Scenarios¶
Although some space battles are straightforward affairs, with two fleets engaging each other simply to destroy the enemy, it is just as likely that the fleets will have a more specific objective to achieve, such as escorting a convoy or supporting a planetary assault. This section of Battlefleet Gothic provides the rules for fighting these different types of battle.
Choosing a Scenario¶
For your first couple of games we recommend you play the Cruiser Clash introductory scenario on pg. 128 while you get used to the rules and start building up your fleet. Once you have an idea of how the rules work you can try out some of the different scenarios that follow. There are ten scenarios in this section of the book, divided into small scale raids and larger battles. The two featured campaigns have some specific scenarios, as do a lot of the fleet lists.
Below are several ways of deciding which scenario to play.
Arbitrary Decision Method¶
This is by far the quickest and simplest method of choosing a scenario. Despite its rather grandiose title, this method merely involves the players picking a scenario they want to play because of the forces they have available, how much time they have, or just because it’s their favourite.
Random Generation Method¶
If you wish to pick a scenario randomly, roll a D6. On a roll of a 1, 2 or 3, roll again on the Raids table. On a roll of a 4 or more, roll on the Battles table. Alternatively you can just decide whether you want to fight a raid or a battle and then roll on the appropriate table.
Raids¶
| D6 Roll | Scenario |
|---|---|
| 1 | One: Cruiser Clash |
| 2 | Two: The Bait |
| 3 | Three: The Raiders |
| 4 | Five: Blockade Run |
| 5-6 | Six: Convoy |
Battles¶
| D6 Roll | Scenario |
|---|---|
| 1 | Nine: Exterminatus! |
| 2 | Four: Surprise Attack |
| 3 | Seven: Planetary Assault |
| 4 | Eight: Escalating Engagement |
| 5-6 | Ten: Fleet Engagement |
Using an Attack Rating¶
Some fleets are intrinsically better than others at launching attacks and picking where and when they fight their battles. This may be due to a skilled admiral, faster ships, better organisation, or access to powerful psykers who can scry the future and predict the enemy’s actions. It also represents the fleet’s ability to navigate warp space, as well as the wild, aggressive and often random nature of their attacks (particularly for Orks!). This is called a fleet’s attack rating, which represents how likely they are to initiate a raid or battle (as opposed to being attacked themselves). The chart that follows shows the attack ratings of all fleets.
Attack Ratings¶
| Fleet | Attack Rating |
|---|---|
| Imperial | 2 |
| Chaos | 2 |
| Tau | 2 |
| Orks | 3 |
| Craftworld Eldar | 3 |
| Space Marines | 3 |
| Tyranids | 3 |
| Corsair Eldar | 4 |
| Dark Eldar | 4 |
| Necrons | 4 |
You can use attack ratings to determine the scenario to be played by the following method. Each player rolls a number of D6 equal to their attack rating and chooses the best individual dice score. Compare the best scores of both sides. The fleet with the highest score has launched an attack and may choose which scenario to fight. If it is a draw, then determine a scenario randomly as already described.
Determining Attackers and Defenders¶
In many of the scenarios, one side will be attacking and the other side will be defending. If a scenario has an attacker and a defender, you can simply decide who is attacking and who is defending, or randomly choose which player is attacking by rolling a dice, tossing a coin, playing scissors-paper-stone or whatever. Alternatively, you can use the attack ratings given above. As with determining a scenario, both players roll a number of dice equal to their attack rating and the player with the highest single dice roll is the attacker.
If you are using attack ratings to determine the scenario being played (see above), the player who gets to choose the scenario is always the attacker.
The Scenarios¶
Each scenario is presented in the following format:
Title and Overview presents the type of scenario being played, with a short description detailing the situation that faces the fleet commanders.
Forces tells you how to pick your fleets, usually in conjunction with the Fleet Lists. In some scenarios, one side may have random forces, or additional resources such as planetary defences, transport ships, etc.
Battlezone shows what restrictions there are, if any, on choosing a battlezone, as well as any compulsory celestial phenomena that must be placed on the tabletop.
Set-up gives instructions for each of the fleets, showing where they begin the battle, where any reinforcements arrive on the battlefield, etc. This section also tells you which of the fleets must be set up first.
First Turn tells you which fleet has the first turn. Often the players roll a D6 and the winner can choose whether to go first or second.
