40K10 Tutorial #2: Recover the STC Fragment by icycalm on 03 Apr 2026 16:18

So here's an update on this.

First off I am hyped we got the full roster of 6 players. And don't worry, I am not assuming all of you will stick with the game, I realize you're just getting a taste of it and I'll be happy if even one or two people end up playing long-term. I am even planning a solo mode so that I can play against Cult Intelligence (CI) myself, so technically no players will be needed for this part of my metaverse to function, but of course the more the merrier. Either way it's a promising start, and I am stoked for it.

The holdup now is that I need to assemble the map. It's quite a delicate task if I want to get it as accurate-to-the-tabletop as possible, which I want to. The previous one was near-100% accurate and looked great to boot, so I am trying to achieve the same here. Moreover, this same map will be used in the sequel with minor modifications, if you manage to get there, so the next mission will be quicker to start if you win this one. Then I will have to make a brand-new map for the next one, but then that one will be used for several of the missions after (all tutorial missions) so mission setup will speed up considerably once we're past this mission. Moreover I am learning all the tools and finding all the resources to assemble maps and I am getting better and faster at it. Doubtless I'll become an expert quickly and then we'll even be able to run multiple missions concurrently, as you will see will become possible once the paths through the galaxy diverge.

This last point is worth elaborating. For the tutorial section there is only one straight path and every mission follows the previous one, but at the end of the tutorial 3 distinct paths will open up (corresponding to the 3 "Ways to Play" detailed in the Battle Honours booklet page 29, if you've checked that out...), and some of them will soon branch further, so eventually there will be literally DOZENS of paths to follow across the galaxy, even zooming into specific planets to play out entire campaigns of urban hiveworld gang wars with entire new factions of units! (google "Necromunda" for a preview of this). And ALL these new factions and units will be usable in Alex Kierkegaard's Warmaster when it launches later this year!

All this to say, once more, that there has never been anything like this game, and it is the ultimate tactics game of all time, which later this year will expand to the ultimate strategy game as well.

But in order to get there I have to first finish this damn map, so please stick with me and be patient for a few more days, as you have so graciously been with me for so long.

Exclusive Gear by icycalm on 01 Apr 2026 15:44

So about this bundle, the armor doesn't look very cool because they used the female model for the pics whereas this is an extremely bulky, masculine-coded armor. So with the male model it will look as cool as all this armor's other colors, which are super-cool.

Problem is we use this armor for the Medic Master Chief, so I'd rather not use it for anything else even though it's perfect for the pirates, not to mention the matching Shiv. However we'll probably get some new heavy Medic armor in the future, so I can see us switching to this for Pirate Master Chief or Frontier (new spec) Master Chief eventually. It's one of the coolest armors in the game.

Exclusive Gear by shubn on 01 Apr 2026 12:18

Gear - Gideon - Bundle $26
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/en/p ... le-Warbond

I bought three.

Ultimate Epigraph by icycalm on 01 Apr 2026 00:25

I found the epigraph for Ultimate Edition. It conveys perfectly the game's insane scope.

The Greeks eat as if they will die tomorrow, and build as if they will never die. -Cicero

Cult Fleet by icycalm on 31 Mar 2026 18:01

Upgraded my Fury MX to an Aurora Mk I SE because it's limited edition and who knows if/when it'll be available again, plus my pirate paint now works for it so it's a perfect pirate starter ship seeing as it can do what all the old Auroras can do put together? Not sure how that works, but that's how it sounds that it works, and it was only a fiver in credit, so I went ahead and did it.

Pic is a standard Aurora, I think, taken before upgrade

Stella Fortuna 2956 by icycalm on 29 Mar 2026 22:53

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/en/c ... s-Day-2026

This year there are a LOT of new racing paints, mainly in Star Kitten colors, which means the Cult Consort's options are expanding (and I'll be adding those ships to her spec soon).

There is also a green racing suit that ysignal might like and they finally made that old yellow Origin racing suit that people had been spending crazy money for in the grey market for years.

Finally, if you complete even just one race of Arena Commander: Classic Race you get a helmet. Don't need to win, just finish the race. I think the event ends either tomorrow or the day after so I'll try to get it done in time.

40K10 Warhammer 40,000: Eye of Terror by icycalm on 29 Mar 2026 20:58

Warhammer 40K: Apocalypse Returns With ‘Eye of Terror: Reign of Iron’ Books
https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2026/03 ... books.html

This is incredible news for me. It's what Project Apocalypse [ > ] is about. The Apocalypse mode is a way to play 40K with more than 3000 pts. armies without any upper limit. People have played 10,000 and 20,000 pts. games with these rules, which are actual armies, and you can play 100,000 and 200,000 games with enough dedication, which is Planetary Annihilation-size armies. Problem is the last incarnation of those rules was published in 2019 for the 8th Edition of 40K so it's not fully compatible with the current edition. So my plan was to simply... play with 8E Apocalypse rules when the armies got large enough for it. The problem with that approach is that between 8E and 10E a shitload of new units and even entire factions were released, and those don't have 8E Apocalypse stats so we wouldn't be able to use them. So my plan was to start off playing with pre-9E factions and units we could use, and once I got confident enough in my grasp of the rules I would stat all the newer units myself for Apocalypse.

