Badass Bolters

Badass Bolters
Anyone who has played in our larger games will probably have noticed that we tend to bring alot of bolter armed Legionnaires to the table.  We also tend to have alot of survivors, generally armed with bolters.  This seems rather unfitting from the fluff point of view that the bolter is one of the most potent standard weapons in the setting and that they seem so damned effective in the stories, but not on the tabletop.  So the Badass Bolters house rule is in effect.
Game Effect
Any "Bolter" type weapon; including but not limited to: bolters, bolt pistols, comb-bolters (only the bolter portion), heavy bolters, maxim bolters, mauler bolt cannons, vulkan mega bolters, and anyother "bolt" type weapon* gain the following rule:
Mass Reactive Shells
This weapon may change its AP to AP-.  If it does so the enemy model recieves a -1 to its Sv.

eg. a marine squad fires its bolters at a recon squad in recon armour (Sv4+).  They may either use their AP5 or change to AP- to give the Recon Marines a -1Sv bringing them to Sv5+.  Since the bolter is now Ap- the recon Marines roll their Sv vs 5+.

*Any bolt weapon using alternate ammunition rules do not gain the Mass Reactive Shells rule

Masters of the Unification Directive

For those who remember Ratt ran a small 500pt mini campaign called the Unification Directive between the Great Crusade and Betrayal eras.  Ratt and I had discussed the winner gaining a bonus in the Betrayal era.  Sadly I had totally forgotten about this until I was reminded about a week ago.

Tiges' Salamanders gain a 15% points increase to all* games in the Betrayal era.

Tiges' 500pt Unification Directive army.

*I mean all games
In the Martian Rebellion he will have 863pts
Standard Games he will have 2875pts
In the Isstvan III Legendary games he will have 3450pts

Void War

Wars in the 31st Millennium are fought in all manner of unbearable conditions.  Possibly the worst of which are those battles in space, on battlefields with little to no atmosphere or gravity, where event the most minor of attacks can spell certain doom.  Whether on the hull of a space craft, through a breach in its hull, on an orbital platform or a small asteroid base void battles are by far the most dangerous theaters a battle can take place in.

Void War is a minor set of adjustments to regular games fought in the Secession to help mix games up a bit and to provide an extra dimension into the game.  The core rules should always be used for Void War games, with players agreeing to use any Additional rules they like.

Core rules
All weapons in a void war have the Rending special rule.  Any weapon that already has the Rending special rule will instead Rend on a 5+.  Models with hardened armour or a 2+ save are unaffected by this rule.

All blast weapons also gain the Pinning special rule.  Any weapon that already has the pinning special rule gives a -1 to the pinning check.

All Difficult terrain will also count as Dangerous terrain as well.

Additional rules
Exploding Terrain
Any cover saves taken that result in a '1' cause an extra D3 AP- auto wounds.  Representing the added danger of shrapnel in space.

Airless Void
Any model without a helmet has its Sv reduced by 1.

Faster Run
All models may run an extra D6" (so roll 2d6 and add them together), if any dice on a run comes up as a '1' then all the models in the squad must make an armour save, vehicles take a glancing hit.

Open to the Void
Have areas of the table be Impassible terrain to reflect that there is no ground there.  Skimmers, Flyers, Jetbikes, Jump troops and Jetpack troops may traverse it as normal (no dangerous terrain test needed).

Passages of Death
Due to how little of a table Space Hulk corridors cover treat all of them as open ground, with the gaps being Impassible (ignore penalties for Jump, Jetpack, Jetbikes or Skimmers) and all LoS is unblocked.  However each room or corridor section that a shooting attack, or witchfire psychic power, passes through gives +2 to a models cover save.

Extermination also has some nifty Void Battle rules for Zone Mortalis games.

 Horus Heresy: Shadows of Treachery cover.

7th Edition and the Secession

This post will act as a rough FAQ for how 40k 7th ed and the Horus Heresy rules overlap. So feel free to post here any questions you have regarding the new rules and the campaign. You are welcome to suggest answers to your questions but don't get disappointed if I don't use them.

