this version of the rules is subject to revision please email any question or concerns to
ultramarinemaster@gmail.comINNNER CIRCLE
SOLAR EMPIRES CAMPAIGN Version 2
Warhammer 40k
Campaign Rules
SOLAR EMPIRES
Welcome to the Inner Circle Solar map campaign. This campaign uses elements from Warhammer 40k, Planetary Empires and Battlefleet Gothic. In this campaign you will attempt to hold and control as many planets as possible. Whoever has the most planets under their control at the end of each month is the winner for the month.
PLANETS AND YOU!
THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE
Every player is on their own in this campaign regardless of Imperial orientation or race. Every commander is out to seize as much fame and riches as he can for himself. Alien, chaos and Imperial forces are all given to infighting and are unwilling to share the spoils of war. For example two Imperial Guard armies can not merge their territory into a single force. Even two Ultramarine companies can not share forces or territory as their arrogant commanders are unwilling to work together and cooperate. It’s a lonely galaxy out there, from grizzled imperial generals to sadistic alien raiders everyone is looking out for numero uno.
PLANETS
The objective of this campaign is to occupy and control planets. The position of each planet will be represented on the System Map. The surface of each planet and any forces on that planet are represented on ten tiles taken from the Planetary Empires set. Planets can be in one of four states: controlled, occupied, contested or unoccupied. All players begin the game in control of a single planet, this will be randomized.
CONTROLLED
To control planets is the ultimate objective. To control a planet a player must be the only force present on the planet and have his armies spread out over every single tile. If a player is controlling a planet then he is able to utilize the planetary bonus for that particular planet. All players begin the campaign in control of a single planet.
OCCUPIED
Occupied planets have the forces of only one player on them. However the occupying player has not spread his armies over every single tile. If a single player does not control every tile on a planet he is not controlling a planet and only occupies it. For example if a planet has twelve tiles and the player has spread over eleven he occupies the planet.
CONTESTED
A contested planet has the forces of two players on it simultaneously. Both players are counted as occupying the planet. Neither player can control the planet until he defeats his opponent or one of the players withdraws his forces entirely. A player may choose to control a world the same turn his opponent leaves; it doesn’t take long for anyone to seize control when their resistance is gone.
UNOCCUPIED
Unoccupied planets have no forces on them at all. If a player moves forces onto an unoccupied planet he immediately occupies and may choose to immediately control it.
THE CAMPAIGN TURN
Solar Empires is a turn based campaign system. There will be one campaign turn per two weeks. Every two weeks real time represents a quarter of a Solar Year. Each month in real time represents half a year in game. This gives armies time to explore, tend to wounded soldiers, replace casualties, set up garrisons, manage the planets indigenous population, and take advantage of the world’s resources.
The sequence for a Campaign Turn is:
Redistribute forces on a planet that you occupy or control.
BFG Phase. Repair, re launch, move and attack other BFG fleets.
Make a single planetary attack move from either a planet you control or your BFG fleet.
Play out any battles resulting from your attack move.
1) REDISTRIBUTING FORCES
FORCES ON PLANETS
If a player has forces alone on a planet he may choose to redistribute those forces to any number of empty tiles at will. Since he is alone on the planet and encounters no effective resistance from the natives this takes effect immediately. If he expands to very single tile on the planet the player will control it otherwise he is only occupying it. See the Planets section for more details.
TERRITORY DISADVANTAGE
Controlling a planet is no easy task, not only must population and industrial centers be policed but surrounding wilderness is patrolled to ensure any pockets of resistance are crushed. Although this may seem foolhardy such martial law is required in order for a controlling force to benefit from the planet’s resources. When a controlling army is forced to react to invasion they are unable to consolidate all of their forces at once.
As per the Planetary Empires rules there is a disadvantage to controlling a large number of tiles. When a game is played for territory the player with more tiles on that planet receives a fifty point penalty for each tile has over his opponent. For example if player A has eight tiles and player B has four tiles player B is down by four tiles. In game player A will suffer a two hundred point deduction to his total points. In a 2000 point game player B would have 2000 points while player A would only have 1800.
Be aware that this handicap is limited to the individual planet the players are fighting over and is unaffected by circumstances on other planets.
