Tag: Game Development

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Promethium War Campaign Wrap Up – Did it Work?

Back in April and May I ran a narrative Kill Team event called Promethium War. We had 12 players all fighting over the Promethium rich world of Pyrothis V. The aim of the campaign was to keep it simple, push the narrative side of the game and see what it is like to run an experience like this. I purposely kept it short at 4 weeks so that I could dip my toe in the water and understand what works and what doesn’t. Of course, I also wanted to make sure people at the club were really interested.

Did it work and what lessons did I learn? Lets find out.

What Worked?

To start with we had 12 club goers sign up for the campaign. So there was real interest in the narrative side of the game. People were excited about giving more meaning to their casual Wednesday night games.

Having factions and teams working together created lots of banter and feedback from the participants rated this as an enjoyable part of the whole experience. The exception to this was the different win conditions for the Xenos team, which didn’t really work as well as I had hoped.

Most of the players really engaged with the narrative elements of the campaign and wrote up fun battle reports. They weren’t shy about putting their own spin on the campaign events, resulting in some really creative additions.

All in all, lots of engagement, fun banter and some great narrative. An all round win. However, there were some elements that could have gone better.

Close fought battle from week 4

What Didn’t Work?

As mentioned above the Xenos faction win condition was confusing and actually difficult to pull off. To their credit the Xenos players leaned into it well, but if I were to do it again I would have their win condition be more aligned with the other two factions.

Scoring was based only on wins. Looking back, I think that points should be scored for playing games as well, not just the win. this encourages players to get more games in and removes the sting of defeat a little.

During Promethium War all the narrative elements were collected as stories in the discord and the weekly campaign journal. Having a map would have grounded the games even more with actual territory being fought over. Whether this needs actual mechanics associated with it or stays as a tool to aid the narrative remains to be seen.

In my set up of the campaign I added a couple of bespoke crit ops. However, I feel like I missed a trick here. Having a strong of specific ops can really help tell the story of the campaign. The scientist mission I included was a real hit. Having things like this that deviate from the regular game set up gave additional life to the campaign.

Campaign Journal

Inspired by the old Necromunda newsletters from the 1990s White Dwarf magazine, I wrote a series of campaign journals. These were intended to tell the story of the campaign, including results and missions. These took a fair bit of work to compile and I’m not sure that the players really engaged with them. From an effort/reward point of view I’m not sure they are worth it. Next time I think I will do something similar but a lot shorter.

If you want to follow the campaign here are the journals from Week 1 to the finale:

Promethium Wars Journal 1Download
Promethium Wars Journal 2Download
Promethium Wars Journal 3Download
Promethium Wars Journal 4Download
Promethium Wars Journal 5 (final results)Download

Lessons Learned from Promethium War

From my own experience and from my player survey there are a few things I’d do next time. these include:

  • Include a map to fight over (though with limited mechanics)
  • Keep multiple factions, but keep win conditions more aligned
  • Appoint Faction Captains to encourage engagement and narrative
  • Include secret missions for Factions to give a sense of mystery
  • Have a specific mission for each week that follows the arc of the campaign
  • Include environmental rules to make battles feel different
  • Have a reduced campaign journal, rely on players and captains to provide the narrative
  • Include specific events during the campaign with special missions and multiplayer games to maintain interest and give different experiences throughout
  • Make it longer than 4 weeks to give more of a feeling of a larger scale campaign.

Final Thoughts on Promethium War

Did Promethium War work? Yes it did. The players were engaged and had fun, which is after all the purpose of the whole experience. Additionally I learned a lot about the effort required and other things that the players were looking for.

Would I run another narrative campaign? Definitely! Would I recommend running your own narrative campaign? Definitely again. However, the set up does take quite a bit of work. Watching players engage with your material and make it there own is a very satisfying experience.

While writing this I already have the makings of the next campaign already forming. Get ready for Succession War (working title) later in the year. Cant wait to see what story emerges.

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Planning a Kick-Ass D&D Campaign with Minimal Effort

Planning a Dungeons & Dragons campaign can feel overwhelming, especially for Dungeon Masters who want to keep their preparation time manageable. However, by borrowing concepts from Dungeon World Fronts and embracing minimalist planning, you can create a dynamic, player-driven experience that feels rich and engaging without requiring hours of prep work. I use this methodology in many of my own campaigns and I can say from experience that it works a treat.

