This post presents a five game escalating campaign that is designed for two players, one of which should be a Gremlins player. It is named after and based on this excellent story (also performed in this episode of the Aethervox). If you haven’t read/listened to this story I recommend you do. Like all of the stories performed on the Aethervox, both the storyline and voice acting are excellent.
I based the campaign rules on a multi-player campaign/league designed by the guys at Seattle Wargaming. I’ve adjusted it to suit the back story.
CAMPAIGN RULES
Crew Selection: At the start of the campaign, each player must select a single Master or Henchman Leader to represent himself for the duration of campaign. This character will be the only Master or Henchman Leader available to the player for the duration of the campaign. During the campaign, players are free to hire any Henchmen (non-Leader), Minion, Totem or Mercenary available to their chosen Master. Crew composition is not fixed and may change from game to game.
Encounter Size: The campaign will consist of five Scraps played over five weeks – one campaign game per week. The Week 1 Scrap will be played at 20 Soulstones. Each week thereafter, the Encounter size will increase by 5 Soulstones (E.g. Week Two 25 Soulstones, Week Three 30 Soulstones, etc.).
Strategies: As the games are loosely based on the ‘The Other White Meat’ story the each week’s game features an encounter between the Gremlins and another faction.
Gremlin meat is a delicacy and an addiction. Several Guild* members have acquired a taste for wild Gremlins, i.e. those not bred in captivity, and seek any opportunity to hunt for them. This campaign is based around some Guild minions taking some unsanctioned R&R to indulge their strange taste while on official business in the Bayou. (* Any other faction will do!)
Week 1: The Hunt. In this game the Gremlins are being hunted as game at their village by off-duty members of the Guild. The strategy for the Gremlins is Escape and Survive and the Guild have the Slaughter strategy. Note: No Masters or Henchmen are used in this game.
Week 2: The Hunters become the Hunted. The Gremlins seek out their attackers at their encampment. The strategies are reversed from those used in Week 1 and Masters/Henchmen may be used.
Week 3: Payback. Both sides seek to bring as much destruction to each other as possible, the Guild Masters seeking revenge for what they perceive as an unprovoked attack and the Gremlin trying to force their hunters from the Bayou. The strategy for this week is Shared Slaughter.
Week 4: Fresh Meat. The Guild minions (without the knowledge of their Masters) are starting to move their ill-gotten meat from their camp back to Malifaux. The Guild have the Supply Wagon strategy while the Gremlins have the Deliver a Message strategy.
Week 5: Fallback. If the Gremlin’s successfully delivered the message in the Week 4 game the Guild have the Turf War strategy, representing them withdrawing from the Bayou. If not they may flip for their strategy as per a normal game. The Gremlins have the Contain Power strategy as they seek to punish the leaders of the Guild for the crimes their troops perpetrated.
Schemes: Players are restricted to General Schemes. During the campaign players may not select Faction Specific Schemes or Master Specific Schemes.
Stash: When a player wins an Encounter, the difference between the winner’s Victory Point total and the loser’s Victory Point total is the number of Soulstones placed into the winner’s Stash. This is the only means by which Soulstones can be placed in a player’s Stash. Soulstones in a player’s Stash may be used in two ways: 1) for additional Campaign Points; or 2) to increase the number of Soulstones a player may spend in a subsequent Encounter to hire his Crew.
If a player has Soulstones in his Stash, each Encounter he may expend up to 4 of the Soulstones from his Stash to increase the number of Soulstones he may spend hiring his Crew. For example, on Week 4, a player with 6 Soulstones in his Stash can reduce the Soulstones in his Stash to 2 in order to spend 39 Soulstones to hire his Crew. If a player intends to expend ‘stashed’ Soulstones in this way, prior to the completion of the Hire Crew Phase the player must announce to his or her opponent the number of Soulstones he or she intends to expend.
Soulstones not expended to hire additional Crew accumulate throughout the campaign. After a player finishes the fifth Encounter, ALL unused Soulstones in the player’s Stash are cashed in for additional Campaign Points (SEE below).
Campaign Points: For each Victory Point a player earns during an Encounter the player receives one Campaign Point. A running total will be kept on the Master Campaign Sheet. At the end of Week 5, unused Soulstones in a player’s Stash are cashed in for Victory Points at a 2 for 1 exchange (i.e. 2 Soulstones = 1 Campaign Point). At the end of Week 5, the player with the highest number of Campaign Points is the winner.
