Baltus Sector Crusade general discussion

[Guest Mordray]

That location and date work for my Void Reavers. I should be able to write up a company and their support elements.

[Thurservor]

 

Perhaps an overview of the System would be a good starting point? Planets, places of interest, the like.

 

Looking at the first Ed dark heresy book, it would seem that most sub-sectors have about 25 Imperial systems of note, but that varies significantly and can include relatively sparsely populated systems.

 

If we take that as the baseline before the hive fleet cut them off we can start adding changes.

 

lets say 25% or so fell to xenos of some kind, so approximately 6.

 

another 25% fall to chaos, say 7

 

most of the rest go independent, say other 9.

 

That leaves say 3 to stay loyal, probably the sub-sector capital and 2 systems tied to it.  Likely an agri-world that supports the capital and a forge world nearby.

 

 

 

 

Is there an image we could look at?

 

Not at this point, personally I don't have the skills or software to make a decent stellar map, but I do plan on developing the sub-sector more over the next few days so that everyone has more than a general location, name and number of systems to work with.

 

 

 

We should definitely go with a Sector rather than sub-sector, and make it 30 planets worth. This as a result of the lost contact that has been just recently re-established, yet with just the portion of the Sector for now. The rest will be created during the campaign itself, thanks to events yet unknown.

 

My reason for Sector over sub-sector is that, since we lost contact with a region, it makes more sense that the entirety of it was lsot and without contact rather than just a 1/5 or 1/6 of an administrative area.

 

I can create a map that will look like those in FFG rulebooks since i got all the templates already done. Yet I don't want to be the author of all of them since it is great writing potential and fun, and everyone should have a chance at creating a planet. I suggest we do it like this:

 

Everyone can create up to three planets, by stating the name and up to 10 sentences about this planet. Description should mention the type, name, and both previous and current allegiance, and obviously all the fun-facts, like the planet being a demon possessed forge world of dark mechanicum, that specialized with creation of a strange pattern od defiler engines, and so on...

 

Also since Imperial Sectors are divided into sub-sectors i suggest we go with 5 sub sectors. 4 being edge sub-sectors and one core sub-sector, this combined with the number  of planets suggested by Black Cohort gives roughly 6 planets per sector. I say, that we should just give everyone a chance to post until the number of planets is filled. Also since the sub-sectors are not named yet in the Baltus Sector, the first one proposing a planets for a sub-sector slot not yet taken, get to name it as a bonus. 

 

What do you guys think?

Edited November 16, 2016 by Thurservor

[Black Cohort]

The numbers I was using were for a subsector, a full sector would have anywhere from 60 to 140 systems.

[Thurservor]

The numbers I was using were for a subsector, a full sector would have anywhere from 60 to 140 systems.

 

yes, that is true, but what I meant is that Crusade (the initial map) will have the contact with initial 30 world after reestablishing connection to the said region, and as the Crusade progresses further worlds would be added, think of it as unlocking them in a PC game. 

 

Or lets say we do it like this:

 

Ultima Segmentum, Baltus Sector:

 

-Sub-sector X - contact reestablished with x planets out of X  - Crusade status - ongoing

-Sub-sector Y - contact reestablished with x planets out of X  - Crusade status - ongoing

-Sub-sector Z - contact lost

-Sub-sector A - contact lost

-Sub-sector B - contact lost

 

_____________

 

So lets brainstorm about 30 planets (divided unevenly) between two sub-sectors X and Y of Baltus Sector, and we do the rest further on.

Edited November 16, 2016 by Thurservor

[Dizzyeye01]

Looks interesting. Got a few ideas in my head for potential threats for the Crusade to face off against. I can always post the basic idea and see what people think of them.

[Dosjetka]

I don't find the explanation why the (sub-)sector got cut off from the Imperium plausible (almost everything on the path of a Tyrind Hive tendril gets devoured). How can there be any survivors? Or have they been isolated due to the Shadow in the Warp and were on the "edge" of the Tyranid Hive tendril?

[RedDragon]

Perhaps a different enemy would be preferential? Tyranids are interesting enough, but they have nothing in the way of culture or history, the development of the Splinter Fleet, in my opinion, would be pretty minimalistic at best.

[Thurservor]

How about we work with something like in Jericho Reach history, where the whole sector was cut away from Imperium for centuries due to some devastating warp interference, then after all this time the curtain falls, and we know that at least 3 core world have been swallowed by a growing warp phenomena that threatens to engulf the sector as a whole and possible build up to being a new Maelstrom (appropriate new name would be great), thus the Crusade is launched to stop this Chaos and Warp intrusion into the real space and close the warp rift. As the crusade forces arrive in the newly reconnected region, they find out that dozens of worlds are besieged by xenos / renegades / demons / secessionists, and scores of others are yet to be rejoined into the Imperium since the contact has not been reestablished. 

