Archo Logist Dissapearance

+++++Intercepted Communication #Planet Jeriko Reach#+++++




+++Intelligence Report #DELETED#+++


Colonel #DELETED#,

Regarding the disappearance of the Archo Logist Clara Toft on the planet#DELETED#, in system Intelligence pict feeds have picked up the presence of two disconcerting anomalies. The first is the presence of a chaos cult which appears to be lead by an #DELETED# Marine whose intentions cannot be good for this system. The second being the presence of a Tyranid #DELETED# which can only mean that the Vanguard of a possible #DELETED# is on its way, possibly due to the ongoing #DELETED# on Jeriko Reach.




From what we have seen on the remarkably clear picts are Adept Tofts guards encountering the Warband from the East, and being entirely ineffective. Adept Toft is seen entering the Western most of the two domes, and being initially ignored by the #DELETED# Marine leader who entered the East dome. It is at this point that one of the anomalous auspex readings coalesced into the form of a #DELETED# which immediately took out two of the cultists before disappearing into the dome the #DELETED# Marine had gone into.


This left the cultists in some shock, but after a short time one of them was observed entering the second dome and out of sight. This was shortly followed by the emergence of the now injured #DELETED#, which sprinted to the West dome. Not fast enough to avoid fire from the cultists, who had crowded around the East entrance awaiting the emergence of their leader. This resulted in more visible injuries to the #DELETED#, even as it raced into the second dome.


It would appear that Adept Toft was captured as she raced from the West dome as the Cultists morale broke and they started to fall back. Perhaps sensing weakness the #DELETED# charged out of the dome, and straight into a solid wall of fire which left it writhing on the ground. This allowed the cultist to collect their wounded and retreat in good order. Some time later the #DELETED# was seen to move off, and out of pict range.



+++End of Intecept+++



My Lord, this presents two new threats to #DELETED#, and this station is already feeling the effects with transmissions reduced to 57% efficiency. The presence of such forces as

#FURTHER TEXT TOO GARBLED TO RECONSTRUCT#



+++#Transmission Ends#+++

Wasteland scavenger hab

This is a piece of terrain I finished a week or two back. It represents a scavenger hab out in the wastes, made from the wreck of a Space Marine Drop Pod. The idea is there's a mass drop site from the war, scattered with wreckage, and the wasteland savages have moved in. To make it look like the scavenged drop pod is left over from a botched drop, its mounted in a crater.

I added lots of bits a pieces from my bits box (as well as trading bits with other people). The skull over the hatch is from the Ogre Kingdoms set, making it appear that a bunch of savage scavengers have moved in.

If I can get enough parts together I plan to make a small settlement of these, as if the scavengers have moved in on the site of a whole drop which went very wrong. The settlement would have to be called...wait for it...Bad Landing!

Rogue Trader

This is a conversin I've had in mind for quite a while and I've just finished. It's a character for the campaign, representing a Rogue Trader. The model is based around the Kal Jericho miniature, with the head from Sergent Telion, right arm from the Macragge pilot, left arm from a Space Marine and various other bits and pieces.

Might start on his bridge crew next!

Psyker Hunt

We played another game last week, which I GM’d, so I’ll describe it out of character. The uprising is gathering pace, and the ‘stealer infection rate on Jeriko Reach is reaching critical mass. All of the psychic background noise generated by this caused one of the few Astropaths on the world to go mad, and he ran off into the wastes clutching his head, his only desire to shut out the chittering that haunted his every waking hour.

The Henrie Boys.

The cult.

Captain Jack took his Henrie Boys gang (around 2000 Necromunda gang rating’s worth of guys, counting as Van Saars). The Pontiff took the same value in Genestealer Cultists, using the Underhive Bestiary in the Outlanders book. He took a Magus, three Purestrains and around eight Brood Brothers.

I briefed each player secretly. I told Captain Jack that his contacts at the Imperial Mining Concern had passed on the info about the missing Astropath, stating that the Guard Garrison was out in force looking for him, but looking in the wrong place. If he could recover him, the Garrison would surely pay a high reward.

I briefed the Pontiff that the Uprising had heard of the missing Astropath too – just think what they could do to/with an Astropath!

So I made a piece of terrain to represent a deserted wasteland scavenger hut in which the Astropath would hole up. Unknown to the players, he’d be accompanied by a Squat bodyguard. The scenario was built around a Necromunda Gangfight, with the added objectives above. The Astropath had the Mental Assault Wyrd power, which he would ise every turn on the nearest model, from inside the hut. The gangs would have to take him down in close combat and carry him away in order to win.

The game started out with the Purestrains going crazy, as they always do! Even one Purestrain is an absolute tank in Necromunda, so three were pretty hardcore. After a couple of turns of carnage the Henrie Boys managed to get some payback as their shooting took its toll.

And then something entirely unexpected happened. The Astropath rolled a double 1 on his psychic test and was subsequently possessed by the daemon! I hadn’t planned for that, but that’s why you have GMs I guess. A kind observer lent me a Skaven model and a hideous rat-like fiend from the Warp erupted from the hut intent upon rending the flesh of every living thing within reach. It was closely followed by a fleeing Squat bodyguard, who I decided had not been paid enough to see his employer turn into a daemon before his very eyes! The Henrie Boys had been closing on the hut and knew they had just one chance to escape with their lives. Everything opened up on the daemon, causing six wounds, but incredibly only knocking it down.

