Summer Map Campaign Preview #4
Apr 28, 2009 19:28:41 GMT -5
Post by Dr Carnivean on Apr 28, 2009 19:28:41 GMT -5
I see dead people![/i]
Ok this week I’m previewing a pair of territories inhabited by the restless dead, both of which are based around terrain sets I've done in the past. (but then, haven't they all been?)
The first and more elaborate of these was built in the winter of 00/01 and used at ConnCon 01 in March, where I think I had a whole 2 people attend the event. Needless to say I was bummed, as it took a lot of work. I had some overhead shots taken at the convention from a mezzanine level that showed how big the set was, but I lost the photos at some point and had never scanned them into the computer. The pic here was taken at a friend’s house. It’s gone through some wear and tear being transported all over and to and from my storage facility, so I’ll be doing a major touch up to it before it’s used in the campaign, but I definitely wanted to make it a major territory since I never really got to do enough with it for all the time I put into it.
The name of the first comes from a town I created for my Ravenloft campaign (though it’s in a little better shape there).
The second terrain piece is just made up of a bunch of various cemetery terrain pieces I’ve accumulated over the years, which can now easily cover an entire table. A few of the pieces, like the walkways, are things I built myself, while others were from various sources. And so without further ado, I present…
Pont-a-Condemne
Pont-a-Condemne was originally a small Brettonian settlement and over the years the riverside community grew into a major city and the hub of civilization in the region. Its location along the river allowed it to be laid waste during the defilement of the land wrought by Phagius, as the insidious plagues unleashed into the water from Castle Phagius spread among the city’s population like wildfire, filling the streets with piles of the dead and dying. Some of the infected attempted to flee, but none made it very far, so ravaging was the unholy pestilence. Amid the chaos within the doomed city, and unnamed necromancer added to the pandemonium by making the streets of Pont-a-Condemne his playground and animating the plague dead with foul necromantic arts, unleashing them upon the survivors. Those who were lucky enough to resist infection were soon devoured by legions of the ravenous dead. By the end of a few months, only the dead remained. Once a thriving city of the living, Pont-a-Condemne it is now a rotting city of the living dead. As a historical footnote, it is said that the unnamed necromancer eventually lost control of that which he created and has since joined their shuffling ranks for all eternity.
Campaign Rules[/u]
The Kingdom of the Zombies
Eventually some of the more powerful undead created by the necromancer from the plague victims began to gain some sentience, actually forming a twisted mockery of living society with the most powerful of these - known as the Prince of Zombies – ruling over all. Whatever foul magics of the necromancer who animated them – or perhaps it was an effect of the daemonic plague which first ravaged their mortal forms – their rotting forms have been preserved over the centuries, and so that a person looking upon their cadaverous forms would think they had only died a year past.
No player can control Pont-a-Condemne so long as the Kingdom of the Zombies exists. When a banner moves into a territory, a battle is initiated as if the banner had come in contact with an enemy banner. The Kingdom of the Zombies is a 2250 point army. They are always considered to be the defenders but never fortified.
The Kingdom of the Zombies has a set army list and would most likely be controlled by the DM or another player who volunteers. (and yes, like that nameless necromancer, I may find myself a victim of the horror which I created should my armies be the first to reach Pont-a-Condemne)
Tunneling into the Sewers – Being expert tunnelers, Dwarves and Skaven banners may pass through the territory without having to face the Kingdom of the Zombies and still reap some of the rewards, by tunneling into Pont-a-Condemn’s sewer system and raiding it from below. Only half of the “They Couldn’t Take It With Them” benefit can be gained in this way, and the player does not gain control of the territory. Banners must then either move off of the territory or engage the Kingdom of the Zombies on the following turn.
They Couldn’t Take It With Them – Once the undead have been wiped from the city, armies occupying it can reap the benefit of the city’s abandoned wealth, and the people of the vale will begin moving back into the city, albeit slowly. As long as it is not Razed, banners moving through the territory gain 200 points to be used in their next battle. Not that this benefit is not cumulative if a banner remains or returns before the next battle.
Master Scavengers – In addition to the above benefit, Skaven may roll on the Scavengers table below.
