Ever hear people interpretations of the 40k game? Where it's a small section of a large engagement? I would suggest using that idea as a basis of your nitroductory campaign. Every army has the specific elements it uses in the form of the FOC; which each having it's own purpose on the battle field, why not break each one up into it's own scenario?

You could have a Flank mission, where Fast Attack was utilized to sweep a troop position and capture an objective behind enemy lines. You could have a Demolishon Mission, where Heavy Support the goal is to destroy a particular objective, building or vehicle. You could have a Assassination mission; where Elites are used in order to kill a specific HQ.

All these battles could equal one large encounter, and the outcome of each battle determines the specific results of the entire engagement. A very non linear but workable concept.

Or were you looking for something more linear?

 

I think that's a very fine idea indeed Revelations. I have oft told people that a whole game of 40k is only supposed to represent one turn of Epic, because there's loads 'off the table' that you don't see, and the scale is supposed to show a critical moment in a bigger (wider, longer) battle.

I also like the idea of using different force elements for specific objectives. I refer the honourable gentleman to a similar idea I put forward 18 months or so ago, back in 4th Ed when I was trying out various Combat Patrol combos here...

So no, it doesn't have to be linear. I was thinking linear, because I was taking the Macragge booklet as a model, but even that has a certain amount of 'simultaneous action'.

:happy to be in several places at once cyclops:

 

I suppose the question is how do you want them based? I know little about the fluff behind the set, so unless you can point me to some online aid, I'm stuck. However, I can see what the set consists of and throw something together based on that alone. Unless of course you have anything specific in mind?

 

Well, at least three thoughts on this:
1 - my 11-year-old (whose Space Marine army it is really, even though I think it's mine) has recommended that I read the "Assault on Black Reach" story for precisely the reason that I can glean some background. On the other hand, he's not tidied his bedroom for a week and hasn't managed to find the book yet.
2 - some (a lot?) of the people buying the set aren't going to be doing a Black Reach campaign anyway - they're not playing Ultras, they're using their own Ork fluff, they're setting the game at a different time or whatever, so maybe it's better to do a generic "your Chapter, your Warboss" kinda thing, rather than a "Captain X and the Orks of Y" thing.
3 - I can't remember what 3 was, I just know there was one.

The set contains:
1 Space Marine Captain
10-man Space Marine tactical squad
5 Terminators
A Dreadnaught

v

1 Ork Warboss
5 Nobs
20-strong Ork mob
3 Deffkoptas

I would prefer the results of different engagements to count in some way, but I don't see straight mini-points matches working. So special misions or victory conditions seem the way to go.

Anything goes I figure. Any scenarios we can come up with using those forces to showcase aspects of the rules would be useful, even if they're not terribly 'fair', pointwise of just death-wise. The orks are about 135pts behind in those lists, for instance. Doesn't matter, if it's still fun. Maybe we could even things up with victory conditions in a big battle.

It might be fun to put up a Dread against 3 deffkoptas, just to demonstrate how jetbikes and walkers work. Maybe then the dread would get points depending on how many turns it lasted, or something like that. Or starting in the centre of the table and having to make it to an edge before before being destroyed, or something.

Also I'm figuring, small tables. 4'x4', maybe even smaller. The idea is we're doing this primarily for people just starting, so they may not have a 6'x4' fully-prepared Cities of Death board... they're probably playing on the kitchen table.

These are my thoughts about what and how. A bit disorganised I'll grant you, but getting there. Any thoughts you have (or anyone else!), please post here...

:cogitating cyclops:

 

How about this.

Scenario 1: Meeting Engagements- 10 Tacticals (in two combat squads) vs. 20 Boyz(in 2 mobz of 10)

Scenario 2: Holed up at HQ- 10 Tacticals in one squad with a captain vs 20 boyz in 2 mobs. A unit of 5 Nobz. Tacticals are hanging out in a building for x turns.(random game length maybe?) This one teaches the value of a hard unit as well as hordes, multiple wounds, and ICs

Scenario 3: Da Head of Da Horde: 10 tacticals in 2 combat squads,captain 5 terminators vs. 20 boyz in 2 mobz 5 nobz warboss. Both sides are gunning for the others HQ.

Scenario 4: Iron Fury: The entire contents of black reach in an annilation mission.

Scenario 5: mobilize: The contents of Black reach: And the orks get a trukk and the marines get a rhino. Teaches dedicated transports.

Scenario 6: The Assault on Ghospora Hive: In addition to what the players already have(black reach and the dedicated transports) They each have a battleforce.

Congradulations you now have a decently sized army.

Edit and add story as seen fit.

 

Isn't it annoying when posts just disappear?

I just posted thanking you for this, now it's gone. So, thanks for the input, some at least of those ideas are making it to the shortlist (scenarios 1-4, basically). If we ever do "Beyond the Reach of Man or Ork" (not even done part one, already got the title of the sequel) I'll add scenarios 5 & 6, but at the moment, I'm aiming for just using the contents of the Black Reach box - anything else, like objective markers, has to be easily made rather than bought. But, really, thatnks anyway for joining in!

Any more from anyone? Please?

