Introduction
These rules (based on my Warhammer Campaign rules) allow for a two-player campaign that is quick and easy to resolve. Each player commands a single army. The armies composition may be different every time a battle is played, although players may alter this if they desire. In fact all of the rules that follow are completely mutable; players may freely alter them as they please. All the rules below are simply a framework for campaigning in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
The Battles
Players should agree before hand how many battles will be played before the campaign ends. A good range is between 5 and 10 battles. As an option players can randomly determine how many battles make up the campaign by rolling a D6 +4 (or +1, +2 or +3 depending on player preference). Note that the fewer the number of battles you play the less Battle Honor's will be gained (see the 40k rules for details on Battle Honor's).
Players will need to randomly determine what scenario will be played for each battle, and follow all the normal rules for that particular scenario (set-up, terrain, etc.). To do this simply follow the normal rules for determining scenario type and mission as detailed in the 40k rulebook. However, the side losing the campaign (in terms of CP, see below) always gets to choose which side he will play for any given mission (i.e. attacker or defender). If both sides have the same amount of CP use the normal rules for determining which side is the attacker/defender (page 129 in rulebook).
The Armies
Players should decide on the max size army (in points) that either side can field before the start of the campaign. Players may choose to play battles with smaller armies if both players allow this before a particular battle is fought or if required by a particuler mission. Likewise, if players wish to play larger battles they may only do so if both players agree to do so before the battle begins.
Outside of special characters, players must field legal armies based on their chosen armies Codex/list. The use of special characters must be agreed upon before play however, as well as any other set limits the players wish.
Campaign Points (CP) and Victory
At the conclusion of each battle the winner gains a number of CP. The CP gained is based on the difference between the winners and losers VPs at the conclusion of a battle (see the table below). Note that the Loser does not gain CP. This means that even if a mission does not normally use the Victory Points special rule you will still need to calculate the VP gained by each side in order to determine how much CP the winner of the battle gains.
If a side wins a battle but has fewer VP then his opponent he will still gain CP as indicated on the table below.
The campaign ends as soon as the last battle is played or when a side has gained 'Supremacy' (see below). Both players total up their entire accumulated CP; the winner being the side with the most CP. To determine the type of victory gained by the winner, refer to the table below. The winner will need to determine the victory ratio gained (the ratio of winners CP to Losers CP) on the table.
| VP/CP Ratio | CP Gain for battles | Camoaign Result |
|---|---|---|
| *Less then 1:1 | 2 CP | Pyrric Victory!!! Although the enemy has been defeated, the cost has been great. |
| 1:1 | 0 CP | Draw!!! The bloodshed will continue as neither side has gained an upper hand. |
| Up to 1.5:1 | 5 CP | Minor Victory!!! Although beaten, the enemy still lives to fight another day. |
| Up to 2:1 | 10 CP | Major Victory!!! It will be a long time indeed before the enemy will recover from this loss. |
| Greater than 2:1 | 15 CP | Decisive Victory!!! the enemy has been utterly destroyed. No longer will his forces be a threat. |
*NOTE: This only occurs in scenarios not using the Victory Points special rules, and where the winner has fewer VP then the loser!!! Otherwise a Pyrric Victory result is not possible.
Each sides total CP is not kept secret; players may freely look at each others accumulated CP totals during the campaign.
Gaining Supremacy
As soon as one side has accumulated enough CP over his opponent to make it so he can't lose or be drawn the campaign comes to an immediate end: such a player has 'gained supremacy'. The table below details how much more CP a side is required to have over his opponent in order for him to 'gain supremacy'.
| Games to be played... | CP |
|---|---|
| 2-3 | 20 |
| 4-5 | 35 |
| 6-7 | 50 |
| 8-9 | 65 |
| 10-11 | 80 |
| 12-13+ | 95 +15 every 2 games beyond 12 |
As soon as it is determined that a side has gained supremacy, the campaign comes to an end and that side is termed the victor.
