Warhammer: The Old World Campaign

Force Construction

Forces in Princes of the Old World start out at 500 points and follow all standard force construction rules for your army. The following additional restrictions apply to your force:

Each army must be allied to either Hurolf or Eodric.

Each army may only contain one character at campaign start

Each character must be “Hero Level.” In other words, they must be the cheapest version of that character type that you are allowed to take. No Chaos Lords, only Aspiring Champions, as an example.

If your starting character is a wizard, they must be level 1.

Characters may not take any magic items at campaign start, save those that their allegiance provides.

At least one unit of Core Infantry consisting of at least 10 models must be taken in your initial 500 points.

No units with the Large Target special rule may be taken in your starting 500.

No units with the Behemoth type may be taken until 1000 points have been reached.

Characters may not be mounted on a monster or chariot of any variety at game start, but may be mounted on a horse or equivalent.

Characters may not be mounted on a Behemoth.

Monstrous Cavalry characters are not allowed in your starting 500.

Monstrous Cavalry may not be included in your starting 500.

All units must take the champion upgrade or equivalent, if the unit has one. The unit and champion must be named.

All Runic Items from the Dwarf list or from campaign boons must be named.

Skirmishing Cavalry are limited to 5 models per 500 full points in your force. So at 800 points you could still only have 5, and 10 starting at 1000 points.

War Machines are limited to 1 per 500 full points in your force. In addition, no War Machines more expensive than 75 points may be taken before 1000 points have been reached by at least one player in the campaign.

Battles

Each campaign turn lasts two weeks. During a campaign turn, players can seek out and organize battles with mercenaries on the other side of the civil war, or their own side, if need be! Pay disputes and conflicts over magic items make good justifications for beating up your alleged allies. There is no limit to the amount of battles you can play in a given campaign turn, but you only get rewarded for the first two battles in a given campaign turn. In addition, until forces reach roughly 1000 points, it is recommended that games be played as 2v2 games. Old World will work for small 500 point skirmishes, but it works much better starting at roughly 1000.

Due to the nature of this campaign, there are times where forces will need to fight that are of varying points costs. Find the difference between the two forces by subtracting the total points of the lower point value army from the total points of the higher point value army. If the difference is 25-100 the lower point value army may add potions, scrolls, and magic items to their army to make up the difference. These will be removed after the battle is over. If the difference is more than 100 points, the lower point value army may add extra models to their units, or add entirely new units taken from any of the factions on their side of the war or from the Bretonnian Exiles army list, taken as mercenary forces. These extra models or extra units are also lost after the battle, and gain no XP or rewards. Should you gain enough points as a result of the battle, you can “Hire On” these mercenary forces as permanent parts of your army, at which point they can gain XP and rewards as normal.

Battles should be fought either using the scenarios within the core rulebook, or using a custom scenario if both players agree to do so.

At the end of each battle, you gain 75 points to spend on your army. If you win, you gain an additional 15 points.

At the beginning of the campaign, each player is required to declare their forces as having been hired by Hurolf or Eodric. Forces receive the following boons at campaign start depending on which claimant they join:

Those joining Hurolf receive a single magic item costing 50 or less points from the common magic items list in the core rulebook, taken from his vault of relics from his adventuring days. Their main character also receives a +1 to their Leadership attribute. No Warriors of Chaos may side with Hurolf, as he doesn’t trust Norscans.

Those joining Eodric receive a single runic item with 50 points of runes, taken from the Dwarf list, and +1 to weapon skill on their main character. No master runes may be taken. Eodric has the backing of a group of minor Dwarfen nobles from Barak Varr, and promises great riches to those who back him. No Chaos Dwarfs can choose to join Eodric, as his backers would cut their ties with him on the spot.

Once per campaign turn you may roll on the following charts to potentially receive a boon from your employer.

Hurolf (1D6)

1. Hurolf sends his best wishes. Gain 2 XP on your starting character.

2. Hurolf sends supplies. Gain 50 points.

3. Hurolf sends a crate of healing potions. Gain 3 healing potions. These may be each used once in battle, and are then lost.

4. Hurolf sends men. Add up to 75 points worth of models to one of your existing units.

5. Hurolf sends a magic weapon. Gain a magic weapon worth 40 or fewer points.

6. Hurolf sends one of his sons or daughters to serve as your squire. Add a Bretonnian Paladin with the Questing Vow, a maximum magic item allotment of 60, and no magical items to your army list. They may serve as a Battle Standard bearer, if you do not have one. If this is rolled more than once, he instead sends a boon for his child. Add a single common magic item costing 30 or fewer points to the Bretonnian Paladin. Once they have reached 60 points of magic items, treat this result as a 2.

