NB's Campaign System

Ninja_Bait's Campaign System was designed to address criticisms of Rayhawk's Campaign Rules, while maintaining most of the spirit of the game. The removal of several systems (such as Resources and Production) and the addition of phases in each round make the system much easier to follow, with clear objectives and purposes for each component. Players on the attack can build momentum with Offenses and Invasions, and players on the back foot can make strategic upsets and jukes with Escapades. It can also be adapted to a variety of narrative structures as seen in the #Campaign Examples.

Play

Setup

1. Before starting a campaign, all players must agree on the following:
   1. Maximum U" Budget - The maximum U" any player may field during a battle. This should not be much bigger than the total size of the smallest faction.
   2. Starting treasury - This can be calculated by multiplying the Maximum U" Budget with the number of battles players expect to participate in, less one.
   3. Endgame triggers - See #Game End
   4. Starting Specialist or MOC units, if desired.
   5. First Offensive player, either by consensus or by random selection
2. Players should construct one Hero and place it in their Reserve.
3. Players should construct a Home Base or some placeholder. They thus start by owning 1 Territory, which sets their Size Limit to 1.

Declaration Phase

1. All players have the opportunity to declare an Invasion. If multiple players wish to declare an Invasion, the player who has most recently been Offensive Player becomes the Invading Player. The Invading Player selects a Defending Player to host the battle.
2. If no Invasion is declared, All players, except the Offensive Player, receive a chance to declare an Escapade. All players interested in participating in an Escapade secretly bid at least one Benny. At least two players must bid, otherwise the escapade is canceled. The player who bids the most Bennies becomes the Hosting Player for the escapade, so long as he has bid at least as many Bennies as he owns Territories. If he has bid too few, the escapade is canceled. In either case, all the players' Bennies bid on the escapade are spent, not refunded.
   1. In a two-player game, the Offensive Player can be forced into an Escapade so long as the other player bids enough Bennies to host them. The Offensive Player does not need to pay Bennies for the Escapade.
3. If the escapade is canceled, the Offensive Player may either declare an Offense, or pass the offense to a player of their choice. This new Offensive Player must declare an Offense.
4. The Offensive Player spends U" equal to the number of territories he owns, and selects a Defending Player to host the battle.

Construction Phase

1. The Hosting Player sets the U" Budget for the Battle and constructs a battlefield. For each level of Fortification constructed, they must place one piece of Loot on the battlefield.
   1. In the case of an invasion, the Invading Player may set the U" Budget.
2. Other players may declare participation in Offenses or Invasions. If they do so, they give the Hosting Player one piece of Loot to place on the battlefield.
   1. In the case of an Invasion they must additionally spend U" equal to the number of territories they own.
3. All participants may place additional Loot on the battlefield at the cost of 1 Benny per piece of Loot. Players should provide their own Loot.
4. All Participants now construct armies up to the U" Budget and their Size Limit, which is equal to the number of territories they own. They must pay the U" cost for all units, including Heroes, Specialists, Starting MOCs, and Captured MOCs from their Reserve. The Size Limit does not apply to Starting and Captured MOCs.
   1. If a Defending Player spends fewer U" than the Offensive or Invading Player, they receive Underdog Bennies equal to the difference in U" spent.

Battle Phase

1. Play proceeds following the standard rules for Brikwars with the following additions:
   1. Any Instant Bennies earned for any reason may be saved during the End Phase for use in future battles.
   2. Any Loot that is within one Angry Inch of a minifig is claimed by that minifig. If two or more minifigs from opposing factions are claiming a piece of loot, a WISG roll may be used to determine who has claimed it.
   3. Any Loot that is carried off a battlefield is considered to be claimed by the faction that carried it off. Units that leave the map may not return, but they are considered to be survivors.
2. The battle ends when only one faction is left on the battlefield, or all players mutually agree to an ending (For example, if all Loot has been carried off a battlefield). In either case, a Winner must be declared. If a winner is not obvious, all contenders may participate in a WISG roll to determine the winner.

