Player Pack – 40K Escalation League- 2023 

Welcome wanderers! Last year was our inaugural escalation league at Wandering Adventures, and the deadly Drukhari proved to be the most fearsome. Their capable general, Anthony, met all comers with his penetrating Dark Lances and crushing Talos going a perfect 12-0. Now the journey continues. New generals muster their forces, and seasoned veterans gather their troops.

This year will see the format slightly change with a new scoring system and added objectives. But at its core it will always be about the best general.

The Escalation League is a perfect chance for you to build, paint, and play with an army over the course of the year. You have a chance to start a new army, and slowly grow it over the year. Or it can be an existing army that you want to explore more and finish off. This is a great way for new players to learn their army over multiple point levels or for seasoned veterans to play against a variety of opponents.

Scores will be accumulated over the course of the year by accomplishing different feats on the given scorecard. The winner of the ultimate prize will be who scores the most points, but there will be prizes given out for a variety of challenges. Below we will go over the ways to score points. Scorecard points need to be approved and stamped by the TO.

 

Starts: February 1^st

Finishes: Oct 31^st

 

1 PT- ENTER THE LEAGUE- $30.00 entrance fee- pay in person. Once you enter you will get your game card and entry gift. 

1 PT- Join the Discord- This one’s easy. Discord will be our new way of communicating and finding games for the league, so join it! No social media involved just straight up gaming.  Once you have found an opponent you can book your games on the Google Drive schedule. Please email info@wanderingadventures.net for the link
- Please only book games for 4-hour blocks MAXIMUM.
- Please check the schedule for dedicated 40K gaming days. If the schedule does not show a particular game (mostly weekdays), feel free to book a game slot. Again, 4 hours max.

1 PT- Name your army- Another easy one. Write down the name of your army on the card and let me know what it is. Could be a simple one like “Thousand Sons” or you can be a little more creative.

4 PTS- Make an Army List- The league will be broken up into 4 quarters, and lists must be submitted at each points level. Once submitted, that is the list you must use at that point level, but you can change your list entirely at another point level. Current Games Workshop rules will be in effect as far as list building. Please ask the TO if you are unsure of what ruleset to use. Submit in person or info@wanderingadventures.net.

500 PTS- Opens Feb 1^st
1000 PTS- Opens April 8^th
1500 PTS- Opens June 15^th
2000 PTS- Opens Aug 24th

2 PTS EACH- Fully painted 500/1000/1500/2000- When you submit your lists, if you show up with that army fully painted to play a game, you will get two full points at each point level. You only have to play one game with the army fully painted to get the 2 points.

1 PT- Google review/Facebook page like/Instagram follow- <3

2 PTS- Play in HeroHammer (200 Pts/ 1000pts) Designated days for Herohammer at the two different point levels.  There will be a limit of 10 attendees per HeroHammer day, so you must notify the TO or sign up in-store for the day(s) you wish to attend. You can attend all HeroHammer days but a max of 2 points will be awarded. It’s an HQ/character only battle. Unique heroes must be taken as is. At 200 points level you MUST take an HQ choice from the army you are using in the league. They don’t have to be from your army list, but must be from your chosen army. At 1000 points, you can take an HQ from your faction. Factions are as follows Armies Of The Imperium/ Armies Of Chaos/ Xenos.

Hero Hammer Rules

Hero build restrictions:

200 PTS
- Your hero must fit under 200 points. You can use a Unique character. You may buy all wargear possible as long as it keeps the model under 200 points.
- One relic

1000 PTS
-Your hero must fit under 1000 points. You can use a Unique character. You may buy all wargear possible as long as it keeps the model under 1000 points.
- Two relics. Must be taken from different categories (ie. One Weapon, one armour).

6 Turns Each Hero

Turn initiative will be decided with a D20 roll by each player.

 

Victory Conditions:

Sometimes, legends are made even through death. The hero that accumulates the most points over 6 turns is the ultimate victor!

