Presented by Teammate
Table of Contents
- Battle Zone Control
- Background
- Campaign Format
- Mission One (ended)
- Mission Two (ended)
- Mission Three (ended)
- Mission Four (ended)
- Mission Five (ended)
- Mission Six (6 June–26 June)
- Mission Seven (13 June–3 July)
Battle Zone Control
- Hospital-Penitentiary: Neutral
- Biofactorum: Controlled by the Planetary Defenders
- Hive-Commune: Controlled by the Invasion Force
Background
The importance of Gallus IV cannot be overstated. If Abaddon were to claim it… we cannot let him get ahead. —Squire-Captain Fowler of the Bronze Skulls Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes
Our mission is to ensure that every prisoner, no matter the prognosis, is able to give all of himself in contrition to the God-Emperor. —Sister Charletta Wels of the Order Hospitaller
Bleep-blorp. —Techno-Cerebrartificer Designate XBT92
The galaxy is vast. Mankind has stretched out to find new homes in its multitude of star systems. Keeping control of an Imperium so massive requires resources on an astounding scale. For every company of Space Marines in their miles-long ships, thousands of human crew toil to keep the engines running, incense burning, and Bolter rounds individually venerated. Entire agri-worlds grow food to support these crews. The provisions needed to run even one campaign requires the full industrial output of multiple worlds.
One such world is Gallus, which orbits a star near Vigilus. Gallus’s fourth moon is home to a convent of the Order Hospitaller of the Adepta Sororitas. Nearly half of its landmass is devoted to a great Hospital-Penitentiary complex where wounded criminals from the sector are sent to either recover from their injuries so they can be returned to their sentences, or to be converted to Servitors or Arco-Flagellants in the biofactorum so they can continue their service to the Emperor. The rest of this moon’s population are devoted artisans of the highest skill who toil daily in their hive-commune. They work tirelessly to produce one product that is essential to the forces of the Imperium: decorative skulls.
Every force of the great Imperium of Man requires a constant supply of decorative skulls. How could a Commissar possibly pause to ponder his tactical position without a pile of skulls to rest his foot on? What Order Militant Canoness would dare lead her sisters into battle without a matching set of skulls to adorn her thrice-blessed armor’s breastplate? How would a Space Marine Sergeant feel if he raised his chainsword over a foe, knowing the last thing his enemy would see wasn’t an infant’s skull adorning its pommel?
Gallus IV must be defended, equally for the the protection of the wounded in the care of the devoted Hospitallers, and to ensure that its export capacity is maintained. Already Abaddon’s Black Crusade has cut off essential supplies of hyper-leaches. Many patients’ humors are becoming dangerously unbalanced. Heretic Astartes forces would very much like to take control of such a valuable source of precious decorative skulls. Amassing Ork Warbosses have their eyes on the skull depots so they can embellish their warbikes’ handlebars. And who knows what fearsome phrenology a Drukhari Haemonculus might entertain given the moon’s cranial cache?
Campaign Format
- The Gallus Campaign will take place over the spring and summer of 2023.
- One new mission will be released each week.
- Each mission will be available for three weeks. There will be a Google Form where you can submit each game’s results.
- The results of each mission will affect the campaign as it progresses.
Players can participate either as Planetary Defenders or as part of the Invasion Force. Which side you choose to join is up to you. In general, Planetary Defenders are Imperial forces, but there may also be other factions on the planet with a stake in keeping it out of the Invaders’ control.
Games will be set on one of three battle zones:
- The Hospital-Penitentiary, where patient-inmates are sent to recover. Heavily defended by Adepta Sororitas, Astra Militarum, and other Imperial forces.
- The Biofactorum, where patient-inmates are converted into Servitors, Arco-Flagellants, etc. Adeptus Mechanicus-run but often assaulted by Orks, who would be just as happy to scrap with against any invaders who put up a fight.
