The Black Gulf Campaign – Part II: Red Sails at Dawn

 

The Black Gulf Campaign – Part II: Red Sails at Dawn

“The dead hold the river... but not without a fight.”

 

The dreaded warship The Carrion was spotted moored near the town of Matorea, anchored in a misty inlet along the Tana Dance River. Its decks groaned with treasure, its perimeter guarded by undead marines and cursed cannons. At its prow stood Fleet Captain Mario, overseeing final preparations to follow his master, Fleet Admiral Vincenzo Gambi, deeper inland. But just as the last crates were loaded, the warhorns of the Anti-Piracy Alliance (APA) sounded through the morning fog.

 

 

 

From the western horizon, warriors surged—dour dwarves, howling undead, scaled lizardmen, chariot-riding elves, madcap goblins, and skittering skaven. What should have been a swift assault descended into bloody chaos. The wilderness betrayed them. Dwarves sank in quicksand. The forces of Ghoulstone Keep blundered into a Garden of Nurgle, unleashing toxic spores. Giant Chaos Toads devoured Lizardmen alive. A shambling hulk emerged to challenge the goblins. And on the northern flank, the Skaven collided with Montagna, the Necrofex Colossus.

 

Despite the carnage, the APA pressed forward. Elves drove back undead hounds and cut a path through pirate lines. Goblins overwhelmed the hulk, while the Lizardmen regrouped and struck with precision. The Carrion’s cannons thundered, cutting down warriors from afar. Yet the alliance endured—scattered, bloodied, but relentless.

 

Tragedy struck when the vampire countess of Ghoulstone Keep met an unholy end at the hands of a Nurgle-possessed outhouse, of all things. Her necromancer, fueled by grief and fury, led a final push against the Carrion. The elves, though battered, continued their assault. The goblin leader, lured by a trapped treasure cache, was vaporized. Montagna took damage, but remained standing.

 

By day’s end, the undead defenders lay in ruin. The necromancer claimed the Carrion. Fleet Captain Mario and Gunnery Wight Luigi, however, escaped—bribing goblins and skaven alike to ensure their safe passage through the wilderness and back to Gambi.

---

Aftermath

The APA uncovered the true reason for Gambi’s presence: he was searching for the tomb of the long-dead vampire queen known as the Crimson Countess. Now it seems he’s found it—and has begun the work of recovering her remains.

The APA rallies reinforcements. Gambi must be stopped at all costs. But with factions already splintering, allies disappearing, and rumors of betrayal spreading like wildfire… the war for the Black Gulf has only just begun.

The Black Gulf Campaign: A Tale of Blood and Betrayal Part 1

 

Prelude – The Dread Fleet

It began with fire and blood.

Fleet Admiral Vincenzo Gambi, a vampiric scourge thought long vanished beneath the waves, returned at the helm of The Carrion, flagship of the newly risen Dread Fleet. His first target: the ancient port city of Zandri, jewel of the undead kingdom of Nehekhara. There, amid shattered tombs and burning monuments, Gambi unleashed a brutal assault. The harbor choked with corpses, and from the crypts below, he stole not only a fleet of warships, but a relic of unspeakable power—the Tablet of Dusk, an artifact of Slann origin, said to grant dominion over death itself.

But Gambi’s ambition is neither gold nor conquest.

His goal is resurrection—for his long-dead mistress, the Blood Countess, a vampiric queen whose reign of terror ended more than two centuries ago. Once his sovereign, his muse, and his tormentor, she was struck down by her enemies in a forgotten war—and buried in secrecy, far from the lands of the living.

Now, with the Tablet in hand, Gambi sails north along the fractured coasts of the Black Gulf, his fleet spreading terror in its wake. Under the guise of piracy, he raids, burns, and slays, but each attack is chosen with purpose. Beneath the chaos lies a single obsession: to find the Countess’s hidden tomb.

For months, he scours the coastlines, strikes at river ports, consults forbidden texts and broken runestones—each step drawing him closer. The dead rise in his wake. Fear spreads. And across the Border Princes and beyond, whispers of the Dread Fleet carry on salt winds: the vampire admiral hunts for something far worse than treasure.

 

The Anti-Pirate Alliance

“An alliance of convenience is still an alliance… until the knives come out.”
— Commander Vraelin Sunspear, High Elf emissary to the Border Princes

As the Black Gulf burns and the dead sail free, the scattered powers of the region have done the unthinkable: set aside their ancient grudges.