Special Rules gives you details of any rules that are specific to that scenario, such as making a planetary assault, using special Contact markers, squadrons being on standby orders and so forth.
Game Length tells you how many turns the battle will last for, together with any other events which may end the battle.
Victory Conditions is the important bit! It is here that you’ll find what your fleet must do in order to win. Often victory points are used to determine the winner, and the rules for these are as follows.
Victory Points¶
In many scenarios, the winner will be the player who scores the most victory points. Victory points are a measure of how much damage a fleet has inflicted on its enemy and are won by crippling and destroying enemy ships. Additional victory points can also be scored by achieving certain objectives, as detailed in the Victory Conditions section of the scenario, such as escaping an attack or attacking an enemy base. Victory points are earned as follows:
Capital Ships¶
If a capital ship is destroyed, the opposing player earns a number of victory points equal to the ship’s points value. This should also include the points value of any Admiral, Warmaster or Chaos Lord on board and any points spent on other types of upgrades.
If a capital ship is crippled, the opposing player earns 25% of its total points value (rounding up) as victory points.
At the end of the battle, the fleet that holds the field earns victory points for the number of hulks it can capture. Your fleet holds the field if all enemy ships have been destroyed (or have disengaged) and your fleet has at least one operational ship on the table at the end of the battle. If one fleet holds the field the player earns victory points equal to half of the points value of each hulk on the table. Note that you earn victory points for your own ships that have been reduced to hulks (you have denied valuable resources to the enemy) as well as enemy hulks.
Escort Ships, Orbital Defences and Other Vessels¶
Each destroyed planetary defence installation earns a player a number of victory points equal to the installation’s points value. Each destroyed escort earns its value in victory points provided the entire escort squadron is destroyed.
Disengaged Ships¶
Ships and escort squadrons which have disengaged are worth 25% of their total points value (including refits and embarked commander) in victory points if they were crippled before they disengaged. If the ship or escort squadron disengaged before it was crippled it is worth victory points equal to 10% of its value. An escort squadron is considered crippled if it loses half of its ships, rounding up.
Victory Points Summary¶
Each enemy ship destroyed
Victory points equal to its points value.Each enemy capital ship crippled
Victory points equal to 25% of its points value, (rounded up).Each enemy ship disengaged
Victory points equal to 25% of the enemy ship’s points value (rounded up) if crippled, or 10% (rounded up) if not.Holding the field
Victory points equal to 50% of the points value of each hulk (friend or foe) on the tabletop (rounded up).Scenario objectives
Victory points are awarded as detailed in the individual scenarios.
Pre-battle Summary¶
Determine Scenario. Choose, randomly generate one or use the attack ratings method.
Decide Attacker and Defender. If needed, randomly decide who is attacking, or use the attack ratings to determine the attacker. If you are using attack ratings to choose a scenario, the player who chooses is the attacker.
Choose Forces. Select your fleet following the instructions in the selected scenario.
Set up Celestial Phenomena. Determine the type of battlezone the game is played in and place any celestial phenomena on the tabletop (see pgs. 104–113 for details).
Generate Leadership. Roll for the Leadership values of your ships and squadrons.
Declare any capital ship squadrons. Assign the Fleet Commander(s) to their ship(s) if you haven't already.
Deploy Fleets. Set up your ships on the table as outlined in the scenario.
Determine First Turn. Find out who has the first turn as detailed in the scenario.
Start Fighting!
Sub-Plots¶
Each player may generate a sub-plot if they wish (note that in a campaign you must generate a sub-plot each). Roll a D6. On a roll of 1-2, roll on the Legacies of War table. On a roll of 3-4, roll on the Chance Circumstances table. On a roll of 5-6, roll on the Secret Ploys table.