Q&A
Q: Can I take an Unbound army?
A: Yes, but you need to forewarn your opponent that you will be doing so. I would also recommend giving them a general idea of the theme of your force so they can prepare somewhat (no one will enjoy taking on a pure landraider army with an anti-infantry force etc).

Q: What Command Benefits do the "Battle is in the Age of Darkness Force Organisation Charts" get?
A:No command Benefits are used in the Secession.

Q: What rules are we using for Super Heavy Vehicles, D weapons and Apocalyptic Blasts?
A: in normal games use the rules as presented in the 7th edition rulebook, in Apocalypse games use the rules as found in the Apocalypse supplement. Alternatively use the optional rules for D weapons found in Legiones Astartes Crusade Army List book.

Q: Which psykers can take Daemonolgy (Sanctic or Malific)?
A: During the Betrayal, Eradication and Masscre Eras only models with 'Burning Lore' can use Daemonology (either).  This is currently limited to Psykers with the Legiones Astartes (Word Bearers) or Legiones Astartes (Thousand Sons) special rules, or Imperialis Militia/Cults Rogue Psykers.

Q: What happens if a model suffers Instant Death from an attack with the Deflagerate rule?
A: The target unit suffers an additional number of hits equal to the number of wounds the character had remaining.

Legiones Astartes Thousand Sons

The Thousand Sons are one of the Legions hit hardest by the lack of their Legiones Astartes rule, given that it will probably give them all of their sorcery.  On that note here are some rules to allow thousand sons to have some psychic fun.  Once Forgeworld makes the actual Legiones Astartes (Thousand Sons) this rule will become obselete.

Legiones Astartes (Thousand Sons)
All units with  Legiones Astartes (Thousand Sons) are Stubborn.

Any unit may replace Stubborn with the Brotherhood of Psykers (mastery level 1) rule for 10pts per unit. 

Independent Characters (except Consuls) may replace Stubborn with the Psyker rule for free.  Psykers must buy up to 2 mastery levels for 15pts each.  Any psyker may purchase a Force weapon for 25pts.

Thousand Sons Librarians may replace Stubborn with a 1 Mastery Level for free, this allows them to go to Mastery Level 3.

Thousand Sons Psykers and Brotherhood of Psykers may choose from the Telekinesis, Pyromancy or Divination disciplines.

Any model with the Psyker or Brotherhood of Psykers rule counts as a Psyker for the purposes of the Edict of Nikaea and as such should be declared as a restricted unit. 

The Burning Lore and Brotherhood of Sorcerers
The Thousand Sons whilst having a greater understanding of the mysteries of the warp than almost anyone else in the Imperium are still somewhat limited in their knowledge.  As such they tread down a dark path in some cases knowingly, in others unwittingly.  Instead of taking the rules as given above Thousand Sons may use the rules below.  This can be decided on a unit by unit basis.
 
Any unit may replace Stubborn with the Brotherhood of Sorcerers (Mastery Level 1) rule for 10pts per unit.

Independent Characters (except Consuls) may replace Stubborn with the Burning Lore rule for free.  Models with Burning Lore are Psykers and must buy up to 2 mastery levels for 15pts each.  Any psyker may purchase a Force weapon for 25pts.

Thousand Sons Librarians may replace Stubborn with Burning Lore and get 1 Mastery Level for free, this allows them to go to Mastery Level 3.

Thousand Sons with Burning Lore and Brotherhood of Sorcerers may choose from the Telepathy, Biomancy or Daemonology (sanctic or maelific) disciplines.

Any model with the Burning Lore or Brotherhood of Sorcerers rule does not count as a Psyker for the purposes of the Edict of Nikaea, however they such should still be be declared as a restricted unit. 

Unfortunately I don't know to whom the credit for this image goes, please let me know if you know.

Posting Game Results and Campaign Points

Each game has a certain amount of information that players will need to keep a record of.  The campaign will be split into a series of rounds with each round being 2 weeks long.  Results are to be posted on the Notenoughorks forum.  Each results' thread will have a summary of the results so far and will explain how players earn points.

