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I developed these rules for a 3v3 campaign that I am about to run. Advice welcome!
Campaign outline
This is a short two-turn campaign where attrition in the opening battles will carry over to the follow-on fights. The attackers represent a fragment of a black crusade that has landed to wrest supplies and ammunition from an Imperial garrison. The defenders represent that garrison, reinforced by space marines drawn to the location by the timely foretellings of their librarians. Battle will be joined first in three outer zones (Cyan, Magenta, Key), with then follow-on battles in two central zones containing the supply dumps (Zero, One). The zones have a points value paid out to the victor. These values are asymmetrical: the attackers get very little for winning in the outer zones, and a lot for winning in the inner zones. The defenders, the converse.
There are two turns and one setup phase for the campaign, with a possible third turn depending on outcomes.
Setup Phase
Each player creates a written 1500pt legal list from their Codex. The setup phase is complete when all players have emailed their lists to me. (NB: At several points during the campaign players will email me orders or records. In all cases those should be in a file attached to the email (i.e. not in the body of the email) so that I won't see them in the preview pane of my email client). Army lists won't be read until the end of Turn 2.
Turn 1 - Deployment
Players email me their troop dispositions, deploying one player's whole force in each of the three outer zones. Cyan, Magenta, and Key. Look at Turn 2 before doing this, because survivors of Turn 1 will be restricted as to where they can fight in Turn 2. Turn 1 deployment will result in three 1v1 battles.
Turn 1 - Battles
Battles are fought as expediently as possible. We will follow an amended system of terrain placement that represents the commanders manoeuvering for advantageous ground, as follows.
Turn 1 - Outcome
We will use the rules on page 263 of the rulebook: victors will win upgrades for two of their units, defeated or drawing forces will win upgrades for only one of their units. At the end of the battle players must write down both sides' remaining forces and the outcome (i.e. a draw, or the side that was victorious), and email that to me. These emails should contain the same information. Note that the points are distributed so that the attackers must draw or win in at least one outer zone, or they will have lost and Turn 2 will not be played.
Turn 2 - Regroup
Forces must regroup so as to be legal to the fullest extent possible by making the fewest changes possible. For example, if I have an 8-man tactical squad and a 4-man tactical squad surviving, I must now field them as a 7-man squad and a 5-man squad. On the other hand, if I have an 8-man sternguard squad and a 4-man tactical squad surviving, I leave them as is because no union could be more legal than their present arrangement and I must make the fewest changes possible. Players email me their regrouping changes.
Turn 2 - Advances
Players email me the squad(s) they wish to upgrade. Surviving forces can only, and must, advance to central zones connected to the outer zone they were deployed in, as follows.
Turn 2 - Battles
Again, battles are fought as expediently as possible. Terrain is set up as it was in Turn 1, but with the following mandated terrain.
Zero, each player must place at least two ruins, craters, or barricadess (two of their pmacements must be a ruin, crater, or barricades).
One, each player must place at least one intact building, if one is available, otherwise they must place a ruin, crater, or barricades. Players cannot place hills or forest.
Multiple FOCs may be on the field. To keep things simple, special powers will apply only to units in the same FOC. IG orders for instance will not apply to Space Marines or Dark Angels. The most costly HQ unit, or Elite if no HQ survive, will be the overall commander on each side and make all decisions called for in setting up the fight.
Turn 2 - Outcome
Once all battles have been fought and the results emailed to me, I will distribute the army lists and check them, and total up victory points. Points are summed from both turns, i.e. all zones. Any minor irregularities in a player's list will add 2pts to their opponents' score. Any major irregularity will add 5pts. A minor irregularity includes any change between force listed and force fielded, where points remained identical, or any over spending up to 2% (i.e. 30pts), or any error in regrouping. A major irregularity is anything greater than that, such as over spending exceeding 2% or fielding models in turn 2 that did not survive turn 1. If points are drawn one climatic final battle will be fought.
Turn 3 - Regroup
This turn is only played in the case of a draw on points after turns 1 and 2. As in Turn 2, forces must regroup.
Turn 3 - Final Battle
All players bring their surviving forces to a single 3v3 Annihilation/Spearhead battle. Overall commander on each side will be determined as in Turn 2.
Turn 4 - Outcome
The campaign is won or drawn on the basis of this final battle, if it is fought. The losers will bow their heads to the victors, acknowledging their tactical supremacy and indeed, their greater intelligence, good taste, and attractiveness.
