With the Setup and Round 1 in the books, Round 2 of the Battle of the Athanc campaign saw every banner narrowly miss its nearby enemy banners, resulting in a very quick round with no battles to be fought. The players used this calm before the storm to bulk up their forces to make a bid for what would turn out to be a climatic Round 3.

The following is the summary of events I sent to the players, detailing the events that kicked off Round 3 after the resolution of the Order Phase.

The Circle Orboros makes its move against the United Kriels, ending the uneasy alliance that might have existed between the two as they strike for the heart of the Trollbloods’ war effort. The war chieftains of the United Kriels, veterans of countless conflicts, have anticipated this treachery of the druids and called their main forces back to defend their home. Believing offense is the best defense, the trollkin chiefs have sent one party deep into the Circle’s domain, hoping to force the blackclads to pull back from their own offensive.

Meanwhile, the Retribution, using its mastery of rapid surprise assaults, commits to a daring flanking attack in an effort to claim the resources of Rimmocksdale Lake for their own. Though the maneuver leaves the infiltrating forces cut off and alone deep behind enemy lines, it is this type of warfare that the mage hunters of the Retribution excel at.

The initiative is not entirely with the Retribution, however, as a force of the Convergence of Cyriss appears, eager to claim the ley line nexus that runs beneath the Retribution’s operating base so the Convergence might continue their order’s Great Work. Luckily, the Scyirs of the Dawnguard anticipated such an assault, in no small part thanks to the recon efforts of the canny mage hunters, and have moved to intercept the Convergence. To make matters worse, Retribution forces in the north inadvertently stumbled across a Cryxian army during routine patrols.

While rampaging bands of Farrow and Gatormen have had great success in exploiting the massive tension in the region, including capturing the all-important Ironhead Station that serves as a vital supply center for the region, the nefarious forces of Cryx have not sat idly by. Indeed, Ironhead Station’s underground environs leave it exposed to the Cryxians, who are masters of subterranean warfare. Like ants from a disturbed mound, the forces of the Nightmare Empire pour forth from newly excavated tunnels to swarm across the unsuspecting inhabitants of Ironhead Station.

Yet as the Cryxians attack, they realize not all is as it seems, and the hand that guides the savage races of the Minions may be far more sinister than initially believed…

After reading that and looking at the pre-battle map, you might be asking yourself, “How did that happen?” I know several of our players were asking the very same thing!

Unbeknownst to our players, in my capacity as GM I make various secret rolls for each player every round to determine if they will get some form of boon or bane during the round. These unplanned events really help keep the campaign exciting and entertaining. Having Cryx suddenly burst from the ground to attack a tile once thought safe or allowing the Retribution to take advantage of its exceptional maneuverability not only fits the background of these armies, but it also makes for a compelling narrative.

These impossible-to-plan-for events also provide a GM with a great tool to use in this style of campaign to prevent a common problem with map-based campaigns: the “rolling snowball” effect. This effect comes about because once a player gains a lead in an asymmetrical system, it can become very hard for other players to stop him. A good GM knows how to use his supreme authority to curtail the rolling snowball effect and how to do so in a way that maintains both the spirit and the fun of the campaign.

By providing a way for both Ed and Plummer to radically shift the rather predictable lines emerging on the map, Round 3 became a flurry of politicking and scheming by the players, mixed with a healthy dose of WARMACHINE and HORDES battles—including a 100+ point battle royale to decide the fate of the Trollkin Command & Control Center.

The end of Round 3 marked the conclusion of Season 1. And while the players have made great strides in building their empires on the map, developments that are soon to be revealed are certain to shake up everything. Even now, couriers with top-secret orders from each faction’s high command are making haste to reach our fearless players.