Deathwatch 40K rpg - Game 2 - Final Sanction continues

Following the killteams introduction with the Imperial Assassin Syndalla the marines headed back out, into the rain soaked sprawl of Lordsholm.

The trio briefly discussed heading further into the Portica District to support in the defense of the primary PDF base, but Brother Varin asserted his Ultramarine command and the trio set off for one of their primary objectives, the Astropathic message and Lord Governor..

Trekking through the city, the marines made few contacts with the enemy.  Those they did encounter scattered into shattered stores or fled down alleyways, now little more than garbage clogged streams under the heavy rainfall.  The killteam made it to the border of the Magistria District where a large white washed wall separated the nobility from the common classes of Lordsholm.  Brother Angus activated his Jump Pack and perched upon the high wall surveying the district.  Clean cobble stoned roads crisscrossed between fenced multi storied town houses. Street lamps illuminated park benches, hedges and flower beds where the cities fortunate dwelt. Magistria was certainly separate to the rest of Lordsholm.  In the distance another set of walls partitioned the Governor's palace and within its confines the Astropath's Tower of Echoes jutted into the dark sky like an alabaster needle.

With Varin and Rafen keeping pace on the ground and Angus scouting from atop the district wall, the marines circumvented it's length finding a heavily barricaded gate.  With joint effort they hauled the debris aside and made their way into Magistria. 

As the three marines stalked through the streets they saw little evidence of the rebellion.  Isolated pockets of graffiti or vandalism marked some properties but nothing else stirred amongst the darkened homes. 

Arriving at the palace gate they finally found signs of life.  Guardsmen in heavy coats sheltered within the shadow of the palace walls.  As the towering marines stalked out of the darkness the guards broke into panic but shifted to nervous compliance when the killteam identified themselves.  With little coercion required the guards informed the marines that the Governor had sheltered all the nobility within the Palace and currently they are enjoying a party to distract themselves from the cities plight.  This was not well received by the Astartes who swept past the guards and headed across the graveled driveway to the opulent buildings which formed the Governor's residence.

The house guards had been informed and failed miserably to hide from the Astartes by hiding behind large plants flanking the main doors.  Nervously they revealed themselves and did their best to compose themselves when confronted by the super humans.  Varin and Angus demanded to know the Governor's whereabouts while Rafen loomed at the edge of the entrances illumination.  One of the Guardsmen found his mettle and invited the marines to follow him, throwing open the Palace doors and striding in.  The trio followed the guard through the sprawling residence, staff and menials concealing themselves in doorways or making themselves scarce in a hurried manner.  As the sound of orchestral music and varied conversation bled down a grand hall the marines knew they had found their 'host'.

The marines strode through the doors finding themselves in a massive conservatory filled with dozens of Lordsholm's rich .  An ornate lattice work of rafters made up the ceiling flowing down to a semi circle of 5 meter tall glass panels, these looked out across the lawns and gardens of the palace grounds to the Tower of Echoes which sat atop the highest point of what made up a clifftop border of the property.  As the party guests looked on the new arrivals with wide eyes and gaping mouths all conversation halted, the string quartet abruptly stopping their melody.  Through the transfixed throng pushed a middle aged man.  A bald head topped his solid form where years of fine living had given to a widened mid section, clad in a royal blue coat, barely fastened with gold Aquila clasps."What is the meaning of this?" barked Lord-Governor Perian Thorsholt through a grey flecked moustache and goatee.  As Brother Angus began a tirade against the Governor, Varin tried to interrupt when dark alien forms dropped from the rafters into the crowd. 

Screams erupted from the nobility along with fountains of blood as the xenos began tearing them apart.  Varin hoisted his boltgun up trying to sight a xenos amongst the throng while Angus thumbed the activation stud on his chainsword and Rafen harnessed warp energy, violet lightning playing over his gauntlets.  Thorsholt grabbed a startled bodyguard and shoved them towards a servants entrance, making an escape as the first Genestealer burst from the crowd at the Astartes.  Varin fired a burst of mass reactive shells into the alien beast, gravely wounded it before it landed where Angus hauled the razor teeth of his chainsword across its form finishing it.  As more Genestealers charged, Varin saw a beast tear through the doorway where Thorsholt had fled.  Urging Angus and Rafen to hold the attackers Varin went after the Governor.  Glass shattered and some of the crowd fled the atrium out into the storm with aliens in pursuit.  With psychic lightning and blade the Stormwarden and Blood Angel engaged the remaining Genestealers.  The Xenos proved a more dangerous foe than the hordes of rebels they had been able to wade through. Claws, diamond sharp rent and pierced power armour while weaving away from chainsword and force sword strikes.  Angus shifted stance and made initial attacks with his combat knife then following with his lethal chainsword when the aggressors were mid dodge.  Rafen used his ornate force sword to parry aside rending claws while lashing the genestealers with his psychic might.

