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Hello all,

I wanna run an escalation league for my gaming group, but have a few issues with how to handle certain areas, so i hope you can help me.

The general format is:
1. First game is 500 points, and each successive game will increase by 250 point. So next is 750, then 1.000 and so on until the finale at 2000 points.

2. The previously used list MUST be included in the next list. This means that the list you play at 500 points, MUST be included in your 750 points (and so on for all matches). This essentially means that you are "building" 250 points more to your list for each game.

I think this format could prove some really cool list building. Since people would know their opponents lists from the previous game, they now have 250 points to try and counter it, but it still leaves out 250 points of unknown units that their enemies will bring. I think it could be very funny, as you also have to consider what formation (if any) you wanna aim at in higher point games, and be sure to incorporate those units early and still be competitive.

But, i have some issues that i would like some feedback on:
1. Should there be any limitations in lower point games? For instance no flyers below 1.000 points or no vehicle with armor X or something? Or just "let it fly" and have everything open?

2. What missions should be played? There are 2 types of missions in the main rulebook - maelstrom, and something else i forgot the name of. From what i understand (and i haven't played that much) maelstrom is for higher point games and the other set is for lower points. So maybe the format should be to play the other format at the games below and including 1.000 points and use maelstrom for the rest? Or something else entirely?

3. What do you think of the format? Anything else you would include, while still keeping it as simple as possible?

Looking forward to your feedback! Thanks in advance

I'm in one of these right now, we're currently in our 1250 point games. We have a 3 unit swap policy, where you can swap 3 units for the whole league. It works pretty well, and doesn't kneecap you if something you take turns out to really not work at all.

We had no AV13+ for <1000, and a limited FOC for <1000 as well that was 1 HQ, 1 Troop, 0-2 everything else. 500 was a "Combat patrol" with the same restricted Force Org, but only HQs and Troops could have >1 wound. At 1000 pts and beyond, anything goes, including formations, decurions, etc.

We're mixing up our missions, so we've had a few out of the Battle Missions book, one out of Cities of Death, and some regular BRB missions as well. I like using other books since it breaks up the general monotony of mission structure a little bit.

Ah nice thing to use unit swaps. I don't think i will include that though, as i kinda like the fact that you have to put a lot of thought into what you pick for the league

So you didn't allow vehicles with armor 13+ (i guess it includes 13, right? So only vehicles with armor 12 and lower?) for the smaller points games. Did you allow flyers for those games? I was just thinking that something like a flyrant with twin-linked devourers would be a pain at that point level, but i might be wrong?

Correct, only 12 and lower. Flyers were technically allowed. I myself am playing Tyranids, but I used a Tervigon for the first game instead of Flyrant for exactly the reason you stated, I didn't want to be a dick (although I totally should have, I've been getting smushed until this past round). However, I had the option to unit swap my Tervigon with a Flyrant, which I did. However, keep in mind if you don't want to allow any unit swaps, that anybody playing Tyranids is going to be severely hindered in that way because they'll be forced to take a lesser HQ choice and then be stuck with it the whole league. Also keep in mind if you don't allow any unit swaps, it'll be very possible for someone to bring a list and not realize until they've already played it that a certain unit/strategy doesn't work given the rest of the players, and then are stuck with a really subpar army the rest of the time and just get roflstomped for eternity. Such as the aforementioned Tyranid players who would never be able to bring the optimal 2 Flyrants even at 2000 pts because they had to take a Tervigon or something as an HQ.

Yeah i get your point about the swapping. Maybe we should take in 3 unit swaps as well.

However, the tyranid player could easily start out with a Hive Tyrant without wings, and then upgrade wings for him later if that is what he wanted. But i think you are right, maybe allowing 3 unit swaps for the league allows players to correct their mistakes and not get roflstomped for the rest of the league if they mess up

What my group has done for Escalation:
Start at 500 pts, increase by 100 pts every 2 weeks.
No formations or flyers until at least 800 points.
FMCs are allowed, however until 800 pts, can only glide. Note this means they cannot deep strike.
At 800 points, the core formation of the decurion-type detachment is allowed, however you can not use the decurion-type detachment.