Warp Rift #24.pdf

WARP RIFT

ISSUE 24

HORIZON

THE BATTLEFLEET GOTHIC NETZINE

FROM THE NEXUS PUBLISHING HOUSE

Warp Rit is not endorsed, nor does it endorse, Games Workshop, and it is not an oicial publication of Games Workshop. Any words, phrases or images are

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DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY DIRECT FROM THE OFFICIAL WEB SITE, AT:

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DISCUSS AND TALK ABOUT WARP RIFT AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATION:

WARP RIFT FORUM

READ THE WARP RIFT BLOG FOR NEWS UPDATES AND EXTRA MATERIAL HERE:

WARP RIFT BLOG

+++ SUBMISSIONS +++

+++ WARP RIFT PUBLICATION TEAM +++

All types of article are desperately needed, to keep this publication alive. In some cases,

submission includes inclusion on the web site at: www.epic40k.co.uk, or through www.

tacticalwargames.net. Please include a note with your submission if you would like this

clariied. Submission via e-mail implies approval for publication.

Roy (Horizon) Amkreutz

Void Stalker II

Iain (Cybershadow)

Watcher in the Dark

Ray Bell

Admirality

Reg Steiner

Tyranid War Veteran

SEND YOUR SUBMISSIONS TO:

Davide ‘Kratz’ Ferrari

Warmaster

horizon@epic40k.co.uk

Jack Watling

Magician

warprit@epic40k.co.uk

CREDITS:

Cover Picture

Jack Watling

SEND YOUR BATTLE REPORTS TO:

Additional Graphics & Pictures: Phoenix-06, Egptoid-blogspot, Jack

Watling, Roy Amkreutz, Mechmaster, Lord Chronos

Davide@epic40k.co.uk

WARP RIFT • ISSUE TWENTYFOUR • MAY / JUNE 2009

+ OPENING A TOMB +

+++ WARP RIFT BLOG +++

ISSUE TWENTYFOUR – CONTENT:

Welcome,

You can check out our blog at the following

location:

ENCYCLOPEDIA GOTHICA

And inally I can announce the new location of

Specialist Games:

http://www.sg.tacticalwargames.net/

Necron essay

http://www.players.tacticalwargames.net/tiki-

view_blog.php?blogId=10

WoT - for standard games

Heavy escorts

And the forum:

http://www.sg.tacticalwargames.net/forum/

+++ WARP RIFT FORUM +++

SHOWCASE

Battleleet Limante

Hopefully we will see an access to the old data

very soon but that seems to be a real problem.

Check out the Warp Rift forum at:

http://www.tacticalwargames.net/forums/index.

cgi?act=SF;f=89

HIGH ADMIRALITY

With Warp Rit I can bring you another host of

great articles. he High Admirality gives us a view

on torpedoes while Reg Steiner tries to clarify

some points on his simultanuous movement and

combat system.

Warp Rit staf members Reg and Ray are

responsible for the Encyclopedia section, talking

about Necrons, WoT and escorts.

Torpedoes

+++ GOTHICOMP 2009 +++

TACTICAL COMMAND

A: Simultanuous movement

GothiComp 2009 is up an running. You have untill july

31 to enter your submissions to this online painting

competition.

OFFICER’S MESS

A Tyranid War Chapter 10 pt.1

In the Void Stalker section we have the hidden

scenario from the Project Distant Darkness -

revival - ruleset. I felt it a good time to publish

as the irst supplement to the Project, called ‘he

Art of Command’ is being geared towards a late

summer release.

Here is the email adress for your submissions:

comps@tacticalwargames.net

VOID STALKER

Falling Down

Looking forward to see all the glorious entries! For a

full article on GothiComp check out Warp Rift 23.

THE FORGE

Horizon

Ordnance markers pt.1

And a special thanks to Rodrigo Barbera

(GothiComp 2005 conversion winner) for making

the wonderful markers in the Forge available.

Next issue even more markers!

THE CLOSING PAGE

Fire Everything

http://phoenix-06.deviantart.com/gallery/

at your service,

Horizon

NECRONS IN BFG

BY REG STEINER

Answering the question: “What do you think

about … “ is a walk in a mineield for everybody.

However, having been asked, I will try to eventually

make a point. First, some background, as I build

around my ideas.

with ‘layers’ of critical hit damage from swarms

of hit and run attacks, added a most unwelcome

dimension to the games. Who wants to take part

in games where one player has no chance at all?

We were all back to our Eldar, Ork, Imperial, and

Chaos leets very soon. he Necron models we

built never let the box.

on Nova cannon numbers, and the ‘oicial’

alternative to guessing ranges. Also, no restrictions

on ‘carriers’ in play. Arguments about ‘arms

races’ lost out to the idea that empires adapt or

die. Meaning that whatever was necessary would

be sent to battle such a dangerous enemy as the

Necron proved to be.

Starting with the Battle Fleet Gothic magazine

#2, everyone including myself wanted to try this

alien leet for size. Everyone wants a tough as nails

force to game with, whatever game. he Necrons

looked nasty, as introduced. But our group was

unable to get our hands on models. Local stores

had no interest in an unknown product to attempt

to sell, having been ‘stuck’ with unpopular new

releases before this. We decided to build our own.

I had written some iction, describing rather more

simplistic ship designs, that our gang wanted to use

as a ‘test medium’ for Necron leets. he ‘same as’

rule can cover a lot of options we had to consider.

When the Armada book came out, we quickly

found where some weapons had been dropped from

Necron ships, and a couple of other minor changes.

Speed, of escorts, was unchanged. At 50cm move

each phase, they had no fear of Imperial ordinance,

which plods along at a mere 30cm per phase.

