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Made in us
Unbalanced Fanatic





Minneapolis, MN

The campaign rules presented here are the culmination of a lot of thought and trial and error.  I have run several campaigns and have discovered a few things.  First of all the resource system must be relatively simple, otherwise players start to feel more like project managers than gamers.  I?ve also found that systems that keep track of casualties, allow players to play extremely one sided games either through territorial benefits or by having two forces attack one enemy at the same time causes unfortunate players to become despondent and not play their games.  Players want to have a sense of progress, so a single action turn can lead to a lot of back and forth without the battle line moving very much.  I looked at enjoyable games where the goal is to take over the world (or some part of some world) and tried to isolate the things that make those games work.  I?ve taken ideas from games like Diplomacy, Cosmic Encounter, Risk, Cathedral, and Axis and Allies.  A common thread that runs through all of these games is the excitement of outwitting and surprising your opponent.  Hopefully this campaign system will allow players to do that on a meta-gaming scale.

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       I haven?t run a campaign using this exact system yet, but I hope to this coming winter.  When I do I?ll try to keep some sort of online record and hopefully as a community of like-minded people we can discuss the rules and try to improve them.  I know that I have run semi-successful versions of a system much like this one, hopefully this one will be a complete success.

      

       Feel free to E-mail me at Samwise158@Yahoo.com, or if you live in the Des Moines Area let me know if you are interested in getting involved.

 

Map Campaign System

 

            Warfare in the 41st millennium is brutal and decisive.  Worlds are won and lost as each army seizes vital resources, razes the infrastructure, and forces their enemy back until they can deliver the killing blow.  This campaign system allows players to use their resources to launch offensives, dig in, or send spoiling raids behind enemy lines.  Opposing sides must use timing, coordination, and diplomacy to hold their battle lines and capture enemy cities.  Each army has specific strengths and weaknesses on the strategic level that reflect their methods of doing battle.  It will take careful marshalling of resources and an ability to counter the actions of your enemies, but ultimate victory will be won through triumph on the battlefields of the 41st millennium.

 

I. Preliminary Actions

   A. The Map:

   Before the campaign begins, a suitable map must be made or procured.  Panoramic or topographic maps both function very well; and a map with a smattering of cities and natural features will probably yield the best game.  The campaign moderator must demarcate the map into zones based on geographic or manmade features.  Ideally each zone will consist of a space representative of a certain type of terrain: city, plains, forest, jungle, desert, mountains, ash waste, tundra, etc.  Some sort of magnet or Velcro should be mounted on each zone where controlling player can attach his marker.  The map should have approximately ten zones for each player that will be involved in the campaign.  Therefore, if five players are taking part then the map should be divided up into fifty zones. Each zone should be given a number or a name.  Approximately one in every four zones should be a city.  Cities that are already on the map should be recognized, but new ones should be added to keep the 1:4 city:non-city ratio intact.  If there is an especially large city, it can be divided up into several smaller city zones.  If the campaign map is a black and white photocopy of an existing map it is possible to designate the geographic features by using colored pencils.  For example, mountain zones will be grey, forests will be dark green, plains - light green, and so on. 

   Once the map is ready, assemble the players.  The greatest challenge when organizing a map campaign is aligning player schedules and maintaining interest in the campaign. This campaign system is designed with a group of four or five dedicated gamers in mind, who can meet on a regularly scheduled day once or twice a week and play one or two games of Warhammer 40k, before submitting the next week?s moves.  If a player cannot play much due to time constraints he can choose defensive actions and minimize his participation, but he will still be expected to play his games as soon as possible.  The campaign should end after a predetermined number of rounds.  This prevents a loss of interest and will make it so there is a definite winner from the players.  Ideally this gaming group will have access to at least two tables with a decent selection of wilderness and city terrain.  If there is no city terrain available, it is possible to use a campaign map without cities, but this will diminish one of the game?s principle strategic elements ? the importance of cities.

    Each zone has a resource value attached to it.  The list is as follows.

  1. Cities ? 1.5pts
  2. Plains ? 1pt
  3. <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /><st1:place>Forest</st1:place> - 0.5pts
  4. Mountains ? 0.5pts
  5. Desert ? 0pts
  6. Jungle -0.5pts
  7. Ash Waste -0pts
  8. Tundra ? 0.5pts
  9. Swamp ? 0.5pts

 

    Other terrain types can be added as necessary and the players may change the values of each territory to align the game with a specific map.  Once all of the zones and their values have been determined, players can proceed to the next preliminary stage.

