In last weeks post I described a recent three player skirmish scenario I designed. You can check out the details here. A couple of friends and I played it through one evening the other week to see how it actually worked. In short, it was amazing fun. But I’m always interested in what I can learn from the experience to take into future games.
The Scenario
A miraculous manifestation has occurred on the planet of Helios Magna. A Saint touched by the power of the God Emperor, has manifested among the ranks of the Adepta Sororitas, but her fate is uncertain. The Inquisition, ever wary of uncontrolled power, has dispatched a team of Lancet Hereticus Space Marines to capture her for interrogation. Meanwhile, a force of Chaos Plague Marines, the Ferrymen, seeks to claim the Saint for a dark ritual, hoping to summon a daemon of the Warp into realspace.
The Sisters of Battle, unaware of what forces are closing in, have fortified their shrine compound to protect the Saint. What follows is a brutal three-way battle where each faction must act quickly to achieve victory.
The protagonists included:
Order of the Veiled Light: crack team of battle sisters tasked with protecting the Saint at all costs. Comprised battle sister and flying assault troops. (Played by Marty)
Lancet Hereticus: Inquisition sponsored space marine fire team sent to capture the Saint to check for heresy and research. Comprised regular marines and a heavy weapons specialist. (Played by Sean)
Ferrymen: Small plague marine raider unit intent on capturing the Saint for the nefarious aims of the ruinous powers. Comprised plague marines and a mutated brother twisted by the rot of Nurgle. (Played by me)
The battlefield from the Battle Sisters side of the table.
How it Played Out
The aim of the three player skirmish scenario was to get the action happening quickly and make sure all three players were engaged throughout. All three factions entered the fray on turn one with frantic positioning as well as shots being exchanged. Initial casualties were quite light.
There was some difficult decision making for all players around how aggressively to go after the scenario objective vs protecting your team. Excitingly, all three factions had control of the Saint at one point in the game only to lose her to an opponent. This meant that the outcome of the game was always in question.
A cinematic brawl involving all three leaders culminated in the Ferryman captain sneaking the Saint away at the last minute to claim victory at the start of turn 6. A win for the nefarious forces of chaos!
Lancet Hereticus gunner observes the battlefield.
What Worked?
We used the One Page Rules skirmish ruleset: Grimdark Firefight, and it worked a treat. Fast, simple gameplay that had all three of us in the swing of things after the first move. With each player taking it in turns to activate a model this kept the game moving fast with no downtime for participants.
The victory conditions and time limit forced all three factions to engage with the objective pretty much immediately. It also kept each player battling on two fronts, no one was left out or ganged up on.
Finally, emergent play. All three players have some understanding of the 40K lore and got behind their faction and it’s aims. This definitely added to the immersion and I think colored some of the decision making as well. The cinematic three way duel by the captains at the end occurred completely emergently adding an awesome conclusion to the battle.
Mad scramble to secure the Saint in the alley next to the shrine compound. Marines, Plague Brothers and Battle Sisters all in attendance.
What Could Have Gone Better?
To be honest, not much. The battle flowed well and kept everyone engaged. The one thing I could have explained better at the start was the victory condition. There was a little confusion about how we achieved the win. We smoothed it out after turn 1, but clarity on this before we started would have helped.
Final Thoughts on Three Player Skirmish
All in all I succeeded in my goal of creating a fun, engaging, equal sided three-person skirmish scenario. The most important part was that we had fun playing. But I’ll be looking to see if I can come up with more three player scenarios in the future.
Of course, this battle now forms part of the Mordax Prime canon, my narrative setting for my 40K inspired gaming. With this victory for the ruinous powers, how will the Imperium authorities react? Will they mount a rescue mission? Or will the Saint become a tool of Chaos? We’ll find out in the next instalment…
Three-player skirmish games can be very tricky to design. Without careful planning, you risk two players ganging up on the third, one player getting stuck waiting for the others to resolve their turns, or the action becoming lopsided. In this scenario, set in the grim darkness of the 41st millennium, I aimed to create a balanced and engaging experience where all three players remained in the thick of the action.
