Looking Ahead to Our Next Camaign

Don't worry, work continues on the Megadread. And the Killtank. And the Grot Tanks. And prepping my boyz for paint. But after reading Rik's blog ( http://rfmadeptusastartes.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-dice-from-my-man-crush-new-ideas.html )and what he had to say about our next campaign, I though I would take a moment and throw some ideas I brainstormed today while watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall. These thoughts are in no specific order:

1. Casualty Rolls: We will (probably) be using experience next time around, expanding on the idea of the Heroic Action Table from last time around. With that being said, units that are destroyed, reduced to 50% or are falling back at the end of the game run a risk of being lost.
   
   Rik and I originally talked about a resource gathering portion to the campaign allowing the purchase of larger and better units, but the more I thought about it the more I think that that would be more work than it was worth, and that the possibility of losing your battle-hardened units and replacing them with green troops will represent that facet of a campaign with less math and record keeping.
2. Factions. We will definitely be playing as Factions, probably Imperial v. Orks. In our Planetary Empires campaign we have 7 (or is it 9?) players. I have played against 3 of them. I wanted to play with Kip and Matt and Steve and Chase and everyone, but the map never made that work.
   
   Now, when we play as Factions we can play how ever often we like, against whomever we like, for as many points as we like. There will be much more freedom, and opportunity. Now, I hear what you're thinking: "But Bill, if you split the campaign into factions you will still only fight half the players." Well yes, but I will have the opportunity to play WITH everyone, because that freedom will allow us some megabattles and team action that will still let me play with all my friends.
3. Territories. In Planetary Empires, the specific tiles on the map meant little to the campaign - what really mattered was the little buildings on the tile, and those were random and often VERY one-sided. Going forward, I would like to see the sectors on the map have meaning for the campaign. If you play in a hive city sector, the Cities of Death book should be used. If you control a Forgeworld, you have greater access to heavy vehicles like baneblades and the like. Sectors will make Casualty Rolls easier to pass. Etc, etc, etc...
4. Campaign Actions. While you have the freedom as a player to play in any theatre in the campaign versus any player, your faction will be focusing on a few specific strategic aims. There will be major actions, such as assaulting a sector to capture it or fortifying with defense lines and bunkers, and minor actions like raiding for supplies reconaissance and harassing the enemy behind his lines. All will have specific strategic benefit for the campaign.
5. Initiative. This was one of Rik's ideas, and I haven't really worked on this much yet, but the basic idea was whichever faction "won" the previous campaign phase will enjoy some kind of benefits for doing so. These benefits would be something like rerolling deep strike scatter and outflank arrival, bonuses to siezing the initiative (duh, lol), and the like.
6. Terrain. We are looking for a more purposeful use of terrain. We have bastions and Fortressi of Redemption, defense lines and more. Wouldn't it be nice if that Fortress of Redemption on the table did more than block LOS to your deployed Land Raider or Thuderwolf Cav?

Well, those are my thoughts so far on the NEXT campaign, Rik and I will be working on it. I would love to hear everyone else's thoughts and input.

Major update on the megadread will be coming soon, working on the legs right now (well, I will be as soon as the Diamondback beat hte San Francisco Ferries) and they're looking good.