 

    B. Force Selection:

        This campaign is built around the even contest of specialized army lists and generally keeps the advantages gained on the operational board separate from the actual games of Warhammer 40k.  All of the battles fought are between equal sized army lists.  There are ways that the scenery handicaps player?s lists, but the campaign is in many ways a measure of how well a player can design a few army lists to deal with all eventualities.  Each player is required to make one of each of the following lists.

1. 400pt Combat Patrol, using the combat patrol guidelines.

2. 1000pt Standard Force Org.

3. 1500pt Standard Force Org.

4. 2000pt Standard Force Org.

5. 1000pt Raid Attacker List

6. 1000pt Raid Defender List

7. 1500pt Breakthrough Attacker List

8. 1500pt Breakthrough Defender List

9. 2000pt Battles Attacker

10. 2000pt Battles Attacker

11. 1500pt Cities of Death list

         Once the players have designed their initial lists, they may not be modified until halfway through the campaign.  This means that the lists are set in stone and so it is very important that players design a list that can compete with all contenders, rather than a list designed to beat a certain enemy.  It is advisable for the players to read through all of the special missions and pay close attention to what the objectives are for each and design a list that can satisfy those objectives.  For example, a Battles attacker list should be capable of cracking a bunker, taking fortified positions and annihilating the enemy.  A Raid Defender list should be capable of escaping from an ambush or protecting a vital installation.  Players should agree to have their lists completed and ready before the territory selection process begins.

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->C.     <!--[endif]-->Territory Selection:

          There are many different approaches that can be taken when choosing territories.  One approach involves each player rolling a dice and then the player who rolled highest choosing a zone on the edge of the map.  Then the other players choose zones in descending order until everyone is on the board.  The players then take turns placing a marker on a territory adjacent to one they control until all of the zones are occupied.  If a player manages to completely encircle any unclaimed zones with the ones he occupies those zones fall under his control.

            Another approach is to use some sort of storyline to determine the setup.  Perhaps Chaos Space Marines are invading a planet and the majority of the board is under Imperial control at the beginning of the game, but the chaos player has advantages that make it possible for him to attack the imperial player with orbital strikes and drop pod deployment.  The initial setup can be determined by the players involved and take into account any desired narrative elements.  Once the board is set, then the real struggle can begin.

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->II.     <!--[endif]-->The <st1:city><st1:place>Battle</st1:place></st1:city> Round

      A. Resources:

      The first action taken at the beginning of each round is for each player to calculate the amount of resource points they have under their control.  To gain resources from a territory, the player must be able to draw a supply line from it back to a friendly city.  Let?s say for example, a player controls two cities (3), a mountain (0.5), a forest, (0.5), two plains (2), and a desert (0).  Assuming he has maintained his supply lines, the player would then have six action points to distribute in the coming turn.

 

      B. Orders:

      After each player establishes their total they must make a list of their orders.  Every player must write their orders down and submit them to the moderator before the coming round.  Players may issue up to three orders per round, written in the order they want to them to occur.  This means that players may have to play several games in a single round, so be prepared and use common sense when determining their size.  For example if two players both attack territories controlled by a third player it might be best to play smaller games so that that player has time to resolve as many of his games as possible.  The size of some games fought may vary due to the number of assigned action points, but others have a fixed cost.  

