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Warhammer 40k Dunkirk Scenario Ideas
August 9, 2017 by lloyd
Az & Justin chat with Jes Bickham from Games Workshop about how Warhammer 40k could be used to play out scenarios similar to what was seen during the events at Dunkirk.
As part of Dunkirk Week here on Beasts of War, the guys talk about the occurrences on Cadia, Genestealer Cult infiltration and the potential vehicle choices that you could use to create a scenario on your table top.
Do you have any ideas from the 40k Universe that could be used for evacuation scenarios?
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Well, a nid hive fleet invasion would be good for an evacuation scenario, trying to get civilians or tech off planet before the bulk of the forces make planet fall.
The evacuation of a Hive City on Armageddon before it’s overrun by the Ork’s would be a good one to try, with multiple vehicles of all makes (Rhino’s, Chimera’s, Goliath’s, Taurox’s and various converted “civilian” vehicles) trying to make it off the board while Ork’s are attacking a small group of defenders
It strikes me that t’au or eldar are the most likely protagonists for this kind of scenario, the imperium has a sort of “whelp, that’s gonna be a shame” vibe 🙂
I think a good scenario would be something for the Salamanders, or perhaps Iron Fists one of the truly good Space Marine people who would to the non-strategic but good thing.
So there is going to be an Exterminatus but, basically a detachment of Space Marines have chosen to stay to save as many as possible. Your opponents are probably the Tyranids, a force that can’t be fought off due to sheer numbers they have the horde rules every time a unit dies it comes back onto the board from table edge deployment. Space Marines may choose any transport from any Imperium team. For every transport that arrives in the drop zone, you gain a victory point, and another will appear in on the Tyranid table edge. It is your job to defend as many as you can. Tyranids gain a victory point every time they destroy a transport, or a disembarked crew from an immobile transport. Or three victory points for every fully destroyed space marine squad before the count down.
End turn is not ‘dice-sided’ on that turn but on the turn before.
Final turn, the space marines can attempt to evacuate themselves but as per the rules, they aren’t allowed any transports so they have to foot slog their way there. each evacuated space marine unit evacuated gains you three victory points.
Imperial force detachment rules
You may purchase any Imperial transport, if a troop choice would allow you to take a transport, you may but instead that transport is added to the transport vehicle list.
Transport Vehicle List
Special rule.
As soon a vehicle is destroyed or reaches the drop zone replace it with another in the vehicle deployment zone with in the Invader force deployment zone
Invader detachment rules
You may take no special characters, all units have this special rule.
Infinite Horde
When this unit is destroyed or below 25%, you may choose to remove it from the table and replace it with a new unit of the exact same profile. This new unit deploys at random, roll a dice 1-2 your width side table edge, 3 left side to the allocated mark, 4 right side to the allocated mark, 5-6 your choice or you may deploy with any special rules they may have
Deployment
Space Marine player deploys first they have the whole table til the half way mark. beyond this point measure twelve inches in from both the left and right side of the table and from the invader side of the table, this is the invader deployment zone. The space Marines may not deploy in this area but may deploy anywhere else including on the invader’s table side which is not their deployment zone.
(I would have a diagram but this just a post)
Invader deployment happens after each squad is placed but rather than deploying them normal move them onto the table one full movement (excluding flat out)
Once all of the marines and invaders have been deployed, now deploy the transports.
The transports come at random roll a dice 1-2 your width side table edge, 3 left side to the allocated mark, 4 right side to the allocated mark, 5-6 your choice. They move onto the table edge as the invader force does, by making a single movement excluding flat out.
Victory Conditions.
Random End
At the end of the second turn on the roll of 4+ the next turn will be the final turn, meaning turn three will be the final turn. On three the roll becomes 3+, on turn four 2+, on turn five the next turn will be the final turn, no dice roll required.
Victory Points
If a transport reaches the safe zone, 24″ inch by 24″ inch zone on the Space Marine side of the table, and there a no enemies within 6″ inches of them, they are removed from the table and a new vehicle is deployed, as per the description above. The Space Marine force gains a victory point.
If a vehicle becomes immobile remove a full squad of civilians or Astro Miliatium, these have no viable weapons, and may have a move of 6″ 1 wound and toughness of 2. They may run as normal. If ever engaged in close combat remove the models they are destroyed. If this group reaches the drop zone with 25% or more of their unit, the space marines gain a victory point.
If a vehicle becomes immobile replace it with another vehicle and deploy it as described above.
If an invader destroys a vehicle, or immobilises it, they gain a victory point.
If an invader destroys a unit that escapes a vehicle they gain a victory point.
If an invader fully destroys a unit of space marines they gain a victory point.
On the last turn if a space marine is in the safe zone with no enemies with in 6″ inches, they get to evacuate and gain 3 victory points, remove them from the battlefield.
On the final turn any space marine unit in the safe zone, may choose to end the game by calling the Exterimatus, the invaders gain no points for the lost space marines but gain a point for each remaining transport.
Well, I was just going to write a post but hey here is a whole scenario…
Damn, @caladors . That’s a very detailed post! 😀 I like how you’re handling the evacuation. Against the ‘Nids it almost feels like it has a “Starship Troopers” feel. 😀
Thanks man I think it can be used for orks, gene stealer cult, chaos, but maybe not for eldar dark eldar and necrons.
But that is still a lot of forces that can use it.
and yeah the post was only meant to be little write up yet here were are.
Isn’t there an example in the old Space Wolf codex where an Inquisitor is prepared to sacrifice a starport and all the refugees flocking there as bait but a squad of Grey Hunters rally the PDF forces defending it to allow most of the survivors to evacuate? And then when the Inquisitor demands the surviving Space Wolves be punished their Wolf Lord instead promotes the lot of them to his Wolf Guard:)
And didn’t Double Eagle feature a somewhat Dunkirkian scenario for a portion of the story where the surviving elements of the Imperial armour and infantry make a thousands of miles retreat to the last coastal ports on he continent still in Imperial control?
a nid invasion would be a great one to slow to get whatever away from their clutches.
A 40K (well, 30K) scenario that springs to mind is when the Imperial Fists’ fleet are ambushed by the Iron Warriors and receive the call to evacuate back to Earth. I can’t remember the names of the characters involved or if the battle has a name, but the background is this:
Rogal Dorn and the Imperial Fists have received news of Horus’ betrayal but don’t know what else is going on due to warp storms. They have been unable to contact any other legions to know who is where (or even who is still loyal). So I think Dorn keeps his veteran companies (or chapters at this time) on Earth / Mars and sends the bulk of his legion to the Istvaan system.
They never make it, and have to drop out of the warp at a system (possibly Phall?) where they are ambushed by the Iron Warriors. Under the command of someone called Polux (I think) they kind of turn things around and launch a counter attack into the centre of the Iron Warriors’ fleet, even boarding the flagship of the primarch, Perturabo.
At about this time they receive a panicked message from Terra along the lines of ‘whatever you’re doing, get back to Earth this instant’. Because Earth is basically undefended by this point. The Imperial Fists have to give up their unexpected advantage and pull as many ships out of the battle as possible, sacrificing quite a few of them to enable much of the legion to return to defend Earth.