WARSURGE

Wednesday 28 January 2015

The Battle of Three Armies

Multiplayer: 3 Player 'Free for All' Battle



Overview

Iron Warriors, Orks and The Order engaged in deadly 'free for all' battle in the barren wastes. 1000 Points per side, we put Battlefield Royale's multiplayer mechanics to the test. There were four objectives that generated Conquest Points per turn, while having your army destroyed lowered the final score.

Holding an objective at the end of the game did not yield extra points in this mission.


This particular game experimented with several things, including no restriction on deployment as long as you are inside your deployment zone, and having no 'neutral' territories. The fighting was intense on the first turn as a result!











The Deployment Map for this Battle

One of the Objectives on the Battlefield

Turn 1

The Iron Warriors were ambitious and spread their army across their deployment zone, going for three of the objectives at the same time. The Orks were focusing on two fronts while the Order were a little more reserved, going for an uncontested objective and fighting the Iron Warriors for another.


Due to deployment, the first turn was the most violent and bloody, heavy shooting and close combat taking its toll on all forces (particularly the Iron Warriors), while The Order and the Orks prepared for an offensive towards the centre.

The Orks generated a Conquest Point from holding one of the border objectives.









Turn 2

After vicious close combats from the previous round, the Iron Warriors suffered grievous damage: only 2 Chaos Marines and a Lord remained from their infantry divisions. However, they still had their vehicles and war engine.






The Orks called in reinforcements, a bomber aircraft. It was preparing for a bombing run in the next turn, having lethal payloads.






The Ork Warboss took shelter behind rocks from the Iron Warrior Vindicator. They would have to move from there though, as the Vindicator would destroy them should they attempt to hold that objective.



The Iron Warriors attempted to deal ranged damage with their vehicles, defeating a small handful of Orks, but not doing any damage to The Order.

The Order's gun drones were sent to harass the Iron Warrior Defiler, flagging it for melee and peppering it's backside with pulse fire, but to no effect. The Mk27 Marines finished defeating the Chaos Lord.




The Orks had 2 objectives at this point, preparing more forces to seize the Iron Warrior's ground while attacking the The Order's human auxiliaries.

At this stage, the human auxiliaries were preparing for an incoming attack from the Orks. Though, the outlook wasn't good due to damage from both the Orks and Iron Warriors.




Turn 3

The Ork Bomber finished off the previously damaged Iron Warrior Vehicles. Leaving the Iron Warriors only with their Defiler, of which The Order's Gun Drones constantly pestered throughout the entire game.


With the Iron Warriors mostly destroyed, the Orks turned their attention to The Order and their various Fire Caste infantry and tank.



The Auxiliaries lost an objective and are defeated by the Orks. The Mk27 Marines still have an objective however - they planned to keep it and tenaciously defend it.








Turn 4 & 5


The Defiler, the last Iron Warrior unit, heads to the centre, clearing out remaining Orks and claiming the objective for itself. This drew attention from both The Order and Orks.

Fighting continues between the factions, the Ork Warboss and surviving henchman heading towards the centre objective, preparing to face the Defiler for the coveted prize.


The Order take some shots at the Ork Bomber, to no avail.

The Ork Bomber drops a payload and fires support weapons on the Mk27 Marines, doing some damage. The Mk27 Marines begin to feel some pain, the first since they took down the Iron Warrior's marines.





The drones continue to annoy the Defiler, but not causing any damage. The daemonic war engine did manage to self-repair 1 HP however, buying it a few more moments to wreak havoc in the final stages of the game.


Turn 6

On the last turn, the Iron Warrior's Defiler finally falls to damage from several sources. It is finished by the Ork Warboss in close combat, but not before taking a few Orks down with it.

The Order sits comfortably on two objectives: surviving troops from the Fire Warriors and Mk27 Marines claiming them. The Orks would likely hold another objective on the next turn, but the game ended.

-Scores-

Conquest Points from Objectives

The Order: 6
Orks: 4
Iron Warriors: 2


Conquest Reduction from Damage

% Destroyed
The Order: 50-75%
Orks: 50-75%
Iron Warriors: 100%


Final Score

The Order: 0
The Orks: -2
Iron Warriors: -10



The Order Wins! Had the Orks 'farmed' an objective a little more, the scales may have been different, however that was very difficult with a Vindicator firing into their position, so they had to abandon it.

The Iron Warriors didn't fare well as they were far too aggressive in the early stages, drawing attention and engaging both the other players heavily. Bit off more than they could chew, so to speak!



Stay up-to-date on Battlefield Royale:

Saturday 24 January 2015

Lord of the Rings VS. Tau (40k)


Play Tests for the Demo


So this weekend we set up to do some tests for the cross-compatibility for the Battlefield Royale demo. Although not as balanced as building the units from scratch in the full version, a conversion kit will be handy to let everyone play against who they want in the demo. Today in particular we had two armies from The Lord of the Rings: we had some goblins and another set of Aragorn leading an alliance of humans and elves.