 

Xenos (Orks, Eldar of both kinds, Necron and Tyranids, whatever you like), and secessionists have no idea how to, or no intention whatsoever to stop the rift from building up and they fight little wars of their own. This would allow for the crusade to establish a few fronts where specialized forces would fight enemy of their choosing.

 

How about that?

Edited November 16, 2016 by Thurservor

[Dizzyeye01]

While I don't have an exact date for it, in the last book of the Night Lords trilogy Talos has a bunch of pyskers tortured for days on end who eventually let out such a burst of raw psychic power that disrupts whole sectors and ships sending them off course along with generally causing havoc for the imperium. Maybe play along that event causing the sector to be seperated? I remember in the latest chaos codex that there was a similar event but I don't have it on hand at the moment.

[Dosjetka]

How about a free-for-all invasion of a small bunch of Eldar Maiden Worlds?

Everyone wants them for x, y, and/or z reason.

Everyone is willing to pour a great amount of resources and manpower into this because the stakes are so high (if someone else than the Imperium wins, the neighbouring Imperial systems/sectors are going to have a real big problem, if the Eldar lose the worlds it's a major blow to them, etc.)

Everyone/anyone can participate with no need for masses of fluff justification.

[Lephisto]

Perhaps a different enemy would be preferential? Tyranids are interesting enough, but they have nothing in the way of culture or history, the development of the Splinter Fleet, in my opinion, would be pretty minimalistic at best.

 

I like Tyranids, it would go really well with the fluff of my chapter. But other Xenos like the Eldar will be interesting. If I didn't pick to play Space Marines, Eldar would be my next pick.

 

How about a free-for-all invasion of a small bunch of Eldar Maiden Worlds?

Everyone wants them for x, y, and/or z reason.

Everyone is willing to pour a great amount of resources and manpower into this because the stakes are so high (if someone else than the Imperium wins, the neighbouring Imperial systems/sectors are going to have a real big problem, if the Eldar lose the worlds it's a major blow to them, etc.)

Everyone/anyone can participate with no need for masses of fluff justification.

 

Mass invade on worlds would be awesome.

 

If we all collectively come up with goals for each individual factions, we could see what the overview of the crusade is like. If we all created 2-3 worlds each, would that be too much? I guess we can create a world for each of ourselves that we are invading etc and then come up together with specific worlds that are key points in the campaign so there isn't a huge need to create tons of worlds or name them all.

[Dizzyeye01]

We could come up with a small briefing on an alien race just based in the sector that could have come out of hiding. Priority is ovbiously on the imperials and so on however a report to high command could always be done showing their capabilities

[Kelborn]

I could offer a renegade Hegemony I wrote for my Dominion of Storms timeline.

 

It's basically about a man, who believes himself to be the reborn Malcador. As he is secretly a mere puppet of the Dark Gods (what he doesn't even know about), he even got memories and flashbacks which were proved to be right. Because of that, in his ongoing quest of improve the Imperium, more and more followers join him. At first, only groups / cults, later on, entire planets until he is such of prominence and importance that he's at the head of a realm of several dozen (about 200 worlds in my first version) governments did swear him fealty. Furthermore, a couple of Space Marine chapters joined his rising Hegemony.

 

And all because of Chaos.

 

At first, the High Lords of Terra tried to negotiate with Tion but his followers turned out to be more radical than he would like them to be, resulting in a civil war between the forces of the Hegemony and the Imperium.

 

To shatter this renegade realm, the Imperium gathered a giant crusade to engage them. This crusade was split in three part in order to assault the Hegemony from different angles. If you want, we could work on one of these crusades. If so, we could have:

 

- renegade forces (Space Marines, Scions, Guard, Sisters, etc.)

- Chaos forces, which are acting in the background

- Xenos forces, which exploit the current situation (Dark Eldar, Orks, Necrons, etc.)

 

Though I'd intended to let that happen in 37M, I'm ready to change that. :)

[Dosjetka]

A bit like Sebastian Thor then but with a twist?

 

I'd personally suggest that instead of having him manipulated by Chaos from the start, he's just an extremely charismatic person and then he gets manipulated by various factions, which then becomes open warfare as things spiral out of control?

 

Too often are people "helped" by Chaos/the Emperor/whatever. It would be refreshing to see something a little different.

Edited November 16, 2016 by Dosjetka

[Doctor Perils]

An easy(ish) explanation for the Region of the galaxy to be cut-off from the rest of the Imperium is just that there were no open warp-routes to it. However, with the current massing forces in the Eye of Terror, I'm sure that there is a lot of movement in the Warp, allowing a Rogue Trader to fnd a new passageway - it's a bit cliché, but it is plausible.

