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Campaigning in the 41st Millennium

For discussing new rules and changes to the current rules, such as new homebrew datasheets for Apocalypse

Campaigning in the 41st Millennium

Postby Baragash » Thu May 21, 2009 5:41 pm

Hi guys.....just thought I'd post this up for your perusal/feedback....(would put a friendly smiley here, but had to turn them off to preserve formatting....)

Baragash wrote:I tried and tested this system several times over the years at Vets Night when I was a Red Shirt, amongst my friends and also at my local club. The idea is to give the feel of a map campaign, without bringing in all the high levels of resource management that often comes with it.

Why this system is good:

  • it doesn't require a map, although you may draw one just for flavour
  • no resource auditing
  • book-keeping limited to maintaining a league table for each territory
  • players are free to use whatever parts of their collection they have, and expand them as the campaign progresses, or not as they choose
  • caters for all types of players: WAAC players can cheesefest if they like, fluff players can agree special scenarios and have a narrative going, and the two types of players can avoid each other and still have a good time
  • avoids artificial restrictions, which often don't have the same effect on all armies in terms of balance
  • it isn't held up by players not playing their games by a required date
  • the more structured stuff with resource points etc you are discussing require very dedicated participants, and a lot of book-keeping which (in my opinion) doesn't repay you in terms of the time and effort needed to carry it out. It really only provides an extra facet of enjoyment to people who enjoy resource management, if your prime motive is to get a group of players having a friendly competition, I think you'll get more out of it using my suggestion above as an outline.

The Players

This can be played as individuals or teams, although it is better played as teams. If playing teams, try to balance them by spreading the most regular players across the teams.

Basic Rules

(1) Set-up

Create a map, or a list of Territories to fight over. There is no hard and fast rule for the number, you need to take into account how many players are playing, and how often games are played. I would say 3 is a good base for 4 players, playing once or twice a week.

Each player/team is considered to be present in each Territory of the map.

(2) Passage Of Time

Time should be divided into set units. I have always used 1 real life week = 1 Campaign Turn, although this should be set based on how regularly people meet to play.

(3) Playing Games

Players are free to arrange a game with any opponent. Points, scenarios, inclusion of IA, in fact anything, is mutually agreed between the players. Even the system can be mutually agreed, so Epic, 40k, Aeronautica, Combat Patrol, Kill Team etc are all viable. If Battlefleet Gothic is to be included, you should designate a "Space" Territory for the campaign.

Players should roll-off before the game, the winner of the dice roll chooses which Territory the game is played in.

Players are free to play as many games per Campaign Turn as they like.

(4) Game Results

  • 5 Territory Points per win
  • 2 Territory Points per draw
  • -3 Territory Points per loss
multiplied by points value of the game divided by 1000 (eg 1500pts = 1.5)
This makes bigger engagements more decisive. The negative score for losing is included to stop players/teams spamming games to add points, it ensures they also have to be successful.

(5) Controlling Territory

The player/team with the most Territory Points in a Territory is in control of it, as long as they have played at least 3 games in that Territory. Control of Territory is determined at the end of each Campaign turn.

(6) Time Limit

It is suggested you set an end date for the campaign at the start. I have found 8-10 weeks is a good length.

(7) Victory!

There are two ways to decide the Winner, obviously this must be decided at the start:
  1. A player/team scores 1 Campaign Point at the end of each Campaign Turn for each Territory they control. The player/team with the most Campaign Points at the end is declared the Winner.
  2. The player/team controlling the most Territories at the end of the Campaign is declared the Winner.

(8) Newsletter

Players really like having a newsletter e-mailed round and available to read at meets, showing players the position at the end of each Campaign Turn, and outlining any special rules/events for the following week. Encourage people to write fluff/battle reports as stories to include.

Appendices

Appendices are numbered per the section of the Basic Rules they are related to.

(1.1) Each player/team could be assigned a Territory as their Capital. That player/team is already considered to control that Territory at the start of the game, and already has Territory Points scored in that Territory (I find 25 is a good number) to represent having a stronger grip on it.

