To get away from constant 100/6 games our group has started playing campaigns. We have recently started our third, and I am going to track it here so others can see how it plays out and possible be inspired to run their own.

Campaigns are more fun for us as each match has meaning. It also provides a neat narrative to the gameplay.

A few main points to start us off:

1. The base size of a squadron is 80 points instead of 100. This leads to interesting choices during building as no one can field a meta defining build.

2. Based on map positions, one or both sides of a fight can have bonuses to their points. This leads to asymmetrical games and rewards clever map movement.

3. Each player chooses a specific bonus that applies only to them for the duration of the game, it may be that they have special movement abilities on the map or that they have a bonus/penalty in gameplay.

4. Finally, the rulebook is a living document. Based on campaign games and playtesting we are constantly editing/evolving the rules. The most current can be found here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19q-89S4-4JyaCKo8BMoxaHmOL1QU4hEJ6Zje1sKdBSY/edit?usp=sharing

The newest campaign is 6 players:

The Kuat Guard – Boba Fett map symbol – Rebels

Ovnin Clan – Galactic Senate map symbol – Rebels

The Inquisitor’s Order – First Order symbol – Empire

The Phantom Hunters – Republic Credits symbol – Scum

Kintan Striders – Galactic Empire symbol – various due to special rule

Wings of the Artorias Nebula – Rebel Alliance symbol – Rebel

The map below shows the starting positions. The colored symbol represents their Base of Operations and the black symbol is their squadron marker. Each turn, players write down where they want to move their squadron and all moves are resolved simultaneously.

The following maps show the progression of the units through the first three turns.

The Ovnin Clan has the special rule that they can make double moves each turn, but that player, in a streak of bad luck, failed his rolls. The Phantom Hunters don’t have to make piloting checks to move through asteroids, and the Kuat Guard can make rerolls on failed checks so they were not held up during their movements.

For every three territories a player occupies beyond the first, they get an additional squadron marker in their Base of Operations. The last map shows the building of the second squadron by each player.

Turn 4

In this turn, The Inquisitor’s Order and the Wings have each moved a unit into the same sector. When the battle is fought, the Inquisitor’s Order will field 80 points and the Wings will have 100 points (they are fighting in their base so they count as fortified.) Wings win by 4 points, so IO is driven back, but not scattered.

Turn 5

Kintan Striders and The Phantom Hunters move into sector 43 (KS passed a piloting check) and will fight. Ovnin clan passes their double move roll for one territory but not the other.

Turn 5 will be completed after the combat between the Phantom Hunters and the Kintan Striders.

I hope to keep this recap running through the end of the game.

If you have questions or play a game and run into problems, please let me know so we can fix the issues.

Turn 5 post combat

Phantom Hunters playing 80 points (IG-88B and a Party Bus) beat the Kintan Striders (70 points, Fat Dash with Dengar crew. This player is using the special rule that allows him to ignore faction restrictions but it lowers his squadron points to 70). This was a total victory so the KS marker has to regroup at their Base of Operations.

Turn 6

Wings and Inquisitor's Order are at it again. This time it will be 100 vs 100, but the Wings are considered fortified, so they get to place anywhere on the battlefield outside of the IO deployment area.

End of turn 6, post combat

The Wings pull out a must needed win. If they had lost that fight by more than 15 points, then they would have been eliminated. Instead a total victory drives the scattered IO unit back to its base.

New units are built for many of the players, and orders are incoming for the next round.

-map note- Pixlr is the editor of choice to keep track of the image files, but they are experiences technical troubles, so the entire map was recreated in GIMP to continue the updates.

No battles after turn 7. The new graphics editor is still being played with, explaining the red/black sector numbers.

What are the various "terrain" features? You didn't provide a key. Also, what is the significance of the spaces that are multi hex?

I'm assuming all the players can see the whole map after each turn, no "double blind"? What is the effect if 2 adjacent squads cross paths while moving into each other's spaces?

Yeah, I could read the rules you linked to. But I'm lazy right now.

This is awesome. Once I get some time I'll give this a detailed read. I love stuff like this.

Asteroids require a Piloting Check to cross/move into. Roll a d6 and 3+ gets you across. The other features are only important if the player has a squad specific rule that refers to them.

Multi-hex spaces are done to make an asymmetrical board and to make some spaces more strategically valuable than others. For example, space 4 can reach eight other territories, making it more valuable than space 86 that only touches six territories.

The map is completely visible to all players. A "fog of war" style map would require a GM that isn't part of the game, and seeing everybody moving promotes diplomacy and alliances against a player getting too far ahead of everyone else.

By rule, you can't cross paths with another player. If one player moves into a territory occupied by another player, or if two players attempt to move into the same territory, they fight it out for control. If two players attempt to exchange positions, then they dice off to see who gets to move and who stays stationary. If the die roll is a tie, then both hold that turn.

Thanks for the questions. I post the rules for those interested, but am also attempting to explain things as they come up during the course of the campaign. It also helps me revise the rulebook for clarity.

