The Liberation of Fuschal~Phase 5

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Battle Details

Date Commenced: 499.010.M31
Date Concluded: 622.010.M31
Outcome: Ongoing
Sub-Sector: Kaerimon Sub-Sector
System: Fuschal System
Location: Fuschal


Forces involved in the Battle:

Loyalists Involved In The Conflict

Army:L-X-1366

Army:I-ARMY-3620

Army:I-ARMY-3407

Army:A-MECH-0478

Army:L-VII-2023

Army:X-ELDAR-1515




Traitors Involved In The Conflict

Army:I-ARMY-3365

Army:I-ARMY-3548

Army:A-MECH-6429

Army:L-XVII-2572




Battle Summary

By the start of the second day of the Liberation, their initial successes had come to a grinding halt. The loyalist forces had failed to establish a strong beachhead, and the traitors failed to drive them off. The confusion in low orbit had dispersed, at least, as wounded traitor warships and civilian craft scattered, but that simply meant that over half the Liberation Fleet had to break orbit to pursue.

Adding to the frustration. the overall commander of the occupying Traitor forces - the Word Bearer Chaplain Norek Ull - continued to evade retribution. Somehow he was moving from battlefield to battlefield - from the Dusan Jari to the Widow of Colchis to Fuschal itself, even when the lack of teleportariums and shuttle craft should have made such movement impossible. One loyalist strike force did try to intercept him and the Traitor command at the Larack Fortress on Fuschal, but Norek Ull wasn't even there. Instead of Word Bearers, the fortress was occupied by traitorous Blackshields - apparently because something in the the fortress was deadly to mortal troops.

Worse, the months of round-the-clock sermons broadcast to the population also proved their worth. Propaganda, sweet lies, and brutal indoctrination had convinced many of the Fuschalese that working and dying for the Warmaster was their duty and an honour, and the traitors used tens of thousands of them, and their even more fanatical offworld troops, to blunt the Loyalist assault. Happily, not all the Fuschalese joined the traitor cause, and many took up improvised weapons to turn against their brutal overlords. Less happily, it was difficult to distinguish between mobs of cultists and vengeful civilians.

One unexpected development was noted by the loyalists, although the import of it was not realised until later. The traitors opened a number of salvation bunkers on the densely populated Great Cloister Atoll, for use by the civilians and not their own command. These islands, site of the heaviest fighting on Fuschal, roughly encircle the Larack Fortress, and vast numbers of unarmed and terrified Fuschalese crowded into the eight underground complexes.

Decapitation Strike

Eliminating Norek Ull and the rest of the traitor command structure was a priority for the Liberation Fleet. At the very least, the death of the Word Bearer would be a serious psychological blow to the traitor forces. Loyalist armies earn Double VP rewards for Slay the Warlord.

Extirpation Orders

By dawn on the second day loyalist forces were still largely confined to a few landing zones. Naturally, the occupying forces did all they could to eliminate them, before reinforcements could arrive from orbit. Traitor armies earn double VP for every Loyalist unit completely eliminated.

Slaves To Darkness

The vast majority of traitor troops consisted of indoctrinated and press-ganged Fuschalese, and the myriad militia and cultists the traitors had brought to the system. Militia and Cultist allied detachments may take four troop choices, to reflect the number of cultists compared to Legionaries. The Dark Compliance and Sacrificial Offering Rites of War are ideal, as the traitors used the militia and cultists as completely expendable troops.

The Fuschalese Uprising

Despite the fact that many of the Fuschalese resisted indoctrination well-enough to grab improvised weapons and attack their overseers, these vengeful mobs were largely indistinguishable from those converted to the Warmaster’s cause - gaunt from privation, barely trained, and equipped with whatever tools were to hand. This complicated many skirmishes on the atoll, as mobs emerged from side streets, and only then turned on loyalists or traitors.

Either player, in their turn, may roll to bring a free 20-man mob onto the board as a reserve. These mobs, usually armed with improvised melee weapons at best, enter from the sides of the table. That player then rolls a d6 to determine their loyalties - 1-3 and they’re loyal servants of the Emperor, 4-6 and they’re despicable traitors to Terra. Levy Auxilia squads are suggested for troop stats.


Profile Summary

Unit          Unit Type             WS  BS  S  T  W  I  A  LD Save  Ref
Custodian     Infantry (Character)   3   3  3  3  1  3  2  7  5+    HH5: Tempest p194
Levy Auxiliary Infantry              2   2  3  3  1  3  2  6  6+    HH5: Tempest p194
Flak Armour
5+ Armor Save
Sub-flak Armour
Confers a 6+ Armour Save.
HH5: Tempest p182
Weapon               Range  St  AP  Type    Ref
Close Combat Weapon    -   User  -  Melee   HH: AoD Rulebook p42
Laspistol             12"    3   -  Pistol  HH: AoD Rulebook p178
Disposable: This unit doesn’t confer victory points for being killed, and cannot hold objectives.

Fuschal Mysterious Terrain

Fuschal Mysterious Structures (an option in any game in Phase 5)

Roll d6 for number of Mysterious Structures on the table

1-2 - No Structures 3-4 - One Mysterious Structure 5 - Two Mysterious Structures 6 - Three Mysterious Structures

Designate terrain features as Mysterious Structures before rolling for set-up. Roll 2d6 for type of structure, when a unit enters the structure or moves within 2” of it.