Now I don't have to worry about any of it, as official support for 10E Apocalypse is coming in mere weeks with this campaign plus they already stated that these rules will be compatible with 11th Edition that launches in June, meaning full compatibility is assured for at least the next three years, by which point I will be a master of the rules and won't care what they do or don't do beyond that stage.

Truly incredible news for me, massively simplifying my job of launching Alex Kierkegaard's Warmaster this year, which is what Project Apocalypse is, allowing you to take the ENTIRE armies you have been amassing in Battlemaster and unleashing them into full-size planets and systems for PA-size 40K wars!

The guy's analysis is worth reading, and don't miss my own commentary on his thoughts in the end.

Adam Harrison wrote:
Games Workshop is re-introducing Apocalypse to 40K once again with Eye of Terror: Reign of Iron. The new expansion is coming soon.

I am a simple man. I see “Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse” and I check it out. The sheer spectacle of Apocalypse games catches my attention every time. Even if I’m not playing in the game/event, I will happily wander around the boards just to see what’s going on. I love to check out all the armies in action. The sheer size of these games is just eye-catching and that’s what I like the most about them. Playing in them over the various editions, to be honest, has been a mixed bag. So I’m curious about this new expansion that Games Workshop has cooked up. So let’s get into what’s on the way and then we can get to the return of Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse.

...

Okay, so we’ve got a new set of rules for "classic larger-scale Apocalypse games". That could mean a lot of things depending on what they mean by classic. There was a time before Apocalypse was even a “mode” where players would just get together and decide to play with as many points and players as they could muster. I know because I was one of those players. Anyhow, Apocalypse has had many different definitions and official rulesets over the editions.

I’m curious to see if GW is going to take a “greatest hits” approach to these rules or if they are going to start from scratch. Based on the relative size of the Apocalypse book in the image... I’m guessing this isn’t going to be that in depth though...

Now, aside from defining “classic” there’s a couple more hints at what’s coming. We’re getting rules that “add all sorts of ways to streamline games and account for significantly larger army sizes.” To be honest, yes, massive 40K games would drag on quite a bit if you just ported the standard ruleset over and had 10x the size. Shoot, even a 4,000-5,000 point game would take significantly longer to play. Unless you’re just busting out the Titans to fill points. And that’s TOTALLY a thing people do. So I’m assuming that’s also been taken into account.

That said, I’ve had mixed feelings about those streamlined rules. Still, I’m reserving my judgement until I get to see what GW is presenting in full.

Finally, we’ve got this last tidbit to chew on. These rules are apparently modular "with sections designed to be added or removed depending on how you like to play". That sounds promising. Modular rules can be used to allow players to find their fun while also building the sandbox they want to play in. For example, if the Titan rules are a separate module, maybe your group doesn’t use those rules. I’m honestly curious to see how GW chops things up in this case.

Apocalyptic Hurdles

For now, I’m going in cautiously optimistic. The first hurdle is going to be getting your hands on these books. I’m hoping that GW puts the Apocalypse rules out digitally or at least as a download on WarCom. My concern is that these books sell out fast and access to them becomes super-limited.

My next concern is about the game mode itself. I don’t know if the current format of Matched Play 40K really lends itself to the spectacle of Apocalypse. Matched Play honestly feels very rigid with its L-shaped buildings and terrain maps. While I do think that those things are good for competitive events, I think Apocalypse is quite the opposite. I don’t think anyone should come to an Apocalypse table with a WAAC Competitive mindset. Mostly because Apocalypse has always been very imbalanced. Once you start mixing in modular rules and “well we play it this way in our group” you can toss that clinical, competitive environment out the window.

And for Apocalypse, you absolutely should. Part of the fun is bringing crazy stuff to the tabletop just to see what happens. It’s actually more like a co-operative game in that way. Sure, you’re still playing against other players, but if you’re not all rallying around the tabletop to watch what happens when a Warlord Titan explodes and destroys everything in the blast wave (including your own units) and CHEERING like a fireworks display... you’re doing it wrong.

I don’t normally take such a strong stance about these things but there is absolutely a right way to enjoy Apocalypse. If you’re not there for the mass carnage and utter devastation being unleashed then stick to Matched Play. Give me the fireworks display and bring some popcorn as things go boom. Unleash the Apocalypse.

His concerns over Matched Play are unfounded. Even I know that Apocalypse has always been the exact opposite to Matched Play, and what's more, GW just announced that all these modes are going away in 11E in favor of a more unified system. So balance in the Matched Play mirror sense won't be an issue at all for Apocalypse.

He does have a point about the thinness of the book signifying simplicity, but at least to start with that's an advantage for us since we want to be eased into the rules. Plus for my planet-spanning wars, it is again an advantage. And if we outgrow those rules eventually, we still have their three earlier incarnations to study and use them to complexify, plus the new system's advertised modularity might also help with that.

Really couldn't have hoped for more favorable conditions to launch my turn-based PA successor. Stay tuned, if you're interested, and wait till you see my planet-generation tech... (and even CITY-generation, which PA doesn't even have lol). And that's not even my main release for 2026 lol. It'll be a wild year for gaming fans. Really, the best year ever if we also count Star Citizen base-building.

