“Only a fool ignores the advice of a brilliant man. Oy an idiot denies the good practice of an enemy.”
Unknown Voice Recording
Fragments of the Remembrancer Core
The Armies
For this mission, all Commanders should compose an Engagement Force from their Battle Company’s Regimental Registry, adding any additional Conscripts to their armies from the list of approved Horus Heresy publications provided by the Event Organizer (EO). The total points cost of the Engagement Force is 2,000 points.
Commanders should roll off to see which side will be the “Defenders” and which side will be the “Attackers”.
The Battlefield
The terrain for the battlefield should be erected to mimic the tangled industrial mining sights and abandoned Mechanicum fortress. As such, armoured containers, servo-haulers, piping, diggers, and other pieces of the Sector Mechanicus terrain set should be used. The occasional inclusion of obelisks and other ancient sci-fi decorative terrain is encouraged to improve line of sight blockage across the map.
A xenos-themed center-piece (such as a Necron Convergence of Dominion Starstele) will act as the Monolith Objective for the game. The Defender must place the Monolith Objective anywhere on the battlefield that is at least 12” away from any battlefield edge.
Four Arming Device Objectives are also placed after the Monolith Objective has been placed - the Defender places the first and then alternates placing the remainder with the Attacker. Each Arming Device Objective must be placed at least 6” away from any battlefield edge and outside of any player’s Deployment Zone.
Deployment
This Exemplary Mission uses the Hammer and Anvil Deployment Map from the Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness Rulebook, with the Defender selecting a Deployment Zone first and then the Attacker deploying first in the remaining Deployment Zone.
Special Rules
Reserves, In the Light of the Widow, Secrets of the Forge, Sudden Death, Technical Expertise
In the Light of the Widow
Night Fighting is not used in this battle UNLESS a player’s Warlord Trait, Character Special Rule, or RoW Special Rules mandate its use.
Secrets of the Forge
Should a suitable model to represent a resident Archeotechno Magos be available, the Defender may place it in their Deployment Zone when they deploy their army (using the basic profile of a Magos Auxilia from Liber Mechanicum, Page 28), choosing the location closest to the Monolith Objective. The Defender may expend up to 100 points from their own Army’s total to upgrade this model as per its profile. The Archeotechno Magos must make its way towards base-to-base contact with Monolith Objective via the shortest path possible, avoiding combat where possible. If they are ever forced to Fall Back away from it beyond a 6” radius, they are counted as being killed and automatically removed as a casualty.
Once the Archeotechno Magos has reached base-to-base contact with the Monolith Objective, they will defend the Monolith Objective if assaulted by a Commander which was not the previous Controller of the Objective, switching sides if required. If no previous Commander was in uncontested control of the Monolith Objective, the Defender is the default option.
Whichever Commander is in complete control of the Monolith Objective may (assuming the Archeotechno Magos is present) add +1 to their Technical Expertise roll’s result for the Monolith Objective.
Sudden Death
If, at the end of any Game Turn, either player has no models on the battlefield, the battle immediately ends regardless of the number of turns that have been played. Models that are in Reserve do not count as being ‘on the battlefield’, however models in a unit that is Falling Back, or Embarked in a model with the Transport Sub-type or in a Building or Fortification, do. If a battle is ended due to the Sudden Death rule then the victor is still decided by Victory points scored up to that point in the battle.
Technical Expertise
During the Movement Phase, if the Active player has a model with the Battlesmith (X) special rule that has not moved, Run or Disembarked in that Movement Phase and is within 3” of an Objective, the Active player may roll a D6. If the result of that dice roll is equal to or greater than the value of X attached to the model’s Battlesmith (X) special rule, then the player may add +1 to the number of Victory points they score for controlling that Objective. If there are multiple models with the Battlesmith (X) special rule within 3” of a given Objective, then the controlling player decides which model is used for the roll. This mission special rule may be used once per Objective in each Movement Phase, and a model that is used as part of this mission special rule may still be used to repair another model as per the Battlesmith (X) special rule in the same Player Turn.
First Turn
The Attacker takes the first turn, unless the Defender successfully Seizes the Initiative.
Game Length
The battle lasts for four Game Turns. At the end of the fourth turn the player with the highest total of Victory points wins – if the players have the same total of Victory points then additional Game Turns are played until a turn ends with one player having a higher total of Victory points and is declared the winner.
Victory Conditions
Primary Objectives: Deny the Unknown
Victory in this mission is decided by the capture and control of Objectives. This mission uses a single Monolith Objective, and four Arming Device Objectives all of which have different effects on the Victory point total of both players:
- Monolith Objective – If the Defender controls this Objective at the end of their Player Turn, they gain D3+1 Victory points. If the Attacker controls it then they score no Victory points, but stop the Defender from gaining any.
- Arming Device Objective – If the Defender controls one of these Objectives at the end of their Player Turn then they gain 2 Victory points. If the Attacker controls one of these Objectives at the end of their Player Turn they may choose to either score no Victory points, but destroy the Objective and remove it from play, or they may score D3 Victory points.
At the end of the battle, if the Defender has a higher total of Victory points then the secrets of the Monolith have been decoded and is destroyed, securing victory for the Defender. If the Attacker has a higher total of Victory points then the Monolith is preserved does not detonate, allowing the Attacker to gain some understanding as they secure the area.
Secondary Objectives
Players may not score Victory points for any Secondary Objectives (or any special Objectives granted by other special rules, Warlord Traits or Rites of War) EXCEPT Slay the Warlord, which awards 1 Victory Point, and Overrun, which awards 1 Victory Point for Player Turn in which one or more Units are reduced by 25% of its remaining model count.
Fruits of Victory
If the Monolith Objective is in the control of a Unit with the Line subtype which is owned by the Winner, they are awarded a third of their Victory points as RP (rounding down). Should the Archeotechno Magos survive the mission, whomever controls the Monolith Objective (and thus holds their loyalty) should speak with the EO.
Mission Debriefs: After you finish playing the above mission, ensure that one of the Commanders logs it in our system via the following Google form: https://forms.gle/gFNQJEq2UKnNqBV58.