- First Blood: Whichever player inflicts the first Unsaved Wound gets 1 Victory Point
- Most Blood: Note how many wounds you inflict over the course of the game; whoever inflicts the most gets 1 Victory Point, even if he has less wounds overall at the end of the game. If there are any ties, no one gets a VP.
- Resilience: Whichever model has the most remaining wounds at the end of the game gets 1 VP. If there are any ties, no one gets a VP.
- Master Psyker: Used only when there are more than 1 Psyker in the game. Whichever Psyker manifests the most powers (note these during the game) gets 1 VP. A tie results in all psykers that are tied getting a VP. If no Powers were manifested at all (by anyone), no one gets a VP.
- Master Swordsman: Whichever model causes the most wounds in close combat gets 1 VP. A tie results in all models that are tied getting a VP. If no wounds were made in close combat at all, no one gets a VP.
- Master Marksman: Whichever model causes the most wounds with ranged weapons gets 1 VP. A tie results in all models that are tied getting a VP. If no hits were made with ranged weapons at all, no one gets a VP (template weapons count as hits).
- Devious Planner: You get 1 Victory Point for holding an Objective each turn. There will be two Objectives on the table, placed by the TO. All heroes will have Objective Secured, and Wounds remaining will be the determining factor. In cases of a tie, no hero will secure objective points.
- Champion among Champions: You get 2 Victory Points for each model you kill. You only get a victory point for inflicting the last unsaved wound on a model or using a special rule to remove another model.

-Last Man Standing-  3 VP if your hero is the last man standing.

Deployment:
For 3-6 people, a 4'x 3' board

For 7+ people, a 6'x4' board each model must deploy no closer than 12”, and 7” from a table edge.

Roughly 30% of the board should be covered in some kind of terrain.

 

 

1 PT- Play One Allies Game at 500 Points- A doubles game! These games will count toward either your 500 Points game or 1000 points game. You decide which point level to apply it to. If you apply it to a point level (500 or 1000) you will get 2 PTS, 1 for ally game and 1 for that point level. You can decide neither, and just the one point for an Allies game.

Take into account the following points when constructing your armies:

You must use the list you have taken at either the 500 point level or 1000 point level. Below are further restrictions:

• Players cannot share points
• Command points (6) for army construction are not shared. During the game, only 1 CP is generated per turn and that becomes a shared pool.
• An individual player’s Faction may be different from their teammates. There is no requirement for the two armies to be historically able to “ally” with each other. You should use this as an opportunity to try and find new and unique combos and abilities that you wouldn’t normally be able to do!
• The same Datasheet cannot be included in both players’ armies. Eg. Giovanni and Attila have both chosen to attend with Space Marine armies. Giovanni has chosen to take two Predators as part of his 500 points. This means Attila cannot take a predator within his 500-point army.
• Any Unique units can only be included once in a team.
• Each player chooses a Warlord for their individual 500-point army.
• Each Relic and Warlord Trait is unique and can only be taken once per team

Doubles Gameplay Rules With there being two players on each side, some aspects of a mission or gameplay will change. Here are the key changes to keep in mind:

• During your games, change all references of “player” to “team”. So, anything that is once per player is once per team etc.
• Each team has a pool of Command Points. These Command Points are spent as a team.
• The same Stratagem cannot be used more than once during the same phase.
• Psychic Focus: As each psychic power can be attempted only once per turn, this would also apply to the whole Team.
• Deployment: During deployment teams alternate deploying, and each team deploys two units (one per player) to speed up set up.
• Teams will select their Secondary Objectives as a team. You should select one person from each team to be the overall Warmaster for the team. If at any point during the game, the team cannot decide in what order to carry out actions, the Warmaster has the final say on the order of events.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES
Victory points are awarded for controlling objective markers, as follows:

Take and Hold (Progressive): At the end of each player's Command phase, the player whose turn it is scores 4 victory points for each of the following conditions they satisfy (for a maximum of 12 victory points):

They control one or more objective markers.

They control two or more objective markers.

They control more objective markers than their opponent controls.