The Anti-Piracy Alliance (APA) is a loose and uneasy coalition of warbands, nations, and mercenary captains united by a single goal—the destruction of Fleet Admiral Vincenzo Gambi and his dreaded undead armada. Formed in haste after the massacre at Matorea and the fall of several coastal towns, the APA exists more in name than structure. It is not a unified command, but a fragile pact of necessity, held together by coin, oaths, and shared fear of the Dread Fleet's growing power.

Its members are as diverse as they are volatile:

• The Dwarves of Karak Izor seek vengeance for sunken trade fleets and ancient grudges unearthed by the vampire admiral’s raids.

• High Elven outriders from Tor Anrok have sailed to safeguard ancient maritime routes and intercept the undead threat before it spreads beyond the gulf.

• Lizardmen cohorts from the southern jungles march north to reclaim the stolen Tablet of Dusk and restore the balance decreed by the Old Ones.

• Skaven warlords, ever-opportunistic, have pledged support in name only—driven more by dreams of warp-tainted treasure than any real loyalty.

• Goblin raiders, lured by chaos and gold, have been bribed, bullied, or tricked into joining the fray—for now.

• Even a Vampire Count of Ghoulstone Keep, sworn enemy to Gambi’s bloodline, has entered the conflict—hoping to stop the resurrection of the Blood Countess, or claim her power for his own.

• And from the deathless deserts, there are whispers that even the Tomb Kings of Kalkmir have dispatched a force to crush Gambi for his sacrilege in Zandri.

Tensions within the alliance run high. Some captains fight for honor, others for gold—and some for reasons they refuse to name. Rumors already spread of deserters, of pacts forged in secret, and of warbands that have turned cloak to now sail beneath the black sails of the Dread Fleet.

Yet for all its fractures, the APA has proven a force to be reckoned with. Its combined strength has driven Gambi from the coast, forced him inland, and scattered the ships of his cursed fleet. But as he presses deeper into the Border Princes in pursuit of his dark goal, the alliance teeters on the edge.

Whether it will hold long enough to stop his final gambit… remains to be seen.

 Tlatuoni, Leader of the Lizardmen Spearhead, Tlatuoni’s Seekers

*Growling low to Skink Shaman *!pa as they survey the burning wreckage of a coastal shrine.

    “They took it. Defiled the temple-vault. The stars warned us, *!*pa, but we were too slow. The Tablet of Dusk is gone—ripped from its rest by the pale-sailed carrion-ship. The vampire leads the dead north, seeking something old, something foul. We must pursue. The artifact must be returned to the stars... before it wakes the darkness buried in the bones of the world.”

Rot Fester Kenneldie, Leader of the Skaven Spearhead, The  Blessed Thirteen,

Muttering to himself, hunched in the bilge of a looted merchant vessel, fingering warp-soaked trinkets.

    “Yesss-yes, clever Gambi, blood-breath bastard. Raided Zandri like it was ripe fruit—took-took ships, gold, bones... and something more, something old and slithery. The fleet grows fat-fat with loot, and still he hunts, sniffing grave-dirt and whispers. What is he looking for, hmm? Something to wake-wake the dead even deader? Pfah! Let him! More war, more rot, more... fun. Yes-yes. But if he wins, if she rises... maybe I switch-switch sides, hmm?”

 

Warhammer The Old World Narrative Campaign

 

The Black Gulf Campaign

The Rise of Vincenzo Gambi

 

 

The infamous pirate ship, The Carrion, and her vampire captain, Vincenzo Gambi has been attacking ships and raiding settlements all along the coasts of The Black Gulf. Recently the ship was sited anchored on the banks of The Tana Dance River near the town of Matorea. It is said the ship is laden with riches and spoils from the raids. Several factions have sent forces into the area to capture the ship and its treasures. There is also a sizable reward for the capture of Captain Gambi.

 

 

The Player Forces

Each player’s force represents a quick reaction force that has been dispatched to capture Captain Gambi and seize his ship, The Carrion.  