The Scenario: “The Saint’s Fate”
As you probably know, I love adding narrative flavor to my games. Whether D&D or Warhammer an engaging narrative creates much more opportunity for emergent play. I’ve recently developed a loose setting for my 40K inspired games as a way to develop an interesting and ongoing narrative. Consequently, I wanted to set this scenario in the same setting. For more information on Mordax Prime follow the link here. As for the scenario…
A miraculous manifestation has occurred. A Saint touched by the power of the God Emperor, has manifested among the ranks of the Adepta Sororitas, but her fate is uncertain. The Inquisition, ever wary of uncontrolled power, has dispatched a team of Lancet Hereticus Space Marines to capture her for interrogation. Meanwhile, a force of Chaos Plague Marines, the Ferrymen, seeks to claim the Saint for a dark ritual, hoping to summon a daemon of the Warp into realspace.
The Sisters of Battle, unaware of what forces are closing in, have fortified their shrine compound to protect the Saint. What follows is a brutal three-way battle where each faction must act quickly to achieve victory.
Board Setup
Board Size: 3ft x 3ft
The Saint: Begins inside the shrine compound, positioned on one half of the board.
Deployment:
Sisters of Battle are entrenched in and around the shrine compound.
The Lancet Hereticus Space Marines deploy in one corner opposite the shrine.
The Chaos Plague Marines deploy in the other opposite corner.
Table deployment map
Victory Conditions
At the start of Turn 4, an escape shuttle may arrive at the compound on a roll of 5 or 6.
Each turn after that, the roll threshold decreases (4+ on Turn 5, 3+ on Turn 6, etc.).
The player who has control of the Saint and gets her to the escape shuttle wins the game.
Note that the Saint begins in the possession of the Sisters of Battle.
Key Design Features
1. Balanced Start & Player Equality
The two marine factions begin an equal distance from the objective (the Saint in the shrine), ensuring no player has an immediate advantage.
Sisters of Battle start in a strong defensive position but must react to two incoming threats.
Both invading forces must contend with the Sisters and each other.
2. Quick Action & Continuous Engagement
The short board size (3ft x 3ft) ensures combat starts early, preventing long movement phases where nothing happens.
The Sisters’ defensive position means they will likely be fighting by Turn 1.
Since the Saint is stationary at the beginning, players must maneuver aggressively and fight over control.
The time limit ensures that all players must take action in order to win.
3. Preventing “Two vs. One” Situations
Both the Inquisition and Chaos forces have competing objectives, preventing an easy alliance.
The victory condition forces all players to engage—hoarding forces in a corner will not secure a win.
The randomized escape shuttle arrival means players must remain flexible; camping a spot isn’t a viable strategy.
Final Thoughts on the Three Player Scenario
This three player scenario creates a dynamic battlefield where all players are constantly engaged. It prevents downtime, discourages ganging up, and forces strategic decision-making. The next blog post will explore how this scenario played out in actual gameplay—did it live up to expectations, or were there unexpected twists? Stay tuned!
Title image is Sister of Battle by Anna Steinbauer. For more of her awesome art visit her site here.
One of things I love about Dungeons and Dragons campaigns is the worldbuilding. Particularly when the world advances and changes through the player actions and creativity. My long standing Salkire campaign evolved from a ruined city to a huge world with kingdoms, factions and villains vying for attention. All formed through gameplay and collaboration between my players and me, as DM. Over the last couple of years I have rediscovered sci fi wargaming with a particular focus on Warhammer 40K lore. I discovered the incredible Corvus Cluster, a long running blog tying together a groups games into one long running and immersive campaign. Ultimately, not too dissimilar to a long term D&D campaign really. Using this as inspiration I wanted to do similar worldbuilding for my own 40K inspired games. Mordax Prime is the result.