       Players reveal their first order simultaneously.  For example, the Space Marine player?s first order is an attack on a Tau territory, the Tau player?s first order is an attack on <st1:place><ST1> laceName>Chaos</ST1> laceName> <ST1> laceType>Territory</ST1> laceType></st1:place>, and the Chaos player?s first order is an attack on the same Tau territory as the Space Marine. Then each side determines its initiative by rolling dice to determine whose order is realized first.  The Marine rolls a six, the Tau rolls a four, and the Chaos rolls a one.  So since the Marine got the initiative his attack against the Tau happens first, and prevents the Tau player from realizing his attack on the Chaos player as he is busy defending himself.  The Chaos player?s attack does succeed as he is unhindered and he will fight the winner of the Marine/Tau game.  In the interest of time, perhaps the Marine/Tau game will be fought at 1000 points or less.  A player?s orders may only come into effect if they are not disrupted by enemy attacks.  The process is then repeated for the second and third order phases.  If a player lacks the resources to declare an action they may do nothing.  Also if a player wishes to hoard his resources for later, he may store up to five total points in his warehouse.  These points may then be attached to orders at the start of any of the following rounds. The first phase of this process can be worked out at the end of the prescribed gaming day.  If all of the players take a half hour or so to write their orders, they can determine the order of battle for the first phase next week and plan on a time to meet up, and get psyched.  This is where the organization can get complicated, but there are a number of things organizers can do to make it run more smoothly.  One important reality is that this campaign requires players able to play once or twice a week at least.  This is why small games are always an option, so players can squeeze more gaming into a limited period of time.  One way to get around the scheduling problem is to have teams of players that use the same army and make joint decisions as a single player.  This way, those who can only play infrequently can get the odd game in here and there without drawing the ire of more enthusiastic players, who will then have a range of opponents to call and cajole into gaming.  Another thing to remember is that a player with a busy personal/work schedule can opt to play a more defensive strategic game and then won?t be playing as often.  A good way of getting people to play their games is to set a time period in days before the matter is settled with a dice roll, 1-2 win, 3-4 lose, or 5-6 ties.  Be flexible and try to get a sense of how long a turn generally works and set up gaming days at that interval.  Ultimately what is needed patience, persistence, flexibility and common sense and any conflict can be resolved.                 

 

       C. Combat Phase:

            There are four different orders available: Attack, Raid, Fortify, and Breakout.

 

            a. Attack.

               An attack represents one army advancing into enemy territory with the objective of seizing territory and destroying enemy forces.  An attack may have an attached resource point value of 1-4 points, and the player must name the targeted territory and from where he is attacking.  For example, a Tau player orders a 2 point attack from mountain territory #36 into Imperial-held forest territory #35.  The resource point value of the attack allows the attacker to choose the point value of the game and potentially overcome any fortification done by the defender.  The terrain of the battlefield should reflect the territory where the battle is taking place.  For Example, a forest territory should contain lots of trees and a mountain territory should have lots of hills and rocky outcroppings.

               A one point attack is played as combat patrol by default.  This represents the attacker pushing forward across a wide front looking for weaknesses in the enemy line.  A combat patrol may only result in the loss of a single territory and cannot be used to capture enemy cities.  If the battle is won by the attacker he claims the territory and if he draws or loses then the territory stays in the defender?s hands.

               Two to four point attacks represent more impetuous incursions with heavier weapons.  In a two point battle the attacker may choose to fight out the following battle with either the 1000 point list or the 1500 point list.  At three points he may choose either a 1500 or 2000 point list.  A four point attack always uses the 2000pt list and is only necessary to overcome a heavily defended position.  Time considerations may force the players to fight a smaller battle to represent a large one and if they agree they may use the combat patrol rules as well.  The attacker then rolls a dice on the following chart to determine the mission played.

1. Cleanse

2. Secure and Control

3. Seek and Destroy

4. Recon

5. Take and Hold

6. Roll again:  1-2. Rescue

                            3-4. Night Fight

                            5-6. Patrol

 

               In addition the attacker should roll a dice when playing any of the standard missions.  On a 1 or 2, the game is played at Alpha level.  On a 3 or 4 it is played at Gamma level, and on a 5 or 6 it is played at Omega level.  This rule is intended to prevent players from making an army list that built around a single special rule.  If played at the Alpha level, players that rely on deep strike and infiltrate might have a hard time, and player with a ton of tanks and elite jump troops will suffer in the Omega level.  Ultimately, mission level is a matter of preference for the specific gaming group and some system should be determined by consensus.

               Then the players fight it out.  Victory should always be determined using victory points, even in Alpha level missions.  Special missions (with the exception of Rescue) should also use victory points.  The reason for this is that the result of the game will have an effect on subsequent actions in the turn.  Players should refer to this chart; the attacker must apply the result

 

Victorious Slaughter:  If the attacker slaughters his opponent then he has severely disrupted the defender?s command and control apparatus.  As a result, the defender?s next order is not realized as his forces scurry back in retreat.  For example, an Ork player slaughters a group of Tau in the first order phase, so the attack that the Tau player planned for the second phase will not occur.

 

Solid ? Crushing Victory:  If the attacker pulls off either of these results, he successfully captures the territory and consolidates his gains despite the enemy achieving an effective retreat.

 

Draw:  The battle is fought to a standstill and neither side can gain the upper hand.  The defender remains in control of his territory.