Players may use any grand army composition list and each muster list is limited to 500 Points total.

o All Heroes must be Named and each Unit must be Named

o Minimum Two Units: Each player’s army must include a minimum of two non-character units, rather than the usual three.

o Character Limitations: When writing their muster lists, players may not spend more than 125 points (25% of their army’s total points value) on a single character.

o Unit Limitations: To represent the small size of the forces that took part in such battles, neither player may spend more than:

•        175 points (35% of their army’s total points value) on a single Core unit.

•        150 points (30% of their army’s total points value) on a single Special unit.

•        125 points (25% of their army’s total points value) on a single Rare or Mercenary unit.

•        Minium Unit size requirement of 10+ are reduced to 5+

•        Minium Unit size requirement of 20+ are reduced to 10+

o 0-X Per 1,000 Points: In Warhammer: the Old World, many units or options are limited to ‘0-X per 1,000 points’, with ‘X’ being a number. This means that such options would not normally be allowed when writing 500 points muster list. However, rather than preclude such options entirely, the players may include a single such option. This might be a unit, a character or even an upgrade listed within a unit’s options.

 

Gamemaster Forces

The Game Master will be running the forces of Captain Gambi and The Carrion.

The fan made Vampire Coast Legacy Army Book is being used as the force list for Captain Gambi and Crew.

 

Set-up

This scenario will be played on a battlefield based on the number of participants

Terrain will be preset by the game master. There will be a river cove on one side of the table with The Carrion anchor in it. There will 1 or 2 small rivers flowing into the cove which will count as Difficult Terrain if attempt to cross it.  There are several small wood lots which will count as Difficulty Terrain.

•        If 2 to 4 Players plus Gamemaster, the battlefield will be 36" x 48"

•        If 5 to 8 Players plus Gamemaster, the battlefield will be 44" x 60"

Gamemaster Special Rules (POI)

Once all terrain has been deployed, the GM will place Points of Interest (POI) markers scattered across the table. There will be 2 POI per Player with a minimum of four on the table.

When a player contacts a POI, the GM will reveal what the POI is. It could be a treasure chest, a supply depot, a trap, or an enemy unit in ambush.

Deployment & First Turn

We will be using a bidding system to determine order of deployment and first turn.

·        Each player will be dealt two cards face down from a poker deck.

·        Each player may look at their cards but not reveal them.

They can use these cards to bid on the order in which they deploy their forces and which order to they go in.

•        High Rank to Lowest Rank, with Suit being a tie breaker.

•        Lowest to Highest: (clubs (♣), diamonds (♦), hearts (♥) and spades (♠))

After each player has submitted their bids, the GM will record the order of deployment and then Order of Play.

The players then deploy their armies using the alternating unit method, as described on page 285 of the Warhammer: the Old-World rulebook.

Gamemaster Deployment is done before all players deployment and Gamemaster Units will go last in Turn Order.

Special Rules Changes

•        Vanguard Special Ability is allowed.

•        Scout Deployment is prohibited.

•        Ambush is prohibited

Player versus Player Combat

All players are considered “Neutral,” while NPC forces are considered “Hostile”

There will be no intentional PvP allowed during the start of the game.

Neutral Factions may not aid or ally with other Neutral or Hostile factions.

Players cannot target another “Neutral” faction with charges, missile fire, spells & etc.

Events that will cause a player’s faction to turn “Hostile” to another faction.

-         Two different players whose units have an unintentional contact; they will be forced to fight.

Examples: Player One’s Unit Overruns into Player Two’s Unit. Unit with Random Movement contacts another player’s unit.

-         Unit is affected by another player’s magic.

Example: Player One’s Vortex randomly moves into another player’s unit.

Once a faction has become “Hostile” to another faction, both players may engage in combat with the other.

Game Length

The battle will last for five rounds.

Victory

This scenario works differently in terms of scoring victory.

Players will received Victory Points (VP) for the following:

•        Seize the Ship (10 VP): The player with the closest unit with the Highest Unit Strength within 4” of the ship can claim the victory points at the end of Turn 5.

•        Points of Interest (5 VP): A player will claim VP for revealing a hidden POI.

•        Defeat Enemy Unit (5 VP): A player will claim VP for destroying an NPC unit.

•        Defeat Mario (5 VP): A player will claim VP for killing/capturing Mario.

•        Defeat Luigi (5 VP): A player will claim VP for killing/capturing Luigi.

•        Defeat Montagna (5 VP): A player will claim VP for killing/capturing Montagna.