Third Xhorik War Scenario Ideas

 The War of the Beast

Here are a few ideas I have been thinking about that would align with the story written for the war so far. They are just ideas and we do not have to play all (or any) of these, but hopefully they get some ideas flowing. We can continue to add to this list with more ideas. 

Take and Hold: Orks vs Planetary Defense FOrces

The Orks made planetfall in the far northern Halimur wastes to avoid the worst of the planetary defensive fire. They then pushed south into the populated lands. Planetary defense forces were rushed north to meet the advance, but unfortunately, they were initially short on heavy armor as House Harkathe vied for influence over the planetary governor in Chiros Nova. The Imperial Guard PDF consists of regiments from Kozar, Unimund, Bhorivor, the great houses, and more, all thrown together quickly in an attempt to stem the invasion. The PDF would be limited to maybe one or two tanks at most but could also include sentinels, sentry guns, heavy weapon squads and Ogryn battle suits. 

Cleanse: Orks vs Tyranids

Orks and Tyranids clash in the taiga and forests along the northern border of Bhorivor. The Orks have pushed the human defenders back and have been attacking the cities of Vayya and Ironton while Speed Freaks pillage across the land. In the meantime, the Tyranids are awakening in large numbers and already beginning to transform the meager biomass of the far north into brood nests. They attack into the rear of the Ork armies. Both sides are aiming to destroy as much of the enemy as possible. Should be a good simple battle to get used to the Fourth Edition rules and with lots of infantry to kill. 

Activate the Shields: Drop Troops Veterans "bug Hunters" vs Tyranids

This would be based on the scenario from the Anphelion Project where the veteran D-99 Drop Troopers have to turn on the containment fences and get attacked by Tyranids in the process. In this case, they could be restoring power to a defensive system that will close the Tarnon Pass to the Tyranids. We would modify the armies slightly from the book in order to suit our collections, but we could do a pretty close approximation of this scenario as it is written. In our case, this a veteran company that has been fighting the Tyranids continuously in the north of Kozar for months and they have been augmented with experimental combat drugs to give them an edge against this new Xenos threat. 

Last Stand of Rovund: Red Brotherhood vs Orks

This is the scenario described in The Dark Hour where a small garrison of Red Brotherhood held the fortress-monastery of Thorrosin against the Orks on Xhorik Prime while the main war was being waged on nearby Occular. This battle sees the last of the Space Marines on Xhorik Prime killed, until the later arrival of the Blood Angels. This would be a classic "last stand" scenario where the Ork army is never ending and the game must end with the complete destruction of the Space Marines, who are trying to kill as many Orks as possible before they die. We can use Pete's old Red Brotherhood models or we can substitute Blood Angels (also red) or we can leave this battle aside and play it another time. 

Tunnels of Death: Blood Angels vs Tyranids

Terminators and other infantry are in the tunnels beneath a now-infested Imperial city in Bhorivor, looking to destroy the breeding centers and nests of the Tyranids. They have to move through the rooms destroying eggs/nests while clashing with genestealers (we can use the same models to represent multiple squads during the game). They eventually realize they can never destroy them all. Zone Mortalis type mission. 

Space Hulk: Blood Angels vs Orks

This is one of the last battles of the campaign. The Blood Angels have realized that the infestation of these new Xenos is nearly impossible to eradicate, and the Orks are too numerous and too dispersed for their small forces to defeat. The entire region of Bhorivor has been overrun and the Blood Angels have declared the military leaders of the Federation of Unimund as heretics for giving weapons and ammo to the Orks while the Kozar forces are loyal but lack the heavy armor required to eradicate the invaders utterly. Their only option is to destroy the Ork Rok in low orbit and lay waste to the part of the planet that is most infested with bugs and Orks. But the Rok is far too massive even for the weapons of the Blood Angels' Cruiser to destroy from the outside. So a Blood Angels boarding party enters the Rok to set explosives in the fusion engine cores that will destroy the Rok from the inside and result in a massive asteroid storm directed across the portion of the planet that has been lost to the invaders, the Chirosov Valley. To get to the engine core (and back out!), they must fight their way through the Ork defenders. Zone Mortalis type mission. 

Hold the Line: Blood Angels and Drop Troops vs Orks "and" Tyranids (Finale)

With the Blood Angels boarding party conducting their mission to destroy the Rok, the land forces of the Imperium are tasked to holding the Xenos in the Chirosov Valley where the majority of the debris will fall, causing volcanic eruptions and choking dust storms that will eradicate the Xenos infestation. The defenders mass their forces to hold the Uzsok Pass while the Xenos are trying to break through to the Valbaara Plateau in the west. The Orks and Tyranids are not allies, but they both have the same goal: escape from the Valley of Death behind them and ravage the remaining Imperial lands before them. This battle will be fought on the big hexagon table (we need to give some thought on the setup, whether to use the bridge, or have the invaders moving through the canyon, etc.) My thought is that the weak Drop Troopers and the strong Space Marines together might present a balanced foe for the Orks and Tyranids, who both struggle with tanks. The goal of the Imperial forces would be to prevent any Xenos from reaching past a certain line (one side of the bridge or off the board, etc.) We could throw the Traitor Guard in here somewhere as well.  Just as long as it is a huge battle with a lot of factions fighting! 

Other Ideas for the Future:

In the future, I will make some Blood Axes and give them some looted Imperial vehicles so we can play out that aspect of the campaign, where they use them against the Tyranids and ultimately against the humans.