Varin crashed through the doorway, its frame not made to accommodate his power armour.  As wood splintered he saw the genestealer launch from the carpeted floor to the wood panelled wall, springing off that to tear down an outclassed guardsmen.  Thorsholt spared a glance at the guards demise and cursed profusely almost crashing into a transfixed member of the kitchen staff who had obliviously wandered into the passage.  Varin kept moving, his shoulder pads scraping furrows into each wall.  Drawing his boltgun up he stitched bolt rounds at his target clipping it.  The Genestealer shifted its bulk swiftly, spinning around and rasping through its opened maw in challenge.  As Varin made to fire again the beast charged, smashing Varin into the wooden wall.  The Ultramarine spat his hate at the race which had scoured Macragge and smashed his boltgun across its inhuman face.  Massive alien claws found purchase on black power armour while Varin sought to put some distance between his target.  A las shot scored a mark in the wall near the genestealers head and it whipped its head about to screech at Thorsholt who held an ornate laspistol defiantly at it.  This distraction allowed Varin to step back, pumping four bolts at close range straight into the creature.  The carapace buckled and exploded as the round detonated, painting the hallway in alien ichor.  As Thorsholt warily approached Varin through the alien remains Angus peered into the narrow corridor, gore still falling from his chainblade.  "You alright Brother Varin?" he inquired in a cheery manner.
Varin answered positively and with Thorsholt in tow returned to the conservatory to survey the nobility's casualties and make for the Astropath's tower.

In this second session the players made use of squad mode when the genestealers revealed themselves in the Atrium.  Cody benefited with Varin getting to take overwatch shots but Womble and Stu failed their command checks and as the Governor was fleeing they opted to stay in solo mode.  Combat shifted nicely to one on one fights with a dangerous foe, really emphasising the difference between the masses breaking over a power armoured legio and a real individual challenge.  Stu still opted to use his psychic powers in a restrained manner, not willing to 'push' them yet...

Deathwatch 40K rpg - Final Sanction

So after our 'evil' Pathfinder game came to a messy bleeding end at the hands of a Paladin and Mystic Theurge, it was high time I sat back in the GM chair after taking a long break - thank you Womble.

So what did the boys want to play?  We had burned out on Pathfinder/D&D which was fair enough after not really progressing that well through the last couple of campaign attempts.  After looking over the rpg book laden shelves, Deathwatch was suggested and quickly agreed upon.

We were already familiar with the system as we have played Rogue Trader a bit so I only had the Horde and Solo/Squad modes rules to go over.  That weekend we got together and made the Battle Brothers up in preparation for the following regular Tuesday night game time.

Stu made Rafen, a Blood Angel Librarian.  Cody had Varin an Ultramarine Tactical specialist and Womble had Angus, yes Angus!  the Stormwarden Assault Marine.  Now in regards to the Stormwarden's name, Womble and I read up on the Stormwardens and they seem to have a Celtic theme.  After the other two had selected their names from the samples found on their chapter lists, Womble asked if their was any name similar to Angus, low and behold yes there was in the middle of the samples, Angus in fact... so that is why we have Battle Brother Angus complete with an accent to rival that of Fat Bastards.

'

By the time we were ready to play I had nabbed the sample adventure from Fantasy Flight found here.  I always find it helpful to run a pregenerated adventure to start with.  The Fantasy Flight ones in particular ease the GM and players into the extra rules of the game and provide a great example to structure original missions on.  The adventure Final Sanction is set in the sprawling canal choked industrial city of Lordsholm on the Agri-world of Avalos which I am transplanting from the original locale to the Quintas Maelstrom so I can connect the future narrative to the 40k campaign.

The Deathwatch killteam are searching for Inquisitor Kalistradi with whom the Ordo Xenos has lost contact with.  The players enjoyed a very cool introduction which was provided where their transport frigate was assaulted by Tyranid vanguard bio-ships, the Killteam launching their drop pod at the city below.  The drop pod crashed through the roof of a large Imperial chapel and on egress discovered a PDF platoon under siege by rebel forces.

