I was recently reading this topic: Okay, so I can't find it, but it went along the lines of this. If you were in charge, or in the high command of in this case the Spinward Front, what changes or suggestions would you make to help the Imperium win faster.

1) Less focus on the Severan Dominate. Yes, they are a threat, and they would become stronger under the lapse of engagement, but they're really not going anywhere too fast, due to the lack of warships and (in the wider galaxy) where would they go that would welcome them. There are few places within the near sectors. The Orks, however are moving fast, and strong with the intention of crushing the humans, and they only get stronger with each battle, as more Orks join the Waaaagh. In addition, they would likely kill many more than the Dominate were they left alone except in defensive actions.

2) Redirect. The Severans do it to us, diverting Orks and Chaos forces onto Imperial worlds to take the heat off them, and put it onto us. Why not do it back? Deploy a quick vessel, transmit a false distress call and get out of there. Something along those lines. Take the heat off us and put it onto them, when they can't take as much heat as we're putting out anyway, in the long run.

3) The Orks themselves are a threat, and we can't afford to fight them in a war of attrition short term (although we probably could long term). Start mustering militias, conscription efforts, whatever it takes to get more troops fighting them, as the bigger threat. More armour is a must. Crush the Orks beneath our steel, instead of sacrificing the less well equipped infantry willy nilly. Armour can take the orks damage, and put it back out onto them, whereas if you shoot a guardsman, he's going down, more often than not.

Any thoughts on my ideas, or ideas of your own?

Sector command actually give a **** about the spinward front would be another one.

The biggest problem is that a lot of the forces supposedly going to the spinward front get creamed off for the Achillus Crusade - whose existance isn't know to the wider community of calixis because that would mean letting the well of night be public knowledge.

Unfortunately, this means that the lower-level strategos give lower-level guard commanders objectives. Said commanders submit requests for reinforcements which get approved by lower level munitorium functionaries which then get secretly overruled and the troops diverted elsewhere. Without the strategos ever fully appreciating that the guard aren't getting the resources to do the tasks they're being set because the munitorium is reporting that reinforcements are being raised and dispatched as requested....

That's true. I contemplated putting that, but substituted number three, as a solution. Actually sending forces there.

It sort of depends on how you want to view it, but if the Duke could just be aced, and his men, other than some key officers who must also submit to the mercy of a Commissar, could be reintegrated back into the Guard, that would free up a lot of bodies right there, and then the two factions, who probably already fight Orks together, sometimes (if actions in No Surrender are to be normal, then yes, the Guard would fight next to the Sev. Dom. forces, especially if they start wearing the right colors again) could throw what they've got at the Waagh! forces. To this end, were I an Inquisitor, I'd move to request a Callidus be dispatched to bring Severus into the Emperor's light; I love the Assassins of the OA, so I don't doubt that a talented Callidus could easily pull it off, if one could just be employed. I suppose one could even be in the progress, right now, but then I'd like to ask her to please hurry her morphable butt up, and kill the traitorous scumbag.

Intel hints that there are several Rogue Traders in the area. Someone should endeavor to enlist their aide in blasting some Ork ships to bits, or at least gather info for their Imperial neighbors. Maybe broker a deal between them and Battlfleet Calixis, or something, in order for them to get some goodies worth their risk.

I agree with the whole crushing of the Dominate quick, but I can't see them rejoining, as alot are just as indoctrinated to the Severan viewpoint as Imperial Citizens are to their viewpoint. I would also doubt that an Assassin could take Severus down given his location in the super fortress palace on Kulth. I always assumed that place impregnable for the time being.

Also, according to Against The Savages, Rogue traders do assist in the war, to an extent, though more desperate ones could be enlisted as additional assistance, though whether most who aren't desperate would stoop so low as to perform the role of the Navy is debatable. (I sense my groups old RT campaign making a comeback, but in this new setting.)

I agree with the whole crushing of the Dominate quick, but I can't see them rejoining, as alot are just as indoctrinated to the Severan viewpoint as Imperial Citizens are to their viewpoint. I would also doubt that an Assassin could take Severus down given his location in the super fortress palace on Kulth. I always assumed that place impregnable for the time being.

Also, according to Against The Savages, Rogue traders do assist in the war, to an extent, though more desperate ones could be enlisted as additional assistance, though whether most who aren't desperate would stoop so low as to perform the role of the Navy is debatable. (I sense my groups old RT campaign making a comeback, but in this new setting.)

Well, I might be willing to give the Officio Assassinorum too much credit, but taking out the highest-priority targets is what they do; go in as a menial soldier, turn into someone else a few times, find a Severus-toady, and become them, then kill Duke Severus. I know it can't quite be that easy, or it would have been done, minus that the story has no reason to kill one of the top NPC foes, but I think that they COULD.

I suppose some RTs would need to have a bit more motivation given, but I think some of them could be very useful.

Sector command actually give a **** about the spinward front would be another one.

The biggest problem is that a lot of the forces supposedly going to the spinward front get creamed off for the Achillus Crusade - whose existance isn't know to the wider community of calixis because that would mean letting the well of night be public knowledge.

