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 ̋.

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

Related posts:

1. Scourge Bringer: Campaign Report I love campaigns – they mix things up from the...
2. Scourge Bringer – Practice Run Last Tuesday Steve and I had a chance to do...
3. Scourge Bringer – Coming Soon Scourge Bringer – Campaign Rules (and background stories) now available...

The image right represents a very simplified view of a heavily forested battlefield. It has a track running through the centre of the forest and a fire break running through one part of the forest. Forest Verge and Deep Forest are represented by the lighter and darker green respectively.

The following rules assume that the majority (75%+) of the battlefield is covered in forest of varying density. The remainder of the battlefield is made up of fire breaks (man made clearings to prevent the spread of fire), tracks (mud tracks used for moving through the forest), streams and small clearings.

The forest is the most important feature and is made up of two different types of wooded area – deep forest and forest verge. The verge is very dense as natural sunlight can penetrate to the forest floor allowing many species of plants to grow. The deep forest has less ground cover than the verge, but the almost impenetrable canopy allows very little light to reach the forest floor causing highly variable visibility.

The tracks and fire breaks through the forest are highly dangerous areas to be in. The will usually be heavily rutted, either muddy or covered in felled trees/fresh growth, and quite difficult to navigate. The coordinates of critical points may also be known to artillery covering the area. Streams will attract a lot of vegetation and will be also very difficult to cross.

TERRAIN RULES

Deep Forest The deep forest presents a challenge to all troop types. It’s variable light and varying density means that even within a small area the fighting conditions vary wildly. It is treated as Difficult Going (i.e. Bog Down on a roll of a 1) for fully tracked vehicles, who must re-roll successful Bogged Down tests to free the vehicle (to represent that getting stuck in a forest is difficult to get out of). Deep Forest is Impassable to other vehicles. Additionally, Deep forest has rules that are very similar to the Night Fighting rules (P.154). All Night Fighting rules are observed in deep forest with the Night Visibility table changed to -

DEEP FOREST VISIBILITY
1	4″/10cm
2	6″/10cm
3	8″/10cm
4	10″/10cm
5	12″/10cm
6	16″/10cm

Forest Verge The verge is treated like Forest terrain as described in the Flames of War Rulebook with the following modifications. Visibility is limited to 4″ in and out of the Forest Verge. It is also treated as Very Difficult Going (i.e. Skill Test to avoid Bogging Down) for fully tracked vehicles. As with the Deep Forest, once Bogged Down it is hard to get going again, so successful Bogged Down tests to free the vehicle must be re-rolled. Forest Verge is Impassable to other vehicles. Additionally, Infantry and Man-packed Guns treat the Forest Verge as Difficult Going. If they fail the test (on the roll of a 1), they do not become Bogged Down, but stop immediately or just before they enter the verge. This represents them being unable to find a way through the dense foliage.

Forest Tracks Tracks through a forest tend to be heavily rutted from overuse. They count as Difficult Going for fully tracked and half-tracked vehicles. It counts as Very Difficult Going for all other vehicles, but they are able to enter it if desired.

Fire Breaks Fire breaks follow the same movement rules as Forest Tracks, but also provide Concealment to Infantry and Man-packed Guns (even if they moved).

Forest Streams Forest Streams count as Very Difficult Going for full tracked vehicles and Impassable for all other vehicles. As with the Forest Verge, once Bogged Down it is hard to get going again, so successful Bogged Down tests to free the vehicle must be re-rolled. Additionally, Infantry and Man-packed Guns treat the crossing of a Forest Stream as Difficult Going. If they fail the test (on the roll of a 1), they do not become Bogged Down, but stop immediately and do not cross the river. This represents them being unable to find a safe way across.

FOREST ARTILLERY RULES

Tree bursts, were the artillery round is timed to detonate above the ground thus causing thousands of tree splinters to shower their target, are a significant danger when fighting in forested areas. In order to represent this all unarmoured targets (including Infantry, Guns, Unarmoured Vehicles, etc.) subtract 1 from their save roll when hit by a Bombardment in either Deep Forest or Forest Verge terrain. This only applies if the target is not Dug In (P.81).

Additionally, any Observer Team spotting for an artillery platoon may do so to any enemy team within 16″, even within the forest. However, if they do not have line of sight to that enemy (either because of the variable visibility of the Deep Forest or the limited visibility of the Forest Verge) there is an additional +1 modifier to range in. This represents them speculatively calling in artillery bombardments based on the slightest movement or sound.

There are more scenario specific rules for artillery fire coming from troops defending a forest below.

DEFENDING IN A FOREST

It is assumed that defenders in a forest have had sufficient time to calculate the coordinates of crucial areas in the forest and clear a field of fire for their weapons. In order to represent Clear Field of Fire this Mortar and Gun teams may fire bombardments even if within Deep Forest or Forest Verge. However, any enemy within 8″ of them may see them clearly regardless of the Deep Forest Visibility or limited visibility in Forest Verge. However, any artillery platoon may also be deployed ‘Across the Volga’ (P.225 of the Flames Of War rulebook).

Additionally, the defending force may add up to four Pre-ranged Markers to their army list. These cost 15, 25 or 40 points for (predominantly) Conscript, Trained and Veteran forces respectively. Each pre-ranged marker must be placed on the battlefield during the defenders deployment. These markers may not be placed within Deep Forest or Forest Verge terrain. During the game a defending artillery platoon may bombard any one marker providing any platoon commander unit (from any platoon) can draw line of sight to it. No artillery platoon may use the All Guns Repeat! rule to repeat the bombardment on a marker and must Range In again in subsequent turns if they wish to hit the same marker again (provided there is still a friendly platoon commander unit with line of sight).

ATTACKING AN ENEMY IN A FOREST

Attacking a defended forest is a challenging prospect. There are no additional rules that benefit attackers explicitly, but adjusting the relative ratings of the different forces and altering the army sizes (in the attackers favour) may help offset the defender’s bonuses. Also, any attacker artillery platoon may be deployed ‘Across the Volga’ (P.225), but again to reflect the difficulty of targeting an enemy in forests they suffer an additional +1 modifier to the Ranging In roll when try to hit a target in either Deep Forest or Forest Verge terrain.

Owen

Related posts:

1. Flames of War – The Battle of Hürtgen Forest (Background) In this article I briefly discuss the background to the...
2. Flames of War – Mini Campaign – Game 1 This is a 1000pt battle report for the first game...
3. Flames of War – Mini Campaign – Game 2 This is a 1250pt battle report for the second game...