Special Rules and Options
Players are free to impose their own set-limits for the campaign (such as no special characters) as they desire. Any set-limits should be agreed upon before the start of the campaign. In addition the following rules/options apply.
1). Both sides should use the Experience gain rules as detailed in the 40k rulebook (pages 159-163). If using Special Characters they gain experience points just like any other characters do (and thus gain Battle Honor's). See 5). Below for an Optional rule regarding Experience Points.
2). *Rare Wargear items that are lost - i.e. the character assigned the item is killed - are removed from the campaign: they may not be used again during the campaign!!!
*Rare Wargear are any items that are limited in number or dependent on the size of the army - such as the Space Marines Iron Halo or Chapter Banner - but not any other Wargear.
Wargear specific to certain models (that is only that model type may ever use the item, including special character only items) are also not removed if the model is killed, unless such an item is limited in number or dependent on the size of the army or unique to that special character only.
3). In scenarios where one side is the defender the side with fewer total CP (see above) gets to choose which side he will play (attacker/defender). If this is the first battle of the campaign, or if both sides have the same number of CP use the normal rules for determining who plays the attacker or defender (see page 129 in rulebook).
4). In campaigns where special characters are allowed, and unless players agree otherwise, specific special characters may only be used every other battle; you can not use the same special character in successive battles. For example, if a Dark Angels player uses the special character Azrael in game one, he cannot be included in game two; he would become available again in game three.
If special characters are used, they are removed from the campaign once they are killed in a battle (just like Rare Wargear).
5). (Optional) If players agree they can choose to have some of their units start off the campaign already with some Experience Points (EP). This option may be useful if playing a short campaign (6 or less battles for example). Two methods for doing this are provided below; choose one (if any) before the campaign begins.
Method 1:
Players may, if they both agree, add more or less EP to their starting forces if they wish. This is up to the players and the above is just an example. Players should be careful to not up-set the balance between starting armies though by increasing the variance between the starting armies EP.
Method 2:
This second option allows units/characters/vehicles to gain EP much more quickly than is normal (ideal for short campaigns).
6). (Optional) As soon as the last battle has been played, or after a player has gained supremacy, instead of concluding the campaign play out one more final battle. The battle to be played is determined by determining the CP ratio of the two sides and consulting the table below:
| Winning Sides CP Ratio | Mission to Play |
|---|---|
| Up to 1.5:1 (including Draws) | Roll a D6: 1-2 Battle Scenario 3-4 Blitz Mission 5-6 Standard Scenario except Recon or Rescue) |
| 1.5:1 or higher | Roll a D6: 1-2 Rearguard Mission (play as attacker) 3-4 Meatgrinder Mission (play as attacker) 5-6 Breakout Mission (play as defender) |
Unless otherwise stated in the table, the losing side determines what side he will play (attacker/defender). If a specific mission is not listed, determine it as normal.
The winner of this battle gains the appropriate number of CP as indicated under Campaign Points and Victory above. The final CP are then totaled and converted in to a ratio as normal and a winner is determined.
As an alternatve to the above method, and instead of playing out an extra battle, the players instead can simply declare that the last mission (battle) of the campaign must be chosen from the Breakout or Battles scenarios. This ensures that the campaign ends with a more suitable battle to finish the campaign off with. For that matter, the players might instead agree to play a specific mission for the last battle instead. This is up to the players and should be agreed upon before the campaign begins.
A third method, and if playing a campaign of at least 3 battles, players could agree to play scenarios in a sequence, representing the gradual build up and increased desperation of the campaign. To do this simply play the first 1/3 of the battles (drop fractions) as either Raids or Standard missions only, and all the last 1/3 of the battles (again drop fractions) as either Battles and/or Breakthroughs. The remaining battles may be of any scenario type.
For example: The players agree to play a 6 battle campaign: the first two battles must be either Raids and/or Standard missions; the next two battles (3 and 4) can be any missions (chosen as normal); the last two battles must be either Battles and/or Breakthrough missions.
Whichever of the above three methods you use (if any) must be decided before the campaign begins.
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