I've been writing a series of scenario breakdowns. Not many people have read them, but I hope they've been helpful So far, I've written about Life, Quest, and Death.
To spice things up, I thought I'd try breaking down a homebrew scenario.
Here is the scenario I concocted for you:
Construction
Tears of Tormauldin the Stonemason, God of Construction
Fortification - Use red objective hexes or some other agreed upon token to represent this model. This model is controlled by neither player, cannot gain tokens, activate, or take actions. This model is not part of any follower unit, but all other models treat it as an enemy small follower with dodge 2 and protection 2. If this model takes damage, remove it. Players may never gain steps on the Battle Ladder by removing this model.
In the end phase of each turn, the player who lost the turn rolls one die and adds 1 to the result. That player must place that many Fortifications on empty hexes. They then place one objective hex on any empty hex.
Overview
This is a scenario that I thought up this morning whilst I was out running. No one has ever played it before, including me. It's coming directly from my noggin to your screen.
I hope this is a fun scenario which rewards banner play. Sometimes folks lament the lack of terrain in Godtear. I think that losing terrain has been a good move overall for Godtear, as it simplifies matters enormously and keeps the game focused on banners and champions. This scenario hopefully captures some of the fun of terrain without overcomplicating matters.
The Fortifications are essentially destructible models. They could be represented with red objective hexes, as above, or with a token or model representing an inert, destructible barrier.
The scenario says that these tokens are treated as enemy small followers by other models. This means that you can target the Fortifications to destroy, reposition, or otherwise affect them. I think I've written the rules in such a way that there won't really be problems, but bear in mind once again that there has been zero playtesting.
As written, though, the Fortifications block off movement and placement into their hexes. they can be targeted by attack actions and by effects that move enemy models like Shield Bash, Tsunami, and Drive Back. Earthquake works, but would only target one Fortification at a time.
Deployment
Back line only. There will be some ground to cover before reaching the objectives. We've essentially got two pairs of objective hexes, each protected on one side by a row of three fortifications. Each player faces one row of fortifications (enemy lane) and one pair of hexes to which it has unimpeded access (friendly lane). Though the board is symmetrical, each player has an advantage on one side. This creates two wide lanes, but certain champions may be more suited to play in the friendly lane while others may prefer the enemy lane. The objectives are five spaces apart, so switching lanes is certainly possible.
BattleLadder
Eight steps on each side. This slight tightening of the ladder should help to emphasize banners a bit.
End Phase
The losing player gets to place an objective hex and 1-3 fortifications. This seems good, but not overwhelming. Only playtesting will tell. Hopefully this kelps to keep the action on the move while still rewarding a playstyle which entrenches around banners.
Guardians
Finvarr - Not a great scenario for him. There are not that many of objective hexes for him to stand on or relocate banners to. His attack volume is low anyhow, so smashing Fortifications is probably not his idea of a good time. Halftusk - This is a decent scenario for him. The Froglodytes can hop over Fortifications to clog up the enemy lane.
Helena - She loves this scenario. She'll hole up comfortably in the friendly lane with layers of peasants and Fortifications to keep her on the hex.
Mourneblade - Sure. He will be a great floater between the lanes. His range, mobility, and knack for putting banners in hard to reach places will all be useful here.
Rodhri - This scenario helps him. He could be a solid friendly lane player with his followers as a backstop. He'll need help getting into position as always, though.
Maelstroms Blackjaw - This scenario helps him. He can get where he needs to go, and trigger Wildfire by removing a Fortification.
Grimgut - This scenario helps him. New Spew combined with Fortifications will enable Grimgut to make banners very safe. Grimgut will thrive in the friendly lane.
Luella - This scenario helps her. She has a good attack volume and loves to make linear charges into fortified positions. Jeen - Not her best scenario, but she is still good. Her movement tricks don't let her ignore the Fortifications, but the Shrikes can just move them. Jeen also has a decent attack volume, so removing the Fortifications is not much hassle for her. She willbe capable in the enemy lane. Titus - He's ok here. He can remove Fortifications on the backswing. He can also move them with IKYA. He has some tools, but this scenario doesn't really call out for Titus as far as I can tell.
Shapers Nia - This scenario helps Nia. When hexes are scarce, the power to grow them is major. If you lose a turn you can also put Fortifications up around what she grows. Nia seems like a good friendly lane champion. Raith’Marid - This scenario hurts him! The Splashlings cannot go where the Fortifications are, so Raith's access to hexes in the enemy lane is more restricted. Yes, he can just Tsunami in, but he'll probably have to spend his ultimate sooner than usual, which is bad for him. Rattlebone - This scenario does not really help Rattlebone. She only has one attack and no way of moving the Fortifications. Sorry, Rattlebusiness.
Shayle - This scenario helps Shayle a bit. His ability to move hexes or models is very useful in this kind of entrenching game.
Slayers Keera - She's got problems in this scenario. Fortifications are places where dragons can't be. Keera probably does not want to use her high value attack actions breaking Fortifications. She could be decent in a friendly lane, though, KO'ing those who come into her and hiding behind the Fortifications. Lorsann - This scenario helps her. Her movement/ranged attack efficiency will help her apply her attacks even as she maneuvers around Fortifications. Put her in the enemy lane.
Maxen - This scenario works for Maxen. Ranged attacks across Fortifications are good. He does not need to get around the Fortifications if he can KO you and Scavenge your banner. Morrigan - This scenario probably helps Morrigan. She'll enjoy holing up behind Fortifications and hurling out ranged attacks and debuffs. Rangosh - He does not like this scenario. Rangosh cannot move through the Fortifications and will not want to spend his attacks on them. Sneaky Peet - This scenario helps him because he can Leap and Punce over the Fortifications. Peet's banner hunteing skills really shine here.
Final Thoughts Maybe this scenario is bad? I don't know. What I went for here was something novel but not overly complex. I tried to think of something that would frustrate Raith's placement shenanigans and which might emphasize banners. I have never played this. Maybe one of you will! Hit me up and tell me how it went.