AXIS battle group presents

The Varguhl Campaign

M42.1132 / Segmentum Pacificus / Regulus Sector / initial draft

Combatants

The Awaked hosts of Thokt

The undying xeno Necron hosts of the Thokt dynasty. Hailing from the Crownworld
of Meghoshta (“Cradle of War”) situated within in the Hyrakii Deeps of the
Segmentum Pacificus, their many Tomb Worlds lie in slumber. Many of these
Worlds have been colonized by unsuspecting imperial settlers or overly curious
mechanics explorators keen to harvest xeno tech and Blackstone.

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Now the turmoil of a galaxy in uproar stirs the lords of the Thokt, who in turn are quick to cleanse their
holdings of the mortal vermin who dare pollute their worlds.

One of these Worlds was Varguhl. When the Lord of the Varghul Tomb awoke in the wake of the fall of
Cadia, they found their world infested with a sizable, if young, human colony.
The local dynastic Overlord simply dispatched a host of the psychotic "flayed ones" as well as a swarn
canoptek wraiths and scarabs to dispatch the vermin, and not even bothering to sully the more advanced
weaponry of his legions with the worthless lives of primate vermin disploiling his holdings.

Once the vile human had been cleansed from the world, the Overlord commanded his Crypteks to
awaken his slumbering legions so they could march forth once more and cleans and claim the stars on
the name of Thokt dynasty.

The Crimson Shields

The Adeptus Astartes of the newly formed Crimson Shields chapter.

After a century of constant warfare in the Indomitus Crusade the Crimson Shields
become one of four Primarus chapters founded on the crusade’s closing days to
reinforce the forces in Segmentum Pacificus who had been hard pressed and
generally neglected since the fall of Cadia and the opening of the Great Rift, as
more pressing threats befell the imperium. Those of the four chapters became
known as the Halo Shield, with warriors chosen from the veterans of those campaigns that had seen
particular action against xenos.

Tasked with securing the Argath subsector of the Regulus sector, Chapter Master Agamemnon would
claim a world on which to build their chapter's new fortress monastery and from which to recruit aspirants.
So they would set their sights on Bethor, the poorer, and smaller world in the Varghul system. Bethor had
once been Terraformed in the long past ages before the coming of old night. Though little evidence
remains of this, save for an extreme ecology which clings to survival upon the planet. Its surface is
covered in vast deserts and oceans. In the narrow band of habitable latitudes, small desert plants form
scrublands around areas where continent sized fog banks roll in from the oceans every morning, to bring
just enough moisture to support the surface ecologies, while below the waves ravenous oceanic
predators wait for the unluckily fishermen to stray to deep into the waves.

Deeper in the desert, yet more predators make a living picking off those herbivores that stray from the
habitable zones. It is within these zones, that a small population of hardy, pre-industrial humans make
their homes. Constantly striving against the harsh climate and dirth of the basic necessities needed to

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survive, these are a hard people, with any newly manifested genetic weakness being purged from the
population almost instantly. None make it to adulthood without surviving the environment or facing the
vicious xenos predators who make a hunting ground of both the deserts and the waves. These peoples
would serve as excellent gene stock for Astartes induction, and many would become a heros of the
Imperium in days to come.

Before the Crimson Shields could claim this world, upon which to raise their chapter's Fortress Monastery,
they would need to see to the pacification and settlement of Varghul it self. A task which Agamemnon first
anticipated a mere formality, but that would quickly turn into a fight for the survival of not only the Crimson
Shields, but of all imperial forces in the sector.

The Azanian Thirty Second

With a vaunted history of many bitter wars, the Azanian 32nd were by
the end of the Indomitus Crusade, gritty and experienced veterans, who
had seen half a century of constant campaigning. Their original
numbers of close to 35 thousand guardsmen, had been reduced,
despite several large scale reinforcements, to little over 8 thousand
fighting men and women.

The attrition and the general age of the average guardsmen in the regiment would soon place the majority
of the veterans outside of combat effectiveness. Rather than slowly lose the valuable combat experience
of these veterans by throwing old men at enemy lines, it was decided to detach the 32nd to support the
Crimson Shields in their campaign to secure the strategically vital system of Varghul.

Here they would need to fight in one last campaign to take the world of Vargul if it was no longer bathed in
the Emperor's light, and through invoking a hard won and long promised regimental right of conquest,
they would claim the world and establish themselves as the core of new and experienced military and
political order on the world. One that would oversee the founding and training of the new Vargulian
regiments to help in the campaign to secure the rest of the sector.

