I just started up a BFG/40K linked campaign. Here are the rules I have come up with:
Battle for The Aestas System.
System map:
http://crawlingchaos.org/elder/40k/VBFGMap.pngBattle for The Aestas System.
The warp storms far to the southeast in the Ultima Segmentum that have obscured the Aestas System for millennia have finally abated. The system is now visible to telepathic scryings, divination, and other forms of long range scans. This system with its lush ancient worlds and strategic location is wanted by any force with a means of getting to it. But what of the original inhabitants? And what happened to cause a warp storm of such strength and duration?
The system is comprised of 8 planetary sectors and an asteroid belt between sector 4 and 5. Aestas-1 and Aestas-2 are magma planets(treat as mining). Aestas-3 is earth-like(treat as civilized), Aestas-4 is an ocean planet(treat as agri). Aestas-5 and Aestas-6 are gas planets, but both have moons large enough to be used as a staging base(treat as uninhabited). Aestas-7 and Aestas-8 are ice planets far from the warmth of Aestas(treat as uninhabited).
Allies: you may not attack your allies, you are allies with any other player from your faction. Factions are defined as follows: Imperial (IN//IG, SM/GK, AM, WH/SOBs), Eldar(Craftworld or Corsairs), Tau, Necrons, Tyranids. Anyone not mentioned is not part of a defined faction, and may attack any other force.
Setup: All players (aside from Necrons and Demons) begin the campaign in a fleet. If you are not planning on playing any BFG games, you will begin in a raiding fleet. A raiding fleet is a fleet without any heavily armed military style ships. But as it is a collection of small fast ships, it can evade a larger force and thus ignores a fleet that is already in a slot it enters. However, it does not count as a fleet in orbit.
They were there the whole time: Demons begin on either Aestas-1 or Aestas-2. Necrons begin on the large moon of Aestas-5.
For the BFG side, use the standard BFG campaign rules with the following adjustments:
You begin with a fleet list of 1500 points, from one of the standard fleet lists on the GW website. This will be your fleet for the entire campaign, unless you withdraw your entire fleet from the system to reform. All ships' leadership begins at 7. Destroyed ships may only be replaced with a successful appeal, and must be replaced with an identical ship to the one you started the campaign with, except that ship's leadership is 6, and has a different name. As a reminder your commander starts with 1 renown, which usually means Ld 8 and 1 reroll. You may not buy additional fleet commanders or rerolls. We are using planets instead of systems, and every fleet is assumed to control a hidden base(able to repair 3 damage a turn), but otherwise repairs work the same.
For the 40k Side, build a 2000 point list to choose your army from for each battle. Campaign rules: At the end of each battle, roll a d6 for all non-IC, non-individual units that participated in the battle, are still on the field, and not below half strength. On a 5+ they gain a battle honor. Roll a d6 on the battle honors for the appropriate unit type. if you roll an entry the unit already has, re-roll. If that unit is ever wiped out it loses the Battle Honor. However, falling back off the board does NOT count as being wiped out.
Since the head of a raiding fleet is the General, Raiding fleets gain renown through their ground assaults, and by holding planets. For raiding fleets only:
+1 renown for: Winning a battle, each kill point scored(keep track in every game), Holding a planet for an entire turn.
-1 renown for: Losing a battle, each kill point lost(keep track in every game).
Moving:There are 2 space slots inside each sector, approaching, and high orbit. A fleet must enter the approach slot before it can enter the high orbit slot. You MAY split your fleet into different slots, but be careful, as you will probably be fighting at a disadvantage. You may move from Aestas-5 directly to Aestas-4 without stopping in the asteroid belt. Although if a fleet moves into or through the belt then his next subplot will be meteor storm. For the purposes of fleeing, the asteroid belt is considered empty and adjacent to all other sectors.You do not have to fight a battle if there is another fleet token in the asteroid belt, unless both parties agree to it.
Each turn in initiative order (determined by Renown) a Fleet may enter the board(if they are off the board) by moving their fleet token to any approach slot. Or they may move one adjacent slot.(Approach to approach, approach to high orbit, or high orbit to approach) Adjacent means the sector of the planet that is 1 number higher or lower than the current sector, and the asteroid belt. As soon as every player has had a chance to make a move, the turn ends, and a new turn begins.
Space battles:
If a non-allied fleet is present in an approach slot when you enter it, that fleet can either: flee to an adjacent empty slot; flee to an adjacent slot that is occupied by that player, or fight! If he flees, then you may either move into high orbit, or move to an adjacent approach slot.
If he decides to fight, he becomes the defender in a standard scenario: Play a standard scenario: Cruiser clash pg 68-69 of the BFG rulebook, with all the advanced rules, using victory points, and ignore the force restrictions. (Unless both players agree to play the simple version) You may only fight with the forces in that slot. The loser must retreat to an adjacent empty slot, or to an adjacent slot that is occupied by that player or his allies. If the Attacker wins: Attacker may IMMEDIATELY move into high orbit, or end his move and move on to the aftermath step.
If an non-allied fleet is present in a high orbit slot when you enter it, launch a Planetary Assault. If there is no fleet, or a raiding fleet in a high orbit slot when you enter it, you may begin your ground assault using 40k rules with a full 1500 point army.
Planetary Assault: scenario 7 page 76 of the BFG rulebook. Attacker wins: Begin a ground assault. Attacker's and Defender's fleet tokens remain in high orbit. Defender wins: Attacker's fleet must withdraw to the approach slot.
Ground Assault: Planet-strike or 40k.
Either play with the Planet-strike rules,(if both players agree) or play a game of 40k with the following rules: Each assault point gained by the attacker gives 150 points to the Attacker in the ensuing 40k battle.(If you did not play planetary assault, use the full 1500 points) Defenders always have 1500 points.Attackers that have a Fleet token in high orbit gain either a free orbital bombardment(from Codex space marines), or d6 orbital bombardments that must be used right before the first turn starts. Randomly determine the mission, but the deployment will always be pitched battle. If a game is tied then it counts as a win for the defender. The loser is routed and must return to their fleet, which must retreat to the approach slot for that sector. Move on to the Aftermath step.
Battle Honors:
Non Vehicle Unit Battle Honors:
1 Stealth
2 Stubborn
3 Infiltrate
4 Move through cover/Skilled Riders
5 Counter Attack
6 Furious Charge
Vehicle/Tank Battle Honors
1 Terrifying: Tanks: Cause an additional –1 penalty for units rolling for Tank shock
Other vehicles: Can tank shock as if the vehicle were a tank.
2 Fast.
3 Reinforced Crew Compartment: The vehicle (not passengers) ignores "Crew Shaken" Results
4 Hardened Crew: Treat “Crew stunned" as "Crew Shaken"
5 Scout
6 Tank Hunters