What is Mordax Prime
Mordax Prime a sector of space in the Warhammer 40K universe that I have developed as a narrative backdrop for my 40K inspired games. While I have retrofitted some of my previous games into this Sector, future games will be informed by and change the setting. My hope is that the setting begins to take a life of it’s own. Dictated by the outcomes of games and player actions. As mentioned previously this is narrative focused, providing colour and setting to our games. Players will know that game outcomes will have impact and I hope that this will add flavour not present in a normal game.
Star chart of Mordax Prime. A good starting place.
The Mordax Sector begins the campaign under Imperial control. Of course, this is likely to change as the narrative progresses.
Current Worlds
These were easy to develop using AI prompts as well as additions from my own imagination. I knew that I needed Luthca IV and a jungle death world, based on previous skirmish games I’d run. Other than that I was open to other 40K tropes like the forge and hive worlds. The last addition was the navy watch station. As I’d had pirate captain Mad Claw make an appearance in a game I want to explore this narrative a bit more. An Imperial naval port is exactly the location needed to help it play out in an exciting way.
So far, Mordax Prime comprises the following worlds. Of course new worlds and clusters may appear over time as the narrative dictates. As you can see from the descriptions below there is plenty of scope for conflict already.
Helios Magna (Hive World and Sector capital)
Description: A sprawling, industrial hive world teeming with millions of souls and the Administratum center for the system. Its vast manufactorums supply weapons and armor for the Imperial Guard. The towering spires of the hive cities are hotspots for intrigue and rebellion, making it a critical point of interest for both Imperial and Chaos forces.
Strategic Importance: Helios Magna’s output is vital for sustaining Imperial war efforts. Control of this planet secures supply lines and access to vast manpower resources.
Challenges: Frequent underhive uprisings and the ever-present threat of Genestealer Cult infiltration.
Verdantia Prime (Death World)
Description: A lush, verdant world filled with dangerous flora and fauna. The thick jungles are a perfect hiding place for renegades and xenos. It’s rumored to be home to ancient artifacts of great power.
Strategic Importance: Control of Verdantia Prime offers access to rare resources and strategic defensive positions. It’s also a key site for potential xeno-archaeological discoveries. Thought to house a top secret Dark Angels training facility.
Challenges: Navigating treacherous terrain and dealing with constant ambushes from Tyranid bioforms or feral Chaos cultists.
Aetherion V (Forge World)
Description: A heavily fortified forge world, Aetherion V is known for its production of advanced weaponry and vehicles. It is a linchpin in the sector’s defenses, equipped with formidable orbital platforms and ground-based macro-cannons.
Strategic Importance: Control of Aetherion V ensures a steady flow of high-quality wargear and defensive capabilities. It’s also a prime target for sabotage by the Chaos Space Marines.
Challenges: Infiltration by Chaos cults and the risk of large-scale conflicts breaking out in its production facilities.
Luthca IV (Industrial World)
Description: Highly productive factorium world built over ancient ruins. Supplies nearby sectors with manufacturing and agricultural machinery. Caches of archaeotech are thought to lie hidden deep within the Cinder Desert and in the roots of the hive cities.
Strategic Importance: While of lower manufacturing importance than Luminara Secundus, Luthca IV is the focus of many expeditions looking for ancient artefacts thought to provide great power..
Challenges: Both Chaos cults and Xenos vie with Imperial and Mechanicus agents in the search for forbidden tech. It is also rumoured that a Chaos gate lies buried deep beneath Hive Secundo.
Watchpoint Epsilon (Imperial Port)
Description: Key naval station providing patrols of nearby warp lanes.
Strategic Importance: Home of Watchfleet Epsilon, key in the defense of the Sector and nearby warp lanes.
Challenges: Seen as a backwater posting has led to dissatisfaction and potential heresy amongst some of the officer cadre.
Luminara Secundus (Pleasure World/Trade Hub)
Description: Known for its beautiful landscapes and luxury, Luminara Secundus serves as a retreat for the sector’s elite and a bustling trade hub. Its relative tranquility makes it an ideal location for diplomacy or covert operations.