 

Solid ? Crushing Defeat:  The defender?s forces have stopped the attack in its tracks.  The attacker could make no headway and has decided to retreat, rather than to continue fruitlessly wasting lives in the attack.  The defender retains control of the disputed territory.

 

Slaughtered:  The attack has turned into a complete fiasco!  The defenders were ready and systematically massacred the attacking force.  The few survivors return to Headquarters in a panic.  The attacker?s next order is not realized as his forces scramble to cope with the impending counter attack.

 

               Please note that this system is only used for battles fought in the open country.  Cityfights are fought using the Cities of Death rules and with the exception of Maximum Attrition do not use victory points.  In a cityfight, a victorious slaughter is not as consequential as the chaos and ferocity of the urban battlefield does not allow an attacker or defender to consolidate their gains very rapidly.  Cityfight games are fought using the standard Cities of Death missions.  Before choosing the mission, roll to see if it will be an alpha, gamma, or omega game and set the board up in a mutually agreeable way.  The attacker then rolls on the following chart.

 

1. Firesweep

2. High Ground

3. Domination

4. Maximum Attrition

5. Urban Assault

6. Night fight Firesweep

 

               The attacker claims the city if he wins the game, but if he loses or gets a draw then the defender has held him back.  It is important to note that some cities will be located on the border between two or more territories, while others may be entirely surrounded by a single territory.  Cityfights will be vital because cities provide the most resources and in the case of a city embedded in a larger territory, they cannot be bypassed.  For example, a Tyranny player captures a forest territory surrounding a city. He cannot launch attacks deeper into the Space Marine lines from that forest until he has captured the city.  In this respect, cities can function as bastions to prevent enemies from pushing deep into enemy lines.

               Players may include attacks in their orders that will be launched from a territory they intend to capture from the enemy.  For example, The Speed Freak army launches a three point attack on an adjacent Imperial forest with their first order.  They successfully defeat the defenders and capture the territory.  Their second order is a two point attack launched from the recently captured forest and proceeds into a swamp territory where they are defeated.  This ability to push into enemy lines reflects massive concentrations of troops breaking through the front line and attempting to surround and annihilate the enemy.  Subsequent attacks must be of a smaller resource point value than the original attack.  Also, if the initial attack fails the second (or third) attack does not happen and any attached resource points are considered lost.  An aggressive attack such as this can be devastating, but is not without serious risks. 

                If an attack severs enemy held territory from its city supply line the troops stationed in the encircled territory will suffer negative consequences outlined in the Breakout section below.  Cities never count as being surrounded as they are capable of holding out for extended periods of siege.

 

          b. Fortify

              Players may choose to dig long trenches, bunkers, and earthworks in an attempt to make important positions tough as nails.  Maintaining fortifications requires constant labor and an influx of resources.  A player may proclaim a fortify order with one to three resource points.  A fortified position may not be taken unless the attacker launches an attack with a superior number of resource points.  In addition, when a player fortifies a position it remains fortified until the end of that order phase in the following round.  For Example, a Tau player fortifies his city with two resource points using his second order.  The city will remain fortified until after his second order has been realized the following round.  But the Dark Eldar player launches a three point attack on the city with his first order of the following round.  Due to his superior resources the Dark Eldar player successfully launches the attack.  Had he only used two points in the attack, they would both have been wasted and no game would take place.  Players may add additional fortification points to a territory up to a maximum of three, but these also have a one turn lifespan from when they were realized.  A four point attack will always go through.

              When attacking a fortified territory, the attacker rolls on the following chart to determine the Battle Scenario played.

 

1.  Bunker Assault

2.  Hold at all Costs

3.  Meat Grinder

4.  Blitz

5.  Re-roll

6.  Re-roll

 

               If the game is taking place in a city, roll on this table instead.

 

1-2. Grand Assault

3-4. Total Devastation

5-6. Thunder Run

 

               The game will always take place using the 2000 point <st1:city><st1:place>Battle</st1:place></st1:city>, attacker/defender lists, unless the players agree to use a smaller point total.  The game result should be determined using victory points in applicable missions.

 

          c. Raid

              The purpose of a raid is to strike the enemy behind his front lines and cripple his fighting ability.  A raid can be an assassination attempt, sabotage, terror attacks, destroying a key strongpoint or slowing enemy reinforcements.  It costs two resource points to launch a raid.  The attacker must declare what territory they wish to raid and then roll on the following chart

 

1-2. Ambush

3-4. Sabotage

5-6. Strongpoint attack

 

               If the raid takes place in a city, use the following chart.

