First a Caveat. This is an idea seed, not a full blown set of rules. As such, most of the details are left out (mainly because I haven't figured them out yet.). Instead, the idea here is to get a very basic foundation set up for how to do a "malifaux-style" map based campaign. Now on to the discussion.
One last note: This is designed to work WITH the campaign mechanics in the Malifaux Chronicles Vol 5.
I like your standard map based campaign for most games. Capturing Territory, moving your forces across the table, capturing more territory, and most of the fighting coming out of competing over the same spot on the map. Unfortunately, I simply don't think that works well for malifaux. And by "that well" I mean it really doesn't fit with malifaux at all. You don't have 6 factions in an all out war, or even competing for territory. You have 6 factions active in and around a city each doing their own thing, and often competing over resources. In fact, Malifaux's scenario creation system reinforces this idea with the individual schemes. As such, a map based campaign needs to reflect these differing goals, while still allowing for a fight.
I got to thinking about how that would work in a map based campaign. Instead of coming up with regions and zones, I came up with something more of a spider-web and nexus idea.
Here's a VERY ROUGH outline of the concept.
First you design a map, and on it, you place important locations. Ideally you print this map and glue it or draw it on a large piece of foam board, placing a push pin or something into each hot spot. I've stolen a map from an online malifaux rpg to demonstrate this idea. The small black circles represent these pins.
Each player starts in a home hot spot of their choice or one made for them during the design of the game. Each player draws (or chooses) a number of Plot cards from a faction specific deck. Each deck lists a hot spot, and scenario type.
Also, soul stones pop up at random locations on the map. (This can be determined by die roll, fate card draw, or even a custom deck of cards).
Then at the beginning of every round of play, a player either makes a move or chooses to do nothing. (Doing nothing involves staying in place while participating in a plot.)
Players who decide to move, plan the move in secret, and ideally reveal the move at the same time. (This works best if everyone is present at the beginning of a round, or their is a neutral proctor).
Players who move, use a bit of colored string and stretch it between two push pins on the map. Those two push pins are their current location and their destination. See map below.
Any place two lines cross, their is a chance for an encounter, and hence a "street battle". Either player at the cross chooses whether or not to challenge the other, if no one challenges, no fight takes place. If a challenge does take place, the "Street battle" occurs. (In this instance, street battle is a standard malifaux set up, discarding any locations that make absolutely no sense. Extreme leeway should be given as to whether a scenario does or does not make sense. (I.e. a bayou battle on this map makes no sense, but an opera house, even if the crossing is "over the river" could be stretched as a small detour over something important)
The winner of the battle continues on to their destination, while the loser must return to the location they tried to move from.
Once all movement is made, each player may choose to reveal a plot card, or collect a soul stone. A soul stone counts as either (X) scrip, or is added directly to a factions soul-stone pool.
If a player reveals a plot card, he must skip his next turn as he is actively pursuing that plot. However, during that turn, other factions may move to that location to counter that plot. If so, the scenario on the card plays out. If the faction who started the plot wins, they collect a completed plot token. If they lose, they must discard that plot and draw/choose a new one from their pile.
The first person to complete an agreed upon number of plots wins the campaign.
What do you think?
Edit: For clarification, the word "Schmes" when referring to the campaign, has been replaced with the term "plots".
Question
robert4818
First a Caveat. This is an idea seed, not a full blown set of rules. As such, most of the details are left out (mainly because I haven't figured them out yet.). Instead, the idea here is to get a very basic foundation set up for how to do a "malifaux-style" map based campaign. Now on to the discussion.
One last note: This is designed to work WITH the campaign mechanics in the Malifaux Chronicles Vol 5.
I like your standard map based campaign for most games. Capturing Territory, moving your forces across the table, capturing more territory, and most of the fighting coming out of competing over the same spot on the map. Unfortunately, I simply don't think that works well for malifaux. And by "that well" I mean it really doesn't fit with malifaux at all. You don't have 6 factions in an all out war, or even competing for territory. You have 6 factions active in and around a city each doing their own thing, and often competing over resources. In fact, Malifaux's scenario creation system reinforces this idea with the individual schemes. As such, a map based campaign needs to reflect these differing goals, while still allowing for a fight.
I got to thinking about how that would work in a map based campaign. Instead of coming up with regions and zones, I came up with something more of a spider-web and nexus idea.
Here's a VERY ROUGH outline of the concept.
First you design a map, and on it, you place important locations. Ideally you print this map and glue it or draw it on a large piece of foam board, placing a push pin or something into each hot spot. I've stolen a map from an online malifaux rpg to demonstrate this idea. The small black circles represent these pins.
Each player starts in a home hot spot of their choice or one made for them during the design of the game. Each player draws (or chooses) a number of Plot cards from a faction specific deck. Each deck lists a hot spot, and scenario type.
Also, soul stones pop up at random locations on the map. (This can be determined by die roll, fate card draw, or even a custom deck of cards).
Then at the beginning of every round of play, a player either makes a move or chooses to do nothing. (Doing nothing involves staying in place while participating in a plot.)
Players who decide to move, plan the move in secret, and ideally reveal the move at the same time. (This works best if everyone is present at the beginning of a round, or their is a neutral proctor).
Players who move, use a bit of colored string and stretch it between two push pins on the map. Those two push pins are their current location and their destination. See map below.
Any place two lines cross, their is a chance for an encounter, and hence a "street battle". Either player at the cross chooses whether or not to challenge the other, if no one challenges, no fight takes place. If a challenge does take place, the "Street battle" occurs. (In this instance, street battle is a standard malifaux set up, discarding any locations that make absolutely no sense. Extreme leeway should be given as to whether a scenario does or does not make sense. (I.e. a bayou battle on this map makes no sense, but an opera house, even if the crossing is "over the river" could be stretched as a small detour over something important)
The winner of the battle continues on to their destination, while the loser must return to the location they tried to move from.
Once all movement is made, each player may choose to reveal a plot card, or collect a soul stone. A soul stone counts as either (X) scrip, or is added directly to a factions soul-stone pool.
If a player reveals a plot card, he must skip his next turn as he is actively pursuing that plot. However, during that turn, other factions may move to that location to counter that plot. If so, the scenario on the card plays out. If the faction who started the plot wins, they collect a completed plot token. If they lose, they must discard that plot and draw/choose a new one from their pile.
The first person to complete an agreed upon number of plots wins the campaign.
What do you think?
Edit: For clarification, the word "Schmes" when referring to the campaign, has been replaced with the term "plots".
Edited by robert4818Link to comment
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