Ashgate

[naztek]

I am returning to Necromunda with the advent of the 2017 release of Underhive. So far, I have enjoyed the new edition and after only a couple of games, I foolhardily decided to run a campaign amongst my local garage gaming group.

"The settlement of Ashgate is a guild stronghold near the shell of hive Secondus. Due to its close proximity to a rampgate that supplies trade between hives as well as an external gate that leads to nearby shanties and allows for trade with the wasteland nomads, Ashgate is a major trade hub. The final piece of the settlements success is the unspoken ease of access to the underhive thanks to nearby effluent pumping sinks and abandoned freight elevators. Ashgate pays its dues uphive and protects trade coming through its nearby gates and receives relatively little interference from the great houses. Rumours have arrived however that could either make or break this settlements prosperity. A prospector stumbled into town three days ago, delirious with hunger and yammering about a find of a lifetime. While this kind of thing happens regularly, the claimant being kidnapped from a bar and witnesses being murdered isn't. The rumours are flying around that the man let slip something too dangerous or valuable and was taken. Some people are saying Spore deposits, others say Archeotech cache, but whatever the real reason, gangs from all over are mobilising to try and find the missing prospector and his secret."

We have a total of seven players, though only 5 took part in the first cycle. I have included the players pack so you can get an idea for the scenario selection and I will admit, I did not expect the scenarios to play out as brutally as they have so far.
I have also included the first bulletin as we just completed our first cycle.

My Gang in this mess

The first game of Cycle 1, where two Cawdor gangs fought each other (the Holey Rollers vs Gamma Charlie)

We learned that terrain density needed to be higher with more LOS blocking elements after this brutal game left many dead or heavily injured gang fighters.

https://yaktribe.games/community/vault/ashgate-players-pack.871/
https://yaktribe.games/community/vault/ashgate-bulletin-cycle-1.872/

 

[naztek]

I played the first game of Cycle 2 against a new player and it did not go well for my Shadow Asp's. It turns out that Chem-throwers pair well with ambush. First activation of the game, a cruel Escher ganger opens a door and blasts Fang, Toren and Prank with her Chem-thrower. Prank and Toren each take a flesh wound but Fang (my leader) is critically injured.

On my first activation my opponent used the 'Rigged Door' tactic card. Well played on his part. After the battle, Toren and Fang both required medical escorts but I could only afford 1. I chose Fang and he survived, though is now hobbled. I also had my champion with the heavy stubber suffer a spinal injury (presumably from lugging a hulking machine gun through two back-to-back ambushes). My opponent fared quite well with no permanent injuries, only 1 fighter in recovery and a fat stack of creds in his gangs stash.

Note: While the rules for Gang War state that door mechanics aren't used in Sector Mechanicus battles, we felt that there were enough doors present on this battlefield for it to remain thematic to leave those rules in.

 

[Major Sven]

Awesome gang poor Toren, but then again as leader I guess Fang made an executive decision for the greater good .

 

[naztek]

Awesome gang poor Toren, but then again as leader I guess Fang made an executive decision for the greater good .

To be fair, Fang was out of it too. I don't think he's unhappy with Darkeye's decision though.

In other news, it looks like everyone is teeing up their games for this cycle on Sat arvo and the cycle ends on Sun so I'll have the next bulletin and news up then.

 

[naztek]

Due to the silly heat of the Australian summer and a gaming garage with no air con, no games took place this weekend. Given that most of the players in the campaign are away or at the local gaming con next weekend, I have extended the current cycle until the following Monday.
Sorry all, further updates will have to wait a little longer.

 

[naztek]

Finally have an update. Cycle 2 got stretched out even further as the local gaming convention distracted all my players but the two leading gangs clashed last night. It was a short and brutal conflict.

Gamma Charlie had been on the trail of the Ashgate Antagonists for half a day now. The trail had been oddly easy to follow, sparking suspicion in the Cawdor faithful and keeping tensions high. They stumbled into the trap without even realising it at first. The Antagonists had carefully chosen some old catwalks and from their armoured high ground, they rained down a hail of bullets and lasfire on their pursuant's. There was chaos as gang members of Gamma Charlie fell beneath the withering barrage. Their leader issued conflicting orders and began to flee before realising only one juve had followed and rallied back into the short and brutal fight. The ambush was over almost as quickly as it started with the Antagonists disappearing with the gunsmoke. Gamma Charlie were left with too many injured to keep following and began their slow trek back to Ashgate.

The Ashgate Antagonists (proxied Imperial Guard) won overwhelmingly, with Gamma Charlie (proxied Gene Stealer Cult) never even getting a shot off. With this, the AA will clock one of the three consecutive victories needed to win Act 2 of the campaign. They are also in an excellent position to keen their winning streak going, retaining the ratings lead and coming away with no injuries. The scenarios are proving very cinematic but also very brutal. I'm not sure if I will need to tweak things by the end of the campaign.