Profession: Fabrication/Crafting by icycalm on 29 Mar 2026 03:47

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0vJ8lTpEdA

Mrkraken wrote:
00:00 Intro to crafting
00:55 How to get a fabricator
01:15 Crafting UI
01:40 Crafed item bonuses
02:00 Dismantling items
02:43 New mining guide
03:01 Mining deposit changes
03:35 Where to find iron aluminium and hephaestanite
04:13 Mineral quality chances
04:29 Higher minimum quality in Pyro
04:46 Surface mining signature scanning
05:18 Signatures not showing in scan mode
05:49 How to know mineral deposits from range
06:02 Where to find Iron and Ouratite
06:32 How much ore do you lose when refining
06:43 How to craft a buffed weapon
06:53 How to get blueprints
07:03 How to craft volt weapons
07:24 Where to get VOLT weapon blueprints
07:54 Where to get Palatino blueprints
08:03 How to get P8-SC smg blueprint
08:23 Do shared contracts award blueprints
09:00 How to know what contracts award what blueprint

It is the best crafting system I have seen by far, easily beating Rust's. Not in the variety of things to craft, Rust wins there because its base-building is far more granular. But if you look at mining in the two games as a prerequisite to crafting, SC's mining is an order of magnitude more complex. Or blueprint acquisition: again order of magnitude difference; in SC you have to beat entire FPS level megadungeons with puzzles and boss fights to acquire BPs. Nothing like that in Rust.

It's a terrific system and it's just the start!

Too bad that crafted item bonuses don't persist across patches for now, so for now crafting itself is kind of pointless outside Operation Breaker Stations where you have to fabricate the laser lenses, BUT apparently the blueprints do persist, so we have a new category of item to begin amassing: blueprints! Perfect reason to become acquainted with all types of missions across all three solar systems and build our blueprint library so that when crafted bonuses start persisting, we can begin mass fabrication of god-tier gear for the Cult Spec.

Also I suppose we can also start stockpiling 800+ quality materials, which also persist.

Just an insane array of tasks to get done in the verse in 2956. And we haven't even completed all the event missions yet, or dealt a lot with Wikelo, or outfitted our vehicles with upgraded components... Crazy crazy level of breadth and depth. And base-building isn't even in yet!

P.S. And I just love the fabricator model (and extra upcoming skin!), UI, and operating effects. Everything is so large and heavy and slick and futuristic: the exact opposite of Rust's post-apoc DIY aesthetic. Which is still great, don't get me wrong, but after a decade of it we can certainly use a change.

P.P.S. I wonder if we can come up with a Fabricator Spec...

Mission: Operation Breaker Stations by shubn on 28 Mar 2026 00:25

I have earned the reputation required for both the shared and exclusive contracts. We will be taking the exclusive one for this first attempt.

We will be taking a Polaris as a logistics and medical platform, loaded with a couple of Golems, extra ore pods, a couple of fabricators, and extra ammo, tools and medical supplies.

I am coming as Pirate Captain, ysignal as Pirate Master Chief, and everyone else including clones as Pirate Inquisitors.

Make sure to bring a mining attachment for your multi-tool. I will try to bring a few extra ones in case someone forgets or loses theirs.

Scheduling by icycalm on 27 Mar 2026 19:13

We're diving into Operation Breaker Stations starting tomorrow Saturday, March 28 @ 2 PM UTC and continuing through the weekend. No briefing's up yet because we haven't even unlocked the mission. shubn is working on it, and he'll post the tactics at the last moment if need be.

We've been waiting for this for months. Let's do it, soldiers O7.

P.S. You can join in anytime after 2 PM UTC, that's just our official start time, and the leaders will all be there at that time on the dot. In fact some of us might be on earlier to prepare, and you're welcome to join us for the prep and ask for help with anything.

Profession: Fabrication/Crafting by icycalm on 27 Mar 2026 17:54

Crafting Guide: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/en/c ... play-Guide

It's a modest start to the system but if you check the roadmap section at the bottom, it gets impressive.

And I have to say the fabrication unit itself is very cool. I've seen people install dozens of them in rows in their hangars and it looks industrial as hell. And it's just the first, smallest machine. Amazing also that you can just chuck it around anywhere, on a ship, in a cave, you can prolly use it floating in space too. Unlike in Rust with its strict placement rules.

Looking forward to getting acquainted with the system and figuring out cool things to do with it. We might even end up needing a Fabricator Spec.

P.S. I wish they would resolve the fabrication/crafting terminology. In the run up to the release over the past couple of years they were using the correct terms, but these latest materials are mixing them up and it bothers me. You don't craft vehicles or buildings dammit.

Mission: Operation Breaker Stations by icycalm on 27 Mar 2026 17:26

Official Page: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/en/c ... o-The-Rock

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX4_Q6A ... XVyolQO3wj

Cloud Imperium Games wrote:
Rare and remarkable resources are ripe for the picking within the Keeger Belt... if you can handle it. Gather your team to revive the colossal rock-cracking power of the QV Breaker Stations and reap the rewards.

@gigarott wrote:
Whoever makes these trailers has some serious skills.

@Xzor wrote:
"Welcome to the Rock": CIG in their best Sean Connery voice.

@SlaughterhouseDb wrote:
1:01 CODA FTW

@EdwardK07 wrote:
This is simply Cinema.

@DarthTach wrote:
So when did a Space Sim become an Extraction shooter?

Space Game!

