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So I want to make a set of rules for a campaign which will allow people in my club to bring a few models, keep track of progress, play quite quickly and have some nice flavour.

The fluff is that these are teams who were sent into a space hulk, separated, lost and now are trying to survive & escape.

I wanted some character progression, but having played some gorkamorka, I know that after a while having to look up what each model has before you do anything with it gets tiresome, so I decided that I would just allow progress for the HQ choice, the main leader of each force.

So far I have the basic ideas, I've not had a chance to do the missions yet, and have to write up a story for the campaign I want to run, and as yet haven't even made the zone mortalis board, so it's a ways away from completion. Any input people have for the stat limits, gameplay, and essentially anything that will break the game because I've not thought of/addressed the issue.

Here's what i got so far:

Lost in the labyrinth (First Draft)
This is a gametype for 40k, which is run as an on-going campaign. It uses zone mortalis style boards, with corridors and rooms and the like. The plot is that the players armies’ have gotten lost aboard a space hulk, infested with gene stealers, zombies, Ork pirates, that sort of thing. The surviving members of the armies have to try and survive the enemy, the hulk and its inhabitants.

This game requires a game master, who will control the zombies, genestealers etc. This can either be the same person throughout or, if nobody wants to miss out on having their own team, players can alternate for each game.

The Start:
Each player must take an HQ choice, up to 100 points. This is their starting model.

Growing a Team:
At the start, each player has only a single model, or a squad for astra militarum. At certain times, the players will roll on a table and can gain squad members, artefacts & skills. When to roll for this is determined by the mission.

Playing:
Every model in this game is treated as an independent character, but does not gain the “character” rule. In principle, each model is its own unit, but they can join together and split apart at will. This will allow models such as Apothecaries and painboys to use their abilities that apply to whole units.

Missions:

Mission 0: Picking up the Pieces. This is always the first mission played in a campaign, and is only played once. All players must bring 6 objectives to the table. These objectives must be distinct from one another, as they can only be claimed by the player who brought them. The players will take it in turns to place the objectives, but may not place their own unless no other objectives remain. Objectives must be placed more than 6” from the board edge, and cannot be within 12” of another objective for the same player.
The players roll off on 2D6 to see who deploys their model first. Models must be deployed within 6” of the board edge. The player with the highest score deploys first, then the next highest deploys second, and so on until all players have deployed their model. Models may not be deployed in line of sight of another model within 24”.
Players then roll-off on 2D6 to determine who goes first. Play will commence clockwise around the table. If there are many players, it is recommended that the order is written down as the models will probably move out of order during the game.

Objectives: Each player is attempting to pick up as many of his own objectives as possible. A player can pick up an objective simply by coming within 2” of it during any part of their turn. Each player can only pick up their own objectives, and does not interact with any others – The characters are too disoriented to care for the property of other races.

Mission Special Rules:
Night Fighting (all game)
Better things to do: All models in the game have the “hit & run” special rule.
Random Game Length

At the end of the game, each player rolls on the Progression Table once for each objective they claimed.





D66 Result: Result:
11 Gain 10 points to spend on equipment
12 Gain 15 points to spend on equipment
13 Gain 20 points to spend on equipment
14 Gain 25 points to spend on equipment
15 Gain 30 points to spend on equipment
16 Gain 35 points to spend on equipment
21 Gain model (troops)
22 Gain model (troops)
23 Gain model (troops)
24 Gain model (troops)
25 Gain model (troops)
26 Gain model (troops)
31 Gain Model (Fast Attack)
32 Gain Model (Fast Attack)
33 Gain Model (Fast Attack)
34 Gain Model (Fast Attack)
35 Gain Model (Fast Attack)
36 Gain Model (Fast Attack)
41 Gain Model (Heavy Support)
42 Gain Model (Heavy Support)
43 Gain Model (Heavy Support)
44 Gain Model (Heavy Support)
45 Gain Model (Heavy Support)
46 Gain Model (Heavy Support)
51 Gain Model (Elite)
52 Gain Model (Elite)
53 Gain Model (Elite)
54 Gain Model (Elite)
55 Gain Model (Elite)
56 Gain Model (Elite)
61 HQ WS +1
62 HQ BS +1
63 HQ S +1
64 HQ T +1
65 HQ W +1
66 HQ any stat +1 (not save)

Model Gains: If you roll a “Gain model (X)”, Then you can choose a single model with no upgrades from the slot denoted in brackets in your codex. This will generally be a character, but in some instances the character is less effective than the squad member. For example, a space marine devastator sergeant doesn’t have access to heavy weapons, whereas a devastator does. These models cannot be monstrous creatures or vehicles, but can be jetbikes, bikes, infantry, cavalry and jump/jet infantry.