I'm going to have to sit down and actually read your rules sometime soon. Looking at the game has sparked an idea for a multi-game system campaign. Do an armada campaign similar to yours, but whenever fleets are 1 hex away from each other there is an X-Wing game, representing clashing scouting forces and the winner then gains some advantage in either evading or engaging the opposing armada fleet the next campaign turn.

2 hours ago, Forgottenlore said:

I'm going to have to sit down and actually read your rules sometime soon. Looking at the game has sparked an idea for a multi-game system campaign. Do an armada campaign similar to yours, but whenever fleets are 1 hex away from each other there is an X-Wing game, representing clashing scouting forces and the winner then gains some advantage in either evading or engaging the opposing armada fleet the next campaign turn.

That's the big idea. Let every game have an effect on every other game, even if it isn't the same system. Now we have a narrative.

One of the great things is now we don't have trouble getting a game going. You can play almost every day if you want as there are always fights going in one of the three current campaigns.

Do keep in mind that the rules are still a work in progress. We are constantly updating as we find corner cases and ideas needing further explanation.

turn 8 Post Movement/Pre Combat

Phantom Hunters and Kintan Striders are at it again. This time, the two supporting squadrons give the Striders 110 points (70 base + 2 supporting units) vs. The Hunter's 80. Seems insurmountable, but past games have had wild swings and the team down by 40 or more has managed a victory.

Ovnin Clan and the Inquisitor's Order will also fight a 100 v 100 due to both having a supporting squadron.

End of turn 8.

Kintan Striders (Miranda, Poe and a Y-wing) have a total victory over the Phantom Hunters (Brobots), causing the Hunters to be scattered. However, PH has enough territory to continue to support the squadron, so they regroup at their Base of Operations.

The Inquisitor's Order(Inquisitor, Fel and Ryad) also has a total victory, causing the Ovnin Clan (Tycho, Asohka, and a T-70) to retreat back to base.

At the end of the turn, new units are built and orders are now coming in for turn 9.

New map is up.

Kintan Striders and Phantom Hunters are now in alliance. They can support each other in combat and move through each other's territory without taking control. Of course, these alliances can be broken at any time....

Ovnin Clan looks to redeem itself in an 80 pt vs. 80 pt battle against the Wings.

This looks really interesting, how much effort is it to keep this going? Because I can rarely play X-Wing with my friends, at the moment we play HotAC (still our first campaign, going for roughly a year now I think), this looks really interesting to be honest. Did you also try that with 3-4 players? Is it easy enough to get a few matches in per day?

Also do you remember when named pilots die and will you not use them again or are they always available?

Do squadrons immediately take control over a territory once they enter it with their squadron. Even though it is a former enemy territory? When they have no squadron stationed there?

Edit: Also, which fields are the 6 special fields in the map? Rules state that to win you have to control 4 of those, but I can't see special fields on the map.
Edit2: Nevermind, I think I see them now, they are the fields 25-30? I'd fill more of the spots with the random special fields though to give it more variety. I really liked the custom rules for the 6 fields but would probably fill more of the map with these, kind of lame if only 6 of 93 spaces have these special rules I'd rather have like 10 of each, that leaves 33 for basic asteroids, double asteroids, the debris zone and no obstacle fields.

4 hours ago, JayDestroyaC said:

This looks really interesting, how much effort is it to keep this going? Because I can rarely play X-Wing with my friends, at the moment we play HotAC (still our first campaign, going for roughly a year now I think), this looks really interesting to be honest. Did you also try that with 3-4 players? Is it easy enough to get a few matches in per day?

Also do you remember when named pilots die and will you not use them again or are they always available?

Do squadrons immediately take control over a territory once they enter it with their squadron. Even though it is a former enemy territory? When they have no squadron stationed there?

Edit: Also, which fields are the 6 special fields in the map? Rules state that to win you have to control 4 of those, but I can't see special fields on the map.
Edit2: Nevermind, I think I see them now, they are the fields 25-30? I'd fill more of the spots with the random special fields though to give it more variety. I really liked the custom rules for the 6 fields but would probably fill more of the map with these, kind of lame if only 6 of 93 spaces have these special rules I'd rather have like 10 of each, that leaves 33 for basic asteroids, double asteroids, the debris zone and no obstacle fields.

Good Questions.

The effort isn't too much in terms of managing the map. I use GIMP to manipulate the images and we just email our moves to an account that I have set up. Once everything is in, I move the pieces and send out the new map and players schedule their battles. This isn't anything like HotAC as nothing is cooperative. We enjoy the head-to-head fights too much.

We just finished up a 4 person campaign as well, and it seemed balanced. Takes a few more rounds before the fights happen, but I would do it again. We play at work, and I am usually getting in at least 2 fights a week in the campaigns. In our group, if you don't have a campaign battle, we also have a round-robin escalation tournament running simultaneously, so we stay busy.

We don't keep track of pilots/abilities from game to game. Every fight starts fresh.

Moving a squadron into a territory immediately claims it for your side. The only exception is when you are in alliance with another player. As you can see in the previous map, the player moving into sector 4 did not claim it for his side because he has an agreement with the other player. If a player moves into a territory occupied by an opponent, then combat happens.

