I am considering running a game of Only War , and I have been bouncing some ideas off the wall that I would run by you. This is very much off the top of my head and I do not know what kind of regiment my players would portray yet, but I thought I would run it by you guys anyway.

The mission has been divided into four parts:

1) Special Ops :

- The squad will have to sabotage the ground-to-orbit weaponry of an Ork camp.

2) Reconnaissance :

- Use Vox Caster to call in a Torpedo Strike (see Deathwatch: Rites of Battle page 216) from a nearby Imperial Naval vessel in low orbit.

3) Clearing Patrol:

- Kill the stragglers.

4) Defence:

- Hold the postion until re-inforcements arrive.

Mission Complications:

- The blast from the Torpedo Strike has awakened one or more Necrons from their stasis in the ground beneath the Ork encampment. Surving the confrontation with these new enemies is supposed to be the real challenge of this game.

Mission Assignment Gear:

- Long-rang Vox Caster

- 4 Demolition Charges

- Chameleoline Cloaks

- Stummers

sounds like a solid idea
throw in a Hand-Held Targeter just for fun sake to actually make them mark the target, i think that give more players the illusion of being involved, 1 vox-operator and 1 spotter

just hope your players dont form a regiment that uses vehicles, if they do they will not be able to sneak in unless the dont use the tank which will make it increadibly difficult for them since its their main strategy (apart from the fact that no general sends an armoured regiment for recon )

please do tell how it worked out with the deathwatch rules

good luck and have fun

Thank you for your reply. Nightcloak said:

just hope your players dont form a regiment that uses vehicles, if they do they will not be able to sneak in unless the dont use the tank which will make it increadibly difficult for them since its their main strategy (apart from the fact that no general sends an armoured regiment for recon )

A few more questions:

1) Are there any listed examples of Ork ground-to-orbit defense systems?

2) I am figuring it would make sense for Runtherds with Attack Squigs to be on guard duty around the camp. Is that sensible or would the job go to Grots with Squig Hounds?

Thank you for your reply.

Nightcloak said:

Good point. Though I guess when it is an orbital strike, it should be some sort of locator beacon (though the Lexicanum lists that as Space Marine equipment ).

Nightcloak said:

just hope your players dont form a regiment that uses vehicles, if they do they will not be able to sneak in unless the dont use the tank which will make it increadibly difficult for them since its their main strategy (apart from the fact that no general sends an armoured regiment for recon )

Interestingly enough, in Only War the Reconnaissance regiments have either a Sentinel Walker or a Chimera Armoured Transport as part of their standard equipment. I was thinking they would use the Chimera to drive out into the middle of nowhere where the Ork camp is (plot-wise, this would mean that re-inforcements are not nearby), leave the Chimera with a few NPCs while they sneak into the camp, and then subsequently use the Chimera when going back in to kill of the stragglers. It would also really help them if they are to defend themselves against one or more Necrons.

Nightcloak said:

I will do. It will probably be at least a month until I get to run the game, though.

A few more questions:

1) Are there any listed examples of Ork ground-to-orbit defense systems?

2) I am figuring it would make sense for Runtherds with Attack Squigs to be on guard duty around the camp. Is that sensible or would the job go to Grots with Squig Hounds?


ALSO: Is there a way to edit one's posts on this forum?

Sounds great. I'm devising up a similar mission with the slight difference that instead of a locator beacon they are simply marking a building for basilisk destruction when the front moves up. It's not so much of a camp in mine but an occupied town and the IG don't have enough shells to level everything.

Similar problems with the Chimera and patrols as well. Was thinking a bike patrol or two on the open fields (it's an agri world) and then Runtherd + squigs & grots inside the limits. The squad is Mech Inf so I'm expecting them to park up outside the town and then infiltrate and set up although they could be stupid and just drive on in.

If I get to run this before you I'll let you know how it went and if there was any learnings from it.

Evilshed said:

leaving the chimera behind with NSC is a nice idea, you can even use the comardes for such things since the PCs wont fight alone (at leats if the are smart )
just remember: "leaving wargear unattended on the field of battle is a crime punishable by death" plus the guardsmans family has to pay for the bullet used

concerning ork anti-air thsi is all i found: http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Images/Product/DefaultFW/xlarge/flakgun.jpg

looks like twinlinked Big Shootas specialisied for AA (rules for Big Shootas are found in the core rulebook p370 with the warbuggy)

hope that helps

Awesome picture. The Ork camp will definitely have those. Thanks.

I am wondering, though, would it "realistically" be able to shoot down an incoming torpedo from an orbital vessel? Could you use a soopa gun as ground-to-orbit defense?

well physics would say that when adding the speed of the torpedo to that of the bullet the energy involved is so massive (considering the fact that a big shoota would be around the 25-30mm autocannon area) that a few bullets mike make it through the front and damage internals or strike at guiding fins and divert it slightly

that being said a torpedo is in the neighborhood of 200feet long so to make it clear to players that there is a chance for effectiv anti-air fire i would place of these things ( http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Images/Product/DefaultFW/large/supakannon.jpg ) around to give the feeling of something similar to a Flak 88 from WW2 which works as antiaircraft artillery

Necrons are dumbed down in the miniatures game (as are Marines) but done right the Necrons make incredibly effective doomsday terrors. In my Deathwatch campaign my killteam (Tac, Apo, Lib, Tech, Dev) have developed a HEALTHY respect for them as opponents. The stats I use are.

WS 45, BS 45, S 55 (x2), T 55 (x3)

Wounds 32. Recovers d10 hits per round.

Gun: 2d10+10I, Pen 8, Tearing.

They only stay "dead" for a few minutes, the only way they have found to solve this is to put the pieces into a stasis pod. Played intelligently one of these things can be a ferocious opponent for even a DW killteam. For a Guard Squad, well lets just be glad you have heavy weapons. You might want to have them encounter it while it is still forming, so that they can get an early head start on defeating it.

Letting a lone necron become a thing of nightmare makes the entire universe seem much scarier, since they can now fear the time when they meet a squad of them (or Emperor forbid a Necron Lord). Beating it doesn't in any way diminish its ability to strike fear into them, since the sight of one will be inherently intimidating and the thought that there might be more will keep them on their toes every time they see evidence of even the possibility of encountering them again.

Just saying, don't make the mistake of letting one of the 40k universes best boogymen become just another xeno to slaughter.