Narrative Primer
+++++ TRANSMISSION DATED 2.153.009.M31 TERRAN STANDARD +++++
The Galaxy is burning and with it, my Home.
Fornax Prime was once a garden oasis; a rare jewel of a world hospitable
to mankind. In its evening skies hung the ringed gas giant, Vesta, which
played shepherd to my Home for millennia; bringing my Home into its guiding
influence when the mountains were new and the skies blazed with the fires of
colliding worlds. Or so we are told by the scholars of the Imperium. My
fellow native brothers and sisters simply enjoyed its bounty, for there
was always much to give. We survived Old Night by simplifying our needs;
refraining from gorging ourselves on hubris of man.
Do not mistake me, should any remnant of this survive. We were not like
the savages of Fenris. Our technologies simply did not take from our
World more than we were given. Simplicity does not mean regression.
But that all faded when the Imperium's vessels arrived in our skies in
876.M30. To quote an Iterator of the Lie, "moderately late in the
Emperor's grand endeavor to unify Humanity." It seems that despite my
Home's physical proximity to the Throne World, we did not lie along any
major Warp pathways. In addition, the auspicious combination of Vesta's
magnetic field and our seemingly unique lifestyle shielded my Home from
detection by any long range auger searches for inhabited domains ripe
for conquer.
However, this did not stop the Drake from "rescuing us" from our old ways.
I say this with no venom towards Lord Vulcan or his sons. I met him once,
after our quick "Compliance," when I worked within the Archival Vaults of
the Universtat Oxian. I do not believe he does anything in malice. I cannot
believe that of him ... not truly. Even now, as the Dream fails, I know he
did his Father's bidding with kindness in his Twin Hearts.
And now, those hallowed halls which held our secrets lay in ruin. The once
pristine air of our forests are choked by ordnance blasts. The ground quakes
under our feet as Gods walk the planes. We no longer can see our Shepherding
Maiden in our skies, blotted out by the raging inferno that engulfs us all.
It is the end of my Home. Brought from the Snake of Deception in the guise
of enlightenment. Damn them all, Horus and the Emperor alike.
To you, dear reader, I want you to know that the Forge of the Stars has many
secrets. Buried deep below, They have slumbered for eons. We shall see who
knows no fear ...
Aldric Von Kingston, Archivist
++++++ TRANSMISSION TERMINATED +++++
Event Overview
The Treachery at Fornax Prime is a series of quarterly, narrative-lead events set in 009.M31 of the Warhammer: The Horus Heresy universe (find more information regarding the setting here). While this is the second event in our series, we are open to all new-comers!
In addition to our normal fare of 28mm bloodshed, we will be adding the much anticipated Adeptus Titanicus to our offerings (see additional details below).
The day’s details are as follows:
- What Day: February 25th, 2023
- What Time: 11 am - 7 pm EST (Doors Open at 10 AM)
- Where: Fabricator’s Forge Gaming Club, located in NW Pittsburgh, PA
- Registration: Google Form & Ticket Order
- Charity Benefit: The NOVA Open Charitable Foundation
Event Schedule
Doors will open for registered players to begin moving their armies into the staging area at 10am EST on February 25th, 2023.
Opening Announcements will commence promptly at 11:00 AM.
The day’s primary event will consist of two rounds of normal, full-table Age of Darkness games seperated by a 45-Minute break for lunch. Should time allow, a third round will take place.
As per usual, we will have an over-sized Zone Mortalis board for fans of smaller skirmishes. This will be an multi-player board, with all armies acting independent of each other to obtain their secret objectives. Like the normal games, there will be two rounds seperated by the break for lunch. Should time allow, a extra rounds will take place.
We will also be featuring (for the first time) an integrated, multi-player Adeptus Titanicus game. Players will be encouraged to have their Legios take to the Field of Battle; their actions causing direct effects on the primary Age of Darkness games. As before, there will be two rounds seperated by the break for lunch. Should time allow, a extra rounds will take place.
Players may elect to opt into a group order for lunch. Those wishing to participate should expect to pay $10 USD for this option.
We will conclude the event ideally at 7:00PM EST (and no later than 8:30PM EST), appended by the small Award Ceremony.
