[BC] The Blackest Heart (OOC)

[Mojake]

I've just bought a selection of bits to make a model of Varne 

[Lysimachus]

I've done a Hagga mini already... but I've just bought some more bits to make a proper Red Corsair version, complete with Khorne collar and regular-Minion Eska! 

 

(I’m really struggling to get the head I want for him, though... this one from the SW Headtakers:

 

 

 

 

(If anyone is a UK based SW collector, and has one of these knocking around, shoot me a PM! )

 

 

 

 

[Machine God]

3 hours ago, Mazer Rackham said:

Well, tell you what, let's split the difference.

 

We'll reduce the mass of the hauler to enough weight to total the southern half of the Arbites precinct, and collapse the rest. Collateral damage will be enough to reduce half the mercantile district to rubble.

 

That will leave the north retaining wall standing, but most if not all the lawmen and arsenal within will be destroyed, including the Provost Marshal.

 

When Varne detonates his water-slide, it will kill half of the city, up to and including anyone in the temple, so Sisters gone, Administratum gone. We will assume the shockwaves have undermined the town, and the flooding has already damaged structure enough to permit further collapses.

 

The landing area will be cratered, but dry, and you boys can decant there. A lot of the streets will be blocked with rubble or water from burst pipes. You should then be free to deal with whatever PDF are left after the blast, looting by Crux'as' forces, and airborne debris don't finish.

 

This is the best I can do with the circumstances and choices made.

 

No! We were promised big explosions and we want big 40K explosions!!! 

 

 

 

[Mazer Rackham]

7 minutes ago, Machine God said:

No! We were promised big explosions and we want big 40K explosions!!!

 

Budget cuts.

 

Guys, just go ahead with whatever you're doing. Advance your narratives as you see fit.

[Lysimachus]

4 minutes ago, Mazer Rackham said:

Guys, just go ahead with whatever you're doing. Advance your narratives as you see fit.

 

 

 

Is that including those of us on the Starhawk, or are we still a little way behind where the players are on the surface?

 

Edited April 26 by Lysimachus

[Mazer Rackham]

1 hour ago, Lysimachus said:

Is that including those of us on the Starhawk, or are we still a little way behind where the players are on the surface?

 

Yep, everyone.

[Necronaut]

Placeholder updated:

 

 

 

[Lysimachus]

Er... what happened there? 

 

It missed?? Great, just great. Now we've got a fully standing bastion to deal with, totally undamaged, and we haven't got a single weapon that will even scratch the plascrete!

 

So now we've got well-organised, well led enemies holding a fortified position that we've got no means of ingress into (that's called 'the anvil') and a whole heap of troops that are going to be immediately called back to the city by the provost marshal - that's right, they'll be the  hammer!

 

How the hell are we going to get anything out of this situation now?

 

Edited April 27 by Lysimachus

[Mojake]

17 hours ago, Mazer Rackham said:

Guys, just go ahead with whatever you're doing. Advance your narratives as you see fit.

 

How much leeway are we being given to advance our own narrative? I'd thought I'd left mine in reasonable spot to await a response but let me know if you want me to just go ahead and run Varne's op in full.

[Mazer Rackham]

No throwing buns, please. Follow your breadcrumbs.

 

I think what's more important to ask now though - how long before that Hydra, and every HBolter and HStub turret with elevation start making your Starhawk fuselage rattle worse than a skeleton orgy sliding around on a tin roof?

 

7 minutes ago, Mojake said:

How much leeway are we being given to advance our own narrative? I'd thought I'd left mine in reasonable spot to await a response but let me know if you want me to just go ahead and run Varne's op in full.

 

Yes.

 

Edited April 27 by Mazer Rackham

[Trokair]

15 minutes ago, Lysimachus said:

How the hell are we going to get anything out of this situation now?

 

Pray to the Dark Gods? 

[Lysimachus]

Yep, that's another huge problem to sort out.

 

Hagga is borderline turning the Starhawk around and getting back on the Razor and leaving the rest of them behind. I just don't see any way to win this with the bastion left standing.

 

Follow breadcrumbs?

 

Is this deliberate? Did Ukalegon do something in that spoiler? @Necronaut if so, you've basically screwed the entire mission and I don't understand why at all...?? 

 

Edited April 27 by Lysimachus

[Mazer Rackham]

It'll be fine.