The Azanian 32nd was the last surviving of the 17 Astra Militarum regiments who had been all been
granted right of conquest for their actions on Gaeth IV, some 15 years previously.In reestablishing
imperial compliance on Varghul, and upon successfully completing their campaign, and in line with the
Lex Imperialis the 32nd would be eligible to finally evoke the Rite of Conquest. Supporting the 32nd would
be elements of the Galician Raptors Militarum Tempestus regiment, known as the “Recis” with whom the
32nd had a long history of fighting besides.

The Azanian 4th Armoured regiment also technically supported the 32nd and on paper constituted the
last surviving Azanian fighting vehicles and crews. However by the end of the Crusade, the 4th was so
deeply embedded into the command and organizational makeup of the 32nd that many questions and

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concerns had been raised that the 32nd were flouting those strictures of the Lex forbidding combined
arms in Astra Militarum regiments. However, the 32nd and the 4th were still counted as separate
regiments on paper, and neither their effectiveness nor their loyalty was ever in doubt. Indeed even the
regimental commissars were seen to turn a blind eye to the integration - so long as the regiments were
kept strictly separate in all munitorum records.

Finally a unit from the Galatian Raptors Militarum Tempestus Regiment, with full air and armour assets
would round out the contingent of none augmented human forces. They had

Justinian's Exiles, House Kiresky

The 32nd would furthermore be supported by their long time comrades of the household of the Imperialis
Questoris Knight household of house Kiresky, under the young exiled heir to the house, prince Justinian
the 11th. The then prince had been proclaimed heir to his father’s throne above the precedent of his older
brother. Who upon the old monarch's death in battle at the outset of the Indomitus Crusade, led to an
unofficial coup, leaving Amarious, taking control of the house under the auspices of stewardship, until
Justinian came of age. An age, ill defined,and as seemed clear, one the young prince would never be
expected to reach. Amarious’ first act as steward would be to send Justinian and his peers(being his
closest followers and friends) to take part in the Indomitus Crusade to represent house Kerisky.

Many nobles objected not only to the clear power grab this was, but also to sending house scions, so new
to their knighthoods the only steeds they could take to the campaign were off the Armiger class. Knowing
full well his brother was trying to send him and his closest supporters to their death at the cost of a few of
the meagerst Steeds House Kiresky could muster, and could be expected to be replaced by their
Mechanicus allies in the forge world of Acre, Justinian nevertheless obey the stewards wishes, and his
won much renoun.

By chance, both brothers would be petitioned to join the crusade on Varghul by different elements and
would eventually lead to the bloodletting between the two needed to resolve the dynastic dispute, with
only one brother living to the end of the campaign.

Legio Galenica

The titans from the Legio Galenica offered Engine support to the campaign. Princepts Brocicon would
walk in the venerable Warlord class, "Lumenus Gloria"(Light of Glory). He would be supported his fellow
Warlord, “Excito Exitium”(Wake of Ruin), by the Warbringer Nemesis class "Dominus Ferrus Pluviam"
(Lord of the Iron Rain), the Reaver class engines: "Castrum"(Caslte), "Devoratrix Spem"(Devourer of
Hope), "Scutum Luminis"(Shield of Light), & "Lex Silentium" (Law of Silence), as well as the Warhound
class engines, "Ora Infernos", "Spiritus Serpentis", "Terrore Flammae", & "Lancea Lumonos". Later during
the war, as the conflict escalated, the legio sent reinforcements in the forms of 2 additional warhound

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engines, “Ferrum Rictus” & “Iram Stellarum” and shockingly, a mighty and incredibly rare, Warmaster
class engine “Exitium Mundorum”.

Legio Galencia were well reputed as the sentinels of the Argath subsector, based on the forge world of
Acre. With their allies in house Kiresky, the Nobel god engines of Galencia have served as a shield of
Argath during the worst ravages of the later 41st millennium and were key in keeping the region loyal and
able to contribute to the wider Indomitus Campaign when the call from Terra came. Although Galencia
would not abandon their vigil of Argath and they did not send engines to walk in the Indomidus Crusade,
by the launch of the Varghul campaign, there was consensus amongst the Princeps Senioris council that

Due to the rift within house Kiresky the Legio would walk with the support of Justinian's older brother
Amarious alone, while Justinian and his followers would walk in support of the other imperial forces. This
was fortunate for the exiles, who did not have the steeds suited to engine warfare, but rather were suited
for more traditional scales of conflict.

