+ Prelude to battle: Breakout from Porto Kalis +

+ Prelude to battle: Breakout from Porto Kalis +

It is late 988.M41, Rynn's World, Loki Sector; seven months into the siege of New Rynn City. Crimson Fist commander Pedro Kantor's masterful defence of the capital is nearing breaking point as ammunition and supplies dwindle further.

Despite the hardship, refugees continue to trickle into the city via the eastern estuary, arriving in tiny boats, dinghies and personal yachts. Some bear word that the resistance in Porto Kalis is reluctantly preparing to abandon what remains of the city. The forces there, while wearied, are rumoured to have successfully defended the warehouse district. The possibility of recovering badly-needed supplies while safeguarding an evacuation is too great an opportunity for Kantor to miss.

Though their absence will be sorely missed from the walls of New Rynn City, Kantor orders Brevet-Captain Grimstone to take Taskforce Cerulean Rampart to Porto Kalis on a critical retrieval mission.

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No sooner has Grimstone emerged from the shallows into the warehouse district than he is confronted – then welcomed – by sentries. The rumours are true; a retreat has been prepared. However, further intelligence indicates that a high-profile ork leader – Target-designate Rapture – has been sighted little more than two kilometres into Porto Kalis' centre.

Grimstone is left with the difficult choice of following orders and holding tight, or acting with initiative to take the opportunity to degrade ork morale and capability in the region – and potentially loosen the ork stranglehold on New Rynn City itself. 

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+ Drawing up battle-plans +

+ Time for another battle report! This is another skirmish between the Imperial forces of Rynn's World, and the might of the Orks of Charadon. Both Bob Hunk and myself have painted up some extra bits and bobs, so we're going to play a 25 Power game to show off the new stuff – and play around with the gang's new city terrain, too. +

+ Since Bob Hunk won the last game – the Battle for Geostation Erpes, which is detailed here: [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+] – he gets to choose the mission. Depending on whether Grimstone chooses to Hold or Raid, we'll have a different mission: 

+ Hold: Secure vital supplies

As the surviving Porto Kalis Resistance loads the river barges with sorely-needed ammunition, food and refugees, the Crimson Fists stand sentry. As the orks close in, it becomes clear that that the orks will overrun the line, and Grimstone orders all but the final barge to escape. Grimstone must balance the duty he owes the Resistance against the duty he owes his brethren, and determine how much of the life-saving supplies he is willing to leave to the barbarous invaders.

THE BATTLEFIELD
The ork player creates the battlefield and set up terrain. 

DEPLOYMENT
Dawn of War (long board edges). The Crimson Fist player picks one deployment zone for their army. The players alternate placing as many SUPPLIES (crates and barrels) as possible in the 12in space between the Crimson Fists and the Orks. The Crimson Fist player then deploys all their units wholly within their deployment zone. The Ork player then deploys all of his units within the other deployment zone. 

FIRST TURN
The ork player takes first turn, unless the Crimson Fist player can seize the initiative.

SUPPLIES
An INFANTRY model can carry a Supplies token by moving into contact with it – that model then automatically picks it up. From that point, the Supplies token remains with the model (move the Supplies token with the model to show this) until it is dropped, which only happens if the model is slain or flees. A model with a Supplies token cannot embark in a TRANSPORT, leave the battlefield, or move further than 9" in any single phase for any reason.

VICTORY CONDITIONS
Each Supplies token held by a friendly model is worth 1VP to the ork player, or 2VPs to the Crimson Fists player. The ork player gains an extra 5VPs if his forces have twice as many Supplies tokens as the Crimson Fists player by the end of the game.

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+ Raid: Degrade and Eliminate – Target Rapture + 

Making best use of changing strategic conditions, Grimstone elects to lead his forces in a determined strike of opportunity. Their primary aim: destroy the greenskin's front-line listening posts and thus disrupt the bombardment of New Rynn City. Secondly, to enact a measure of vengeance by eliminating the ork designated Rapture.

THE BATTLEFIELD
The ork player creates the battlefield and set up terrain. 

DEPLOYMENT
Front-line Assault (chevron deployment, long board edges) The ork player picks one deployment zone for their army and deploys all their units wholly within it. The Crimson Fist player then deploys all of his units within the other deployment zone.

FIRST TURN
The Crimson Fist player nominates three objectives (the Listening Posts) within 6in of a line running across the centre of the table, and takes first turn. 

TACTICAL OBJECTIVES
Asymmetric Warfare: The Crimson Fist player's mission uses Tactical Objectives, with the following cards removed from the deck: 14, 15, 16, 24, 25, 26, 34, 35, 36, 43, 44, 56, 62, 63, 66. 

Rather than generating a hand, the Crimson Fist Player puts 61 (Kingslayer) to one side. He then creates two hands of cards, organised as he pleases. Each hand must contain at least four cards. The Ork player then selects one hand, sight unseen, to be used in the battle (the other is discarded). Add 61 (Kingslayer) to the hand in use. 

BATTLE LENGTH
At the end of battle round 5, the Crimson Fist player must roll a D6. On a roll of 3+, the game continues, otherwise the game is over. At the end of battle round 6, the Ork player must roll a D6. This time the game continues on a roll of 4+, otherwise the game is over. The battle automatically ends at the end of battle round 7.

VICTORY CONDITIONS
All objectives are active for the Crimson Fists player from turn one onwards. 

The ork player gains 1VP at the end of the game for each Crimson Fist model killed, as long as he has control of at least one Listening Post. If he has no Listening Postss, the ork player instead scores 3VP for each Crimson Fist unit completely destroyed.