Advice on running an enjoyable 40k campaign over a long period?

[Proiteus]

I'm looking for advice on running a 40k campaign at either a gaming club or a local hobby centre. I've taken part in many narrative campaigns over the years, however too many of them end due to lack of interest after a few weeks.
So I'm looking for advice on how best to run one, especially on the following points...

Map/Grid type play?
A map based campaign often seems a good idea but the problem I've encountered with this is that you often get stuck fighting the same players. The best way I've seen this done was at GW a few years back; it was simple you won a game you got to put a sticker on a map and gain territory and then fight for other players when there was none left to claim. Still I'm eager to hear other suggestions?

Campaign Rules?
What rules should be in play during a campaign, should players be allowed to run multiple armies? Should those armies be effected by previous games or territory size? I've played in a campaign where there was a lot of maths involved as you had to detract points for territory held and if the force was not your main force, as a result players quickly tired of it.

Run time?
How long would you recommend a campaign should run for?

As always I appreciate any help on the matter?

[Denzark]

I would procure a copy of Crusade of Fire as it is pretty much ready made in terms of campaign tree - just change the scenario to suit.

In terms of mapping CoF uses planetary empire tiles. You could create similar - I have hoarded sufficient foam board (ie the 2 bits of plasticard with foam in the middle) to make all the maps - it could be up or down sized to fit how much time you have or how many players.

[Wolfshade]

I think the biggest thing is to get a firm commitment about how long people are looking to play for, you might be able to get a 4 week commitment, but if it becomes a year affair these are harder to maintain the momentum.

[Mr Mystery]

Also - either run the campaign, or play in the campaign. It's really hard to do both, especially if you're using any form of special campaign rules.

[Darren Richardson]

yeah I agree with Mystery, an Independent non playing Umpire is a must.

It also helps to add chance encounters during battles which the umpire will control during the game as well, just to keep players on their toes and interested....

[ElectricPaladin]

First of all, listen to this (http://theindependentcharacters.com/blog/?p=3512).

Secondly, remember to Keep It Simple (Stupid). A campaign system doesn't have to be complex or ornate to be a ton of fun. The best campaigns I ever played in were as straightforward as "players are divided into two or three teams based on faction, campaign night is once a month with awesome bombastic missions, the narrative evolves based on who wins the most games, your warlord rolls on a table any game that he survives and gains special benefits from experience and rolls on another table to determine if he survives losing his last wound or if you have to start again with a new warlord, and you can play games on the off-days and report the results."

It's very simple. It's tons of fun.

[Mr Mystery]

Yep.

And keep it to a single type! Mixing and matching can be done, and it's spectacular when it works. But when it doesn't, it's not good :)

[inquisitormack]

We just ran a campaign three times over the last 9 months at our local games store. I think the secret was to start simple & allow the campaign to change over time. What we did was play for 6 weeks, then renegotiate the parameters, play another 6 weeks, renegotiate, etc. etc. Everyone is looking for something different so if you allow each phase to change to meet different players styles, then everyone will know that they might not like the present phase, but their ideas are encouraged for the next phase.

Google Docs surveys also made collating results easy; take the 10 minutes necessary to learn how to do that & people will be able to post results on their smartphones as soon as the game is over.

More info on our thread in dakka under Whiz store September 2014 campaign:

[Cactus]

We've run several leagues at our LGS and here are a few of the things I suggest.

1. Use a map - even if it doesn't mean much. Our gamers really loved having a visual representation of the number of territories they control. I like the pushpin with flag method but we've also used the GW tiles to make a map.

2. As far as rules go, we found that just setting up deployment and victory conditions each week was a lot of fun and kept everything clean and simple. We also just ran a restricted/escalating system that was a lot of fun. Starting with 500 points, and ending with 2,000 points and a final tournament helped determine the winner. We also had a small entry fee that went to a prize pool to hand out some swag at that end. That also helps keep attendance up as gamers feel financially committed and have the opportunity to gain some loot.

3. Our last league ran 12 weeks and that was just a tad too long. I'd recommend 4-8 weeks. We allowed games to happen at any time, but set up Sunday afternoons as our unofficial meeting time for out members to meet up and find some pickup games.

[Auticus]

https://baelsoubliette.wordpress.com/2014/05/02/forging-the-narrative-what-is-narrative-gaming/
https://baelsoubliette.wordpress.com/2014/05/08/forging-the-narrative-part-ii-the-campaign/
https://baelsoubliette.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/forging-the-narrative-part-iii-narrative-campaigns/
https://baelsoubliette.wordpress.com/2014/11/02/forging-the-narrative-iv-map-campaigns/

You're going to get a lot of responses saying a lot of things - but really its about your group. There is no one ruleset fits all. Some people like simple. Some people like complex. Some people have run campaigns while playing in them (I have done this), others won't do it because they feel there is a conflict of interest (I have also done this).

Some like maps. Others want linked stories. Some use a league format with a campaign type backstory.

It really is up to you and your group to figure out what works best for them.

Our upcoming Badab campaign is very complex and involves maps and will run from January - June - which defies what most people say campaigns should be but this is what was asked for for this campaign season and this is what was delivered for us. We shall see how it goes.

Good luck!

[Battle 1-2]

As somebody who ALWAYS wants to organize tournaments for whatever (computer games, mini's games, sports I play, etc), let me share one important thought:

Get a firm commitment from the people you think want to play. Start with what you want to do, then gradually dial it back until you have commitment from enough people to do SOMETHING. Once you get them hooked, you can ramp up to more exciting stuff, but the key is to set the hook. Yes, have your big idea dream that you want to do, but expect to pare it back to something much smaller until you're established as "THE GUY who runs that GREAT tournament that everybody wants to participate in." Be patient, enjoy the learning process, and man, congratulations for having the balls to put yourself out there by trying to organize something like this!

Good luck to you!