1 Low yield.
2-5 Good haul. The banner receives an additional 2d6x10 points towards their next battle
6 Rare find. The banner receives an additional 4d6x10 points toward their next battle
A City Reborn – Once the undead have been wiped from the city, people of the vale will begin moving back into the city, slowly at first but in increasing numbers as the seasons go on, and by the campaign’s end, Pont-a-Condemne will be either be on its way towards reclaiming its former glory, or will have become the birthplace of an evil empire taking root. To reflect this, the player who controls Pont-a-Condeme at the end of the campaign receives four victory points instead of one.
Battles in Pont-a-Condemne[/u]
Battles fought in this territory make use of special terrain representing the ruined city. Once the terrain is set up, the defender picks which side he wishes to deploy in.
The Misroi Graveyard
Nestled in the foothills of the mountains west of Pont-a-Condemne is the massive ancient cemetery called the Misroi Graveyard, believed to be named after a legendary hero….or fell villain. Those visiting during the day will find a sea of crumbling headstones and mausoleums as far as their eyes can see. Should they linger, they will soon regret it, for it is said that the ground has gone sour with the corruption of the land, and that the dead interred within Misroi graveyard no longer rest peacefully, and the haunts there have been known to drive trespassers to gibbering madness. And those visiting the Misroi Graveyard by night may find… something altogether worse.
Campaign Rules[/u]
The Restless Dead
Tomb King and Vampire Counts armies entering the Misroi Graveyard may roll on the following chart, to see if they might gain aid from the dead interred there.
1 The Spirits are Silent – nothing happens.
2-5 Raise the Dead – The banner receives 2d6x10 bonus points towards its next battle.
6 Undead Horde – The banner receives 2d6x20 bonus points towards its next battle
When a banner of any other army – with the exception of Daemons of Chaos – moves into the Misroi Graveyard, the player must roll 4+ on a d6 or that banner may do nothing the following turn, as the haunting spirits have made men crazy, spooked horses, and brought down a pall of melancholy among the ranks.
Battles in the Misroi Graveyard[/u]
Battles in this territory are fought on a preplanned map made up of sections of graveyards, hills, and mausoleums. Players may roll off as normal to determine who gets to choose their deployment zone.
Areas with tombstones are treated as giving cover from shooting, as would a forest, and are treated as difficult terrain, but do not block line of sight.
Grim Grinning Ghosts Come Out To Socialize! – At the beginning of each player’s turn, all units not immune to psychology must test for Stupidity.
Ok this week I’m previewing a pair of territories inhabited by the restless dead, both of which are based around terrain sets I've done in the past. (but then, haven't they all been?)
The first and more elaborate of these was built in the winter of 00/01 and used at ConnCon 01 in March, where I think I had a whole 2 people attend the event. Needless to say I was bummed, as it took a lot of work. I had some overhead shots taken at the convention from a mezzanine level that showed how big the set was, but I lost the photos at some point and had never scanned them into the computer. The pic here was taken at a friend’s house. It’s gone through some wear and tear being transported all over and to and from my storage facility, so I’ll be doing a major touch up to it before it’s used in the campaign, but I definitely wanted to make it a major territory since I never really got to do enough with it for all the time I put into it.
The name of the first comes from a town I created for my Ravenloft campaign (though it’s in a little better shape there).
The second terrain piece is just made up of a bunch of various cemetery terrain pieces I’ve accumulated over the years, which can now easily cover an entire table. A few of the pieces, like the walkways, are things I built myself, while others were from various sources. And so without further ado, I present…
Pont-a-Condemne
Pont-a-Condemne was originally a small Brettonian settlement and over the years the riverside community grew into a major city and the hub of civilization in the region. Its location along the river allowed it to be laid waste during the defilement of the land wrought by Phagius, as the insidious plagues unleashed into the water from Castle Phagius spread among the city’s population like wildfire, filling the streets with piles of the dead and dying. Some of the infected attempted to flee, but none made it very far, so ravaging was the unholy pestilence. Amid the chaos within the doomed city, and unnamed necromancer added to the pandemonium by making the streets of Pont-a-Condemne his playground and animating the plague dead with foul necromantic arts, unleashing them upon the survivors. Those who were lucky enough to resist infection were soon devoured by legions of the ravenous dead. By the end of a few months, only the dead remained. Once a thriving city of the living, Pont-a-Condemne it is now a rotting city of the living dead. As a historical footnote, it is said that the unnamed necromancer eventually lost control of that which he created and has since joined their shuffling ranks for all eternity.
