Future Campaign ideas

[ghostwheel11]

There's some crazy shit out there for map campaigns.

I like the idea of some of the ones that assign point values to the tiles like you would assign mods per territory in RISK based on where you wanted to go. We could start with 10k points total per person and as we moved across the board we'd have to take from that original 10k pool to occupy each tile as we moved out...essentially like RISK. Then if you were being invaded the game would be determined by the lowest point total tile and then the winner would take that tile with the points he has left and the loser would lose those points. Tiles have bonuses like in Plantary Empires that replenish points or allow attacking of distant tiles, or uncover bonuses to defense or attack on a particular tile for a round or two.

Just absolutely cool ideas out there and I want to implement them all!

[Servo]

Some of my favorite ideas which have been tossed around at meetings but were discarded:

1) As Eric listed above, 6K-10K point pool of models that you have to choose your army from, and casualties stay dead for rest of campaign.

2) Tiles determine the mission and/or deployment type of the battle (We could conceivably add Planetstrike and Cities of Death missions).

3) Tiles determine the type of terrain (e.g. jungle, ruins, plains)

[JohnnyDangerous]

I totally agree... To me making up the 10k list would just be fun... Also fluff wise it would be realistic as in the case of most books space marines for instance can take years or decades to follow up on an attack... I mean its space... long distances... you pretty much have what you brought... better make sure you brought some taco bell...

Of course on the opposite side of the spectrum you have tentacles of a hive fleet that just emerged from being dormant for eons traveling between galaxies exploding like a giant chitinous zit across planet after planet... Those reserves might not even exist...

I feel like playing all of the different games, including battle missions(left out above, but since they are so hard maybe should be saved for game winning battles) really gives maximum mileage for the models. You get to experience new tactical concepts and really see why certain units are priced for the points they are priced at. Cities of death is up close and personal mayhem, planet strike looks to be interesting, especially with bastions in place, but I have not played, and then the mission books, just tough!

All of them really made me appreciate the game more, plus rolling the same on the three basic missions really sucks...

Also I really like the idea of the map determining terrain... though maybe it would have to be simplified... because with available terrain at the bunker, there seems to be many buildings and ruins more suitable to a city than a plain with rolling hills. The do have a decent selection of rocks for mountainous terrain... so it may be interesting...

[JohnnyDangerous]

An addition to the above: nominating the number of points you have on any one territory with a point limit due to actual playable armies. So kinda exactly similar to risk. In the current iteration of the campaign it is taken as a given that each battle will be evenly matched points wise.... however I think in a real life situation this would not be the case.

I would suggest that at the beginning of the campaign a certain point value of troops would be distributed across a map... with as is present a certain number of tiles. Points could be held in reserve for use later in the game as the player sees fit. Charges/Attacks would be nominated by secret ballot and the first round would be played as by the current rule set.

Round two and each subsequent turn would go as follows:
1:players shift points from any territory to another adjacent territory as it fits them, not more than the cap of say 2000 points which most of us can field of any given army the choose to play.

2: The secret bid attack. Players Nominate where these forces will then be attacking/defenders prepare.

3: Players may add from there orbiting space ships/rocks/portals to the warp/ etc... to one tile of their choice.(if these troops are going to a battle they must come in from reserves and join the current troops upon landing) The total number of troops may not exceed the point cap established. Not including mutations caused by the "boon of mutation" power of chaos and chaos deamons... The extra 40 points gained would be added to that armies point total as it will be rare and may never happen in the first place...

4: Upon winning, the victor takes the new tile, but must also decide how many points he/she wishes to transfer to this newly acquired province. To win the tile it must be a victory, ties assume the holder is just out of troops and not support staff etc....

Air assaults at territories is still possible, however these may only come from reserve ship troops, and follow the reserve rules as noted above... It does seem like a possibility may exist to place units back into reserve for future game play, but that these points may not be used in the next round or two as they are traveling to space while their brethren duke it out on the ground below...

Only surviving troops count for the the points transferable to the next tile... This rule would stop plans of attrition for larger cheaper armies like orks and nids... though fluff wise the genetic material of the nids is reconstituted... Anyway this would put the focus back onto troops where it should be to take objectives as they are cheaper (sorry eric warriors are soooo expensive) in most cases than similar numbers of HQ, elites, fast, or support units...

I believe the rules set up for this first campaign will serve as a great backbone to this slightly more detailed version of a real planetary war.

Before objections: From experience I think that many times over a 1000-1250 army could beat a 1500 point army or at least tie it... same goes for 1500-1750 vs 2000 points... Obviously if its a 500 point tile being attacked by a 2000 point tile the defender may want to concede the territory and take the loss or call a retreat and consolidate points.... Maybe they were over extended and supply lines could not keep up to fortify the front lines...

I think it would make for fun game play as well as strategic planning. Obviously, deaths would be deaths and points would run low... the end games might be quicker because of limited points remaining and so on... because at the end of playing so many games you would want them to be quick anyway...

So besides the risk like style of game play, I suggest that each tile has a victory point value. Probably arranged so that a 5 value space is surrounded by 2-3 value spaces surrounded by 1 value spaces. While more one value spaces would exist than 2-3 value spaces and obviously more 2-3 value spaces would exist than 5 point spaces. This would help direct the concentration of army points and bring it in line with the concentration of victory points...