Straight away the players got to experience dealing with Hordes in the game where damage the players cause reduce the magnitude of the enemy horde until they cause the enemy to break from combat or disband.  This is where explosive weapons and flamers excel as they reduce the Hordes effectiveness rapidly. 

So striding out of the chapel into the midst of awe struck guardsmen the Killteam engaged the enemy.  With rain pounding down on their ceramite Varin took position alongside the humans sheltering behind fallen statuary with his bolt gun, Rafen drew forth psychic energy and gathered lightning in his gauntlets while Brother Angus primed his jump pack and launched into the dark sky to enter the killing ground about the defenders.  The rebel forces engaged in waves with numerous crazed wretches surging about Angus and making for the chapel.  Varin unleashed fully automatic bolter fire, the mass reactive shells detonating in the soft tissue of his targets.  Rafen released his psychic power, the lightning dancing amongst the rain soaked attackers.  Angus burst upwards from the surrounding horde dropping a frag grenade which exploded in a fiery ball throwing corpses about like rag dolls, all the while PDF las shots peppered the oncoming forces while stub rifles barked back.

A bellow sounded from a gene enhanced goliath, some labourer nearing the height of the Astartes.  A cheer roared from the rebel forces and the brute triggered a stolen chainsword and charged at Angus.  Brother Angus met the weapon with his own chainblade and made short and bloody work of  his opponent to the dismay of the rebels who broke and scattered back to their fellows in the ruined buildings about the chapel.

As the next horde surged forwards heavy stubber fire raked the PDF soldiers.  Brother Varin called the defenders to hold their position and surveyed the dark structures for the weapon teams.  Angus plowed into the new wave breaking rebels with combat blade and whirring chain teeth.  Librarian Rafan vaulted over the defenses and ran to join Angus, summoning psychic flame.  As Angus lobbed another frag grenade into the ravenous horde and Rafan ignited them with sheets of psychic flame, Varin spotted the enemy stubber teams atop a ruined tower 80 metres across the corpse strewn grounds from the chapel.  Voxing his squad mates Varin fired suppressing shots at the stubbers.  Angus acknowledged the enemy location and burst skywards again descending with crushing force into the enemies about the base of the tower while Rafan held back the rebel advance with Avenging fire.

Varin felled rebels with expert bolt fire allowing Angus to prime a krak grenade at the towers base and as he jump packed to safety the explosion compromised the already unstable structure.  Debris crashed down on the remaining rebels, burying them under tons of wood and steel.  The few surviving rebels fled the chapel grounds disappearing into the ruined Lordsholm streets.

The Battle brothers rejoined at the chapel and were addressed by the PDF officer Captain Ascote who urged them to join him in the chapels interior.  Once inside with rain falling through the hole made by the drop pods entry, the Captain's form shifted and morphed before the marines eyes into a slender female form, that of a Callidus Assasin.  Syndalla introduced herself as an ally of Inquisitor Kalistradi and told the marines she had not seen the Inquisitor since fighting broke out weeks ago.  The Inquisitor's agents had been here in Lordsholm investigating a Genestealer cult when the uprising erupted in violent fury.  Kalistradi had gone off in search of the terrible xenos Broodlord who was exerting it's alien will over the corrupted rebel forces.  Syndalla urged the marines seek out and exterminate the Broodlord, send an Astropathic message from the Tower of Echoes before the greater Hive forces arrived in system and ascertain the location and well being of the Planetary Governor Perian Thorsholt.

That was all the first night and the three players really seemed to enjoy it - you could tell as Cody hardly played with his phone ;)  I must say for a game system, it is one I really enjoyed running and should continue to do so.  The abstract horde mode works really well if you convey the setting and enemy well.  I found myself imagining rebel bodies being flung about as torrential rain poured down, fires burning in ruined buildings providing a backdrop.  The fact that we all play 40k and most of us have read multiple Horus Heresy books didn't hurt either as the boys took to their Astartes roles extremely well.  A lot of reference to the Space Marine video game was made too. Talking to Cody a couple days after the first game, I said that I had pictured Lordsholm looking like Dunwall from the Dishonoured video game and he said that's what he had imagined as well. nice the description I gave worked out then. 

The system lets the players play the marines as they should be, warriors able to plow through normal human forces like the juggernauts they should be.  They did find out in our next session what a real enemy can do if it gets it's claws on them though.