Law & Misrule Campaign
What is right and what is wrong? On Necromunda, these questions have a simple answer and a complicated reality. Every hive is balanced on the edge of a blade. In the hive cities, gang war is just a fact of life, and a great part of the wealth of Lord Helmawr and those that rule is built on the trade in Ghast; a trade that is a crime in the eyes of the wider Imperium. In such a place, what is a crime? Not murder, unless it is of someone too important to die. Not bribery, because the Merchant Guilds are little more than a mechanism for bribery given the weight of ancient institutions. Every vile and vicious act of greed and violence happens many times a second across Necromunda, and yet it has laws, and enforcers of laws, and criminals. What makes something criminal in such a place? The answer, of course, is who is committing the crime, and whether they are breaking the greatest unwritten law of all: do they stand inside the order of things, or do they stand outside the balance of blood and coin that has lasted for millennia. Are they keepers of the peace or minions of misrule?
How The Campaign Works
The Law and Misrule Campaign is based around gangs fighting battles for the control of Rackets in their area of the hive. Each game in the campaign is fought for the control of a Racket, with the winner either gaining a new Racket, or holding on to one that they already have. The Racket being fought over is the stake of a game, and every game has a Racket at stake on the outcome.
Rackets are enterprises in the hive that give a gang power, wealth and prestige. These may vary from a smuggling operation bringing in out-hive goods, a rogue psyker cabal, or the enforcement of Helmawr’s laws in that part of the hive – after all, the law is just another racket.
There are a fixed number of Rackets in a Law and Misrule Campaign, based on the number of players.
Possession of a Racket grants a gang that holds it a benefit – called a Boon. Boons vary from income, to a special Tactic that can be used in battle, to equipment, or even recruits for their gang. Gangs claim Rackets by winning battles.
The campaign ends after a fixed period of time, and at that point gangs are awarded Triumphs based on how many battles they have fought, how many Rackets they have, how wealthy they are, their Reputation, and how many enemies from the other side they have taken down.
Alignments
All gangs must start with an alignment when founded, however some gangs can choose which one.
All gangs must have an alignment when founded.There are 2 types:
- Law Abiding.
- Outlaw.
Some gangs must always start with a specific alignment, others can choose one. Some gangs can switch during the campaign, others cannot.
| Gang Type | Starting Alignment | Switched Alignment |
|---|---|---|
| House Gangs | Law Abiding Outlaw | Outlaw Law Abiding |
| Tainted House Gangs | Outlaw | N/A |
| Genestealer Cult | Law Abiding Outlaw | Outlaw Law Abiding |
| Chaos Cult | Outlaw | N/A |
| Corpse Grinder Cult | Outlaw | N/A |
| Venator Bounty Hunters | Law Abiding | Outlaw |
| Enforcers (Palanite/Badzone) | Law Abiding | N/A |
| Slave Ogryns | Outlaw | N/A |
| Ash Waste Nomad | Outlaw | N/A |
The Rule of Law and the Path of the Outlaw
Gangs have different effects depending on the alignment.
| Ability | Law Abiding | Outlaw |
|---|---|---|
| Claim Bounties, Sell Captives to Guilders (after having a chance to be rescued) | Per Dead Outlaw (Memorable Death):
| No. Dispose Captives instead. |
| Trade Captives back to | Law Abiding gangs only. | Any gangs. |
| Fighters have Bounties | No. | Yes. |
| Buy Hangers-on, Brutes & Pets | House Specific, generic (not Outlaw). | Outlaw only. |
| Hire generic Hired Guns (Hive Scum & Bounty Hunters) | Any (not Outlaw). | Any. The hired fighter counts as Outlaw. |
| Hire Special Characters | House Specific, generic (not Outlaw). | Outlaw only. |
| Trading Post: Rarity modifier Trade action requirement | - - | -2 Cool test |
| Black Market: Legality modifier Rarity modifier Trade action requirement | -2 -1 Intelligence test | - - - |
| Start new Alliance | Guilds and Nobles only. |
Changing Alignments
The alignment can change in 2 ways during the campaign:
- Forced:
- When caught while claiming an Intrigue with a different alignment.
- Alliances can force a gang to switch alignment.
- Declared: Once during the campaign, a gang can declare it is changing alignment (between battles).
Consequences of Changing Alignment
- -3 Reputation.
- Lose any Hangers-on (not Brutes).
- Test the Alliance, adding 3 to the result.