End phase

1. All players collect their surviving units, leftover Bennies, and claimed Loot from the battlefield. Loot that is unclaimed is considered as belonging to the Winner.
2. The winner receives U” in their Treasury equal to the number of participants in the battle. The participant with the fewest surviving units receives Bennies equal to the number of participants in the battle.
3. Players may spend Loot now for upgrades.
   1. Survivors may be upgraded into specialist units at the cost of one Loot per survivor.
   2. Surviving specialists may be sidegraded to a new specialty or upgraded into a Hero.
   3. Heroes that have died may be revived at the cost of one Loot per Hero.
   4. Starting MOCs and Captured MOCs may be repaired or upgraded at the cost of one Loot per Inch of repair.
4. Heroes, Specialists, Starting MOCs, and Captured MOCs are placed in the player's Reserve for future use. Remaining loot is converted to u” that is added to the players’ treasury, and Bennies are saved for future use.
5. The winner becomes the new offensive player.
   1. After an Offense, the winner receives one piece of territory, which increases their size limit by one.
   2. After an Invasion, if the winner is also the Defending Player, they do not receive territory. Instead, they receive U" in their Treasury equal to the U" spent in the Battlefield Creation phase. No Escapades may be declared in the next Declaration Phase.
   3. After an Invasion, if the winner is not the Defending Player, the Defending Player is Eliminated. The Winner receives all territory from the Defending Player. The Defending Player now owns zero territory, and their size limit is now 1, until they conquer new territory.
6. If any endgame conditions are triggered, proceed to the Game End. Otherwise, return to the Declaration Phase.

Game End

1. The following are some, but not all, possible endgame triggers:
   1. Successful invasion
   2. A certain number of rounds completed
   3. Maximum number of territories won
   4. Depletion of one or more players’ treasuries
   5. Elimination of all but one player
2. In the simplest case, a campaign winner will be the player with the most territory, with the tiebreaker being most units in the Reserve. Other systems can be developed by players to award points for kills, loot collection, or pizza fund contributions.

Notes and Optional Rules

• If a battle ends with cataclysmic destruction, no winner is declared. No additional Bennies or U” are awarded in the end phase. All loot left on the battlefield is considered lost. The Offense passes to the hosting player.
• Alliances are allowed.
  • In the case that one or more allied players win a battle, rewards must be shared. If the offensive player, defending player, or declaring player (in the case of an escapade), is on the alliance, they receive the territory and are the new offensive player. Any loot that is not claimed on the map must be shared evenly between the remaining players on the alliance. If an alliance is made entirely of Participants, the player with the greater amount of loot receives the territory and becomes the new offensive player.
  • In the special case that a defending player’s army is eliminated in an invasion, but an ally wins the invasion, that is still considered a successful defense. However, in addition to the sharing system above, the u” bonus for a successful defense is shared evenly between all allied defenders.
• Trading is allowed
  • Any players may conduct trades of loot, bennies, u” in their treasury, or territories. Players may not trade elements not typically used in Brikwars (e.g. six-packs of beer)
• Captured MOCs
  • Players may wish to add rules for captured MOCs. Captured MOCs ignore the player’s unit size limits until the MOC is destroyed in battle or recaptured. The cost in u” to field that unit is equal to the effective size. Loot may be spent to restore size points to the MOC during the End Phase. Once the MOC is destroyed, it returns to the real-life owner for normal use.

Campaign Examples

The following are three example campaigns you can conduct using this Campaign System. Simple modifications are made to add narrative structure but each campaign will follow the rules described above.