Amarious, brother of Justinian, and steward of house Kiresky, would lead several banners from Kracov in
support of Galicia, including banners of their rare but potent Acastus and Lancer class suits, which by
house tradition would walk only against other knights or titan engines. Additionally there would be several
Castigator, Acaron, Questoris and Armiger class walking in support of the Legio.as mentioned before, it
would be during this campaign that the conflict of these two brothers would come to a head and the future
of House Kiresky decided.

The Campaign

In the opening years of the forty second millennium, the returned son of our most holy Emperor, the
beloved Primarch Rebourte Guiliman, lord of the Adeptus Astartes of the Ultramarines and Lord Regent
of the Imperium, began a crusade to rest the fate of our species back from the claws of fate and certain
extinction. In the aftermath of creation of the Great rift, the Indomitus Crusade that burned a holy and
bloody path through the sundard imperium, many a world beset by the foul entities of the warp or the
unspeakable horrors of foul xenos.

As the Indomitus Crusade came to its conclusion, the Lord Regent sought to consolidate and the
reconquered imperial territories. As part of this mammoth task that would see hundreds of Astra Militarum
regiments raised and sent to secure the imperial gains, He also began to disband his Gray Shields, those
newly forged Adeptus Astartes who have been through the Rubicon crucible and been borne and stronger
and more resilient than their more traditionally forged Astartes brethren.

They came to Varguhl in late M42 to investigate the world's sudden astropathic silence which had
commenced some decades previously. Never well populated or developed due to the insessacant

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internecine warfare between xeno, traitor and imperial forces over the last 2 millennia. Varguhl did offer a
good,

After the deciding on the world of Varghul, land finding the human population, mysteriously vanished, a
battalion of Azanian 32nd and a spearhead formation of Azainain 6th Armoured was sent out to recon an
area of unusual energy readings, picked up by the picket fleet that had brought them to the world.
Unaware they would soon disturb an ancient horror in the jungles of Testmod basin.

Winning a game will provide an additional stratagem or command point bonus for all subsequent battles
depending on the territory conquered. However should another player declare a counterattack and the
player who had the initial victory loses, they lose access to those stratagems and command point
bonuses.

The Campaign

1. The aim is of one player or team to be completely removed from the map by conquering all
sectors they control. Once one player or team has no territories under their control the planet is
conquered and the campaign is over with the player or team that still has territories under their
control designated as the conquerors of Varguhl. They may then claim the right of prima nocta for
all of Cape Town for the rest of their natural lives and will be owed no less than 6 beers by each
opposing player. Even the cursed Necrons will abide by this.

2. The campaign is played in “Campaign Turns”. Each turn is split into a series of phases. Starting
with the Player or Team that is deemed to have initiative (either by rolling a D6 and getting the
highest score,or from the narrative) will complete all phases in a turn, before the other player or
team takes their turn. Battles that are declared

3.

The Campaign Map

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 4. The Campaign Map will follow the planetary empires map as set up.

5. Each Tile is called a sector. Each sector represents a Standard battlefield.

6. The terrain represented in the sector should be the terrain type setup for the battlefield.

7. Garrisons

8. Defenses

Campaign Turn

9. The Campaign turn is divided into phases during which a Placer can take certain actions
a. Air raid
b. Kill team
c. 40k Battle/Titanicus/Apocalypse
d. Entrench

Air Raid - The war in the skies

○ Once during their campaign turn, a player or team may declare an air raid. This is a battle
where fighters battle for air superiority, shuttles will attempt to land raiding parties and
bombers seek to destroy ground forces. These battles will be fought using aeronautica
Imperialis rules at 150 pnt lists. Each player must declare their chosen faction before the
campaign, which must be inline with the faction they are playing in the campaign. (e.g. if