What Are Dungeon World Fronts?

Dungeon World, a narrative-driven RPG, uses Fronts as a way to organize campaign threats and storylines without rigid scripting. Instead of planning each session in detail, you create major factions, events, and dangers that will evolve naturally based on player actions. These Fronts act as living forces in the world, ensuring the story unfolds dynamically.

Step 1: Define Your Fronts

A Front is a significant force or conflict that drives the game’s narrative. Examples include:

  • A Rising Cult – A mysterious order gathers followers to summon an ancient deity.
  • A Warlord’s Ambition – A power-hungry warlord seeks to conquer the region.
  • A Failing Empire – The once-great kingdom crumbles due to internal corruption.
  • A Forgotten Curse – An ancient evil begins to stir beneath the land.

Each Front has:

  1. A Core Threat – The central danger or goal of the Front.
  2. Grim Portents – Steps showing how the Front advances if unchecked.
  3. Impending Doom – The final, catastrophic outcome if players fail to intervene.

It is best to have 2-3 Fronts in play. This creates interesting moral dilemmas for the players. Do we find the rising cults source of power, or stop the Warlords ambition in the border lands? Combatting one will leave the other unchecked for a time and closer to reaching it’s impending doom.

Example of Dungeon World fronts used for a Castle Ravenloft campaign

Step 2: Keep Session Prep Minimal

Instead of spending hours scripting intricate encounters, use situation-based preparation:

  • What’s Happening Right Now? – Consider what the antagonists are currently doing.
  • What Might Happen Next? – Think about the logical consequences of past events.
  • What Questions Need Answers? – Let player curiosity drive exploration.

This method of play does require getting comfortable with improvisation. For some tips on upping your improve game you can check out my previous article on the subject.

Step 3: Build NPCs and Factions, Not Plots

Rather than rigid story arcs, create motivated NPCs with clear goals. If you establish what each faction or villain wants, they will naturally push the world forward, reacting to the players’ choices.

This keeps the game very fluid and flexible. It will actually create intricate and compelling stories without the rigidity and time spent on creating these beforehand.

Step 4: Use Player Backstories for Hooks

Weave your players’ backgrounds into the campaign. A character’s lost sibling, old rival, or mysterious prophecy can become central elements of the story, creating organic engagement without extra planning.

Step 5: Let the World React

One of the best ways to keep a campaign like this engaging is to make the world feel alive. To do that use the following:

  • Actions Have Consequences – If players ignore a threat, it advances.
  • Factions and NPCs Adapt – Enemies respond to failures and successes.
  • The Story Evolves – The campaign unfolds based on player choices, not a fixed script.

Final Thoughts

By using Dungeon World Fronts, embracing minimal prep, and letting players drive the story, you can create a rich, immersive D&D campaign without hours of meticulous planning. While this type of campaign can seem too freewheeling, it does in fact take less effort while creating adventures that the players get fully engaged with. By focusing on dynamic factions, evolving conflicts, and player-driven narratives, and you’ll have an unforgettable game that practically runs itself.

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The Downside of Darkvision: It Takes the Fear Out of D&D

Darkness has always been a powerful storytelling tool, evoking mystery, fear, and uncertainty. It limits perception, raises tension, and forces players to make choices based on limited information. However, in Dungeons & Dragons, Darkvision—a trait possessed by many races—often removes that tension entirely, making darkness little more than a minor inconvenience. I believe that the prevalence of characters with Darkvision greatly diminishes the immersive horror and suspense that darkness is meant to bring to the game.

The Problem with Darkvision

Here are a few of the issues I have with Darkvision.