Strategic Importance: Though less militarized, control of Luminara Secundus provides economic leverage and a base for Rogue Traders. It also serves as a critical node for intelligence gathering.
Challenges: The planet’s affluence attracts both political machinations from Imperial Nobles and covert infiltration by Chaos agents.
Active Factions
A number of factions are thought to be active within Mordax Prime. These are listed below with significant personalities coming from previous games and player invention.
Inquisition: Rooting out heresy and maintaining order.
Inquisitor Jaegermann: Ordo Hereticus seeking out daemonic influences with the Imperial hierarchy.
Rogue Traders: Seeking profit and ancient relics.
Benedictus Sixtus: notorious Rogue Trader known to play all sides. Fond of tall tales.
Imperial Nobles: Defending their estates and political power.
The Duchess: Leader of the most powerful family on Helios Magna.
Sisters of Battle: Purging heretics and xenos.
Enclave of the Veiled Light: Located on Helios Magna.
Space Marines: Responding to major threats with precision strikes.
Dark Angels: Secret training base in the jungles of Verdantia Prime.
Lancet Hereticus: Elements of this Inquisition controlled chapter thought to be active in this sector.
Imperial Guard: Garrisoning key locations and mounting large-scale defenses.
Tyranids: Emerging from hidden bio-ships, consuming everything in their path.
Possibly identified on Verdantia Prime. Thought to be connected to the researches of the late radical Inquisitor Tiberious Glaze.
Genestealer Cult: Sowing rebellion from within.
Heralds of the Star Children: active on Luthca IV, threat level high. Currently being investigated by Dark Angels and agents of the Inquisition.
Forces of Chaos: Undermining Imperial control and seeking to bring the sector into the warp.
Acolytes of the Red Mist: active on Luthca IV threat level unknown.
Mad Claw Crew: notorious pirate currently working from a secret location in the Starfire Shallows.
Plenty of scope for interesting battles, with room enough for additional factions as play progresses.
Current Campaign Log
This was a really fun part of the worldbuilding for me. Placing past games into the sector started uncovering links between factions and planets. Consequently, Mordax Prime is beginning to feel more than a map with some planet names. Life has been breathed into it.
356.658.M41 Unrest on Luthca IV
During a period of unrest on Luthca IV an Inquisitor, Enforcers, Planetary Guard, Acolytes of the Red Mist, Mining Guild and Infractionist gangs fought a vicious skirmish. Each group was making the most of the unrest to pursue their own agendas. Ultimately, Inquisitor Jaegermans retinue won the firefight retrieving the infamous Chaos artefact “Belial Goblet”.
Gangers face off in the streets of Luthca IV
357.020.M41 Echoes of Xenos
Located in the nearby Lupin Sector, Rogue Trader Benedictus Sixtus competed with various Inquisitors and Adeptus Mechanicus to retrieve heretical research of the late Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Tiberious Glaze. The battle raged over a number of sectors and moons as the warbands pursued the trail of clues. Despite battling an emergent Xenos threat Sixtus escaped with the research and fled to the Mordax Sector intent on finding a buyer.
Gun servitor covers an Inquisitor as he explores the depths of an orbital gun platform
357.125.M41 Jungle Hunt
Imperial troopers of the navy and guard pursued the downed vessel of the notorious pirate captain Mad Claw into the jungles of the death world Verdantia Prime. A vicious firefight broke out between the renegades and the brave Imperial patrol. The noise of the firefight awoke some xenos terrors of the jungle, who grabbed combatants from both sides from the leafy darkness. Those lost were never seen again. Unfortunately, Mad Claw and his allies applied superior tactics and fought their way to freedom. The Captain and his crew are thought to be hiding in the Starfire Shallows nursing their hunger for revenge.
It is rumoured that some of the research uncovered by Benedictus Sixtus has made its way to the planet surface. But how or why is unknown.