(3.1) You may wish to theme the terrain for each Territory.

(3.2) You may consider having a Challenge rule. If playing as individuals, allow each player to issue a Challenge once every 3 Campaign Turns. If playing as teams, allow each team to issue a Challenge once per Campaign Turn, but the same player cannot issue it two Campaign Turns in a row.

(3.3) Players don't have to use the same Codex for the whole Campaign, although thematically it's better.

(3.4) You could
  • Limit the points each week, raising it slowly, if people are collecting armies for the Campaign, or you want to represent the war escalating, this could also be applied to FOC limits
  • Have a particular list of scenarios for some weeks, because the choices are relevant to what has happened in previous weeks

(3.5) In one campaign I had 4 players playing a Necromunda Campaign in a Hive alongside the 40k campaign, with 2 players representing a Cult trying to overthrow the planetary government, counting this internal Hive struggle as one area.

(3.6) Although this system gives the players a huge amount of freedom for their games, there is no reason the GM/organizer shouldn’t throw particular scenarios in whenever they feel is appropriate to drive any story element that has been included.

(4.1) I have in some campaigns allowed each team to play a "Covert Ops" joker every now and then, where they get to nominate a special mission (eg Sabotage) and score double Territory Points if they win.

(5.1) You can associate a very small bonus with each Territory
eg
  • Imperial Highway - allows the controlling player to re-roll a single failed reserve roll for a non-DSing unit once per game.
  • Spaceport - allows the controlling player to re-roll a single failed reserve roll for a DSing unit once per game.
  • Tank Manafactorum - ignore the first immobilised result the controlling player suffers in the game
  • Space - One IC gains the Orbital Bombardment rule as per a SM Chapter Master

(6.1) I would recommend that the last week is a bit crazy. In the last week of the Campaign, all games are worth triple Territory Points (this usually means most players/teams have something to play for, consider an Apocalypse battle as a big finish, but don't score triple Territory Points as the multiplier will be high enough). If playing teams, and it's possible, an Apocalypse battle for each Territory is a great way to finish.
Last edited by Baragash on Thu May 21, 2009 5:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Campaigning in the 41st Millennium

Postby killmaimburn » Thu May 21, 2009 7:39 pm

Baragash wrote:[list][*] it doesn't require a map, although you may draw one just for flavour

(1) Set-up

Create a map, or a list of Territories to fight over. There is no hard and fast rule for the number,

Each player/team is considered to be present in each Territory of the map.
So which is it :D .
I appreciate the help, I've tried to draw up map campaigns and mine all seem to have some terrible flaw :oops: .
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Postby Baragash » Thu May 21, 2009 7:59 pm

*is confused*

If you choose not to draw a map, you just write out a list of Territories..... :)
(I think you're just pulling my leg here TBH) :? :wink: :P
My assumption/experience is that most people like there to be a map, even if it doesn't really affect the mechanics.

Physical location of Territories (relative to each other) isn't important, unless the GM chooses to make it so.
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Postby Angelwing » Thu May 21, 2009 10:00 pm

I like them. Very simple and hopefully ensures a close finish rather than runaway winners.
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Postby mattjgilbert » Fri May 22, 2009 8:46 am

I spotted the same thing as KMB but then re-read it and realised the list was the alternative... you might want to re-word it for us dim witted folks ;)

Interesting and simple. Now I've got this to try plus ruffians skirmish game!

If some people have bigger collections than others, are they not going to have an advantage by playing bigger games and scoring more points?
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Postby Baragash » Fri May 22, 2009 8:57 am

Yes, but that assumes that they can find a player that'll also play at that points level.

I think it's also covered by this mechanism:
"The negative score for losing is included to stop players/teams spamming games to add points, it ensures they also have to be successful."

So, you score more points if you win, but it costs you more points if you lose too.

(If games were worth the same, you could spam CP games, so I don't think there's a system that is 100% free from abuse, at least this way it represents a gamble).
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Postby estarriol » Fri May 22, 2009 10:32 am

The group I used to game with (sadly broekn up due to moving away, marriage and children etc getting in the way) had a great campaign in 40k.