  1. Eliminates the Fear of the Unknown – In a game where exploration and mystery are key elements, darkness should be a real obstacle. When most of the party can see in the dark, the natural fear of the unknown is drastically reduced. Instead of inducing tension at the table, entering what should be a forbidding cavemouth becomes rather meaningless.
  2. Renders Torches and Light Spells Unnecessary – Traditionally, adventurers needed torches, lanterns, or spells like Light to navigate the depths of dungeons. But when the majority of the party has Darkvision, these become redundant, reducing strategic planning and logistical concerns. The decision to risk going deeper with a limited number of light resources is now completely gone.
  3. Breaks Immersion in Horror and Survival Themes – Darkness should be oppressive and unsettling, especially in horror or survival-focused campaigns. When creatures lurking in the dark can be seen as easily as those in daylight, that eerie sense of tension disappears. Think of the film Alien. You hardly ever see the monster, instead only suggestions of it. This keeps the sense of fear really high. Fully revealing the monster evaporates the fear.
  4. Unfair to Humans and Other Non-Darkvision Races – In most campaigns, humans and other races without Darkvision are at a clear disadvantage. This often leads to everyone choosing a Darkvision-capable race to avoid being the only one struggling in the dark.
Alien uses the dark to great effect. Use films like this for inspiration for your own games.

How to Restore the Fear of the Dark

If you want to bring back the eerie uncertainty of darkness in your D&D game, consider the following house rules and strategies.

  1. Make Darkness More Than Just Visibility – Even with Darkvision, creatures might have trouble distinguishing details, reading text, or perceiving color. Enforce these limitations more strictly to make darkness feel more oppressive.
  2. Introduce Supernatural Darkness – Spells like Darkness create magical darkness that Darkvision cannot penetrate. Incorporating such effects more often makes light sources necessary.
  3. Limit the Effectiveness of Darkvision – In my home games we house-rule that Darkvision only allows creatures to see in grayscale, with reduced clarity and range. This forces players to rely on additional light sources for full visibility.
  4. Use Monsters That Thrive in Darkness – Creatures like Shadow Demons or Underdark predators (e.g. shadows, darkmantles and ropers) may have advantages when attacking creatures relying on Darkvision alone. Using ambush tactics and stealthy enemies can make darkness truly threatening again.
  5. Encourage Light Sources for Roleplay and Strategy – Give players reasons to carry torches or lanterns. Maybe certain symbols or texts are only visible under torchlight, or enemies are repelled by bright flames. Reward creativity in using light as a tool, rather than letting Darkvision replace it entirely.

Final Thoughts on Darkvision

Darkness should be more than just a mild inconvenience—it should be a challenge that adds depth and immersion to your D&D game. Darkvision ruins this. By reintroducing the unknown, enforcing visibility limitations, and making darkness more than just a lack of light, you can bring back the tension and excitement of exploring the shadows. After all, what’s an adventure without a little fear of the dark?

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Launching the Promethium Wars: Designing a Narrative Kill Team Campaign

Those who have been reading this blog for a while will know that I love the idea of stories emerging from game play. While this is obvious in games like D&D, I’m also interested in trying to create similar emergent experiences with other game systems. I’m a member of a local wargaming club where we play games of Kill Team and 40K on a weekly basis. I think there’s something special about a wargaming campaign that tells a story. Not one written in advance, but one that emerges—slowly, chaotically, gloriously—from the dice rolls, the table banter, and the narrative fragments players build together. With that in mind I volunteered to run a narrative campaign for the group. As a result, Promethium Wars, a narrative Kill Team campaign, was born.

I wanted something simple enough to run with minimal admin, but rich enough to spark real engagement amongst the participants. Something where a quick game on a weeknight could feel like part of a bigger war. Games would no longer be transactional affairs, but rather threads forming a larger narrative. And with twelve players already signed up—divided evenly across the Imperial, Chaos, and Xenos factions—it’s clear the idea has struck a chord.

Design Principles

Narrative and Emergent Storytelling were at the core of the campaign design. I didn’t want to script the campaign’s twists and turns. Instead, each week’s outcomes will steer the story. Players can dive in as much (or as little) as they want—whether that means writing full-blown battle reports, communicating in character or just rolling dice and watching the story evolve.

To keep things light and playable for everyone, I leaned into the principle of Limited Admin. No complicated map-tracking or bookkeeping for the campaign manager (me) or the players. Just clear weekly themes, short prompts, and a shared space for storytelling. Every game counts, but you don’t need to log three hours on a spreadsheet for it to matter. The minimum admin for each participant is to log game results and send them to me. Of course, if the players get really into the game the Discord server should begin to grow with narrative reports and banter, but it is not a requirement.

