AQ Campaign Play.docx

8/11/2019 AQ Campaign Play.docx

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Campaign Play

Each ship and every crew has a long and proud naval tradition. Some ships are consideredcursed with ill-lucky, some Captains are looked upon with favor by the High Command, andother ships have picked up unique quirks from decades of service. No two ships are exactly thesame even when they are from the same class. These mighty vessels have developed decades ofwear, hundreds crews have been rotated in and out, and various captains have all helmed them

prior to this point. The campaign rules are designed to bring unique flavor to ships as they wagewar against their foes during the Battle for Ammoriss.

Campaign Play represents the high command of any side choosing to allocate forces to a specificarea of Ammoriss in order to maintain control of the region and thwart the enemy. Naval unitsare not cheap, and are difficult to replace and refit, therefore rotating them from warzone towarzone is not always possible. It is not uncommon for them to remain in the same warzonethroughout the war. In such a situation, war can become very personal as rival officers and shipsmeet repeatedly in the field of battle.

As the Battle for Ammoriss progressed, what started as Raiding often escalated to larger battlesfor control of key areas. The campaign system will attempt to mimic the escalation of theconflict.

Starting a Campaign

At the outset of the Battle for Ammoriss, the various high commands were left with difficultchoices. They assigned limited numbers of ships and crews to contend the key points aroundAmmoriss. They were also left with important decision about what resources would supportwhat units in the field. Unsurprisingly, there were never enough ships, crews, officers,armaments, fuel, etc. to go around and support the entire war effort.

Typically, the High Command would assign a set number of ships drawn from the nearby, localassets to control the surrounding areas. For example, the North Ammoriss Naval PDF created aspecial Taskforce to patrol and maintain the areas around Da Deff Islands, there Ork WarbossSkarbash marshaled his own pirate forces. The two jockeyed for control of the approaches to theDeff Islands throughout the War.

To start a campaign, two or more players simply choose which factions they wish to play as. Acampaign can have as many or as few fleets as necessary. It is preferrede if all players representa different faction, but some of the more anarchic factions (Such as Dark Eldar Slavers, Ork KillFleets, Congregation of the Unfaith, Pirates) may have more than one faction fighting each other,while more organized factions (such as North Ammoriss) would most likely not fight each other.



The Campaign Rules laid out here are dependent of any maps or other campaign tools.However, it is entirely possible to integrate these rules with a map or other tools as the playerswish.

Playing a Campaign

Once players have established their factions, it is possible to start creating the fleets that willoppose each other in the campaign. To start with, each fleet commander can choose up to 1,000

points of ocean going vessels from their respective Line of Battle. This is called the FleetRoster. All Cruiser and larger vessels must be suitably named, as well as a Captain appointed.Escort squadrons and submersibles must also have suitable names and commanders.

If a group wished, they can increase the number of starting points to encourage larger fleets and bigger battles. This is at the discretion of those playing and organizing the campaign. The 1,000 points is simply a guideline.

Each fleet is required to have a Command Ship. This ship does not have to be a Flagship purchased as an option form the fleet lists. However, like all vessels in the fleet it will need asuitable name and named commanding officer assigned as t he fleet’s leader.

As the campaign progresses, the fleet will acquire battle damage, resources, and experience.These variables will impact the development of the fleet as a fighting unit and shape its progressin its mission. These variables will be calculated as the fleet engages in missions.

Rating

The fleet rating is a quick short hand to determine the approximate “value” of the fleet. Here ishow it is calculated:

Rating= Points value + Experience + Resources

The rating will change frequently as the fleet progresses and will need to be recalculated afterevery engagement and post-engagement sequence. Typically this is the last step after all othervariables have been dealt with. This will give an approximate idea of which Fleet is the mostsuccessful at any given time.

Ending a Campaign

There are multiple ways to end a campaign and it is up to the players to determine the methodthey wish to use. Some examples are listed below:

1. Elimination- The campaign continues until all players have been removed except for one.A fleet is eliminated if all their Resources have been taken, or ships sunk.