The MacGuffin Quest

The MacGuffin Quest is a campaign for two to three players who can meet together regularly. It is roughly three to five battles long. The MacGuffin Quest mimics the plot of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where two teams (Indy and the Nazis) race against each other to recover a valuable artifact (The Holy Grail) from a third team (The Knights Templar). The Knights Templar may be an NPC or a third player. Indy and the Nazis can go on Offenses against the Knights Templar to recover clues or complete trials, or go on Escapades to try and get the jump on the other players. The game ends when Indy and the Nazis Invade the Home Base of the Knights Templar. The winner of the Campaign is the player in possession of the Holy Grail at the end of the Invasion.

Apply the following rule modifications:

• The Knights Templar may never be the Offensive or Invading Player. If they win a battle, they must pass the Offense.
• The Knights Templar may place a MacGuffin on any battlefield. If a player captures the MacGuffin, they win the battle. The MacGuffin may be useless or it can be treated as a captured MOC.
• The Endgame condition is as follows: Once a player has won three territories, they may declare an Invasion of the Knights Templar and attempt to recover the Holy Grail. Upon resolution of that Invasion, the campaign ends.
• The winner of the campaign is the player in possession of the Holy Grail at the end of the Invasion.

The Gauntlet

The Gauntlet is a campaign for any number of players, and is ideal for a group with only one truly dedicated player. The Gauntlet mimics the plot of The Hobbit. One team (The Company) must fight their way through a variety of enemies (e.g. Trolls, Moria Goblins, Mirkwood Elves, Spiders, Lake-Town Men, etc.) on their way to reclaim their Home Base (Erebor) from either a boss (Smaug) or an alliance of enemies (as in the Battle of the Five Armies). The Company will be going on any number of Offenses to advance their journey, or on escapades to rebuild strength. When the Company has faced each enemy in at least one battle, they may declare an Invasion of Erebor, and all players available may participate. The Company loses if their treasury is depleted, or they lose three battles in a row. They win by successfully Invading Erebor.

Apply the following rule modifications:

• Each player's starting treasury should be the maximum u" budget times the number of battles they expect to play in. New players may jump in the campaign at any time as new enemies, following the same rule for starting treasury.
• The Company's starting treasury should be the maximum u" budget times the number of players. If new players jump in, the Company should receive the same amount of u" as the new player.
• The Company must always either be the Offensive Player or bid on an Escapade, as they are expected to participate in every battle.
• The Endgame condition is as follows: If the Company depletes their treasury or loses three battles in a row, the Enemies win. Once the Company has faced every enemy at least once, and they successfully invade Erebor, they win. They may make as many Invasion attempts as they are able.

The Great Game

The Great Game is a campaign for a large number of players, such as a group of game store regulars. It is a territory-control campaign, with each player leading a faction that is trying to eliminate all other players. Managing a large campaign like this will probably require a GM to account for each player's resources and balance the number of Battles each player participates in. In addition, a map can be created to help track players' territory holdings and borders. More than one battle can be held simultaneously, using the additional rules. The Winner of the Campaign is the last player standing, or the player with the most territories after a certain number of rounds.

Apply the following rule modifications:

• Players may drop in and out of this campaign. Players dropping in for the first time receive a starting treasury equal to the average treasury value of all players. Players dropping out cannot be attacked in Offenses or Invasions, and are considered eliminated. If they drop back in, they start as an eliminated faction.
• A limit can be applied to the number of players in a given battle. A limit should be applied to the number of simultaneous battles. The same number of players should be designated Offensive Players.
• During the Declaration Phase, use the following modified process:

1. At each stage, go through players in descending order by number of territories owned, using remaining treasury as a tiebreaker.
2. All Offensive Players may declare an Invasion. They may Invade another Offensive Player.
3. All remaining Offensive Players may declare a new Offense against a player not yet in a battle, participate in an already-declared battle, pass the offense to another Player, or decline to battle this round.
4. If there are available battles remaining, all other players may declare escapades. All players interested must bid as usual. The highest bidders will host escapades, up to the battle limit. If a high bidder has not bid enough to host an escapade, his escapade passes to the next player who has bid enough to host an escapade. The GM can decide how to distribute the remaining bidders, either by assigning players evenly, starting with the highest bidder, or by allowing each bidder to choose their escapade. Once the player limit is met for an escapade, no more players may join it. Low bidders may not be able to attend any escapades.