- The Hive-Commune, where decorative skulls are prepared and exported. There is some evidence of a genestealer cult operating inside. Whether they will work to defend the Hive from the Invaders or are hoping to aid them is unclear.
You can play every mission, or just the ones you have time to play. You could, for example, decide to just play the Hive-Commune missions, which would require one game every three weeks. Or you can play three in one session.
Games must be one Planetary Defender team vs one Invasion Force team.
Use of Spec Ops rules is optional.
Mission One (Hospital-Penitentiary): Secure Landing Site
Anti-Aircraft emplacements prevent the Invasion Force from landing close to the Hospital-Penitentiary. Small kill teams may be able to infiltrate the control centers and disable them.
- Mission: Secure, Flank
- Recommended terrain: Moroch.
- Planetary Defender teams are the Defender.
Planetary Defender teams may take one of the following Limited equipment:
Minefield (4 EP)
Before the Set Up Barricades step, place one Minefield token within your territory and not on a terrain feature (unless it has the Insignificant trait).
Once per activation, if an enemy operative moves within 🟦 of your Minefield token, make a shooting attack against that operative using the profile below. When making that shooting attack, that enemy operative is always a valid target and cannot be in Cover.
| Name | A | BS | D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minefield | 5 | 3+ | 4/5 |
At the end of that shooting attack, roll one D6, adding one to the result for each other shooting attack made with this asset during that battle. On a 5+, remove that Minefield token.
Results: Neutral. Invader teams were ultimately able to take over the landing zone, but planetary defenders held the anti-aircraft emplacements long enough to repel a large portion of the initial landing force.
Mission Two (Biofactorum): Servitor Production Disrupted
The Biofactorum facility has the capacity to convert thousands of convicts into servitors. It is so efficient at this task that the Hospital-Penitentiary would quickly run out of resources to house recovered inmates if the Biofactorum’s production lines were to shut down for more than a few days. If Invasion Force Kill Teams can disrupt operations, it will make it easier for subsequent forces to capture and take over the complex.
- Mission: Capture, Boundary
- Recommended terrain: Nachmund (or other Mechanicum terrain)
- Planetary Defender teams are the Defender.
Control Servo-Cranes: At the end of the Initiative Phase for Turning Point two, the player with initiative must place one additional barricade within their territory.
At the end of the Initiative Phase for Turning Points three and four, the player with initiative may move the additional barricade to any point within their territory.
Results: Neutral. Both teams fought to a standstill. Delivery of new conversion stock has been slowed, but production continues for the moment.
Mission Three (Hive-Commune): Locate the Governors
With the invasion underway, the governors of the Hive-Commune have gone into hiding. If an Invasion Force Kill Team were able to gain access to a few security terminals and power panels, it might be able to find the governor’s location. Planetary Defender forces need to hold them off, even as reports of violence throughout the hive are coming in.
- Mission: Loot, Channels (modified, see below)
- Recommended terrain: Killzone: Gallowdark
- Planetary Defender teams are the Defender.
Ancient Apparatus (optional): If parts C2 and C4 are used, players do not deploy Barricades as normal. Parts C2 and C4 have the Heavy and Traversable traits. (The Fortify scouting option can still be used.)
Results: Planetary Invaders were able to extract the information they needed and are now in the process of cornering the Hive-Commune’s leadership.
Mission Four (Hospital-Penitentiary): Prison Break
With the Biofactorum under assault, the sisters at the Hospital-Penitentiary are unable to discharge patients. Planetary Invasion Kill Teams are attempting to breach the holding chapel where the prisoner-patients are being kept. If they do so, it would give them another entrance into the main facility, and they might even be able to recruit some of the escapees.
- Mission: Capture, Approach
- Recommended terrain: Killzone: Chalnath
- Roll for attacker/defender as normal
Optional Rules
Planetary Defender teams can use Send in the Guards Strategic Ploy at the start of Turning Points 2–4. Invasion Force teams can use the Fight Your Captors Strategic Ploy at the start of Turning Points 2–4.