 

Fire at the bastion with the starhawk's guns. It has lascannons and LB Autocannon IIRC. Deplete the AA turrets, and land. You're safe from them if you do, as the Hydra doesn't have the bonuses to hit ground targets, and limited traverse when you're in the city.

 

For now, you've got plenty of rebels in the capital, some of who are equipped with demo charges. They can allow ingress. Use the cannon fodder, then follow up with commandos. Most of the Arbites outside the immediate precinct vicinity are in concentric checkpoints. The Sisters and Administrators are neutralised, so response will be slowed. Xerxes can take command of the Mercantile to misdirect or even redirect troops to thin it out.

 

You've got Psychic artillery. Have Atesh Flammenspewer and Rakash flop ectoplasmic barf over everyone.

 

You have Marines, use them. The Starhawk can drop you at TB metres altitude and engage evasive.

 

It's doable.

Edited April 27 by Mazer Rackham

[Lysimachus]

I'm sorry, am I totally misunderstanding the size of this bastion or something?

I'm looking at the size of it on the map, and picturing a proper Arbites Precinct House, which is a fortress that is supposed to be able to withstand a full on planetary rebellion... for months if necessary! Metres thick plascrete, lots and lots of guns, etc, etc? A handful of las and auto cannons on the Starhawk won't do jack to it?

As for demo charges, even if they will penetrate (which I doubt. Again, metres thick plascrete) how do we get them across the moats and walls we can see all around the thing, which are presumably covered by the aforementioned heavy bolter emplacements which are there to cut down raging mobs potentially thousands strong, not a few squads of renegades (which is all we've got in the city?)

We've got Marines, yes. 3 of us at the moment. Unless we can somehow start inside the bastion (and again, I'm not seeing how the Starhawk could survive to get us that close, it's much less manoeuvrable than the Wasp... which did get shot down?) we haven't got anything that will get us past those defences. A few HB volleys and we're all dead before we're half way across the killing field to the gate, Marine or not?

Again, unless I'm missing something about the scale of the place, the freighter bomb was the only weapon we had that had a reasonably good chance of knocking out the Bastion. I just don't see where to logically go from there? [shrug] 

 

 

Edited April 27 by Lysimachus

[Trokair]

I am guessing that our kamikaze pilot had second thoughts or some such, and the freight coming down at all on a relevant (if not most important) target is the had we have been dealt.

 

That said I am also confused about the relative size and strength of the Arbite Bastion, I just had assumed that I missed something in the bit that I 'missed'

 

Is it the case that most of the Arbites are deployed into the countryside and therefore the Bastion is both under manned and not actually operating all of its defences? 

[Mazer Rackham]

1 minute ago, Trokair said:

Is it the case that most of the Arbites are deployed into the countryside and therefore the Bastion is both under manned and not actually operating all of its defences? 

 

Yes.

 

However, I think that with certain actions and tempers running a little thin, we'll take a break.

 

Play stops for now, until things can settle down.

[Lysimachus]

1 minute ago, Trokair said:

I am guessing that our kamikaze pilot had second thoughts or some such, and the freight coming down at all on a relevant (if not most important) target is the had we have been dealt.

 

 

I don't know, maybe? I'm confused by Mazer's breadcrumbs comment and Necro's spoiler... I just get the feeling from his post afterwards that Mazer has done what he's been asked to do, I just don't understand why he's been asked to do it?

 

 

1 minute ago, Trokair said:

 

That said I am also confused about the relative size and strength of the Arbite Bastion, I just had assumed that I missed something in the bit that I 'missed'

 

 

An Arbites planetary fortress is a serious, serious thing, not something a single squad of Marines walks up and bashes the door down. 

 

 

1 minute ago, Trokair said:

 

Is it the case that most of the Arbites are deployed into the countryside and therefore the Bastion is both under manned and not actually operating all of its defences? 

 

 

I asked before about how many Arbites are on Bounty, but logically you've got to be looking at a hundred? (or even more?) A Provost Marshal isn't a squad leader! True, most of them are out of the Bastion, but that doesn't change how impervious the actual structure is to every (other) weapon we've got...

 

 

[Mojake]

I think we might have to call this one a failed compact if Ukie has betrayed us, both off-world comms intact and enemy fortress intact stacks the odds against us... Wiping out the Sororitas and Ecclesiarchy and (hopefully) the docks will be a huge win though, and potentially might even count as a win by themselves.

