Saturday 18 October 2014

Nordland Campaign Rules

Campaign Rules:

Selecting an HQ:
An HQ territory may be any map section on the map that is not a river bank, road, bridge, or special map section. HQ territories count as 3 territories for calculating army banners and campaign winner.

Army banners:
As the empire increases in size, so do the armies it supports. For every 3 map sections that a faction controls, it may add 1 army banner to the map. Each faction always starts with 1 banner. As the empire grows to support new banners, the new banners start at the HQ territory.
Example: A faction controls 18 map sections, it has 1 banner for its HQ plus 6 banners for the territories it controls.

Battles:
Battles will be fought at points values that coincide with the painting challenge/

Campaign Turns:
Each campaign turn is organized into the 5 phases:
1) Write Orders
2) Execute Orders
3) Fight Battles
4) Retreat/Scatter
5) End of Turn


Orders:
Each campaign turn, each banner may be given 1 of the following 6 orders:
1) Raze and Hold
2) Raze and Move
3) Move
4) Fortify
5) Recover
6) Hold

Submit Orders:
Each faction general must PM their orders to the campaign organizer (in this case me). All moves are simultaneously.

Raze:
A banner given a Raze order will burn crops, slaughter villages, salt the earth and loot all useful property. When a banner is given a Raze order, a marker will be put on the territory. If it was given a Raze and Hold order, the banner will stay in that map section. If it was given a Raze and Move order, on the roll of a 3+, the banner will move to another map section. On a 1 or 2, the razing has taken too long and the banner counts as if it was given a Raze and Hold order.

A razed map section no longer counts towards the number of map sections held and loses any special rules. Example: If a map section containing a bridge is razed, a banner must roll a difficult terrain check to cross the river, just as if it were trying to cross a normal river map section.

Move:
A banner may be given orders to move. If a banner is given a move order, it may move into any territory adjacent to the one it occupies at the start of the turn. Unless an enemy banner is in the territory, control of that territory belongs to that banner’s faction.

Difficult terrain:
Rivers, marshes, and mountains can present a serious problem for an army. Where 1 man could easily navigate a mountain pass, an army can become bogged down and confused. If a banner is given a move order that moves it into a mountain, or marsh map section, or needs to cross a river, it must roll a difficult terrain check. On the roll of a 3+ the banner moves as normal, on a 1 or 2, the banner acts as if given a hold order. On the Nordland campaign map, the only difficult terrain will be to cross a major river. Rivers have been drawn on the map in blue.

Don’t Pass in the Night:
Armies are large, noisy, and difficult to miss as they move through the land setting up camps and starting hundreds of fires for cooking and warmth. It is a rare and stupid general that would miss an enemy army as he moves through a territory. If two enemy army banners are given orders to move into the map section occupied by the other, the players must roll off. The winner of the dice roll (highest roll on a D6) will complete its move, the other banner acts as though it was given a hold order.

Living off the Land:
A map section may never support more than 1 friendly banner. The only time 2 banners may be in the same territory is if they are enemies and need to fight a battle for control of the territory. Example: Evil banner #1 was given an order to move from map section 38 into section 37(across a river). Evil banner #2 was given an order to move from map section 42 into section 38. If Evil banner #1 were to fail the difficult terrain check(counts as a hold) banner #2 could not move into map section 38 because a friendly banner already occupies the area. Evil Banner #2 would count as if it had been given a hold order as well.

Simultaneous Movement:
Because banners all move simultaneously, in the example above, had the difficult terrain check been passed, Evil banner #2 would have moved into map section 38. Bear and mind the Don’t Pass in the Night rule.

Fortify:
A banner given a fortify order will spend it’s time recruiting locals, building defenses, securing buildings and fortresses. If a fortified map section is attacked, the banner that defended may add +10% to the point limit when selecting an army list for the battle. Also, it rolls once on the following chart when deploying terrain. Additional defensive terrain is placed after all other terrain is deployed and is only placed by the defender. A map section counts as fortified until the banner moves to another territory. If an allied banner moves into a fortified map section the same turn as the original banner moves away, the fortified status is still lost.
Defended Obstacles Chart
1-3: Add 3 barricades or fences
4-5: Add 1 Hill
6: Add a watchtower and play the game using the watch tower scenario from the BRB

Recover:
A banner may be ordered to recover a map section if it occupies a razed map section. If successfully recovered, bridges are rebuilt, villages restored, and life goes more or less back to normal. A recovered map section counts as though it was never razed in the first place. To recover a map section, roll a D6, on a 4+, the map section is restored. If the roll is failed, the army may attempt to recover in the next campaign. Each time a recover roll is failed, the banner may add +1 to the roll to recover the section. A roll of a 1 always fails.
Battle:
In the battle phase, if a map section is occupied by 2 enemy banners, they must fight a game of Warhammer for control of the territory.