 

1-2. Sabotage (Use a ruin as the objective that the attackers are trying to destroy)

3-4. Assassination: From Cities of Death (Use the Raid attacker/defender force org chart)

5-6. Relief Force: From Cities of Death

 

               Since the raider can exercise some sort of decision making in his raid, he may re-roll this die once if he dislikes the first result.  If both players agree, then the raid may be worked out as a Kill-team mission, should time be a factor.  Kill team is not a perfectly balanced or fair game, so this is entirely up to the players involved.  Raids do not capture ground, but they do give the enemy in that territory a sharp disadvantage in coming conflicts.  Should the raider fail to complete his mission there is no negative effect on the defender.  If the raid is a win for the attacker the then immediate effect is that all orders made from that territory for the rest of the round do not occur.  Orders launched from other territories are unaffected.  For example, a Dark Eldar player launches a successful raid on an Imperial territory during the first order phase.  This means that the attack that the Imperial player ordered from that territory in his third order phase does not occur.  In addition, the imperial player will suffer an additional consequence if an enemy attacks the raided territory.  This depends on the mission played.

 

If the raider successfully ambushes the enemy, then all enemy reserves that arrive in battles in that territory do not begin to arrive (on a 4+) until the third turn.  The reinforcements have been scattered and delayed.

 

If the raider managed to sabotage an important supply depot, then he may roll again on the following table.

 

1-3. Low on Ammo:  The raider has destroyed the enemy?s ammunition supplies.  In the coming game D6 enemy units (chosen by the defender) will have to roll a D6 after every time they shoot.  If they roll a one then they have run out of ammunition and may no longer shoot. 

4-6. Low on Fuel:  The raider has destroyed the enemy?s fuel dump.  In the coming game D6 enemy vehicles (chosen by the defender) will have to roll a D6 after every time they move.  On a roll of one they count as immobilized.  Skimmers immobilized in this way will not crash.

 

If the raider successfully eliminated an enemy strongpoint, all fortification currently in effect in that territory is negated.  The Relief Force mission in Cities of Death represents an urban strongpoint and the effect is exactly the same.

 

If the raider manages to assassinate an enemy leader, then one randomly selected HQ unit will not be able to take part in any games for the rest of the round.  This effect only removes the main HQ unit (in the Imperial Guard?s case, the command headquarters, not the attached command platoon).  The attacker does not receive victory points for the missing HQ in the following games.

 

          d. Breakout

              Sometimes the enemy will launch a swift attack to surround and annihilate unwary enemies.  If a player?s territory is cut off from a friendly city it counts as encircled.  This is one of the worst positions an army can be in and there are only two possible courses of action.  The player can attempt to smash his way through the encircling enemy or he can dig into a defensive position and wait for his forces to relieve him.  A player with any surrounded forces must use his first order of the following round to attempt a breakout, or to fortify his position.  A breakout requires one resource point and always has the initiative in the first round.  The player breaking out rolls on the following chart to determine the mission.

 

1-3. Rearguard

4-6. Breakout

 

               If the player wishes to abandon an encircled city (there are many potential reasons for this, it may be a point sink, or the enemy is planning a massive assault) he may roll on the following chart.  If a player successfully abandons an encircled city then he gains D3 resource points for preserving his forces and looting important artifacts.

 

1-3. Breakout: played with city terrain

4-6. The Gauntlet: from Cities of Death

 

               If the player successfully manages to breakout of his encirclement he may trade one territory adjacent to his main battle line for the encircled territory.  For example, a Chaos player captures a forest and surrounds an Imperial Guard player in the third order phase.  The Imperial player successfully breaks out the next round.  The Imperial player is now in control of the forest and the Chaos player controls the formerly encircled territory.  If the player fails to break out then the encircled territory comes under the control of the enemy who severed the encircled player?s supply line. 

               If the player chooses to fortify in the following round he must do so in his first order phase and automatically gets the initiative.  It also costs an additional resource point to fortify an encircled force.  The Player may not launch attacks from the encircled territory, and must continue to fortify it with at least two points during the first action of each turn or else it will be lost.  For example, if a Space Marine territory is encircled by Tyranids and he chooses to fortify it with two resource points it counts as a one point fortification.  The player may fortify it with up to four points.