At the that point, the cultists decided discretion was the best tactic and failed a bottle test, instigating a withdrawal (we always disengage when a gang fails a bottle test, we don’t just stop the game and pack up!). As the cult fought its way clear the Henrie Boys opened up on the daemon once again – if they didn’t, it would be up and undoubtedly tearing them apart. Fortunately for the gang, they disintegrated it, sending it back to the warp from whence it came.

The daemon emerges - the Henrie Boys have just one chance!

Skip Truck

Well, the Henrie Boys have some wheels and quite fitting too. I've finally got this finished after some time waiting for the final touches.

Links:

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr309/KeptinJack/stuff003.jpg
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr309/KeptinJack/stuff004.jpg
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr309/KeptinJack/stuff005.jpg

The Henrie Boys expand!

Just to keep you all updated with the state of play in regards to the Henrie Boys gang. They are doing really well, considering they have only played in three games, and now have a gang rating of over 2000!

http://www.lastsummer.com/necronet/gangc.asp?id=174

For the future I plan to use the Ash Wastes supplement to design a vehicle or two (the ones that are almost finished from my WiP's), and I may also bring in some more gangers. Having earned over 1200 credits from selling off the two war robots and other items that were scavenged, the gang is in a really strong position to push out the rag tag forces of the Pontiff. I maybe able to convince the Guild to give me more of a voice on the Planetary Council, and put some pressure on the Guard contingent to look elsewhere.

War Robot Rumble

The Pontiff GM'd a game using the Rogue Trader robot rules, in which the Henrie Boys were out salvaging while Patrol Drake had tracked the rogue robot to the outskirts of a settlement.

The Henrie Boys (plus one of the war robots)

Patrol Drake (and civilians)

Dr Zarev and co await extraction atop his workshop.

+++CONTACT REPORT+++

Following Patrol Drake’s contact with the malfunctioning war robot in the wastes, I ordered Drake and his men to track this threat down and eliminate it. Within 48 hours, Drake had located the robot, closing in on the settlement of Kamirif-777.

Closing on the war robot, the patrol saw that it was not alone – a second robot was nearby. Mechanicus adepts on the HQ staff have hypothesised that the first robot was fitted with some form of transmitter, which is re-activating others of its kind that have laid dormant in the wastes since the war. We can only assume that more are out there.

The patrol reported that the robots were closing upon the workshop of one Dr Zarev, a civilian tech of use to the garrison. Drake was issued the primary objective of evacuating Dr Zarev and his staff (an aid and three of his harem), and the secondary objective of disabling or destroying the war robots.

To make matters worse, it appeared that a number of wild grox were roaming area, and that the craters that filled the area were emitting some form of radioactive field.

War Robots are bad enough, Wild Grox just make things harder...

Approaching the objective from the south, the patrol located the war robots, but found that so too had others. A party of the Henrie Clan, a familial grouping loosely associated with the Imperial Mining Concern were closing in on the robots, intent it seemed upon claiming them, and other items in the area, as salvage.

The Henrie Boys take position.

Patrol Drake's insertion point (with fire support group at the bottom)

Patrol Drake positioned a fire support group at their insertion point, Drake himself leading a party to escort the civilians to safety, while the miners engaged the robots. The patrol had learned its lesson well from its previous encounter, and made use of every available scrap of cover so as not to be targeted by the robots’ erratic combat routines. It appeared that the Henrie clan were likewise cautious, but never the less a firefight between the miners and one of the robots soon ensued. Under cover of the firefight, Patrol Drake closed on Dr Zarev’s workshop, and made contact with the civilians.

Patrol Drake close on Dr Zarev's workshop.

The bold Henrie Boys engage a War Robot.

Meanwhile, the miners had come under heavy fire from one of the robots, while the other blundered towards the patrol. A number of the miners were wounded as they were targeted, before specialists armed with plasma and melta weaponry disabled a robot.

Rahld bags himself some damn fine salvagin'

As the patrol escorted the civilians to safety, they were forced to engage the other robot, which was now blocking the escape route. A meltagun blast stunned it, and then Drake himself, equipped with his power fist, charged and destroyed it.

Drake's meltagunner distracts the robot...

...and Drake finishes the job!

Both robots were now disabled, and a firefight ensued between the exfiltrating patrol and the miners. The fight was brief but intense, and a number of miners were wounded by the fire support group, though it is not known whether any were killed.

The civilians escorted to safety, Patrol Drake disengaged. Trooper Serik was wounded, but Trooper Reko administered combat first aid. The patrol’s primary objective was satisfactorily achieved, while its secondary mission was at least partially successful. Despite this, it appears that the miners escaped with a significant amount of salvage, which they will no doubt dispose of on the black market for a considerable sum.

Intelligence now suggests that the Henrie clan are engaged in some form of power grab, perhaps taking advantage of the generally declining security situation on Jeriko Reach to establish themselves as a powerful faction. We can scarce afford to be fighting both the uprising and renegade factions too.

Colonel Kane, Jeriko Reach Garrison C in C.