Supporting banners:
If you have one or more banners in map sections adjacent to a map section in which a battle is being fought, the banner(s) can lend support allied banners. For each supporting banner, the general may add +10% to the maximum point value for the upcoming battle. A banner may not lend support if it is involved in a battle of its’ own.
Example: An undead banner is attacked by a Dark Elf banner. The undead player has 2 banners capable of supporting him, and he has fortified the map section. He would add +30% to his points limit (+10% per supporting banner and +10% for being fortified) so in a 2000 point battle, he would field a 2600 point army.

Retreat/Scattered:
If a banner is defeated, it must retreat into an adjacent, friendly map section. If that map section is occupied by a friendly banner, the friendly banner must make a retreat move into a friendly map section to free up the map section because a map section may only support 1 banner at a time. If in a battle an army is completely wiped off the table (0 miniatures from that side left on the table), or there are no friendly map sections adjacent to the retreating banner, it is instead scattered. If the empire that lost a banner to a scattered result but still controls enough map sections to support the banner, in the end of campaign turn phase, the banner is resurrected at the faction HQ territory.

End of Campaign Turn:
Every campaign turn, empires will grow and shrink as battle are one and lost.
In this phase the # of controlled map sections is counted up. If an empire can support a new banner it is placed in the HQ territory. If an empire does not control enough territory to support all of the banners it had in the last turn, it must dissolve a banner(s). Scattered banners are dissolved first, and then any further banners that need to be dissolved are selected by the faction general. 

Alliances: Allies can be declared at the beginning of any campaign turn. They may be ended by one of the participants declaring the end of an alliance or by dishonourably ending an alliance. Allies may move through allied map sections without claiming them. They may defend ally held territories. They may also retreat into allied territories. And they may support allied banners, either by allowing the played to take +10% points from their own list, or by supplying +10% points of their own models for the battle.
Alliances may be broken dishonourably by invading an allied territory and claiming it as their own, razing an allied territory, or by refusing to support an allied banner in a battle.

Faction Specific Special Rules:
Beastmen: May reroll Difficult Terrain test for campaign moves
Brettonians: May never dishonourably break an alliance by invading, Razing, or withdrawing support(refusing to supply 10% banner support). If an ally breaks an alliance dishonourably with the Brettonians, all the Brettonians with the Knightly vow gain Hatred to the army that broke the alliance.
Daemons of Chaos: When a new or reformed banner is deployed, nominate all map sections adjacent to the HQ territory and roll to randomly determine which section the banner is deployed in.
Dark Elves: Instead of gaining +10% points for fortifying a territory, the Dark elves may instead sacrifice the locals to gain d3+1 rerolls for the upcoming battle.
Dwarves: Ignore difficult terrain tests for mountainous map sections.
Empire: If an empire banner fortifies a map section, they gain +12.5% bonus points and an additional roll on the Defended Obstacles Table.
High Elves: Automatically win “Don’t Pass In the Night” rolls.
Lizardmen: May cross rivers without rolling for Difficult Terrain Tests.
Ogre Kingdoms: Ogre Banners receive +5% points for all battles.
Skaven: Skaven banners may be given a “Move Underground” order. Banners that move underground are removed from the campaign map. On the 3rd campaign turn after being issued this order an Underground banner may be placed in any Razed map section on the roll of a 3+. If there are no razed map sections, or a 1 or 2 is rolled, the banner is returned to the map section that it had been located or the Skaven HQ (Skaven players discretion)
Tomb Kings: Tomb King banners can never be scattered. If a Tomb Kings banner is massacred it instead retreats into any unoccupied map section, a friendly map section if possible, but any enemy territory if no friendly territory exists. If there are no unoccupied map sections, the banner is scattered as per normal rules.
Vampire Counts: If a Vampire Counts banner wins a battle, it receives a bonus +12.5% points to it’s list if it fights a battle in the next campaign turn.
Warriors of Chaos: If a WoC army wins a battle, it may elect to chase the retreating banner. On the roll of a 5+ (in addition to a Difficult Terrain Test if required), the victorious banner chases and follows the retreating banner. On the next campaign turn both banners automatically receive Hold orders and must fight another battle.
Wood Elves: Wood Elf Banners receive +5% points in any forest map section. (There are a lot of forest map sections in Nordland)

Map Sections:
Different map sections may have different special rules or specific scenarios.