@tobytoxd wrote:
That evolved quite a bit from hacking Kareah and throwing Radegast 74 at other players!

No joke. It's not A totally other game since we started playing. It's half a dozen totally other games.

@Tilyard123456 wrote:
This is the best patch to date guys!

Exactly. BOTH one of the biggest and coolest locations/missions in the game AND one of the coolest mechanics (crafting). Plus tons of other misc. updates.

@WyntersComing wrote:
Insanely your best trailer yet! Keep this momentum for the future!

Only way it could have been better is if it was monthly like last year instead of bimonthly. They'll get there though.

@Citybuildergames720 wrote:
0:20 It looks like diving in underwater.

The zero-g segment is chef's kiss, and the trailer highlights it perfectly. Can't do this in other games.

@medicsansgarantee wrote:
Someone in a mech suit should be standing right in the laser beam to keep the aperture opened like Thor lol.

Interesting suggestion.

@Matroximus wrote:
That entire sequence from 0:46 to 01:08 is ridiculous. Characters on a moving train, firing at and hitting their targets, with correct VFX and smooth animations and then just a cheeky mix transition at the end for fun. I'm excited for the next trailer being a 1-shot 3-minute Omaha Beach landing sequence because I literally don't know how the bar gets any higher.

@TsunamiFlipFlop wrote:
Yay! Can't wait for me and 20 of my friends with five spare hours to all be on at the same time!

Can't tell if this is sarcasm? Either way I heard that the PVE variation is designed for 4-6 players which is perfect for our group. Much better than the usual 2-4P that programmers design around. How many 6P FPS campaigns can you find on Steam?

@evflyguy wrote:
Meanwhile, I just want to start a farm on Nyx 1. :)

It's a peaceful life.

But seriously, with this addition Nyx is starting to feel like a fledged-out system. We don't have the planets yet but we do have the megastation plus a bunch of similar-themed rest stops plus two unique station-complexes with large missions, and when the Star Wars-like station arrives in May we'll have more unique station-based content than either of the two other systems. Then the planets come in with new planet tech and base-building, and Nyx becomes the coolest system in the game. And it sounds like all this is happening before year's end. I wonder what they'll show at CitCon!

@FafaBalada wrote:
I wonder how the trailer for the 1.0 version will be.

It will be Kojima-length but with actual content.

P.S. The Battlegrounds trailers will be cooler.

@Jaxxson. wrote:
Literally all I ever wanted was a full cloak armor lesss goooo.

The Salamander gear must be amassed and experimented with. It's very cool.

@Stratobrick wrote:
I'm surprised crafting, armor changes, and mining updates aren't also highlighted.

@TheNorthernCanadian wrote:
Those are industry, CIG feels that people only want to see pew pew pew.

Yeah there are so many under-the-hood additions to this patch. The armor changes everything in space combat. Crafting and mining are huge for the economy and feed into both FPS and dogfights. Crazy crazy amount of content. Someone said this patch has as much content as we'd get in a year a few years ago, and it sure feels like it.

@TobiHReact wrote:
Gave me Dead Space vibes!

Did Dead Space have zero-g segments? Never played those games.

@InvidiousIgnoramus wrote:
More like: "Welcome to the login API request denial".

Had to include at least one negative nancy, and this was a fun one.

Release Notes: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/en/c ... n-Alpha-47

Spectrum Thread: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/spec ... o-the-rock

Alpha 4.7 Patch Watch: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/spec ... stem-check

Operation Breaker Stations FAQ: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/spec ... ations-faq

Cult Fleet by shubn on 26 Mar 2026 15:20

I bought an Aurora Mk I SE and an Aurora Mk II plus Modules (and all the paints for both).

40K10 Tutorial #2: Recover the STC Fragment by SriK on 26 Mar 2026 02:05

I'll take #5.

40K10 Tutorial #2: Recover the STC Fragment by recoil on 26 Mar 2026 00:36

I want 3.

40K10 Tutorial #2: Recover the STC Fragment by Saf on 25 Mar 2026 22:00

I'll take #1.

Scheduling by icycalm on 25 Mar 2026 18:20

All of Cult Command will be present on Saturday for Rock Breaker. This is where you need to be if you want to see Star Citizen at its best: at a brand-new mission-location launch. Next one is in May, so this will be your only chance for a while.

40K10 Tutorial #2: Recover the STC Fragment by ysignal on 25 Mar 2026 17:15

I'll take Assault Intercessor #4.

Mission: Operation Breaker Stations by icycalm on 25 Mar 2026 17:02

4.7 launches today with Operation Breaker Stations so here's what you can be doing if you want to start engaging ASAP:

1. The mission is rep-gated, so earn that rep for us!

2. Go to the site and check it out for intel. Remember it's a lawless system so use regular Pirate Spec. Post info in the #nyx channel.

3. Since shubn is the Nyx SupCom he should start thinking about our tactical approach if he plans to play on Saturday (2 PM UTC). Post details in the #cult-command channel, and also let us know which Commanders will be playing.

