Empires Campaign Scenarios

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Empires
Campaign Scenarios
From War of Life Gaming

Contents
Page Number
Planning a Campaign Capture the Flag Hold the Flag Secret Objectives Army Restriction River Crossing Castle Siege No Mercy/ Total Annihilation Trade Route Variations for each Scenario 2 3 5 7 9 11 13 16 18 20

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Planning a campaign with the Empires: Campaign Scenario book
This book will allow two or more players to do battle over a number of games from different mission types such as Capture the Flag or Secret Objectives and add a little narrative to the games as well. The order in which missions are played is decided before the campaign begins by each player and must be adhered to once the campaign has started. If more than two players enter the campaign, then every player must play the chosen scenario before advancing to the next. Some wargamers like to create a map of the chosen campaign area, which will show where the battles will be taking place, or settlements that players can fight for. The scenarios shown here are a guideline only, with many variations that can alter the game to suit opponents preferences i.e. table size or minor rule changes.

Range of scenarios available in this expansion:
Capture the Flag:- Your army must control as many areas of the settlement as it can, raiding for food, slaves and gold. The longer an area is held for, the more points it can bring. Hold the Flag:- Your army needs to maintain/gain control of a settlement, the final turn proves to be the pivotal end to the battle, showing which side has won. Secret Objectives:- Annihilating the enemy is not enough; you must fulfil secret orders from your commander. Army Restriction:- Only a few troops were able to arrive for the battle; the army is restricted by what unit types are able to be used in the game. River Crossing:- No unit can travel through the river/swamp and so must use the bridge to get to the next battle. Castle Siege:- End the enemy commander’s reign and destroy his keep. No Mercy/Total Annihilation:- Either the enemy is destroyed, or you are, the game is played until only one army is left standing. Trade Route:- Small and large Scale: Defend/destroy the trade caravan/s to win the game.
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Capture the Flag
Player One: Story As we look down into the valley below, the river can be seen wandering through it. The town sprawls along the shoreline, a quiet sleepy place. We can see the market square, the manor house and on the outskirts the army encampment. Our allies are housed in the manor house and we need to get there as quickly as possible. The only sounds to reach us are the hustle and bustle of the encampment, there seems to be a lot going on for a camp that our intelligence told us was pretty much abandoned with a few old and injured soldiers acting as caretakers Having surveyed the area, our leaders gather and decide that it would be a good idea to take the encampment and hold the market square as well as joining our allies in the manor house. Both the market square and the army encampment should be easy targets according to our intelligence so we quickly prepare for what should be a very short battle.
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Player Two: Story We marched for two days and nights in order to arrive at our army encampment last night, the town seems strangely quiet and there is a cloud of tension hanging over us all. The few old soldiers and their wives were surprised to see us; apparently no messages had been received by them regarding our deployment. This does not bode well as two of our best messengers were sent over four days ago – what has happened to them? We know the lord of the manor favours our enemy and we had received intelligence that he was harbouring a large contingent of men. Our captains are wary knowing that the messengers did not arrive. We
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have been ordered to lay low and not show ourselves in any number around camp but the extra food and water required for feeding us means the wives are scuttling about like ants. We have been ordered to take the town and the manor house and capture as many of the enemy as possible, we are preparing for what could be a long battle if the enemy is camped in the manor house. The cock crows, it is time – let battle commence.

Capture the Flag- Ruleset
Deployment: Standard Three areas are important for both sides of the battle, each of which is represented by a flag. There are two in the deployment zones, and one in the centre. The flags in your deployment zone are your escape routes if things go badly, and the flag in the centre is the market square, showing which force should control the location. After every full turn (when both sides have finished movement, shooting and melee), every flag in a player’s control gives them one point i.e. A player owns two flag giving them two points that turn. These points are then added to any points received in previous turns. The winner is the player who has the most points at the end of the game. To control a flag, a unit (other than a warmachine) must be within 2” of the flag (flag base included). A flag is contested if an enemy unit is within 2” of the flag, or if a unit within 2” of the flag is in melee combat. A unit which is running away from the enemy cannot claim to control a flag at the end of the turn. This scenario lasts 4 turns unless players decide otherwise before the game begins. The Road Maps rule is not available in this scenario.

