SCENARIO - THE BATTLE AT THE FARM
The battle at the farm represents a typical encounter between a group of Orks and a force of Space Marines. The battle has been designed to introduce players and gamemasters to Warhammer 40,000 and can be easily resolved during a single evening. You will need one persona to act as GM and two players, one to represent Orks and the other Space Marines. Apart from a tabletop you will need a few scenic features and models. Scenery can be improvised using books if you wish whilst you can use the counters provided instead of models. The counters have been printed into the book, and rather than cut your copy of Warhammer 40,000 we would suggest photocopying the page and gluing the sheet onto a piece of card. You can make as many counters as you like, and can always make some more if the originals get tatty.Like all battles, this one has a story to it. Similarly, every game should have a storyline or plot - the outcome of which will depend on the result of the battle itself. The story and all game details are referred to simply as the scenario.
THE PLAYERS' BRIEF
Before every game the gamemaster should prepare a written brief for each player and one for himself too. Each player's brief contains all the information the player would know if he were the commander on the spot - so all the GM needs to do is present players with their own brief and allow them to read it. A brief contains a description of the background tot he scenario, a run down of the situation represented by the battle, profiles for the player's own troops, details of weapons, equipment, and objectives for the game. Having a written brief allows the player to keep an accurate check of his forces, and makes it unnecessary for the GM to keep on explaining important details. The brief also makes it easy for each player to keep his own details and objectives confidential. For this reason it is important that players see only their own brief. Sometimes the GM will need to discuss a detail with a player, or the player may wish clarification on some point, in which case the GM and the player can leave the room to avoid giving anything away to the opposition. Another useful feature of the written brief is that it can be used to record details during the game, and notes about the battle afterwards. If players or GM keep old briefs, an interesting record of each battle can be maintained for future reference.
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GAMEMASTER'S BRIEF
The GM's brief simply records all the details of the game not given in the player's briefs. The brief for The Battle at the Farm is quite detailed. When you invent your own scenarios you will find you can remember most of the information, and all you will need are a few notes to 'jog' your memory. Whereas the player's briefs describe the situation from the point of view of the individual commander, the GM's brief describes the situation as it really is. There is no reason why a player's brief can't contain deliberately misleading or wrong information - but the GM's brief must be accurate! When playing a scenario written by someone else (as in the battle that follows) the GM's brief must be extremely thorough.
WHAT THE GM MUST DO
Read through the entire scenario at least once. As the GM you must be familiar with the basic details of the game and the troops involved. It is your responsibility to arrange the time and place of the game with the player's and to prepare the tabletop for action. This scenario has been designed so that you need only a little scenery. If necessary, you can always improvise by using books to represent hills, card to represent walls or ruins, and plasticine to represent anything else you want! Set up the table before the players arrive, and make sure you have all the paperwork to hand out. There are three 'brief sheets'; one for you as the GM, and one for each player. Each brief sheet contains all the information the GM or player requires in order to play the game.63
Don’t forget, you will need dice, rulers, tape measures, pencils/pens and scrap paper. If your game is going to go on into the evening, make sure you have access to some sort of refreshments – you can ask your players to contribute by bringing something along.
When the players arrive, present them with their briefs. Players must be allowed ten minutes to read through them and thoroughly digest their contents. It is important that the player’s remain unaware of the details of their opponent’s brief. If players have any questions the GM can answer them now, before the game starts. If may be necessary to take a player aside to answer any confidential questions.
BEGINNING THE GAME
The Marine player begins with his troops effectively out of sight in the buildings, or other wise hidden. Models do not, therefore, have to be placed on the table from the start. Before play begins the player may record the positions of his troops on a copy of the map – however he is still obliged to place his troops as indicated on the dispositions map. Once a model has fired, or moved within sight of an enemy, it is placed on the table; otherwise models can be moved secretly and their positions recorded. Because the game is fairly open you won’t have to do much recording.The game starts with the Ork player moving his troops onto the battlefield. They can appear anywhere along the eastern table edge, and do not have to come on at once. Units may be kept in reserve and moved on to the table during a later turn if the player wishes. Only whole units may be kept back in this way. All troops measure their first move from the table’s edge.
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ENDING THE GAME
The game will probably end with the total defeat of one side – with all the Orks or Marines dead or routed. Troops routing from the table take no further part in the game. However, any Orks that escape the battle could conceivably fetch reinforcements and prevent the Marines from reaching New Rynn City. This could be pointed out tot he Marine player as an incentive to prevent Orks from escaping, but so long as no Ork personalities escape you can assume routers desert, get lost or are unable to remember exactly where they were when the battle took place.If the Orks win they return to their base bearing suitable trophies – including Pedro Cantor’s head. Thrugg Bullneck’s victory is brought to the attention of no less a person than Warlord Snagrod, he is elevated to Captain of Charadon and given command of the force besieging New Rynn City. The fate of the jewels remains a mystery – but both Thrugg and Hruk may be seen sporting new armor and weapons.