2) BATTLE FLEET GOTHIC PHASE
REPAIR AND RE LAUNCH FLEET
If a BFG fleet isn’t crippled or you aren’t fielding one you must skip this phase however it is recommended you pay attention to existing fleets. If a fleet has been destroyed to below 25% of its point value then it has been crippled. Fleets crippled in previous Campaign turns may be re launched from any planet that a player controls. Upon being repaired the fleet is returned to full strength and any effects suffered in its last battle are removed. Once it is repaired the fleet may make a single move from the planet it was repaired on.
MOVING A BFG FLEET
All BFG fleets in Solar Empires move four tiles per turn regardless of race. This move can be made in any direction from each tile in the move, vertically, horizontally or diagonally. The fleet may change direction at any point during the move, for example a fleet may move diagonally down right for two tiles then diagonally down left for another two, as long as the movement does not exceed four tiles.
NEAR THE SUN
A fleet that attempts to move through a square that is within one space of the sun must contest with the stars gravity well. For each zone next to a sun the fleet moves through the player must roll two dice, on a 10 or less the fleet moves unaffected by the intense gravity. On an 11 or 12 the crew is unable to cope with the intense demands of navigating so close to a star and the fleet must make an emergency warp jump to avoid being incinerated. Roll a scatter dice, on hit the player may move the fleet two squares away from the sun on any tile he chooses. If it scatters move the fleet two spaces away from the sun toward the table edge indicated by the arrow.
INTO ENEMY FLEETS
A fleet that moves into the same zone as an enemy fleet has attacked that fleet, a game of BFG must be played.
FRIENDLY PLANETS
A fleet that moves into a zone that is next to a planet with only friendly troops on it is defending that planet. That planet cannot be attacked unless the defending fleet is either defeated or forced to retreat from its position. This means that if a planet is defended by a BFG fleet it cannot be attacked by a player who is not fielding one.
ENEMY PLANETS
A fleet that moves into a zone that is next to a planet with only enemy troops on it or has defeated the enemies defending fleet then the first fleet is attacking that planet. When a fleet attacks a planet the attacking player receives 1D6 Strength 8 AP3 bombardments in the beginning of the first turn.
CONTESTED PLANETS
A fleet that moves into a zone that is next to a contested planet with two or more players already fighting over it must attack that planet. The player with the arriving fleet must roll for scatter and assault whichever player he scatters onto.
PLAYING THE BATTLEFLEET GOTHIC GAME
When two fleets occupy one zone or when two fleets are fighting over a planet a game of Battle Fleet Gothic is played, the recommended point value is 500-750. All rules of BFG apply with a small number of changes.
CRIPPLED FLEETS
If one or both fleets drop below 25% of their points value in functioning ships they are counted as crippled. If one player’s fleet is entirely destroyed it still counts as crippled. Crippled fleets are removed from play and must be re launched from a world controlled by their player at the beginning of the next campaign turn. If a the player does not control a planet he may not re launch his BFG fleet until he controls a planet at the beginning of a Campaign Turn.
COMBAT RESULTS
If a player chooses to disengage from a game before being reduced to 25% then his fleet is immediately moved two zones in a direction of the other player’s choice. This represents the fleeing ships being harried by fighters and bombers as attempt to reach safety.
3) ATTACKING
ASSAULTING A PLANET
When one player assaults a planet either from another planet or a fleet they must choose a single tile on the planetary map they’re attempting to drop into. The assaulting player must select a tile, he then rolls a scatter die and 1D6. A hit means the player has successfully attacked that individual tile. An arrow means the assault boats have landed D6 tiles indicated in the direction of arrow on the die. If that movement takes the assaulting forces off of the planetary map they are moved to the first tile at the edge they were closest to.
The first game in a Planetary assault is always Take and Hold with five objectives while any games after that are always Capture and Control with two objectives. If the players tie in objectives than the winner is determined by Victory Points, not kill points, Victory Points. At the end of a tied game players need to add up the point value of the enemy force they destroyed, whoever has destroyed the most wins. You should never use Kill Points.
If the attacker wins he has gained a foothold and may attempt to conquer tiles as detailed in Planetary Empires. If the defender wins he has successfully forced the invaders off and he continues to hold the planet unchallenged.
From that point forward capturing tiles is exactly like in Planetary Empires with a single exception. If at any point in war one player kills every single model in his opponent’s army he immediately captures and controls the planet regardless what the enemy has on other tiles. This is called tabling; if your army gets tabled they have been sent home in tears.