[Lysimachus]

Tend to agree... good point about the comms too. Even if Obi and Tarh did take out the Tower Astropaths, the Arbites Astropaths will be calling for help way before we can get in to take them out?

 

By the way, just to be clear, I'm very confused as to what has happened and why, but I'm not cross with @Necronaut , @Mazer Rackham or anyone else? It's only a game, right? 

 

I'm just not sure where to go next in a way that makes sense, or how to now accomplish our IC goals...?

 

Edited April 27 by Lysimachus

[Mazer Rackham]

Two Three things:

1. Your evil GM always has a backup plan, and you should trust in Friend GM.
2. Sometimes this backup plan relies on other Players doing things...
3. Go outside and play, (or find ladybirds and count the spots), all of you. 

@Lysimachus my door's open if you want it to avoid spoilers etc.

[Iron Father Ferrum]

Can Trokair & I get in more posts for murdering Astropaths?  That's all happening 18ish hours before the sky started falling.

[Mazer Rackham]

Yes, but just you and Tro (with my permission) if you've got something saved up.

[BadgersinHills]

I meant to put in a wee post earlier but spent the whole day prepping for another exam. What have I missed... 

 

In terms of what to do next, could we get our allies to siege the precinct and prevent any egress? With the Arbites scattered, we could confine whoever remains to the precinct or force them to sally out. Even if a siege isn't possible, we could draw them out by raiding the rest of city where without their defenses we'll be on more even ground.  Assuming off-world comms are shut down. 

[Mazer Rackham]

Right gentlemen.

 

I have had Rolos.

 

Unfortunately, I had to obtain myself because you are all slackers, and have not given me my delicious caramel treat-tribute as is right and just as a representative and administrator of the Lord Huron, a victim of the hateful Imperium and who has been slandered by lies and disinformation to cover the incompetence of the High Lords and the Carrion King on his Throne of Fools.

 

Anyway.

 

Once IFF and Tro have had a chance to post, we're going to bring this into line. I am going to move everything forward so I can get the party back together and actually sort this out once and for all. I will lay some OOC narrative guidance for you here, which you should reflect in your ongoing posts. If I have discussed matters with you in PM, adhere to those agreed paths going forward.

 

Right (cracks knuckles): We will assume that this is Landfall +1 Hour.

• All Players are to convene in the mercantile district. You should, in your posts mention how you have been fighting through checkpoints to rendezvous here. You will do this narratively, bearing in mind where you have come from (docks, astropath tower, yadda yadda).
• The Starhawk bomber will come under fire. It will be enough to make the Players within shaken, but the pilot will advise he can get you low enough. You will then, make a leap out of the Starhawk bomb-bay onto the rooftops, streets, whatever.
  • You will not split up, and if you do, I will regroup you.
• Xerxes will discuss how he has been trying to infiltrate the fort (AT: sorry about missing some of your posts I meant to get back to, but as you can see, it is wayward in this ranch..!)
  • Xerxes will describe how, he has seen a tunnel network running underneath the fortress and walls (part of that drainage system I told you all about, remember?) and Varne will back this up after he unleases the flood - he will see the water spumes from deep cisterns being flooded. Narrative gentlemen, narrative all.
  • Someone will find a grate. I don't care who.
  • Anyone Amphibious can then make their way through the tunnels to emerge in an underground cistern below the fort. That's where you STOP.
• Topside, the people who can't go into the tunnels will manage a distraction. I don't care what you do. If you can manage to capture a Rhino or Chimera off some PDF, I'll allow it. Just narrative, no numbers.
• Be advised gents, all this will handled narratively. I will make no calls for initiative, no maps, nothing.
  • Adversaries:
    • Judges, with shotguns, grenades, shock batons and shields, mastiffs, flamethrowers, chainswords.
    • The Provost Marshal is upstairs with his bodyguard. Necro is dealing with that.
      • Necro, it's narrative. No Init, no rolls.

If all that's clear, gentlemen?

 

Let's get it done.

[Trokair]

2 hours ago, Mazer Rackham said:

Two Three things:

1. Your evil GM always has a backup plan, and you should trust in Friend GM.
2. Sometimes this backup plan relies on other Players doing things...
3. Go outside and play, (or find ladybirds and count the spots), all of you. 

@Lysimachus my door's open if you want it to avoid spoilers etc.

Sorry Mazer, failed ot find any ladybirds, spot count is therefore 0