Hi there.

Need some ideas for campaing.

One of my group was just disbanded. First idea was to run some only war published adventures and on higher levels make them a commando unit but since my new group of players want to operate behind enemy lines from start i decided that players regiment will be guerilla type regiment from frontier world. I want to do modified Against The Savages from the rule book (kind of prelude to campaing) but i am at loss what to do next. I want them as commando unit something akin DT kill team but with humans. They will be recruited to special unit tasked with off grid missions. Maybe they could be based on a rogue trader ship or serve inqisition. The only thing i i have now that the next mission will take them to abandoned hive city when they have to recover a galaxy map of unknown region. So the question is, who they can serve, what can be done after they recover the map. Some general plot for campaing or other ideas would be helpful.

Hi,

- It could be a special mission from one of the Navigator Houses, call it favour owed by the Imperial Navy
- After they retrieve the map there might be some betrayel, maybe their pick up is canceled and they have to find their own route back. Perhaps there is an enemy mole inside Guard Command
- Make them feel how it is to run for their lives while continuing the mission.

S.

First off, abandoned Hive cities don't just happen.

Hives are giant hab-factories pcked with irreplacable archeotech. If one isn't currenty inhabited it's either because the hive is destroyed beyond repair or there is a **** good reason not to go back there otherwise the Imperium will keep pumping new "colonists" (press ganged from who knows where) in until they meet pre-incident production totals.

As for ideas, you could try:

Pick-up ship destroyed by maps previous owner/inqusition/the xeno/heretic/gribbly whose location it reveals.

Infection from airborne pathogen means the team is abandoned after transmitting map info to waiting ship orbit.

The hive starts collapsing (due to them breaching doors/bulkheads) and they cannot reach the pick-up point.

The "map" turns out to be an artifact of obviously chaotic/xenos origin and the team's original misson is countermanded to destroy it, thus angering the commander who wanted it for his own gain and didn't care how heretical it was.

The hive isn't as empty as advertised. It's just come back out of a warp storm that swallowed the whole planet for thee centuries and it's bought some friendly warpspawned creatures back with it.

Regarding your first question of whom they work for, I would suggest a general in the IG as their boss. Why? Because having an inquisitor as a boss is already done in Dark Heresy and while inquisitors are known to have warbands I don’t feel it really suits OW.

It is quite likely for a general to have his own ‘go-to’ squad to undertake missions of great importance at very short notice (which precludes requesting special forces assets) or to undertake missions the general prefers to keep quiet. This would help explain the lack of hierarchy, with likely only 1 officer between the general (who will probably rarely interact directly with the squad but alternatively could be very close to them) and the squad.

As to the missions, they need to be high value and short notice, otherwise the more established forces suitable to the operation would be deployed. So think quick and dirty commando actions and/or dirty work done on behave of the general.

Movies and the 100 mission generator thread would provide good samples of suitable missions.

A rogueish commisiar who couldn't care less what they do as their leader.

Yeah... I think I've heard that one before...

I keep in mind an idea for small guerilla force somewhere in the jungle. It is tasked with rescuing fallen aircraft transporting a comissar. After arrival it occures that something hunts people and ork there and nobody really goes there on purpose. In fact it's rabid Striking Scorpions Exarch, separated from his kin for the short period of peace, that roams that forest and collects alien skulls as his trophies...

I agree that making another boss than an IG General or other has been done in other games but that doesn't mean there can't be both. In my current campaign my players have a Colonel giving orders but the players base of operation is on a Rogue Trader ship and the ship's owner has started to taken an interest in them. The players will be forced to choose at points which boss to please and this will of course have consequences... (but not downright killing them, that would kinda suck).

My point is, if your players have a General who commands them at first, they might be scooped up by someone else who need their skills later on.

After they recover the map you have a great many options, as laid out before by others. You could, for instance, make it a treasure hunt; the map shows the hidden location of parts of an artifact which the PCs are tasked to gather. Since the locations vary from friendly territory to behind enemy lines, the players unique abilities and skills are needed to gather them all. Why the players? Because the General/Boss wants it for himself, the artifact is rumored to be able to bestow great powers to the user or something.

You then have the option of making some sessions on site (drop down, infiltrate, extract) and some in transit (hitch a ride, stowaways, Rogue Trader help) and so on.

When they finally get all the parts together it's clear that the artifact is of xeno design and they have to ask themselves what to do... If they decide to destroy it, they could get branded as traitors and then you have a whole new campaign ready; they must clear their names. If they decide to give it to another faction, this faction could become their main provider of missions and so on and so forth.

Hopefully some ideas will help, please let us know what you decide on