FIGHTING PLANET TO PLANET
DISTANCE
If a player has forces on a planet that player may choose to attack another planet that is adjacent to his own. BFG fleets are not necessary to attack so close a target, the basic assault craft of the attacking army are enough to bridge the small gap. The positions of each planet will change as time passes and the planet moves along its orbit, this will be discussed in more detail later on.
PLANETARY BONUS
If a player controls the planet that he attacks from he may use the associated planetary bonus during that attack. Likewise if a defending player controls the planet he is defending he may use the planetary bonus.
FIGHTING FLEET TO PLANET
DISTANCE
If a players BFG fleet is in a tile that is touching an enemy planet your fleet has assaulted that world.
FLEET BONUS
If a player is assaulting a planet from a fleet he may use the fleet bombardment bonus for the first game of the war. 1 D6 Strength 8, AP 3 bombardments in the beginning of the first turn.
4) PLAY OUT ANY BATTLES
Battle Fleet Gothic Battles should be played first.
Planetary Battles should be played second.
PLANETARY ECOSYSTEMS
Obviously not all planets have the same environments and as such can offer a very different experience when fighting on them.
VOLCANIC WORLDS
Either due to a weak crust or instability from a particularly taxing plantery bombardment the planets surface is pockmared with fissures where it’s magma is thrown into the air. Wastelands of choking sulfuric gasses, acid rain, ash drifts and deadly lava flows make these some of the most inhospitable planets in the galaxy. At any moment this hellscape can be showered with super heated balls of lava. To represent this players must roll a dice at the begining of each turn, this the begining of each game turn, not player pahse. They must add a D6 roll to the turn number that is beginging. If the result of that roll is equal to or higher than seven the planets crust has opened and the battlefield is ravaged by a blast of magma. Each player may place a “magma burst” before the begining of their movement phase, it has the following profile. Strength 9, D6, Small Blast Template, Bombardment, Scatter. In addition any water features are difficult and dangerous terrain as the volcanic activity has turned them into deadly pools of highly corrosive bubbling acid, or they are lava.
ICE WORLDS
Frozen wastelands bereft of heat or warmth. Constant blizzards, icey flats, snow drifts dozens of feet high and temperatures hundreds of degrees below zero assail anyone attempting to traverse these wastelands. Due to the enviromental conditions movement is almost impossible. The entire world counts as difficult terrain for both vehicle and infantry, this applies to skimmers as their engines get icey. Terrain pieces that would normally be impassible are still impassible and terrain pieces that would normally be difficult simply provide the cover that it normally would. The surface of the planet is exceptionally cold, and this is only increased within the crystal forest. The quartz stalagmites seem to draw warmth away from any source, including the living. Some weapons struggle to work in such extremes. All types of flamer will only work on a D6 roll of a 4+ as the fuel struggles to ignite in the freezing conditions. Similarly, the range of melta weapons is halved as the super-heated vapour is quickly dissipated by the extreme cold of the environment.
Vehicles will quickly succumb to the effects of the extreme cold in the Crystal Forest. If vehicles are left stationary for long they will cease to function as engines seize and axles freeze up. A vehicle that did not move in the previous turn must roll a 6 before it can function again; this includes firing any weapons as gun mounts and barrels ice over.
NIGHT WORLDS
Due to a thick cloud of naturally occuring but ultimately benign chemical vapor which blocks, infrared, x ray and other forms of particles vision on this world is severely reduced. Play using the night fight rules
JUNGLE WORLD
The majority of this planets surface is covered by thick jungles inhabitted by vicious predators. Almost every organism on this planet is capable of killing a man, giant carniverous plants, ferocious predators and other endless monstrosities created by an unchecked natural ecosystem roam free. The entire board counts as jungle terrain, this applies to both infantry and vehicles. To represent this players should just sporadically place trees throughout the board, forest terrain pieces are not nessecary. The dense forests and clinging mists make it difficult to see far, vision is reduced to a maximum of twelve inches, spotlights do not increase this. Models may shoot up to 12 inches away, if their target is over six inches away then that target will receive a cover save. Skimmers hover above the canopy and do not have to take difficult terrain tests. However anything a skimmer shoots at receives a save while the skimmer never will. Troops fighting on a jungle world ust contend with the worlds natural predators as well as their enemies. At the begining of each turn D3 squads in each players army are attacked by jungle predators. D6 members of that squad are hit with strength four hits. If wounded those models must pass an initiative save or be dragged off into the foliage to be consumded by their assailant. If a model with more than one wound is wounded in this way he simply takes the wound but is not removed until all of his wounds are gone. It can be assumed that he fought off and killed his attacker for that round.
