I wasn’t super excited about the campaign rules in core rules for Xenos Rampant because of how I saw it stack penalties that lead to losing one game lead to you starting the next game at a disadvantage. Also, I didn’t care for the mechanic of losing games directly leading to losing your commander by getting them fired. That doesn’t really follow for me, given how often we cheer for an underdog fighting a superior force. In short, I wanted a campaign system where losing was as much fun as winning. So that’s what I set to work writing a couple weeks ago. I’ve further expanded that premise into a mapless and mapped version, but this week’s article is only on the mapless system.

The biggest thing that needed to be changed for the alternate system was Career Points. As-is, Career Points are only earned by the winner and are also lost if you lose. That’s no good. Firstly, no more losing Career Points. Secondly, we need to split Career Points into two separate progression paths: winning and losing. To make the below table easier to read, I’ve abbreviated Commander as CO (Commanding Officer).

Since you now also progress when losing, Commanders start with 0 Pride/Spite as opposed to 10 Career Points. Pride and Spite are specific to your Commander, and if your Commander dies, your new Commander will start over with none of these resources. Either Pride or Spite can be used to improve your commander and unlock new options for your Detachment.

As with Career Points, either 10 points of Pride or 10 points of Spite can be spent to remove an unwanted Commander Trait, and 5 of either can be spent to gain a new Commander Trait. Since losing Career Points (Pride/Spite) is out, you cannot go below zero.

Instead of the “Expand your Detachment” option, 10 points of Pride or Spite can be spent to add Options or Xenos Rules for use by your Detachment. This will be covered further in the next section

Select a point size you intend to field (approximately) in all games, typically 24 points. Build your Detachment with a total of 125% of your game size, or 30 points in this case. You will only field 24 points at a time, selected from the 30 point list. Strategic Commanders with the Logistician Trait will be able to field 26 points drawn from the larger pool.

During the Campaign, you may complete missions or spend Spite/Pride that award you with new Options or Xenos Rules which are added to your Arsenal. This is a pool of upgrades you can choose to apply or not apply to any of the infantry you select to take for any particular game. This does mean your Arsenal doesn’t apply to vehicles or xenomorphs. Primitive Infantry and Militia Rabble are not represented on this table because any upgrades available to them (except Xeno Rules) are available by default and do not count as part of the Arsenal. Below is a table of all upgrades that can be purchased for the Arsenal alongside their cost in Intel, Spite, or Pride.

With the addition of a larger pool of forces that are selected from between missions, we’ve opened up the option to mess with those choices as a consequence of play. Some of the new mission rewards discussed in the next section award the option of “Destroying” an enemy unit. Depending on the level of Attrition you opt to play with, this can have several outcomes.

At the end of a mission, make a Courage roll for each unit destroyed during that mission. Mechanoid units instead make Use the following modifiers

Recoverable Attrition is the most forgiving level of Attrition. Under this rule, whenever a unit fails its Attrition role it becomes unavailable for selection during the next mission. This effect only lasts for one mission.

Enduring Attrition is just that: permanent. Under this rule, a unit that is destroyed is removed from your Detachment. When playing under this condition, you’re definitely going to want to play with Mercenaries or with missions that reward you new units.

If you’re playing with Enduring Attrition, you’ll definitely want to be able to hire Mercenaries to fill out your Detachment in the event that too many of your own forces are suffering from Attrition (either being forced to sit out a mission or destroyed entirely). When you sit down with your opponent to start a campaign, decide whether or not you would like to use Mercenaries. If yes, you and your opponent should agree on and make a Detachment of Mercenary units (all must have the Mercenary Trait) that is the same size as the player Detachments.

When selecting your units to use in a mission, you may select from the full list of forces you selected for your Detachment and may modify those with upgrades from your Arsenal. Alternatively, you can select units from the Mercenary Detachment. If both you and your opponent want to use the same unit, roll off with the higher roll winning the unit. Mercenaries never make Attrition rolls, and are never unavailable for a mission unless already used by another player.

Most of the mission rewards offered in the standard campaign system won’t play well with the other changes made up to this point. So those will get a list of changes. But also, since we’ve introduced a “what to bring” mechanic for the Detachment, we’re also introducing more player agency in the selection of missions.

Players still roll to determine Attacker and Defender, however the Attacker now chooses which mission will be played. Some missions are free, others cost Intel, Pride, or Spite. Once selected, the Defender has the choice to spend Intel or Spite to counter the mission type. Attackers choose from the following: Sweep and Clear, Secret Mission, Convoy Ambush, Orbital Drop, Night Raid, Diversion, Recovery Detail, and VIP Extraction. The counters available to Defenders are: Ceasefire, Bottleneck, Fighting Retreat, and Last Stand.

This is the list of Missions an Attacker can choose from.

Reward: Commanders gain 1 Intel per 2 VP earned

Reward: Attacker gains 1 Intel per VP. Defender gains 1 Intel per 2 VP earned.
Special: If the Attacker loses, all their units must make an Attrition roll.

Reward: Attacker gains no Intel. Defender gains 1 Intel per 2 VP earned.
Special: If the Attacker wins, the Defender loses 1 Intel per 2 VP earned by the Attacker.