Characters

Your main character that you start the campaign with has a magic item allotment of 100 points, which can be expanded. Your main character also must be your general in every battle they participate in, ignoring other restrictions and rules about who can be general.

A character who dies during a battle and is removed as a casualty must roll on the following chart:

Battle Scars (1D6)

1. Lesson Learned: Gain 1 XP.

2. Minor Injury: Reduce Strength by one in their next battle.

3. Minor Injury: Reduce Initiative by one in their next battle.

4. Minor Injury: Reduce Attacks by one in their next battle.

5. Minor Injury: Reduce Leadership by one in their next battle.

6. Major Injury: Roll on the Major Injury chart. A character must reroll any Major Injury they currently have.

Major Injury (1d6)

1. Gain Stupidity and Unbreakable.

2. Gain Impetuous and Furious Charge.

3. Gain Frenzy.

4. Gain Random Movement 2d6.

5. Lose 1 LD permanently to a minimum of 6 and gain +1 WS to a max of 6.

6. Gain Flammable, -2 Initiative to a minimum of 1 and a 5+ Regen.

Character XP

A character gains XP for the following actions:

2 XP per battle they participate in.

1 XP if they are still on the table at the end of the battle.

2 XP per challenge won

2 XP per unit killed by them or a unit they have joined

2 XP per monster personally killed (stacks with above)

2 XP if they never fell back in good order or fled. Dying before a leadership check counts, as they fought to the death.

3 XP can be spent for a roll on the following chart. Each stat may only be improved by +2; results that would improve a stat beyond that cap must be rerolled. Each stat improvement from the table adds 10 points to the character’s value. You do not need to spend these points to gain the upgrade, but they are counted when it comes to balancing forces.

Level Up (1D6)

1. +1 Strength

2. +1 Attacks

3. +1 Initiative

4. +1 Wound

5. +1 Toughness

6. +1 WS or BS, your choice.

3 XP may be spent to purchase a single faction specific upgrade. These include Knightly Virtues, Chaos Gifts, Chaos Mutations, or any other point upgrade that an army may have. This XP cost is in addition to the points cost.

In addition, 3 XP may be spent on one of the following:

+1 Wizard Level up to a maximum of 4, which can turn a non-wizard into a wizard. Baring other special rules, they cannot cast while wearing armor. Each Wizard Level adds 30 points to the character’s value.

The ability to cast while wearing armor. This allows Wizards to buy and wear magic armor. This adds 15 points to the character’s value.

+1 Leadership to a cap of 10. This adds 10 points to the character’s value.

Armored Hide (1), Fear, or Impact Hits (1). This adds 10 points to the character’s value.

Removing a single Permanent Injury.

Full Plate for 5 points

Add 10 points to the character’s magic item allotment up to a cap of 150.

Characters that cannot normally take Magic Items, such as Wood Elf Branchwraiths, may take magic items in this campaign. Your army is far from home and compromises must be made.

Bazaar

The Bazaar is the primary source of magic items in POTW. Each turn the GM will roll a D20 and multiply it by 5. That is the maximum point value that each player may spend on magic items from either their faction specific list or the common magic items list during this campaign turn.

Each player may use this cap on any number of magic items, provided the total cost is less than the maximum point value. Standard restrictions apply.

FAQ

Potions are considered to be in sufficient supply for one dose per battle if purchased during character creation or from the Bazaar, but campaign reward potions are permanently destroyed after use.

Skaven Weapon Teams are a little weird. Melee Weapon Teams roll on the Infantry/cavalry honor chart, ranged Weapon Teams roll on the War Machine chart. Weapon Teams count the “Gain Full Plate on Crew” roll as gaining full plate on the weapon team, not as +2 movement.

Tomb Kings are an exception to the one character rule at army construction, and must have a Tomb Prince and Mortuary Priest.

If you already have a 2+ armor save and roll an advancement that gives a bonus to armor, you can reroll that result.

As an optional rule at the GMs discretion, after 3 rounds have elapsed you can remove units or rebuild your army. This can help if players made poor early decisions, but the intention is to keep the same units through the campaign.

The 50 point magic item you get from your allegiance at campaign start is added on top of your 500 point army list. So you are technically starting at around 550 points.

For the 50 point magic item at campaign start, any leftover points, such as the 5 points left over from buying a 45 point magic item instead of a 50 point one, are banked for later use.