• If a map is used, use the following additional rules:

1. Multiply the maximum number of rounds by the maximum number of battles per round. Create a hex map with that many hexes.
2. Assign each player a starting location on the map. This is where their home base is. All other territory is unclaimed.
3. When declaring an Offense, the Offensive Player must select a hex that is bordered by his own territory, and is either owned by or borders the Defending Player.
4. Players may only declare Invasions against players if they directly border the player's Home Base.
5. Players may only participate in Offenses or Invasions if they have an alliance in good standing with other participants, or also border the contested Hex.
6. When declaring an escapade, the Hosting Player selects any unclaimed hex.
7. At the end of the battle, the winner is awarded that territory. In the case of an Invasion, they also receive all territories of the Defending Player.

Note that when a map is used, the first round is likely to feature only escapades. Give each player at least 5 Bennies to start. During the first Declaration Phase, allow Offensive Players to decline the offense but bid on Escapades. Also, unlike regular campaign play, Players can lose territory in regular Offenses. Adding new players to a map campaign can be difficult and is not required. New players can be attached to the map at any edge, adding at least one unclaimed buffer territory between them and other players.

• During the End Phase, each player receives Loot equal to the number of territories they own.
• The Endgame Condition is as follows: Once all but one player is eliminated or a set number of rounds has been reached, the winner is the player with the most territory.

Glossary of terms

Note: The following section is a work in progress, lagging behind the other rules and is therefore neither complete nor necessarily correct

Treasury 

A player’s treasury contains all the U” available for their use. Once a treasury is depleted to zero, the player cannot field units in battle.

Benny 

Bennies are awarded per the standard rules except that additional bennies are awarded to weakened players during the end phase, and bennies can be saved for future battles. Escapades can be used to convert Bennies to loot.

Owned territories 

Each player starts with one territory, their home base. Every battle a player wins awards them one additional territory. Players can only lose territory in invasions.

Loot 

Loot is placed on a battlefield to be captured by minifigs. Minifigs claim loot by standing within an angry inch of it. They can also take it off an edge of the map, in which case it is also considered as claimed. Loot can be converted to u” or specialist units.

U” Budget 

The U” Budget is a limit for battles, escapades, and invasions on the number of units each participant can field at the start of the battle.

Fortification Level 

for each structure on a battlefield, multiply the cover level by the structure level. Fortification level is the sum of this value for all structures on the battlefield. Example: A battlefield has a log cabin (cover level 3, structure 1) and a low rock wall (cover level 1, structure 2). The Fortification level of this battlefield is 5. There will be a minimum of 5 pieces of loot on this battlefield.

Unit Size Limit 

The unit size limit is equal to the number of territories owned.

Offensive Player 

The Offensive Player may declare battles. They intend to maintain momentum by gaining territory and additional treasury u”.

Invading player 

Any player declaring an invasion becomes the Invading Player. An Invading Player seeks to deal a killing blow to another player’s faction.

Defending Player 

The Offensive or Invading Player selects a Defending Player who will host the battle.

Hosting Player 

The player constructing the battlefield.

Participant 

A participant is a player who is elbowing into a battle in order to seize control of the narrative.

Underdog 

In Battles and Invasions, there are specific rules to award Underdog Bennies to a player with a smaller army to help even the field.

Winner 

At the end of a battle, a winner must be declared. This can be decided by last man standing or by player agreement.

Offense 

An Offense is declared by an offensive player. It creates one piece of territory that can be claimed.

Escapade 

An escapade can be declared by any player. It creates an opportunity to seize the offensive and convert Bennies into loot.

Invasion 

An invasion is a battle fought at a player’s home base. If the player fails to defend the base, they are effectively eliminated from the campaign.