Event Mechanics
At the start of the Event, a Player must choose to be a part of the Loyalists or Traitor Faction. Each Faction will electively decide their on Fleet Commander for the event. Narrative missions will be assigned to each table (referred to a War Zones). Taken in turns, the Fleet Commanders will select a table and one of their own members to engage on it. The opposing Fleet Commander will then elect one of their own to challenge their opponent in the given War Zone. The process will repeat until all participants have engaged on a front.
Legio Princeps should note that while they do not need to fight on the same side if they play in any Heresy games through the day, their actions during their Titanic Battle will have consequences on the narrative and the concurrent battles across the event.
Likewise, returning players are not required to field the same force they used in the last Fornax Prime event. After all, the Heresy was a chaotic time and not every force could sustain a long singular engagement.
Charitable Donations
If we have learned anything from our time in the hobby, its that wargammers are a generous lot. Whenever an event is held by Astra Appalachia, we try give back and benefit a charity in need.
For this event, we will be benefiting the NOVA Open Charitable Foundation.
For every $1 USD donated and verified by the Event Organizer, players will be awarded one Oath-of-Moment token. These tokens can be spent in the following ways through-out the event:
- [1 Oath] “The Fates are Fickle” - Re-roll a single die roll at any point while you are the Active player.
- [2 Oaths] “Trust Your Gut” - The Reacting Player may preform an additional reaction in the current Game Turn’s phase.
- [4 Oaths] “Only in Death does Duty End” - When your Army’s Warlord suffers his final wound, he may make a number of Shooting or Melee attacks instantly adding the Precision Shot/Strike and Preferred Enemy (Character) Special Rules to the attacks.
- [8 Oaths] “Not Today, Brother” - At the start of any Shooting or Combat phase, choose a single friendly non-vehicle unit. For the remainder of the phase, that unit may treat its armor save as its Invulnerable Save.
- [10 Oaths] “Channel the Legion” - The Reacting Player may use their Legion Unique Reaction an additional time during normal gameplay.
- [25 Oaths] “By Blood, Our Bonds are Strong” - At the beginning of the game, add a single unit with the Sworn Brothers Allegiance Trait worth no more than 250pts to your army, starting the game in Ongoing Reserves.
For players only engaged in Adeptus Titanicus, the Event Organizer will facilitate additional Oaths as they are needed (contact us at info@astra-appalachia.us before the event).
Army Composition Requirements
For the event, players should prepare an army totaling 3,000 Points following the Crusade Force Organization Chart and/or an army totaling 1,250 Points following the Zone Mortalis Organization Chart.
Players may also bring any valid Lord of War (LoW) unit to append to their Crusade Force, which will be fielded in any game where both opponents are able to and agree to do so. The LoW Choice must not must not exceed the usual cap of 750 Points and is treated as an additional detachment (aka, they are separate from and added onto the 3,000 Point cap). For Part Two, Primarchs are not allowed to be fielded in any army.
Any Princeps wishing to see their Legio walk on Fornax Prime should bring a force totaling 1500-2000 Points. Custom Legios and Questoris Households are allowed as per their official and expanded rules (see below).
We have a list of approved official and community-maintained publications that may be used for a player’s army. You can review them at our Tools & Resources page.
By its very nature, this event focuses heavily on forging a narrative through an immersive experience. As such, it is heavily preferred if models being fielded by players fit within the narrative and honor the time and commitment of their opponents.
It is required that all players “Slay the Grey,” bringing only models which meet the Games Workshop Battle-Ready or 3-Color-Minimum Standard (clear acrylic bases are allowed if it is the player’s preference). Remember, “Battle-Ready” is not “Parade-Ready”, so don’t stress yourself out over perfection!
Awards, Trophies, & Prizes … Oh My!
At each Event, there will be four award categories to be claimed by attendees: Best Painted Army, Best Narrative Fluff, Best Sportsmanship, and a special secret award. These awards are meant to honor the skill, dedication, and attitude of a player along with their chosen force which took to the battlefield on that event. These will all be decided democratically via an anonymous poll during the event.