The Rewards of Infamy and Duty
Each alignment gives different bonuses as Reputation increases. If Reputation decreases, these bonuses are lost accordingly. The more Reputation a gang has, the more bonuses are gained. When changing alignment, the old bonuses are lost and new bonuses are gained (according to Reputation).
| Rep | Law | Outlaw |
|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | Claiming Bounties: Gain the ability to Claim Bounties for member of Outlaw gangs. | Black Market Trade: Unrestricted access to the Black Market. |
| 5-9 | Recruit: Hire one Propagandist Hanger-on for free. | Recruit: Hire one Scabber for free. |
| 10-14 | Claiming Enhanced Bounties: +50% for all bounties claimed for members of Outlaw gangs. | Black Market Trade Discount: 10% discount on all Black Market items. |
| 15-19 | Recruit: Hire one Bounty Hunter Hired Gun for free (every battle). | Recruit: Hire up to 2 Outlaw Hive Scum Hired Guns for free (every battle). |
| 20-24 | Claiming Enhanced Bounties: +100% for all bounties claimed for members of Outlaw gangs. | Black Market Trade Discount: 25% discount on all Black Market items. |
| 25+ | Recruit: Hire one Fixer Hanger-on for free. | Recruit: Hire one Proxy Hanger-on for free. |
Alignment Checks
Make an Alignment test for each Intrigue claimed that does not match the gang’s alignment:
Roll a number of D6s specified by the claimed Intrigue(s). In addition, add a D6 per Law Abiding fighter in the gang that:
- Took part in the battle.
- Equipped with Illegal item(s).
If any D6 rolls a 1, the gang’s actions have caused their alignment to change.
Gangs that can't change alignment lose 5 Reputation instead when failing an alignment test.
Outlaw House Gangs
The connection to the House is lost:
- Can't use Favours.
- Can't recruit House specific Brutes, Pets and Special Characters (keep those already recruited, but they can't be replaced). | Recidivists and Nobles only. |
Starting Out
Starting credits: 1000
Keep unspent credits: Yes
In additon, each gangs starts with 2 Rackets randomly assigned by the Arbitrator.
Phases
Phase 1: Expansion
If there are no more uncontrolled Resources, the phase ends and Downtime begins. This does not change the length of the Downtime, but Phase 3 can be extended if Phase 1 ends early.
Phase 2: Downtime
Complete the following steps:
Phase 3: Justice
Any number of battles may be fought in this phase. The challengers can continue to nominate unclaimed Resources as the stake of a battle.
Ending the Campaign
After Phase 3, the campaign ends. There are a number of Triumphs (depending on campaign type). A gang may earn more than one, and in case of a tie, no one is awarded it.
Law & Misrule: The alignment that received most Triumphs is declared to have Tipped the Balance (balance of power between Law & Misrule).
| Triumphs | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Lord of Law/Misrule | Highest Reputation |
| Racketeer | Most Resources |
| Financier | Largest Wealth |
| Muscle | Most battles fought |
| Hit Man | Most Leaders of a different alignment taken OoA |
Scenario Selection
It is up to the campaign to organise how they want to choose scenarios. Each gaming group is different and have different approaches. One option is to use the selection table suggested by the campaign designers below.
To determine which scenario will be used, roll 2D6on the following table:
| 2D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 2-3 | The player with the greater number of Rackets chooses which scenario to play. If both players have the same number of Rackets, both players should roll a D6, with the player who rolls the highest choosing. If the scenario dictates there is an attacker and a defender, the player who chose the scenario decides which player will be the attacker and which will be the defender. |
| 4-5 | Play the Looters or The Trap scenario. |
| 6-7 | Play the Ambush or the Marauders scenario. |
| 8-9 | Play the Border Dispute or the Smash and Grab scenario. |
| 10-12 | The player with fewer Rackets chooses which scenario to play. If both players have the same number of Rackets, the winner of a roll-off chooses which scenario to play. If the scenario dictates there is an attacker and a defender, the player who chose the scenario decides which player will be the attacker and which will be the defender. |
Goonhammer has suggested a better way of selecting scenarios for this campaign. See below.
| 2D6 | Result | Scenario Options |
|---|---|---|
| 2-5 | Crimes | Looters / Propaganda / Escort Mission |
| 6-7 | Treasure | Scavenge / Archaeo-hunters / Forgotten Riches |
| 8-9 | Death Match | Stand-off / The Trap / Ambush |
| 10-12 | Underdog | Lower-Ranked player picks Scenario and Attack/Defend |