2. Time Limit- The Campaign lasts for a set number of days, weeks, months OR number ofengagements. At the end of this time frame, the fleet with the best rating is assumed tohave driven the others from their sector and claimed strategic victory.

3. Rating Break Point- The first fleet to achieve a preset rating will be declared the winner.4. The Final Battle- The campaign leads up to a Final Battle where all the fleets of the

campaign converge and play as they are. The winner of this big battle is the winner.

Any of these methods can lead to entertaining and exciting campaigns. It is completely up to the players and orga nizers of the campaign how they want to “end” their campaign.

Losing Ships

During games of Aquanautica Imperialis ships are often stricken by critical damage, crippled,suffer from crew reductions, hulked or sunk. In the context of the game, these can have serioustactical implications. However, they also can have important implications during campaign play!

A ship that is sunk or explodes during a battle is simply removed from the Fleet Roster. It canno longer take part in future battles and is deducted from the fleet’s Rating.

If a ship is Hulked (i.e. reduced to 0DP during the game) it may be salvaged for future use byfleet tenders and other recovery operations. For a Hulked vessel, roll a d6. On a 4+ the hulk has

been recovered. At this point, it can be sold for scrap, repaired, or scuttled.

If a hulked ship is not recovered, your opponent can attempt to recover it on a roll of 6 on a d6.If captured in this way it must be sold for scrap.

Permanent DamageMany engagements will end with ships either damaged, crippled or with critical damage. At theend of the engagement, any ship that has been damaged may make a Damage Control roll. Thisworks like a normal Damage Control roll. The controlling player rolls a single D6 for eachDamage Point remaining. A result of 6 allows you to do one of the following; repair a singleCritical Damage or increase the ships Damage Points by 1.

For Example: The Reliable Cruiser, AN Triumphant Angel; ends an engagement with 3 DP anda Bridge Destroyed result. The Triumphant Angel rolls 3d6 and scores a 3, 6, and 6. Nice work!The controlling player decides to repair the Bridge Destroyed result and raises the ships DP to 4.The work crews found the ship’s Captain and several key officers injured in the Bridge wreckageand managed to weld together enough plate armor to secure the ship.

If a ship ends an engagement with critical damage it becomes Permanent Damage. This can only be repaired using the rules for Repairing Permanent Damage. Until it is repaired, the vessel willsuffer from the damage when it first takes damage whether it normally causes critical damage ornot. Unresolved fires will reignite, rudders will jam, screws will foul, etc.



For Example: The Ork Big Dakkaboat, Runtkilla; suffered a Fire in its last engagement that itwas unable to put out. In addition, it was unable to repair it at the end of the engagement. Thefire has become Permanent Damage. The Runtkilla goes into battle next, and everything seemsfine. However, it still has permanent damage. A broadside from the Triumphant Angel scorestwo DP on the Runtkilla, but does not cause critical damage. However, because the Runtkillahas “Fire” permanent damage, the blaze is reignited in the ships interior thanks to the newdamage.

If a ship ends an engagement as Crippled, it may receive Permanent Damage. Roll a d6 for eachDP remaining, if any of the dice score a 6, then Permanent Damage is avoided. To determine thetype of Permanent Damage roll on the chart below.

For Example: The Triumphant Angel ended the engagement with 4DP, technically leaving hercrippled. Therefore, she may suffer from Permanent Damage. The controlling player rolls 4d6(1 d6 per DP remaining) and scores a 2, 3, 5, and a 4. The Triumphant Angel will suffer from

permanent damage.

Permanent Damage Table

Roll a 2d6 and consult the chart below. A ship may not have the same Permanent Damage twice.If a duplicate is rolled, simply roll again on the chart.

2- Leaky

The vessels hull is filled with small micro-cracks and is structurally unsound. The interior of theships drips water, and it is only a matter of time before it bursts. The ship is extremely

vulnerable and any critical damage rolls add a +1 to the result.

3- Communications Severed

The key communications network such as vox lines, voice tubes, crystalline matrixes, etc have been severed in many places all across the ship. As such, communications between the keystations and the bridge are spotty at best. The ship has a -1 modifier to all Command Checks toreceive Special Orders.

4- Non-responsive Rudder

The directional steering controls are blocked up by debris and loose flotsam. While theseobstructions remain, the ship is much harder to steer. As a result, the ship simply will notcomply with Come to New Heading or Evasive Maneuvers special orders.

5- Wonky Fire Control



The normal fire control mechanisms have been destroyed and replacements have not beensourced. This includes fire controlled masts, observation ports divination stones, etc. Therefore,the ship treats all targets as being obscured whether they are or not.

6- Screw Malfunctions

The ships propulsion systems have been damaged. This can be in the form of restless machinespirits, hindered vector thrust fans, or not enough grots to pull the “Go Fasta” cranks. The vesselwill not respond to All Ahead Full or Reverse Engines Special Orders.

7- Inoperative Blast Doors

Most large warships are comprised of a number of air-tight chambers sealed off by blast doors.These doors seal in an emergency to isolate damage, minimize crew loss, and keep the shipafloat. These emergency mechanisms have been rendered inoperative in some cases. As aresult, the ships Brace for Impact save is reduced to 5+

8- Medical Bay Depleted

The medical stores on the ship have been exhausted. Either the basic supplies such as bandages,anesthetic, and stitches have not be restocked since the last engagement, or the high tech medicalequipment was shredded and no replacements installed. Either way, the crew suffers wantoncasualties during the battle. The controlling player rolls a d6 for each DP inflicted during battle.On a 6, the Crew rating is reduced by 1. Normal Critical Damage and Crew Rating below 0rules apply.

9- Arsenal Cranes Jammed

To facilitate the proper loading and preparing of Ordinance, it must be brought from the shipssecure arsenal to the launch deck. This includes torpedoes to the tubes, bombs to the bombers,depth charges to the launchers etc. However, without the use of automated system, it is purelymuscle and will to move these enormous and heavy weapons from the arsenal to where they needto be. The ship has a -2 penalty for Command Checks related to Reload Ordinance SpecialOrders.

10- Thinned Plate

In order to facilitate rapid repair and ad-hoc fixes to the ship, short cuts had to be used. Thisincluded reducing the thickness of plate used to cover structural damage or simply papering overmore serious damage. As a result, the ship looks whole, but its armor belts have been reduced.The ship increases its Armor save rating by 1 to a maximum of 6+, if the ship all ready has a 6+save roll on this chart again.

11- Augurs Destroyed



The ships early warning and detection devices have been rendered useless from previousdamage. These systems provide early warning to PD crews of potential attack and allow them toreact in a timely manner. Therefore, the ship’s PD only strike successfully on a 5+ instead of thenormal 4+ as the crews have less time to react to oncoming threats.

12- Vox Black-out

The vessels long range communication channels have been shot away, or the receivers destroyed.It is forced to rely on signal flags, intuition, flash messages, and other primitive methods todetermine its role in the battle. The ship cannot benefit from any fleet re-rolls, and alwaysactivates last in its fleet. It will even activate after Merchant ships in scenarios that use them.

Experience

As vessels take part in engagements, their crews and Captain will gain in confidence and skill.They will learn various tricks and stratagems to help them overcome their enemies. Vessels gainexperience as they take part in engagements. When a warship has enough experience points, theship will gain an advance.

Typically, a ship or squadron will start with d6 experience points to represent their training, previous time at sea, etc. Players may wish to change this rule and allow ships and squadrons to begin a campaign with more or less experience. This is up to the Players.

A common solution could be to allow players to purchase experience for their ships. In such acase, the formula would be the initial d6 is free. Each point up to the first advance would be +5

points, and each point up to the second advance would be +15 pts. No ship should start acampaign with more than 2 advances. These rules could be a good way to include a particularlystoried ship or commander being reassigned to the fleet.

It is important to note that Escorts gain experience as a Squadron while Submersibles andCruisers or larger earn experience by ship.

Earning Experience

The different engagements will earn experience differently. The different objectives of theengagement will dictate the Experience earned. The following will be some general guidelinesfor creating your own scenarios.

Survive without being crippled 2 pointsSurvive the battle 1 pointInflict a DP 1pointInflict a DP to Cripple +1 point beyond normal DP pointComplete Objective 3 pointsWin an Engagement 1 point



A ship or squadron does not add any experience to its totals until the end of the engagement.

Experience Advances

As a ship or squadron earns experience they can earn Experience Advances. An advance

represents their improvement in skills as they have gained skills, abilities, and tricks during their previous engagements. The following table indicates when the vessel will have an advance.This advance should be determined after the Engagement and once the vessel or squadronsexperience total meets the required threshold. This should be done when both players in theengagement are present.

Experience Advance0-10 None11-20 Level 121-30 Level 231-50 Level 3

51-70 Level 471-100 Level 5101-130 Level 6131+ Level 7

No additional advances

Squadrons

Squadrons of Escorts gain experience just as the big ships do. As long as the Squadron isn’twiped out, it is assumed the survivors teach the new skills, tips, and tricks to the replacement

vessels and crews that fill the squadron.

Advance Rolls

Once a vessel or squadron has achieved the threshold of points needed to make the next level,they can roll on the following table. Roll a d6 and consult the chart below:

2- Cross Trained

The Crew has cross trained so that they can perform more than one duty onboard. Thisallows a level of redundancy in key systems. In addition, more ratings have been trained

to act as armsmen to repel boarders. (The Crew rating can never be double the startingrating. In the case of Crew rating 0 the max is 2. If the max has been reached, re-roll theresult.)

3- Skilled Shipmasters





The ship’s crew have a steady aim, and gain a +1 LD modifier for their Command Checkwhen they receive the Lock-On Special Oder. (This modifier cannot exceed LD 10, if itis all ready at 10 re-roll the result.)

10- Stoke the Boilers

The engine room is especially skilled at tweaking their reactors or power plants at amoment’s notice to coax more speed out of the ship. The ship has a +1 modifier to theCommand Check for All Ahead Full and Reverse Engines special orders. (LD can never

be higher than 10, if all ready at 10, re-roll the result.)

11- Rapid Fire

The crew have been trained to ram home and fire their shells faster than normal practiceallows. As a result, they can pour a torrent of fire at a target. In essence, this ship canignore the modifier for Obscured targets as the weight of shells is bound to hit somethingin the area. (This may only be taken once. If the max has been reached, re-roll theresults.)

12- Skilled Boarders

The crew has been trained to strike at the weak point sin enemy ships. If theysuccessfully board an enemy vessel, the boarders can choose to add +1 to the results ofthe Critical Damage to the ship. (This modifier can be a maximum of +3. Once themaximum has been reached, re-roll the results)

Strategic Points

Strategic Points represent the key areas that your fleet is defending and protecting from theenemy. In addition, it is from these Strategic Points that High Command decides how manyresources to allocate tot eh fleet. The larger the number and the more valuable the StrategicPoints your fleet protects or controls the more Resource your fleet will secure from theirsuperiors.

Every fleet begins a campaign with 5 Strategic Points they are tasked with controlling. TheseStrategic Points will change hands throughout the campaign and impact the number of resourcesthe fleet has access to. Be sure to record the Strategic Points your fleet is defending on yourFleet Roster.

Resources

At the end of an Engagement, the fleet will gather resources based on the Strategic Points theycommand. Keep in mind, these resources must be collected from each Strategic Point. This



represents them either conscripting crewmen, picking up currency from high command, extortingmanufactured goods, stealing promethium, etc. Resources are just the generic term for all thosethings needed to keep a fleet in good order and operational.

Each Cruiser that ends and Engagement not crippled can choose to visit a Strategic Point. An

escort squadron may do the same, provided at least two escorts remain in the Squadron.Submersibles need to be multi-hit models to collect Resources and have more than 1 DPremaining.

Each eligible vessel collects a number of Resources from each Strategic Point. If the controlling player does not have enough ships to visit all Strategic Points, they can choose which points theywill be collecting from.

The fleet will always need to spend a certain amount of Resources of things like, food,ammunition, fuel etc. These costs are deducted from the overall number of resources collected

based on the size of the fleet. Ships and Escort Squadrons count as 1 unit for purposes ofdetermining fleet size.

Units1-3 4-6 7-9 10-12 13-15 16-18 19-21

Resources0-299 150 100 50 0 0 0 0300-499 250 200 150 50 0 0 0500-799 350 300 250 150 50 0 0800-1,199 500 450 400 300 200 50 01,200-1,699 650 600 550 450 350 150 501,700-2,299 850 800 750 650 550 350 1502,300-2,999 1,050 1,000 950 850 750 550 3503,000-3,799 1,200 1,150 1,100 1,000 900 650 4503,800-4,599 1,350 1,300 1,250 1,150 1,050 850 6504,600+ 1,450 1,400 1,350 1,250 1,150 900 650

Strategic Points

Use the following charts to determine which Strategic Points your fleet starts with at the beginning of the Campaign. Remember, each fleet begins with five random Strategic Points.Roll a d66 and consult the chart below:

Roll Resources Name Description11 2d6 x10 Toxic Dump This area is a dumping ground for industrial waste and

Other toxic materials. Sometimes the waste canprovide valuable by products. On a roll of doubles, anaccident has occurred and no Resources are gained.

12-16 100 Fishing Village This is a small fishing village. The fisherman canprovide delicious fresh fish for your cre w’s tables. This



is a boost for morale, but provides little in the way ofwar fighting.

21-25 150 Common Mine A small mine head is present in the area. From here,common ores are worked. Some of them help makewiring and cables needed to help power the fleet.

26 1d6x100 Adaconite Vein A vein of rare Adaconite runs through the area. Thiscan be shipped to the Main Spaceport and sold for agood profit, or used to help create new armor plate foryour ships.

31-35 300 Settlement A decent size settlement provides steady income foryour fleets maintenance.

36 1d6x100 Mineworks A large mineworks provides valuables resources for thelarger war effort.

41-42 100 Augur Beacons The Augur Beacons are large antennae and dish farmsused to detect the coming and going of enemy forces.They are important to the high command, and hencethey provide resources for their protection andgarrisoning. Augur Beacons allow a +1 to determine ifthe fleet is the Attacker in a scenario.

43-44 100 Vox Relay The Vox Relay is used to convey messages all acrossAmmoriss. These are valuable military assets, and theHigh Command provides resources for their

provisioning. A Vox Relay allows the fleet a free re-roll.

45-46 1d6x100 Promethium The Rig extracts Promethium fuel from deep under theRigs surface of the planet. The Promethium can be used to

power ships, build weapons, etc.

51-52 1d6x100 Labor Camp This is a labor camp of local lay workers whoAre forced to perform manual labor such as mining,manufacturing, etc. They can provide goods to be soldin larger markets or labor for the fleets benefit.

53-54 1d6x100 R&R Center The High Command has set this area aside for Rest andRelaxation. As such, the troops and crews spend theirmoney freely at the drinking holes, casinos, andbrothels. Roll a d6, on a 6 the visiting ship can increaseits crew rating by 1 for the next engagement.

55-56 1d6x100 Harbor This area has a natural harbor that is a hub for localmerchant vessels to congregate. If you win a ConvoyRaid engagement, you gain a +1 to the roll to Gain



Strategic Points from the Harbor.61 1d6x100 Medicae The Strategic Point is a Medicae facility. As such, the

high command will attempt to keep it safe a securefrom enemy dangers. They provide for its protection.The Medicae will also repair any Massive CasualtiesPermanent Damage for free, instead of collectingIncome. No Dry Dock is required.

62 1d6x100 Manufactoria The manufactoria is a large factory complex used formaking war machines and other machined products. Itis an assembly line. This allows you to repair oneWeapon Destroyed Permanent Damage instead ofcollecting income. No Dry Dock is required.

63 2d6x100 City A city is a key resource center for all military forces. Itprovides men, material, and moral. If a double is rolled,the ship collecting income starts the next engagement

in reserves as shore parties take time to return to theship. This causes the vessel to miss the start of theengagement.

64 2d6x100 Port The port is a main thoroughfare of commerce andmilitary forces. It is a huge, busy and bustling place. Ifcollect the income is entangled in the ports traffic andunable to attend the next engagement.

65 2d6x100 Manufactorum The Manufactorum is a huge sprawling industrialcomplex as large as a city. It can produce huge

quantities of war materials. A Manufactorum canproduce be pushed to produce larger quantities ofResources. No risk is incurred for collecting 2d6x100.However, if you want you can push production to 3d6,4d6, all the way to 6d6x100. However, if a double isrolled, the surrounding resources and labor pool isexhausted. The Manufactorum becomes a Mineworksinstead.

66 1d6x100 Base The Strategic Point is naval base. As a result, the fleetgains +d6 starting experience for the collecting ship.The base will provide experience instead of income.

Using Resource

Resources are used to repair damaged ships, replace lost vessels, fix permanent damage, andacquire new vessels for your fleet. One Resource point is the equivalent of 1 point in the Line ofBattle fleet lists.

Resources can be used to do the following:



- Purchase new ships on a 1 Resource for 1 point from the Line of Battle basis.- 25 Resources repairs 1 DP on a vessel- Permanent Damage can be repaired for 2d6 x 10 Resources per Permanent Damage- Refit an existing ship with Upgrades from the fleet list for the points cost +d6 resources.- Rebuild a Hulk. This costs 50 Resources for the first DP and 25 per after the first.

Gaining Strategic Points

The only way a fleet can gain more Strategic Points is by taking them from opposing fleets. Thiscan only be done by winning engagements. After winning an engagement both sides roll a d6and add the following modifiers.

Won the Engagement +1Crippled a Capital ship* +1 Not cumulativeSunk a Capital Ship +2 Not cumulativeWiped out an Escort Squadron +1 Not CumulativeInflicted twice the DP as received +1Playing a Raid Scenario -2

If the winner of the engagement rolls twice the result of their opponent on the d6, they havemanaged to seize a Strategic Point from their opponent. Remove the Strategic Point fromopponent Fleet Roster and add it to the winners Fleet Roster.

Dry Docks

Repairing, Refitting, and Rebuilding a Hulk require extensive repair work at the associated fleet

base. It is not simply a matter of spending resources to have the ship fixed. Instead, it needs to be sent to the Dry Dock. There skilled shipwrights can take the ship out of the water and workon her. This allows them free access to move around and fully repair the ship.

If resources are being spent to repair 2 DP or more, refitting a new upgrade or PermanentDamage then the ship will need to go to Dry Dock. The ship will miss the next engagementwhile being repaired.

Scrapping a Hulk

If a ship is hulked (i.e. reduced to 0 DP) it can be recovered after a battle and sold as scrap. This

can be used to generate additional resources for the fleet. Each scrapped Hulk is worth 1Resource per starting DP of the hulk.

For Example: A Congregation of Unfaith Just Class Cruiser has been hulked during anengagement. The fleet has managed to recover it after the battle by rolling a 4+. They decide toscrap it instead of repairing it. A Just Class Cruiser has a starting DP of 6. Therefore, the Hulkis worth an additional 6 Resources.



Rebuilding a Hulk

If a fleet chooses to Rebuild a Hulk, the Hulk will be in Dry Dock for 1d3 engagements while itis being rebuilt.

However, the benefit is that a rebuilt Hulk will gain half of its Experience back rounding up asits crew is replenished from the survivors, existing equipment is restored, and familiar systemsare updated. This means the ship will lose random advance bonuses until it reaches theappropriate number for the rebuilt ships new experience level.

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AQ Campaign Play.docx