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So, sometimes when I go to the game store there are only 3 people, so we try to fit everybody in because the games can be long.
We've done 1000 vs 500/500, or 500/500 vs 500/500 (for 4 people first games. I'd rather coach and be the computer for them to learn).

But when it comes to FFA, alternating turns seems too easy to knock one person off.

I was thinking of a variant to speed it up some and add some balance with two options.

2 detachments mandatory, alternate detachments played on your turn.
or
33% (or x%) of your units grant you movement points.
Let me explain. Say you had 12 units on the board. 33% is four. That gives you 4x3 - 12 movement points. (3 from the phases, unless you wanted to add psychic phase...bleh)
You can spend a movement point on a Move, a Psychic Ability, a Shoot, or a Charge.
overwatch howto? locked in combats howto? imba?

I'd say round up to make the end game quicker.

The most fun one I think is two player fighting while a Tyranid Invasion mission is happening (divide into 6 sections, roll dice for section they can enter on reserves). Make the tyranid non objective scoring.

Any good 3 player scenarios?

A few random ideas, not really tested:

1: Do not allow conferring between players. They can chat, of course, and talk for the purpose of communication something, but basically this is in place to stop people ganging up on one player.

2: Rotate turns as normal, players may fire into a combat they have no participants in, and hits are randomly allocated between the sides involved.

3: Each player whose turn it is not get D3+WC 'dispel' dice in the psychic phase, and may only attempt to dispel powers cast on their units or the caster's buffs. Basically, no 'shielding' another player.

4: Completely change it up. Everyone moves, everyone shoots, everyone charges, assaults are fought in player order (ie player 1 chooses a fight to resolve, does so, player 2 chooses one, so on and so forth).

I think this may be taken from another game mechanic but here is what a guy at my local group proposed (and it worked in the 2 battles I watched):
You each have your own colour dice. They used red, white, blue and black.
You need a die for each unit.
You roll all your dice at the start of the turn, individually for each unit.
Each unit which rolled a 6 gets to go first, going clockwise from the player who rolled the 'first turn'. That player could select one of his units which rolled a 6. He then performs the whole turns actions (movement/shooting/assault), with that unit. The next player then selects one of his units which rolled a 6 and then you do the same. You go round until all 6's have been used. Often resulting in one player getting to use 3 or 4 units whilst some have only got to use one. You then move to 5's and repeat. Do this until all units have been used.
You still roll for units in reserve, and when you pick these you get to roll the reserve die, if they turn up, then they can act normally as if arriving from reserves. Any unit with interceptor which has not been used yet may chose to make their attacks against such a unit as normal.
Don't know how this will work with 7ths psychic phase, but it worked very well with 6th, and brought a whole new level of strategy to the table as you had to be very careful as to which unit you would use next as you could potentially strand a unit (say if they rolled a 6 and your next best was a 3) until the rest of your army could be used to support them. Also make target priorities very interesting.

Pick up a copy of triumph and treachery for fantasy and apply the multiplayer rules to odd number player games

Poly Ranger wrote:
I think this may be taken from another game mechanic but here is what a guy at my local group proposed (and it worked in the 2 battles I watched):
You each have your own colour dice. They used red, white, blue and black.
You need a die for each unit.
You roll all your dice at the start of the turn, individually for each unit.
Each unit which rolled a 6 gets to go first, going clockwise from the player who rolled the 'first turn'. That player could select one of his units which rolled a 6. He then performs the whole turns actions (movement/shooting/assault), with that unit. The next player then selects one of his units which rolled a 6 and then you do the same. You go round until all 6's have been used. Often resulting in one player getting to use 3 or 4 units whilst some have only got to use one. You then move to 5's and repeat. Do this until all units have been used.
You still roll for units in reserve, and when you pick these you get to roll the reserve die, if they turn up, then they can act normally as if arriving from reserves. Any unit with interceptor which has not been used yet may chose to make their attacks against such a unit as normal.
Don't know how this will work with 7ths psychic phase, but it worked very well with 6th, and brought a whole new level of strategy to the table as you had to be very careful as to which unit you would use next as you could potentially strand a unit (say if they rolled a 6 and your next best was a 3) until the rest of your army could be used to support them. Also make target priorities very interesting.

ooo! i like this idea. Why not just use initiative values?