Players are welcome to put up fluff, battle reports and pictures about their games and exploits on either the blog (just ask me for posting rights) or on the forums.  Not in the results threads though.

Player Name; Legion; Victory, Draw or Loss:
Opponent Name; Legion; Victory, Draw or Loss:
Warzone:
Restricted Units*:

*Restricted Units are units that have some restriction upon them, these include but are not limited to:
-Psykers (except White Scars Stormseers, Space Wolf Rune Priests, Astropaths and models with Burning Lore).  Even Secessionist players should note if they use psykers.
-Cult units for Iron Hands, White Scars, Night Lords and World Eaters.
-Scions Emissary Squad
-Some players will also have specific units that they are required to take or are restricted from taking or opponents they are restricted from fighting.  Players will be notified on a case by case basis where this is appropriate.

Campaign Points (CP)

 Players will earn campaign points during the campaign to track overall success in various warzones, who is the bestest and other such nonsense.  Campaign Points are typically achieved through victory in battle but there are additional circumstances that will grant bonus points.

Points break down:
-Legion Victory: 2CP
-Fighting in the correct warzone: 2CP
-Battle Report 1CP
-Fluff 1CP (At least 1 paragraph. It doesn't have to relate to specific games and I would like a chance to vet it first.  Max 1pt per round)
-Playing as Xenos 1CP*
-Any Legions playing against Xenos or an Isstvan III mission 1CP**
-game played at TGA or Northern Gamers 1CP
-play a multiplayer game: 2CP
-win a multiplayer game: 1CP


Xenos in this instance includes the following armies:  Adeptus Mechanicus, Imperial Army (using the Astra Militarum codex), Chaos Daemons, Eldar, Dark Eldar, Orks, Necrons, Tau Empire and Tyranids.  The army may not have a Legion ally.  Games vs Xenos are never played in a warzone.

*A Legion player that plays a game as a Xenos army gets a flat 1CP (they cannot gain bonus points for any reason). A player cannot score more CP playing as Xenos than the number of games they played as their Legion in a round.  eg. 3 games as xenos gives you 3CP, but if you only play  2 games as your Legion then you can only claim 2CP.

** Any Legion can play against a Xenos army or play one of the Isstvan III missions from Betrayal to gain bonus points.  If you play an Isstvan III mission your warzone is automatically Isstvan III.

Legions, Allies and Players (Betrayal Era)

This post is to get all the information together in the one spot, so we will have which Legions are what, where, who is playing them and who they will ally with.
Please note that "Player" refers to the player who has declared for that Legion, people are free to play any Legion they like.  
*An asterisk denotes the primary player of a Legion

A name in brackets is a player who may or may not still be in the campaign

 

Legion		Loyalty	Player	Warzone	Other
I	Dark Angels	Imperialist	Shadowolf		Paladin
III	Emperor's Children	Secessionist	J4ck	Isstvan III
IV	Iron Warriors	Secessionist	Onyx	Battle for Mars
V	White Scars	Imperialist	Snowman	Deliverance Lost	Khorne
VI	Space Wolves	Secessionist
VII	Imperial Fists	Imperialist Secessionist	Brother Syth* Lord Pants	Inwit Inwit
VIII	Night Lords	Imperialist	Scotsman		Nurgle
IX	Blood Angels	Secessionist	(Callum)	Isstvan III	Unfavoured
X	Iron Hands	Imperialist	Frosthammer* Ironknight		Tzeentch Tzeentch
XII	World Eaters	Secessionist	Teddles22	Isstvan III	Slaanesh
XIII	Scions of Guilliman	Secessionist	Steelesamurai	Isstvan III Battle for Mars
XIV	Death Guard	Secessionist
XV	Thousand Sons	Imperialist	Sanguis	Battle for Mars
XVI	Luna Wolves	Secessionist	(Daexcitedginganinja)	Isstvan III
XVII	Word Bearers	Imperialist
XVIII	Salamanders	Imperialist	Tiges		Paladin
XIX	Raven Guard	Secessionist	Lastakodo	Deliverance Lost	Unfavoured
XX	Alpha Legion	Imperialist	Ratt	Battle for Mars	Paladin

 

Scions of Guilliman Emissaries

In the lead up to his betrayal at Isstvan III, Guilliman sent retinues to his brother's legions in an attempt to sway them to his cause.  Each Legionnaire was utterly loyal to the Warmaster and his vision of the future.  These retinues were not tasked to sway the Primarchs but the legionnaires.  Assigned to fight alongside their brother legionnaires they would bring the Warmaster's ideals to the Legions so that the legionnaires would bring the ideals to their Primarchs.

