As mentioned before, we’re hosting a 2 day Old World narrative event in Match next year. Held in Daventry at Battlefield Hobbies on the 1st and 2nd of March, the aim of the event is for players to tell a story with their army.

As part of that, Dave and I have been putting plans in place for the event. So far the fist game on the Saturday will involve a 1,000 point battle where players have to capture three objectives. The 1,000 point list players write, will need to be part of their larger 1,500 point list that they bring to the event. This prevents players tailoring lists for the two points level and ensures a tie between games for the players armies themselves.

They’ll also be a number of awards available over the weekend. Two of those are super secret!

Enough of the waffle, I wanted to introduce the first scenario of the weekend. A 1,000 point pitched battle which aims to ease the players into the weekend while giving a solid purpose for the first game.

Much of this is still work in progress.

First the introduction…..

The great war tent stood at the center of the allied encampment, its silken walls rippling in the cold wind that swept down from the northern mountains. Inside, the air was heavy with tension. A large, circular table dominated the center of the tent, its surface cluttered with maps, markers, and hastily scrawled reports from across the Border Princes. Standing around it were the leaders of the allied forces—generals representing the might of Elves, Humans, and Dwarves. Each bore the weight of their people’s hopes and fears.

General Elowen of the High Elves was the first to speak. Her voice, usually as calm and measured as a forest stream, carried a note of urgency. “Our scouts have returned, and the news is grave. The ravening hordes march upon us from the north and east. But that is not the worst of it. From the south, the dead rise—an army of the undead led by Settra.”

At her words, a murmur ran through the gathered leaders. Beside her, Lord Anselm, a general of the Empire clad in gleaming plate armor, furrowed his brow. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, as though seeking comfort in its familiar weight. “How many do they number, Lady Elowen? And where do they march?”

Elowen pointed to the map, her long, slender finger tracing the path of the enemy armies. “The Orc and Goblin warbands are the largest—a horde of the creatures. They come from the north, seeking to drown the world in war and flame. The Orcs and Beastmen move as one, a tide of green and brown fury, crashing through the forests and ravaging all in their path. The Ogres march with them, their brutish strength a hammer to smash any who stand in their way.”

“And the undead?” rumbled Thrain Ironbeard, a dwarven general, his voice like the grinding of stones. He stood with his arms crossed, his thick, red beard bristling with tension. “What of Settra?”

“They march with eerie silence,” Elowen replied, her eyes darkening with the memory of the scout’s report. “A vast host of skeletons, wights, and abominations. They seek to join forces with the northern hordes at the Crossroads of Valdorn. If they succeed, their combined strength could overwhelm us all.”

Lord Anselm leaned over the map, his expression grim. “The Crossroads… are vital. Whoever controls them can dictate the flow of battle, reinforcing at will, or cutting off our supply lines. If the enemy links up there, we will be fighting on all fronts, outnumbered and outmatched.”

“Then we cannot allow them to link up,” Thrain declared, slamming his gauntleted fist onto the table. “We must hold the Crossroads. If we fortify it, we can force the enemy to fight us piecemeal. The Chaos hordes, the Undead… the Goblins —they must be made to bleed for every inch of ground they take.”

Elowen nodded in agreement, her keen eyes narrowing as she studied the terrain. “The forests surrounding Valdorn will be to our advantage. My archers and rangers can harry the enemy as they approach, striking from the shadows. We will make them pay for every step.”

“And I will lead the cavalry to strike at their flanks,” Anselm added, his voice resolute. “We will break their momentum before they even reach the Crossroads.”

Thrain grunted in approval, his hand moving to the map where the hills rose to the west of Valdorn. “My engineers will fortify the hills. We’ll dig in deep, and their ogres will find it hard to break through stone and steel. My Ironbreakers will hold the line, no matter what they throw at us.”

Elowen straightened, her voice carrying the authority of centuries of elven wisdom. “Then it is decided. We must divide our forces, yet fight as one. We will not allow the enemy to unite. We will shatter their armies before they can merge into a force too great for us to overcome.”

Thrain let out a deep, rumbling breath. “Aye, lass. We’ll hold the line, and by the ancestors, we’ll send those monsters back to the abyss.”

With their plan set, the generals took a moment to steel themselves, each lost in their own thoughts of the battle to come. The future of the Border Princes hung in the balance, and the outcome of this battle would decide whether the allied races would stand united, or fall divided.

As they departed the tent, their resolve was clear. The Crossroads of Valdorn would be their stand, the place where they would defy the darkness threatening to engulf the region. There, they would meet the enemy, and there they would forge their fate in the fires of battle.

The Crossroads

Set-up

Place terrain as described on page 268 of the Old World Rulebook. Place three suitable objective markers along the centre of the table as shown above.

Deployment

Once the battlefield has been set up, the winner of a roll off chooses which player will deploy the first unit and which side of the table they would like to deploy on. Players deploy their armies using the alternating units method, as described on page 285 of the Old World Rulebook.

First Turn

One deployment is complete, the winner of a roll off takes the first turn. The player that finished deploying their army first adds +1 to their roll.

Game Length

The battle will last for six rounds, until one side concedes, or until the players have played for 2 hours.

Scenario Special Rules

Only infantry or monstrous infantry may hold objectives in this battle. To hold an objective the unit must be within 6″ at the end of the game. If both players have units within 6″ of an objective then total up each players models strength (using their strength characteristic) within 6″ of the objective.

Victory Points

Once the battle has ended, use Victory Points to determine which player is the winner, as described on page 286. Please advise the TO who won the game and how many objectives each player held at the end of the game.

End of Round

Once all tables at the event have finished their games, the TO will total up the total objectives held by the Ravening Hordes and Forces of Fantasy across all the tables. This will determine which side was the victor of the narrative battle and determine the effect on round 2.