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Hold the Flag
Player One: Story Today was a hard fought day; we have fallen back to the manor house for some rest. The enemy were far stronger than we had been told, the battle has raged through the town for many a long hour and neither side is any nearer to taking the town or the enemy’s camp. Our intelligence was out of date the encampment had received reinforcements. Several times throughout the day we managed to seize the market square and the enemy’s camp but each time they fought harder and drove us back. Orders have come through that we must take the village and the encampment whatever the cost. Tomorrow may be our last. ************************************* Player Two: Story Our intelligence was correct, the manor house housed a large army, although they seemed to tire quickly, it would appear they did not gain a day’s rest as we did. Whilst they may not have been rested the enemy were strong and neither side has won the day. We have returned to camp to gather our strength and plan the battle, for tomorrow we must take the town and the manor house no matter what.

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Hold the Flag- Ruleset
Deployment: Standard Three areas are important for both sides of the battle, each of which is represented by a flag. There are two in the deployment zones, and one in the centre. The flags in your deployment zone are your escape routes if things go badly, and the flag in the centre is the market square, showing which force should control the location. The winner of the game is the player who has complete control over the majority of the flags. To control a flag, a unit (other than a warmachine) must be within 2” of the flag (flag base included). A flag is contested if an enemy unit is within 2” of the flag, or if a unit within 2” of the flag is in melee combat. A unit which is running away from the enemy cannot claim to control a flag at the end of the game. This scenario lasts 4 turns unless players decide otherwise before the game begins. The Road Maps rule is not available in this scenario.

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Secret Objectives
Player One: Story The battle still rages on! Our leaders have received special orders from command and it would seem that taking the town and the encampment are not our only objectives. Special units have been briefed and there is an air of secrecy in the manor house. The veterans amongst us are used to this sort of thing and are now talking of a long campaign rather than just a short one. The novices are anxious and short tempered, they have not been in this situation before and grow impatient. Some of the novices want to challenge our leaders and their strategies! Don’t they realise a soldier’s job is to do as he is told? The veterans take these tempestuous souls aside and calm them down; after all, we do not want a rebellion on our hands as well! ************************************* Player Two: Story Another day of battle has ended. Our messengers have finally arrived. A quicksand swamp had developed across the path due to the recent heavy rainfall and they had taken a detour which proved to take longer than expected. Whilst most of the news they were carrying was already known it would appear they had a special message for the old camp commander, it would seem there is more to this battle than meets the eye. Our officers have been called to the commander’s tent and gossip is running rife throughout the camp. What was the special message for

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the commander? Why are our officers being briefed in secret? Was there more to this battle in the first place? It looks like this is going to be a long hard war.

Secret Objectives - Ruleset
Deployment: Standard Each player is given a minimum of three secret objectives. Every completed objective gives one point. The winner is the player who completes the most secret objectives. The secret objectives are SECRET, so no one other than yourself should know what your objectives are. Failure to keep any or all objectives a secret will result in that objective/s becoming forfeit. The game is played over 4 turns. The objectives can be varied in difficulty, and all players should have similar difficulty objectives.

Here are a few examples of secret objectives  Destroy the leader’s unit with a projectile weapon (arrow, bolt, ball, pilum, spear etc). Warmachine ammo is not considered a projectile weapon for this objective. Destroy the leader’s unit in melee combat. Hold the Market Square. Hold the fields. Ensure the Leader has no ‘lives’ taken away from him. Ensure no unit runs off the board during the game.

    

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Army Restriction
Player One: Story Will this war ever end? Once again we have had to fall back to the manor house, our numbers have been vastly depleted and we desperately need reinforcements. Scouts have been sent out with the messengers to get help but the rest of our army are many miles away. We are hoping the scouts will be able to call up volunteers from the local villages they pass through as the lord of the manor owns much of the land around here. ************************************* Player Two: Story We are weary, morale is low, and the enemy has continued to fight harder than was expected. There have been huge losses on both sides with both sides desperately in need of reinforcements. If we can push forward whilst the enemy is low we may be able to win the day! Requests for reinforcements have been sent, we are hopeful they will arrive soon, meanwhile our orders are to push forward at first light.

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Army Restriction- Ruleset
Deployment: Standard The army has lost a number of its troops and is awaiting reinforcement, until the next battle, your army is restricted as to what troops it can field. The game is played as normal, except that certain units cannot be fielded for the duration of the battle. Some players may decide to have an all infantry game, all cavalry game, or just field hard elite or trained troops only. Players can either follow the same restrictions or have different restrictions. Here is an example of a restricted army list: * One Supreme Leader unit * Two Leader units * Two Troops units * Two Heavy Troop units * One Heavy Cavalry unit * Two Archer/Crossbow/Musket units * Four Warmachine units of two ballista’s and two cannons This scenario follows the same winning conditions as per the standard rules.