Any player can take the following squad in a Legion primary detachment:


 Scions of Guilliman Emissary Squad
Rules: they are a Veteran Tactical squad as per the rules in Betrayal, but have a base cost of 110pts
For the Warmaster!: this unit has the Objective Secured command benefit.
Veteran Tactics: Replace this Special Rule with Stubborn
Emissaries of the Warmaster: This unit is bought as part of the armies parent list but has the Legiones Astares(Scions of Guilliman) special rule instead of the lists normal Legiones Astartes rule. The unit is treated as an ally for how they interact with other Legions per the Allies Matrix. This unit may be purchased even if Allies are not normally allowed.
Shadows of Isstvan III: The emissary squad must be listed as a Restricted unit in any games the are taken in.

 Scions of Guilliman Emissary Squad "Thiel" - Steelesamurai

Warzones of the Betrayal (Deliverance Lost)

The Betrayal era sees the Legions the beginnings of the Secession proper.  With several major warzones being fought over between the Secessionists and Imperialists at the dawn of Guilliman's Imperium Secundus.


Shortly before the events of Isstvan III the White Scars were sent to destroy the Raven Guard Legion.  Having taken it upon themselves to censure the ever erratic actions of the White Scars, the Raven Guard found themselves cast adrift, no longer a part of the mighty Imperium.  Whilst determining what course of action to take now Corax withdrew the majority of the Raven Guard back to Deliverance, this one of the Raven Guard's most tragic mistakes during the Secession.  Unbeknownst to Corax the White Scars had been sent to attack his Legion, to punish them further and to rid the Imperium of their newest enemy.  The White Scars attack was sudden and brutal. The White Scars came out of warp mid system, a freakishly dangerous action at the best of times and one that caused considerable damage to the White Scars fleet, they unleashed a terrible devastation on the Raven Guard forces which scrambled to counter attack.
 
Deliverance Lost Rules
The Legions fighting over Deliverance are:
Imperialists
White Scars
Secessionists
Raven Guard

Being one of the longer lasting fights during the Secession, Deliverance Lost will occur over several eras.

There are 3 main theaters involved in the battles of Deliverance Lost.  Players should use these theaters to help them theme mission selection, game size and terrain types.  The three theaters are:
The Desolate Moon

The moon Deliverance is a desolate and blasted wasteland punctuated by the moons defence systems and the few habdomes needed above the surface of Deliverance.  This theater would be good for larger battles and is the only theater where large numbers of tanks and larger vehicles could easily be used.  Rocky outcrops, craters, defensive weapon emplacements and limited buildings would be perfect terrain for the moon.  Planet Strike would be perfect to represent the initial landings on the moon.
The Labyrinths of Deliverance
Beneath the surface of Deliverance lies the vast network of cavernous tunnels of the old Lycaen mines.  Those mines with richer seams or further from the Raven Spire are still used as mines.  The tunnels closer in serve as armouries, storage, training and housing areas for the Legion and its serfs.  Extremely close in fighting, with limited long ranged or aerospace support would make this theater ideal for City Fights or Zone Mortalis battles.  Although larger, more open areas abound Deepstriking, Fliers, and Barrage weapons should be very heavily restricted.
Naval Battles and Kiavahr's Hives
This theater is a mix of battles fought in and amongst the Hives of Kiavahr and the various battles that took place in space between the White Scar and Raven Guard fleets.  Broadly speaking similar terrain and rules could be used for each.  Zone Mortalis and City Fights would be ideal, as would a densely clustered terrain set.  Planet Strike would work for the initial boarding actions in the space battles and the Void War rules (coming soon to a Secession blog near you!) could also be used.