2 - Moonpool - The atolls of Fuschal are naturally riddled with tidal channels, and many more were excavated as the cities expanded. Combined with underground tunnels flooded during the bombardment, both sides found them useful hiding places and accessways. Any infantry unit or walker destroyed early in the game may be replaced with an identical unit that emerges from the vicinity of the moonpool (2d6” scatter). Replaced units arrive during the Reserves phase.

3 - Shield Generator - One of the defences installed by the Traitor forces, that protected parts of the city from the orbital bombardment. Units within or less than 2” from the structure gain a 4+ invulnerable save (and 3+ vs. blast and template weapons)

4 - Ammo Cache - Supplies lost during the landing attempts, or prepared for use by the defenders. Units occupying the structure gain Shred on ranged attacks, but all shots also Get Hot as damaged (or booby-tapped) ammunition explodes on use.

5 - Vox Array - An invaluable asset to both sides, as the loyalists consolidate their forces and the traitors summon reinforcements. Units occupying a Vox Array may reroll all Reserves rolls, and the Array becomes a secondary objective for the remainder of the game worth 2VP.

6 - For the Emperor! - Fuschalese citizenry rise up against their brutal overseers, and this building is somehow marked as a symbol of their loyalty to Terra. Even the old flag of Free Fuschal is a suitable symbol to rally around. Loyalist forces inside or within 2” gain Fearless and Shrouded.

7 - Failed Refuge - Not all Fuschalese citizens survived to take part in the Liberation. This building is filled with the dead - accidentally killed in the chaos of the landings, collaborators torn apart by vengeful mobs, or examples made by the traitors to encourage obedience from their slaves. Units without the Fearless trait suffer -1 to Ld. when in or within 2” of the structure.

8 - Charnal House - The structure was used by the Word Bearers and their cultists, for rituals of their debased religion. Traitor marines and cultists gain Counter Attack when occupying the structure. Other units must pass a Ld test to enter, unless Fearless.

9 - Desperate Survivors - Civilians huddling for protection against the battle, and cultists waiting to ambush the liberators, attack whoever uncovered their hiding place. 4d6 Levy Auxilia with close combat weapons attack the unit that entered the building or approached within 2”. After that initial round, roll d6. On a 1, any that survived the combat continue as a Loyalist unit (but cannot claim objectives), on 2-5 they flee the battlefield, and on a 6 continue as a Traitor unit (but cannot claim objectives).

10 - Pulpit of the Dark Gods - As if the constant propaganda on every vox was not bad enough, the Word Bearers preached their religion of treachery from these very spots to the huddled Fuschalese. Traitor units may reroll any Leadership tests when within 2” of these fanes to their false gods. These pulpits also count as a secondary objective, worth 2 VP, for the rest of the game.

11 - Gun Emplacement - Another of the defences built by the traitors, damaged or abandoned during the landings and bombardment. Units entering or within 2” of the structure may attempt to repair, reload, and fire two of the twin-linked autocannon emplacements they find (48” S7 AP4 Heavy 2). Designate an infantry model for each gun, and roll a d6. On 1-2 the gun is still jammed, but with 3-6 they may fire normally. Models with Battlesmith may fire on 2+.

12 - Dangerous Structure - A building seriously damaged by falling debris, deliberately booby-trapped, or concealing unexploded ordnance. Provides 5+ cover, but any model successfully using that cover must roll a d6. On 1 or 2, the model triggers the booby trap, bomb, or entire building to collapse. Units with auspex or omnispex will only trigger the collapse on a 1. All models within or within 2” of the structure take a S6+3 hit, AP3 Ordnance hit. Replace the structure with ruins or a crater. Dangerous Structures may be targeted by other units, once identified. They have an AV of 10, and on a penetrating hit roll d6 - on 1 or 2 will explode (or collapse) as above.

Skirmish Reports

Skirmishes Added

(Press the CREATE button to lodge a single Skirmish report, do not modify the name)


Skirmish Designation Victor Opponent Outcome
The Liberation of Fuschal~Phase 5~1530711936 I-ARMY-3407 I-ARMY-3365
The Liberation of Fuschal~Phase 5~1530712408 I-ARMY-3620 I-ARMY-3548
The Liberation of Fuschal~Phase 5~1531389710 A-MECH-6429 I-ARMY-3548
The Liberation of Fuschal~Phase 5~1532080531 A-MECH-0478 I-ARMY-3365
The Liberation of Fuschal~Phase 5~1532080810 A-MECH-0478 I-ARMY-3365
The Liberation of Fuschal~Phase 5~1532472170 I-ARMY-3365 I-ARMY-3620
The Liberation of Fuschal~Phase 5~1532511645 A-MECH-6429 I-ARMY-3438
The Liberation of Fuschal~Phase 5~1532605210 I-ARMY-3365 , L-XVII-2572 L-VII-2023
The Liberation of Fuschal~Phase 5~1533122702 I-ARMY-3365 L-VII-2023
The Liberation of Fuschal~Phase 5~1533801492 A-MECH-6429 L-VII-2023
The Liberation of Fuschal~Phase 5~1534424784 A-MECH-6429 L-VII-2023
The Liberation of Fuschal~Phase 5~1534858625 L-VII-2023 L-XVII-2572 , I-ARMY-3365


Battle Pictures

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