A brave naval trooper hides as a xenos monster stalks the jungle
357.450.M41 Potential Heresy on Helios Magna
A small but lethal force of suspected Dark Angel space marines assaulted an Ecclesiarchy compound on Helios Magna. The garrison of Adepta Sororitas (Order of the Veiled Light) scrambled quickly to defend. However, could not match the firepower of the marines and their formidable dreadnought. By the time reinforcements arrived the Dark Angels had disappeared as mysteriously as they had appeared, their objective unknown.
Dark Angels capture the objective under the heavy yet ineffective fire from the Sisters of Battle
357.556.M41 The Heist: Luthca IV
On the edge of Hive Secundo a multitude of gangs competed to retrieve a dangerous xenos artefact from the convoy of a Mechanicus expedition. What started as a tense standoff erupted into extreme violence as the hivers made and broke alliances while mercilessly blasting one another. Before order could be restored the artefact was opened releasing a powerful daemonic entity onto the planet. Few survivors lived to tell the tale. Yet, the Planetary Governor has requested aid to eliminate the creature.
Tense standoff before the firefight erupted
The warp daemon materializes causing mass panic!
357.790.M41 Verdantia Prime Ambush
A Dark Angels patrol was ambushed by an unidentified xenos threat whilst on a training exercise in an abandoned outpost on Verdantia Prime. The space marines fought with characteristic courage obliterating the opposing force. Needless to say, agents of the Inquisition are currently investigating the source of this surprising incursion. It is rumoured amongst those who know that the xenos threat is connected to the research purloined by Benedictus Sixtus and his crew. This incident has been linked to the Xenos discovered during the pursuit of Mad Claw and his gang.
A group of unidentified xenos approach the Dark Angel position
357.800.M41 Heralds of the Star Children Bomb threat
Local enforcers on Luthca IV uncovered a plot to destroy the primary administratum building on Hive Primus. Members of the Heralds of the Star Children placed a large explosive device with the vicinity. Fortunately, it wasn’t set properly giving a small Dark Angels detachment the chance to intercept.
A vicious firefight erupted within the shadowed streets below the administratum. The Heralds employed a psyker of note giving the space marines a difficult time of things. Fortunately, the heroes of the Imperium killed wiped out the xenos heretics and diffused the bomb, saving the Hive from a terrible fate. Inquisitor Mattias Criese has been assigned the investigation of the rogue psyker and this cult, which are both now more than just minor annoyances.
Children of the Star Children advance through the empty streets intent on reaching the bomb first
357.850.M41 Xenos Hunt
Following the recent thwarted bomb threat on Luthca IV by Dark Angels Forces, Inquisitor Criese has been actively investigating the Heralds of the Star Children. In an effort to prevent any further insurrection the Inquisitor has dispatched a crack team of agents to take out Magos Drevender the revered leader of the cult.
The kill team tracked him down into the depths of Hive Primus. But before they could raid the xenos cult an unseen sentry alerted the Magos. Cult members frenziedly assaulted the agents trying to buy time for their illustrious leader to escape. However, Drevender couldn’t quite get there. Instead, he was gunned down by two agents in a hail of bolter shells.
So ended the uprising of the Star Children. The next battle will explore a different narrative from Mordax Prime.
Drevender flees round the corner towards a battle hardened agent of the inquisition, and ultimately his own doom!
Final thoughts on Worldbuilding
This exercise in worldbuilding has been a lot of fun. Tying together the battles into a narrative was much easier than expected and the sector began to take on a life of its own. Are the remnants of the Star Children thirsting for revenge? Will teh Sisters of Battle start investigating the Dark Angels? Where will Mad Claw and his pirates raid next? Is the chaos gate open and what came through? Will the Tyranid presence on Verdantia Prime summon a larger invasion fleet? So many options for exciting games ahead.
Spending a bit of time developing a campaign world for your games is a fun exercise and adds a fantastic narrative aspect to your games. I highly recommend.
How have you had success developing campaign backgrounds?
Late last year I finally managed to get my scenario “The Heist” to the table. We ended up with six players, one of whom had never played miniatures games before. You can find out about the scenario design here and download the players pack here. Our heist game report gives the exciting detail below. In summary, we had a blast. The game narrative was introduced as follows:
We return to Luthca IV an Imperial world beset by heresy and peril.
Rich in mineral deposits Luthca IV was designated an Industrial World by the Administratum 1000 years ago. Now the planet is covered in strip mines and huge factory complexes pumping noxious fumes into the atmosphere. What remains of the once lush environment is bare trees, acidic mud and heavily polluted oceans. Three Hive Spires shield the population from the worst of the toxins and provide workers who keep the production lines on schedule.
The Imperial Governor and his staff sit at the top of Crown Spire far above the thick clouds of polluted air. High Imperial tithes continue to put pressure on the factories and mines to produce more than ever before. The guilds are stretched, and the Hive cities seethe with discontent. It is all the Governor can do to hold the peace.
The Silent Trade is the illegal trade of xenos commodities and technology by unscrupulous individuals who deal with the alien either for profit or for survival’s sake. Though highly-frowned upon by the Inquisition, many of these items are not considered outright illegal in the Imperium of Man due to the impossibility of categorising and banning every item, device, or object that may or may not have been made by nonhuman hands. What’s more they fetch a staggeringly high price when sold to the right people.
One such item has come to light.
An archotechnology expedition of the Adeptus Mechanicus uncovered something valuable out in the polluted sands of the Cinder Desert. This ancient artefact known only as the endless light is whispered to bestow great power to those who use it. But at what cost?
The expedition sent the artefact in an armoured convoy headed for the Adeptus Mechanicus conclave in Hive Secundo. But it was ambushed on the outer reaches of the hive and the guards massacred. Before the bandits could secure their loot a terrible maelstrom roared in from the desert, killing the hapless villains and leaving the priceless artefact unguarded.
Word spread fast.
Whoever could get their hands on this artefact would be rich beyond their wildest dreams. Buying themselves out of the grim existence of the underhive.
But there is a complication. The Adeptus Mechanicus were not born yesterday, they have secured their valuable find in a secure vehicle that requires a code to open. Despite the best efforts of the Fixers and Data Thieves only parts of the code have come available. The freebooters chasing this prize must work together if there is any hope of untold wealth.
Not only that, but the maelstrom has stirred up the Rad Ghouls from the Cinder Desert. Nothing a little las fire can’t take care of…
The race is on.
So how did the game unfold? Did the players feel the pressure around their decisions? Let’s find out.
Set Up
As per my scenario introduction I set the table up with the crashed APC dead center. The crew entry points (red tokens) were distributed around the edge with terrain placed to ensure it was a relatively safe place to join the game from. Of course, the remaining terrain was placed to resemble a claustrophobic under hive setting reminiscent of games like Necromunda.
Heist board mid play. Note the crews positioning themselves around the central objective.
Each player was given a crew sheet and chose a trio of miniatures to represent their team. Next, they had to name their crew and state their faction affiliation (Inquisition, Criminal Underworld, Adeptus Mechanicus or Evil Cult). As always, my players were pretty creative. Here are the crews:
The Professionals (criminal underworld)
Cognitive C’s (adeptus mechanicus)
Heralds of the Star Children (evil cult)
Hectors Hellions (inquisition, but secretly evil cult)
Bleeding Eyes (secretly affiliated to the evil cult)
Hive fighters (affiliation unknown)
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the evil cult was a tad over represented…
With the crews were named, starting locations allocated and paper provided for secret messaging, the game was afoot.
Tension Builds
Almost immediately secret messages started flying around the table as fledgling alliances were brokered. In addition, the crews were cautiously moving towards the central objective. It began to play out like an old western shootout. Protagonists circling one another but not drawing their weapons until the last possible moment.
A surprisingly large horde of ravening rad ghouls entered play after the first turn throwing more chaos and panic into the mix.
Tension increased dramatically over the following turns as alliances were firmed up and crew members got closer and closer to the prize. Rad ghouls maintained their pressure, harrying lone crew from the edges of the board.
