Week 1: The Purging of Talassar

The ocean world of Talassar has always been an Imperial bastion in the great void.  A shining Jewel in the Crown of Ultramar, Talassar is the cradle of many of Guilliman’s finest sons, including such warriors as Cato Sicarius, Captain of the Ultramarines Second Company and hero of a thousand battlefields.

But the shining beacon of Talassar has dimmed.  The Imperial Army’s Tithe delegate—a largely ceremonial position on the Astates worlds of Ultramar—was diverted to Calth after discovering that the dusky blue world was marred by the glowing fires of war, it’s spacelanes crowded by the vessels of Mankind’s numerous foes.

With the Ultramarines still recovering from the battle at Macragge or committed to other warzones, the lords of Ultramar are forced to seek outside aid for Talassar.  The Imperial Army has answered the call, along with nearly a dozen Astartes fleets and several Inquisitors operating nearbye.  Together the Imperial forces have mounted a great Expedition to Talassar under the command of Ultramarines Captain Mikael Fabian of the 3rd Company, charged with bringing death to their enemies and relief to the beseiged citizens.

With the void battle forced to a stalemate, thanks in part to the unlooked for intervention of an Eldar fleet on behalf of the Imperial forces, the time has come to take the battle to the surface.  Whichever side can gain control of the mighty Talassarian defense batteries can turn the tide of the space conflict and ultimately deny their foes the reinforcements needed for a ground victory.

But as the Expeditionary leaders prepare to make planetfall, many are plagued by doubts.  What foe has brought so much destruction to Talassar?  How did such a heavily defended world fall without even a single distress signal?

Mission 1: Beachhead

As Expeditionary forces reach Talassar, they must secure safe landing zones or be denied the bulk of their reinforcements.  The Occupation leaders have united in the common goal of denying a foothold on the planet's surface to the Imperial forces.

Primary Objective: Control the Field- Control more pieces of terrain than your opponent

The chosen beachheads are each home to one of the Defense Towers, part of Talassar's mysteriously silent orbital defenses.  Whichever side can control the towers will gain a significant edge in the orbital fight, and possibly clues to the circumstances surrounding the world's initial fall.

Secondary Objective: Investigate the Tower- After deployment, the Occupation player places a piece of terrain in his deployment zone.  This is the Defense Network Tower and cannot be controlled for the primary objective.  If, at the end of the Occupation player’s turn, the Expedition player has an unengaged HQ or Elite unit in base contact with the Tower, they complete this objective. If the Expedition player does not complete the objective before the end of the game, the Occupation player completes this objective.

In the early days of a campaign, moral victories are nearly as important as strategic ones.  Each side will unleash catastrophic destruction on the other.  No soldier can rest safe if he's a firsthand witness to the devastation his enemies can bring about.

Tertiary Objective: Break the Enemy- Each time an enemy unit loses 25% or more of its models in a single phase, you are awarded 1 objective point.  The player with the most objective points at the end of the game completes this objective.