40K: Getting Started with Narrative Gaming
8th Edition is great for narrative gaming – and here’s an easy way to get in on the action.
One of the things we really enjoy here at BoLS is diving into the fun-filled depths of narrative gaming. I know, I know… After reading Goatboy and AdamHarry tell you how to vivisect enemy armies, you are saying “bigred, you’re pulling my leg” But I’m not, and believe it or not, when narrative campaign time comes around all the BoLS crew switch out our hats and enjoy nothing more than several games of fluffy non-hardcore armies plowing their way through a well crafted story. Competing in a tournament is one thing, but walking in the footsteps of some of the greatest heroes (or villians) of the 40k universe offers rewards just as satisfying.
So the next question I often recieve is how to get a group of pickup gamers to introduce narrative gaming into their group. It seems like a big nebulous hassle and most players who would otherwise love the experience are often turned away from the get go.
With narrative play, the key is to start with something simple. Don’t go off and try to craft a crazy 130 page campaign book with 28 players (like we’ve done here at BoLS). Start with something like a set of a set of 3 custom missions where the effects of the first mission slightly alter the second one, and the so forth. Have some fun inventing some cool narrative missions that allow your friends to reuse their army twice in the same night, across a pair of games and get everyone’s feet wet with non-pickup games. Before you know it, your ideas will begin to build on each other, and you’re group will want to start making larger themed games than link into each other from week to week and you’re off to the races!
You don’t have to bother with complicated record keeping. In 8th for example we will often just give the winner some bonus Command Points, so they get a slight perk, but nothing overpowering. One very simple way to “roleplay” your force is to keep a simple sheet of paper on the wall noting each of your player’s HQs, and your total Power Level for the lists. then you have a simple and fast framework for crafting a cool narrative story around those ICs and their armies. Perhaps you can put in limits on many units a campaign force can change from week to week (try 2 and tune it from there). Maybe you want to have characters who “die” sit a game out (their 2nd in command would step in of course). A strong set of Heroes and Villains is agreat way to rough out your narrative campaign. It’s the drama of competing characters that sits at the beating heart of so much of the Grimdark’s appeal.
A nice side-effect of campaign play, is you can set whatever house rules you want to get folks to not take really abusive armies and instead focus on having fun instead. The leveling of the playing field between units in 8th makes this so much easier. Once guys really get into fluffy narrative games and campaigns, that happens naturally anyway, as no one wants be the one who “brings the chainsaw to the wedding shower” and ruin everyone else’s fun.
Overall I’ve found the single matching keyword limitation on 8th Armies to work as a nice middle ground from earlier editions. It removes the crazier allied combos, but still keeps the lists conforming so somewhat narrative themes.
Of course I have to stress the most important rule of Narrative play. Come up with what YOU think is cool and do it. If your playgroup wants to see what happens when a Genestealer Cult tries to take over a Vespid world – why not? It’s YOUR game, YOUR story, and YOUR hobby. Don’t ever let anyone tell you how to have fun.
Vespids go BOOM!
We’ll be playing our own 40K weekly mini-campaigns for you all to enjoy. come join us, and craft some of your own!
~ I’d love to hear of your narrative gaming experience, your thoughts on the concept in 8th edition.
