Each campaign turn consists of four phases:
Strategy Phase – In this phase each player submits one order using the campaign map as a reference: attacking, supporting, and defending.
Scenario Phase – In this phase player matchups are determined along with available scenario tables. This step permits players to find out who to schedule games against and determine if they are in a multiplayer game.
Battle Phase – Once players have their matchups they must schedule and play their games - using the scenario list provided, players may either roll a D6 on their table scenario OR they may mutually decide on playing a scenario from the list.
Resolution Phase – In this phase the results of each game from the battle phase are resolved, map locations change hands accordingly, and special end turn rules are resolved, lastly victory conditions are checked at the end of this phase.
During this phase players will have three days to submit their orders. Each player may submit one order per phase detailed below - use the google form.
Players submitting an attack order specify which location they hold they are attacking from and which location they are attacking into. Attackers may only attack hexes adjacent to a system they control except when they no longer have a home system (see the house rule Nomads).
Players may attack another player’s system. If the attacking players wins the battle during the resolution phase the system will change hands to the victor.
Players may also attack an unclaimed system – this is called a colonization. In this case the player must simply schedule a game against any other campaign player – this simulates empires absorbing a sector with some native resistance. For the player who “defends” the unclaimed system – these battles can serve as a narrative hook to add in additional characters to your order of battle (maybe you are Knight player and wish to add a Freeblade to your roster – potentially this Knight came to your empire after his home world was destroyed by Tyranids and you played with this unit against the Tyranid player when they colonized a system).
Some players such as Chaos and Eldar players have special campaign rules which permit them to treat non-adjacent hexes as adjacent in some circumstances.
Need to see some examples? Check out the Attack Order Examples page.
Often players may form alliances due to narrative, convenience, or common enemy. In these cases players may wish to support another player taking a system (maybe their common enemy is about to win the campaign and a last ditch effort must attempted to avoid defeat) rather than fight a free for all game for the territory. Players may then decide to support a “friendly” players attack by specifying the location of the army they are supporting (i.e. the territory that the other player is attacking from) and also specifying the target location. As with attacking players may only support other players attacks if they are adjacent to the system being attacked (but not necessarily to the system of the army they are supporting).
Supporting is a powerful way to gain an advantage, break a player who is defending an important system, or play in team games – however if you support an attack that does not occur you will find yourself playing an outnumbered game as a defender rather than an attacker!
The supporting player does not gain the system when supporting an attacker - the main attacker still receives the system.
Players may be down to their last territory or hold a key system needed for victory, they may know deep down in their spirit stones that an enemy attack is coming – rather than attack an enemy sector they may dig in. To defend a player specifies one of their own systems and specifies they are defending that system. They will receive a bonus to their command points if attacked in the defended system, depending on game size.
Combat Patrol +3 CP
Incursion + 6 CP
Strike Force +12 CP
Onslaught +16 CP
Occasionally there will be turns where you will be unable to participate in any games - vacation, work trips, or family outings may preclude you from participation. Since the default battle results may force you to cede systems you cannot schedule a defense of - you may instead select this action to gain some campaign benefit while not participating. Your crusade force gains the following benefits, however you cannot gain a system for any reason (you may still participate as the defender in colonization games).
Select six units to gain one experience point
Gain one requisition point
After all orders have been received or the strategy phase deadline has been reached the campaign team will assign games (i.e. who should play who) and specify which scenario table is available for their game (players may choose one scenario from their table if they mutually agree). Below are the possible scenario lists and different conditions for using each scenario table - these will be assigned by the Campaign Master. This process should take no more than two days.
(Combat Patrol)
(Incursion)
(Strike Force)
(Combat Patrol)
(Incursion)
(Strike Force)
(Combat Patrol)
(Incursion)
(Strike Force)
Note that all of these scenarios are from the Open War mission pack and actually have asymetric army sizes - i.e. one side is larger than the other. Supported attackers are one of the best ways to punch through heavily defended systems or even stop the momentum of runaway players.
(Incursion)
Hold at All Costs (Small Size)
Attacker 30 PL
Supporter 15 PL
Defender 30 PL
(Strike Force)
Hold at All Costs (Medium Size)
Attacker 50 PL
Supporter at 25 PL
Defender at 50 PL
Hold at All Costs (Large Size)
Attacker 60 PL
Supporter at 30 PL
Defender at 60 PL
This is the risky downside of supporting another player - if that player does not keep their word on attacking (perfidious Eldar!) or even simply miscommunicates this can result in a tough game for the supporting army.
(Combat Patrol)
Support at 12 PL
Defender at 25 PL
(Incursion)
Support at 25 PL
Defender at 50 PL
(Strike Force)
Support at 50 PL
Defender at 100 PL
(Combat Patrol)
(Incursion)
(Strike Force)
Once player matchups have been determined and potential scenarios shared with players - players should attempt to schedule games as soon as possible with their opponents. In general players will have two weeks to complete their games. Due to the nature of life however it may not be possible to schedule a game, here are some common scenarios that can occur and the default outcome:
Unable to schedule a one on one game when a player attacks another players system
Default result is that the attacker wins.
Unable to schedule a game where players have systems attacking one another
Both systems switch control.
Unable to schedule a game over a colonization (as the colonizing player)
The colonizer player automatically counts as losing and does not gain the territory.
Unable to participate in a multiplayer (free for all / catastrophe) game
Remaining players will play scenario without you
Unable to participate as a supporting player
Players will continue to play a Hold At All Costs battle except the supported player will be at a disadvantage (i.e. they will play an even battle rather than having more forces)
Unable to participate when supported by another player
Remaining players switch to playing scenarios under the Player Who Supported Another Player Who Did Not Attack condition
In the resolution phase systems change hands and victory conditions are checked; the order of this phase is explained below:
The results of the battle phase are resolved, in the order they were submitted.
Any special abilities executed in the resolution phase are submitted and resolved.
Victory conditions are checked - In the rare circumstance that multiple (i.e. more than one) player achieves their Major Victory condition in the same turn, play will continue until there is a turn where only a single player is fulfilling their Major Victory win condition.
There are five turns that will not follow the standard four phase format. Those turns are shown on the Season 3 - Data sheet. Instead of the normal Strategy, Scenario, Battle, Resolution Phases players are free to schedule and play up to two battles during these turns against any opponent. These turns represent instability in the galaxy due to the Great Rift - where forces and entire planets are transported in time and space to random locations.
Designer's Note: These Great Rift turns serve two purposes - first they allow players to easily play against other players not in their region (whether that is physical distance or campaign map distance) and there are certain win conditions that require players to control systems in both Imperium Nihilus and Imperium Sanctus however their faction may be unable to traverse the Great Rift hexes (Tyranids, Orks, and Eldar are all required to either win battles against players in another sector or hold systems in a sector that is not their starting area).
The results of the battles in the Great Rift Turns are resolved in the order they were submitted.
Players cannot use special actions limited to the strategy or resolution phases (such as Absorb Biomass or Water Caste Diplomacy) during Great Rift turns.
Victory conditions are checked at the end of the turn - In the rare circumstance that multiple (i.e. more than one) player achieves their Major Victory condition in the same turn, play will continue until there is a turn where only a single player is fulfilling their Major Victory win condition.
To schedule battles in a Great Rift turns players follow the below sequence of operations:
Find an opponent(s).
Agree with your opponent(s) if this game will be for an unclaimed system or if each players will wager a system.
If players decide to play over an unclaimed system, the winner will claim that system. Note that if you play a game over an unclaimed system that was previously claimed during the same turn you will not gain that system (i.e. if two games go on at the same time over the same system - the game that finished first claims the system - the other players gain experience from their games but do not gain the system).
If players decide to wager - each player wagers a system - once players can agree upon an equivalent wager the winner then gains the wagered system of the loser.
Agree to play either a normal mission or a Planetstrike mission.
Follow the appropriate mission pack for normal games or Planetstrike games.
Log your result via the battle results form.