Oftentimes when you set out to GM a game, you have a vision in your head of how the game’s arc will go. Sometimes it works out as you expected, but more often than not, your players take you on a journey you could never have expected.

I had designed our campaign to become more frenetic and chaotic as it drew closer to the end, but I didn’t anticipate I would witness the apocalypse that suddenly struck in Round 10 as all hell broke loose.

Up until now, the campaign had seen plenty of careful maneuvering and strategic attacks against players’ vital supply depots and bases; nonetheless, all of the players had been careful not to overexpose themselves, fearful of overreaching and leaving themselves vulnerable. But now every player went for the throat of his opponents in any way he could.

In some cases, these attacks were motivated purely by vindictiveness. His entire operation in shambles, Simon drove his Khadoran forces straight into the heart of the Retribution’s operation, determined to extract a heavy toll in Iosan blood as revenge for the disgraces they had inflicted upon him. Meanwhile, the lure of crippling their enemies’ operations during this key time was so compelling that this round saw not one but two three-way battles in both the Trollkin and Circle Command and Control Center tiles.

Having spent the previous round lurking on the edges of the map, Plummer finally struck, driving his forces against no fewer than three enemy bases, including the newly built Khadoran one.

While all-out war raged in every corner, Lyle and his Circle forces fought the most critical battle of all—his force was the one to finally discover the true location of the athanc wagon. Of course, such a key event called for a truly epic battle. As such, Lyle discovered the wagon was not alone—far from it, in fact. To his surprise, he found the wagon was being escorted by a truly impressive Cygnaran force lead by none other than yours truly! The scenario itself had plenty of surprises, including the chance that a passing dragon would intervene in the battle.

Despite horrific losses, the Circle forces led by Krueger the Stormlord were able to capture the wagon as a result of a rather unfortunate random events roll I made during round 4 of the battle. The roll resulted in a passing dragon using its powerful breath to incinerate my two Storm Striders in a single pass, proving even GMs aren’t immune to fortune and its fickle ways!

By the end of the round, the entire landscape had changed dramatically. Though Circle possessed the coveted athanc, they had lost their vital Command and Control Center. So, too, had the Trollbloods, the Khadorans, and even the overall victorious Retribution, each losing their own Command and Control Centers at the hands of their enemies. Bereft of these vital structures, Lyle, Plummer, JR, and Simon would be unable to call upon reinforcements and would find their ability to react to the unfolding situation in Round 11 severely hindered as their armies tried to respond to the sudden lack of central authority.

For the moment, Lyle and his Circle forces held the edge in the war raging in the Wyrmwall Mountains. But going into Round 11, he knew that every other player’s sights were now fixed solely on him.