‘Earning a Name’: Crews typically include both hardened veterans and relatively new recruits who have yet to earn a name for themselves. A model that costs 4 Soulstones or less and does not possess the Unique, Totem, Summoned, or Insignificant characteristic, may ‘earn a name’ by accomplishing a notable feat during an Encounter. If such a model accomplishes one of the feats listed below and is not killed or sacrificed during the Encounter in which the model accomplished its feat, the model has ‘earned its name.’ A ‘named’ model gains the Unique characteristic, a title, the name of player’s choice, and the associated bonus. ‘Named’ models are recorded on the Master Campaign Sheet and the owning player’s Campaign Roster.
•Killer: A model that kills an opponent’s model with a value of 8-10 Soulstones, with a melee strike, a ranged strike, or a spell, gains either +1 CB or +1 CA for the duration of the campaign. The bonus is added to the characteristic the ‘Killer’ used to remove his victim’s last wound.
•Thug: A model that kills an opponent’s model with a value of 11 Soulstones or greater, with a melee strike, a ranged strike, or a spell, gains +1 Wound for the duration of the campaign.
•Hitman: A model that kills an opponent’s Master or Henchman Leader, with a melee strike, a ranged strike, or a spell, gains either +1 Melee Expert, +1 Ranged Expert, or +1 Casting Expert. The type of bonus received is based upon the characteristic the ‘Hitman’ used to remove his victim’s last wound.
To “kill” a model, the attacker must remove the target’s last wound with a melee strike, a ranged strike, or a spell. All other abilities or actions that cause wounds, damage, death or sacrifice do not count towards ‘earning a name.’ A model forced to flee off of a table edge is not “killed” for the purposes of this rule.
A model may earn multiple titles and keep the bonus from each title. However, a model may only gain the bonus from each title once, even if the model uses a different attack type to kill subsequent victims. Once a model ‘earns a name’ it is noted on the player’s roster and the model may be used in subsequent Encounters. A ‘named’ model’s Soulstone cost is NOT increased. ‘Named’ models may not be summoned. Remember, ‘named’ models have the Unique characteristic, so they are subject to injuries (SEE below).
Injuries: If a Master, Henchman, or a Unique Non-Totem Minion is killed or sacrificed during an Encounter and not on the board at the end of the Encounter, the owning player flips once on Injury Chart to determine the extent of the model’s injuries. This flip may NOT be Cheated, re-flipped, or modified in any way. The model’s injury is recorded on the Master Campaign Sheet and the owning player’s Campaign Roster.
Injury Chart
Black Joker: Dead* -This model may not be used in any subsequent campaign games
One: -1 Wound for the remainder of the campaign
Two: -1 Defense for the remainder of the campaign
Three: -1 CB for the remainder of the campaign (flip: odd = -1 melee CB; even = -1 ranged CB; joker = player’s choice)**
Four: -1 Movement for the remainder of the campaign
Five: This model may not be used in the next week’s Encounter***
Six: -1 Movement for the next week’s Encounter
Seven: -1 CB for the next week’s campaign game (flip: odd = -1 melee CB; even = -1 ranged CB; joker = player’s choice)
Eight: -1 Defense for the next week’s Encounter
Nine: -1 Wound for the next week’s Encounter
Ten: Full Recovery
Eleven: Full Recovery
Twelve: Full Recovery
Thirteen: Full Recovery
Red Joker: Terrible Scars –model receives Terrifying 12 (if the model already has Terrifying 12 or better, increase its Terrifying characteristic by 1 point)
*A Master or Henchman Leader cannot “die.” Instead, if a player flips a Black Joker for a Master or Henchman Leader, the model gains Terrible Scars (SEE Red Joker).
** If the model does not possess a ranged weapon, then the model’s melee CB is reduced
*** A Master or Henchman Leader treats a Five as a Full Recovery.
Aside from one’s Master or Henchman Leader, a player is not required to use an “injured” model in subsequent Encounters. However, since the model is Unique, a player whose roster includes an “injured” model may not hire an “uninjured” version of said model. A model with an injury that lasts “for next week’s Encounter” only suffers its penalty if it is hired during the week following its “injury.” Afterwards, the model is fully healed.
Us wargamers tend to be a fickle bunch. How many toy soldiers do you have sitting on a shelf or stashed away somewhere that haven’t seen battle in a long time? Whether it’s that new model smell, the fresh modelling/painting challenge or simply some cool new rules, the latest releases always have a strong lure. There are others reasons too that a model, unit or army can sit unused. For example, if you see yourself as a competitive player you may find yourself gravitating towards the ‘better’ models, the models you know you can get to work. You may have a preferred play style or a local gaming scene that favours certain types of models.