Generic Betrayal Warzone Rules
Although the various Legions are assigned to various Warzones this doesn't mean that elements for their forces aren't active elsewhere in the galaxy.  As such (and so no one gets left out; and we can have some big games)  players may bring their Legions to any Warzone.  There will however be a benefit given for fighting in the correct warzone (more details in a future post).

Warzones of the Betrayal (The Battle for Mars)

The Betrayal era sees the Legions the beginnings of the Secession proper.  With several major warzones being fought over between the Secessionists and Imperialists at the dawn of Guilliman's Imperium Secundus.


Mars is without a doubt the most important forgeworld in the galaxy.  Supplying the vast majority of the Crusade fleets' materiel.  When the Emperor lifted the bans on forbidden technology, the hiccup in supplies was barely noticed.  As what would later be called the Martian Rebellions rolled on disruptions became more common.  Many Legions sent small teams to investigate and secure materiel for their respective Legions.  Before long full blown war broke out on Mars, with the Imperialists backing the Dark Mechanicum and Secessionists backing the Sundered Mechanicum.  The Iron Warriors and Scions of Guilliman knew the loss of Mars would cut the Secession off from vital supplies and an major strategic position.  The Thousand Sons and Alpha Legion sought to preserve the vast knowledge of the Mechanicum and hold the powerful forgeworld. The Thousand Sons were also desperate to prove the worth of the Librarius and over turn the Edict of Nikaea.  The Battle for Mars would prove to be one of the longest running and most vital warzones in the entire Secession.
 
Battle for Mars Rules
The Legions that are fighting on Mars are:
Imperialists
Thousand Sons
Alpha Legion
Secessionists
Iron Warriors
Scions of Guilliman

Being one of the longer lasting fights during the Secession, the Battle for Mars will occur over several eras.

There are 3 main theaters involved in the battle for mars.  Players should use these theaters to help them theme mission selection, game size and terrain types.  The three theaters are:
The Great Forges
 Dotted all over the landscape of Mars are the vast Forges and Manufactorum.  Within these Labyrinthine complexes the tech priests labour to supply the Imperium with their war material.  Cities of death battles would be perfect to represent battles fought withing the vast forges of Mars.  otherwise dense urban terrain would be most suitable.
The Plains of Mars
The vast surface of mars is dotted with ruins and wreckage of wars long past. Smaller supply stations, launching platforms, vast roadways and the few smaller forges that are on the surface of Mars litter this rocky wasteland.  This theater would be ideally suited to larger games especially ones involving lots of vehicles.  Roads, craters, rocky out crops and smaller clusters of buildings to represent supply depos or small installations are ideas for terrain.
The Orbital Platforms 
Space dockyards and supply stations this theater gives some great opportunities for odd battles.  From using the rules for Void battles (which I'll add in an upcoming post) to using corridor sets (like Space Hulk or the many available from various online sellers) to city fights or planet strikes.



Generic Betrayal Warzone Rules
Although the various Legions are assigned to various Warzones this doesn't mean that elements for their forces aren't active elsewhere in the galaxy.  As such (and so no one gets left out; and we can have some big games)  players may bring their Legions to any Warzone.  There will however be a benefit given for fighting in the correct warzone (more details in a future post).

Warzones of the Betrayal (Isstvan III)

The Betrayal era sees the Legions the beginnings of the Secession proper.  With several major warzones being fought over between the Secessionists and Imperialists at the dawn of Guilliman's Imperium Secundus.


Guilliman gathers his closest allies above the blighted world of Isstvan III.  It is here Guilliman, Horus, Fulgrim, Sanguinius and Angron openly plot against the rule of the Emperor.  Their first move to cleanse their Legions of those who show greater loyalty to the throne than to their Warmaster and Primarchs.  It is Guilliman's intention to simply strand their Legionnaires upon the world on which they now fight.  Sanguinius and Fulgrim are quick to point out that leaving an army of that size at their backs is too great a threat.  Guilliman does not hear the plans of his brothers, nor their bickering, his heart is heavy with the knowledge of what he must do.  The orders to begin the bombardment are given, soon the Imperialists in their ranks will be purged in the most ignominious way possible.  Guilliman wears a wry smile as the order spreads from his brothers to their Legions, as he alone hears Angron give the order that the Imperialists be warned of their fate.  Perhaps the Legionnaires will get an honourable death after all, a chance to stand against this Betrayal.