We also took another step forward for BFR's Skirmish Mode. All according to plan.


At this stage, we have conversion kits for: Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, Hordes/Warmachine, Infinity, Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit and No Quarter/No Limits ready for when the demo is finished.


Game 1

After discussing a few things, we had goblins fighting Tau. For the record, the goblins did very well.








Game 2

This time we had Aragorn leading an alliance of humans and elves against a force of Tau. The game was 412 points.  The Lord of the Rings side didn't fare as well this time, but it was valuable data for the conversion kit.













Thursday 15 January 2015

The Purging of Falrora - First PVE Mission



The Purging of Falrora


"Rumours of a plague sweeping Falrora have drawn the attention of your forces. Investigate the eerily quiet remains of the once bustling city and search for any signs of life."


The Purging of Falrora is our very first PVE Mission, used with the prototype mission design kit. Combining elements from an RPG, RTS games and miniature war gaming, it felt like a huge success. The game consists of several 'Stages' to complete, including bonus objectives - all of which can yield rewards to help get through the mission. A GM (Game Master) will oversee a game, but it can also be a player who is participating.

We played two battles of the same mission, one with a co-op of Blood Angels (40k) and The Order (customised Infinity + 40K armies), and second game with Tau. Today, we will focus on the Co-op game, but for those curious, we will have the Tau mission discussed briefly afterward.

Some thoughts from the Players before we get stuck into it!

"PVE has always been a fascination of mine in video games, this game style has finally brought it to the tabletops, giving players a real sense of adventure. 

My favourite part was the unexpected scripts written in like the Baneblade blowing a crater sized hole in the adjacent building and the inclusion of item drops to help with boss fights."

- Stu, war game connoisseur , hobbyist and 40k fan (Blood Angel Player)

"To have story progression in a tabletop miniature war game is a huge leap forward, eventually we all get bored of finding new army lists to smack each other down with."

- Nic, miniature profile engineer and veteran gamer (The Order Player)




" I think my favourite part was when the Necromancer first appeared- very epic and game changing. 
Overall I was impressed with the game, very well thought out and structured. It was refreshing to play a game with real narrative."

- Rowan, gamer and customisation enthusiast (Tau Player)

So, the players had 1000pts to share with no restrictions. They split the limit into 500pts each. Let the games begin!


Deployed and ready to roll!


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Mk27 Marines, ready for battle!
He didn't know what it was. Not quite unease, not quite fear. But something unsettled the marine as he donned his Mk27 Power Suit. Had it been the normal call of war: gunfire and the sound of people fleeing in terror, he would know what to think. How he would react to the threat.

This however, was different. With little warning it was like the populace of Falrora had consumed itself. All that remained of this once thriving city was...

His thoughts were interrupted as the Ionic Rail Cannon Tank slowed to a halt.


"Heat signatures detected." declared the tank commander.


The captain of the investigation team reviewed the information on his combat visor's HUD. "Now that is a surprise."

"Why's that?" came a reply.

"I knew we'd have some party crashers, but they came earlier than I thought."

Two Rhino Tanks, complete with Tactical Squads, pulled up. They were from the Blood Angels Chapter of Space Marines. Also in the nearby city ruins was a small detachment of Scouts armed with sniper rifles, prepared for trouble.

Equipped with blood red power armour, the sergeant of the Tactical Marines approached the small unit of Mk27 Marines, in a peaceful, but reserved stature.

"Hail, brother." said the Blood Angel Sergeant.

"Hail." replied The Order Captain.

The Blood Angels had met us on other battlefields before. We, The Order, had been known to assist with disasters, but only in secret, and only if it was important. The Order's relationship was generally unfriendly with the Imperium - due to differing beliefs and political standpoint. However, the more lenient factions of the Imperium, such as the Space Marines were not always rivals, but sometimes 'neutral'...even allies on occasion. In the din of battle, small grievances are overlooked in the fight for survival, or against the common enemy.

Before any further exchange, a blood curdling howl echoed in the distance. Shambling shadows and rotted, disfigured civilians came crawling out of every nook, cranny and street.

The 'Purging of Falrora had begun.

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-The Mission-


The goal of the players is to complete objectives and survive the mission. The Purging of Falrora has 6 Stages of varying size, complete with rewards and hidden objectives.


STAGE 1: Investigate the ruins and defeat the Insane Soldiers


The players had to navigate several zombie markers that could be triggered by venturing too close or by fighting nearby. A bonus objective was in place that if the players defeated all the zombie markers that they would receive a reward.


The two players took their time clearing markers, as one wrong move could prove disastrous. As progression was made, zombies would come rushing from nowhere, threatening infantry and even armoured vehicles.