I will update the thread with the patch details as soon as I can, but it might not be tonight if the update happens late in the evening as it usually does.

lol by icycalm on 24 Mar 2026 03:26

https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/co ... iased_meme

Games Workshop by icycalm on 23 Mar 2026 22:11

'BIGGEST' REVEALS Incoming! Hopes & Predictions!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Jx4sCphiLA

Chapter Master Valrak wrote:
AdeptiCon is just a few days away! Games Workshop have stated that this will be the 'BIGGEST' preview show of the year! Here are my hopes and predictions mixed with some rumours!

Valrak's 15-minute pre-show prediction & rumor roundup. I watch every video this guy puts out now, and it's really helped orient me in GW's world and community drama, plus he's always a fun watch in himself.

Games Workshop by icycalm on 23 Mar 2026 21:54

Join the biggest Warhammer Preview of the year at AdeptiCon 2026
https://www.warhammer-community.com/en- ... ticon-2026

Games Workshop wrote:
The year's most exciting Warhammer Preview event is next week, and you can see all of the incredible reveals live on Wednesday 25th March.

Join Us – Warhammer Preview Live! AdeptiCon 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3SK2ur ... XVyolQO3wj

This is a fun trailer, very different to what we're used to as videogamers, check it out.

Tune in to the Warhammer AdeptiCon Preview this week!
https://www.warhammer-community.com/en- ... -this-week

I know I said that I'll livestream this as if it were CitizenCon, but after some research I changed my mind. I'll still watch it with great interest from bed (it's 2-4 AM my time), and then post the news in the forum over the next few days/weeks, but I won't bother making a big fuss about the event itself. Because the way GW unveils stuff is that they drag out and dribble it over months instead of amassing it and blasting the biggest reveals at once like CIG does. Even if they show off some of 11th Edition on Wednesday/Thursday, they'll hold at least half back to show next month in another show, and it'll be like this all the way to release. They hold 4-5 previews at least a year, and I aint livestreaming all of them, so I may as well livestream none. This is similar to how Paizo does it btw, they too hold half a dozen events a year, but the difference is they fully unveil each product at each event instead of cutting it up and doling it out in parts over the year. Of course I am not livestreaming THOSE events because spoilers, but again, even without spoilers I wouldn't livestream half a dozen events a year: it's just too much and there's no point to it, I am not THAT much of a journalist.

So, you can tune in to the GW event if you're anywhere near as excited as I am, or you can just sit back and let me present the news to you on Insomnia. A third option is to just go to their website, which I visit twice daily now, it's great, and get the news from there: https://www.warhammer-community.com

Of course on Insomnia you'll get added commentary and insights on how the content will be incorporated into Battlemaster.

Note that I'll only be reporting on games/settings that have already been unlocked in my metaverse, therefore only 40K for now. As more GW games and settings are unlocked, I'll be expanding my coverage to ultimately include everything GW publishes, including their gorgeous LotR game (which I will pair with Free League's One Ring RPG for a complete LotR roleplaying-tactical metaverse). If you're wondering what all this stuff is, you can start researching it now, or you can wait to encounter it in my game.

40K10 Tutorial #2: Recover the STC Fragment by icycalm on 23 Mar 2026 21:21

So it turns out the red skull on the left shoulder signifies a Sergeant, and since there aren't any in this mission, ignore the far-left unit.

That leaves 5 units, all just different looks or poses of Assault Intercessors, to divide between 6 players. So the first 4 players will pick a unit in the order of signup to the mission, and the last two players will both get whichever unit remains in the end. Let's get it done.

Indicate which one you want from 1 to 5, from left to right. ysignal first.

Introducing Cult Intelligence (CI) by icycalm on 23 Mar 2026 20:35

Instructions on how to hand over your Battlemaster army to Cult Intelligence (CI) control, or give it to another player, embedded in a discussion about the merits of Cult Engine Zero versus more advanced versions of the engine. Any questions about CI, post them in this thread at any time, unless they arise in the context of a particular battle, in which case best to post them in the battle's Discord channel, and the Cult Discord Bot will judge whether to crosspost them here.

I wrote:
Hey man haven't seen you around in a while and I am about to drop the second 40K tutorial mission today and I was wondering if you're interested in it. You'll have a 48-hour exclusivity window to start the thread because you won the previous one (and starting the thread can have potential advantages). Just wanted to check in with you and give you a heads-up, but if you'd rather pass no worries, it's not a big deal.

ysignal wrote:
Hey icy. I’d like to play more Warhammer, but I find it distracting to play throughout the work week, so I’ll probably skip this one. Hopefully I’ll be able to join in at some point when things are in a lull.

I wrote:
How about if we play on Tabletop Simulator? We are ending up there anyway because I don't think you can move full armies of dozens of units via Discord. I was planning to get through the tutorials on Discord since they're only a few units, but now that I know your preference I am willing to do the move now. Let me know.

ysignal wrote:
I’m definitely interested in playing some scheduled sessions, especially on the weekends. Let me know when you want me to make the thread.

I wrote:
Awesome, the next mission is up and I've posted detailed instructions about it in the forum. If you have any questions, let me know. We'll arrange a time and method of play that suits everyone who joins, don't worry about that.

Then he made the thread, and a couple days later all the slots had been filled, which changed the situation for me. So I got back to him.

I wrote:
So it looks like we'll have the full 6 players when Rory joins, which was unexpected. I was expecting 3-4 at best, and maybe even fewer, which is why I contacted you.

So with 6 players it becomes a little trickier to arrange a time, especially since we have the big SC session on Saturday. But I have a solution.