Each sub-plot includes additional victory conditions, which may or may not complement your primary mission. If you are fighting a battle with sub-plots, there are four different victory results, depending on whether you win the main battle and if you complete your sub-plot objectives.
| Objectives Achieved | Battle Result |
|---|---|
| Completed main mission and sub-plot | Heroic Victory! You will long be remembered as a magnificent commander. Epic tales will be told of your exploits, and your deeds and tactics will be taught to future generations. |
| Completed main mission | Victory! Your fame is growing, as someone who can get the job done despite minor set-backs and myriad distractions. Your name becomes synonymous with sound tactics and steadfast leadership. |
| Failed main mission but completed sub-plot | Heroic Defeat! You will be remembered for snatching honour from the jaws of defeat. Stories will tell of hopeless odds and unforeseeable circumstances. You will be remembered for your courage and determination. |
| Failed main mission and sub-plot | Miserable Defeat! Your name becomes a watchword for incompetence and failure. If you die, you will not be missed. This is a dark day for your race... |
Renown¶
If you are playing in a campaign, you may gain or lose renown for achieving or failing in your sub-plot objective. This is given in brackets after the objective like this: (renown gained for completion/renown lost for failure). For example, the Extended Duty sub-plot is (+1/0) which means you gain an extra point of Renown for completing it, but you will not lose any if you fail.
Legacies of War (Roll of 1-2)¶
| Score | Sub-Plot |
|---|---|
| 1 | Gunnery Practice: In most space battles, victory went to the fleet with the best trained gun crews. It was not unusual for a fleet commander to order his captains to concentrate on gun drill training above all else. Roll a D6 for every capital ship in your fleet. On a 4, 5 or 6 the ship has a +1 Leadership bonus when attempting to go onto Lock On special order. Prove the wisdom of your commands and inflict at least 1 point of damage on every enemy capital ship. (+1/-1) |
| 2 | Extended Duty: Towards the end of the Gothic War, both sides were in poor shape. Ships often went into battle still suffering from damage sustained in previous engagements, or suffering serious shortages of manpower and ammunition. Roll a D6 for each capital ship in your fleet. On a 1, it starts the battle with D3 damage points less than normal. On a 2, it suffers a -1 modifier to all Leadership tests for Lock On & Reload Ordnance special orders. On a 3+ the ship is unaffected. Destroy/cripple more points of enemy ships than you lose. (+1/0) |
| 3 | Blood Bond: Ships’ captains working together over an extended period built up a great deal of camaraderie. They would often push their crew to ever greater efforts to avenge a fallen comrade. Equally, if the fleet lost too many ships, morale would suffer badly. If one of your capital ships is crippled or destroyed, all the other capital ships in the fleet gain +1 Leadership for the next turn. Finish the battle with less than half your capital ships crippled or destroyed. (+1/-1) |
| 4 | Fleet Experience: A fleet that spent a long period under the same commander would get to know his plans and thinking. In some cases, they would even be able to predict the fleet commander’s orders. Any ship within 30 cm of your fleet commander’s ship may use his Leadership value instead of their own. Your fleet commander’s ship must survive the battle with at least 75% of its original damage left or lose the confidence of its subordinates. (+1/0) |
| 5 | No Quarter! As the war dragged on, the battle of attrition escalated to astounding proportions. Often fleets were sent in to battle with no other objective than to blast the enemy out of the stars! Cripple/destroy at least half the points value of the enemy fleet. (+1/-1) |
| 6 | Vendetta: As the war progressed, worlds were razed and populations were enslaved or killed. Enemy ships became infamous for their exploits so it was a real boost to morale if these vessels could be destroyed. Nominate one enemy capital ship to be the object of your vendetta. Cripple or destroy the nominated capital ship. (+1/-2) |
Chance Circumstances (Roll of 3-4)¶
| Score | Sub-Plot | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meteor Storm! Meteor storms were a major cause of damage to ships. Roll a D6 for each capital ship in your fleet. On a 1, 2 or 3, roll once on the Critical Damage table and apply the result to the ship at the start of the game. There are no additional victory conditions. If you can win with your fleet in such disarray it will be truly heroic, if you fail you will be condemned for your poor navigation and inability to adapt to circumstance. (+3/-2) |
||||||||||
| 2 | Signalling Problems: Due to the increased warp storms, Astropaths were frequently unable to communicate between star systems, so escort ships were used to carry orders instead. You may only use fleet commander re-rolls on squadrons that have a ship within 30 cm of your fleet commander’s ship. At least half of your fleet’s escorts must survive the battle. (+1/-1) |
||||||||||
| 3 | Unexpected Help: Many ships were used in smaller numbers as long range patrols or scout fleets. In a good many battles, one side or the other had its strength unexpectedly bolstered by being joined by one of these roving ships or squadrons. You may add a single capital ship or squadron of escort ships totalling D3×50 points to your fleet before the game begins. At least one ship from the reinforcements must survive the battle, without being crippled or destroyed, to continue its mission. (0/-2) |
||||||||||
| 4 | Navigational Hazards: Asteroid fields and gas clouds can aid or hinder a fleet, depending on how well their cover is utilised. Roll a D6.
