There’s more to gaming life than the endless core gameplay loop of competitive and tournament play! In the Narrative forge, we explore Narrative Play, looking for ways to tell stories on the tabletop and enhance play experiences by creating narratives and weaving story elements into your games.
Table of Contents
The Goonhammer Guide to Warhammer Campaigns
In this multi-part series, we explore the different types of campaigns you can run, and dig deep on what makes a good system/campaign for each style of campaign. Although the main focus for some (but not all) of these articles is 40k, the principles discussed are easily applied to Age of Sigmar, Kill Team, and Necromunda.
Part 1 – Planning and Running a Campaign
Part 2 – Linear Narrative Campaigns
Part 3 – Tree Campaigns
Part 4 – Mass Campaigns
Part 5 – Escalation
Part 6 – Experience and Levels
Part 7 – Map Campaigns
Battles of Legend
Making Your Campaigns a Success
Warhammer 40k Battlezones (with updated Zone Mortalis Rules)
Vadinax
Vadinax was Goonhammer’s own global Crusade campaign for 9th edition Warhammer 40k. You can find information about the setup and design of the campaign here:
- Vadinax Intro
- Vadinax Mechanics, Part 1
- Vadinax Mechanics, Part 2
- Vadinax Building your Narrative
- Vadinax Arks of Omen
Crusade (9th Edition 40k)
Crusade is the main narrative play rule system for Warhammer 40,000 9th edition,
Codex Crusade Rules Reviews
- Space Marines
- Necrons
- Space Wolves
- Blood Angels
- Dark Angels
- Deathwatch
- Black Templars
- Grey Knights
- Death Guard
- Thousand Sons
- Drukhari
- Adeptus Mechanicus
- Adepta Sororitas
- Orks
- Genestealer Cults
- Adeptus Custodes
- T’au Empire
- Craftworlds Eldar
- Tyranids
- Votann
- Astra Militarum
- World Eaters
Campaign Supplements
Each campaign supplement for 40k has Crusade rules as well for armies to apply when fighting campaigns in those warzones.
- Charadon, Act I: The Book of Rust
- Charadon, Act II: The Book of Fire
- Octarius, Book 1: Rising Tide
- Octarius, Book 2: Critical Mass
Crusade Supplements
Of course there are also supplements just for Crusade, and we’ve talked about those too.
White Dwarf Flashpoints
White Dwarf has been doing monthly Crusade rules updates through 9th edition that add new campaign rules for each warzone they’ve covered. And we’ve talked about all of them.
- White Dwarf #457 Flashpoints: Argovon, Phase 1
- White Dwarf #458 Flashpoints: Argovon, Phase 2
- White Dwarf #459 Flashpoints: Argovon, Phase 3
- White Dwarf #460 Flashpoints: Charadon Phase 1 Review
- White Dwarf #461 Flashpoints: The Charnel Kingdom
- White Dwarf #461 Flashpoints: Charadon Phase 2 Review
- White Dwarf #462 Flashpoints: Cannibals of the Cursed Mountains
- White Dwarf #462 Flashpoints: Charadon Phase 3 Review
- White Dwarf #463: The Tri-Lobe Cluster
- White Dwarf #465: The Tome Keepers
- White Dwarf #466: Torchbearers & Bianzeer’s Hollow
- White Dwarf #467: Bianzeer’s Hollow, Part 2
- White Dwarf #468: The Wolfspear Chapter
- White Dwarf #470 Flashpoints: Octarius
- White Dwarf #471 Flashpoints: Octarius – Butcher Town Wars
- White Dwarf #472 Flashpoints: Nachmund – Righteous Warfare
- White Dwarf #473 Flashpoints: Nachmund – Absolutions of Faith
- White Dwarf #475 Flashpoints: Nachmund – A Test of Faith
- White Dwarf #476 Flashpoints: Nachmund – The Corruption of Faith
- White Dwarf #479 – Necrons Crusade Rules
Age of Sigmar
Interested in articles specifically focused on Age of Sigmar campaigns? We’ve got those too.
An Introduction to 3.0’s Path to Glory
Battletome Reviews
Stormcast Eternals Path to Glory Review
Orruk Warclans Path to Glory Review
Maggotkin Path to Glory Review
Older Content
A History of Campaigns in the Mortal Realms
Kill Team
Kill Team has its own set of campaign rules in the new edition that are worth looking at. Spec Ops campaigns have experience and basebuilding mechanics.
Necromunda Campaigns
The Necromunday boys have also written a few articles on Necromunda campaigns and how to get the best experiences out of your gangs’ quests to conquer territory and prove themselves kings and queens of the hive.
Necromunday: Starting a Campaign
Campaign Progression, Part 1 – Advancements
Campaign Progression, Part 2 – The Trading Post
Campaign Progression, Part 3 – Rep, Brutes, and Hangers-on
Weekend Campaigns
Goonhammer’s Ranking of all of the Dominion Campaign territories
The Law and Misrule Campaign
The Dark Uprising Campaign
Underdogs and Catch-up Mechanics
White Dwarf #458: Outlaw Brutes
White Dwarf #459: Going Out with a Bang
The Lost Zone
The Lost Zone is our own set of Necromunda campaign rules, which rebalance the game to be less about paramilitary organizations fighting on behalf of powerful guilds and more about poor gangs scraping by.
Other Narrative Play Resources
Want to spice up your Narrative Play with custom experiences that don’t require the full effort of planning and running a campaign? We’ve got you covered with these resources.
Creating Your Own Missions
Necromunday: Building Custom Scenarios
Building Narrative Armies
Painting Narrative Armies and Showing Without Telling