Points Scored
C, M, and K are each worth 1 to attacker, if they win, and 3 to defender, if they win.
Z and O are each worth 4 to attacker, if they win, and 1 to defender, if they win.
Campaign outline
This is a short two-turn campaign where attrition in the opening battles will carry over to the follow-on fights. The attackers represent a fragment of a black crusade that has landed to wrest supplies and ammunition from an Imperial garrison. The defenders represent that garrison, reinforced by space marines drawn to the location by the timely foretellings of their librarians. Battle will be joined first in three outer zones (Cyan, Magenta, Key), with then follow-on battles in two central zones containing the supply dumps (Zero, One). The zones have a points value paid out to the victor. These values are asymmetrical: the attackers get very little for winning in the outer zones, and a lot for winning in the inner zones. The defenders, the converse.
There are two turns and one setup phase for the campaign, with a possible third turn depending on outcomes.
Setup Phase
Each player creates a written 1500pt legal list from their Codex. The setup phase is complete when all players have emailed their lists to me. (NB: At several points during the campaign players will email me orders or records. In all cases those should be in a file attached to the email (i.e. not in the body of the email) so that I won't see them in the preview pane of my email client). Army lists won't be read until the end of Turn 2.
Turn 1 - Deployment
Players email me their troop dispositions, deploying one player's whole force in each of the three outer zones. Cyan, Magenta, and Key. Look at Turn 2 before doing this, because survivors of Turn 1 will be restricted as to where they can fight in Turn 2. Turn 1 deployment will result in three 1v1 battles.
Turn 1 - Battles
Battles are fought as expediently as possible. We will follow an amended system of terrain placement that represents the commanders manoeuvering for advantageous ground, as follows.
i) Prior to rolling for mission and deployment type, players roll off to place terrain. High roll chooses to place first or second.
ii) Players then take turns to place single pieces of terrain until there are six pieces of terrain on the table, i.e. they will place three pieces each. Pieces of terrain are drawn from our collections, and a 'piece' means a section or sections that together fit cleanly inside a 1'x1' square or 2'x1/2' rectangle. The square or rectangle is a strict limit; it can be imagined at any angle to the table edges, but it cannot be curved or stretched in any way. No part of the terrain piece may extend outside the limit.
iii) When small terrain pieces like barricades are chosen for placement, you may choose enough of them to reasonably fill the space. For example, four barricades can be lined up inside the long rectangle, or placed in two rows filling the sqare.
iv) Two placements can be expended at once to place one very large piece of terrain such as Richard's tower or two of the Workshop modular hill sets connected as a single large hill. A player wishing to do that declares and places the large piece on either their first or second placement, and then forgoes their next placement. So they will make only two placements, but one will be their large terrain piece. When setting up such a large piece, they are not bound by the space limits, but the piece must be entirely connected up so as to make a single element.
v) Some pieces of bought terrain might slightly overlap the allowed space. If this is a piece that came in a single box and forms one solid object then it is allowed to be placed. Don't confuse this with the large pieces above. As a guideline, 'slightly overlapping' means not overlapping by more than 4" over any edge nor over more than two edges.
iv) Some zones have mandated terrain, as follows.
In this way, the table will have six terrain pieces set up on it by the players. They then roll for mission and deployment type, first/second player, and sieze the initiative, as normal.ii) Players then take turns to place single pieces of terrain until there are six pieces of terrain on the table, i.e. they will place three pieces each. Pieces of terrain are drawn from our collections, and a 'piece' means a section or sections that together fit cleanly inside a 1'x1' square or 2'x1/2' rectangle. The square or rectangle is a strict limit; it can be imagined at any angle to the table edges, but it cannot be curved or stretched in any way. No part of the terrain piece may extend outside the limit.
iii) When small terrain pieces like barricades are chosen for placement, you may choose enough of them to reasonably fill the space. For example, four barricades can be lined up inside the long rectangle, or placed in two rows filling the sqare.
iv) Two placements can be expended at once to place one very large piece of terrain such as Richard's tower or two of the Workshop modular hill sets connected as a single large hill. A player wishing to do that declares and places the large piece on either their first or second placement, and then forgoes their next placement. So they will make only two placements, but one will be their large terrain piece. When setting up such a large piece, they are not bound by the space limits, but the piece must be entirely connected up so as to make a single element.
v) Some pieces of bought terrain might slightly overlap the allowed space. If this is a piece that came in a single box and forms one solid object then it is allowed to be placed. Don't confuse this with the large pieces above. As a guideline, 'slightly overlapping' means not overlapping by more than 4" over any edge nor over more than two edges.
iv) Some zones have mandated terrain, as follows.