Cognitive C’s and Hectors Hellions face off at the rear of the crashed APC (main objective)
All Hell Breaks Loose
A couple of players (Hectors Hellions and Cognitive C’s) broke the tension, declaring their true intentions too early. Consequently, the shooting started and didn’t really stop. Crew members went down left and right, alliances went out of the window and a bloodbath ensued.
The alien artefact was recovered. However, the last remaining member of the Hive Fighters decided to open it, seeking immortality. Changing the game forever.
I want to make it clear, during game setup I had warned the participants that opening the artefact would probably be a bad thing. So there should have been no surprises when….
Survival Horror
The unsuspecting Hive Fighters unleased a horror. In a scene reminiscent of Raiders of the Lost Ark, our witless crewman turned into a warp fueled abomination and began hunting those few remaining team members. This invincible monstrosity began teleporting around the board to the horror of the other players. Not many escaped before we called the game and tallied up the scores.
The horrific warp entity joins the fray.
Feedback
The game ended up being really close, with the Bleeding hearts winning by one point. Excitement right up until the end.
But did we get emergent play and did the players wrestle with decision making?
Yes and yes!
Feedback afterwards included:
Desperate to get to the artifact and open it I tried to make a few alliances with others but was always wary that I might get back stabbed. Probably because I was going to do a bit myself.
Love the narrative based skirmish as it just adds a little more to the one off battles and gets me invested in my gang as I make stories up about them and why they are getting into the fight.
I absolutely loved the end of the game with the great warp entity being ripped onto the table and chasing everyone down. So freekn cool!!!!!
Regarding alliance forming. It was strong at the start. I had a hunch on my neighbours plans and so took the light touch approach. The alliances had no bearing on the second stage of the game with just a mad panic to get away.
Decision making was fraught with risk. I wanted to position myself furthest away from the prize because getting the artefact was going to be tricky. So I let the other crews sort it out. The cooperative element makes it so much more fun.
The rad-ghouls gave a great element of randomness and we had to watch lots of sides.
The warp creature was a perfect surprise, flipping the game on its head.
All up, changing dynamics, great narrative and tons of fun.
Happy players, which is ultimately what it is all about.
Wrap Up
Emergent play definitely came to the fore with players creating personalities for their gangs. Additionally, uncertain alliances, secret messages and tension building to a cinematic gunfight also played out in unique ways. The monster ending completely flipped that game which was unexpected but which the players completely got on board with.
Decision making for the players was intended to be difficult and I think I succeeded here. Multiple decision points had to be wrestled with including:
Who to ally with and whether to declare alliances openly
If and when to break alliances
Whether to pursue the artefact early or late in the game
Use crew members to guard against possible rad ghoul incursions
Safest route through the board towards the objective
Whether to open the artefact (despite being warned it was a bad thing)
Last Thoughts
Ultimately, this scenario succeeded. Players had fun, which should of course be the priority. Decision making was tough and emergent gameplay rose to the surface.
One thing that worked really well was the opening of the artefact. Despite warning players of the potential dangers of doing so, it was still opened. Which of course, was a fantastic result. To encourage the players to open it I had a sealed envelope with new rules inside that would be opened by the player who took this choice. I positioned this on a shelf above the board in full view. Having this prop definitely piqued the players curiosity, ultimately creating the survival horror endgame to take place. Needless to say, I will be using props in this way in future.
So, a joy to design, run and play. I cant wait to run the next one!
Now that the dust has settled on the Echoes of Xenos event that I ran last month, I want to take some time to think about whether it worked or not. Was it a success and what lessons did I learn. Importantly did the format support or encourage emergent play. To understand the event setup and planning visit my previous post on the subject here.
So, what’s the verdict?
Did the Players have Fun?
The primary objective of any event should be the enjoyment of the players. Did they have a good time? Discussions with everyone afterwards indicated that they did. The 1 vs 1 battles and leaderboard added a sense of competition and the secret objectives added a level of uncertainty that kept players on their toes. Additionally we made sure that everyone played different opponents each round giving variety throughout. The group was very tolerant and there wasn’t much in the way of overly competitive behavior.