Each faction has its own win condition, giving players a reason to show up and push their agenda forward. The Chaos and Imperial factions want control of Pyrothis V and must win the most number of games. The Xenos faction, who can fight for either side, wants to grind both enemies down to an ineffective stalemate, wins if the Chaos and Imperial sides are effectively tied (two points difference). Regardless of the game mission being played, there’s always a motive. The stakes are casual but meaningful—exactly the balance I was aiming for.

My Imperial Navy Breacher Team, ready to help rescue Pyrothis V.

Structure and Themes

The last principle was Short Campaign Length. I don’t want the campaign to fizzle out. Keeping it short ensures that the high energy at the start can be maintained. Short, sharp, explosive. I hope that this will keep the players coming back for more campaigns in the future.

Therefore, the campaign unfolds over four weeks, with a new theme each week to guide missions and inspire storytelling. These themes won’t constrain players—they’re meant to be narrative fuel. Players are encouraged to run games when and how they like, as long as it fits the week’s vibe. The four themes are:

  • Week 1: Infiltration and Sabotage
  • Week 2: Open Conflict
  • Week 3: Firestorms and Disaster
  • Week 4: Final Gambit

Once reports begin trickling in from the front lines, I’ll be putting together a short newsletter each week to highlight key developments, turning points, and of course, the faction scores.

For more detail on the background, win conditions and campaign set up, you can download the players pack below:

Kill Team Narrative Campaign_Promethium Wars_Player PackDownload

A Living, Breathing War

Perhaps the most exciting part of any narrative kill team campaign is the player energy. Already, folks are crafting characters, naming squads, and giving them relevant back stories. And while there’s no pressure to write stories, every player is invited to contribute. These tales—written, spoken, or just shared at the table—are what will give the campaign its true shape.

Ultimately, Promethium Wars is a story we’re writing together. And the pen happens to be shaped like a bolter.

Final Thoughts on Narrative Kill Team Campaign Design

The campaign is started mid April and will run to mid May. I’m aiming to learn from this experience to hone the opportunity for emergent narrative play and see what comes out. Depending on the actions of the players I’m considering running a multiplayer finale to cement the end of the campaign. But the fact that this is an emergent experience I guess I’ll have to wait and see how the whole thing pans out.

Once the campaign has finished, I’ll post the results along with any lessons learned from the experience.

To find out how the campaign went and to read the weekly journals check out my summary post here.

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New Scenarios for MartyCon 2025

Martycon 2025 starts today! This is a mini weekend long convention of my friends involving lots of game playing and enjoying rural Western Australia. This has been running for three years now and last year was a blast! As with last year I have volunteered to run another multiplayer Space Weirdos game for the crew. My mind is always full of scenario and campaign ideas so instead of one scenario, I’ve dreamed up two. One longer and more involved, while the second is a quicker more brutal affair. I’ve also made sure to tie them narratively into my Mordax Prime setting.

As always these are multiplayer affairs and I try to include a mix of immersion, differing objectives and emergent play. I really want to maximize the engagement of the players, giving them fun and different experiences each time.

Scenario 1: Void Ship Boarding Action

For my main scenario of the weekend I wanted to continue one of the more recent Mordax Prime narratives; the manifestation of a Saint on Helios Magna. Additionally, I wanted to replicate the tight confines of a boarding action in a 40K setting. We pick up the story where the villainous Ferrymen seek to escape the system in their ship, only to be boarded by the pursuing Imperials.

Setting the Scene

With a roar of void engines the Revenant bore away from the world of Helios Magna. The blighted Ferrymen and their cargo were safely on board, and it was time to strike for home. Mad Claw stalked the bridge nervously, the authorities would be on to them soon enough and he needed to escape fast. Raiding in the heart of an Imperial system was decidedly not his style, he preferred isolated settlements or orbitals. But the rewards offered by the Ferrymen were too good to be ignored and worth the risk. So, he had thought at the time.

Klaxons screeched over the vox system, enemy ship closing. But from where? The adversary must have been jamming his sensors. Mad Claw realized that his pursuers had much faster ships than anticipated. Though hardened and battle tested, the Revenant was no speedster. Intrigued, he squinted at the viewing screen pausing as what he saw sank in. Chilling his blackened soul. While not large, the enemy vessel was painted black and red with the stylized I emblazoned on its foredeck. Inquisition. With a roar Mad Claw bellowed commands, sending crew and servitors alike scurrying to position. It would take all his guile and cunning to escape this trap.

