Rules

The players will be divided into two groups of equal size (or close enough) - the Pact and the Coalition

Each group will have one leader

• The leaders will play the part of the masterminds

• The leaders have control over who plays which important battles (story and warzone) as well as some other minor effects down the road

Players will be expected to do the following

• All Players

  • Help their leader choose the best players for each mission

  • Communicate with their opponents to set up dates for the battles

  • Fill in the Sheets form after battle (the winner of the game)

  • Be a good sport and help create a fun atmosphere

• Leaders

  • Communicate with their teams and assign players to each warzone

The whole campaign is divided into 5 rounds and the Finale (which will likely have two stages)

Each round is 3 weeks long

• 1 week is the planning phase and 2 weeks the battle phase

There are three main types of battle - Story, Warzone, and Skirmish

• Story battles are played during the battle phase. They have a more direct effect on the narrative and it is the duty of the leaders to choose which players will play each story battle.

• Warzone battles are also played during the battle phase. Each player not playing a story battle will be assigned to one warzone and if an opponent is assigned to that same warzone, they play a battle which will heavily influence who will control it.

• Skirmish battles can be played in both the planning and battle phases and there is no limit to how many a player can play per phase. These battles help decide who has control over the individual planets or systems which grants the side advantages in the story battles. They are not as influential as warzone battles (50%).

At the beginning of the planning phase, the story battles for the current round are revealed

Players will learn:

• All the information about the Story battle (size, army restrictions, special rules and a suggested date)

• One special rule for each embattled warzone

The leader of each faction then chooses players from their team and assigns them to the story battles so that each story battle has one player assigned (or more if multiplayer).

Any non-assigned players will be assigned to one embattled warzone. Embattled warzones are any that border with enemy held warzones.

At the end of the planning phase, the assigned players are revealed and they should meet and play a game during the next two weeks. If they agree, they can change the date. If that is not the case and only one side shows up during the assigned date, they automatically win the battle.

There will be clues to help players get an idea where the next round’s story battles will be fought so that they know where to focus their attention.

Story Battles

• Pre-determined missions are played by players chosen by the leaders 

• Have a larger impact on the story and future Story Battles

• Are influenced by who controls the area where they are fought (determined at the beginning of the round)

• The winning faction automatically secures the warzone at the maximum value for the rest of the round.

• Faction leaders and battles

  • Faction leaders have the option to feature the protagonists of the story in a battle. If they do so, follow these rules:

    1. The characters do not count towards the points limit. They are extra and also do not feature in the force composition and do not disable any army rules. Each leader gets the character rules that explain other details.

    2. If the leader’s opponent wins, he gains an extra prestige point (see below).

    3. If the character is destroyed, they are seriously wounded and have to take a break from the campaign. 

       • The player can’t feature the character in the next round (or finale)

       • The leader can’t assign players to mission next round, and when communicating can only do so one word at a time. The players must assign themselves.

Warzone Battles and warzones

• A warzone is a segment of the map, it can be a single planet or a whole system

• Each warzone has a value that determines who controls it

  • If the value is -1, 0 or 1 the warzone is neutral

  • If the value is a positive number larger than 1, it is controlled by the Coalition

  • If the value is a negative number lower than -1, it is controlled by the Pact

• Unless both players agree to choose a different format, a Warzone battle is a 2000 battle.

• The winner shifts the control of the warzone by 10 points

  • If they agreed on a different size, reduce the reward accordingly (Warzone battle is worth twice a base Skirmish battle reward)

  • If only one player is assigned to a warzone they fortify it and automatically shift the control by 10.

• Shifting the control means adding the number if the winner is Coalition or subtracting if it is Pact

• Even if a warzone should change control after this shift, the effect does not take place until the end of the round and so other, later skirmish games can shift it the other way again

Skirmish Battles

• Two players from the opposing sides can arrange to play an extra battle for control of the warzones

• This is a standard battle following the most recent rules and updates

• The players decide what format they want to play

• Before the battle begins, they can agree for which warzone they will play. If they do not, each secretely notes down what warzone they want to support and reveal it at the same time.