|
||||||||||
| 5 | Fresh Captain: Ship captains who proved themselves in battle would often be re-assigned to larger, better armed vessels. This meant that the captain’s previous ship would have to spend time getting used to their new commander. Randomly select one of your capital ships (not including the fleet commander’s vessel). This ship loses -1 Leadership. The chosen ship must cripple or destroy enemy ships worth equal to or more than its own points value. (+1/-1). |
||||||||||
| 6 | Enemy Plans: Boarding parties occasionally uncovered enemy plans. Each time you launch a boarding action against an enemy capital ship, roll a D6. On a score of a 4 or more, the enemy plans have been located. Add +1 to the roll if you board the opposing fleet commander’s ship. You must capture the enemy’s battle plans. (+1/-1) |
Secret Ploys (Roll of 5-6)¶
| Score | Sub-Plot | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surprise Attack! Although many battles were decided by sheer weight of fire and big guns, an almost equal number were won by one fleet surprising another while en route to its destination. A fleet commander who could ambush his enemy in such a fashion would have to maximise his advantage, before the enemy had time to organise themselves. The enemy fleet cannot go on to special orders for the first D3 turns. There are no additional victory conditions. If you can win then your cunning strategy will be praised across the sector; if you fail you will be condemned for your hastiness and poorly thought out plan. (+2/-2) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Secret Intelligence: Spies and traitors could be found in nearly every fleet in the Gothic War. Although mostly they were only useful for informing the enemy about fleet movements at the strategic level, occasionally they could gain knowledge of the fleet commander’s battle plan just prior to an engagement and get this information to the other side. You gain an extra fleet commander re-roll for this battle. Nominate one enemy capital ship, where your informant is hiding out. You must board this ship, or make a Hit-and-Run attack on it at least once to extract the informer. (0/-1) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Experimental Ship: Both sides tried numerous ploys to gain whatever edge they could over their enemy. Strategy and tactics would be changed and one area of experiment was ship design itself. Many ships were fitted with one-off weapons, engines or shield systems and their performance was closely monitored. Even recovered ancient technology or alien artefacts were sometimes retro-fitted to a ship to change its performance in one way or another. Unfortunately, there was no perfect combination and whenever something was improved, something else had to be sacrificed to accommodate the new systems. Randomly select a capital ship in your fleet. This ship has recently been fitted with an experimental system that has yet to be tried out in the heat of battle. Roll a D6 on each of the following tables to see how the ship has been altered (re-roll the side effect if the two contradict each other):
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Desperate Mission: It was not unusual for individual ships to be detached from the main fleet to undertake special missions. This could range from transporting attack plans, to small raids, or conveying Imperial Agents such as Inquisitors and Assassins to their secret destinations. Nominate one of your capital ships as having to perform the desperate mission. You must prevent this ship from being crippled or destroyed. (+1/-1) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Decoy: There are instances throughout the war of both sides using decoy ships to distract the enemy and cause confusion. Often these decoys would be incredibly ancient, out-of-service vessels, or transports refitted to outwardly resemble warships. They would only have a skeleton crew and their objective would be to attract enemy fire and divert the enemy’s attention away from your real warships. You may include an extra capital ship in your fleet. However, this vessel really has the characteristics of a transport ship. Do not tell your opponent which of your ships is the decoy until it is fired upon or fires itself. The decoy is worth zero victory points. If the enemy fires with a capital ship at the decoy, then your ploy has succeeded. If he does not, then you have failed. (+1/-1) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Hit-and-Run: Although the war was a constant battle of attrition, speed was vital on occasion. If a fleet could hit hard and fast, it could attain its objectives before nearby enemy ships could react. If an attack could be quickly repulsed, then a swift counter-attack could scatter or destroy an enemy fleet. Roll 2D6. This is the number of turns you have in which to win the game. If you have not won within this time limit then you have failed in your sub-plot, as your victory will not be as useful to the fleet. (+1/-1) |