Cost: 15 Intel

Reward: If the Attacker wins, the Defender loses one of the following assets from their Arsenal: Brutal Leader, Combat Medic, Inspirational Leader, Psychic, or Veteran/Veterans. Defender gains 1 Intel per 2 VP earned.

Reward: If the Attacker wins, the Defender loses one of the following assets from their Arsenal: Boarding Shields, Cloaking Device, Flying, Force Field, Mono-Molecular Blades, Stabilised Weaponry, Anti-Tank, Armour-Piercing, Demolitions, Heavy Weapon, High-Powered Blades, or Mobile. Defender gains 1 Intel per 2 VP earned.

Reward: Attacker gains 3 Pride per 2 VP earned. Defender gains 1 Intel per 2 VP earned.

Reward: Attacker gains 2 Intel per 1 VP earned. Defender gains 1 Intel per 2 VP earned.
Special: Attacker gains an extra 1 VP for each unit destroyed or routed with Stun Weapons.

Cost: 15 Intel
Reward: If the Attacker wins, the Defender loses one of the following assets from their Arsenal and the Attacker adds it to theirs: Boarding Shields, Flying, Force Field, Mono-Molecular Blades, Stabilised Weaponry, Anti-Tank, Armour-Piercing, Demolitions, Heavy Weapon, High-Powered Blades, or Mobile. Defender gains 1 Intel per 2 VP earned.

Cost: 10 Intel
Reward: If the Attacker wins, the Defender loses one of the following assets from their Arsenal: Psychic Resistance, Regeneration, Special Insertion, Teleport Jump, Anti-Tank, Armour-Piercing, Demolitions, High-Powered Blades, or Mobile. Defender gains 1 Intel per 2 VP earned.

Cost: 10 Intel
Reward: If the Attacker wins, they may recover a unit that was destroyed under Enduring Attrition in the previous turn or any asset that was lost from a player’s Arsenal in the previous turn. Defender gains 1 Intel per 2 VP earned.

Cost: 5 Intel
Reward: Commanders gains 1 Intel per 1 VP earned.

This is the list of Missions a Defender can choose from to replace the Attacker’s declared mission. The Attacker can then spend 5 Pride to switch back to their selected mission, and the Defender can spend 5 Spite to switch it again. This continues as many times as desired.

Cost: 10 Intel
Reward: Attacker gains 1 Spite per 2 VP. Defender gains 1 Pride per 2 VP earned.

Cost: 10 Intel
Reward: Attacker gains 1 Intel per VP. Defender gains 1 Spite per VP earned.
Special: The Defending player may bring a combination of Support Infantry, Soft-Skin Vehicles, and Fighting Vehicle accounting for up to 1/3rd of their available point value. These units are not part of their Detachment, but can only use standard options listed in Xenos Rampant for units of their type plus any xeno rules available from the Defender’s Arsenal. All units added this way must take the Immobile Xeno Rule.

Cost: 5 Intel
Reward: Attacker gains 1 Intel per 2 VP. Defender gains 1 Spite per 2 VP.
Special: If the Defender loses, all units must make an Attrition roll.

Cost: 15 Intel
Reward: Attacker gains 1 Intel per VP. For every 3 VP, the Defender can convert a Militia Rabble unit in their Detachment into a Light Infantry unit.
Special: The Defending player adds 4 points of Militia Rabble unit(s) to their Detachment (not counting the cost of any Xeno Rules available in the player’s Arsenal that can be applied to these units) which are kept after this mission.

I promised it, didn’t I? So, technically, this breaks down into three categories: Super Soldiers, Prototype Vehicle, or summoned armies.

Build an Elite Infantry unit costing between 20 and 24 points drawing from any options or Xeno Rules independent of your Arsenal. Spend its point cost in Intel and ½ its point cost in Pride/Spite. Add that unit to the pool you select your Detachment from each mission. The Options and Xeno Rules applied to a Super Soldier unit are independent of the Arsenal, and cannot be lost if the associated asset is removed from the Arsenal. Usable once per campaign.

Same process as Super Soldiers, but applied to a Combat Vehicle unit. Usable once per campaign.

Select Demonic, Mechanoid, Undead, or Xenomorph. Build at least 3 units costing a total of 20 to 24 points worth of units. If Demonic was chosen, all units must have the Demonic Xeno Rule. If Mechanoid or Undead was chosen, same. If Xenomorph is chosen, all units constructed must be Lesser or Greater Xenomorphs.

Spend the point cost in Intel. If Demonic or Undead was chosen, spend ½ its point cost in Spite. If Mechanoid was chosen, spend ½ its point cost in Pride. If Xenomorph was chosen, spend ½ its point cost in either Pride or Spite. Add those units to the pool you use to build your Detachments from. Summoned Armies cannot benefit from your Arsenal, but also never make Attrition rolls. Usable once per campaign.

I promised a campaign system with “guerrilla warfare, mercenaries, revolutionaries, super weapon programs, and a system of progression for your Commander that allows progression even when you’re losing.” And, technically, I’ve done every bullet point. Admittedly, my “guerilla warfare” mechanic is really just the Defending player’s ability to replace the active mission, but it’s there. Mercenaries are functional just as I imagined them. “Revolutionaries” will be a lot more impressive in the map campaign version, but really in this version just refers to the scenario where you can bring Militia Rabble.