Forests:
Battles fought in forests roll on the scenario chart in the BRB. Any rolls for a river or building are instead treated as if a forest had been rolled.

Rivers:
Battles fought in a river section do not need to have a river in them. They may be fought a short distance from the river instead. Roll on the terrain chart and scenario chart as normal.

Roads:
The forests near a road way are quite thick and treacherous. It is a rare general that will try to move through a forest when a road is nearby. Battles fought in a road map section will use the “Battle for the Pass” scenario. If a road is fortified, the defender may roll on the Defended Obstacles chart as normal. If a watchtower is rolled, place a watchtower as close to the middle of the table but play the “Battle for the Pass” scenario as normal.

Special Map Sections:
There are 3 special map sections. In addition to any map section specific rules, special map section counts as 3 territories for determining how many banners an empire can support. A razed special map section loses any special rules and counts are 0 map section controlled just like any other razed map section.

Map Section #9: The Nerd Herd Herdstone
Since time beyond the memory, the area surrounding the great herdstone in Nordland has been infested with beastmen uncounted. Any banner that fights in this map section comes under attack by small raid prior to the battle. Roll on the following chart and subtract that many points from your points limit. Each banner must roll separately for their own points deduction.

1-2: Only minor raids. No points are lost (or gained)
3-5: Small Raiding Parties. Banners lose 2D6x10 points from their max in the upcoming game.
6: Serious Battle. As the banner moves through the territory, it comes under attack from a decent sized force. Banners lose 2D6x25 points in the upcoming game.

Map Section #35: The Lost Garrison of Rothschild
An empire watchtower used to be garrison by the famous Middenland Red Shields, commanded by Wilhelm von Rothschild. Although the troops have all since died, the watchtower still has a commanding view of the lands surrounding it. More than once an empire general has used the view to see enemy troop movement and attack the enemy force from an unexpected quarter. A banner that starts the campaign turn in this map section, and is called to battle in that turn, may choose which deployment zone it likes and which player has the first turn. Any battles fought in this map section use the “Watchtower” scenario.

Map Section #66: Stavern
The town of Stavern is home to the Gilded Rose Inn. Great warriors from many lands come for its legendary hospitality and delicious selection of ales. Currently, a fresh supply of Bretonnian Fine Pale Grail Ale has been delivered, so make sure you stop in for a pint. Any faction that controls Stavern may field +10% more points of Special or Rare choices. So, a 2500 point army could normally field 1250 points of special and 625 points of rare. It could instead field 1375 point of special OR 688 points of rare. Either way, it may not field more than 2500 points unless the banner is fortified, supported, or gaining points from another special rule.

HQ Territories: General’s Choice
Battles fought in a factions HQ are hotly contested. A banner defending its own HQ automatically counts as being fortified. It may also roll 3 times on the defended obstacles chart, but it may only gain 1 watchtower. Re-roll any duplicate 6s. If an enemy banner controls another faction’s HQ for 3 turns, then that faction loses.

Victory Conditions:
The campaign will last for 30 campaign turns or until April 30th, 2015. The faction that controls the most territories is the winner. Remember that special map sections and faction HQs count as 3 territories and that razed territories count as none.

Playing this campaign with more players:
If you wish to use these campaign rules, only slight adjustments are needed. Army specific rules can be different than those that were selected. If you are playing a campaign with 4 players or factions, the HQs should be 1 or more territories from any map edge and additional banners are gained for controlling 4 territories. If playing with 3 players or factions, HQs should be 2 terriroties from  the edge of the map and additional banners are added for every 5 territories controlled. Also, feel free to remove the defeated factions rule from your campaign. Sometimes it’s nice when your enemies are wiped off the face of the map.

Thanks to:
Games Workshop: the General’s Compendium was a huge assistance in creating this. In truth, many of the campaign rules are straight out of the book.

Windofchaos.com: I found the map on their website and added the territory lines using mspaint. Check out their website because it has lots of different maps, all of them excellent.

My wife: She always sounded interested when I spoke of the campaign, although many times I’m sure that she wasn’t. Thanks for all your love and support.

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