In fact I should have suggested this solution to you from the first, but I completely forgot it exists. My game has so many features lol.

All you have to do, when I ping you to play your first turn, is come on Discord and post ysignal>Auto

And that's it. Cult Intelligence will play the whole battle for you.

ysignal wrote:
Sounds good. How do I switch back to manual control?

I wrote:
ysignal>Manual at any time, even if not your turn.

Also, there are arguments.

ysignal>Auto noping means you don't get pinged for turns.

You could also hand over your unit to any player.

ysignal>Auto recoil gives him to recoil.

So you can DM players beforehand to arrange this if you want.

You could also hand over specific units for the future when you have loads.

The only catch is the player must be already in the mission. It can't be someone who hasn't signed up.

Keep in mind that the majority of Warhammer missions are 1v1 and we can play them in a VTT as normal. It's only this and maybe the next tutorial one that have many players, plus even if we got the players together on a Saturday it would take like 20 minutes... so kind of a waste.

There will be a few missions in the future with many players, but they will be huge battles where it will be worth it to set a weekend day aside.

Let's just get this damn tutorial out of the way first any way we can, and testing out CI (lol) is a good way to spend your tutorial time.

ysignal wrote:
Works for me.

Does using CI change how victory rewards are distributed? What if you assign your units to another player?

I wrote:
Nope nothing changes. The other player wants to win too, but he may sacrifice your units before his... CI is more neutral and will fully take your side. But maybe you trust the skill of another player more...

40K10 Tutorial #2: Recover the STC Fragment by Battlegrounds on 23 Mar 2026 00:17

GM's Note: Quite a bit more complex than the first tutorial mission, as you can see. Take a look at your leisure and I'll be back with some clarifications soon. -icy

40K10 Tutorial #2: Recover the STC Fragment by Some guy on 22 Mar 2026 22:43

I'd like to take the last spot.

40K10 Tutorial #2: Recover the STC Fragment by shubn on 21 Mar 2026 20:17

I'd like to sign up.

40K10 Tutorial #2: Recover the STC Fragment by SriK on 21 Mar 2026 20:10

I'd like to join this as well.

40K10 Tutorial #2: Recover the STC Fragment by recoil on 21 Mar 2026 03:39

I want to join in.

40K10 Tutorial #2: Recover the STC Fragment by Saf on 20 Mar 2026 23:06

I'd like to sign up for this.

40K10 Tutorial #2: Recover the STC Fragment by icycalm on 20 Mar 2026 22:01

Awesome! Note that Space Marines is all that is available for this mission, up to 6 of them, one for each player (or more if there are fewer than six players).

Now that the thread is up, anyone can join except Rory (he has to wait 48 hours after ysignal's timestamp if he wants to join, as long as there is a free slot).

For how long can people join? Pretty much until the last second before we start the mission, but the earlier the better for me because of things I must prepare. However, I can accommodate you even at the last minute if for example you end up seeing this thread late.

40K10 Tutorial #2: Recover the STC Fragment by ysignal on 20 Mar 2026 21:54

https://akbattlegrounds.net/w/multiverse/a/mission-recover-the-stc-fragment

Sign me up to play as the Space Marines.

40K10 Tutorial #1: Battle Honours by Battlegrounds on 20 Mar 2026 20:27

Location: https://akbattlegrounds.net/w/multivers ... edef4eca9b

Mission: Recover the STC Fragment: https://akbattlegrounds.net/w/multivers ... c-fragment

Battlegrounds wrote:
Legends tell of a mythical machine from the Dark Age of Technology containing designs for every item known to mankind...

GM's Note: Second tutorial mission is up! Since ysignal won the first one, he gets a 48-hour exclusivity window, from this post's timestamp, to start this mission thread. If he doesn't, anyone can start the thread after that window closes, except Rory, because he lost the mission that unlocks it. If a further 48 hours have passed (for 96 total) without anyone starting the thread, then Rory can start it, or join it if someone has already started it. There can be advantages to being the first to start a mission thread, or being among the first to join. For example in this case, there are 6 Space Marines to go around, and if say four players join, the first two players get 2 Marines each, while the last two get only 1. Sneak peek of the Marines in question!

This is a much bigger battlefield, with up to a total of 6 players and 12 units taking part. It's all about teaching co-op because the players MUST be on the same side, but we can also play with a single player, in which case he gets all 6 Marines, and he keeps as many as survive. And if the player(s) win, there is a sequel! If they lose, the sequel's lost forever! Much higher stakes than last time!

As for unlockables, the first mission unlocked a kickass animated show, a programmer minigame, a 54-page pamphlet, and two awesome faction introduction pages in the Battlecodex. What will the second mission unlock? We only need one player to find out! Who's game?

-icy

Mission: Operation Breaker Stations by icycalm on 19 Mar 2026 19:47

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsMvQtR ... XVyolQO3wj

Cloud Imperium Games wrote:
Can you smell what the rock is cracking? Tune in as we break through the opportunities, features, and improvements awaiting you beyond the abandoned QV Breaker stations in the upcoming Alpha 4.7 release.

@ShaozenSC wrote:
Those breaker stations look phenomenal

I concur.