Yes, 25-30 are the special zones. We tried having more special zones, but we get enough variety from all the asymmetrical fights that happen. Our guys aren't interested in added complexity even though I am all for it.

End of round 9

Wings laid a beating on the Ovnin Clan, driving them back to their base.

New builds are up and orders are streaming in.

Turn 10

Kuat Guard has two fights going on.

They play 120 pts vs the Inquisitor's Order at 100 pts in sector 18 and 100 pts vs. The Phantom Hunters at 120 pts in sector 34.

Both fights are under the "Extra Asteroids" rules.

The current map shows the importance of coordinating moves and support actions.

What tools do you use to modify the map ?

I use GIMP.

I used to use the Pixlr online editor, but it got buggy for a while so I had to recreate everything.

Before that, we just printed out the map and used Diplomacy game pieces to move around.

Being tied down to a computer isn't too bad, but if I can find an adequate app, I would love to use it.

End of Turn 10

Kuat Guard wins both fights (despite flying his Fat Han off the board in one game), driving both opponents back to their base of operations.

New units are built. Phantom Hunters built in a sector adjacent to their base as they already had a unit there. If all adjacent had been full, they would have lost that build.

Orders are coming in for Turn 11.

Hi!

Just wanted to ask. How made the hex map? I want to make x-wing campain in Czech Republic, but have problems with making good map. And your solution of map/campaing is really great.

Thx for answer

Turn 11, time for combat

Lots of fights this round. Allied Support rule, blockade running, piloting checks, and special map rules are in affect.

Sector 30: Inquisitor's Order 80 v Wings 100 comet storm map

This map has asteroids streaking across every turn. They act like regular obstacles, but on the move.

Sector 18: Inquisitor's Order 100 v Kuat Guard 80 extra asteroids

IO and KG tried to exchange sectors. IO had to win a blockade running roll and pass a pilot check to move into 18. The extra asteroids maps have an extra 3-6 asteroids placed.

Sector 8: Kintan Striders 70 v Kuat Guard 80

Kuat Guard won the blockade running challenge to move into sector 8.

Sector 100: Kuat Guard 80 v Phantom Hunters 80 extra asteroids

Sector 98: Kintan Striders 70 (90) v Kuat Guard 80 extra asteroids

Sector 6: Phantom Hunters 120 (100) v Kuat Guard 100

In these last two fights, the Phantom Hunters have to decide to either support twice in Sector 6, or use the suppport from Sector 4 to help out their ally in Sector 98.

It took a long time (we have three campaigns and a round robin escalation running simultaneously), but we finished up round 11:

Kuat Guards won three, drew one and lost one.

We figured out that the extra asteroids rules needed some modification and have changed the rulebook accordingly. Asteroids can extend out to range 1 on the sides, but still range 2 on the edges that are the deployment zones.

Moves for round 12 are up.

Kuat Guard keeps picking fights and now has three more battles. Of course, winning 3.5 of them in the last round makes fighting a good choice.

The other fight has the Wings against a big Ovnin Clan. OC has 140 to the Wings 100.

Rules Update:

The special section are a great addition to the game, but there are only 6 so they don't get used that often. During this last week we have had the opportunity to play them again in the campaign games (both this one and another that is running concurrently) and we have had a few games on the extra asteroids sectors. The following changes have been made:

Gravity Special Section - This one has never been satisfying. After playing a game on it Friday, we realized that part of the problem is the lack of clarity in the rules regarding bumping and losing actions. After sitting around and talking about it, we remembered the new FAQ and the clarification of how Adaptive Ailerons work. We have decided to treat the gravity shift like an Ailerons move. This was one of those solutions that didn't even need play testing. It hit like a bolt from the blue and everyone realized it was the right answer.

Extra Asteroids - If the regular obstacle placement rules are followed, then it is often the case that the middle of the battlefield is unplayable. To open up the game, the rule has been changed to expand the obstacle box out to range 1 on the sides but keep the range 2 limit on the front and back edges where players will deploy their squadrons.

The updated rules can be found here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=177Otp80LgIxcrJvN1mvCws53XIkVlQGlay5ANcC6KpU

I see a lot of burnout/NPE threads on the boards, but our group is really moving the opposite direction. The amount of non-100/6 play has actually made us want to get back into playing the regular games.

As a long time (23 yrs) Magic player, I have kept my spark alive by varying the formats I play. We have regular games of Standard, EDH, Casual Constructed, Cube and Tiny Leaders. Nobody plays every format, but we all get variety. Do the same with your X-Wing.

Get off the boards, put your microphone down, and play games. Time spent talking about the game and complaining on message boards is time that could be spent cultivating a playgroup. Have your neighbor over to play a furball game. Play Mario Kart with your kids. This campaign was partially designed with the idea of getting people to commit to play by making a story out of it.

Find or make a way that you and 3 or 4 other people can get in something regular. As an example, some of our guys want some non-campaign games, so we are starting Hanger Bay.

I have been in the burnout boat, and no one every complained their way out of it.