"Gorblud knew it was a trap.
It had to be. Winterborne had never made a tactical
mistake like this before. After years of chasing each other across many
planets, there finally seemed to be an opportunity where Gorblud could
face-down the infuriating Colonel with no chance for him to escape.
Winterborne was planning something. He must know the sort
of force Gorblud could bring to this battlefield, and yet he had still
seemingly stranded himself there with no means of escape. Yes, he had a lot of
armour at his disposal - and a lot of Orks would die in the battle - but the
numbers were all in Gorblud's favour. That meant that Winterborne had some sort
of hidden trick planned, to tilt the odds.
And Gorblud had no idea what it was.
There were two ways to deal with a trap: try and avoid it
and get to your quarry via a route he doesn't expect - an unlikely prospect
without knowledge of what the trap was - or to spring the trap while
endeavouring not to get caught in it. The second option was Gorblud's
favourite. It usually meant the trapper thought everything was going to plan
until, the last minute. If done well it could mean a crushing defeat to the
opposition.
But with it came the risk that you still get caught in
the trap, and the trapper gets all that he planned..."
"Winterborne was worried.
His plan was brilliant, he'd spent months working on it
and years getting everything in place.
But he was still worried. "The devil is in the detail" his father
used to tell him over countless games of regicide when he was a boy. It was
true, and Winterborne had spent so much of his time recently trying to ensure
every detail was just right. Not 'perfect' - nothing was ever perfect. And if
it looked perfect then it was probably too good to be true. No, the details
needed to be just good enough to do the job, just good enough to give the
outward impression he wanted, but nothing more.
Would Gorblud suspect it was a trap? Possibly. He was an
extremely intelligent specimen of his species, and cunning to boot. But if
he did suspect a trap, would it stop him falling in it? Winterborne suspected
not. In fact his was betting his life, and that of his regiment's, on it.
The plan couldn't fail to draw Gorblud out, but would it
get rid of this green menace forever?
"No plan survives the first shot". That was a saying his old
Commander used to tell him. He'd surpassed his old Commander on the battlefield
just as he'd surpassed his father at regicide, but they had still taught him
valuable lessons. That was what he was worried about. As well as he'd planned
everything he couldn't know for certain how it would play out on the
battlefield. He'd just have to play the cards he had dealt and hope Gorblud
didn't have any 'trumps' bigger than his..."
The Battlefield:
Primary Objectives:
Objective 1:
Winterborne and Gorblud have been bitter enemies for
decades. They have met on many battlefields over the years and both gotten the
better of the other at different times. However, whether through good planning,
cunning or sheer luck, both have always escaped the battlefield alive.
This time neither wants this to happen. They challenge has been laid down, and
both commanders intend to finish this rivalry forever!
- Slay the Warlord (4VP)
- Gorblud wants to kill Winterborne personally (Ork player must follow
this idea in the game if Gorblud is alive) only 2VP are scored if Winterborne
dies via any other means and Gorblud survives
- Winterborne wants proof that Gorblud is dead (if Gorblud is killed his
body becomes a movable objective that Winterborne must claim himself to get the
4VP) only 2VP are scored if Gorblud dies but Winterborne doesn't recover the
body
- no VPs are scored if both Warlords are dead
Winterborne is given special wargear by the rogue inquisitor, Artemus Gilroy:
- Gauntlet of Abraxis - Master-crafted Power Fist
- Displacer Field (4+ invulnerable save. Model teleports 2D6” in a random
direction after each successful save)
Objective 2 - Activate/Capture the Psychic Beacon:
Winterborne has chosen this planet in particular to stage
his battle for 1 main reason - there is an ancient alien artefact on the planet
that has the potential power to wipe out all the Orks on the planet.
The artefact is of uncertain origin although some markings indicate it may be
something to do with the Necrons. Inquisitor Artemus Gilroy, a more recent
association of Winterborne's, led a research team to uncover its secrets. It
has been discovered that the beacon releases powerful blasts through the warp
that can be specifically attuned to the psychic wavelengths of particular
species.
Gilroy and Winterborne have already prepared the machine to attack only the
minds of the Orks, but they must leave it completely powered down until they
intend to use it, lest the Orks detect it and destroy it from orbit.
Winterborne's teams must activate all 3 power nodes during the battle after
Gorblud's presence has been confirmed in range.
- Imperial player scores 1VP for each of the Nodes in his control at the end of
the game
- Ork player scores 1VP for each of the Nodes in his control at the end of the
game
- each player scores 1 additional VP if it the end of any of their own player
turns they are in control of all 3 Nodes
Objective 3 - Secret Vendetta:
The Praetorian 4th have battled Gorblud’s
Bad Moon tribe on many occasions and developed particular hatred for certain
units in the opposition. Some scores will be settled this day...
Each army picks a single unit on the other army list (in secret)
- players score 1VP if that unit is wrecked, blown-apart, wiped-out or fallen
back off the board at the end of the game
Objective 4 - Secret Loot:
The battle is taking place on an unusual planet with many
interesting artifacts. Both forces have secret targets that they wish to
secure without the enemy knowing.
Each player chooses 3 of the objective markers (1 – 6) and places them in order
of importance (and secretly)
- players score 3VP for their first chosen objective in their control at the
end of the game, 2VP for the second and 1VP for the third
Many thanks to Matt AKA Gorblud for writing the great fluff and putting pen to paper for the scenario.