This primary objective cannot be scored in the first battle round.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES
In this mission, when the players are selecting their secondary objectives, they can, if they wish, choose for one of them to be Lines of Demarcation, below.

Lines of Demarcation (Progressive): At the end of your turn, you score 4 victory points if you control both objective markers labelled A, or 2 victory points if you control both objective markers labelled B.

 

 

 

3 PTS per game- Play 3 Games At Any Point Level-  The league is designed for players to play 3 games at every point level to maximize points. Point levels are “date-locked.” Once the next date lock has been reached, that point level and previous can be played. You must use the army list that you submitted for that point level, with no changes. Please bring a copy of your army list for you and your opponent.
- Please only book games for 4-hour blocks MAXIMUM.
- Please check the schedule for dedicated 40K gaming days. If the schedule does not show a particular game, (mostly weekdays) feel free to book a game slot. Again, 4 hours max.
-You can only play the same opponent twice over the whole course of the league, with a limit of once at the same point level.
- There are two possible missions at each point level. Please roll to see which mission will be played. All missions are taken from Nephilim: Grand Tournament.
- As a player, it is your expectation to bring all necessary gaming aids and miniatures. Codexes, rules, dice, measuring tools, objective markers etc. are expected to be brought by the players. Wandering Adventures will provide the table, terrain, gaming space, and score sheet.

Date Locks:

500 PTS- Opens Feb 1^st
1000 PTS- Opens April 8^th
1500 PTS- Opens June 15^th
2000 PTS- Opens Aug 24^th

Missions: *Please note these will be changed when a new season is released.
500 PTS:  Display of Spiritual Might - Sacred Ground
1000 PTS:  Cleanse The Land - Deliverance
1500 PTS: 

2000 PTS: 

Please make sure you or your opponent bring the rulebook for the mission. Arks Of Omen Grand Tournament.

Included below is a list of terrain rules, and suggested amount that should be used during your game. Players can set up terrain, or ask a TO for assistance.

 

3 PTS- Acquire HQ/ Troop/ Elite- Being an escalation league, the idea is to build up your army over the course of the year. Each category counts as two points and does not have to be used in your army list. This will begin retroactively from January 15, 2023. You must purchase from Wandering Adventures:
- One HQ or character
- One Troop/ Elite/ Fast Attack/ Heavy Support unit
- One Tank/ Large Monster unit.

1 PT- Enter A Painting Contest- There will be 3 painting contests over the course of the year, each one being a different category. You will leave your model at the store for the week of the painting contest, in a display case, and visitors and tournament players alike will be asked to vote for entries. Get your entries in as early as you can to earn as many points as possible! There are extra prizes for the winners of each contest.

HQ- March 27^th - April 1^st
Prize: Primarch Bust of choice

Squad- June 27^th - July 2^nd
Prize: Artificer Brush Set

Monster/ Tank- Sept 25^th- Oct 1^st
Prize: Pro Acryl Base Set

 Squad- Please note the squad category is meant for units of more than one model. Unit size of 3 (aggressors/ vargheists), or cavalry/ bikers are allowed, but unit size of 1 (maulerfiend) are not. My suggestion is a unit size of 5, so you can include the command group/ sergeant, but please no units bigger than 10 models.

Notes:

Current Games Workshop rulesets will always be in play.
If an army gets a Codex update there will be one opportunity for a list change for all remaining games to be played. Please re-submit new lists to TO.
If there is a Dataslate update, there will be an opportunity for a list adjustment if there are point changes. Your army must stay as close to its original design as possible. Please re-submit new lists to TO.

 If 2022 was any indication, be prepared for changes along the way, including a whole edition change. In the case of a new edition, we will put the league on hold for a week as we see what the new edition entails.

The Tournament Organizer is the judge for any rules, gaming or otherwise. If you sign up you are expected to understand and respect their decisions.

