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These are the planned rules for a 40K League I'll be organizing this summer. Suggestions are welcomed:


<h1 style="text-align: center;" align="center">Warhammer 40,000 League Rules</h1> <h2 style="text-align: center;" align="center">Summer 2006</h2>

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1. Army Composition
1. All armies are to be made at 1,500 points using one Standard Force Organization Chart
2. The most recent Codex for each army should be used (e.g. 4th ed. Codexes for armies that have them, and the rules from the 3rd printing of the Chaos Codex.)
3. Chapter Approved rules and armies are allowed (e.g. Kroot Mercenary armies) as well as Forgeworld models or units from Imperial Armour.
2. Game Rules
1. The standard 4th edition rules set is used for all games.
2. All missions should be played at the Gamma or Omega level since the league ranking system relies on Victory Points. Roll a d6: 1-3 Gamma; 4-6 Omega. Alternatively, the players can just choose which level scenario to play.
3. Players are free to use Cityfight or other variants if they wish as well as using Battle, Raid or other special scenarios.
4. The amount of terrain used should generally conform to the 25% standard.
5. Tables should generally be 4x4, 6x4, or 8x4 or whatever is convenient.
3. Modelling
1. All models should be WYSIWYG.
2. Armies should be based and painted.
4. Scoring
1. The following chart shows the degree of victory based on Victory Points

<table style="border: medium none ; margin-left: 122.4pt; border-collapse: collapse;" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border: 0.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 99pt;" valign="top" width="132">

0-149

</td> <td style="border-style: solid solid solid none; border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-width: 0.5pt 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90pt;" valign="top" width="120">

Draw

</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 99pt;" valign="top" width="132">

150-299

</td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90pt;" valign="top" width="120">

Minor Victory

</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 99pt;" valign="top" width="132">

300-449

</td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90pt;" valign="top" width="120">

Solid Victory

</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 99pt;" valign="top" width="132">

450+

</td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90pt;" valign="top" width="120">

Massacre

</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>

1. A Draw is worth 2 League Points for both sides.
2. A Minor Victory is worth 3 League Points for the Winner and 1 for the Loser
3. A Solid Victory gives 4 League Points to the Winner and 0 for the Loser.
4. The winner of a Massacre gets 6 League Points, the loser none.
5. In a team game, the Victory Points are calculated normally for each side and both members of each team receive the same number of League. The number of Victory Points required for each degree of victory double in a team game.
1. Scheduling
1. The campaign takes place over the summer and will end sometime in mid-late August.
2. Each player will play a total of 16 scoring games that will count towards league standings. Players should decide ahead of time whether a game will be a league game or not.
3. The winner of the league is the player with the most Victory Points after all games have been played.

<h1>Designers Notes</h1>

In this section I?ll try to explain the logic behind the league set-up.

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Q. Why 1,500 points?

A. It?s the best compromise between a good tactically fulfilling game and time/space money constraints. 1,000 points is too small to use a lot of tactics, and many fun units (Terminators, Land Raiders, Broadside Battlesuits, Genestealers) become too price-restrictive to use. 2,000 points is a bit big for a smaller table and games take much longer to conduct at that size. 1,500 points is the best balance between the too.

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Q. Why isn?t there a map or tree?

A. Maps and tree campaigns require more work to organize and require regular meetings to plan moves and strategies. Those aren?t really feasible at the present time. Perhaps in the 2008 league.

A good set of rules Asmodai, very thorough. I've just got a couple of minor points. If you can play games on tables of any size then why have the rule there at all? Also, will you enforce any penalties against players for fielding unpainted or not WYSIWYG models? Can players play more than 16 games and submit their best scores or are they limited to 16 max?

Good luck in the summer!

Agree with LP. There can be only one interpretation of a rule. Phraseology is key. I'd suggest more use of the word 'shall'. As in - "Any listed weaponry shall be WYSIWYG." "All models shall be painted in 3+ colors. " IE, etch every detail in ferrocrete. Your judges wil thank you for it. Playa

Thanks for the ideas. I'll make things a bit more definitive.

<h1 style="text-align: center;" align="center">Warhammer 40,000 League Rules</h1> <h2 style="text-align: center;" align="center">Summer 2006</h2>

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]-->

1. Army Composition
1. All armies are to be made at 1,500 points using one Standard Force Organization Chart
2. The most recent Codex for each army should be used (e.g. 4th ed. Codexes for armies that have them, and the rules from the 3rd printing of the Chaos Codex.)
3. Chapter Approved rules and armies are allowed (e.g. Kroot Mercenary armies) as well as Forgeworld models or units from Imperial Armour.
2. Game Rules
1. The standard 4th edition rules set is used for all games.
2. All missions should be played at the Gamma or Omega level since the league ranking system relies on Victory Points. Roll a d6: 1-3 Gamma; 4-6 Omega. Alternatively, the players can just choose which level scenario to play.
3. Players are free to use Cityfight or other variants if they wish as well as using Battle, Raid or other special scenarios.
4. The amount of terrain used should generally conform to the 25% standard.
5. Tables must be 4x4 at minimum. 6x4, or 8x4 sizes are also acceptable. Tables should be no wider than 4' to avoid disadvantaging Orks, Tyranids and other assault-based armies.
   