The number of 5 point tiles would be equal to the "number of players"/2 rounded up, so that there will be fierce competition over these tiles... However the total number of 1 value tiles would be of such abundance that getting just those would make you a winner, over only going for just the big ones forcing players to consider their options carefully.

Also since it would be possible to get these smaller valued tiles and win the possibility of someone getting only a few big scoring tiles and winning sets a time crunch on the whole operation... Each player, like in fight club, will determine their own level of involvement... which possibly would mean fewer games, crazy battles, and real room for strategic maneuvering...

what do you guys think?

I was really inspired by all of the posts on the basic rules to see what the next level would be...

If it were up to me, I would say also implement the defender gets 1 + N(n=equals the number of attackers) strategies from cities of death, to help out the point differences which will occur. I think it is reasonable to say that any general would feel safe leaving behind a well fortified bastion or base with less troops while his main force moves ahead if they had the proper fortification... Especially knowing that there is a possibility armies could literally fall from the sky.

[Sil Odan]

Lots of ideas here...there's one idea I kind of sort of mentioned once before that I want to throw out there. I keep getting this urge to make some new terrain that includes functional lighting, and would employ night fighting rules. The entire board would have lampposts spaced throughout and maybe a rotating spotlight or two that would turn 45 degrees per turn. I picture playing this in a darkened room to add to the atmosphere (flashlights will be available to read rules, codices and dice rolls).

These missions would be stealth-based (c'mon, give me an excuse to buy a Kommando squad!), so the lighting plays a key role. They would be conducted as a sneak attack rather than planned battles (one opponent would be the aggressor, determined in advance) and would have a specific objective such as search and rescue, destroy X (X being a power plant, ammunition depot, etc), assassinate, and so on. They can be timed (i.e., complete the objective within 4 turns, otherwise reinforcements arrive and it's too late). I picture this being used for smaller games (500-750 points) rather than larger games.

This isn't meant to be a campaign itself, though it could be used for side missions during a campaign. One idea Aaron and I put together was in the event a unique character died in the course of the campaign; rather than "dying" the character was captured as a high value target. The player who lost his character, as a side mission, could choose to undertake a "search and rescue" mission to try and rescue his character. Failure comes at a high price, though. Not only would he lose his character (killed while trying to escape), but any models lost in the attempt would also be removed from the overall campaign army list. The opponent, meanwhile, would gain some type of bonus or advantage within the campaign to make agreeing to this mission worth his while as well.

Of course, if we do this just for fun, the aggressor can draw for his mission so his opponent has no clue what the actual objective is until the end of the game. I just though it might be fun to do something different.

[JohnnyDangerous]

THIS IS A GREAT IDEA FOR A GAMING GROUP TABLE AT GAMESDAY!!!I think gameing groups if officially registered get discounts to go and such as well... since you are setting up part of the entertainment.... I know I had a great time at the last gamesday I went to.... and Servo won all that cities of death terrain too!!!

Since it would be a lights on event... what do you think about colored bulbs to show where the spotlights are at?

People who walk up could get a certain number of soldiers... maybe 10 boys and a nob... and try to rescue the captive.... Bill(a san jose friend who just moved to indiana who has 7000 points of gurd and 7000 points of tau)and his gaming group from LA, the league of misfit bowlers, has a similar set up and won first place.... Of course their center piece was a tau manta(http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer-40000/TAU-MANTA.html) and they didn't have the interesting light moving feature... But still people had a lot of fun... and thats what is important...

Good Idea... Really out of the box thinking!!!

[Sil Odan]

Thanks! I keep getting ideas for different scenarios and terrain features to mix it up; I have to admit back when we were just playing the standard annihilation game, it started to get a little boring. Now I want to come up with new scenarios. Variety is the spice of life, after all. Which is why I think I'm going to start a harem.

[JohnnyDangerous]

Once your harem is up and running... maybe they can be the terrain, like one of those high end hollywood sushi places where the food is served on the women.... We will just need some signs that say "4 Wazzdakka Only!! " to cover their naughty bits... Knowing you, there will already be holes from piercings to mount them to... Now we will just need a stairway built up to your table since its so high... but thats easy...

[Sil Odan]

That sounds like a great idea! I've always wanted to play a game using mountain terrain. God, I love mountains. ( . Y . )

I wonder what kind of cover save you get for hiding in the bush?

[JohnnyDangerous]

Probably a 4+... but I imagine you would be the only one allowed to get minis into what for everyone else would be difficult terrain... difficult because if we are not careful we might get a reminder to watch our minis from Wazzdakka himself!

[JohnnyDangerous]

Even though that Megalith turned out to be a toy... thank goodness, It would really make a good piece of terrain for a game... maybe a standing force and then whatever is deployed that turn joins the necron force... I guess its why it was so easy to make a prank out of... But how did GW miss that lawsuit?

[Servo]

I think painted up it looks like a perfect Necron building.

No crazy rules required, just treat it like any other enclosed building, but on a Tomb world.