Summer Map Campaign Preview #2
Apr 14, 2009 9:04:53 GMT -5
Post by Dr Carnivean on Apr 14, 2009 9:04:53 GMT -5
Ok, here's the another preview for this summer's Warhammer Fantasy map campaign. This territory was Vorhir swamp in my old map campaign, and I did the terrain and built the house back in the winter of 2001. I was very pleased with how it came out, and have since used the mansion in my Ravenloft campaign, where it got it the name of Grady Manor. I like building creepy looking mansions, as you can probably tell, so I decided to create a background story that would explain why there are so many evil, creepy looking old mansions in this part of the world. With that in mind, I give you..
Blood Swamp
The area known as Blood Swamp was at one time green and vibrant, full of farmland, orchards and rolling plains, and the swamp was once just a small bog out behind Grady Manor. One day old man Grady took an axe to his family and all the household staff, stacking them neatly like cordwood in his wagon, then riding out to the swamp and watching their bodies sinking into the muck, while he washed the blood off his axe. Some stories having him killing the horse that pulled the wagon and dumping it into the swamp as well. What exactly happened to Grady himself depends on who you hear the story from. Some say he drowned himself in the swamp, others tell tale that his victims came for him one night and dragged him kicking and screaming beneath the scummy waters. Others say he just disappeared, and lurks out there still. Anyone who has ever attempted to move into the house or spend a lot of time in the area have been found stacked neatly in Grady Manor’s pantry, their bodies appearing to have been hacked apart by an axe.
In any case, over the course of several generations the swamp seemingly expanded with the evil presence of the place, overtaking the building and all the surrounding lands. Now Grady Manor sits in the center of the the region known as Blood Swamp.
It is a place avoided by all, save for the occasional crazy hermit or outcast, and even they rarely venture to the center of the swamp, where Grady Manor stands alone.
Its name is Legion, for it is Many.
Known to very few is the fact that long ago a powerful daemonic entity had its essence split into thirds and sealed away beneath three mansions within the valley, and it is the evil taint of this creature that has led to the corruption and destruction of their residents over the years, causing each of these three places to become the site of terrible misdeeds and numerous tragedies. Grady Manor is one of these three, and holds the taint of this daemon, which has caused the spreading corruption of the surrounding lands, growing stronger.
Campaign Rules
Difficult Terrain: Blood Swamp is considered difficult terrain for banners attempting to move into it.
Dark Power, Dark Insanity: For as long as a player controls this territory, one of his wizards generates an extra power die for himself during battles. This comes at a consequence: Any time a miscast is rolled for that wizard, rather than rolling on the chart, the miscasting wizard instead casts the spell against his own army, as directed by the opposing player. If the spell being cast cannot really aid the other army in any way, the opposing player chooses another spell from that mage’s list and casts that instead. Such miscasts may not be dispelled. For the rest of the game, twos are considered to be ones for the purposes of miscasts, as the mage continues to descend into madness. If all three of the cursed mansions are controlled, each grants two additional power die to a wizard, rather than one.
Lifting the Curse: Conversely, players (especially players of ‘good’ armies) may attempt to remove the curse which has long dwelled in this place. To purge the evil of Grady Manor, a player must have an army present at the location, and it must take a ‘hold’ action. Then the player engages in a one on one solo skirmish game to determine if he is successful. If successful, the house can no longer grant the Dark Power/Dark Insanity power, and the player gains one permanent victory point towards winning the campaign. By cleansing all three houses, a player can earn five victory points (1 per house plus two additional bonus points for cleansing all three) which can never be lost or taken away.
Battles at Blood Swamp
Terrain Generation: Any farm, village, building, or stream rolled for in terrain generation instead yields a swamp.
If Grady Manor is available, it may be placed on the table at some point equally distant to both deployment zones.