Equipment Points: Points gained to spend on equipment can be spent on any model, as per their codex entry. Restrictions such as “one per ten models” and “one per squad” are not enforced, but a model may only take such options as are available to it in the codex. Points not spent are kept by the player, and can be saved for different pieces of equipment. Equipment cannot be exchanged for points; once the points are spent, there’s no getting them back.
Maximum Statline:
A HQ can increase their stats only a finite amount. This is dependent on their race. A HQ model cannot increase their save by rolling a “66”. HQ models cannot exceed the relevant statline from below:

Adeptus Sororitas:
WS BS S T W A I LD
7 7 4 5 3 4 8 10

Astra Militarum:
WS BS S T W A I LD
6 6 4 4 3 4 6 10

Space Marines (all chapters)
WS BS S T W A I LD
7 7 6 6 4 5 8 10

Chaos Daemons:
WS BS S T W A I LD
9 6 6 6 4 4 8 10
+ Marks

Chaos Space Marines:
WS BS S T W A I LD
9 7 6 6 4 6 8 10
+ Marks

Dark Eldar:
WS BS S T W A I LD
9 7 4 4 3 6 10 10

Eldar:
WS BS S T W A I LD
7 7 4 4 3 4 10 10

Necrons:
WS BS S T W A I LD
6 7 7 7 4 4 4 10

Orks:
WS BS S T W A I LD
9 4 7 7 5 7 6 9

Tau:
WS BS S T W A I LD
6 8 6 7 4 4 6 10

Tyranids:
WS BS S T W A I LD
7 6 7 7 6 7 8 10



Missions:

1: Get Out! – get to the other side of the board
2: Get Resources – 3 objectives, like relics
3: Survive the Tide – only HQ, other models in reserves.
4: Defend your Turf – kill off the enemy team
5: Explore – 6 objectives, small team of up to 3 models.
6: Scour the Area – kill off the zombies etc

Special Rules:
We’re not alone…:
If a mission has this rule, the Game Master will deploy a number of counters on the board, at his/her discretion. Each counter will represent a blip on the motion sensors, meaning up to 3 models, controlled by the Game Master. The game master has to keep track of what model(s) each counter represents – a note place face down under each will suffice. These will move in the same rate as the models they represent, at the end of every game turn (the Game Masters turn).
If a marker is, at the end of any phase, in line of sight to a player’s model, the marker is removed and the model(s) it represents are placed on the table. If these model(s) become out of line of sight, they are removed and replaced with a counter again.
If a counter represents more than one model, these models can split up, producing more markers. Similarly, if two or more markers representing a total of 3 or less models join together, then they will be reduced to 1 marker until they split up again. If more than 3 models are together, represent them with one marker per 3 models.
In the rare occasion that a blast scatters into a marker that is out of line of sight, and represents more than one model, all models it represents are hit. If a marker is in range of a nova power, all models are also hit. The Game Master will only need to state their toughness and save in these instances.
It is up to the game master to decide which enemy the players will face. This can be Tyranids, Daemons, Zombies (from the chaos space marines codex) at each point in the campaign. This will depend on what the backstory is, whether the players are exploring a new part of the hulk, and what models are available.
The Game Master is not restricted in using Monstrous Creatures or vehicles, but must use his discretion as to whether they will be practical (a soulgrinder will be very hard to manoeuvre in a zone mortalis map, a hive tyrant would not). Large models will occupy a whole marker, so will never combine with others.

I am really liking what you have done here man. In fact, I am actually taking a few leafs from your book here and adding in some of my own little flavor. Have no idea how its going to work, but I think me and the folks with whom I am going to play with are going to enjoy it. May I ask if you have added anything new since then?

You need to add point restrictions for when you (gain) a model. As certain choices are vastly superior to others, and thus are more expensive point wise.

Example would be picking a space marine terminator with an assault cannon over a stern guard with a combi.

You should make another table where you then roll for point value of the acquired units, this can then be spent on models and/or equipment (so multiple models can be purchased if wanted.

1-2 - 20 points
3-4 - 30 points
5-6 - 40 points

Then any unspent points can go back into the points kitty to be used, or points in the kitty can be used to supplement your recently gained models.

The way I figured it was you choose a model, and you get the vanilla model, no upgrades (unless they are free). but I do see what you are saying there, and I have actually been wondering about that.