               The encircled force will eventually start to run low on supplies.  After its first game as an encircled force it will roll on the following chart.

 

1-2. Low on Ammo

3-4. Low on Fuel

5-6. Heavy Casualties

 

               The low on ammo or fuel results are exactly the same as if the force had been sabotaged.  The heavy casualties result means that the surrounded force can no longer muster its full strength and D3 units chosen by the defender will not take part in the next battle.  After each subsequent battle, roll another D6, the effects are cumulative.

               In this way players have a way of choosing between cutting their losses or holding tight.  This also is an area of the game where allies come in very handy.  If one player can convince another one to help him encircle a large number of territories it can force the defender to suspend all of his plans in order to relieve his surrounded territories.  

 

III. Negotiation

      If there is a weekly game night that all of the players can attend after the fighting is over players can discuss their upcoming actions and use diplomacy to turn the campaign their way, and think how best to scrub the planet free of their enemies.  This matter can be a simple every man for himself setup amongst the players or it may have some sort of team alliance.  For example, if an Imperial Guard and Deamonhunter player fought as a team against a Chaos and a Lost and the Damned player.  Or there could be traitors; Stabbing their teammate in the back to win a prize that goes not to the winning alliance, but only to the player with the most resource points at the end of the campaign.  Would you make a deal with Chaos to win a collective pot of miniatures?

      Hopefully players will be able to submit their orders by the end of the game night and figure out who they are going to fight next.  Players will soon discover which enemies they prefer and which they fear. Different armies have different styles of fighting not only on the battlefield but also on the strategic level.  For this reason, there are special rules for each race which reflect how they fight on a planetary level.

 

IV. Special Rules:

      A. Race Specific

           Space Marines:  Space marines are known for their daring drop pod assaults on hard enemy positions which smash the brains of a defense and take about the task of eliminating the backbone of the enemy army.  For four resource points a Space Marine player may order a drop pod assault on an enemy territory anywhere on the board.  The Space Marine should make up an additional 1500-2000pt list for this purpose.  It always counts as a three resource point attack, so is still automatically defeated by a three point fortification and still occurs in initiative order.  Therefore, if the Space Marine player is preemptively attacked, the launch is prevented.  The Marine player may use drop pods in a normal attack on an adjacent territory at the cost of an additional resource point.  They may be used in defense during regular missions at no cost, in combat patrols, raids and battles and breakouts they may only be used with opponent?s consent.  The cost represents the drain on resources to coordinate naval assets.  This set of rules is intended to allow Space Marines to strike at ?safe? targets, but not without risk.

           Imperial Guard:  Imperial generals are masters of fortification and fight with massed waves of infantry, artillery barrages, and spearheads of armor.  Because of this, Imperial Guard players may fortify for half the normal point cost.  So an Imperial Guard player may order a one point fortify for only half a point.  In addition to this the Imperial Guard may use the armored company rules in an attack for an extra resource point.  Imperial players should have an additional armored company list for relevant point values.

           Daemon Hunters/Witch Hunters:  Imperial Inquisitors can expertly plan sudden raids that catch the enemy at their weakest possible moment.  Because of this they may launch raids at half the normal cost.

            Chaos Space Marines/Lost and the Damned:  The forces of Chaos rely on traitors, blackmail, and the work of sinister agents to poison the enemy from inside.  Because of this, they roll a D3 after resources have been calculated.  They may then eliminate that many points from their collective opponents.  For example, a Chaos player rolls a three, and decides to ruin two points from a Tau player, and one from an Ork player.

            Eldar: The Eldar appear from their warp gates and strike quickly and mercilessly.  They assess the threads of fate and eliminate threats before they become dire.  Because of this, the Eldar get +1 to their roll when determining initiative.  If they score a tie with another player the two of them roll off again without the initiative bonus.

            Dark Eldar: The Dark Eldar raid to gather slaves and fight for the sheer joy of violence.  When the Dark Eldar successfully pulls off a raid, they get an additional two resource points in their warehouse at the end of the turn as long as they capture some slaves using their special rules.  In addition, other forces have a hard time attacking them.  Any raids or battles against a Dark Eldar player can be fought as Standard missions if the Dark Eldar player wishes.  In this event, if the raid is successful then the Dark Eldar player loses that territory.