• Each player can choose a warzone following these rules

  • If it is an enemy warzone, it must be connected to an allied warzone

  • If it is a friendly warzone, it can be one area removed from the nearest enemy warzone

  • If they are playing a Kill Team game, the restricitons do not apply and it can be any warzone on the map

• When the battle is finished the winner shifts the control of the warzone by a number of points determined liked this:

  • 5 if for a battle of 1500 points or more

  • 4 for a battle of 1000-1499 points

  • 3 for a combat patrol or Boarding action

  • 3 for a Kill Team game

At the end of each round, it is determined who controls each warzone and any value over 10 or under -10 is reset to 10 or -10 respectively

Besides driving the narrative, there are some prizes to help motivate the players

• Prestige points

  • Over the course of the campaign, players will accumulate prestige points and the ones with the most points for each side, will receive a champion’s cup

  • Players gain prestige points for doing well in the campaign, helping their faction, adding creaive value and also being a good sport. More specifically:

    • 1 point for winning a warzone or story battle

    • 1 point for each 2 skirmish battles played (not just won)

    • 2 points for the first time they play a story battle

    • 1 point for being one of the up to three players selected by the campaign master each round for adding creative aspects to the campaign (writing narrative stories and such)

    • 1 point for getting a thumbs up by another player 

      • After each round a player may give a "thumbs up" to another campaign player with a short description of what it is for. This should typically be for making you enjoy the campaign more. E.g.

        • Displaying a great sportsmanship during the battle

        • Being fun on discord, etc.

    • Some special rules might grant other options to gain prestige (special achievements in Story battles)

  • Goes to the leader of the winning faction

Actions

• Many Story Battles will ask you to perform actions

• To start performing an action, a unit must fulfill the following requirements:

  • Must not be battle-shocked

  • Must have an OC higher than zero

  • Must not be in engagement range

• An action fails if the unit does any of the following:

  • Shoot, or fight in melee

  • Use an active ability on its index card (these are usually other forms of attack, not the core abilities like Feel No Pain)

  • Fail a battle-shock test

• When an action is started and when it ends is covered by specific Story Battle rules

Rules used

• Basic Crusade Rules (with changes to RP - see below)

• Battle Traits from Tyrannic War

Army composition

• Epic Heroes

  • If at all possible, please do not play with Epic Heroes.

  • Each Epic Hero may only fight on one side - Pact or Coalition (if possible - will be determined by players and their division into teams)

  • Each Epic Hero may only fight one warzone / story battle each round

• Legendary units

  • Players may use legendary units after consulting the campaign master (those will almost always be allowed)

•  Starting size

  • Each Order of Battle Starts at 2000 points and with 5 RP

Experience points

• Players do not choose Agendas

• Players only get experience for Story and Warzone battles. The exception is when a player has no opponent in a Warzone battle, in this case the first Skirmish battle they play that round also generates xp. 

Advancements and Out of Action Rolls

• Players roll both after the battle

• If both players agree (for story reasons), an advancement may be chosen, otherwise it must be rolled

  • When rolling an advancement a player may re-roll the dice once for free, but the second result is then binding. 

Requisition

• Players can only gain 1 RP per round.

• Substitute the official list with these options.

  • Fresh Recruits - 1-4 - Add additional models to a unit in your Order of Battle. Change its points cost. Cost is 1 RP +1 for every 2 battle honors the unit has. (not this is unchanged from Core Rules)

  • Increase Supply Limit - 1 - Supply limit of your force is increased by 100 points. 

    • +100 if your faction controls either the Butcher's Triumph or Preclassa. 

  • Renowned Heroes - 1/2/3 - As in Core Rules. You can purchase this when adding a character to your roster or when a character gains a rank. Select one Enhancement for that character (modify the points cost). Costs 1 + 1 RP for each time you used this. Standard restrictions for Enhancements apply.

  • Rearm and Resupply - 1 - Change wargear in one unit. Recalculate the point cost if necessary.

  • Repair and Recuperate - 2-5 - Purchase after a battle. Select one battle scar that unit has and remove it (update the crusade card). Costs 2 RP +1 per Battle Honour the unit has.

    • Costs 1 less the first time you use it each round if your faction controls either Mons Infirmum or Bullenau (Biological units only) 

  • Discharged- 1 - Delete a unit from your roster. You may now use the points to recruit new units. Note that it is not possible to get rid of a unit in any other way.