 

[naztek]

Cycle 2 is finally wrapped up. I have posted ratings and opened challenges for cycle 3 to the players. The bulletin for the cycle is available here:
https://yaktribe.games/community/vault/ashgate-bulletin-cycle-2.895/

4 games took place this cycle and while the first two are listed above, I'll outline 3 and 4 here.

Game 2-3: Tech Support vs Holey Rollers
This was a short clash as the two operational members of the Holey Rollers attacked the Van Saar gang calling themselves; Tech Support. TS had all the advantages and from their better position, they used their better numbers and firepower to push the interlopers back. HR gained another injured member but their injured gangers from earlier will be back in the fight for cyle 3.

Game 2-4: Ashgate Antagonists vs Gamma Charlie vs Wind Runners
A three way battle in the tunnels of the underhive near Ashgate saw AA and GC meeting again for the second time this cycle, but introduced the WR for the first time. GC and Wind Runners bottled resulting in AA expanding its turf. GC and AA both suffered some injuries, but WR had one Ganger KIA and another captured by AA, but successfully ransomed back.
I have no images of this game unfortunately.

I have tightened the reigns on this campaign and this cycle should not get dragged out like the last.

 

[naztek]

So we finished up Cycle 3 of the campaign and things took an interesting turn. The Ashgate Antagonists took a firm lead in both rating and reputation. Between some good skill selections and some lucky rolls, this gang is now the equal of any two others in the campaign. The Holey Rollers got a brutal match-up after the player for the Rowdy 3 went off on vacation and left his gang facing up against the brutal AA. It's possible that the gang may not return to the campaign in it's current form.
The other Cawdor player (Gamma Charlie), who had been proxying with his genestealer cult models, had some mixed results out of this round and decided to drop the gang in favour of starting an actual GSC gang next cycle using the the WD rules.
The other Van Saar player (Tech Support), finished assembling his new Orlock models and restarted with a new gang, that actually got a game in during Cycle 3. That game was a draw but he's now got some experience.
All the games of Cycle 3 happened in a single day, which was fun but also meant that the couple of players that couldn't make it that day, kind of missed out. They had a fortnight beforehand to get their games in though, and I hope that it's not a signal of a declining campaign.
Challenges are all up and match-ups have been sorted for Cycle 4, so we'll see.
Here's the bulletin:
https://yaktribe.games/community/vault/ashgate-bulletin-cycle-3.910/

Unfortunately there's no pics for Cycle 3 as we all got caught up spectating and forgot, but I already have some pics from Game 1 of Cycle 4 so expect more to come.

 

[naztek]

I never did update the campaign properly for cycle 4 or 5. I didn't even produce a bulletin for the 5th cycle and the writing was on the wall. One gang (the Ashgate Antagonists) had catapulted ahead, while the busy lives of other players meant that some gangs weren't participating in later rounds. After an indefinite hiatus after cycle 5, the campaign never got picked up again and all my players simply drifted apart for a while.

But I am getting the band back together!
We've all had our breather, and there seems to be a renewed interest in the game again. This comes to me as a relief as Necromunda has and always will have a special place for me.
The current plan is to run a 7 week Dominion campaign, to try out the new rules and get more games happening! There will be no narrative dictation of scenarios this time, and fewer additional rewards. Even so, I will try to keep up the bulletins and make write up the batreps in a more narrative fashion.
Stay tuned loyal citizens of the hive!

 

[naztek]

Quick update with the final Bulletin of Season 1 (Cycle 4) and the pre-season Bulletin for Season 2:
Season 1, Cycle 4 - https://yaktribe.games/community/vault/ashgate-bulletin-cycle-4.959/
Season 2, Cycle 0 - https://yaktribe.games/community/vault/ashgate-season-2-bulletin-0.960/

Season 2 kicked off with a great start (for most) over the weekend, and everyone is coming around for more games tomorrow evening as well. I have 6 players involved in this season, including myself. Three Escher gangs in this one, including my own, though I will be taking a back seat to other players wherever possible. One each of Van Saar, Genestealer Cult, and Cawdor. One gang played two matches on Sat and despite winning the first game, was left with so many gang members dead (Leader and 3 gangers) that they have chosen to restart. I will publish a bulletin and throw up some pics at the end of the cycle (Friday if I get time, otherwise Monday).

Keep your ears open when the guilders pass for more rumours on the happenings in Ashgate!

 

[naztek]

Cycle 1 of Season 2 opened the new campaign with a bang. A total of 7 games were played between 6 players. There were a lot of brutal skirmishes and the guilders have issued a new bulletin:
https://yaktribe.games/community/vault/ashgate-season-2-bulletin-1.961/
I got a few photo's of the first two games but in the rush of excitement, most turned out too blurry to use.