Necron Escorts just ‘buzz around’ any assault boats

that might eliminate them. So layers of critical hits

still pile on any Necron opponents. With all the

debate about “too powerful” Nova Cannon, and

the resulting attempts to restrict Nova cannon

use, and other ordinance use as well, what means

is there to counter Necron abilities? A Necron

escort that conducts hit and run attacks has a clear

ield. he Necron vessels in the Armada book still

‘turned of ’ players in our group. You could bring

Necrons to a game session, and everyone would

admire the paint work, but nobody is going give a

Necron player a game.

Ater several games between those two (I had to

referee - my ‘luck’ with Nova cannons cursed me.),

the results were as predicted. A lot more Imperial

irepower had to be brought in, for the Imperial

player to gain a victory over the Necron. he ability

to pile on the critical hits with impunity, from hit

and run attacks, remained a game spoiler.

In another essay, I told of this group’s piratical

desire to board and take possession or enemy ships.

he boarding actions versus hit and run rules, I

drew up, grew out of collective dissatisfaction with

the very concept of hit and run attacks, as outlined

in BFG.

he last straw was the disengagement rules.

Everyone else faces destruction. he Necron

merely sail away, unimpeded.

he inal judgment of out group was that the Necron

leet was not worth purchasing. Too powerful, as

written. We did not wish to waste hard to come

by cash for a leet other players refuse to compete

against.

he Necron leets were speedily built of balsa wood

and Styrofoam, with an eye toward making cruiser

sized vessels near the size of Imperial cruisers, and

battleships nearly the same as Imperial battleships,

and so on. he ‘battle stations’ we created were

unlike anything in any source material from GW.

hey did help to amplify the resulting situation,

however.

Very shortly, no one wished to contend against

Necron ships or leets. Even without the

too-powerful battle stations included. he

combination of weapons, defense, and speed could

not be overcome. Psychic attacks, cutting Necron

opponent’s chances of return attacks, coupled

Too many negatives added up. Alternating turns

ampliied the disparity, with no way to respond to

the damage heaped onto one’s forces, because it

isn’t your turn yet.

I did talk two fellows into a game or two, using

unmodiied rules. hat is, no Imperial restrictions

So there is the problem. Even I see no use in playing

against a Necron leet. he chance of success is too

slim for any enjoyment.

return ire, and still have a Necron ‘victory’. he

scenario conditions need be met, not just victory

points from an early hit, and disengagement to win

games. Of course not all scenarios can be won this

way, but an interesting number of Necron players

know which ones to play. Make the disengagement

rule costlier for the sake of the over-all game

community.

All this leads to the question: “How would I bring

the Necron vessels into the game?”

Assuming that the original rules are used, without

house rules governing Nova guns and ordinance,

some re-design of the Necron leet is needed. I

hesitate to get into re-design, but to get the Necron

ships ‘out of the box’ and into games, things can’t

be let as is.

remaining.

With these changes, the nuts and bolts of using the

Necron leet will be easier for everyone to digest

and use. And game against.

I have to re-state again that the Nova cannon and

carriers of ordinance need to have the artiicial

restrictions removed altogether. If a Necron leet

player wants to actually achieve some goal other

than shooting up the enemy leet, then the gauntlet

of some early hits must be run, and without

‘disengaging’ with the irst damage sufered.

Eldar and Dark Eldar players already have the

means to give a good ight, and with the above

changes, even a better chance of crushing some

Necron pyramids. With irepower repaired and

restored to the Imperial players, and so a greater

chance in most scenarios, hesitation to take on

Necron leets should fade. Ork players may even

refrain from ram attacks only, and try other ways

to ‘lay the guns on’ Necron ships. Could happen.

hird, ‘Psychic’ attacks. With all the ‘psychic’

attacks and defenses all over the 40k gaming

landscape, why is this one indefensible? he

command check part is insuicient. he reference

to all ordinance being destroyed is interpreted

to be all the time, even if the sepulcher is in use

against another ship. I would drop the reference

to the sepulcher, altogether. Or design a defense

ships can bring to the battle. Every race has

psychic attack ability. Some attempts to use Ork

weird boys in BFG failed the test of playability, as

well. Easier to drop the whole ‘psychic attack’ idea

from BFG, says I.

First, top speed for Necron escorts should be 40cm.

Personally, I feel this is too fast still, but making

a race ‘distinct’, and not just re-hashed, reworded

Imperial weapon types and ship types, requires

stretching playability just a little.

I stayed away from tinkering with the ‘weapons

attacks’ parts of the Necron leets, because the

above changes should remove the most irritants

from Necron games, and dealing with a lot of

deadly irepower is supposed to be part of the

challenge.

Second, drop the ‘Hit-and-Run’ ability for an

escort class ship. If ighting for possession of the

ship is beyond BFG gamer’s willingness, then give

this escort a nasty torpedo style mass-driver attack.

Or drop this type altogether.

he “portal” attack from the largest Necron ship

should remain, but make a “Boarding Action”,

not a whole series of ‘hit-and-run’ attacks (5 ?!?).

his “Boarding Action” would still be restricted

to attacks on enemy ships with less than 6 points

Fourth, make ‘Disengaging’ more costly for Necron

players. If it is a ‘last resort’ because of penalties,

careful planning and escape at just the right

moment will not win games for the Necron gamer.

A real battle with real losses from destruction must

be risked. A careful study of the victory points

and conditions will show how current players of

Necron leets can get in the irst turn of damage on

the enemy, and ‘fade out’ before any opponent can

Or let the Necron fade back to sleep for another

million years.

Reg.

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