Is the competitive tournament scene getting a little repetitive for you? Try Narrative Campaigns- you can find them for both Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40k!
A little-known fact about the Age of Sigmar Battletomes is that there are a few pages that are geared towards narrative missions and campaigns. These pages usually get flipped over and never get a fair chance. But we’re telling you that you might want to sit down with a couple of friends and give one a try.
Break Up The Competitiveness: Give Narrative Campaigns a Try
GW put a lot of thought into the campaign structure of games. They are balanced-out accordingly depending on what General you choose to start your army off. For example, if your General was a Stonehorn, you wouldn’t be able to pick two other Stonehorns as well. Rather, you’d be limited to a weaker option like a handful of Frost Sabres or a Mournfang Pack.
With competitiveness seemingly being pushed more and more nowadays, we feel like the Narrative scene needs to be focused on again. With that said, remember that Narrative games are Narrative. That means for the sake of fun for your opponent, don’t bring the most min/maxed army you can possibly throw together. That’s all for your tournaments.
Each Army Has a Path To Glory Narrative Table
If you cant find a table in your battletome, chances are it is in the latest Generals Handbook! The good thing about these Narrative Campaigns is that they can span the course of weeks with a group of your friends. You pick your General and depending on how powerful he is, you roll on a table randomly for his followers. You can gain glory depending on how well you do in your games and continue to gather forces for your Generals. The games get bigger and bigger until it’s finally settled on a winner out of your group.
Narrative Options Unlimited
One thing that Narrative Campaigns accomplish what tournament-style games fail to do is really bring in a “fluffy” aspect. While you can give your tournament day some kind of back story to why the forces are fighting each other, it doesn’t hit the same note as a Narrative Campaign. This takes a little bit of thinking but it’s well worth the work.
For example, one Narrative campaign can be focused around Skaven and Fyreslayers. You could say that a Skaven Gnawhole went off course while they were traveling to another realm and it spat an entire army out within a Fyreslayer’s mountain lodge. The Skaven like all the Ur-gold that the Fyreslayers are hoarding and try to take it back with them. Obviously, you can see where things are going from here. The point is that this is a way to dive into the lore of the games you play and keep your circle of friends/players interested in how the story will end.
Also now with the new Forbidden Power expansion, you can play a 4 player campaign and accumulate artifacts, get special abilities if you use a narrative army build, and use allies/mercenaries along the way!
Narrative Campaigns are Also Possible With 40k
While narrative-focused missions may not be prevalent in 40k army codexes, there are still plenty of supplements and current events for you to enjoy a narrative game. Between Urban Conquest, Vigilus, and Vigilus Ablaze, you can easily set up a background story focusing on the Black Legion sweeping through a Hive City sector. Meanwhile, a band of Space Marines is trying to repel the invasion.
These books focus on the narrative style of things with each mission have a unique set of stratagems and rules.
Have you tried any Narrative Campaigns in 40k or AoS? Which game do you prefer for narrative play? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