The Blood Angel Rhinos had taken damage from the flurry of attacks!

The armies were going for the bonus objective before tackling the Insane Soldiers. When contact was finally made, the Insane Soldiers managed to damage the Mk27 Marines, a feat the zombies had failed to achieve so far.








Before finishing off the Insane Soldiers, the players had destroyed all the zombie markers, earning them their first reward: a choice between a profile boost or a 'Mystery Flamer'. The Mystery Flamer's power depended on a dice roll, and sadly it took shape in its weakest form, but it was still a handy weapon against the legions of the undead.









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"BY FIRE BE PURGED!"

The Blood Angel had found the discarded Flamer in the street, fuel tank full and ready to go. How it found its way there, nobody knew, but the previous owner didn't have a use for it anymore.

"More coming from the street, 2 o'clock."

"Roger."



With a great gout of flame, the zombies were set alight, causing the street to flash with disfigured silhouettes and a grim, orange light. They didn't feel the pain, but their bodies gave out as they were burned to ash. So far everything was proceeding smoothly, but some mad soldiers at the end of the road were causing trouble.

"Sergeant, what is the situation?" a Tactical Marine asked.

The Sergeant spoke to the entire squad through the com link in their helmets: "We're unsure, but the Scouts have discovered some Stormtroopers. Half of them have lost their minds and are firing upon us, while there are another 10 or so locked in a freight container - probably by their insane comrades. The plan is to put the insane soldiers down, then rescue their comrades."




A split second after he finished, there was a deep hum, followed by a crack of light. Before he had a moment to consider what just happened, electrified zombie corpses flew through the air and fell at the feet of the Sergeant. He then looked at the Order's prized Ionic Rail Cannon Tank and smiled. 

"We really should get one of those."

Ionic Rail Cannon Tank opens fire, despite the encroaching zombies...


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STAGE 2: Escort the 'survivor Stormtroopers' so they can activate the corrupted Baneblade's Cannon



The players successfully cleared the zombies and the Insane Soldiers with little damage.

However, they had been alerted to stay clear of the nearby building by the GM. The surviving Stormtroopers  they had just rescued were aware of an insidious threat within the city, only known as the Necromancer. The Stormtroopers were sure he was  hiding with his minions in a nearby building. Their plan was to blow it up with the battered and worn Baneblade battle tank. Look out!

The Stormtroopers made their way to the Baneblade and fired. The explosion didn't scatter. Thus ended Stage 2...



Kaboom!



STAGE 3: Defeat the Necromancer


Should the players defeat the Necromancer, a model would receive a powerful armour enhancement, dubbed as a suit of 'Reforged Dark Armour' by the GM. It was mighty indeed!

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The dust settled after the Baneblade's Volcano Cannon hit its mark... and what the Mk27 Marines saw troubled them greatly. A legion of zombies and gut-wrenching Plague Marines had been hiding within the building all along. They had even crossed it on their way to free the Stormtroopers trapped in a freight container.

"Bah, dark magic." spat the nearby Blood Angel Sergeant.

"Indeed." replied The Order Captain. "That must be why our scanners didn't pick them up. They must've been cloaking their presence."

There wasn't time for anything else to be said. The recently freed Stormtroopers entered a combat formation and joined the other warriors, ready to open fire. Despite this unexpected occurrence, the investigation teams had a tactical advantage.

Of the outcome, only time would tell...



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The players methodically shot down the closest zombies, saving the Ionic Rail Cannon Tank's weapons for the Necromancer and his Plague Marine minions.

Some of the zombies managed to climb up and attack some of The Order's Fire Warriors, but they were beaten back by a disciplined close combat.




The Necromancer himself had retreated to a nearby freight container, casting evil magic in an attempt to repel his oppressors. He managed to inflict some mild damage, but his little force was only a distraction for what was to come.




Eventually, the Blood Angels and Fire Warriors overwhelmed his minions with raw firepower, but it was a Melta Gun shot that finally broke the practitioner of dark magic.



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"Fools..." he gurgled. "You cannot stand before the coming darkness. You are not prepared."

After his body hit the ground, it vanished in a cloud of dark, violet swirl of smoke. Was he actually dead? No one could be sure.

"...Target eliminated."

The update was sweet news for some of the soldiers that felt his wrath, but the victory was short lived. Yet again, more signs of life were detected: foul cultists performing a summoning ritual - lead by Plague Sorcerers.




The Order Captain called to his forces, "Men, ready your weapons and storm those ruins! Make haste!"

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STAGE 4: Stop the Ritual: Kill the Cultists



Our two players had dealt with the Necromancer, but more threats appeared on the radar so to speak, as two Sorcerers, Cultists and more Plague Marines appeared, hiding in the ruins for a ritual.
The players couldn't deal with the threat quickly, as the Necromancer had caused the army to spread out over several locations.
What came next was horrifying.