Isstvan III Rules
The Legions that are battling on Isstvan III are:
Scions of Guilliman
Emperor's Children
Luna Wolves
World Eaters
Blood Angels

Isstvan III will follow all the rules found in Betrayal and players are strongly recommended to use the scenarios found therein.  I will be running 3 of the Legendary battles as multiplayer events in the 3rd week, middle of the campaign and as a finale game, more details will be provided closer to the events.

When any of the above Legions fight a battle on Isstvan III their player should decide if they are playing as Secessionists or Imperialists.  It does not matter which side their opponents choose.  When players post their game results (to be detailed in a future post) they will need to add which side they played as. 

Generic Betrayal Warzone Rules
Although the various Legions are assigned to various Warzones this doesn't mean that elements for their forces aren't active elsewhere in the galaxy.  As such (and so no one gets left out; and we can have some big games)  players may bring their Legions to any Warzone.  There will however be a benefit given for fighting in the correct warzone (more details in a future post).

Secession Allies Matrix

During the Great Crusade it was pretty common for various Legions to play multiplayer games with and against each other.  So I figured it would be fun for us to modify the allies chart based on who the players actually fought against or allied with.

This Allies Matrix replaces the one found in "Horus Heresy Book I: Betrayal".

The Martian Rebellions

Kicking off the 2nd era of the Secession we will have the Martian Rebellion.  For the first two weeks we will play smaller games so we can fit more games in to get used to 40k in general and 7th ed specifically.

Fluff
Once the Emperor had chosen his Warmaster to lead the Legionnes Astartes the Emperor retreated to Terra to begin his Great Work.  None knew for sure what this Great Work was or what it entailed, it did little by little start stirring disquiet in the nascent Imperium.  On Mars the greatest of the Forgeworlds of the Mechanicum the Emperor cast aside his own and older sanctions on forbidden technologies.  Many in the Mechanicum leaped at the chance to study such ancient and forbidden secrets, to learn them, make them their own, to control them.  There were those Techpriests that believed that these secrets should remain forbidden, and they took it as their sacred duty to discover, protect and hide Forbidden technologies.

Before long minor skirmishes broke out in various Forges and between the slowly fracturing Mechanicum.  This caused a minor although noticable drop in the resupply of the Legions.  Before long most of the Legions had sent representatives to Mars to see what the reason for the delays was.  Soon all of Mars became embroiled in a raging battle for dominance.  A fight that quickly involved anyone on the red planet.  By the time Guilliman declared his Secession on Isstvan III Mars had become a swirling battleground in its own right.

Rules
*The Martian Rebellions will begin on Sunday 13th July and end on Sunday 20th July (inclusive).
*These rules are optional, you may play the normal Secession Betrayal Era rules if you prefer.
*Armies are capped at 750pts
*You must field: 1 HQ and 1 Troop
You may field an additional:  1 HQ, 2 Elites, 2 Fast Attack, 2 Troops, 1 Heavy Support
*You may take Allies, if you do you must take: 1 Troop
In addition you may field one of the following: 1 HQ, 1 Fast Attack, 1 Troop or 1 Heavy Support
*You may not take an Unbound detachment
*Units may not select dedicated transport options.
*No units may have a starting size greater than 15 models before joined by independent characters.
*Vehicles other than walkers may not be chosen unless their models are no more than 4" wide, long or deep (flyers may not be chosen at all).
*Monstrous creatures needing more than a 60mm round base may not be chosen.
*You may only have 1 unit with any of the following:
  2+Sv;  3+invul; 4+W.
*Your force must include either your chosen Legion or a Mechanicum detachment (Primary or Allied).
*This detachment uses the Ideal Mission Commander and Objective Secured command benefits