Campaign Starter: Bortizan

A light force of Conclave military advisers, including human troops, is forced to defend the neutral planet Bortizan against a heavy assault by Collective troops.

Bortizan is a planet of small icy seas and wide, chill plains covered for thousands of kilometres by tenacious blue-grey moss, broken only by boulder clumps and crevasses. When disturbed by marching boots or wheeled vehicles, the moss disgorges amazing clouds of hopping, crawling primitive arthropods. The air is dry and clear, the sky almost cloudless for days, until wisps of ice-cloud gather and deposit meager flutters of snow.

The planet is inhabited by its native sapients, the Croldyu, and long-standing settlements of Yehhbor and Mitizi. Through discreet diplomacy, different groups of the stick-limbed Croldyu have begun to align themselves with Conclave and Collective interests. The mercantile and pushy Yehhbor species are disliked by many Croldyu, and strongly support the Collective. The stand-offish farming settlements of Mitizi try to keep clear of the conflict.

The Collective's Winter Sweep begins with orbital bombardment and air/space bombing runs against the Conclave positions and local sympathisers, followed by a ground assault.

Stay of Execution

The largest force of Conclave forces and Croldyu friendlies left on Bortizan have been encircled by the Collective. The PCs' unit is ordered to counter-attack against a weak point in the Collective lines, to break the encirclement and allow the Conclave forces to escape.

Killing the Snowbird

An Eiherren general has arrived to lead the Collective forces. The Snowbird is quite likely insane by the standards of his own species, but is a brutally effective military commander. The PCs have a chance to assassinate the general and as many of his staff as possible.