Adeptus Titanicus - Crucible of Retribution - Final Thoughts

We wrap up our coverage of the main contents of Crucible of Retribution.  We’ll continue to have articles about the remaining Titan Legions and may even get into some of the missions at a later date.  However, we sum up our thoughts of the supplement here.

FINAL THOUGHTS

No new mechanics and the lack of appendices adding new warzone traits, weapons, or stratagems would seem like a missed opportunity, but it’s not in this case.  Crucible of Retribution delivers on lore, Titan Legions, two (2) powerful new maniples, and nineteen (19) missions. That is quite a lot to put in a supplement for the game, with the key takeaways being the expansion of Titans and the missions in particular. 

Of the 19 missions, 15 of them are dedicated to non-campaign play.  This book, through those missions, has vastly opened up the options that players have for their games of Adeptus Titanicus.  That alone makes this book worth picking up.  Making it even more enticing is that these missions are themed around three different world types within the lore, offering a variety of battlefields to fight over.  This is all in addition to the four (4) narrative missions for fighting in the Belt of Iron. 

As a quick thought, fans of the Axiom maniple will also find that the Precept maniple challenges their long-held belief in the Axiom’s superiority. 

This book is definitely worth grabbing if you’re looking to expand your mission options in Adeptus Titanicus or play any of the Legios in the book (yes, we hear you Ignatum players, you may finally rejoice).

Adeptus Titanicus - Crucible of Retribution - Legio Venator

 LEGIO VENATOR RULES FOR ADEPTUS TITANICUS:

We continue the reviews of Crucible of Retribution by handing the reigns over to Lord Halfpenny, the proud master of his loyal Legion, Crucius, to review the rules for the loyal Legio Venators – ‘Iron Spiders’ (ironic that Lord Halfpenny has arachnophobia.) [Side note: so does Shadow, who is definitely feeling Halfpenny’s pain here]

In the supplement there are three (3) Legio traits, a wargear option, and three (3) personal traits to utilize in games of Adeptus Titanicus.

LEGIO TRAITS

• Loyalty Above All: This trait allows Titans of Legio Venator to ignore the “Princeps Wounded critical effect”.  Wow, that will be hugely beneficial in game terms! By negating these effects Titans become more durable and are able to act as expected as the shooting starts. The trait also allows friendly Ventor Titans to apply an additional 1 to the roll for any command checks within 6” of the Princeps Seniores’ Titan. Another great aspect of the game is the command rolls, and with a benefit of an extra +1 to the roll are hugely advantageous in making sure that your game tactics happen!
• One Mind: This trait is ace. This allows friendly Venator Titans to squadron up, with a maximum of two (2) Titans, with the exception being a new squadron can’t be made with a Titan already in a Squadron. These Titans follow all rules for a squadron, other than the option to merge shields. Straight away I can see the benefit of having a squadron of two (2) Warlords at the back of the table blasting away the enemy, which could see eight (8) weapons fired in a single volley – ouch! This would also allow the option to have different Titans working together to advance forward. The ‘squadron’ only lasts until the end of the round.
• Mobile Force: This trait is quite fluffy, linking to the history of the Legio having lost a number of the heavier battle Titans. This allows a Reaver Titan to be taken instead of a mandatory Warlord in a Maniple. This would be a good way to reduce the points cost of the maniple.

LEGIO SPECIFIC WARGEAR

Blind Launchers: The Legio Wargear option can only be used once a game. The Blind Launchers are purchased for a set Titan and is activated during the combat phase, and lasts until the next combat phase. All hit rolls against the Titan are at -1 to hit, and also all shots fired by the Titan have a -1 to hit. The key aspect is that the launchers can be activated at any point, so potentially this could be activated after the Titan has fired to avoid the -1 to hit modifier. Real nice wargear option, and good for the points. I could see the benefit of this if the Titan is in the line of sight of some big guns, or potentially towards the end of the game if the Titan is scoring points, and out in the open.

[You should ask us about what the name makes Halfpenny think of.  Hit up the comments below to ask him about the dark but somewhat humourous mental image]