TEMPERATE WORLD
These worlds have totally benign enviroments and easily killed indigenous life. There are no special enviromental rules.
DESERT WORLD
Ash wastes and vast arid stretches of sand all count as desert worlds. Arid flat worlds devoid of water or excessive plant life. One danger of desert worlds is the sudden violent sandstorms that seem to spring out of nowhere. What as a hot clear day can turn into a violent hail of stones and sand. At the begining of each turn, not phase, one player should roll a D6 and add the turn. If the total is qual to or higher than six a sandstorm has hit. Winds hundreds of mile an hour obscure vision and affect missiles. If a model shoots over eighteen but under thirty six inches he suffers a -1 to the ballistic skill. If a model shoots over thirty six inches he suffers a -2 to ballistic skill. Each skimmer must roll a D6 at the begining of its movement during a sandstorm, on the roll of a 4+ that skimmers engine is filled with sand and it is immobolized, no exceptions. Sink holes are another danger of desert worlds. What looks like a normal patch of sand may actually be a loose well of sediment which a warrior can dissapear into without even a sound. For each squad and vehicle that moves during the movement phase, the movement phase only, a player rolls a D6. On the roll of a one that unit has found a sinkhole. Roll another D6 and remove that many models from play. They have dropped dozens of feet into the loose sand and nothing can save them. Any vehicle classified as “TANK” is heavy and will hit a sinkhole on a role of 1 or 2. If a vehicle hit’s a sinkhole it is immediately immobilzed, no saves allowed, no gear prevents this.
HIVE WORLD
Hive worlds are vast centers of industry and population. These towering mega complexes become landscapes of grey ruins during military campaigns. The board should be covered in buildings and ruins, the players should use the “city fight” rules in the City Fight rules. No other special rules apply.
PLANETARY BONUSES
If a player has occupied a planet he has the option to control that planet. Thusly depending on what type of world it is the player will receive a bonus as long as he maintains control of that planet. If a player is defending from or attacking from a world he controls he gets the bonus. If a player controls more than one world he must choose which world he is attacking from. There are six kinds of planets in Solar Empires.
FORGE WORLD
Bastions of production and industry, these worlds are covered in factories and munitions plants that can stretch for miles at a time. Due to the vast amount of raw supplies armies have an abundance of equipment to choose from. Armies may choose an extra Fast Attack, Elite Choice or Heavy Support Choice. They still pay the points however they have an extra Force Organization slot.
AGGRO WORLD
Farming worlds are covered in vast fields of fresh produce. Thanks to the abundance of foodstuffs and other supplies vital to a soldier’s health the army is healthy and well fed. The troops work harder and the world is able to support the needs of a larger garrison. Armies receive a 150 point bonus.
HIVE WORLD
The hive world is a center of activity and has a population of billions crammed into a single superstructure. Due to the massive amount of oversight needed to organize, supervise and manage such a large population occupying forces must delegate responsibility out to several commanders. Armies receive a bonus HQ force organization slot. They must pay points for the additional HQ choice.
DEATH WORLD
Death Worlds are the most inhospitable environments outside of the Eye of Terror. Soldiers garrisoned on these worlds must quickly hone their skills to a razor edge just to see another sunrise. It’s only a matter of time before commanders recognize their valuable new skills and put them to good use. Armies may upgrade a single Troop choice with one of the following Veteran Options: Tank Hunters, Scouts or Furious Charge.
SOLAR MECHANICS
The campaign map is on a 4’x 4’ board. The board is divided out into a grid, each gridline 3 inches from the other. Each grid square is referred to as a sector, each sector being 3" square. The grid Y axis is labeled with letters and it’s X axis is labeled with numbers, just like in Battleship. At the center of the map is the sun taking up roughly sixteen zones. Depending on the number of players the map should include six to nine planets. Each planet will follow a circular orbit around the sun.
Each planet will have a series of stations around the sun. The planets proximity to the sun will determine the length of its orbit and consequently how many stations the planet has before completing its orbit.
Moving forces around after war has begun.
Brought to you by Adam Lucian and Brent Donahue.
Thu Jul 30, 2015 2:48 am by 
