So I imagine many of you have heard of the campaign in abington called Blood in the Badlands. We've had a startling number of requests to join even after start up of the campaign, as well as a number of inquiries as to whether we'll be allowing people to join later. While this answer has generally been “Unfortunately, not at this time” up until this point, the latest End of Season Scenario has shown us that we might indeed have room for additional players with some addendums.
Scheduling can be difficult for large events like this. We sometimes find ourselves short handed for the larger events, and empires can sometimes find themselves short on manpower if they are the target of multiple attacks in one turn. Enter the Mercenaries: the Mercenary system has been designed to allow a select few players to offer their services to existing players in Blood in the Badlands in return for Relics, the currency of the campaign. In turn Mercenaries may use that currency to try and buy land in the Badlands to start their own empire. Here are the rules:
The empires that comprise the majority of control for the Badlands are known to contract out with multiple other powers in the form of wealth for men at arms. Being a Mercenary in the badlands is a hard life, particularly now with Fozzrik's Flying Fastness coming to ground before years end. However that's not to say that it isn't a lucrative life.
Border Barons and Warlord Empires frequently pop up and declare war in the Badlands. However with many of the strongest powers in the Fantasy world congregating in one place, it's an excellent time for a crafty baron-to-be to peddle influence and power. After all, after the Flying Fastness lands it's very likely there will be a vacuum of power waiting to be filled.
We've decided to allow limited space for a few motivated players to peddle their armies and experience on the field by cutting deals with players who either can't, or don't want to play certain games. Mercenaries in return will receive compensation in the form of Relics for their services. Relics can then be used to purchase campaign tiles from existing players in order to start their own empire and become a full fledged player in Blood in the Badlands.
How it works:
Each turn, based on army movements there will be a number of games each player will be required to take, as well as some games they will have the option of taking. However, each player can only take a maximum of two games per turn. This means that if two players gang up on another, each sending 2 armies into their empire the they can only really defend against 2 of the 4 games, the other 2 go to fortification saves (or may just be taken outright).
Mercenaries can be used to exceed the number of games a player can take by 1 game per turn (maxing out at 3). However, each player can only use a mercenary for one of their games in a turn. So even if they only have 2 challenges pending, they can still only use mercenaries for one of them. If a player decides that they don't want to play a particular opponent who has a pending challenge against them this turn, then they could use a mercenary to take the game for them as well as long as they don't exceed one mercenary action per turn.
An exception to this: Players can NEVER use mercenaries to take a challenge that involves two armies being in the same tile. The defending army just doesn't have time to communicate what is happening before being attacked.
There are going rates for Mercenaries and for Campaign tiles. In order to recruit or be recruited, 1 relic must exchange hands. That is, if an empire hires a Mercenary or a Mercenary approaches an empire, the going rate can be no less than 1 relic. Mercenaries are free to charge more for their services as they see fit, including costs that are not limited to relics.
Similarly, Campaign tiles have a going rate of 3 relics. Empires are free to charge whatever they like for the selling of land but cannot go lower than 3 relics per tile. Empires are also allowed to add additional costs other than relics into the trade. Any tile can be traded, including ones with structures or special structures in them. Mercenaries and Empires are both encouraged to include a seasonal non-aggression clause in their agreement to prevent abuse by either side. If the initial tile for a Mercenaries Empire is bare, it will gain a Capital for free.
Mercenary armies that become empires begin with no enemy and no allies. They are free to make allies as they wish, however they gain an enemy the first time another Mercenary becomes an Empire. So the first Mercenary to buy empire tiles begins with no enemy, the second automatically becomes an enemy with the first and vice versa, the third begins with no enemy until the fourth becomes an empire.
What you need to start:
Mercenaries are required to have 2500 points worth of a single army for Warhammer Fantasy. In order to play, each Mercenary will have to create a single non-named non-unique Lord character for their army. The lord character has a maximum points of 625 and follows standard rules for constructing generals per each Mercenaries army book. These lord choices remain constant at cost (even if they gain or lose stats, or magic items) and loadout while the rest of any army list you create can change from game to game. If you gain any Regiments of Renown they must be constant as well. Also, Mercenaries are not subject to the Racial abilities listed in the Blood in the Badlands book, their empires are just not large enough or organized enough yet.
When Mercenaries are paid to take a game they are subject to any rolls on the Victory table, Defeat table or Character Injury table. This means that Mercenaries could gain relics and magic items from winning games, or lose Regiments of Renown or even have their general die from Character Injury tables. Of course, since Mercenaries hold no Gold Mines they will be at a slight disadvantage (unless of course a Goldmine was part of their price).
Mercenaries are not subject to Random Events, since they are not empires until they begin to purchase campaign tiles. Once a Mercenary becomes an Empire they lose the ability to operate as mercenaries, though they are still free to make deals as they see fit. However they will be subject to the normal challenge restrictions other empires are subject to. They will however gain two additional armies like any other Empire.
Current players may not operate as Mercenaries. They are free to deal or make contracts as they will however they are subject to the standard restrictions of the challenges hierarchy for which games they play in a given week. A player who is eliminated from the game (has their entire empire taken over) may apply as a Mercenary, whether they are approved or not will depend on how many mercenaries we currently have in the game.
Mercenaries and the End of Season Scenarios
Mercenaries will find End of Season Scenarios (EoSS) quite lucrative. Since the stakes are so high, there's much to be gained. Current player empires that take part gain D3 relics, and winners are eligible for unique magic items and even campaign tiles. It would be a good way to start an empire.
However, Mercenaries can only participate in EoSS's in one of two ways. One, they can cut a deal with a current empire to go in their stead. The minimum of 1 Relic per transaction may be waived in this case if and only if the agreement includes a clause that allows the mercenary to keep some or all of the winnings if they happen to be on the winning team.
Mercenaries who are hired to show up to EoSS's are subject to whatever contract they are in. They may be allowed to keep some or a few of the D3 relics that player empires get for showing up, or they may just be paid 1 relic to go and play in that empires stead. It's up to the parties involved in the contract.
There is one other, more lucrative but much more risky way for a Mercenary to take part in the EoSS. If life events and scheduling are going to reduce our numbers below a certain mark (generally below 6) or we have an odd number of people, we may call in one or more mercenaries at random to fill in the ranks. If those mercenaries are among the winning team they are subject to all of the standard winnings a full fledged empire would get, as well as the D3 relics standard empires receive.
Empires may not send Mercenaries in their stead for the Final EoSS. The stakes are too high to risk outside parties. However there is no limit on empire tiles, as long as a Mercenary is able to purchase even a single campaign tile before the final scenario they will be eligible to participate.
What do I have to do and what are my chances?
In order to apply to be a Mercenary you need to list your ballpark points, your army, your availability (you can ballpark this too) and I'd recommend posting your Lord Choice for your army (Remember to name them! Yes, we really do want you to name them.) It's not required to make your Mercenary Lord up front, you can reply with it in a later post or edit your earlier post with it.
We are only going to be trying this with 4 people to begin with. So you know, Availability will be one of our primary factors for making this decision. After this selections may be random. The deadline for applying to be a Mercenary for Blood in the Badlands is this Sunday, March 3rd. Feel free to ask questions, I'm more than happy to answer them.