Unfortunately, this means that the lower-level strategos give lower-level guard commanders objectives. Said commanders submit requests for reinforcements which get approved by lower level munitorium functionaries which then get secretly overruled and the troops diverted elsewhere. Without the strategos ever fully appreciating that the guard aren't getting the resources to do the tasks they're being set because the munitorium is reporting that reinforcements are being raised and dispatched as requested....

I think you're getting the Spinward Front confused with the Margin Crusade. I'm pretty sure the Spinward Front isn't really big enough to make it a worthwhile cover for forces being sent into the Reach.The Margin Crusade got lost somewhere (this is kept a tightly held secret), and so all the assets allocated to it are getting siphoned off/reallocated to the Achillus Crusade and the Jericho Reach via the Gate.

But, you're also right, a lot of resources that could be used for the Spinward Front are instead being sent to the Crusade.

I agree with the whole crushing of the Dominate quick, but I can't see them rejoining, as alot are just as indoctrinated to the Severan viewpoint as Imperial Citizens are to their viewpoint. I would also doubt that an Assassin could take Severus down given his location in the super fortress palace on Kulth. I always assumed that place impregnable for the time being.

Also, according to Against The Savages, Rogue traders do assist in the war, to an extent, though more desperate ones could be enlisted as additional assistance, though whether most who aren't desperate would stoop so low as to perform the role of the Navy is debatable. (I sense my groups old RT campaign making a comeback, but in this new setting.)

Well, I might be willing to give the Officio Assassinorum too much credit, but taking out the highest-priority targets is what they do; go in as a menial soldier, turn into someone else a few times, find a Severus-toady, and become them, then kill Duke Severus. I know it can't quite be that easy, or it would have been done, minus that the story has no reason to kill one of the top NPC foes, but I think that they COULD.

I suppose some RTs would need to have a bit more motivation given, but I think some of them could be very useful.

The Officio certainly could take Severus out ... but a Callidus insertion takes time. The Callidus would likely have to enter the Dominate through a contested planet/battlespace, but one where neither side has secured naval superiority, and neither is likely to do so soon, or one where the Imperium is loosing, or on a vessel that is considered a friendly or at least tolerated.

I see where I went wrong now. Must apologise. I mistook the Callidus Temple for the Eversor (shows my totally underwhelming knowledge of the Officio Assassinorum), which is why I was saying how they couldn't breach. Which in my defense, Eversor probably couldn't. Yes, I can see where you were coming from now. And yes, it probably would be a possibility.

The Eversor are my least favorite, the crazy bastards, but I suppose that, coordinated with a huge assault by troops, one COULD try to get into Severus's fortress. I wouldn't hold my breath, but if he's more the "use every asset every way possible" sort, and less the "fast-moving melta bomb" he is in the table-top, with the cover of ships and artillery slamming the palace's void shields, and Severus's best defenders distracted, a lone Eversor could get in, and then it's up to his cheesy weaponry, skills, and "I'm practically a liquid" dodging powers. If he got a mechanic anything like the Vindicare's infinite dodging, and as a Master-level NPC, I might let him, he'd be surging through Severus's goons for hours, hijacking security systems, murdering dudes, and laughing the whole time, like a slightly LESS dumbass Deadpool. He'd probably fail, eventually, but if he distracted enough stuff, and the troops outside distracted enough other stuff, the two might combine to actually come kind of close.

If Duke Severus made public appearances, I'd give all odds to a Vindicare contemptuously easily sniping him, and that just leaves the Culexus as unnecessary, but they probably could kill him, if not for why would they be sent.

Okay, I'm done sucking up to the Assassins like I'm a Space Marine fanboy polishing Dante's...armor. I do really like them, but yeah, I can see that Duke Severus is rather well/ludicrously defended in his bunker/fortress, and if he were easily removable, he'd be dead. He probably also has a small "escape ship" in vicinity, if he needed to run, possibly a holdover from his family's Rogue Trader days.

It could be interesting, were I more into Dark Heresy, to play a team set to weaken the defenses of the Sanguine Palace, in an effort to help smuggle an OAOp in, to do their thing, but it's probably as fun to be Guard, lobbing shells and death down on his head.

Yes. I always imagined him making 'Public Appearances' via some sort of hologram or a duplicate, dressed and made up like him, so he never takes that risk himself.

Pretty sure the Eversor does have the super-dodgemastery ability that the Vindicare has - actually, I believe the description says that all of the various Temple Assassins have it. So an Eversor should, as would any of the other 'combat' Assassin Temples, but probably not the poison or techy temples (that rarely, if ever, get mentioned).

Assassins of the Officio are seriously bad news if you aren't a friendly.

I would agree that Duke Severus is going to be very well defended, and probably has an escape plan at all times. He'd been planning and preparing for years before he actually started. Plus, he seems to be relatively rational/level-headed and not particularly deluded, so he's going to have all the precautions he and his advisors/experts could think of.

Plus, there's the chance that he's getting some degree of covert help from some Istvaanist Inquisitor(s), which would reduce the chances of an Assassin being deployed in the first place, much less succeeding.