Best of all was umpire, you told him who you wished to attack and where, and he laid out the scenario for the battle, was fun using none matched sides, although the 40kv3 rules didn't really like it without tweaking.

Ended with a climatic battle for the Loyalists to hold an Ancient Temple against all comers. We died to a man, but Alamo in the Future was still a fun battle.
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Re: Campaigning in the 41st Millennium

Postby Ben » Mon Sep 14, 2009 9:02 pm

Has anyone used this for a while and have feedback?

Just wondering if the AAR is giving some lessons learned.

Thanks in advance.
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Re: Campaigning in the 41st Millennium

Postby Baragash » Tue Sep 22, 2009 9:51 am

Ben wrote:Has anyone used this for a while and have feedback?

Just wondering if the AAR is giving some lessons learned.

Thanks in advance.


Guess not :(
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Re: Campaigning in the 41st Millennium

Postby Ben » Tue Sep 22, 2009 1:18 pm

I love the idea. I am personally one that likes the tiles in ME and would use those but this is a good way to not need the map and still have a good way of determining the winner.
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Re: Campaigning in the 41st Millennium

Postby killmaimburn » Tue Sep 22, 2009 1:43 pm

I just think its not been a great year for games..
(don’t feel too bad baragash, Ruffian is still waiting for feedback on his campaign system that he showed me 3 years back)
I'm about 85 into 5th now.. but that has meant doing stuff like pimping my butt around other stomping grounds\clubs and stuff. (and I haven't done any M+P in months yikes)
Mr6 has only managed to play 8-12 games this year.(other satellite members have put in about 4 games combined into the group)
Me and ljundhammer have carried on representing(at least one a week) ..but not enough to run a campaign between us on the top of everything else..

Whats it like for everyone else.. I was going to start a thread on it.. is spacks club still going, is he making most weeks and getting in games, is dragons tears meeting daily?..Has tim carried ongoing to the club he found, (skywalker recently said that it was just all his club didn’t post or read here) .. how much have folks either run out of time, or moved gaming systems in real life?
Basically who out there is actually playing at least once a fortnight? Holla out.
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Re: Campaigning in the 41st Millennium

Postby Baragash » Tue Sep 22, 2009 1:57 pm

Tell me about it.... you guys were witness to all the games I've played this year :( :wink:
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Re: Campaigning in the 41st Millennium

Postby Socaddict » Tue Sep 22, 2009 2:09 pm

Thats still more than me.

then again, I haven't actually played in about two years...
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Re: Campaigning in the 41st Millennium

Postby timewizard » Tue Sep 22, 2009 2:27 pm

Having not played for a long time, I recently got a good friend interested. We play once or twice a week.
I was able to get my hands on a copy of Space Hulk, so lately we have been playing 2 SH games on one night during the week, and a full game (albeit only 1250 points at this time) on the weekend.
Been having a great time doing it.
Tough managing time to squeeze in a little M&P but with winter approaching I'm almost looking forward to a bit of restful modeling and painting up all the stuff I've been collecting.
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Re: Campaigning in the 41st Millennium

Postby Ben » Tue Sep 22, 2009 2:45 pm

People in my town won't seem to touch a GW game. The existing community turned to Warmachine/Hordes so this is a PP town now. There is one game store (this is a college town) called the Crimson Castle. They have GW product (much of the 2nd edition stuff I bought) but the store owners actually hate GW. They will sell it to people but I have heard them tell customers that GW is too expensive and recommend getting the Ral Partha minis to play with if they want to play WH/40K. I did get some Praetorian HW teams for cheap though so I can't complain.

I have talked to students that played 40K but since there is not a 40K network (and 8 of the PP Press Gangers here) many just shift over to the Warmachine game and play. For those that don't know a Press Ganger is like the GW Outriders but they actually exist in the United States. I know I could really try to convince people to pick up 40K but to be honest I am not that worried about it. I still use my minis for other games so I am not really out anything.

I know that was a long and rambling story but in short I haven't played 40K since the move. I can get plenty of games in with my Legion or Cryx though.
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