As a player, it is your expectation to bring all necessary gaming aids and miniatures. Codexes, rules, dice, measuring tools, objective markers etc. are expected to be brought by the players. Wandering Adventures will provide the table, terrain, gaming space, and score sheet.

As far as miniatures are concerned, there is flexibility. Miniatures do not have to be Games Workshop exclusively, but they must maintain the spirit of the unit they are representing. Conversions and proxies are allowed within reason. Players are expected to be as close to “What you see is what you get” as possible.

As always, treat your opponents and the store with respect. While it can be competitive, and we all want to win, we are here to have fun and enjoy a community that all loves the same thing: WARHAMMER.

 

 

 

 

Terrain Rules

Terrain

Scalable
Only INFANTRY, BEAST, and SWARM models, and models that can FLY, to be set up or end a move on top of an Obstacles Terrain Feature with this trait.
Only INFANTRY, BEASTS and SWARM, and models than can FLY, can be set up or end their move on the upper floors of an Area Terrain Feature with this trait (other models can be setup or end a move on the ground floor).
INFANTRY, BEASTS and SWARM models can move through the floors, ceilings, and gantries of this terrain feature without impediment. 

Breachable
INFANTRY, BEASTS and SWARM units can move through this the walls, girders, chains and foliage of this terrain feature without impediment.

Light Cover
When an attack made with a ranged weapon wounds a model that is receiving the benefits of cover from this terrain feature, add 1 to the saving throw made against that attack (invulnerable saves are not affected).

Defensible
If every model in an INFANTRY unit is on or in an Area Terrain feature with this trait then it can either Hold Steady or it can Set To Defend when an enemy unit declares a charge against it.
If every model in an INFANTRY unit is within 3″ an Obstacle terrain feature with this trait, then it can either Hold Steady or it can Set To Defend when an enemy unit declares a charge against it if, were you to draw a straight line, 1mm in thickness, between the closest parts of the bases (or hulls) of the two closest models in the two units, that line would pass over or through that terrain feature.
A unit cannot Hold Steady or Set To Defend whilst it is within Engagement Range of any enemy units.
If a unit Holds Steady, any Overwatch attacks made by a unit this phase will hits on rolls of 5+. If a unit Sets to Defend, it cannot fire Overwatch this phase, but you add 1 to hit rolls when resolving attacks made with melee weapons by models in that unit until the end of the end of the next fight phase.
Terrain Features commonly with this trait: Ruins, Barricades, Woods, Industrial Structures, and Ruined Walls

Obscuring
If this terrain feature is at least 5″ in height, then models cannot see through or over this terrain feature. This means that one model is not visible to another if you cannot draw a straight line, 1mm in thickness, between them without it passing through or over any part of this terrain feature. The height of the terrain feature is measured from the highest point on that terrain feature.
Models that are on or within terrain feature can see, and can be seen and targeted normally. AIRCRAFT models, and models with a Wounds (W) characteristic of 18 or more, are visible can be targeted even if this terrain feature is in-between it and the firing model.

Dense Cover
If this terrain feature is at least 3″ in height, then subtract 1 from the hit roll when resolve an attack with a range weapon unless you can draw straight lines, 1mm in thickness, to every part of at least one model’s base [or hull] in the target unit from a single point on the attack model’s base [or hull] without any of those lines passing over or through any part of any terrain feature with this trait.
Models that are on or within an Area Terrain Feature with this trait do not suffer this penalty if the only terrain feature these lines pass over or through is the terrain feature that the attacking model is on or within. Models within 3″ of an Obstacle terrain feature with this trait do not suffer this this penalty if the only terrain feature that these lines pass over or through is the feature that the attacking models is within 3″ of. The height of a terrain feature is measure from the highest point on that terrain feature.

Difficult Ground
If a unit makes a Normal Move, Advances, Falls Back or makes Charge Move and any of it’s models wish to move over any part of this terrain feature, subtract 2″ from the maximum distance that every model in that unit can move (to a minimum of 0″), even if every part of this terrain feature is 1″ or less in height. This penalty does not apply if every model in the moving unit can FLY.