Cycle 2 has gotten underway, but there were only three games played over the weekend. More games should take place tomorrow, and I suspect at this rate that all territories will be claimed by the end of cycle 3.

 

[almic85]

OOOHH. I just noticed you were a fellow Canberran.

Are you playing out of North or South side?

Nice bulletins as well. Any chance I can scab the format off you? Happy to knock up a hex map for you if you want.

 

[naztek]

OOOHH. I just noticed you were a fellow Canberran.

Are you playing out of North or South side?

Nice bulletins as well. Any chance I can scab the format off you? Happy to knock up a hex map for you if you want.

Hey mate, I'm running this campaign out of my garage in Aranda (mostly), and all my players are currently northsiders. If south Belco isn't too far to travel for you, I'm always happy to expand my gaming circles.
I don't mind you using the format, and I can upload some blank pages but I use CorelDraw to edit them.

 

[naztek]

So, cycle 2 of the new season was a vicious one. While two players were unable to make it for either of the games days, the remaining players got in another 8 games. This means that there are only 3 territories still unclaimed as we go into, what will undoubtedly be, a very short cycle 3.
One gang (Swift Victory) participated in 6 of those 8 gangs, by virtue of availability. Winning each game they too part in, this house Escher gang went from a low point, requiring a restart in cycle 1, to dominating the campaign by the end of cycle 2. While that player can't make the single games night that will be cycle 3, they have set themselves up as a prime target for the third phase of the campaign.
https://yaktribe.games/community/vault/ashgate-season-2-bulletin-2.964/

With Cycle 3 likely to be wrapped by the end of tonight, I have planned a special multiplayer variant of the caravan heist for my players to take part in this weekend. The guild has been authorised to spend additional funds on protection and they have hired on veteran gangers and able porters to guard a valuable shipment of credits and wargear heading hubwards from Ashgate. Rumours suggest that the gangs have cooperated in finding out the time and location of a good ambush, and are planning to steal the tempting prize. Only, once that prize is in sight, will they maintain their uneasy alliance, or will they backstab each other for a better chance at the loot.

Check out the full caravan (albeit mostly unpainted) here: https://yaktribe.games/community/media/albums/guilder-caravan.1754/

Stay tuned loyal denizens of Ashgate, for the coming cycles are likely to change the very landscape of our humble town.

 

[naztek]

Been a bit of a delay, but we are back again after the end of Season 2, Cycle 3. Also the downtime cycle, which was fun.

Cycle 3 was a short one this time around. There were only three unclaimed territories remaining and three decisive battles later, the first phase of the dominion campaign was complete. The downtime cycle lasted a while however as I wanted as many players as possible available for the multiplayer special side mission that I was running for them. In the end, There were four separate gangs ambushing the poor guilder caravan on the day. Given the short nature of the cycle, I added the downtime results to the cycle 3 bulletin as well.
https://yaktribe.games/community/vault/ashgate-season-2-bulletin-3.965/

The Caravan Ambush
Guilder Percival had organised for a shipment of credits, trade goods, and weapons to be transported out to Ashgate. He also had a personal package onboard this caravan, and so he ordered his personal bodyguard to accompany the transport. He was aware that gang violence had grown rampant in Ashgate and didn't want to take risks. Unfortunately for him, the extra precautions weren't enough.
As the caravan and its guards were travelling through the old prometheum processing plant (the original reason Ashgate was settled near the outer gate), four gangs from Ashgate were lying in ambush. They had received a tip of the caravans route, and in a rare show of unity, had agreed to join forces to ambush the heavily guarded prize.

The gangs each chose a position separate from the others, as their temporary alliance didn't include too much trust. Once the caravan was in position, the first two gangs, Swift Victory and the Brethren of Bones, rained fire and fury upon the caravan guards. The guards were wary but not completely expecting the attack, and as the first guards fell to the ambush, panic began to spread. It seemed that the dastardly ladies of Swift Victory had employed some of the arcane alchemy that their house is famed for, and increased the panic in their foes.
As the caravan guards tried to gather their wits, one of the porters called Tomfool, grabbed his flamer and rushed out to take care of the Escher threat. While he managed to pin a few of their number, he was shocked to see just how many of the bloodthirsty ladies were waiting to strike. The Swifts lived up to their name and Tomfool was down and out before he could warn the others of the true threat.