Campaign Rules[/u]
The Kingdom of the Zombies
Eventually some of the more powerful undead created by the necromancer from the plague victims began to gain some sentience, actually forming a twisted mockery of living society with the most powerful of these - known as the Prince of Zombies – ruling over all. Whatever foul magics of the necromancer who animated them – or perhaps it was an effect of the daemonic plague which first ravaged their mortal forms – their rotting forms have been preserved over the centuries, and so that a person looking upon their cadaverous forms would think they had only died a year past.
No player can control Pont-a-Condemne so long as the Kingdom of the Zombies exists. When a banner moves into a territory, a battle is initiated as if the banner had come in contact with an enemy banner. The Kingdom of the Zombies is a 2250 point army. They are always considered to be the defenders but never fortified.
The Kingdom of the Zombies has a set army list and would most likely be controlled by the DM or another player who volunteers. (and yes, like that nameless necromancer, I may find myself a victim of the horror which I created should my armies be the first to reach Pont-a-Condemne)
Tunneling into the Sewers – Being expert tunnelers, Dwarves and Skaven banners may pass through the territory without having to face the Kingdom of the Zombies and still reap some of the rewards, by tunneling into Pont-a-Condemn’s sewer system and raiding it from below. Only half of the “They Couldn’t Take It With Them” benefit can be gained in this way, and the player does not gain control of the territory. Banners must then either move off of the territory or engage the Kingdom of the Zombies on the following turn.
They Couldn’t Take It With Them – Once the undead have been wiped from the city, armies occupying it can reap the benefit of the city’s abandoned wealth, and the people of the vale will begin moving back into the city, albeit slowly. As long as it is not Razed, banners moving through the territory gain 200 points to be used in their next battle. Not that this benefit is not cumulative if a banner remains or returns before the next battle.
Master Scavengers – In addition to the above benefit, Skaven may roll on the Scavengers table below.
1 Low yield.
2-5 Good haul. The banner receives an additional 2d6x10 points towards their next battle
6 Rare find. The banner receives an additional 4d6x10 points toward their next battle
A City Reborn – Once the undead have been wiped from the city, people of the vale will begin moving back into the city, slowly at first but in increasing numbers as the seasons go on, and by the campaign’s end, Pont-a-Condemne will be either be on its way towards reclaiming its former glory, or will have become the birthplace of an evil empire taking root. To reflect this, the player who controls Pont-a-Condeme at the end of the campaign receives four victory points instead of one.
Battles in Pont-a-Condemne[/u]
Battles fought in this territory make use of special terrain representing the ruined city. Once the terrain is set up, the defender picks which side he wishes to deploy in.
The Misroi Graveyard
Nestled in the foothills of the mountains west of Pont-a-Condemne is the massive ancient cemetery called the Misroi Graveyard, believed to be named after a legendary hero….or fell villain. Those visiting during the day will find a sea of crumbling headstones and mausoleums as far as their eyes can see. Should they linger, they will soon regret it, for it is said that the ground has gone sour with the corruption of the land, and that the dead interred within Misroi graveyard no longer rest peacefully, and the haunts there have been known to drive trespassers to gibbering madness. And those visiting the Misroi Graveyard by night may find… something altogether worse.
Campaign Rules[/u]
The Restless Dead
Tomb King and Vampire Counts armies entering the Misroi Graveyard may roll on the following chart, to see if they might gain aid from the dead interred there.
1 The Spirits are Silent – nothing happens.
2-5 Raise the Dead – The banner receives 2d6x10 bonus points towards its next battle.
6 Undead Horde – The banner receives 2d6x20 bonus points towards its next battle
When a banner of any other army – with the exception of Daemons of Chaos – moves into the Misroi Graveyard, the player must roll 4+ on a d6 or that banner may do nothing the following turn, as the haunting spirits have made men crazy, spooked horses, and brought down a pall of melancholy among the ranks.
Battles in the Misroi Graveyard[/u]
Battles in this territory are fought on a preplanned map made up of sections of graveyards, hills, and mausoleums. Players may roll off as normal to determine who gets to choose their deployment zone.
Areas with tombstones are treated as giving cover from shooting, as would a forest, and are treated as difficult terrain, but do not block line of sight.
Grim Grinning Ghosts Come Out To Socialize! – At the beginning of each player’s turn, all units not immune to psychology must test for Stupidity.