Preparing for narrative: Battleplan WIP's
So soon I will be running a narrative path to glory campaign with 3 friends. Our general will be made using Anvil of Apotheosis and we will each get 4 starting picks/rolls from our tables.
The armies so far are looking to be:
-Soulblight (Myself)
-Lumineth
-Ogors
-Undecided (Choosing between FeC, Slaanesh & Soulblight)
I rolled for my starting choices so I end up with:
-20 Zombies
-5 Grave Guard
-1 Corpse Cart (Yep, rolled corpse cart instead of vargheists or blood knights... just my luck XD)
So in order to make it feel more like a narrative campaign and not just 'regular matched play but with a story' I'm trying to come up with battleplans where the goal isn't just murder-death-kill / sit on an objective. I feel if the battleplans themselves lend well to telling a story and giving goals that can be a bit more fun than just competitive it will help keep everyone more in that story and fun focused mindset. I'm definitely taking a lot of inspiration from things like mordheim and malifaux with some of these ideas.
Campaign wise I'm hoping to write the story in a way where players won't just be fighting for glory but trying to achieve goals to gain more political sway back home in order to get more supplies & reinforcements to better help them achieve their special end goal so to that end glory points will be renamed 'influence'. I've also opted to add in tiebreakers but may choose not to use them as a draw is probably fine for narratives.
Battleplan 1: Guard the caravan!
Synopsis: Supply caravans are an important resource in these parts and guarding one can get you a nice payment to help fund your campaign as well as show your bosses back home that you're competent enough to guard any supply caravans they may send you. You've managed to score a job guarding one such caravan passing through but you've caught wind of an enemy force doing similar, you'll likely have to fend off an ambush from them but if you're smart you can send one of your own to disrupt their caravan and supply lines.
Objective: Guard the caravan as it passes from its entry point to its exit point, keep it defended from bands of enemy raiders. One player takes the role of defender and the other attacker (roll off, whoever rolls higher decides which to take first) the defender must protect the caravan until it reaches its destination whilst the attacker must do all they can to destroy the caravan! Once the caravan has been destroyed or reached its destination the game ends, players then swap over the role of attacker and defender and play again. The victor is whoever can keep the caravan alive until it reaches the exit point, or if neither player manage this then it is whoever keeps their caravan alive for the most turns. If there is a draw then the players will battle it out in a tiebreaker.
Extra's: Caravan will be made up of 3 or so sections. Each one will have a set amount of wounds (probably 10-20?), allocate wounds to the back carriage first until it is destroyed then work your way toward the front one carriage at a time. The caravan will be able to pass over any models in front of it and will deal d3 mortal wounds to each unit it passes over in this way, if any models prevent it from completing its move they are moved to the side (1" away) as they are knocked out of the way from the trampling caravan. The caravan will have a cannon on it that can be fired in the defending players shooting phase with the profile of (20" range, 2 attacks, 4+ hit,3+ wound, -2 rend, d6 damage). The attacker has to destroy all 3 sections.
Battleplan 2: The sympathy vote
Synopsis: You need better reinforcements if you are to win your campaign but alas the higher ups back home are being stubborn and do not feel the strength of your foes is enough to warrant such extra assistance, as such your advisors have suggested a cunning plan. If some of your forces were to be decimated in a fight against one of your foes then it would show just how dangerous they were and you'd no doubt gain the influence and reinforcements you'd need. Though you must be careful as the enemy could be hatching a similar plan, you could risk bolstering their forces in the same way if you wipe out their army by proving too big a threat.
Objective: Both players must fight to lose! The objective is to have your army be defeated in battle but keep your general alive and unwounded (after all who else is going to tell of the crushing defeat?) but you must avoid defeating too much of your enemies force lest they also garner a sympathy vote from their superiors though a swift defeat of their general will scupper any plans of that! The victor is whoever has lost the most units at the end of battle round 4 and still has their general on the battlefield, if one player has lost their general then they will be the loser regardless of how many units they lost however if both players have lost their general then it will be a draw and both forces will be required to battle it out in a tiebreaker.
Battleplan 3: Framed for murder!
Synopsis: Your superiors back home are not the only sources of supplies for your army, the area around has many settlements of various races, some of which you can probably convince to support you if you provide them a common enemy. You have managed to convince them to send an emissary who you have then managed to convince/coerce/gangpress into fighting alongside you in the next battle, but you know that an emissary being killed by your foes would be enough of a catalyst to convince or threaten this settlement to send you aid by giving them that common enemy, though you must be wary of your foe trying to do the same with other settlements.
Objective: Each player secretly writes down a unit in their army, at the end of battleround 3 each player reveals which unit they wrote down, if that unit has been slain but the opponents secret unit has not they win the battle and gain that sweet sweet influence however if both or neither players have had their units slain then it is a draw and they must battle out in a tiebreaker.
Battleplan 4: Breakthrough!
Synopsis: Your army is tired from marching and you need to find somewhere safe to rest but disaster! An enemy is spotted blocking your path, you must do all you can to break through their lines and press on to safety, as soon as one unit breaks their blockade their lines will be in enough disarray for everyone to get through.
Objective: One player takes the role of attacker and one defender (roll to determine who picks), the attacker achieves victory if they manage to move one of their units wholly off the opposite table edge. The defender wins if they have prevented this by the end of the 3rd battle round.
Tiebreaker 1: The Arena of grudges!
Synopsis: Your foes have thwarted your attempts and you theirs, the only way to prove who is the victor is to battle out in the local arena of grudges, after all a victory here in front of the crowds could gain you the influence you otherwise were cheated out of!
Objective: Each player selects a hero to be their champion, these heroes will then battle in an arena and whoever survives is the victor, if somehow neither hero survives then the match is forfeit and noone is declared victor.
-
1
-
1
2 Comments
Recommended Comments