The Wargame
Play this game on a 6' x 4' table. A large building in the centre of the Tau table edge is the pumping station. Opposite it should be lots of pipelines, walkways, large storage tanks and other industrial scenery, including lots of detritus like barrels, girders and stacks of crates.
Deploy the defender's garrison first within 12" of their table edge. The Drone sentry turrets can be positioned anywhere on the table. Tau reinforcements move onto the board from the Tau table edge on the turn given in the force lists.
The Imperium's forces take the first turn and enter from their table edge. Reinforcements arrive on the turn given. The Elysian squads all drop onto the table using the Deep Strike special rules.
The game lasts 7 turns.
Special Rules
'Standing orders are to avoid excessive collateral damage.' The Imperial Commanders need to use the hydro-processor after it is captured, and cannot therefore afford to destroy it in the process. Collateral damage to the facility must be kept to a minimum.
Keep track of how many times the Imperial forces fire weapons with a Strength of 5 or more and miss. If this happens more than 20 times in the game, then the pumping station and surrounding workings have taken excessive collateral damage – more than can be quickly repaired – and the Imperial side loses the battle even if they capture the pumping station.
Objectives
The side in possession of the pumping station at the end of the game wins.
Forces of the Imperium
Turn 1
5th Squad, 709th Storm Trooper Company – Squad: 10 men, melta gun, grenade launcher, in a Valkyrie with multi-laser, 2 x fuel tanks, armoured cockpit, chaff launchers
6th Squad, 709th Storm Trooper Company – Squad: 10 men, plasma gun, grenade launcher, in a Valkyrie with multi-laser, 2 x fuel tanks, armoured cockpit, chaff launchers
All Storm Trooper squads have frag and krak grenades and melta bombs.
Vulture Gunship with twin-linked missile launchers, fuel tanks, ejector seats.
Reinforcements – Arriving on Turn 2
3rd Company Command Section – Command Section: Capt*+4 men, grenade launcher, medipack, master vox. *Captain Malik carries a laspistol and powerfist.
Anti-Tank Squad – 6 men, 3 missile launchers
Commissar Graal with lasgun, refractor field
1st Platoon, 3rd Infantry Company, 23rd Elysian Drop Troops Regiment
- Command Section: Lt*+4 men, flamer, medi-pack
- Squad**: 10 men, melta gun, demo charge
- Squad**: 10 men, grenade launcher, demo charge
- Squad: 10 men, flamer, demo charge
- Squad: 10 men, plasma gun, demo charge
All squads have frag and krak grenades and a vox-caster. *Lt Rawne carries a laspistol, melta bombs and a surveyor. **Veteran Sergeant carrying a lasgun with auxiliary krak grenade launcher.
Arriving on Turn 5
Off-table Artillery Strike – Mortar battery strike, 3 x Mortars. The barrage can be spotted for by either an Elysian Officer, Veteran Sergeant or Commissar Graal.
Tau Forces
Initial Garrison
Human Auxiliaries Teams
- Team: 10 men, lasguns
- Team: 10 men, lasguns
- Team: 10 men, lasguns
All have frag grenades. Each team leader has a pulse rifle.
3 x Drone Sentry Turrets – 1 has twin-linked burst cannons, 1 has twin-linked missile pods, 1 has twin-linked plasma rifles. All have a shield generator and a disruption pod.
Workers Militia – Team: 10 men, various pistols (count as laspistols), various close combat weapons. These are just workers who have armed themselves to help defend their plant. They have standard Guardsmen's stats, but have no armour.
Reinforcements – Arriving on Turn 3
Kroot Carnivore Squad – Squad: 10 Kroot*, Kroot rifles; 1 Krootox, Kroot gun. *Includes a Shaper with a Kroot rifle.
Kroot Carnivore Squad – Squad: 10 Kroot*, Kroot rifles
Arriving in Turn 4
- Gun Drones: 7 Gun Drones with twin-linked pulse carbines
- Gun Drones: 7 Gun Drones with twin-linked pulse carbines
Arriving on Turn 5
Tiger Shark – has already dropped its Gun Drones by the time it reaches the table, so is no longer armed with them.
Notes
This battle is typical of those fought by the first wave of Elysian Drop Troops, met by the human auxiliary garrison forces, Kroot and workers militias. You could replay this mission several times, adjusting the terrain and forces slightly for other objectives. Other special rules might include tanks full of dangerous chemicals which could rupture or explode. If you have Necromunda terrain, then here is the place to use it!