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I, like many of you, feel like there should be some sort of advancement to the plot. However, I like most of you, am concerned about if it can ever be done properly. But say that due to some fluke, we know that GW is going to use their best and advance the main plot of the story based on tournament campaign scores, would you participate and better yet, would you support this decision?
A good writer like a good GM can create a very desirable experience where the main plot advances but it doesn't deviate from the desired outcome. What would be the desired outcome? Frankly, more sales. However, from a story perspective it could be exploited to get more out of the player base and create a fun and fulfilling time.
A plot can be advanced by a series of world wide tournaments. The result can be tallied and the story is advanced based on the result. Models that don't sell can be killed off heroically instead of vanishing quietly into the night and can be still used in tournaments or narratives (prior to the events of the current plot). New models can be made to represent popular heroes and characters that the fans/community made. I would also like to see awards or recognition towards well painted armies and custom made sub-factions (SM/Eldar/Guard/Orks etc.)
An example of a scenario could begin with a Ork Invasion led by (Fan made Warboss) under instructions from Thrakka to complete an objective. IG deal with this scenario and the community votes on which factions assist. Does the Mechanicus get involved to prevent orks from looting sacred machines or protect a forge world? Do the Sisters of Battle step up to protect the Holy domain of the Emperor? Does a Space Marine chapter answer the distress call? If so, which? Do we have the virtuous Salamanders? Mysterious DA? Battle hungry Carcharodons? Black Dragons?
The results of the battle are tallied and we get a victory that advances the plot (or at least the illusion of it). Let's say the Orks should win. The outcome of the battle wouldn't matter much as the Orks loot Titans and other weapons of destruction. Failing the acquisition of the war weapons, you find that Thrakka had no intention of getting the weapons and sent (random warboss) to die and distract the IoM while he sets off into his real attack. OR say that you want to give it the IoM the weapons are rigged to explode or have some sort of defect that result in the crippling of the WAAAGH. IoM defends it's planet and gather's support to have a massive war effort towards Thrakka.
This can be milked any which way with different factions getting a spot light in WD or through a public forum on GW's site.
Ranting aside, what do you guys (the players) think? What would you like to see? Is this the fevered day dream of a fan or is there some merit in this idea? If you like it, what would you like to see? What factions would you like to take a spot light? If you have some custom made subfaction what would you like it to face (assuming you were chosen)?
Anyone who is married knows that Khorne is really a woman.
GW used to do wordwide story advancing campaigns, both in 40k and WHFB. They got retconned.
The idea itself is good, but GW would have to stick to it or, like you suggest, plan ahead the plotline. And I'm not sure they are able to do either of that.
Hanskrampf wrote: GW used to do wordwide story advancing campaigns, both in 40k and WHFB. They got retconned.
The idea itself is good, but GW would have to stick to it or, like you suggest, plan ahead the plotline. And I'm not sure they are able to do either of that.
it becomes a problem when for your setting to continue to exist an outcom would be bad. hence the 13th black crusade being quietly forgotten about, because chaos winning would well.. be bad for the setting
Opinions are not facts please don't confuse the two
40k exists as a setting for you to tell your own stories. That's why the clock is stuck at eight hours to midnight, and probably forever will be.
Every faction has a "win" condition, but they're all mutually exclusive; if the setting moves on in time, it'll just be a continuing stalemate. Privateer Press appears to be doing that (or at least they were at the end of 1st edition), which is one reason I gave up on that setting, as the contrivances required to keep all eight factions involved, but none of them actually achieving anything, were getting silly IMO.
If you want to advance the setting, why not do so locally? That was, I think, the designers' intent.
I say no. Most characters do not represent what they really do on the tabletop. Abaddon getting removed because of Helfrost? Typhus getting a Tachyon Arrow through the face? Kharn dying to a single round of shooting from a Night Scythe?
Things in this game aren't very consistent with what would happen narratively. So, if GW did something like this, they would have to require you not to use any named characters, and let the battles be to represent conflicts between generic forces or something.
This is not even remotely a good idea with the game's current state of balance. Chaos would basically get laughed out of the universe while Be'lakor tries to find a way to be in literally every battle at the same time. Eldar would suddenly cease to be a dying race reluctant to press its dead into service as every D spammer comes out of the woodwork.
