by terror as they suddenly realize there is a silent stalker among them: The governor’s\u00a0secret henchman Assassin Timday<\/strong> appears at\u00a0the\u00a0airfield and begins hunting down\u00a0Tempestus Scions.<\/p>\n Outcome:<\/strong> The Blood Fed cleave\u00a0a clear path from the Siege Front through the Primaris Gate and the Dormitorium to the very edge of the Chapel.<\/p>\n The map after Round 2.<\/p><\/div>\n Tempestus Scions hold their ground at the Munitorum airfield.<\/p><\/div>\n Chaos overwhelms the Munitorum’s refinery.<\/p><\/div>\n Assassin Timday hunts among the airfield.<\/p><\/div>\n Now a lumbering hulk, Governor Friedman<\/strong> smashes through the chapel walls and makes his way to stake a claim on a chalice said to have been\u00a0drunk from by Rogal Dorn himself. Despite dispatching ever more frenetic vengeance, Brother Edelkraut’s<\/strong>\u00a0furious hauntings are not enough to stop this sacrilege. Meanwhile the twisted Assassin Timday<\/strong> lurks the outer edges of the chapel battle,\u00a0continuing his persecution of the Tempestus Scions.<\/p>\n Blown by the winds of war from fight to fight,\u00a0the Initiates Mynaugh and Te’Janus<\/strong> find themselves having gone\u00a0full cycle, from the very first contact\u00a0at the Primaris Gate, to the very last fighting at the Chapel of Mons. There they find themselves almost snared in\u00a0the clutches of the Alpha Legion when\u00a0an angry\u00a0company of Lamenters Space Marines comes to their aid just in time. Rallying to their brave example, they join a squad\u00a0of their brethren\u00a0Scouts in\u00a0a suicidal\u00a0fight to hold the\u00a0left flank and protect the Lamenters’ main position. At long last\u00a0the\u00a0Initiates Mynaugh and Te’Janus have truly learned what it means to be one of the Emperor’s finest.<\/p>\n Outcome:<\/strong> The Sword Sworn\u00a0make a successful raid into the invader’s\u00a0encampment as well as retaking the Primaris Gate, but do not stop the Blood Fed’s push\u00a0to\u00a0the Chapel of Mons and the precious\u00a0relics inside.<\/p>\n The map after Round 3.<\/p><\/div>\n Snipers pick off targets from the rooftops of the refinery buildings.<\/p><\/div>\n Packs of Warp Talons and Nurgle bikers roam\u00a0through the Dormitorium.<\/p><\/div>\n Ill-fated Brother Maximus, cursed with Black Rage in his Dreadnought armor tomb, surges forward to assault a Chaos Havoc squad.<\/p><\/div>\n The Sword Sworn maintain marginal control of their monastery on Hedron IX (Sword Sworn tactical victory<\/strong>). Their recruiting pipeline however is wrecked by the Blood Fed, who have indeed feasted on many of their\u00a0trainees and destroyed much equipment and supporting personnel (Blood Fed strategic victory<\/strong>). Worst of all, the cursed Governor Friedman manages to loot the Chapel of Mons and makes off with the relics he came to\u00a0steal for\u00a0his\u00a0masters (Blood Fed campaign victory<\/strong>)!<\/p>\n Like so many chapters before them, the Swords of Dorn will have to rebuild from this loss,\u00a0no doubt to become even\u00a0mightier warriors for the Emperor…<\/p>\n Newly trained Swords of Dorn stand their ground to the last in the chapel.<\/p><\/div>\n Full campaign and individual results are posted here<\/a> (XLSX). As this was purely\u00a0a casual narrative\u00a0event, we awarded\u00a0the following as small store credit prizes:<\/p>\n Jake C with his Tyranid and Brian M with his Ravenguard won the raffle prizes. Steel Thunder Mike and Sam L from the Berks PA Gaming Club<\/a>\u00a0took home Best General titles for the Sword Sworn and Blood Fed respectively.\u00a0A relative newcomer\u00a0to our Redcap’s community, Fernando V took second in the painting votes with his Crimson Fists while man of the hour Sascha and his Swords of Dorn once more\u00a0won\u00a0that ballot, donating his prize to our ongoing Shadow War campaign<\/a>. Congratulations everybody!<\/p>\n A Crimson Fists Fire Raptor makes a last ditch strafing run in a futile attempt to hold the airfield.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n I have a bunch of thoughts on different aspects of this campaign to tweak. But\u00a0it seemed very successful at creating the feel of a larger story and throwing in lots of fun little bits without being overly complex or unbalancing. A PDF with all the missions, tokens, map, etc., is mostly\u00a0prepared\u00a0and will be posted once 8th edition is released and the\u00a0necessary changes made.<\/p>\n As a bonus, I was blown away by all the amazing armies and models that came out to play. Many under-utilized models made an appearance, particularly among the Chaos Marines.\u00a0Many more photos are available via Flickr<\/a> or Facebook<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n All in all, I had a great time, everybody else seemed to have a great time, and I hope it was a fitting community tribute to Sascha, who has been the heart of our 40k group\u00a0the past few years. We’ll miss you, and we’re sorry we burned down your\u00a0monastery!<\/p>\n For everybody else, if this is the kind of Warhammer 40,000<\/em> gaming you crave\u00a0and you can get to Philadelphia or Washington DC, you should join us for our upcoming LibertyHammer<\/a>\u00a0weekend in June and the NOVA 40k Narrative<\/a>\u00a0over Labor Day!<\/p>\n Scout Initiates Mynaugh and Te’Janus fight on, having become true warriors of the Swords of Dorn.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Unfortunately, my friend Sascha is moving away. So\u00a0we all decided to send him off proper by\u00a0burning down a monastery of his beloved Swords of Dorn Space Marines! Fourteen players\u00a0came together Saturday\u00a0for our Sword Sworn\u00a0one-shot narrative campaign. Many heroes were made, villains created, and a ton of great games fought, with literally not a single unpainted … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/grimdark-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>Backstory<\/h2>\n
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Brother Mynaugh’s eyes swept the grounds from his perch in the east tower. Even with his superhuman vision he couldn’t see the group of his fellow initiates he knew would be assembling outside the chapel for night training beyond\u00a0the walls. So soon now they would all deploy to the 10th company, full and true battle brothers of the Swords of Dorn.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nShattering his moment of reverie, the jaw of a servo skull in the tower’s cogitator bank suddenly sprung open and began emitting a piercing inhuman shriek. As Mynaugh looked on in the dim red lighting another and then another followed suit. The import came to the scout like lightning. He whirled around. Far on the horizon, faint lines streaking from orbit. This was no expected landing, no scheduled drop training. Mynaugh tugged his bolter off its wall bracket and pulled it close, not believing this to be any suprise drill either. Perhaps the initiates’ time had come early…<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/faction-icons.png\"){kind=icon}
<\/a>Map<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Missions<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Special Characters<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Tokens<\/h2>\n
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Campaign<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Round 1<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Round 2<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Round 3<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Outcomes<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Awards<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Next Up!<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipgames.com\/blogs\/tjkopena\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/novaopen-outlined-shadow-orangebgknd.png\")
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