LEGIO SPECIFIC PERSONAL TRAITS

• Burning Hate: This personal trait allows a Legio Venator Princeps Seniores once a round to make another attack with any of its weapons on a Titan that it has just caused critical damage to. This then requires a reactor overload dice roll. This trait is amazing, I can see huge benefit in allowing the Titan one (1) more killing blow with a hope of taking out the enemy Titan, definitely worth the reactor roll!
• Crusade Veteran: Once per game, after a repair roll is resolved as part of an Emergency Repairs order, the order can be discarded, with a second order issued. Potentially this could be another repair roll. The Titan can only be activated in the movement or the combat phase. This is a great trait to utilise if the Titan has taken a pounding and needs some major repairs, or if the repair phase hasn’t gone to plan and has left the Titan vulnerable.  Definitely can see this being of benefit towards the later stages of battles when the damage is building up.
• Superior Tactician: The presence of the Princeps allows for an additional stratagem point. This may be used prior to the battle on stratagems. Nice trait which allows more freedom with tactics.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall I really like the feel that the Legio traits, wargear, and personal traits for Legio Venator have, and I could be tempted to have a small force of this Legion. I really like the One Mind trait and can see this working really well, and maybe using this in conjunction with the Blind Launchers – allowing for the Titans to be a little more in the open to attack, but then have the launchers to add to their defence.

The supplement also includes the Warlord Titan Lupus Ira, a great-looking Warlord! 

Adeptus Titanicus - Crucible of Retribution - Legio Laniaskara Review

LEGIO LANIASKARA RULES FOR ADEPTUS TITANICUS: 

Hello Princeps, welcome to our continuing coverage of Crucible of Retribution. This time, we’re bringing you a Legio rules review conducted by our very own Siph. Take it away:

Greetings, my fellow Princeps. Today I bring to you my review of the new rules for Legio Laniaskara, the Impalers, one of the new Traitor Legios to be featured in the latest campaign book Crucible of Retribution. The Laniaskara's (the Lanisters – Siph) are clad in predominately red and black, similar to their Mortis counterparts, and like to adorn their titans with trophies, again like their kin...

(Image from GW all rights reserved - Crucible of Retribution - Legio Laniaskara)

LEGIO TRAITS

Let’s start with the first Legio Trait that the Impalers receive. ‘Direct Measures' plays to the character of the Impalers.  Subtlety is not a concept that exists in Legio Laniaskara! They cut to the chase and hunt down their foes. This trait gives the ability to move a single Titan once per round at boosted speed without needing to roll the reactor dice.

I like that this is simple and to the point:  boosting the speed with no potential drawback, chase the enemies down!

 The second Trait the Impalers receive is called 'Bullish’ and reflects their character.  Being forced to fight their prey of gigantic sea beasts under the sea has lead to a culture of face-to-face direct conflict, no smoke and mirrors here. This Trait helps close combat, giving a Smash attack in addition to any other close-combat attack when a Titan attacks as part of a Charge order.

(Image from GW all rights reserved - Crucible of Retribution - Legio Laniaskara)

LEGIO SPECIFIC STRATAGEM

The Impalers have one Legio-specifc stratagem: 'Heedless Charge,' which also reflects their bullish and close-combat orientated nature; the Legio Laniaskara likes close-combat weaponry. A favoured tactic is to unleash a spearhead of Reaver Titans armed with short-range weapons upon enemy fortifications - bullishly battering down the fortifications head-on.

The stratagem is played at the start of a Strategy Phase and for that phase any Impalers Titans can be issued with Charge Orders without the need for Command Checks. Very useful if you have short-range titans, have closed in on the enemy, and now need to make those charges count!

LEGIO SPECIFIC WARGEAR

The Impalers like to get up close and personal and so have treated-alloy plating to help survive the close-weapons systems of the enemy.  Mordantised Ceramite, the Legio Wargear, is an upgrade that reduces the effectiveness of enemy Armour Rolls for attacks made by weapons with Maximal Fire traits (like Plasma) even if the Maximal Fire trait of said weapon is not being used.

(Image from GW all rights reserved - Crucible of Retribution - Legio Laniaskara)

LEGIO SPECIFIC PERSONAL TRAITS

Laniaskara Princeps are schooled in brawling with giant sea beasts and have no pity on the weak and have honed and perfected the kill so their traits run along these lines, randomly generated rolling a D3:

-  'Cruel' gives a strength bonus if making attacks against units with a Scale Factor of 5 or lower.

- 'Titan Killer' gives a re-roll to a vital Armour Penetration roll of 1 when you really need to make that kill!

- 'Heedless Rage' allows the Princeps to make an attack in melee with a disabled melee weapon, overcoming the disabling pain to deliver the killing blow - but be wary:  after resolving the attack the titan takes a hit to its body.

FINAL THOUGHTS

 A nice mix of traits and stratagems suited to the brutal close-combat nature of the Impalers, with not many downsides.

 

Adeptus Titanicus - Crucible of Retribution - New Missions

We return to our Crucible of Retribution coverage with a review of the book’s missions.  A whopping 19 missions define this book and this is what has lead to this new supplement being much more of a straight-up gaming expansion compared to other supplements rather than a mechanic building.  Rather than appendices, warzone rules, new weapons, and the like we are treated to four (4) Belt of Iron campaign missions and fifteen (15) general use narrative missions.

