'To Plunder the Stars Themselves' OOC Thread

[Beren]

What is the access hatch guarded by?

[Lysimachus]

You'll have to wait for the next update! :lol:

 

 

Seriously though, I just thought with the psychic Gate and the destruction of the Lady that's quite a big jump from scene to scene (literally!) and moving the plot onwards, so I just wanted to pause there a bit and make sure everyone has a chance to read/catch up/post any reactions, etc?

 

I'll lay out the scene of getting inside the station soon, I promise! :D

[Lysimachus]

Just going to post a little interlude, doesn't affect what you doing right now, just some plot building for later scenes (or even Episodes!)

[Lysimachus]

Posted the intro to the next fight. Later today I'll post the pre-Round 1 map and stuff and you can decide how you want to handle it, I know a few have mentioned trying to be sneaky so there may be options to do that instead of going all guns blazing...

[A.T.]

With any time before combat time Odysseus will make preparations to jump again - it's slow and unreliable to activate when playing it safe, but he can get himself and up to one other behind the gun emplacements given a few turns.

[Lysimachus]

Ok, pre-battle info is up, we need Tro and BC's Initiative rolls before starting, but it gives you a chance to plan! :D

 

Edit: added your roll, BC... and blimey, it's a low rolling set of results almost all round! :lol:

[Beren]

Does the the asteroid have any kind of exterior gravity at all?

 

Edit: Nevermind, saw the bit about the low-g world rules.

 

If we take out the crewmen without sending out an alarm, then we can deal with the anti-ship weapons as we wish without as much time-pressure. A run action can probably get Svelk behind the southernmost outcrop without issue, but I'm not so sure about the others.

 

I need to double-check the rules for jump-packs in low-g environments.

 

With the +2 Ag movement bonus he can get behind the larger one well enough.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Beren

[Commissar Molotov]

Okay, a few thoughts:

 

It may prove useful for brothers with low initiative (i.e., below the first Horde) to pay a Fate Point to count as having rolled a 10. However, for initiative-related shenanigans there is an Attack Pattern that I could invoke for 3 Cohesion:

 

When rolling for initiative, the Battle-Brother may call

for a Synchronised Assault. For the duration of that combat,

the Battle-Brother and those in Support Range may exchange

initiative rolls freely before the first round begins, choosing

amongst themselves the sequence in which they wish to act.

 

This may prove useful for getting Decimus earlier in the round, for example.

 

It strikes me as difficult for us to avoid setting off the alarms. Eliminating two thirty magnitude hordes might prove difficult - if I call for a Bolter Assault, six frag grenades could take out one horde, but we're in a situation now where two members have dropped out of Squad Mode, and therefore won't benefit. Odysseus has shown that he can wipe out a swathe with his smite, and Decimus can kill potentially ~12 if his rolls go well.

 

A bolter assault may be useful in terms of giving Kill-Team members a free charge move - remember that per the CRB's rules for zero-gravity environments we all have +2AB (along with the +1 from our armour anyway). Moving early in the round so that we have positioning might be essential.

 

Playing around with Solo Modes, we could activate Burst of Speed - most of us would be at AB9 or AB10, giving us a 60ish metre run move. Not enough for us to get through without a test at all.

 

A potential third route may be trying to make ourselves known and to intimidate them into not resisting. Perhaps some of them haven't interacted with Space Marines, and we can engage with some transhuman dread. Then again, they've just seen our vessel blow up and know that we're isolated. And there's still the possibility that Von Caeryd has some Astartes (and/or Heretic Astartes) support, and we could end up looking foolish. (I.e., that whatever allies the Princeling has are just as frightening as we are...)

 

An additional consideration was that the Iron Gods' Captain suggested that if we are able to destroy orbital weapons, the Dagger may be able to lend support during the mission.

[Black Cohort]

we do have a surprise round.

 

I currently have a line of sight on horde 2, if Odysseus can purge horde 1, then the rest of you can focus on the heavy bolter turrets or help me take out horde 2.

[Lysimachus]

One thing I forgot to say but Mol's analysis has reminded me, I know Svelk and Brynjarr went into their zero-G Solo Modes, but that didn't really get used so if either wants to have stayed in Squad Mode, I don't mind?