Cyan, each player must place at least one hill or forest (one of their placements must be a hill or forest), and cannot place buildings.
Magenta, each player must place at least one hill (one of their placements must be a hill).
Key, players cannot place hills or buildings.
Magenta, each player must place at least one hill (one of their placements must be a hill).
Key, players cannot place hills or buildings.
Turn 1 - Outcome
We will use the rules on page 263 of the rulebook: victors will win upgrades for two of their units, defeated or drawing forces will win upgrades for only one of their units. At the end of the battle players must write down both sides' remaining forces and the outcome (i.e. a draw, or the side that was victorious), and email that to me. These emails should contain the same information. Note that the points are distributed so that the attackers must draw or win in at least one outer zone, or they will have lost and Turn 2 will not be played.
Turn 2 - Regroup
Forces must regroup so as to be legal to the fullest extent possible by making the fewest changes possible. For example, if I have an 8-man tactical squad and a 4-man tactical squad surviving, I must now field them as a 7-man squad and a 5-man squad. On the other hand, if I have an 8-man sternguard squad and a 4-man tactical squad surviving, I leave them as is because no union could be more legal than their present arrangement and I must make the fewest changes possible. Players email me their regrouping changes.
Turn 2 - Advances
Players email me the squad(s) they wish to upgrade. Surviving forces can only, and must, advance to central zones connected to the outer zone they were deployed in, as follows.
i) Cyan connects to Zero.
ii) Magenta connects to One.
iii) Key connects to both Zero and One. A player's forces in Key must advance into either Zero, or One: they cannot be divided. You email me the zone that they will advance to.
I want to emphasise that there will be no reinforcements: only survivors will make it to the central zones, and they will reach only those zones that their initial Turn 1 deployment zones connect to. That places a special tactical value on Key. Turn 2 advances will result in either one 2v2 and one 1v1 battle, or two 2v1 battles.ii) Magenta connects to One.
iii) Key connects to both Zero and One. A player's forces in Key must advance into either Zero, or One: they cannot be divided. You email me the zone that they will advance to.
Turn 2 - Battles
Again, battles are fought as expediently as possible. Terrain is set up as it was in Turn 1, but with the following mandated terrain.
Zero, each player must place at least two ruins, craters, or barricadess (two of their pmacements must be a ruin, crater, or barricades).
One, each player must place at least one intact building, if one is available, otherwise they must place a ruin, crater, or barricades. Players cannot place hills or forest.
Multiple FOCs may be on the field. To keep things simple, special powers will apply only to units in the same FOC. IG orders for instance will not apply to Space Marines or Dark Angels. The most costly HQ unit, or Elite if no HQ survive, will be the overall commander on each side and make all decisions called for in setting up the fight.
Turn 2 - Outcome
Once all battles have been fought and the results emailed to me, I will distribute the army lists and check them, and total up victory points. Points are summed from both turns, i.e. all zones. Any minor irregularities in a player's list will add 2pts to their opponents' score. Any major irregularity will add 5pts. A minor irregularity includes any change between force listed and force fielded, where points remained identical, or any over spending up to 2% (i.e. 30pts), or any error in regrouping. A major irregularity is anything greater than that, such as over spending exceeding 2% or fielding models in turn 2 that did not survive turn 1. If points are drawn one climatic final battle will be fought.
Turn 3 - Regroup
This turn is only played in the case of a draw on points after turns 1 and 2. As in Turn 2, forces must regroup.
Turn 3 - Final Battle
All players bring their surviving forces to a single 3v3 Annihilation/Spearhead battle. Overall commander on each side will be determined as in Turn 2.
Turn 4 - Outcome
The campaign is won or drawn on the basis of this final battle, if it is fought. The losers will bow their heads to the victors, acknowledging their tactical supremacy and indeed, their greater intelligence, good taste, and attractiveness.
Points Scored
C, M, and K are each worth 1 to attacker, if they win, and 3 to defender, if they win.
Z and O are each worth 4 to attacker, if they win, and 1 to defender, if they win.
There are still some questions to resolve. Between fights, what should happen to vehicles? My first thought was to allow three repair rolls if the force includes the possibility to repair, and then allow only mobile vehicles to be fielded in the follow-ons. Any unrepaired destroyed weapons remain destroyed.