The Curse of Blood Swamp: During the compulsory movement phase, players must roll a d6 for any unit that is within 12" of the Grady Manor terrain piece. Large Targets and characters riding them are immune. If a ‘1’ is rolled, a random model is removed from the game, as it is sucked beneath the swamp by the ghosts of Grady and his victims. If there is more than one model in the unit, the controlling player may choose the model to be removed from the game.
Note: Casters under the effect of the Dark Power/Dark Insanity rule are immune to this.
Blood Swamp
The area known as Blood Swamp was at one time green and vibrant, full of farmland, orchards and rolling plains, and the swamp was once just a small bog out behind Grady Manor. One day old man Grady took an axe to his family and all the household staff, stacking them neatly like cordwood in his wagon, then riding out to the swamp and watching their bodies sinking into the muck, while he washed the blood off his axe. Some stories having him killing the horse that pulled the wagon and dumping it into the swamp as well. What exactly happened to Grady himself depends on who you hear the story from. Some say he drowned himself in the swamp, others tell tale that his victims came for him one night and dragged him kicking and screaming beneath the scummy waters. Others say he just disappeared, and lurks out there still. Anyone who has ever attempted to move into the house or spend a lot of time in the area have been found stacked neatly in Grady Manor’s pantry, their bodies appearing to have been hacked apart by an axe.
In any case, over the course of several generations the swamp seemingly expanded with the evil presence of the place, overtaking the building and all the surrounding lands. Now Grady Manor sits in the center of the the region known as Blood Swamp.
It is a place avoided by all, save for the occasional crazy hermit or outcast, and even they rarely venture to the center of the swamp, where Grady Manor stands alone.
Its name is Legion, for it is Many.
Known to very few is the fact that long ago a powerful daemonic entity had its essence split into thirds and sealed away beneath three mansions within the valley, and it is the evil taint of this creature that has led to the corruption and destruction of their residents over the years, causing each of these three places to become the site of terrible misdeeds and numerous tragedies. Grady Manor is one of these three, and holds the taint of this daemon, which has caused the spreading corruption of the surrounding lands, growing stronger.
Campaign Rules
Difficult Terrain: Blood Swamp is considered difficult terrain for banners attempting to move into it.
Dark Power, Dark Insanity: For as long as a player controls this territory, one of his wizards generates an extra power die for himself during battles. This comes at a consequence: Any time a miscast is rolled for that wizard, rather than rolling on the chart, the miscasting wizard instead casts the spell against his own army, as directed by the opposing player. If the spell being cast cannot really aid the other army in any way, the opposing player chooses another spell from that mage’s list and casts that instead. Such miscasts may not be dispelled. For the rest of the game, twos are considered to be ones for the purposes of miscasts, as the mage continues to descend into madness. If all three of the cursed mansions are controlled, each grants two additional power die to a wizard, rather than one.
Lifting the Curse: Conversely, players (especially players of ‘good’ armies) may attempt to remove the curse which has long dwelled in this place. To purge the evil of Grady Manor, a player must have an army present at the location, and it must take a ‘hold’ action. Then the player engages in a one on one solo skirmish game to determine if he is successful. If successful, the house can no longer grant the Dark Power/Dark Insanity power, and the player gains one permanent victory point towards winning the campaign. By cleansing all three houses, a player can earn five victory points (1 per house plus two additional bonus points for cleansing all three) which can never be lost or taken away.
Battles at Blood Swamp
Terrain Generation: Any farm, village, building, or stream rolled for in terrain generation instead yields a swamp.
If Grady Manor is available, it may be placed on the table at some point equally distant to both deployment zones.
The Curse of Blood Swamp: During the compulsory movement phase, players must roll a d6 for any unit that is within 12" of the Grady Manor terrain piece. Large Targets and characters riding them are immune. If a ‘1’ is rolled, a random model is removed from the game, as it is sucked beneath the swamp by the ghosts of Grady and his victims. If there is more than one model in the unit, the controlling player may choose the model to be removed from the game.
Note: Casters under the effect of the Dark Power/Dark Insanity rule are immune to this.