3. Modelling
1. All models must be WYSIWYG. Weaponry and armour types must be shown. Wargear, psychic powers and grenades do not need to be modelled.
   
2. Armies must be texture based and painted with a minimum of three colours.
4. Scoring
1. The following chart shows the degree of victory based on Victory Points

<table style="border: medium none ; margin-left: 122.4pt; border-collapse: collapse;" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border: 0.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 99pt;" valign="top" width="132">

0-149

</td> <td style="border-style: solid solid solid none; border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-width: 0.5pt 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90pt;" valign="top" width="120">

Draw

</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 99pt;" valign="top" width="132">

150-299

</td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90pt;" valign="top" width="120">

Minor Victory

</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 99pt;" valign="top" width="132">

300-449

</td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90pt;" valign="top" width="120">

Solid Victory

</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 99pt;" valign="top" width="132">

450+

</td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 90pt;" valign="top" width="120">

Massacre

</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>

1. A Draw is worth 2 League Points for both sides.
2. A Minor Victory is worth 3 League Points for the Winner and 1 for the Loser
3. A Solid Victory gives 4 League Points to the Winner and 0 for the Loser.
4. The winner of a Massacre gets 6 League Points, the loser none.
5. In a team game, the Victory Points are calculated normally for each side and both members of each team receive the same number of League. The number of Victory Points required for each degree of victory double in a team game.
1. Scheduling
1. The campaign takes place over the summer and will end sometime in mid-late August.
2. Each player will play a total of 16 scoring games that will count towards league standings. Players should decide ahead of time whether a game will be a league game counting towards their standings or not.
3. The winner of the league is the player with the most Victory Points after all games have been played.
4. No league points are awarded if an army violates the rules in sections 1-3.
   

They look pretty good, but I have a few questions.

1. Regarding the painting requirements, does your local group all normally insist on fully painted? I find that with tournaments being fully painted happens more naturally, because it?s a one-day event and people do a lot of prep in advance. With leagues, since it happens over several weeks/months, I?ve often found that people are still working on painting the army as they go.

2. Do you have some compelling reason to allow people to play on 4x4 tables? 4x4, IME, is simply too small a table for 40k unless you?re playing 400-500pt combat patrol. 4x6 and 4x8 are both good sizes. 4x8 gives a better game, but 4x6 is easier to find/fit in a store or home.

3. Terrain setup. You should spell out a little more how this is done. Do you have a neutral third party set up the table? Do you have players alternate placing pieces of terrain (this adds a whole new strategic dimension to the game, but makes the games take longer and often results in less attractive terrain setups)? Or do you let one player set it up and the other get choice of table edge? All can work, though I find that the first is usually the best if it?s possible.

4. Are lists fixed or are players free to change their lists between games? Fixed lists (like at a tournament) are common in many leagues, and they force people to make a rounded force, which can take on different opponents and missions. This is nice because some armies are more customizable than others, and allowing the players who have more models to tool up their armies against their particular opponent can give them a pretty big advantage. On the other hand, flexible lists give people the freedom to switch things up, preventing boredom and keeping players from kicking themselves if they make a mistake or two in their list design at the start. Also, if you?re including Battle and Raid Missions the Force Org changes, so obviously that suggests flexible lists.

5. On the subject of missions, one thing to note about the Battle missions at least- several of them involve extra components, like minefields and bunkers, which need to be modeled. Are you planning to have multiple copies of these components, or are players expected to build and bring their own if they want to play those missions?

6. Also regarding missions, are players simply expected to agree on a mission? Some armies definitely have a harder time with some missions, and which mission you play can provide a definite advantage. Most of the times players can agree amicably, but it can help avoid disagreements and discomfort if you have a chart they can randomly select from. The one in the book works fine, though it can easily be expanded and changed if you want.

7. Regarding the number of missions, do you have a very dedicated group of players? 16 is a pretty good number of games, and can take a while to play. It can also take some work to schedule those games for some folks, particularly working adults with kids. My local league started with a fixed number of games, but after a while we figured out that it made it easier for more people to participate if we changed it to a minimum number of games (usually 8-10), let people play more if they wanted, and made the standings dependent on their average score. Just a thought. You obviously know your group, and 16 games may be perfect for them.

My biggest problem is with your scoring system. I think about 75% of your games are going to be massacres. Is that what you want? Winning by 450pts is actually a VERY slight victory (even in the BGB). I guess it might take away the incentive to not bring those armies that can crush people by 2000pts, but in Gamma and Omega missions, each player can get up to 3000VP's in a 1500pt game, so maybe you might want to rethink your scoring system.

Good point there too. I like the chart in the main rulebook.

I'll address Mannahnin's longer post later when I have a little more time.

Good point about the scoring system. I basically adapted it from WFB. I'll look at the 40K version tonight and edit that in.