=][=

Aboard the Strike Ship Purgator’s Blessing Inquisitor Jaegermann watched the pirate vessel draw closer. His teams failure in the Drula Sector of Helios Magna had enraged him. But on reflection, fighting a three-way battle to the objective had been his error. Hurriedly he made amends with the understandably angry Prioress of the Veiled Light.

A team of Lancet marines and Battle Sisters supported by a contingent of Inquisitorial storm troopers stood by as the Purgator’s Blessing closed the distance. They could not let these foul heretics escape with the so-called Saint. Who knew what the Ferrymen had in store for the poor unfortunate. A green globe flashed rapidly on the control slate and Jaegermann smiled grimly. Time to bring these wretches into the Emperors Light.

With a lurch the boarding torpedoes released, speeding towards their prey.

Objective

This will be a team game, fought under time pressure. The Imperials have two objectives:

  • Capture the “Saint” and get them off the enemy vessel within 4 turns
  • Damage the Geller field generator to provide an additional 2 turns of game time

The Chaos players must prevent this from happening, allowing their ship and it’s cargo to escape the system.

Each team will have a secret objective as well, to add a little spice to the game.

Teams

The game will revolve around two teams of three players.

Imperial

  • Inquisitorial Lancet Hereticus space marines intent on getting revenge on the Ferrymen
  • Sisters of Battle team tasked with retrieving the “Saint”
  • Imperial naval troopers tasked with knocking out the Geller Field Generator

Chaos

  • Ferrymen Plague marines who need the “Saint” to enact a terrible ritual
  • Captain Mad Claw and his pirates who wants his ship kept in one piece
  • First Mate Chaos mutant Head Bustin Billy who wants to destroy as many Imperial boarders as possible

Set Up

The board will be relatively small and full of tight corridors with lots of twists and turns. I want it to feel like the claustrophobic interior of a sprawling spaceship. The Imperials will deploy in the upper right of the board while the Chaos pirates can deploy anywhere else.

Not only that, but the Chaos players will get two objective tokens representing the saint, one real and one false.

Imperials go first.

Sisters of Battle intent on getting their Saint back!

Scenario 2: Under Hive Raid

The second scenario is based more along the lines of the inter gang conflicts of the underhive. It is an asymmetric scenario that should last for just over an hour. I have just finished painting my Adeptus Arbites kill team and wanted to use these 40K lawgivers in a game. The key here was to have an asymmetric game. The outnumbered lawmen on one side and the chaotic, are they allies are they not, gangers on the other.

Setting the Scene

The under-hive gangs of Kasanaan Tertius in the southern hemisphere of Helios Magna are revolting. The Adeptus Arbites have sent enforcers to stamp down on this insurrection. We are playing one such encounter. A small team of Arbites attempts to capture/kill crews of gangers hoping to make their escape from the kill zone.

Objectives

The game lasts for 4 rounds with the players split as follows. Two Arbites players working together, each with a team of 2 stronger operatives. Four or more gang players working individually, each with a crew of 3 weaker gangers. Scoring will work differently for each.

Arbites (collective points)

  • 1 point for each ganger taken out of action by Arbites personnel

Gangers (individual points)

  • 2 points for each crew member escaping off the opposite side of the board
  • 1 point for each Arbites taken out of action by your team
  • 1 point for each opposition ganger taken out of action by your team

Set Up

The battlefield will be set up to represent the warren of industrial tunnels that make up the under hive. Gangs will set up on the right hand edge, hoping to escape from the left side. The Adeptus Arbites will set up in the left hand half of the board ready to capture as many gangers as possible.

To add additional flavour the players will name their gangs and Arbites fire teams.

For those who play space weirdos the stats for this game are as follows:

If an Arbites moves next to a downed/staggered model and takes an action – it is manacled and considered out of action

Final Thoughts

I’m really looking forward to running both of these new scenarios at Martycon 2025. They are both filled with opportunity for emergent narrative to explode. Faction rivalries and player inventiveness is bound to make for memorable games.

Once the dust has settled I will report on how they went and any lessons learned.