The hard part about 3 player is getting the board set up so it's fair, especially on a 6x4. One player always ends up getting sandwiched and stomped.

Other than that, one thing we wanted to try but never got around to was flattening the round: Each player moves, then each player shoots, then each player assaults. That way, you don't have to stand around for an hour between your turns.

Poly Ranger wrote:
I think this may be taken from another game mechanic but here is what a guy at my local group proposed (and it worked in the 2 battles I watched):
You each have your own colour dice. They used red, white, blue and black.
You need a die for each unit.
You roll all your dice at the start of the turn, individually for each unit.
Each unit which rolled a 6 gets to go first, going clockwise from the player who rolled the 'first turn'. That player could select one of his units which rolled a 6. He then performs the whole turns actions (movement/shooting/assault), with that unit. The next player then selects one of his units which rolled a 6 and then you do the same. You go round until all 6's have been used. Often resulting in one player getting to use 3 or 4 units whilst some have only got to use one. You then move to 5's and repeat. Do this until all units have been used.
You still roll for units in reserve, and when you pick these you get to roll the reserve die, if they turn up, then they can act normally as if arriving from reserves. Any unit with interceptor which has not been used yet may chose to make their attacks against such a unit as normal.
Don't know how this will work with 7ths psychic phase, but it worked very well with 6th, and brought a whole new level of strategy to the table as you had to be very careful as to which unit you would use next as you could potentially strand a unit (say if they rolled a 6 and your next best was a 3) until the rest of your army could be used to support them. Also make target priorities very interesting.

PLUS

 slowthar wrote:
The hard part about 3 player is getting the board set up so it's fair, especially on a 6x4. One player always ends up getting sandwiched and stomped.

Other than that, one thing we wanted to try but never got around to was flattening the round: Each player moves, then each player shoots, then each player assaults. That way, you don't have to stand around for an hour between your turns.

is the best idea. yes.

 poolatka wrote:


Any good 3 player scenarios?

Some quick ideas:

We currently have three regulars at mine so last session we copied MTG; Player A after B, B after C, C after A. 500 points each to keep armies sensible and leave space. Played on a 6x4 table. Deployment zones 12" box on two of the corners (on same long side of board), and then 12" box on the opposite long side but in the middle. Put a big box/complete LOS block piece of terrain between the two forces deploying on the corners.

You can kill anyone, but if not your target their enemy gets the kill points. No first blood/linebreaker. Also, each Warlord has dogtags. They're dropped like a relic when they're taken out of action; either other player can then grab them. Get 3 VP for each dogtag you're carrying at the end.

We've also considered playing relic but having #players +1 relic in the middle of the board. At the beginning of each game turn the relics scatter 2D6, stopping within 1" of any model. They don't scatter when captured.

 poolatka wrote:

Poly Ranger wrote:
I think this may be taken from another game mechanic but here is what a guy at my local group proposed (and it worked in the 2 battles I watched):
You each have your own colour dice. They used red, white, blue and black.
You need a die for each unit.
You roll all your dice at the start of the turn, individually for each unit.
Each unit which rolled a 6 gets to go first, going clockwise from the player who rolled the 'first turn'. That player could select one of his units which rolled a 6. He then performs the whole turns actions (movement/shooting/assault), with that unit. The next player then selects one of his units which rolled a 6 and then you do the same. You go round until all 6's have been used. Often resulting in one player getting to use 3 or 4 units whilst some have only got to use one. You then move to 5's and repeat. Do this until all units have been used.
You still roll for units in reserve, and when you pick these you get to roll the reserve die, if they turn up, then they can act normally as if arriving from reserves. Any unit with interceptor which has not been used yet may chose to make their attacks against such a unit as normal.
Don't know how this will work with 7ths psychic phase, but it worked very well with 6th, and brought a whole new level of strategy to the table as you had to be very careful as to which unit you would use next as you could potentially strand a unit (say if they rolled a 6 and your next best was a 3) until the rest of your army could be used to support them. Also make target priorities very interesting.

ooo! i like this idea. Why not just use initiative values?

Because an army with higher initiative would have an insane advantage. Eldar are already OP.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Plus its more fun not knowing until the start of the next turn which units will be moving first.

ooo i like the dog tag relic idea.

Can't you just play 2 on 1 with the same number of points pr. side?

That's what we did when we were young and wanted to fool around