MartyCon was just around the corner and I had promised to run a multiplayer Space Weirdos game. I wanted to double down on the 40K style Inquisitor games, where alliances were uncertain and every protagonist had their own agenda. I love the 40K universe and all the infighting portrayed in their fiction and I’ve played with this concept before. So I really went for it this time. Here is what I came up with.
The Premise: Everyone Has a Plan. None of Them Align.
The scenario uses the gloriously lean and kinetic ruleset of Space Weirdos. This meant that the game would be fast and brutal. Every player had their own secret primary and secondary objectives, all interlocking and clashing. I had planned for chaos.
The setting: The Virellion (Imperial Governors) estate
The cast: 9+ players.
Each player controls:
- 1 Character
- 1 Sidekick
- 2 Secret Objectives
This means that everyone’s go will be quick, keeping downtime for non active players to a minimum.
Some of the Factions & Objectives
- The Governor
Objective: Escape the palace alive with your priceless artefact. - Security Chief
Objective: Keep the Governor and his daughter alive at all costs. - Cultist Leader
Objective: Kill the Governor. - Governor’s Daughter
Objective: Usurp (kill) the Governor. - Rogue Trader
Objective: Steal the Necron artefact, protect the Governors daughter. - Rebel Lieutenant
Objective: Free the imprisoned genestealer. - Inquisitor
Objective: Defend the genestealer (for future experiments) and kill all cultists. - Mad Priest
Objective: Kill the Inquisitor.
While there may be obvious teams to start with. These are just temporary and everyone know betrayal is just around the corner, only they don’t know which one.
Design for Collision, Not Balance
I’ve experienced multiplayer games where players spend too long maneuvering politely around each other. I wanted the action to begin right from the word go. So I needed to force proximity.
The objectives would create tension, but placing the teams fairly close would make sure that the action started quickly.
In hindsight this worked well, though the main road in the center of the board did create a bit of a firing lane. In addition I think removing 6″ from the width of the board would have help create even more carnage.
How Did it Play?
All in all we had a blast. I GM’d the game and kept everything moving. I introduced paper and pens so players could send each other secret notes. These added lots of fun for those players waiting for their turns, as well as adding another layer to the uncertainty and chaos.
Shots were fired and one Genestealer cultist got killed in turn one. The Genestealers took a beating and couldn’t get anywhere near their objectives. The Rogue Trader tried to defend the Governors only to get shot for his troubles. The Inquisitor and Mad Priest had a standoff while the Governor was assassinated by his own offspring. Joint winners were the Security Team and the Governors Daughter.
The game only ran for a couple of hours before the winners were declared and we moved on to the next game of the day.
Overall it did run well. However, I think I would tweak the objectives a little to make it a bit more of a maelstrom.
I’ve dropped my very unpolished notes here with the player handouts and a few notes on the board set up.
I’ll be running another multiplayer Space Weirdos in a few months, though next time it will be a more collaborative affair.