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River Crossing
Player One: Story Reinforcements arrived today. We have been able to push the enemy back from the castle gates to the river. Due to the recent heavy rainfall the banks of the river have become a quagmire making movement difficult. The enemy have reached the opposite bank thanks to the boats they had previously hidden in the reeds. We now have to try to reach the bridge and hold it before our enemy does but this quagmire is really slowing us down; hopefully they are having the same problems as we are. ************************************* Player Two: Story We have had news that reinforcements should arrive by morning; we have been pushed back to the riverbank. Luckily our commander’s foresight meant that we had boats hidden and were able to cross the river quickly. For now we have camped here and the enemy have made camp on the other bank, they have received reinforcements already, we pray ours will arrive in time. Whatever happens we must reach the bridge and take it before our enemy does.

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River Crossing - Ruleset
Deployment: Standard This game takes place with both sides either side of a river/marsh/swamp. Players must attempt to cross the river via a bridge in the centre of the map. The bridge should allow a minimum of two units to pass through. The winner of the game is the player who can cross the most units to the other player’s deployment zone The Road Maps rule is not available in this scenario.

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Castle Siege
Player One: Story We hold the fort; if we can stave off this next attack then victory is in sight! The enemy have surrounded us but we have plenty of provisions should this turn into a long siege. Now we have the fort we must hold. Orders have gone out to reinforce all vantage points, our heavy weapons and archers have been deployed. I have wandered through the courtyards and there is a cheerful atmosphere amongst the people. Men are sat about cleaning their armour and sharpening their weapons, the women are bustling to and fro with ale and meat for the table, victory is in the air. ************************************* Player Two: Story We must finish this war by burning the fort down and killing the leader. Our commanders are in conference, and using all the information our intelligence has, are trying to find a weakness in the fort defences. If this next attack goes well we could finally see an end to this war. The troops are restless; some think a siege would be our best option, mutterings of, “Let’s starve them out” can be heard throughout the camp. The younger more impatient troops want to attack the gate and try to defeat the enemy in a fast brutal attack. Whatever we say it is up to our commanders which line we take. By morning we will know the way we to go.

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Castle Siege- Ruleset
Deployment: To be played on a 6ft x 4ft board.

As can be seen from the image; the Defender of the castle should begin deployment within the walls of the castle. The Attacker can deploy all around the table edge but at a modified 6” from the edge of the board not 12”. As not all castles are built in the centre of a field where an attacker can attack from all sides, some players may prefer to place the castle against the edge/s of the board, representing a river or mountain face ‘behind’ the keep; therefore the Attacker’s deployment zone should be adjusted to the opposite sides of the board; this can limit the Attacker to only two sides of the board to deploy in. The Defender always goes first in this scenario. All defending Warmachines should be placed on towers, or other high areas of the castle. The Defending player can choose to put the main gate door open or closed on deployment; leaving the door open allows all players to travel in and out of the keep without hindrance. The Road Maps rule is not available in this scenario.

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Castle specifications: The castle must have one main gate (5” wide). The castle must be at least 2ft x 2ft in size (height is irrelevant). Gameplay differences: As the scenario suggests; the Defending player’s armies are scattered or in hiding, therefore the Attacking player must now destroy the enemy commander with all their might. To represent this, the Attacking player receives 20% more points to add to their army list. The aim of this scenario is to kill the Defending commander within four turns. To do this however, the Attacking player must breach the walls and/or destroy the door before they can get to the enemy commander. This is achieved by sending one infantry/cavalry unit to within 1” of the door/wall. This unit can do nothing for one whole turn as they are too busy sabotaging/laying ladders onto the citadel, once a whole turn has passed; the wall/door is destroyed*. If the Attacker cannot spare a mobile unit, then a catapult or cannon can destroy the gate/wall; but then five successful hits must be taken on that section of wall or door before it crumbles. Once the wall/door has been taken down, the Attacking/Defending player can now move ‘through’ the wall or door as normal with all units.

*If the sabotaging unit is killed during the turn, the wall/door has been successfully defended.