@TheRealTarz wrote:
QV Breaker Station – The Devs did an amazing job with art detail and functionality. First weekend will be an all‑out war; orgs, groups, pirates and smugglers alike will be excited for an open opportunity. :face-purple-smiling-fangs:

Too bad it's not coming this weekend as expected. It's coming 100% next weekend, so try to free up your Saturday for it.

The megabomb announcement is that halfway through the patch cycle they'll add more stations "without the rock to crack" that will bring "a variety of sandbox missions". Not as good as dropping new locations every month, but a decent way to give us something more to do for the second month while we await the next location.

The update is also packed with many more features and improvements, but I won't go into them in this thread (crafting!)

Very excited for next week.

Narrative Event: Clearing the Air by icycalm on 19 Mar 2026 19:25

Clearing the Air #2 with ysignal and The Cult
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGLUspIatAo

Clearing the Air #2 with shubn and The Cult Part I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz1PlDUWAnA

Clearing the Air #2 with shubn and The Cult Part II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJd1kph0VcY

Clearing the Air #2 with recoil and The Cult
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2717649259

It was a monster session, recoil's stream is 13.5 hours so it should make it pretty high on the Streaming High-scores board when I get around to updating it. shubn took a food break so his stream is in two parts. ysignal "only" streamed for nearly 7 hours. With his 4-hour stream from the previous session, that puts him at 11 for this event, and I think he played a bit more in between them too. And yet he still didn't complete it. It was a pretty heavy event! Check out some cool pics shubn took. We don't usually take many industrial pics, so it was nice to see these.

icycalm on the right, overseeing a clone's work while he's unloading supplies from Stanton in Levski

Delivering cargo at an external freight elevator in Levski's borehole

Getting CryoPods of Molina Mold patients from Levski to New Babbage for treatment

So they ended the event pretty much on the dot when they had said that they would, which is kind of a first for them: they usually either extend the event officially, or unofficially (as in they just don't bother to switch it off when they had said they would). So that's something to keep in mind for the future: their deadlines are becoming serious.

As you can see from people's reports above, we got plenty of copies of all the rewards, so I am very pleased with our performance. Thankfully shubn idled my account throughout the session and got me all the rewards because I had no luck downloading the update on my cellphone connection.

So for those who didn't get all the rewards, or even any of them, I wouldn't worry if I were you. We have tons and you can take what you need from our clones, plus with crafting coming in next week and hopefully blueprints for all web hangar items, we should be able to give people exactly what they need for every scenario, even if they have absolutely nothing in their account.

40K10 Tutorial #1: Battle Honours by Battlegrounds on 17 Mar 2026 19:07

Tyranids: https://akbattlegrounds.net/w/multiverse/a/tyranids

Battlegrounds wrote:
The Tyranids cannot be reasoned with, appeased or surrendered to. There can be no hope of mercy from such a foe. To face the Tyranids is simply a matter of survival: kill or be consumed.

GM's Note: Second faction entry is up! As with the Space Marines, don't miss the awesome official faction video! Twenty-seven more factions to go! And btw, these entries are barely more than stubs. You're only getting the most basic introductory info, and there are entire libraries of lore and rulebooks on every faction, so as you play, in addition to unlocking these books, you will be building out the factions' Battlecodex pages. -icy

40K10 Tutorial #1: Battle Honours by Battlegrounds on 16 Mar 2026 19:46

Space Marines: https://akbattlegrounds.net/w/multivers ... ce-marines

Battlegrounds wrote:
The Adeptus Astartes is comprised of autonomous Chapters, each of which is a complete army in itself, possessing its own transport, Warp-capable spacecraft, non-combatant personnel, and fortress-monastery based on a planet or fleet.

GM's Note: And here is finally the first article of the long-awaited Battlecodex, which is to say the Battlegrounds encyclopedia. Dive into the basics of the Space Marines, and don't miss the superb official introductory video with voice acting by industry legend Toby Longworth! Want to learn more about the universe of 40K? Play more missions and you will! "But icy, we can't play more if you don't put out more of them." Don't worry, the second tutorial mission is just about to be dropped, and it's up to 6 players so everyone who wants to try the game should be able to. -icy

lol by icycalm on 16 Mar 2026 16:19

https://x.com/klara_sjo/status/2033359858808897841

Narrative Event: Clearing the Air by shubn on 14 Mar 2026 22:18

I completed the event with my main account and CULTCLONE-1, 3, 4, 9, 11, and 12.

Narrative Event: Clearing the Air by Some guy on 14 Mar 2026 19:17

I completed the event.

Narrative Event: Clearing the Air by icycalm on 14 Mar 2026 19:05

https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/co ... nt_rewards

Mr_Big_Schlong_Dong wrote:
Now I know I probably don't have enough time to complete them all in 3 days

readysetzerg wrote:
As long as people are still grouping for AA missions and doing them, it's possible to complete it in 1-2 sessions, if not finish 50-75% and get some of the rewards.

SmoothBrainJazz wrote:
Ask in global chat if there are any mega-groups running AA missions. Everyone shares their missions and you'll get them all done in an evening or two.

ComfortableSpell6600 wrote:
Yes OP, group up. Ask in chat if there is a big mission group running the missions together. Be sure to share your accepted missions and accept all shared missions. As soon as they complete, everyone who has that mission accepted gets the full XP points towards completion.