            Necron:  Necron Lords seek to steal the souls of the living and convert worlds into tombs.  Necrons cover their planets with pylons that hum with gauss energy, powering their weapons and draining their enemies of life.  For three resource points a Necron player may erect a pylon on any territory that he controls.  The Necron player gets an additional resource point for every three pylons that he has under his control.  In addition any territory with a pylon counts as being fortified with one resource point.   A single pylon may automatically become the target of enemy raids (Sabotage) if the raider so desires. There can be more than one pylon on any territory but if the territory is captured in an attack all the pylons are destroyed. 

            Orks:  Orks fight with crazed vigor, because their very nature causes them to crave the vivid stimulation of battle.  They fight without reason and their attacks pour forth incessantly.  Ork players get D3 additional resource points each turn that must be used in attacks.

            Tyranids: Tyranids come to a planet to swallow up all of the natural resources.  Tyranids receive D6 resource points each turn, but may digest a territory under their control at the beginning of each round.  If the territory is anything but a city they receive an additional D3 resource points from it, if they digest a city then they receive D6 additional points from it.  Once a territory has been digested it has no more value to any of the players.

            Tau: the Tau typically do not fight to hold ground but rather to destroy the enemy?s will and ability to fight.  Thus, Tau Cadres operate independently of each other and cannot be culled by separating them from the main body of their forces.  Tau forces that are surrounded are not affected in any way, and may launch attacks or fortify at no extra cost.

 

     B. Optional General Rules

          The following rules are optional.

          a. Terrain effects

              The layout of the landscape can wreak havoc on an army?s operations.  Heavy artillery will dominate an open field, but will find it harder to reach enemies hiding within mountain crags.  Skimmers may dominate in rolling hills but will suffer when fighting in dense canopy jungle.  The following terrain rules represent the logistical problems involved in fighting in certain terrain.

              Plains and ash wastes present no special challenges to the players.

              Forests prevent both players from maximizing their fast attack support.  Only two fast attack choices may be used.  If the player?s army list has three choices then one of them, decided by the player, takes no part in the battle.

              Mountains are hard terrain for heavy artillery and tanks to cross.  Only two heavy support choices may operate in a mountain environment.  If the list has three choices one will not take part in the battle as above.

              Cities use the Cities of Death rules

              Tundra and deserts prevent one unmounted troop choice from taking part in the battle due to frostbite, blizzard, sandstorm or heat exhaustion.

              Battles in jungles and swamps should be fought using the special rules published in White Dwarf.  They also make it so that players may not maximize their elite choices.  If the player brings three elites to the battle one must take no part as above.

                          

          b. Experience

              Since players will be using the same army lists throughout the campaign it is plausible to use the experience system outlined in the Dark Millennium supplement in the back of the Warhammer 40k rulebook.  This should only be done for the real workhorse lists in a player?s force as it will require a lot of math and organization.  Some players might not think it is worth it, but some might enjoy keeping track of each unit?s record.  The players should discuss this before the campaign begins.

  V.  Endgame.

      The winner at the end should be the player who controls the most resources.  Tyranid players should keep track of the lands under their control as these are still counted at their original value, only they have changed form and are now sitting in the belly of a giant interstellar bug.  Pylons are not counted towards the final necron score.  Ideally there should be some sort of prize for the winner paid for by the group collectively.  The winner should also have the privilege of writing the history of the conflict, after all history is written by the victors.


The 21st century will have a number of great cities. You’ll choose between cities of great population density and those that are like series of islands in the forest. - Bernard Tschumi 
   
Made in ca
Devious Space Marine dedicated to Tzeentch






Creston, BC

Really like what you have going here, Samwise. A lot of it is nice and simple, as it should be! I've read through your battle reports for you campaign. How many games (or turns) do you expect to play on the map you are using? Are you playing to a set number of games and tallying ponts or is there another victory condition you have determined. My apologies if I missed that part.

I'll be trying these on my gaming group which involves a lot of Jungle fights with IG, Orks, and Eldar. Also, we'll be using a map with a smaller number of territories per player.

A variant I'll be trying is:

new order: Redeploy - for (needs to be determined) resource points one type of an army list (break through/raid/etc) may be changed. Instead of allowing at the half way mark of the campaign we'll have the option earlier (for a price). I'm hoping this will allow armies that are unbalanced to correct themselves and address any critical weaknesses, at the expense of other actions.

Thanks for the hard work, much appreciated!