If the Space Marines win they press on with all haste to the city. The Ork siege lines are scattered and remote, and there is still some fighting going on in the unwalled sections (part of the shantytowns normally occupied by the poorer classes). The Marines easily avoid
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THE GM’S BRIEF
Introduction. The invasion of Rynns World by the Ork Warlord Snagrod the Arch-arsonist of Charadon came as no surprise to anyone. In fact, Snagrods eternal boasting about his conquests of the neighboring system of Badlanding had come tot he attention of even Commander Pedro Cantor, Chapter Master of the Crimson Fist Space Marines. But, in common with the rest of the population, the Marine leader had always maintained that ‘it couldn’t happen here’, and that ‘no stinking little Ork Warlord is going to mess with the Crimson Fists.’ Also in common with the rest of the populace he was dead wrong.If Cantor had taken the Ork’s threats a little more seriously things might have been different. If the planets defense missiles had not fallen tot he ground directly on top of the Marine’s Arsenal things might have been very different indeed. For one thing, Cantor wouldn’t be holed up for the night in a burnt out farm, waiting for an opportune moment to sneak into New Rhynn City – the largest settlement on the world and the only one still in human hands. The Ork patrols had passed increasingly frequently as the surviving Marines approached the city, and it was inevitable that sooner or later they would have to fight. Our battle recreates that conflict, a typical small encounter such as might take place in any battlezone. The sides are Orks and Space Marines, but might equally well be Eldar or any other antagonists described in the Background section.
The situation. Commander Pedro Cantor and the survivors of the disaster at the Marine base are trying to get to New Rhynn city – the last city still in human hands. For a description of the Space Marine forces see the Player’s Brief. They are only 5 kilometers away from the city walls: finding Ork patrols numerous and alert they hid overnight in an abandoned farm. Meanwhile Ork Leader Thrugg Bullneck leads his weary patrol directly for the farm – the rest of the patrol believing this to be a regular assignment. In fact, Thrugg has been here before, when the farm was originally attacked and its homesteaders slaughtered. During the massacre Thrugg found and hid what he believes to be a great treasure of precious stones. Only one of his patrol knows of this (Sergeant Hruk) and the plan is to recover the treasure and split it between them. The two forces clash totally unexpectedly, and a fierce battle ensues in which the objective is survival (although Thrugg and Hruk probably have other things in mind!)
The battleground. See the map for details. The farm lies in ruins following the initial assault some days earlier. The main building has survived only as a shell of broken walls about 1½ meters high. It is built of stone. Outhouses and cattlepens exist only as low stone walls. The small jadeberry orchard is largely intact, providing what little cover exists in the basically open battlefield. A low hill (Bultha’s Rise) protects the farm buildings from prevailing winds, upon its top are the remains of the farm’s wind powered electricity generator.
Main building – a rectagular series of walls counting as obstacles to cross and as hard cover to troops behind them.
Walls – obstacles and hard cover.
Orchard – counts as a wood and consequently difficult ground.
Wreckage of generator – counts as an obstacle and hard cover.
Dispositions. The Space Marines start the game within the main building where they have been sleeping. Make a copy of the dispositions map and present it to the Marine player with his brief. The 3 sentries (split 1 man units, 1 from each of the main units) are positioned as indicated on the dispositions map. It is the east sentry that first sees the Orks and communicates the alarm tot he remaining troops. The Orks enter play on the eastern table edge. At this point the Orks do no know the farm is occupied, and Thrugg’s uppermost thought must be entering the main building and recovering his booty. However, the player must be righlty suspicious and will probably want to advance cautiosuly to see if the farm hides enemy troops.
Victory conditions. The Space Marines must slay all of their opponents to prevent them from informing other Orks of their presence. Thrugg and Hruk are only interested in their treasure. To recover this they must spend 1 entire game turn alone in the main building – stuffing the jewels into their pockets and packs. Alternatively, one Ork can recover the loot in 2 turns. To win the game, the Ork player must recover the jewels and either Hruk or Thrugg must survive. If the Ork player elects to communicate the Marines’ whereabouts and succeeds he will be ordered to stand back and await reinforcements. Once he has done this the Marines have 4+D6 turns in which tot leave the table by the eastern edge. Any troops failing to do this are caught by an overwhelmingly superior force of Orks and slain automatically. Once this time limit is up Thrugg has blown his last chance of recovering the jewels – the Ork in charge of the relief force decides to build a parking lot on the site!
Many players prefer to gauge how well they have done in terms of ‘victory points’. These must be worked out by the GM before the game and are an optional system. They make no difference to the game. One advantage of using this system is that you can get a result if you agree to play for a set number of turns, without necessarily having to finish the game. The victory points for the players in this game are as follows.
| Marine | Each surviving Marine | 1 |
| Commander Cantor survives | 5 | |
| All Orks slain | 5 | |
| All Orks either slain or routed | 3 | |
| Orks | Each surviving Ork | ½ |
| Hruk survives | 2 | |
| Thrugg survives | 3 | |
| Treasure recovered | 5 | |
| Marines all slain or routed | 3 | |
| Situation communicated to base | 1 |
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