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 playing Astra Militarum or Imperial Knights in the rest of the campaign then Astra
Militarum or Imperial Navy must be chosen for a player's AI force. If playing Adeptus
Astartes, Adeptus Astartes must be the player's AI faction. An air raid victory in attacking
sector grants access to the following effects for the victory:
○ “Air Superiority” stratagems: Intercept: activate when an enemy flyer is deployed or
enters play from strategic reserve.
■ Victors of an air raid over a territory launch offensive Kill Team team actions into
that territory.
■ When fighting in a territory using 40k rules, the victor of the most recent AI battle
gains d3 free bombing run strategems. The loser of the latest
■ When fighting in a territory using AT rules, the victor of the most recent AI battle
in that sector gains d3 additional strafing runs stratagems without the need to pay
command points for them.
○ 2x per game a unit with the Flyer keyword suffers is hit by d6 S7 d1 attacks, and
additionally when an enemy enters from reserve flyer suffers d6 damage, and Bombing
Run: 2 x per game nominates an enemy unit within line of sight of any friendly model.
Enemy unit is hit by d6 s6 d2 attacks.)
2. If this this battle is being fought over an occupied And fortified sector the controlling player gets
d6 aaa attacks they can use during this battle (2 red dice). Only one attack may be made each
turn against a single ship, resolved at the end of the combat phase.
3. Attacking Ships with a Bomber designation may:
● Spend an action to deploy “Chaff”. When doing so roll a D6. For the next D6 turns, each
ship targeted by AAA gains may roll an additional evade dice when resolving this AAA
attack.
● If the bomber is within range 0 of the opponents deployment zone, declaring a bombing
run, it must make a red 3 straight forward move. If it does roll a D6 with the following
modifier (small base ship -1, large base ship +1) and apply the following effects to the
sector the battle is being fought over:
a) 1 - Bombs Missed, no effect
b) 2 - Minor Casualties - until sector is reinforced the Garrison reduced to 75%
c) 3 - Major Casualties - until sector is reinforced the Garrison reduced to 50%
d) 4 - Garrison destroyed - sector is now un-garrisoned
e) 5 - Sector Asset Damaged
f) 6 - Sector Asset Destroyed - lose all effects of sector assets. Remove the token.
4. Attacking Ships with the Shuttle Designation, may:
○ After the end of the battle if the shuttle has survived, the attacker may deploy a Kill-Team
in the sector Air Battle is being fought over, to be resolved immediately after the
resolution of this air battle. If the Shuttle is destroyed the Kill Team is lost, along with any

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 leveled upgrades. In addition the attacker loses their Ground Action. (As the deployment
of the Kill Team via its shu? 1pA’

First Blood

10. Kill Team.

11. A kill team game on a garasoned sector will focus on the assassination of leadership. Once the
leadership of a garrisoned sector is killed the forces will be scattered and the sector will become
unoccupies

Planet Strike

12. 40k Planet Strike.

Armoured Advance

13. 40k ambush, one the ambushed force must be made up of 50% 3 wound+ units, with the intent
being this should be a armoured vehicle company making a push into a territory.

Territories

Each player starts with equal # of tiles (territories) the map needs to be set up accordingly. The terrain in
each tile determines the terrain any battle needs to be fought in.

A controlled territory has an players flag (🚩) in it.

An occupied territory is a territory controlled by a player and that currently has army token in it.

An empty tile is a territory not in control of any player.

Controlling a territory.

Army tokens represents the active offensive ground forces a player controls. So their 40k forces.

An army token can move to any adjacent tile.

If you move your army token into an empty territory. You gain control of that territory.

If you move your army token into a territory controlled by an opponent a battle is fought.

2) Each tile is worth 3 points to _successfully_ attack (40k) and claim it, 2 points to _successfully_ defend
it. No points for dormant titles you already own.

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You can attack once per Campaign (but may have to defend twice per Campaign!)

3) *Structure of game* :

3 Battles = 1 Campaign round.

3 Campaign rounds (ie 9 Battles) = 1 War.
- _note_ : xwing/Kill Team games dont count towards Battles

4) *Attacking a tile* :
We each select 3 tiles to hold our orbital fleets (xwing) of our choosing. Those tiles are worth 6 points to
the overall victor, but requires a win at xwing (200pts) to gain access to the tile first before a land attack
can begin. 6 points awarded to the victor if both games won (tile claimed). Successful defence of the tile
awards 3 points.

5) *Orbital infiltration* :
If your winning xwing fleet contains a shuttle you may (optional) choose to infiltrate the planet (100pts Kill
Team). Winner get +1 free CP in the 40k game, and may call 2 orbital bombardments (as per core rules).

6) 40k games are *escalation* based:

Campaign #1 is 750points
Campaign #2 is 1750 points
Campaign #3 is 2500 points

Hard point limits, battleforged and all that jazz. Only 1 takebacksies allowed per game (and only if its in
the same *turn* )! Games last 3hrs max (timed 1.5hrs per player).

7) *Game times* : clocks encouraged as per ITC. Each player gets 1.5hrs in a 40k game total. Stop
watches to track your round times (up to 1.5hrs each). If you exceed your limit you don't get to act
anymore (only react to your opponent till their time is up / game ends).

8) Points added up at the end of 1 War and then beers / pizza / prizes all around!

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