   
Made in us
Unbalanced Fanatic





Minneapolis, MN

I like the redeploy idea.  That definitely makes for a simpler transition when an army list isn't working out.  So far we've both just been using the lists we made at the beginning or making them as we go along.  We've been getting together about once a week, so I imagine we'll continue the campaign until I move later this summer.  Hopefully we'll get through about eight rounds.  Its definitely easier to work things out with only two people.

The 21st century will have a number of great cities. You’ll choose between cities of great population density and those that are like series of islands in the forest. - Bernard Tschumi 
   
Made in nl
Fresh-Faced New User




I´m trying to work out a campaign in my gamming group and we will try to use your model Samwise.

However, there are some issues that we like to change and would like to know what you think about it.

1. We don't want to use pre-made lists. The player will figth with the forcer that are nearby. How can this be done?

I was thinking of something like Risk. But i don't know how to aplly it to a W40k Campaing

2. We want to use experience points, but the system in th BGB is very...basic! Any suggestions?
   
Made in us
Unbalanced Fanatic





Minneapolis, MN

I'm glad that you are planning on using some variation of my rules.  As far as your questions go...

1.  If you don't like the pre-made list rule don't use it.  I put it in there because I wanted players to create flexible armies that could handle all comers rather than letting people trick out their armies to fight a specific enemy.  But If you want to do that why not just let each player bring any list of the appropriate point total to the table.

2.  Experience is something that I thought about including in the rules, but figured that it would be too time consuming to keep track of.  One solution I considered was to choose certain units (ex. Each player chooses five units or characters that have story value and then keeps track of their successes.  After a certain amount of experience is won they could roll on a chart to change their stats or special rules.  That way you wouldn't have to keep a record fro every single unit of grots, but could have a squad of nobs that gets better over time.

Sound ok?

The 21st century will have a number of great cities. You’ll choose between cities of great population density and those that are like series of islands in the forest. - Bernard Tschumi 
   
Made in nl
Fresh-Faced New User




Ssound ok!(for 2.)

1) That is the problem! We don't like to use pre-made lists... but we don't want that players bring a list prepared to defeat a specific enemy (we will have a League thar will allow that...so we want to a different thing for the campaign).
I was thinking of something like "Risk". You could only attack form the nearby areas with the units you have there (maybe for some valor of points we could ask for reinforcements...something like that!)...but that will raise the difficulty level of the campaign and we want to keep it simple... like your model.

Maybe using blocks of 500pts? But again the dificulty level...will go up!
   
Made in us
Unbalanced Fanatic





Minneapolis, MN

One way to keep it simple would be to have, like you said, a standard list at 1500pts or so that you could use in all engagements with an additional block of 500pts that could be positioned in certain areas that you could use in bigger battles.

Also in the campaign we just completed (check out the Mega Battle that should be up soon) we found that the Alpha, gamma, omega thing made for very diverse games and limits the ability of players to truly trick out their lists.

How many players are taking part in this thing may I ask?

The 21st century will have a number of great cities. You’ll choose between cities of great population density and those that are like series of islands in the forest. - Bernard Tschumi 
   
Made in nl
Fresh-Faced New User




Well...it will depend of the campaign!... Maybe 6 players/teams.

That standart list+block is a good idea...we will try that!

Tks
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka





North Central MA

I am having trouble figuring out is whether players have any resource points before the game starts, and if not, how they get rolling. Is there a movement phase where the players can move into adjacent open territories or something? I ask because this sounds like something cool to try and I want to make sure I fully understand it!



Don't set your mind to one side.
-Nevermore
 
   
Made in us
Unbalanced Fanatic





Minneapolis, MN

I left this part of the rules open ended as it depends greatly on the map, number of players, and storyline (if any) that you end up using.  I've run a version of this in the past where each player started in one corner of the map, and we took turns picking adjacent territories.  There were four players and we decided that if players managed to encircle any unclaimed territories they claimed them, thereby gaining a better starting position.  But in the last version of this that I played, there were only two of us so we just split the board in half and started from there.
If you're interested in an example campaign and a lot of battle reports follow the link below and look go to the bottom of the page.   Read the battle report at the bottom of the page and then you can work your way up from there to see the rest of the campaign.

zombievisions.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html

The 21st century will have a number of great cities. You’ll choose between cities of great population density and those that are like series of islands in the forest. - Bernard Tschumi 
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka





North Central MA

Thanks! Now it all makes sense.



Don't set your mind to one side.
-Nevermore
 
   
 
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