 

 

Edit: yep, as BC says, you've got a Surprise Round, so you have all got a Turn, including any Squad Actions you want to run, then Kai is at the top of the first regular Round so could actually start a second Squad Action if it was needed? All of that would be before the first Horde got a chance to act and sound the alarm?

 

I think the question you might want to consider is, do you want to try for another Surprise Round of just moving up first? You could all run forward, get into really good positions, as long as you end out of sight? The only risk in that choice is if they then passed their Per Test (3/10 chance, so not terrible odds but still a risk!) you'd lose out on a further attacking Surprise Round and then it would be much, much harder to knock out both Hordes before they raised the alarm?

[Beren]

Yeah, there doesn't seem to be any real benefit for low-g. Squad mode will also give Svelk an extra d10 horde damage on the charge (provided a successful attack).

 

Given his jump pack, he's able to make a charge straight from turn one if need be.

[Commissar Molotov]

Edit: yep, as BC says, you've got a Surprise Round, so you have all got a Turn, including any Squad Actions you want to run, then Kai is at the top of the first regular Round so could actually start a second Squad Action if it was needed? All of that would be before the first Horde got a chance to act and sound the alarm?

 

Yeah, so depending on our initiative we could in theory all fight four times before the hordes can react if necessary. Then we just need to dismantle the heavy bolters and decide whether we are attempting to destroy the orbital weapons.

[A.T.]

Odysseus has shown that he can wipe out a swathe with his smite

D10+7, if pushed. I'm not sure on the scale of the map but if they are within 14m of one another he could try to catch both.

[Lysimachus]

I'm not sure on the scale of the map but if they are within 14m of one another he could try to catch both.

 

Squares are 5x5, so assuming my school level Pythagoras is right, each square is just over 7m on the diagonal... now I look back I'm not sure I placed the units quite right on the map, but the intent was to put them far enough not to be able to catch both together? Sorry! :P

[Necronaut]

Vesalius will spend a fate point to bump his initiative roll to a 10 per CM's suggestion.

[Lysimachus]

Cool, will amend the pre-Round list!

[Lysimachus]

Excellent, so we have all our initiatives and can start the battle!

 

So, the first question now is: do you want to risk that 3/10 chance of immediate discovery for an extra (pre-Surprise Round) turn of movement to get into better/closer positions before you strike? Remember, your movement rates this battle will be based on your Ag Bonus +1 for Armour +2 for Low-G so even the slower characters will have a decent run distance?

 

If you do, let me know which square* each of you are moving to, just make sure you're out of LoS when you finish!

 

*as they're quite big (5m2) I'll say up to 2 of you can take cover in 1 square.

 

 

 

Edit: Or of course, you can just go all out and use that first Surprise Round to start attacking immediately, in which case have at it! :D

[Black Cohort]

I say we strike immediately

[Commissar Molotov]

The consensus among players does seem to be for assaulting the troopers and wiping them out before they can respond.

 

I would again encourage players to spend a fate point to get above the hordes - it could be the difference between us fighting twice or up to four times before the humans can respond..!

 

I'll wait to post until Necronaut does, but I will be looking to start us off with a Bolter Charge.

[Beren]

I'll spend that fate point then.

[Necronaut]

I'll try to have something up ASAP. Busy morning for me.

[A.T.]

Fate point it is, lets make sure to to a thorough job with the two actions we have.

[Lysimachus]

I'll spend that fate point then.

Fair enough, so that puts the Initiative order as Vesalius, edit: then Odysseus, then Svelk, then the Traveller, and so on?

 

 

 

 

Question based on that, I'm not actually sure of the answer or if it makes any difference... If Svelk charges and is in CC (which I'm assuming he is planning to?) can he then leave it again to join a Bolter Assault? If not, would it be better for Vesalius to call the Action so everyone can do that bit at the start of the Turn?

[Necronaut]

I can have Vesalius call the bolter charge if you like, CM. He's not exactly a leader but he'd recognize the gravity of their situation, not to mention his damage output potential is nothing special at range.

[Commissar Molotov]

Lysimachus - I would argue that Svelk couldn't participate in a Bolter Assault charge once he's engaged without provoking opportunity attacks. There are other squad modes that specifically allow Marines to disengage without being attacked.

 

Necronaut - I'm happy for you to call the charge if you'd like. The only issue for me is that the Traveller won't be able to participate because he's sustaining Lead by Example. However, as mentioned it may benefit others in the squad (Svelk particularly) to do both before my turn.