STAGE 5: Defeat the Plagued Abomination



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A foul stench filled the air, and many soldiers gagged. It almost seemed like the atmosphere itself darkened and flickered with a dim light. At their feet, intestines slithered their way like snakes towards a pile of rotting meat that began to move. Eventually, with an explosion of gore and wretched organs, a Greater Daemon of Plague emerged with a guttural laughter. It was a Great Unclean One: it's resilience and deathly touch was legendary... it's foul presence was with them now.

"COME...EMBRACE."

It's voice echoed into their skulls, it even resonated with their souls. There was no escape. If they couldn't defeat it, they would surely die a disturbing and foul death. The persona of the daemon was that of warmth and even paternal love, but to take the offer of such a creature would be the end, it would be like embracing death itself.

The creature would be destroyed, or they would die trying.



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Zombies arrive, destroying the Blood Angel Rhino

The two players now faced their greatest challenge yet: a Great Unclean One had materialised into the physical world. Worse yet, more zombies had been drawn to the fight and to top it off, the two Sorcerers and their minions were on the attack. A triple trouble it seems, and virtually nowhere was safe!
The Ionic Rail Cannon Tank was getting struck by zombies, the Mk27 Marines were engaging the Sorcerers while the bulk of Fire Warriors and the Blood Angels were attempting to damage the Great Unclean One.






Fortunately, there was a bonus objective. A Vendetta Gunship had just arrived in their deployment zone. If a unit could deliver the Necromancer's Orb to that Vendetta, one of the players could receive a deadly 'Slaughter Sword' - a melee weapon that could turn the tide. A Blood Angel Rhino had been committed to this task, although some more zombies had appeared to threaten it.
Amidst the chaos, the Fire Warriors and Stormtroopers managed to defeat the cultists and the first Sorcerer. However, many more foes needed to be defeated before they could rest easy...

Bonus Objective: Get the Necromancer Orb to the Vendetta Gunship!




The Great Unclean was a deadly force, wreaking havoc on the The Order's Fire Warriors and slaying many of the Blood Angel's Tactical Marines. However, slowly but surely, the allied force was coming together and bringing the beast down. A Fire Warrior even managed to inflict damage on the creature in close combat! What bravery!

The Blood Angel Rhino had delivered the bonus objective to the Vendetta, granting the reward of a 'Slaughter Sword'. The players agreed that a member of The Order's Mk27 Marine unit should receive it, and it was an excellent choice.

Special delivery coming through!

With the Dark Reforged Armour suit and the Slaughter Sword upgrades, one of the Mk27 Marines was almost invincible!

With the Slaughter Sword, a warrior from the Mk27 unit was able to defeat the Plague Marines and the second Sorcerer. With this achieved, a united effort to defeat the Great Unclean One was being carried out.



Several firing lines had been established, and through attrition and patience, the recently emerged zombies had been destroyed. But was this the end of the undead horde?



Eventually, with much dedication and sacrifice, the Great Unclean One was defeated. With this, the final stage of the PVE Mission began...



STAGE 6: Escape!


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With a great roar, the Great Unclean One exploded in a shower of pestilent blood and gore. Some of the rescued Stormtroopers threw up as a wriggling piece of gut landed nearby on the ground, crawling towards them. The Blood Angel Sergeant stomped it with his heavy boot.

"Daemonic filth." he spat.

Before victory could be enjoyed, once again they were in danger.  The Great Unclean One's death howl had drawn the attention of an innumerable zombie horde!

The Sergeant sighed, "By the Emperor... what next?"

A low rumbling came from the barely functional Baneblade. The Stormtroopers had managed to start it up... one last time.

"C'mon, get in." The Stormtrooper Sergeant barked.




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The players had access to the Baneblade to help them escape. The goal was to get to their Deployment Zone with the Vendetta Gunship. An unending tide of zombies was threatening to overwhelm them! At this stage of the game, destroying a unit of zombies would only cause them to reappear near a board edge. Fight them off and escape was the goal.

The players managed to fire the Baneblade's Volcano Cannon along with its support weapons and maneuver themselves to safety. Some units did not survive the escape, and even less survived the mission as a whole, but it was a battle to remember.


Any survivors of the battle escaped with the Vendetta Gunship!

For the record, the game took about 4 hours, and was spanned over approximately 20 Turns! Hope you enjoyed it.

Feel free to check out Battlefield Royale on Facebook or contact me :)

BFR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/battlefieldroyale





GAME #2

A second game of this mission took place a couple days later with a Tau player. Some of the events worked out differently, but it too was a great game - challenging and rewarding. Like the game several days before, it took around 4 hours and was roughly 27 Turns.




Some pictures of that game are below: