The Illustris War: My 40k Setting

Image by Tom (Smithfield) Watts

When I first started 40k, almost 20 years ago, I always wanted to play narrative driven games and combine them with the specialist games that GW had out back then. Alas my group was focused on competitive gaming, and then I moved on from GW games to historicals. 

Playing historicals reinforced the narrative game focus. My favorite historical systems, like Altar of Freedom, or Bloody Big Battles, both focus on wargaming historical scenarios, rather than pick-up games. 

Now that I am back in 40k, I have a new chance to enjoy the setting as I want. Between the discipline of colelcting and playing incursion games, combat patrol, and boarding actions, as well as multiplayer scenarios I enjoy this iteration of the GW sub-hobby much more than the first. 

I made a decision to invest a small fund to building two Battlefleet Gothic fleets. This was a GW game I had invested a bit in the past, and enjoyed it very much, but moved on from it. It turns out a vibrant community is alive, and has created a starting pack that includes legal free STLs . One of the Battletech players has a 3d printing company and for a small price printed a Chaos and Imperium starter fleet. These two fleets are more than enough for a lot of gaming, as they clock to 1000-1300 points.

I can now combine my Battle Fleet Gothic collections with my 40k collections in a narrative setting. This might or not might lead to campaigns and narrative scenarios, but provides my collections with a purpose, and more importantly with a guideline for how to grow.

The setting is The Illustris War, one of the many battles fought in the Era Indomitus. Under orders of Imperial Regent Roboute Guilliman Imperial forces in the Segementum Tempestus are pushing into the Veiled Region seeking new resources for the Imperium's desperate struggles.

One such endeavour is Battlefleet Illustris, a small imperial taskforce under Fleet Admiral Asmeret Ngisti tasked with reclaiming the Illustris Sector. The Battlefleet is joined by the Rogue Trader Conastans de Ravloti, who has been charted by the Ecclisiarchy to convey pilgrims and the Imperial Creed to the once benighted region. Joining the Rogue Trader is Lady Inquisitor Astor Sabbathiel and her retinue, an enigmatic and headstrong Inquisitor of the Ordos Hereticus who is seeking something in the Veiled Regions.Her presence is both a boon and curse, as she is well known to harbour a deep distrust of Astrates, which has the result of the Battlefleet operating without Astrates support. Indeed some whisper that she was set on this task exactly because the chance of interaction with Astrates is low. 

Opposing the Imperium is the Tetarchy of Desolation, a alliance of four warbands pledged to the Ruinous Powers. These include the Golden Serpeants of Valax Chrysocheir, the Cult of the Great Day led by the Dark Apostole Zhaox the Daybringer, the terminator clad Ju Jia led by Kanlis the Riven Tower, and the Decayed Triad of the Death Guard taksed with protecting the Deamon Prince navigator Athalika.

Of course the Veiled Region holds many mysteries and dangers, beyond those of the Imperium or Runious powers.

In this page I will post army lists, narratives etc for the clash of these two forces. This is a work in progress 

To play this camapign you will need the two following files 

Battlefleet Gothic XR Campaing Rules (Not my work)

Illustris War Random Table Generators 

Tetrarchy of Desolation Narrative	A narrative presnting the Tetrachy of Desolation, agents of the Ruinous Powers in the Illustris War- Read this to get an idea of the Forces of Chaos, their fleet, and their champions
Battlefleet Illustris Narrative	A narrative presenting the force of Battlefleet Illustris. - Read this to get an idea of the Forces of Imperium, their fleet, and their champions.
The Illustris Sector Map The Illustris Sector within Segmentum Tempestus Gazetteer of the region of the Segnetum Tempestus in which the Illustis Sector is located	Maps and gazetters for the Illustris Sector and the region of the Segmentum Tempestus it is located in.
Death Guard Incursion Lists Plague Company Flyblown Host	The army lists produced from New Recruit I use for the Death Guard contingent of the Tetarchy of Desoltion. This is not meant to be comeptetive lists. Overlaps with DG Boarding Patrol lists.
Death Guard Boarding Patrols	Boarding Patrols for my Death Guard Contingent (New Recruit) Overlaps with DG Incursion lists.
Chaos Space Marines Incursion Lists	The army lists based on New Recruit for the Chaos Space Marines Contingent of the Tetarchy of Desolation. Overlaps with CSM Boarding Patrols Lists.
Chaos Space Marines Boarding Patrols	Boarding Patrols for my Chaos Space Marine Contingent (New Recruit) Overlaps with CSM Incursion List.
Imperial Agents Incursion Lists	The army list based on the Retinue of Lady Inquisitor Astor Sabbathiel and forces seconded to her from the Rogue Trader Conastans de Ravloti (New Recruit) Overlaps with Imperial Agents Boarding Patrols, and Astra Militarium Incursion Lists.
Imperial Agents Boarding Patrols	Boarding Patrols for my Imperial Agents Contingent. Overlaps with Imperial Agents Incursion Lists.
Astra Militarium Incursion Lists	An Incursion list based on the 435th Tempestus Scion Regiment, seconded to Battlefleet Lethe. Overlaps with Imperial Agents Incursions Lists and Astra Militarium Boarding Patrols.
Astra Militarium Boarding Patrols	Overlaps with Astra Militarium Incursion list.