The transport crew knew their mission, and as the guards started fighting back against the ambush, they floored it. If they could make it out of the ambush, they the guild would ensure justice for the fallen porters. One of Percival's personal guard, Joker, hefted his grenade launcher and used some of the Eschers bad medicine against them. The fear gas grenade kept the Swifts at bay for a few moments but Joker was brought low by las-fire before he could load another canister. On the other side of the street, a group of opportunistic Cawdor from the Brotherhood of Bones chose this moment to unload their blunderbusses and hand flamers into the caravan guard. The famed guild sniper; Crow, was incinerated before he could even take aim at him assailants. Harlock, the leader of Percival's bodyguards, rallied the caravan guards and engaged with the Brotherhood. Harlocks efforts stalled the Brotherhood and let the transport make good progress through the processing plant, but two of the ambushing gangs were entrenched deeper into the facility and they loosed a hail of bullets and las-fire onto the vehicle.

Swift Victory and the other Escher gang; the Silver City Psyrens broke their temporary alliance and started fighting each other, but even so, one of the Swifts managed to get a solid plasma shot into the caravan transport. As the Escher vs Escher struggle intensified, each gang unleashed their Khimerix and while the Swifts beast was able to take out the Psyrens brute, the Psyrens used their poisonous weapons to take the victorious beast out of the fight.
The sneaky ex-miner gang called The Forewarned, brought their firepower to bear and tracked the fleeing vehicle. While the transport was still mobile, it was slower and this allowed the gangs to mop up the decimated guards and catch up.

In the end, the Silver City Psyrens took too many injuries duking it out with Swift Victory and fled the battlefield before the transport was even immobilised. Their absence left a route open for Headmisstress, the leader of the Swifts, to charge up to the vehicle and use her impressive power sword to skewer the driver inside his armoured cockpit. The Brethren of Bones had committed too much of their forces to dealing with Harlock and the remaining caravan guard. They found themselves too far from the wrecked transport, and fearing reinforcements from the guilders, they snuck away with all the haste they could manage.
The gangers of The Forewarned and Swift Victory each eyed each other warily across the road, but with a transport full of loot between them, their leaders called a truce and frantically stripped the transport of all the loot they could carry. As the smoke settled and the echoes of gunfire faded, the last two gangs scurried away with their ill-gotten prizes. One of The Forewarned, a mutant called Biggie, captured Percivals personal package and found a personalised and gold-plated boltgun as his reward.

Check out the gallery for the larger images:https://yaktribe.games/community/media/albums/ashgate.494/

It was a big undertaking, with five of us playing for about 6 hours, but it was a blast to play such an interesting and narrative scenario.

 

[Kitcar]

whoa

 

[naztek]

Oh man,
Cycle 4 should wrap up tonight but we realised that we'd been applying the "underdog" rep bonus that a couple of missions grant in their rewards, to ALL missions. Not sure how we all just started thinking it was a blanket rule, but it means that almost every gang in this campaign has taken a hit to their Rep as we recalculated. My poor gang was the worst hit, dropping from 20 rep to 7. I've had to retroactively make some big changes to champs and hangers-on.
In future, I am going to make it a home rule that this underdog bonus applies across all missions, as I find that it gives a good reason for gangs lower on the rating ladder to challenge the top dogs. While it looks that the updated rules will do away with the rep requirements for champions, there are other benefits to it as well. And gangs who have been defeated a few times or are income poor, should have an incentive to go up against better equipped and more advanced gangs.

 

[naztek]

Cycle 4 wrapped up last week and I was almost through writing up the bulletin when a power outage wiped my work. I have recovered after the weekend to deliver the guilds words:
https://yaktribe.games/community/vault/ashgate-season-2-bulletin-4.966/

Cycle 5 got off to a great start on Sunday, with all bar one of the challenge games taking place. Games night on Wednesday should round out the cycle and pave the way for the final week of the campaign. A lot of gangs are now coming into their own, with highly promoted fighters and well equipped champions. The final week is going to be brutal, and there is talk of a battle royale special at the end.
From my own perspective, my gang the Void Witches, has bounced back well from the rep mishap (where I had to let go all but 1 hanger-on and retro-actively change the downtime recruiting), and has shot ahead in cycle 3. Some lucky rolls, both during games and in the post-game steps, have resulted in the Void Witches having a surplus of creds and the ability to purchase some pretty high-end gear. Combined with the Tech-Bazaar special territory, I now have to convert up an Escher camp with Plasma Cannon and full servo harness.

An example of how a needle rifle can "Jam":

On a book keeping note, now that the rulebook update and "Gangs of the Underhive" are out, we have switched to the most up-to-date rules. The most obvious change for the Ashgate Season 2 campaign has been the removal of Rep bounding for champs, and the changes to Toxin. There are three Escher gangs in this campaign after all.
The Delaque rules have invigorated a couple of the players and we are already making tentative plans for Season 3 (which will have a much heavier narrative focus).

Stay tuned loyal denizens of Ashgate, the enforcers will be here soon enough.