Took me about 12-14 hours total to finish the event. One Saturday for 8 hours, and one night a few days later for 4 hours to finish off the collections tier. My first group was smaller and not many people were doing the collections missions. The second evening I think I was the only one focused on collections as well. To be honest, this group was larger and a lot of people were running the other missions, so it definitely could be done faster than 14 hours with a good group.

Pressurized ice is available at Port Tressler over New Babbage spaceport. If you got room for cargo this is a good fast way to knock off the collections tier. (Limited inventory of ice but respawns every 15 minutes at the Commodities terminal.) Past few days it has been easier to buy ice than earlier in the event.

AA stands for "Alliance Aid" which is an alternative name for this event.

Mission: Operation Breaker Stations by icycalm on 12 Mar 2026 18:01

They're pushing for Wave 3 tonight: https://x.com/cultvgnews/status/2032138576851275907

It's happening next Saturday, plan accordingly.

And btw I've managed to avoid spoilers for now. The Reddit ones have been properly spoiler-tagged so far, and I've managed to avert my eyes from one or two spoilery Twitter posts. I've never managed to play a new location blind, but it looks like I might pull it off this time. Protect your immersion at all costs!

StarCraft Tabletop Miniatures Game by icycalm on 12 Mar 2026 17:46

Official Site
https://starcraft-tmg.com

Official Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URF_4Mt ... XVyolQO3wj

If you want to start grasping why Warhammer 40,000 has been so successful for so long, check out the above trailer, and compare with something like this:

Corsairs of the Maelstrom – Revealed at the New Year Preview 2026 | Warhammer 40,000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXDdQTe ... XVyolQO3wj

See how much cheaper the StarCraft minis look? And that's before you count their pitiful lore and no doubt nonexistent campaigns and support material. It's the same reason D&D used to dominate RPGs and Pathfinder dominates now: the company that commits to its world and floods the market with content for it will get the players to commit to that world over companies which pump out a couple products for quick bucks and then abandon the project. Why would a player commit to a world that even its creators won't commit to? It took decades for Games Workshop to build up to the level of lore and model and mechanical detail we enjoy today. Will the StarCraft people invest decades of work in their game?

That said, I am open to inserting this at an appropriate point in my metaverse's 40,000-year timeline, if the material is decent enough for a quick playthrough, and if such an appropriate point exists. I'll review the material when it releases, and let the players make the choice, if it passes my minimum quality standard. Worst case scenario, it would be a cool little surprise for a company of Space Marines to discover some ancient Protoss ruins or remote Zerg planet somewhere in the galaxy.

Warhammer 40,000 by icycalm on 11 Mar 2026 03:01

The End and Next Edition BIG RUMOURS!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6_JMCe1bYs

Chapter Master Valrak wrote:
I have been getting a lot of questions regarding what is actually happening towards the end of this edition and how it will affect the next edition of Warhammer 40,000 which is coming very soon, hopefully this video will summarise everything you need to know!

I love this guy, I watch every video he puts out. This summarizes his past five-ten videos over the last few weeks, and weaves in 11th Edition rumors with Dawn of War 4 and even Speed Freeks news as it seems that these releases are highly coordinated in terms of units and lore.

The big reveal all these rumors are leading up to is coming at AdeptiCon at the end of the month with a two-hour presentation (which seems to be unprecedented for Games Workshop as they normally do one hour...) and I am planning to announce it as a Cult Discord Event with much fanfare, as I've been doing with CitizenCon the past few years. I know people aren't as hyped (yet?) for Warhammer as I am, probably also because we've only played one mission so people haven't had much contact with the game, but in any case from now on I will be treating the two universes with the same level of commitment, so look out for that if you're into tactics and science-fiction and want to follow along.

40K10 Tutorial #1: Battle Honours by Battlegrounds on 11 Mar 2026 00:44

Battle Honours: https://akbattlegrounds.net/w/multivers ... le-honours

GM's Note: This 54-page pamphlet is given out for free to new players at Warhammer stores. Most of it is about the basics of collecting, assembling and painting miniatures, but there's also a decent amount of introductory material on the setting, both for 40K and Age of Sigmar, which is the current iteration of the fantasy version of the game (and which might be unlocked in Battlegrounds sooner than you think, so feel free to take a look as a preview if you're curious; there's even the first tutorial mission, which we'll be using). There's a page on the 3 "Ways to Play" (which will be 4+ for us, and which I will be unveiling soon in great detail), as well as a couple of pages of fiction, with a link to buy the full novel(s) at the end. My advice is to wait until that stuff is unlocked at the right time and place, but don't let me stop you if you want to start reading now. Unlike the RPGs, where the plot is interactive (and where reading ahead is therefore cheating), here it's just set dressing so you aren't really spoiling much if you read ahead.

In general the pamphlet tries to sell you all sorts of things while also giving you some free items to reel you in; but most of that stuff is physical and we're going full-digital, so I would just ignore all their "calls to action" if I were you, unless you want some souvenirs to place on your desk, or are planning to play on tabletop outside Battlegrounds. My advice is to save your time and money for my game, but you do you.

Note that the PDF might not load, or work well, on all browsers (I've had some trouble on Firefox for example), so try a different one if you're having issues, and give it time to load if it's unresponsive. And remember you can always download the file from the interface to view on your app of choice. -icy