I was discussing this a little bit in another thread, but I was taking it off topic. So I figured I would start a new one.

I was considering a basic Success, Partial Success, Fail, flowchart style for the Missions, if you fail at this one it leads to this, one, if you win you could turn it around, etc. Then have their objectives be things that will tie into the overall results on the front. Didn't take that bridge? The enemy armor crosses it hitting your Regiment in the flank.

How do you guys structure your games? How much of an impact do you give your players?

First, I have a word file made up called "Evil Evil Plans." This is the ultimate goal of your players' nemesis throughout the sector (if you plan on having them hop planets; if they're going to be on one planet, then you can break it up by continents instead).

When my players land on a new planet for a campaign, I always have two additional Word files written up for that planet. The first is called "(Planet) Evil Plans."

Basically, map out everything the enemy general WILL do if the players do not exist or succeed in their missions.

"Warboss Jawsmasha's ultimate goal is to loot the Baneblade production facility of Croneum. His Waaagh! landed on the far side of the continent and has fought almost to the gates of the manufactorum, only being stalled by the recent arrival of Guard reinforcements.

Jawsmasha's Kommandos launch raids on forward supply posts, cutting off the PDF and Guard forces. They attack and burn down the main ammunition supply center for the northern front.

His boyz follow the success in the north by charging the under-supplied forward units, initiating a rout in a mass battle. The entire front collapses, north to south.

The Croneum 1st Regiment defends Bridge 01 before the main Manufactorum while the Mechanicus rig it to blow. They are overwhelmed by the Orks before they can complete the mission. The Orks are literally at the gates to the Manufactorum.

Jawsmasha's Kommandos enter the Manufactorum through the sewers and open the main gates from inside. The Orks rush in and loot the facility.

Jawsmasha now has looted Baneblades and every armored regiment in the sector will suffer for it."

Next, I have the "(Planet) Imperial battle plan." This assumes the players are successful in all their missions.

"General Ripper has arrived with the 239th Cadian Line Infantry to push back Jawsmasha's Waaagh!

Ripper orders his men to deliver vital munitions to the struggling PDF forces on the front lines, raising their morale and stabilizing the defenses.

He initiates an armored push through the Ork lines on the Northern front, backed up by his infantry.

The Orks fall back to a jungle on the southern front. He begins to level the jungle in a mass bombing/bombardment, despite heavy counterattacks on the artillery batteries.

There is a reliable sighting of Warboss Jawsmasha within an area of the jungle where a Guard patrol was massacred. He sends in a trusted squad to kill the Warboss. They are successful and without his leadership, the Orks turn on each other within days. The Guard rolls over the last Orks standing a week later."

Almost every one of those sentences could be a mission or a series of missions. Notice also how the first two overlap a bit? This way no matter who wins, you don't have to design hugely differing encounters for mission two (the offensive). All that changes is who initiates the attack.

Geographically, try to put the ultimate objectives (the Manufactorum, the Warboss' camp) close to one another. That way if there's a sudden reversal (the players can't defend the artillery) then you can switch over to the next mission (without artillery support, the Orks break out and reach Bridge 01).

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On Mass Battles/long encounters, I have a table set up that looks something like this:

0 - Friendly squad pinned by 2 enemy squads.

1 - Enemy mortar battery or heavy weapons team attacking friendlies.

2 - An enemy heavy vehicle plowing through your front lines.

3 - Elite enemy infantry occupying a fortified position.

4+ - The enemy general, surrounded by his command squad but unsupported.

Each number represents the DoS on the Tactica Imperialis roll the commander has to make, and also so many points. The commander gets 5 rolls. If the team does not "score" 5 points, the battle is lost and they have to retreat. If they score 4 points, the commander can make a Command +0 test to rally all the troops around the players for a desperate last push, and the squad encounters a challenging enemy they must defeat- if they retreat, all the men they've rallied turn and run with them.

At 5 points, the squad turns the tide of the battle and probably receives a minor decoration for their efforts.