+++Subject & Author+++
Thoughts, Tips and Tactics for Inquisitor - Stephen Pearson
+++Thought for the day+++
Being a Games Master and Running Scenarios
One of the hardest things as a GM is to come up with different scenarios. Keeping yourself and the players entertained whilst preserving the story line is a tricky balancing act.
A completely unbalanced game is the worst thing, be it through setting impossible targets for the players to achieve or not giving each player enough to do. It often leaves some players with the feeling they were being picked on and the other that they weren't really stretched.
One way to further the story is to kill or severely injure a member of a warband. It is not wise to kill a main character half way though a campaign as that is likely to alienate the players who put time and effort into their character. Instead, setting up a secondary character to be killed, can build up rivalries between warbands without annoying the players (too much!).
The best way I've found to maintain control are surprise GM events such as using swarms of flies to shield an important character who is about to be killed and I don't want them to or to have the clip fall out of a characters gun to distract them a for a turn. It is a powerful tool as long as it is not overused.
Another issue that I came across quite early on is how many models should each player control? We tried playing with different sized warbands and found that any more than five characters per player is to hard to keep track of, with one to three characters per player being the idea number.
Also as a GM, controlling NPC (Non-Player Character) forces can be a real distraction. The best solution is to get a third player to control the NPC forces and rotate who controls them so each player gets a fair chance with their warband.
The final issue I found surrounding the number of models is how many to have on the table at any one time? After many games with over 15 models on the table we found that it was to long between each players turns and the game was starting to become a chore. The maximum number of models I would have on a table is about 12 shared between four players and a GM.
Although there are many types of scenario, the five I use most are listed below and I'll deal with each one in turn. Many scenarios are a combination of some or all these ideas, altered slightly in some way to fit the story.
1. Fight! This can often be one of the most boring or the most exciting scenario to play. If the warbands are evenly matched or correctly set up so the fight could go either way right up to the end it can lead to an exciting scenario. The desperate struggle to get the upper hand can bring out the competitive spirit in players and it is a time for a GM to be firm and remember what they want the outcome of this scenario to be.
Although this is one of the most commonly played scenarios, in my opinion it should be played the least. From a Fight! type scenario it is all too easy to slip into a 40K skirmish game using 54mm models, which I think defeats the point of the Inquisitor system.
A twist on the theme of Fight! is Showdown. The two warbands start about 25 yards apart and move towards each other taking a nerve test each turn until someone's nerve breaks and then fighting begins.
2. Scavengers. Scavengers is another one of the three most commonly played Inquisitor scenarios. What the warbands are fighting over can be almost infinite. They could be trying to find and secure an ancient tome, looking for a local who knows the location of the cults headquarters or hoping to secure and hold the abandoned Manufactorium.
The common feature with this type of scenario is that the warbands start on opposite sides of the board and only have a rough idea of where their target is and what the area is like. The main difference between the Scavengers and Raid scenarios is that in this scenario neither side starts off in possession of the target item.
The most common variation on this theme is to have multiple items of varying value that the warbands fight over.
3. Crossing. Whilst the idea behind this type of scenario is simple, actually carrying it out is much harder. One warband sets up within 10 yards of the exit edge and must prevent the other warband from getting past. The attacking warband then sets up at least 20yards away from them and their mission is to get off the guarded edge.
Variations on this are a single character must get past the opposing warband to escape and another is the more characters that get through the more rewards that warband gets (And if no characters get through the defenders get a large reward).
4. Breakout. In a Breakout scenario one warband starts in the centre of the board and are surrounded by their opponents (plus any NPC forces) who should be at least 15 yards away. The surrounded warband then have to escape via a designated board edge.
A variant on this scenario is to have one or two members of a warband in a building that is surrounded by the opposing warband. The leader of the trapped warband must take a sagacity test. If it is passed they spot the trap and the rest of their warband can be set up behind the opponents, otherwise the rest of the warband come on D3 turns later from the edge they have to escape off. If the trap isn't spotted the attacking warband get the first turn, if it is the defending warband get the first turn.
5.Raid. The common theme with all the variants of the Raid scenario is that one warband is in possession of the target and must defend it at all costs. Often only half the defending warband start on the board and the rest arrive only after the alarm has been raised. The alarm can be raised if one of the guards is attacked and survives that turn or if they spot an opponent who is acting suspiciously (and the GM warrants it suspicious enough). The attacking warband usually has to take/destroy/use the target then leave by the edge they arrived on.
The attacking warband may have to destroy the ammo dump, free a member of their warband, kill a member of the opposing warband before they complete a summoning, use the launch control or steal a STC (Standard Template Construct) printout guarded by the opposing warband.