The only time in the event that fun may have reduced was during the last multiplayer battle, where the set up favored some players over others. The ensuing chaos saw some players have less to do than others which was an unforeseen planning error. I will talk about the last part of the event later.
Having a small break between sessions where players could discuss outcomes was a good way to create space and a bit of banter in the group. This is definitely something to keep in mind when planning for the next one.
A power cut towards the end had us all playing by candlelight which really added to the atmosphere. But of course this was a happy coincidence!
A couple of location boards with clues, objectives and secret objectives ready for play
Was Emergent Play A Factor?
Unfortunately there was minimal emergent play occurring during the event. Interaction between the players was kept at the table and the storyline did not really feature very strongly. One player was attempting to make alliances and forge the narrative, however the others did not really engage in that aspect of the event.
The most emergent play occurred in the final scenario when one player (my son) went on the rampage. The other players figured he had been corrupted by chaos and teamed up to take him out. This was never a part of the original storyline, but worked really well as part of the finale.
Looking back, the faction set up and motivations of each group did not encourage as much of an emerging story as I hoped. There are a few things I would do differently next time, which I will discuss below.
A 1v1 battle in full swing
The Grande Finale – Not as Planned
I had meant to set up the finale to be a multiplayer scramble for survival. All were competing for one macguffin (held by the leading faction) whilst being hunted by Xenos (alien) abominations. This was meant to facilitate a tense rush to escape, not knowing who to trust. Unfortunately, the xenos threat was never as threatening as I’d hoped. Resulting in players hanging back. NOt the energetic frenzy I’d hoped for. In an effort to add some action my sons faction went on the rampage effectively knocking two players out early in the game resulting in a less engaging experience for them both.
With the xenos threat neutralized and most players down to one agent we called the last battle. Not the epic finale I had hope for.
So, what could be changed to make this finale more grande? Firstly, have more of an external threat that impacts the players from the get go. This would have forced factions to work together. It would have created tension as factions helped each other, not quite knowing if they were going to be betrayed. It would also have prevented the chaotic infighting that started right from the get go. This could have taken the form of a swarm of low level aliens encroaching on the players in numbers that could not be defeated alone. In turn this would drive the agents towards the greater threats of the abominations.
Secondly, all the factions deployed in the same area creating the immediate potential for infighting. Deploying factions further apart would have removed this consequence letting players position tactically before the action commenced. Additionally, this would give players a greater sense of agency that I feel the original setup perhaps removed.
Player briefings and warbands ready to go
Increasing Emergent Play
Now that the game is over I think there are some clear ways that I could improve emergent play next time round.
Firstly, grouping players into factions will encourage interaction and cooperation immediately. By its very nature the increased interaction will allow emergent play to appear. Additionally, grouping players in teams or alliances creates a safer space to be creative. It’s always more fun doing this together, rather than trying to figure it out on your own.
Secondly, the scenario needs clearer factions. This is particularly true when you have players whop are not versed in the lore of your world. In this instance I love the murky world of the 40K Inquisitorial agents. But the lack of clarity makes it difficult for players to engage form a position of strength. Instead, having factions with clear goals and archetypes make them easier to engage with.
In this event all the players were gunning for the same objective making alliances difficult to form. Next time I would give every faction a different objective, but make sure they cross over. That way negotiations and alliances would become more important and emergent play more likely to appear.
Lastly, the players need a clearer reason to interact and ally with each other. A powerful external threat would neatly enhance this. In this event having a powerful alien species threatening everyone equally would force players to work together despite being enemies. Giving players the choice of allying with their enemy or facing annihilation can create some interesting negotiations and outcomes.
Final Thoughts on Echoes of Xenos
Despite not quite working as planned Echoes of Xenos was a fun event. While emergent play didn’t form as much as I’d hoped there were some very clear takeaways for the next event. I cant wait!