Send in the Guards [0 CP]
Set up two Hospital-Penitentiary Guard operatives wholly within your deployment zone. They have the same profile as a Trooper Veteran operative (5+ save, 7 wounds), are armed with a lasgun (4 attacks, 4+ BS, 2/3 dmg) and gun butt (3 attacks, 4+ WS, 2/3 dmg), and have GA 2.
Fight Your Captors [0 CP]
Set up two Escaped Inmate operatives wholly within your deployment zone. They have the same profile as a Traitor Trooper operative (5+ save, 7 wounds), are armed with an autopistol (4 attacks, 4+ BS, 2/3 dmg, range ⬟) and brutal assault weapon (4 attacks, 4+ WS, 2/3 dmg), and have GA 2.
Hospital-Penitentiary Guard and Escaped Inmate operatives cannot be affected by friendly abilities, spells, etc.—they cannot be healed, buffed, given orders, and so on. Use any available model to represent these operatives, as long as they are clearly distinguishable from the rest of your Kill Team.
Results: The Planetary Defenders held off the Invasion Force kill teams long enough for the guards to regain control. The prisoners are ready for transfer to the Biofactorum (should it hold).
Mission Five (Bio-Factorum): Attack of the Orks!
If there’s a fight happening at the Bio-Factorum, you can count on Orks to show up. A local warband that the Adeptus Mechanicus can never quite put down has chosen this moment to invade, and is overwhelming the outer parts of the facility. Planetary Defenders have no choice but to try to preserve as much of the machinery as they can. Invasion Force kill teams would like the equipment for themselves.
Optional Rules
Invading Orks: As the Ork warband approaches, teams only have a limited time to secure equipment.
- Before the game, randomly select one Neutral Killzone Edge. Orks are invading from that direction.
- At the start of turning point two, remove the objective marker closest to that edge from play.
- At the start of turning point three, remove the next-closest objective marker to that edge from play.
- At the start of turning point four, remove the middle two objective markers from play.
Results: Victory for the planetary defenders. They were able to remove and disable the most important equipment before the Ork warband arrived, leaving the Invasion Force to fight off the xenos. Repairs will begin immediately, and should accelerate once more servitors can be put into service.
Mission Six (Hive-Commune): Invasion from Below
The Invasion Force has taken out the leadership of the Artisan Hive-Commune. WIth its opposition removed and security forces trying to fight off the invaders, a Genestealer Cult that had been hiding within the hive has decided that this is its moment to strike. Planetary Defenders and Invasion Forces, surrounded by cultists, compete for defensible ground.
Optional Rules
Secure Rooms: Establishing a defensive position is the highest priority. Both players must take the Seize Access Point and Secure Unexplored Rooms Tac Ops, even if their Kill Team is not normally allowed to use those archetypes. Players choose their third Tac Op as normal.
Mission Deadline: 26 June.
Click here to submit mission results.
Mission Seven (Hospital-Penitentiary): Supply Raid
The full planetary invasion has begun. Above the great cathedral-clinics and temple-stockades, Navis Imperialis ships battle Chaos Heldrakes and Drukhari Razorwings. On the ground, the forces of Astra Militarum and Adepta Sororitas hold their lines bravely. Inside the Hospital-Penitentiary, as the sisters prepare to receive casualties, Invasion Force kill teams begin a raid on medical supplies in the storage-fane.
- Mission: Loot, Centre
- Recommended Terrain: Chalnath, with scatter terrain (or Into the Dark barricades) to represent supply crates.
- Planetary Defender teams are the defender.
Optional Rules
Planetary Defender teams may take one item of rare equipment, as they currently control this sector.
Supplies Secured: When the third Loot action is performed on an objective marker, the operative who performed that action regains D3 wounds.
Mission Deadline: 3 July.
Click here to submit misison results.
(Did you know? The planet Gallus is named after Franz Joseph Gall, founder of phrenology, a pseudoscience involving measuring the skull to predict mental traits.)