Where Defence of Ryza ensured that multiple supplements were needed to fully play its narrative missions, the Crucible of Retribution book goes back to the Titanicus roots.  These missions are all about Titans slaying Titans.  Many conflicts in the Belt of Iron were fought in the same style and similar environments, but the nature of the fights were always different.  Crucible of Retribution sees players battling to take Forge Worlds, breaking sieges, engaging in small-scale skirmishes in which maniples cannot stay cohesive, or laying absolute waste to cities.

This book is adept at creating a narrative that is about the sheer devastation caused by an engine war and the missions certainly exude that environment.  To further that, the additional 15 missions are added.  The standard-sized battlefields (unless specified otherwise in the mission) provide battle on three (3) world types:

•          Death World
•          Forge World
•          Hive World

Further, each world has five (5) mission types to play.  Players roll a dice to determine the world type and then another dice to determine the mission type. Each mission comes with its own unique flavor, set of victory conditions, map, and special rules similar to the warzone rules we’ve seen in prior supplements.  This major expansion of mission options means that players now have a wide variety of new games to try and has vastly increased their options for play outside of the story-based Narrative Missions from the supplements. 

Adeptus Titanicus - Crucible of Retribution - Legio Ignatum Review

LEGIO IGNATUM RULES FOR ADEPTUS TITANICUS:

 Hello, Princeps, and welcome to our continuing coverage of Adeptus Titanicus.  This time, we’re bringing you a Legio rules review conducted by one of our support staff.  So, without further ado, let’s take it over to him:

Greetings my fellow Princeps. Today I bring to you my review of the new rules for Legio Ignatum that appear in the latest campaign book Crucible of Retribution.

LEGIO TRAIT

 So let’s start with the Legio trait that the Fire Wasps receive. ‘We Loyal Few’ gives them the ability to reroll ones in the Combat Phase at enemy targets no further than 12 inches away. Now, as a Firewasps Princeps that likes to get into the thick of things this is really quite handy, especially when you are trying to strip an enemy titan’s shields before following up with your heavier weapons. How many times have you tried to take out a couple of shields with a Gatling blaster at a crucial part of the battle only to come up with a host of ones?

I find this quite thematic seeing as the Fire Wasps are driven by their fury at the traitors turning away from the Imperium. Just understand that you can only use this ability in the Combat Phase of the game, so that means you can’t use it with First Fire orders.

STRATAGEMS

 Next up is their first of two (2) stratagems, ‘Punish Their Folly’. Essentially, if an enemy Titan ends its move within three (3) inches of your Titan as part of a Charge Order the Ignatum Titan can fire one (1) of its weapons at normal Ballistic Skill before any attacks are resolved, but you cannot use any weapon with the Melee trait. Again I feel this is quite thematic:  showing defiance as an enemy bears down upon you, you turn your engine and shoot the attacker square in the face. This is another situational stratagem that can only be used in the orders phase, so if someone moves within 3 inches normally in the movement phase you can’t use it.

Next up is ‘Guard the Gates’. This is a situational stratagem as well. You can only utilize it in the very first strategy phase of the game, and whilst a lot of people on various forums have been giving it a hard time I see it as a very useful first-turn deterrent. As ALL Ignatum engines can benefit from it whether part of a maniple or just a support Titan, it’s pretty handy.  As most people already know of this stratagem, opponents would have to be very brave or very foolish to place one of their engines in the open on first turn in the hope of gaining an advantage to their movement or their own fields of fire. If you deploy your titans in good positions with good fields of fire, a cautious enemy player will hide their engines more often than not, which restricts their movement and fields of fire. On the other side of the coin, a reckless, bloodthirsty opponent will be running into a lot of first-fire shooting.

WARGEAR

Now to one of my favourite things:  the war gear. Gravitonic Sensor Array is, in my opinion, an absolute must. For example, Guard the Gates first-turn firing would definitely benefit from the +1 to hit targets that are at least 25 percent in cover as would any over-shooting for the rest of the game. I don’t really even have to say anything else about it; it’s a must buy for any Ignatum Princeps.

PERSONAL TRAITS

•  Death Before Dishonour is a pretty great trait but it does mean that you are possibly quite near to death as to use it you have to have a received a critical. Also, on repair rolls you have to use any successful rolls to repair any damaged weapons first before applying any of them to your Voids or Reactor. That said, rerolling failed to-hit rolls is always worth a little pain, I reckon.
• Foe Slayer: my personal favourite, as it allows the Princeps Senoris to add +1 to the armour rolls for one specified weapon.  However, if your enemy is either Legio Mortis or Legio Tempestus, you can add +1 to the armour roll for two weapons.
• Lastly there is Eternal Guardian. Basically, don’t move your Titan (voluntarily or involuntarily) and you get to reroll one armour roll per combat phase.

 For my style of play I’d be hoping for either one of the first two of the personal traits, especially Foe Slayer as I play against a lot of Mortis and Tempestus titans, but Death Before Dishonour is definitely a very handy trait in a titanic scale gun-battle.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall I find the rules fairly thematic to how I see the Legio.  The strategems can be effective, but because they are very situational in being either first-turn only or charge orders, you probably won’t take them that often; only if you fancy trying them out, really.

We Loyal Few should just cover all firing, not just Combat Phase shooting, as, for example, a Venator light maniple cannot utilise it if a Warhound strips an enemy shield for the free shot from the Reaver Titan, but I’m probably just being biased as it’s my Legio.

Overall I’m content with the rules.  They aren’t really that overpowered as a lot of them are situational, apart from the Gravitonic Sensor Array, that is, but then you have to pay the points out for that so that, in my opinion, is a far exchange.

Well, that’s it from me.  I hope that my fellow Ignatum Princeps have enjoyed this little review and that my esteemed enemies are feeling even more worried about facing the Fire Wasps in battle.

Adeptus Titanicus - Crucible of Retribution - Intro and Lore

Welcome, Princeps!

Today we’re starting our review of the newest supplement for Adeptus Titanicus, Crucible of Retribution.  We’ll walk you through the book itself, the lore found in this supplement, and all of the new goodies in this mission-heavy add-on for the beloved game. 

THE BOOK

The fifth supplement in Adeptus Titanicus, Crucible of Retribution, is a hardback book that details the cold war and eventual devastation of the Belt of Iron.  Side note: we saw a special Mechanicum Knight on the cover of the previous book, but this time we see an image of a model of them in the back pages of this book.  Still portents of things to come? 

Coming in at just 100 pages, the new expansion is very much an expansion of options instead of building up new mechanics or bulking out rules for factions and forces.  So, what’s new? 

•         New lore on the Belt of Iron and the planets and systems that comprise it
•         Four new narrative missions for the Belt of Iron
•         Fifteeen (15) new narrative missions for various conditions
•         Legion rules for eight (8) Titan Legios; 4 Loyalists, 3 Traitors, and 1 Succesionist/Blackshield
•         Lore and rules for four (2) Knight Households
•         Two (2) new maniples, including one that is a modified Axiom maniple

It is interesting to note this time that there are NO NEW appendices, weapons, or even rules for specific warzones.  However, the 15 missions represent fights on Death Worlds, Forge Worlds, and Hive Worlds, and somewhat take the place of the warzone rules.  This also vastly increases the number of missions that players have available when they don’t wish to play the campaign-based missions.  This particular aspect is what makes Crucible of Retribution feel like an overall expansion rather than a mechanic builder.

THE LORE

We receive another two-page map that shows the absolute scale of the Belt of Iron.  Granted, it’s not the most detailed map, but it is well-drawn and helps to show just how large a warzone this book covers.  The warzone itself is so large that it wasn’t just one string of battles like Ryza or Molech, but a two-Segmentum-spanning assault that took years.  Twenty-six (26) pages of lore cover the planets and the timeline of this epic conflict.  That is by far the most pages dedicated to the lore of any Titanicus supplement. 

We alluded to the cold war nature of the Belt of Iron previously and this is due to a lot of long-standing enmity between the Forge Worlds that dominate and comprise the seats of power in the Belt of Iron. When the Imperium of Man first arrived during the Great Crusade it took a lot to get many of these Forge Worlds to bend the knee to the Emperor, something that lingers well beyond the Compliance of those worlds having happened.  Further, some of these Compliance actions were brought about through open war with members of the Belt of Iron that acquiesced to the Imperium earlier than others and subsequently acting as arbiters of the Imperium’s enforcement of Compliance.  Hate breeds hate as they say, and this led to a festering anger among the inhabitants of the region.  That anger would eventually lead to the battlelines being drawn and ultimately the decision of supporting the Emperor, the Warmaster, or the planet’s own freedom.

The cold war, like that fought by the United States and Soviet Union of old, initially begins with shadow skirmishes that eventually ends in full-scale war with Titan Legions deciding the fate of the Belt of Iron, leading to what becomes known as the Cataclysm of Iron as the worlds tear themselves apart.  Where we really have to give this book props is that the lore is deeper than usual and given a lot of attention.  The return of the timeline system is a very nice touch along with the bevy of pages dedicated to planetary descriptions and images.

Crucible of Retribution is off to a great start.