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No Mercy/Total Annihilation
Player One: Story The battle has moved on. Our troops hold one side of the town and the enemy holds the other. Our leader has informed us that tomorrow we will meet our enemy for the last time on the battle field. This time we fight to the death. The camp is hushed, muffled sobbing can be heard from the women’s quarters; the men sit in silence checking their arms and armour. Tension fills the air as we wait for dawn to break. ************************************* Player Two: Story We can see our enemy on the other side of town. The last battle did not go as well as we would have wished. Victory is in the balance but tomorrow is the final push. The commanders mingle with the troops giving encouragement to their men. Everything is checked and rechecked, weapons are ready, armour repaired, and a basic meal fills our bellies. There will be no laughter or celebrations tonight. The men comfort their wives and the veterans offer the younger advice. We all know that tomorrow we must do or die...

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No Mercy/Total AnnihilationRuleset
Deployment: There is no ‘No Man’s Land’ for this scenario. Players deploy up to the centre of their half of the board.

Gameplay differences: The No Mercy/Total Annihilation scenario represents the very beginning of two sides about to meet in melee combat. The winning condition for this scenario is to survive. Once a player has lost all of their units, that player has lost the game. This game has no set number of turns. No Mercy/Total Annihilation scenario works better if players begin the game with more points than a standard Empires game.

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Trade Route
Player One/Two: Story The messengers arrived yesterday with pleas for reinforcements to be sent. We have discussed the situation at great length and the consensus is that it would be better to send troops along the caravan routes with the caravans. This is the fastest route to the battle and the cover of the trade caravans may help keep us hidden from the enemy. The troops have been issued with weapons and disguises and assigned to a caravan. Some of the women and children have asked to join their men folk and the commanders have agreed as this will help with the disguise. It will be strange travelling with our women folk rather than them tagging along behind.

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Trade Route- Ruleset
Deployment: The game uses the standard deployment found in any of the Empires rulebooks. The Road Maps rule is not available in this scenario. The Defending player should have three trade caravans in their deployment zone at the start of the game. Trade Caravan rules Lives: 5 . Movement 8” A caravan cannot march Shooting N/A

Melee:

Empires 100%

Empires D10 6+

Empires D20: 12+

Three attacks per caravan; counts as wearing Heavy Armour A Caravan has the Never Fall Back special rule Gameplay differences: The Defender must protect all trade caravan/s (a chariot model will suffice) from the attacking force by advancing the caravans to the other side of the board. The Attacker must destroy all trade caravan/s within 6 turns. If no player is able to save or destroy all of the trade caravans, the game ends in a draw.

A small scale Trade Route scenario has three trade caravans; a large scale scenario would have up to nine trade caravans.

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Variations for each scenario
To vary each scenario, players can change the points allowed for each battle; this will affect the game dramatically. Players could have the same number of points, or, in the case of Castle Siege, a lower point cost for the defender; this can be used if one player is winning a high number of games in a campaign. The battle sizes are as followed:  Skirmish: A small 1500 point game that uses the Unit Points winning conditions found in the Empires: Core Rules rulebook. Battle: A standard 3000 point game that uses the Unit Points winning conditions found in the Empires: Core Rules rulebook.





All Out War: A large 8000 point game that uses the Unit Points winning conditions found in the Empires: Core Rules rulebook.

These point limits are a guideline only. Some scenarios can also be adapted to involve the winning conditions from the Empires: Core Rules rulebook, i.e. Capture the Flag, if both players score five points each, but one player gained more unit points than the other team, that player is the winner.

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War of Life Gaming- Living Rulebook
At War of Life Gaming, we hope that this Campaign Scenario pack shows you the different number of ways to play an Empires game, or possibly give ideas to use for other wargaming systems. If you have downloaded this scenario pack from Wargame Vault, and not yet played an Empires game, we hope this has introduced you into the Empires series and that you may soon join the many others who enjoy the series, whether it is the diced versions (D10,D20) or the diceless version. At War of Life Gaming, we welcome all suggestions from fellow wargamers, so if you have any ideas for scenarios we could add, or just want to leave a comment for us, it would be our pleasure to read them. Contact us via email at: [email protected]

The Empires rules and the Campaign Scenarios are registered copyright to Dominic Basta, who has given permission to the War of Life Gaming System Organisation to use these rule sets. Registered copyright given in the UK. Registered copyright is international. All Rights Reserved .

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