:grateful but also worried cyclops:

 

One thing that we could do is really go to town, like the guys over at BOLS, and make our own version of the black reach book,scenarios, how to paint guides, examples of armies, where to go next. And have a truly awesome publication.

 

Ah sh*t, didn't realise BoLS already have one!

Yeah, I've been thinking about how to make it a bit more than 6 linked scenarios, by develping the idea that you put forward before about expanding forces, and also a little terrain/objective modelling article for beginners... guess I'll have to have a look at BoLS now to see what they've done, which is a bit of a $%^*ing shame.

Thanks for the info, please don't think my grumpiness is any way shooting the messenger!

eed off cyclops:

 

OK, my 2 cents is to modify cco's idea to be a little non-linier, and also adding the idea of the coptas vs the dread.

scenario 1, the frontlines: The tac squad and the 20 mob are fighting over a single objective in a take and hold style.

Scenario2, armored spearhead, simultanious: You play the Defcopas against the Dread, but the Dread is defending an objective that must be destroyed by the Defcoptas, random length, and if the obj is destroyed the coptas win, if not the dread wins.

Scenarios 3-4, assasinate, also simultanious: The comander of each army vs the eliets, the comander need only get away to win. If he dies the other side wins. The player who has only their comander may positon the terain to his liking (within reason, no boxing in the enemy with impasable terain)

Scenario 5, finisher: Both side gets their troops, and eliets. They also get their comander and vihicles if they survived their missions. If the marines comander died in his mission, he is the objective in a take and hold mission and must be held at the end of 6 turns, representing a rescue mission, if the space marines won scenario two, than that objective is also on the board. If the orks comander died, they dont care and just keep fighting. If the space marine comander is not defeated, than witchever side won more missions must bunker assault the other side. If it was a draw, than whoever won mission one may choose wether to be defender or attacker. If the attacker wins, the defender is uterly defeated and the campaign ends in the attackers favor. If the defender wins...

Scenario 6, counter-push: This is played on the same board as mission 5, representing that its events are imediately folowing mission 5. If the defender won in mission 5, than they have countered the enemys final assault and broken their offensive, turning the battle in their favor and going on the attack. The attacker from mission 5 gets only their troops and comander. If their comander was dead, he arrives via reserves rules, representing his heroic retrun, or the next strongest ork finaly establishing his domonence in time to join the battle. The defender from mission 5 gets everything that survived mission 5 (even if their troops didnt survive they still get them, ). Even if the space marine comander died, and the space marines are the 5, his rescue is postponed untill the batle is finished so that the good fortunes of the moment do not go to waste. Whoever wins scenario 6 wins the campaign.

 

No Red, BOLS doesnt have one yet, we can beat em to the punch, I still say that a cyber-book would be good.

 

Thanks very much guys for the suggestions, I'm still working on this, don't worry I haven't forgotten.

The idea is currently to make some kind of "Black Reach e-book", with some (probably 6) scenarios, some shots of AoBR sets painted in various ways and some info on how to do it, a simple guide to making objectives and terrain, and suggestions on how to expand the armies.

I'm happy to say that we can combine what we already have to make up our scenario list. I'll also put up threads in Hobby about painting the armies and modelling objectives and terrain. We will need suggestions about expanding the forces - anyone want to look into that?

Anyone else got more ideas?

:cyclops of Black Reach:

 

Hooray! Great job guys.

 

OK, I've added new threads to the Hobby section about painting Black Reach forces here and making objectives here. Would anyone like to tackle the subject of building from the AoBR forces into a viable army?

:hopeful cyclops:

 

Sorry, I dont have them and I'm a horible painter.

 

I can show off my converted warboss, only thing I painted, as well as some of the space marines. Will see what I can do.

 

Sure, put them up in the painting thread if you would. Don't know if you've checked it out yet... more examples of orks would be good!

:wondering where are his green-skinned brethren cyclops:

 

Lets see if any of these ideas might work for senarios.

1. Pirate raid- The orks low on supplies are ttacking the space marine supply depot or transport vehicle the SM's have to protect it.

2. Kidnap- The orks want a hostage to hold for randsom. The orks must capture and beat the sm captain in CC and get him back to their side of the board. If the captain is shot and killed the orks lose since he is suppose to be taken alive.

3. Value the ancients- A dreadnought has been damaged and needs to be recovered since this valuable piece can not be lost to the orks to loot. A Sm recovery team has been sent to secure and protect the dreadnought from the incoming orks. The dread has to roll to see how far it can walk each turn.

We'z da best- The deathskullz warboss has spotted the ultra's strutting around in their blue power armor and everyone knows only best wear blue. THe warboss and his boyz are going to show the ultra's who the best warriors are that wear blue.


That's all I got for now but I'll think of some more. Maybe I'll even get around to messing with box of black stuff since it is just sitting there largely untouched.

 

Thanks for those Morfang, certain ideas from there will definitely be used in the eventual scenarios, and other bits will be in part 2, which I'm also working on...

In other news, I've put up another thread, this time about scratch-building Black Reach terrain, which is at this location.

:cyclops of Black Reach: