So I'm currently in the beginning stages of planning for a winter Black Crusade campaign of 3-5 sessions in length, which naturally means a lot of background, character, and rules creation, some of which is sharable to the general public. The following is the setting details for the players, who have already seen it but I figured I'd post as well because, well, why not? Feel free to give feedback. :-D
Key Facts
Planet Name: Addolorata, Khan Group, Sabbat Worlds, Segmentum Pacificus
Year: 773 (18th Year of the Crusade, Imperial Reckoning)
Population: 9.75 Billion
Defenses: Orbital defense grid including 3 Star Forts, rotating amount of warships, full complement of Plantary Defense Forces (PDF) consisting of mostly infantry but a moderate amount of armor support, usually 1-3 regiments of in-training Imperial Guardsmen (IG)
Major exports: Power cells, Imperial Guardsmen, Rare metals, Luxury Foodstuffs
Continents: 4 (Campione, Lanzo, Emilia, Abruzzo)
Planetary Governor: Florence Montecitorio
Strategic Background
During the 18th year of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, the growing faith and morale of the Imperial Forces was dealt a harsh blow as Magisters Sek and Innokenti launched a viscous and brutally effective counter-strike at the previously secure Khan Group. The Khan Group contained several worlds vital to the security and supply of the ongoing Crusade, and lay on the "rear" of the campaign front, far away from the veteran IG regiments and Space Marine forces. Instead, Sek and Innokenti swept through the novice, unblooded forces until Warmaster Macaroth was able to organize a hasty, semi-effective response.
Nonetheless, the forces of Chaos continued to push, and Magister Sek chose Addolorata as one of the next targets.
Why Addolorata? It was relatively minor, and although it produced several key exports none were particularly important or irreplaceable; it was closer to a pleasure planet than anything else. The population was minor at best compared to some of the surrounding planets, and the planet had enjoyed relative peace despite the war for quite a long time.
However, it was precisely these surrounding planets that made Addolorata important. It lay on a key space-route that led deeper into the Khan Group, notably Ventarra, a Hive World containing hundreds of billions of Imperial citizens, and Merwerk III, a Forge World known for producing Warhound-class Titans (and rumored to be nearing completion of manufactoria of higher-class Titans). The easiest route to these core worlds lay through Addolorata, and realizing this, the Imperium had long ago assigned sizable amounts of space defenses to protect this space-lane.
Such defenses had been for a long time more than enough to deter any minor scale attacks, but with the might of Sek's army barreling towards the core of the Khan Group, Addolorata's previously mighty defenses began looking much weaker. The Imperium raced to reinforce the defenses at Addolorata to prevent further incursion, hoping to get there before Sek's arrival.
Although the orbital defenses rendered it near-impossible to insert large amounts of troops through the system or on to the planet, Sek's forward-thinking tactical planning and love for campaigns of terror meant that over the past few months he has slowly been inserting covert operatives into the population. Numbering at about hundred total, their orders were to stay hidden, work in independent groups, and prepare the way for the impending invasion in whatever way they saw fit. Although a tiny number compared to the population as a whole, with strategic placement and perhaps a bit of luck, they stood ready to potentially tip the balance of power towards the forces of the Sanguinary Worlds.
Detailed Planet Information
Addolorata enjoys a pleasant, temperate climate spread over 4 major continents and 2 major oceans. Major predators and diseases have been all but eradicated, and the population enjoys a decent lifestyle and a high standard of living compared to the average Imperial world. Brisk trade with Venterra and Merwerk III in particular mean that almost any given good that's not produced on planet is easily available on the market at not-exorbitant prices.
The majority of the population is located on the largest continent of Campione. A mixture of large cities and smaller towns dot the continent, and most of the goods there are made to support the planet itself. Although some occasionally choose to join the Guard or the Navy, the majority of the population either stays on Campione or works on one of the other nearby continents. Campione also hosts the capitol city of Liguria.
The second largest continent of Lanzo is highly mountainous. The mountains are extremely ore- and mineral-rich, and the primary occupation of the majority of the population on Lanzo is involved in mining. The metals and ores mined are in particular demand from the Forge World Merwerk III. The remainder are employed in the small-scale manufactoria that produce power cells, most notably since the onset of the Crusade the standard-class cells used by lasguns.
The continent of Emilia is mostly farmland and grazing area for livestock, and produces the majority of the foodstuffs the population of the planet enjoys. The area is bountiful enough that it produces excess that is exported as luxury foodstuff to other Khan Group worlds.
Finally, the smallest continent Abruzzo has been given entirely over to the military. In addition to housing a relatively renowned Schola Progenium, much of the continent has been re-landscaped to create many different environments for military training purposes. PDF and IG forces are able to practice and recreate many different battlefield situations, which has led to the reputation of regiments from the world being particularly adaptable and unlikely to be thrown off by the environment. Several regiments, most notably the 3rd and the 15th, have garnered a minor but well-deserved reputation in the Crusade. Because all regiments produced on Addolorata go directly into the Crusade, they also enjoy the luxury that the (few) veterans who survive and retire are actually able to return to their home planet and often take a posting as instructors, which has also led to an abnormally well-trained PDF. Abruzzo also holds the majority of the planet's airforces in a series of airfields, allowing for rapid redeployment of the planet's military forces in an emergency situation.
The population at large is wary but not overly stressed. They have been living with the theoretical potential for invasion for several decades now, but as the forces of Chaos close in, the reality of the situation is slowly hitting home. Their morale is helped by the strong naval presence as well as their strong military tradition; although most of the population comes into contact with neither on a regular basis, knowing they exist is a big relief. In addition, the current Governor, Florence Montecitorio, is extremely well-liked and charismatic. For the past year he has begun the practice of what he terms "Throneside Chats" where he gives a public address every week to the population, keeping them "up to date" on the Crusade's progress and generally reassuring his constituents. The government in general is reputed to be relatively effective compared to most Imperial worlds.
Further information available upon request.
-HTMC
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