Attraignnor IV Campaign: Rules

Last year, me and three friends played a Warhammer 40,000 map campaign. The rules were based off the Vogen Hive campaign, which used to be on the Games Workshop website Now I can't find it on there, so I'm not sure if there is anywhere to get the original rules online. The campaign took place in the city of Vogen and included a map of the city broken into many territories. The batles in the campaign made use of the Cityfight rules. We had to adapt the rules somewhat, to update them for use with the updated Cities of Death rulebook and to work with the forces we were using.

The basic rules we used for our campaign were as follows:

1. Each player has a number of colored pins of a unique color. The pins mark which territories on the map that a player controls. There would be two sides in the campaign, (Chaos and Tau) with two players on each side. More players on each side would probably work even better, but I don't think more than two sides would work.

2. Each player starts with one pin in a randomly determined blank territory on the edge of the map. (We determined this by me secretly writing numbers 1-4 in 4 of the blank territories on the edge of the map that I thought would make interesting starting poitns. Each other player then picked a number, and they started on the territory with the number they picked. I was left with the remaining territory.)

3. Each map turn, each player may place another pin in a territory adjacent to one they already control. Two territories are considered adjacent if they have any amount of border in common. Two players on the same side cannot both place pins in the same territory. (The way we handled this was that I kept the map, and I would decide where I wanted to move and place my pin there. Then each of the other players, without knowing where I had moved, would all e-mail me their choice of where they wanted to place a pin. That way, everyone chose where to place their pin without knowing where anyone on the other team had placed a pin, and all moves were done in secret. Players on the same team would collaborate and discus their moves in advance, so both would not end up on the same territory. Once everyone had made their choice, the results were revealed to everyone.) To prevent players possibly being cut off by their own teammate, we also said that you could place a pin in a territory adjacent to one that your teammate controls, as long as you can trace an unbroken path to the new territory through territories that are controlled by your side.

4. If two pins from different sides are in the same territory, those two players play a game of 40K using the Cities of Death rules. The loser removes their pin, and the winner then controls the territory. If the game is a draw, both players remove their pin. If both players have moved into the territory in the same map turn, then Escalation rules are used in the battle, and neither players gets the benefits listed for controlling that territory in the game. (see below for benefits of controlling specific territories)

5. After the pins have been placed and all battles fought, victory points are determined. If you control a territory by having your pin in it, then you gain the victory points value shown for that location. Any location that does not have a value shown is with 1/2 victory point. The campaign ends as soon as one side has a total of 60 or more victory points. Some territories have two different numbers listed, which related to some special rules for the location in the Vogen campaign that we did not use. The these cases the lower number is ignored and the higher number is how many victory points the territory is worth.

6. If you lose all of your pins, you are out of the campaign. If one side has no pins left, they lose the campaign. Otherwise the first side to have a total of 60 or more victory points wins.

7. Games are played to any agreed points value and level (alpha, gamma, omega) and use a randomly determined Cities of Death mission, unless specified otherwise for the particular location the battle is taking place in.

8. Some territories on the map have fortifications set up, represented by one to three dots on the map. If you are fighting a battle in one of these territories that you control (meaning you already had your pin in the territory last turn, and a player on the other side placed their pin in it this turn), then you may make use of the fortifications. Each "dot" of fortifications grants the controlling player a free stratagem from the Obstacles stratagems or the Fortifications stratagem. These are in addition to any stratagems normally allowed for the battle.

Below is a picture of the campaign map. Click on it for a full sized view.

For our campaign, the territories on the map would have the following special rules. Unless otherwise noted, all bonuses are gained only by a player that already controls the location and only for a battle is being fought on that location. Bonus stratagems are in addition to any stratagems you would normally be allowed to take.

122nd Cadian HQ: You must win a game against an Imperial army played by one of your opponents in order to take control of this territory.
Administrative Quarter: No special rules.
Angel Square: The controlling player gains a free sacred ground stratagem. If neither player controls the location, then a building in the center of the table counts as sacred ground for both sides.
Arbites Precinct: You must win a game against an Imperial army played by one of your opponents in order to take control of this territory.
Basilica Imperialis: The controlling player gains a free sacred ground stratagem. If neither player controls the location, then a building in the center of the table counts as sacred ground for both sides.
Building 235: The controlling player gains a free power generator stratagem.
Cartel House Dwellings: No special rules.
Dealer's Accommodation: Each player places D6 booby traps as described in the booby traps stratagem. All booby traps will automatically trigger when any model moves through the city ruin level or obstacle where they are located. Execution Square: No special rules.
Genatorium: For any battles in this location, D6+1 steam geysers are placed on the battlefield in a mutually agreed upon manner are are treated as dangerous terrain.
Gibbet Hill: The controlling player gains the preliminary bombardment and observation point stratagems.
Gun Towers: The controlling player gains a preliminary bombardment stratagem.
Hab Blocks Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta: If a model is "all on it's own" at the beginning of any turn, remove it from play as it is mobbed and murdered by a band of armed scavengers. If you have all of these Hab-blocks under your control, they are worth 8 Victory Points in total.
Hab Blocks Epsilon and Zeta: No special rules.
Harikon's Gate: Each gate section is considered to be adjacent to the corresponding Fortification location directly to it's West.
Imperial Senate House: No special rules.
Mercantile and Pleasure Districts: No special rules.
North Road Gate: The controlling player may re-roll any unsuccessful reserve rolls when fighting a battle in the North Road Gate or any adjacent location.
Palace Grounds: All games in these locations use a standard green table and scenery. The Cities of Death rules are not used.
Palace of Peace: A player must already have 16 Victory Points in order to place a pin in the Palace of Peace. The Grand Assault scenario from the Cities of Death book is always played in this location. If a player loses control of the Palace of Peace, the player loses another D3 pins, which must be the pins of his nearest to the Palace of Peace, as well as the pin on the Palace of Peace.
Railhead Depots and Terminus: If you control either location, you may assault the 122nd Cadian HQ and bypass the fortifications. So when fighting the Imperial Army to capture the 122nd Cadian HQ, or an opponent that already controls it, they will not get the extra stratagems that the fortifications would normally allow.
Sniper's Alley: Both players gain a free preliminary bombardment stratagem in these locations to represent the loyal Imperial snipers fighting against both invading armies.
Spaceport Complex: The controlling player gets one free deep strike stratagem per map turn that can be used in any battle they fight in any location.
Trading Houses: No special rules.
Vogen Law Courts: Any player controlling this location may discount two dots of fortifications when attacking the Palace of Peace.
Vogen Theater House: No special rules.
Water Purification Plant: The controlling player gains a free sewer rats stratagem.

So those were the rules for the campain as we played it. Let me know what you think. The campaign went pretty well, but I think it would work out even better with more players on each side. And it has the nice benefit that the map turns can be played out by e-mail. Try out the rules if you get a chance, and leave a comment if you have any suggestions.

I will be posting updates on a weekly basis of how the campaign progressed. So check back next week to read the background story to our campaign, and the following weeks to see how things unfolded for the Chaos and Tau armies fighting for control of Attraignnor IV.