[Black Cohort]

So at this point it looks like we have the following ideas

 

-old sector cut off from the rest of the Imperium as a result of tyranid activity, either due to a hive fleet tendril eating through a nearby sector or the edge of this sector probably heading towards a richer target towards the galactic core or due to a shadow of the warp effect.

 

-warp shenanigans cut sector off and a new route has been discovered or warp storms have subsided. Cause could be unexplained or a chaos ritual of some kind.

 

-newly declared sector looking to seize worlds by force from independent humans and xenos, potentially eldar maiden world tie in.

 

-a charismatic leader causes widespread problems, other priorities mean that the imperium was unable to respond for a century or 2 and things got out of hand in the mean time. Full crusade is needed to re-establish compliance at this point.

 

 

Also I like how many people are throwing ideas out there. Our final sector design will be better for it.

[Kelborn]

With the recent Genestealer Codex finally in my possession, how about them?

 

Separating a sub sector at the fringe of a populated Sector, they could have cut it off from the wider Imperium in order to embrace the Nids.

 

Normal business, it fails and a storm erupts or some other shenanigans?

[Dizzyeye01]

The genestealer cult could work well with the leader: while he isn't in the cult to begin with he/she disappears for a short time before reappearing again slightly changed and helps cut off the sector from the Imperium somehow. Could be a nice twist with the Imperium arriving still thinking he/she is on the imperium before the rug is pulled out from under them and the cult has actually taken over society with these 'renegades' comprising of groups still loyal to the Imperium.

[Black Cohort]

The genestealer cult could work well with the leader: while he isn't in the cult to begin with he/she disappears for a short time before reappearing again slightly changed and helps cut off the sector from the Imperium somehow. Could be a nice twist with the Imperium arriving still thinking he/she is on the imperium before the rug is pulled out from under them and the cult has actually taken over society with these 'renegades' comprising of groups still loyal to the Imperium.

In this scenario how does the sector get cut off in the first place?

 

Do you see the man charismatic man or woman as being the sector governor when things go dark?

[Dizzyeye01]

 

The genestealer cult could work well with the leader: while he isn't in the cult to begin with he/she disappears for a short time before reappearing again slightly changed and helps cut off the sector from the Imperium somehow. Could be a nice twist with the Imperium arriving still thinking he/she is on the imperium before the rug is pulled out from under them and the cult has actually taken over society with these 'renegades' comprising of groups still loyal to the Imperium.

In this scenario how does the sector get cut off in the first place?

 

Do you see the man charismatic man or woman as being the sector governor when things go dark?

 

 

Well if you look at the latest Chaos Space marine Codex, in the timeline there's an event called the Great Awakening where lots of dormant psykers are awakened and warp rifts open up like crazy. A Warp rift could easily open in our sector during this time.

 

In terms of the charismatic leader, they could either be the acting governor or in a place to easily take over it when things go dark.

[Black Cohort]

Great awakening is listed as happening in 992.M41 which I think is a little to close to current for our purposes.

 

Could the shadow of the warp mess up warp routes in areas the tyranids didn't directly move through?

 

Another option is just a good old fashioned warp storm with no further explanation. Imperial authorities could even be trying to figure out what caused it with lots of different rumours and theories.

[Dosjetka]

I feel like the Warp Storm excuse/justification is over-used. It would be nice to find something else. A Waaagh! plowing through the one/two sub-sectors that link this sector to the neighbouring ones could do the trick, I think.

[Black Cohort]

I feel like the Warp Storm excuse/justification is over-used. It would be nice to find something else. A Waaagh! plowing through the one/two sub-sectors that link this sector to the neighbouring ones could do the trick, I think.

I agree that warp storm can get over used. My concern with a Waagh of that size is why didn't it get a more immediate response or destroy the entire sector. We need to explain that, my suggestion is that either a deathwatch kill team or an assassin took out the main warboss (probably dying themselves) and the Waagh fell apart with in-fighting. But orks still held enough worlds to cut off the sector.

 

The charismatic leader could rise in response to that crisis. Also for some reason I feel like it would be more interesting if that leader was a woman, it would be all the more impressive for her to rise to power since high level imperial positions seem to be male dominated.

[Kelborn]

Oooohhh

an Admiral Daala or Ysanne Isard character would be a cool one

Edited November 17, 2016 by Kelborn

[Doctor Perils]

A waaagh might not get immediate attention for the same reason that so many other threats are ignored in 30k: the Imperium is stretched too thin, they simply can't spare the ressources to respond to every threat - look at how the Tau were able to expand!

 

However, I don't see how a Waaagh would cut off sectors from one another: the ships of the Imperium travel through the warp, Orks can't simply stop all warp transit through an entire sector... Can they???

 

I'd also like something else from warp storms though, I just have trouble seeing how to cut off a sector otherwise.