Update: Scourge Bringer – Campaign Rules (and background stories) now available as a PDF.

In mid-November I’ll be meeting up with Clay and Dan to play a Warmachine/Hordes campaign in a day. We’ll be hitting three stores in Orlando over the course of the day, playing a campaign game in each.  All games will be 15pt three player battles.

The campaign is played over three games. The games are played in the following order:

  • Game 1: Smash and Grab
  • Game 2: King of the Hill
  • Game 3: Earthquake

The player possessing the most markers at the end of the campaign is the winner.

Markers

Markers, representing a piece of Scourge Bringer, are 40mm bases that the players are attempting to seize in each battle. A model cannot end its activation on a marker, but models can move across it without penalty, as long as the model has enough movement to move completely past it. The scenario marker refers to the marker from the scenario currently being played. This is to distinguish it form markers carried into a game from previous games.

A slammed or thrown model does not stop if it is slammed or thrown across a marker. However, if there is not enough space on the other side of the marker to place its base, the model is placed in base contact with the marker stand as if it were an obstruction. Markers cannot be targeted and do not block line of sight.

The marker may be ‘picked up’ by any warcaster/warlock or any large-based warjack or beast with the Open Fists advantage. If a model is in B2B with the marker it must forfeit either its movement or action to pick it up. You may use the marker or another token to indicate the model is carrying the piece of Scourge Bringer. Once a marker is ‘picked up’ it is no longer considered to be a marker until it is dropped. A marker is dropped if the model carrying it is destroyed or it loses more than half of its total boxes in a single turn. The player who caused the damage may decide where the marker is placed. It must be B2B with the model that dropped it. A model that has picked up the marker may make a Throw or Double-handed Throw against the (medium-based) marker. The marker cannot be damaged by any means and does not cause collateral damage. If it lands on a model it should be placed in a manner that causes least disturbance.

Immediately after a model picks up a Scourge Bringer marker roll on the following chart (D6) –

  1. Speed Up: the model gains SPD+1
  2. Decay: the model suffers ARM-1
  3. Hard to Kill: the model gains DEF+1
  4. The Shakes: the model suffers MAT-1 and RAT-1
  5. Killer Strike: the model gains MAT+1
  6. Slow Down: the model suffers SPD-1

This effect only lasts while in possession of the marker. A model must forfeit both its movement and action to drop the Scourge Bringer marker, and the effect ceases. The controlling player may place the dropped marker is placed B2B with the model that dropped it. If a model carries a marker from one game to another the effect continues. Effects are cumulative. Additionally a model carrying a marker will stagger directly South at the end of all friendly models’ activations; roll a D6: 1-3 Stagger 1″; 4-6 Stagger 2″. A model will only ever stagger once at the end of their activation, no matter how many markers they carry. Treat this move as a push and move the model directly towards the South. Models only stagger in their own turn

Warcasters/Warlocks within 6″ of a marker that is not picked up may be dragged directly towards it. This represents the power of the Scourge Bringer. At the end of all friendly models’ activations and if the warcaster/warlock is within 6″ of a marker roll a D6: 1-2 No Effect; 3-4 Dragged 1″; 5-6 Dragged 2″. Treat this move as a push and move the model directly toward the marker. Models are only dragged in their own turn.

Note a model may stagger once, but may be dragged several times! Stagger moves are performed before drag moves. If there is more than one marker in play randomly determine the order of drags before all drag moves are performed.

Game 1 – Smash and Grab

Summary: Three players attempt to grab the marker and take it off the South edge of the battlefield

The South edge of the table is the side that does not have a deployment zone.
The Scourge Bringer marker is placed at the centre of the battlefield.

Each player deploys in a 10″ x 10″ square at the centre of their table edge. Determine the first player with a standard starting roll. Play proceeds clockwise around the table.

Until the victory conditions are met, a player continues to play even if his last warcaster/warlock is destroyed or removed from play.

There are two possible victory conditions –

  • A player who successfully controls this scenario’s marker moves the model carrying it B2B with the South edge of the table
  • A player wins the game if he is the last player to have a warcaster or warlock remaining in play
Game 2 – King of the Hill

Summary: Three players attempt to take and hold the high ground at the center of the board

Randomly determine a table edge to represent South.
The Scourge Bringer marker is placed at the centre of the battlefield.

See map for deployment zones. Note that Advance Deploy models in this scenario can only deploy 4 ̋ beyond standard deployment instead of the usual 6 ̋.

King of the Hill

Determine the first player with a standard starting roll. Play proceeds clockwise around the table.

Place a large hill in the center of the table. Beginning on the second round, at the end of each player’s turn, that player earns 1 control point if all of his warcasters/warlocks are on the hill.

Until the victory conditions are met, a player continues to play even if his last warcaster/warlock is destroyed or removed from play.

There are three possible victory conditions –

  • The first player to accumulate 3 control points wins the game
  • A player who successfully controls the scenarios marker moves the model carrying it B2B with the South edge of the table
  • A player wins the game if he is the last player to have a warcaster or warlock remaining in play
Game 3 – Earthquake (a variant of Mosh Pit)

Summary: Three players attempt to control the centre of the battlefield

The Scourge Bringer marker is placed at the centre of the battlefield. This marker, whether on the battlefield or picked up, counts as South, i.e. all stagger moves are directly towards this point or the model carrying it. This represents the power of the final, most powerful piece of Scourge Bringer

Mark a 14″-diameter circle centered on the table. This is the mosh pit.

A player controls the mosh pit if he has one or more models completely within the mosh pit and his opponent does not. For a unit to control the mosh pit, all models must be completely within it. A warrior model must have a CMD greater than 1 to control the mosh pit. Ignore wrecked or inert warjacks, wild beasts, and fleeing models when checking from control.

Every time the scenario marker is picked up all models completely within the 14″ are immediately moved 1″ in a random direction.

There are two possible victory conditions –

  • Starting on the first player’s third turn a player wins if he ends his turn in control of the mosh pit and the Scourge Bringer marker from this scenario is within the mosh pit.
  • A player wins the game if he is the last player to have a warcaster or warlock remaining in play