Narrative Scenario: Siege Guns of Knarr-vron by Nigel Bond

An interesting narrative scenario ideally for 75-125 points.

This action takes place during the siege of Knarr-vron, when the heavy guns were destroying the defences. A relief force has been sent out to attack the guns from the rear and hopefully destroy them and end the siege.

The besiegers can be any faction with crewed heavy support weapons. If the player doesn’t have enough heavy support weapons, use light support weapons as a proxy — they could place it on a bigger base if possible, but must make it clear to their opponent what the weapon is. Whilst it is essential to keep the guns firing in support of the ongoing siege, but obviously important they are not over run, so they may need to break off from the siege to fire in their own defence.

Set Up

A piece of high ground should be set up within 10 inches of the eastern short edge of the table. Otherwise, set up terrain as described in Playing the Game (see Rules Central) but with nothing too impenetrable.

Forces and Deployment

The beseiger’s guns are set up on the high ground facing off table. The beseiger must choose a number of long range, heavy weapons suitable for bombardment depending on the points total. The weapons chosen should be those normally permitted at FL2 or 3 but cannot be shorter ranged or anti-personnel weapons such as the Mag Heavy Support or Mag Mortar; these are in addition to any other combat level limits.

Once the guns are chosen, then the player can spend the remaining points choosing a force that conforms to the lists as normal. The number or heavy weapons required are:

2 siege guns for 75 points,
3 siege guns for 100 points, and
4 siege guns for 125 points.

The remaining points are divided in half. The first half is the guns’ defence team and is deployed on the Eastern 1/3 of the table. The other half will arrive on turn 3 on the Eastern short table edge.

The attackers deploy within 1M of the Western short table edge.

Objective

The attacker aims to have as many siege guns as possible score hits on the defender’s off-table city of Knarr-vron (see Special Scenario Rules). The defender aims to prevent this by destroying or capturing the guns.

Game Duration

The game is played until six turns have elapsed. Then roll randomly to see if another turn is to be played in the standard fashion as described in the Playing the Game guide in Rules Central. Break points are ignored for this game.

Victory

The defender will win a crushing victory if 3 or more hits per gun are achieved and no guns destroyed, a victory for 2 or more hits per gun and a partial victory for 1 or more hits per gun. These conditions are reduced by one category for each gun destroyed or captured, with a partial victory becoming a defeat.

The attacker wins a decisive victory if all the guns are destroyed or captured.

Special Scenario Rules

Siege Fire

The defender must record each time his/her guns fire in support of the siege. Given the variety of weapons, including overhead weapons, this is abstracted as a shot with a Fire order requiring an Acc roll of 3 to hit (e.g. extreme range for most direct fire weapons), minus any pins as normal, with spotter drone rerolls permitted if they have been paid for. Only hits need to be recorded not their effect.

For Ghar as beseigers, a squad of tectorists can be paid for and stated as being off-table to the east to act as spotters for the guns – they will grant rerolls as normal.

Designer’s Note

The player controlling the siege is in a dilemma on whether to use some or all of them for self preservation particularly at the start of the battle, but should bear in mind the accuracy penalty for heavy weapons out of arc and the need for Fire orders.

If the scenario proves too easy for the attackers, try adding an ammunition dump positioned just inside the defender’s Home Territory as an objective as well. This is difficult -2, offers cover at +1, and is obscuring. Capture requires a controlling unit of the relief force to be within it or 3″ of it with no defenders controlling unit within 3″ ((see Playing the Game for controlling objectives).