Howdy all, I'm currently running a Black Crusade campaign with 4 players and I'm looking for some feedback on my campaign ideas and also some guidlines on balance, I'm pretty familiar with the system and have GM'd quite a bit but BC is a first for me, I'm more used to Rogue Trader and Deathwatch but have some playing BC experience.

I started off by teaching my players how to play with 'Broken Chains' and the pre-generated characters, so I couldn't use it as a base to begin with as they'd find the same scenario boring I'd think.

So I started with slightly tweaked Hand of Corruption (All 3 parts) which has led us up to this point, but I should probably explain a little first.

My game started with 3 players, A Heretek (betrayed and outcast, seeking perfection, falling to slaanesh) who is looking for forbidden tech to aid him in his revenge, a CSM Sorceror (obsessed with knowledge/tzeentchian) and an Alpha Legion Champion (Dubs himself Alpharius, very secretive unknown goals even to me slightly, undivided). They progressed through HoC very well, although the Heretek and Alpha decided to betray the Sorceror whilst fighting through the tomb after several clashes about decisions and personality. Eventually a fight erupted which saw the CSM Sorceror killed, the Heretek badly wounded and barely alive and the Alpha Legionnaire wounded but otherwise fine. The Sorceror decided he wanted to roll a new character anyway and let him be left to die in the tombs, at this point their followers dragged the two survivors to the surface and were picked up by an unknown vessel which got them off the planet. The planet now belongs to the Necrons but the heretics are relatively safe and have vowed to return one day.

So I decided that it would be a badly damaged and poorly crewed Word Bearers ship (Less than 40 Word Bearers left, so survivng by capturing human slaves etc) that would pick them up, having just returned from their own failed crusade led by a Dark Apostle, in truth they were led here by 'The Many Eyed' from the Binding Contracts scenario as the Dark Apostle is a great believer in signs/portents. My plan is to have them now complete the Binding Contracts mission to prove their worth to the Word Bearers / Dark Apostle and then begin a campaign properly.

The group now consists of the original Heretek/Alpha as well as a Word Bearer Champion (dubbed the Coryphaus, WB War leader etc) and a new player using a Word Bearer Chosen (First Acolyte to the apostle). They are now doing the Binding Contracts mission, the WB characters are keeping an eye on the other two and vice versa. This should also prevent any PC killing again unless things go very wrong.

My plan is to have the Many Eyed reveal a ritual which could bring great opportunities for the group and the apostle, so they will serve together to complete it. The idea being there are 8 worlds which must be claimed to create a nexus, 8 PC's/NPC's required to perform the ritual (Chosen and important souls) and 8 artefacts which must be offered. This will be the basis for the most of the campaign. I wrote a cheesey foretelling by the Many Eyed below which would inspire/confuse them as neccesary. Also throughout I will use her to confuse them and create balance where possible.

‘A study in symbols of Eight, as the hour grows late, now as you tread the Eightfold Path, raise the dark god’s wrath. Move now do these servants eight, those few bound by hands of fate, as they move eight worlds for gods they shall tame, untold power will be unleashed for all or one to claim.’

The problem is I don't really know what the ritual will accomplish, in terms of scale the whole campaign should last for months at least (we play 4hrs once a week) and it feels like it should have some huge affect but I can't decide what that should be? I'm thinking of pulling a Daemon Primarch or equivalent into reality and having it aid them lauch one final Black Crusade on somewhere important, kind of like Cadia but probably not that famous etc.

The structure for my campaign is kind of as follows, I want each character to have at least one scenario center on them and at least one based on each of the gods (as Word Bearers worship all equally). The 8 people required will contain the 4 PC's, the Dark Apostle and 3 others who I will fit in as NPC's. The 8 artefacts will be scattered in some missions or in the gaps between 'Story' missions.

Mission 1: Binding Contracts - get the group used to each other and establish goals, the crashing ship is now a word bearers ship (a sign to the apostle)

Mission 2: Corrupt an Imperial World / Sack Shrine - Based around the WB Chosen, potentially a World previously failed to claim?
Mission 3: Capture a high ranking Ad Mech Magus from a Forgeworld who can help breed/create more marines faster - Based around the Heretek, potentially his betrayer?

Mission 4: Gene-Seed heist (kind of like the book Storm of Iron) - Based around the Alpha Legionnaire, potential clash with his legion?

Mission 5: Space Hulk type mission to acquire one or more of the artefacts.

Mission 6: Return to Saint Annards (from HoC) to find it now run by the sorceror thought dead - He could be one of the 8?
Mission 7: Ransack a imperial planet to gather slaves on the way to the last two planets (one of the last 3 planets, all of which are very close and share defences etc.)
Mission 8: Capture 2nd last planet potentially tricking a xenos race to serve as a distraction whilst taking out defences etc.
Mission 9: Launch Black Crusade on the final planet and complete the ritual - Based around the Coryphaus and his tactical acumen for war.

If anyone has any ideas or advice I'd be greatly appreciative, as this kind of thing is a first for me really, I apologize for the wall of text also but I figured it'd be best to explain my situation to get some help on it.

Also to save posting another thread, I've been giving out 50xp per session for attendance but this seems low now that I have looked at some others, what would you reccomend as a reward per session considering that we play 4hrs once a week? We will also occasionally run full day sessions (7-8hrs). Any advice on this also would be great!

Thanks

Simple enough, by completing the ritual you get to ask the Dark Gods for one wish, no matter how insane or huge - from killing anything in the galaxy to resurrecting your beloved one to gaining apotheosis.

But only one wish will be granted, and it is by no means guaranteed everyone in the warband wishes for the same thing.

Simple enough, by completing the ritual you get to ask the Dark Gods for one wish, no matter how insane or huge - from killing anything in the galaxy to resurrecting your beloved one to gaining apotheosis.

But only one wish will be granted, and it is by no means guaranteed everyone in the warband wishes for the same thing.

"WHAT IS YOUR WISH MORTAL WORM?"

"I wish that Khrone and Tzeentch would kiss and make up in front of everyone in the galaxy!"

"..."

I fully expect this is either result in the wisher to suddenly become a chaos spawn or everyone in the Galaxy witnessing something horrible before their heads explode so that there are no witnesses.

Not a problem, you'll get two greater daemons kissing against their will, and then released from their creator's grip to eat a mortal who embarrased them.

Generally, find the most nasty way to grant the wish they desire.

I'm mostly curious what the sector's battlefleet is doing during all of this. Are they just going to ignore that worlds have been attacked and conquered by chaos?

The first thing you generally would need to accomplish all of this is a massive fleet of your own.

Thankfully, if you have cultist willing to sacrifice themselves in a ritual, you can tear open a chaos portal, effectively bypassing the naval blockade. Better still, you might just cause a warpstorm by corrupting worlds, which will make warp travel much more difficult affair for and imperial vessel.

The idea is the missions in between the 'Story' missions would deal with a lot of this, gathering allies, fleets etc, also the 8 worlds simply need to have something done (ritual etc) or a presence left to activate.

I liked the idea of it creating a serious rift, almost like a mini eye of terror but that seemed too absurd and also slightly lacking since only a few weeks ago they sucked an entire planet into the warp in one ritual with a marginal amount of prep in comparison to this quest.

Coolness, with that bit out of the way, I do have a suggestion for the ritual. An alternate route out of the Eye of Terror is something the big four have needed for considerable time. What if your ritual opens one? Wherever they do it becomes the exit and entry for the EoT-Backdoor.