War Of the Morruk Hills
In the aftermath of the battle for Amberstone Watch the Kruleboyz Killaboss Gazog was driven back, but the cunning orruk is far from defeated. As the stoic and implacable Hammers of Sigmar consolidate their position at Amberstone Watch, they ready themselves to strike south towards the Morruk Hills with vengeance. The bloodshed has only just begun, for the Kruleboyz are itching to avenge the setback, and neither side will back down before the other is utterly destroyed.
Narrative Campaign
This is a narrative campaign for 2 players. One takes the role of the Auric Lions, a Thunderstrike Stormhost of the Hammers of Sigmar Stormcast Eternals. The other takes the role Gazog’s Boyz, a band of cruel and malicious Kruleboyz that nearly succeeded in bringing Amberstone Watch to ruin, and are now out to finish the job.
The campaign will last for 3 or 4 battles in total. To begin with the two sides will battle over different locations of importance between Amberstone Watch and the Morruk Hills to the south-west. Then, once one side has carved out an advantage, they will confront their enemy in a final, decisive battle.
This narrative campaign explores the aftermath of Amberstone Watch, chronicled in the new Age of Sigmar starter sets. If you have one of those sets in your collection, you’ll be able to use the included miniatures with the rules in this book to play through a thrilling evening or weekend’s worth of gaming.
Getting Ready
The sides in this conflict are led by 3 heroes who each command a warband. The Auric Lions are under the command of Lord-Imperatant Tyberain Vorst, with his two trusted lieutenants, the Knight-Arcanum Gale’s Eye and the Knight-Vexillor Cythain D’Amar who carries the Banner of Apotheosis. For Gazog’s Boyz, there is Gazog himself who rides into battle on his Gnashtoof. He has two subordinates, the Swampcalla Shaman named Wozgag and the Killaboss Brokkagok. The opening battles of the campaign will be fought over 3 locations of importance that lie between Amberstone Watch and the Morruk Hills: the Ruins of Hardoon, Strangler’s Marsh, and the riverside strongpoint of Whiterush.
Before the campaign can begin, each player must dispatch each of their 3 heroes to a different location. The players do so in secret and are encouraged to look at the rewards victory each location gives and also to second-guess their opponent’s decisions to try to strike at the weak point of their line.
The tables below detail the fighter card of each hero and the size of the warband under their command. Consult this information and then plan your strategy accordingly.
Fighting The First Battle
Once the above steps are completed, the campaign is ready to begin. The first battle is fought as follows:
- The players roll off. The winner picks 1 of the locations to fight over and then each player reveals which of their heroes have been dispatched to that location.
- Each player musters a warband. The Auric Lions player musters a warband that consists of fighters with the Thunderstrike Stormcasts faction runemark () and the Gazog’s Boyz player musters a warband that consists of fighters with the Kruleboyz faction runemark ().
- The size of each warband is determined by the hero dispatched to that location.
- The leader for each warband must be the hero dispatched to that location. Their points cost is deducted from the total points of the warband as normal.
- No other fighters with the Hero runemark () can be included in either warband, with the exception of a Murknob with Belcha-banna which can be included in the Kruleboyz warband.
- Once the warbands have been mustered, battle groups are then assigned as normal.
- A player rolls on the victory and twist tables for the location of the battle to determine which victory and twist cards are in play.
- A player sets up the terrain.
- 3 deployment cards are drawn. Each player discards 1 of them (starting with the player who did not set up the terrain) – the remaining card is used. The player who did not set up the terrain chooses who is red and blue and orientates the deployment card.
- Any instructions on the victor card or twist card are carried out.
- The battle begins.
- There is no aftermath sequence in this campaign. The winner of each battle before the final battle will earn a reward.
The Auric Lions
| Hero’s Name | Fighter Card | Size of Warband |
|---|---|---|
| Tyberain Vorst | Lord-Imperatant | 1,200 |
| Gale’s Eye | Knight-Arcanum | 1,000 |
| Cythain D’Amar | Knight-Vexillor with Banner of Apotheosis | 900 |
Gazog’s Boyz
| Hero’s Name | Fighter Card | Size of Warband |
|---|---|---|
| Gazog | Killaboss on Gnashtoof | 1,300 |
| Wozgag | Swampcalla Shaman | 1,000 |
| Brokkagok | Killaboss | 800 |
Fighting the Next Battles
After the first battle, the player who did not pick the location of the battle picks a different location for the second battle, which is then fought using steps 2-12 above. After the second battle, if one player has scored two victories, the final battle is fought (see below). If each player has won 1 of the battles so far, a third battle is fought in the final location and then the final battle is fought.
The Final Battle
Once one player has 2 victories, the final battle of the campaign is fought. The location of this battle will be determined by which player has earned 2 victories. If it is the Auric Lions, they have tracked the Kruleboyz to the foot of the Morruk Hills and now ride out to defeat them in their home swamps. If it is Gazog’s Boyz, they have lured the Stormcast Eternals out of position and now strike at Amberstone Watch again, hoping to finish this time what they could not before! The unique battleplan ‘The Decisive Battle’, is used for the final battle. The winner of this battle is declared the winner of the campaign.
Between Amberstone Watch and the Morruk Hills
The Ruins of Hardoon
To the west of Amberstone can be found the ruins of Hardoon. Once a great city ruled by shamanic warlords, Hardoon was sacked and destroyed during the Age of Chaos. According to local legend, a powerful relic of the lost kingdom lies somewhere beneath its shattered streets.
Battleplan
Victory: Roll a dice:
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | The Hidden Vault |
| 3-4 | The Prize |
| 5-6 | The Hidden Artefact |
Twist: Roll a dice:
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Foreboding Location |
| 3-4 | Howling Winds |
| 5-6 | Arcane Inscriptions |
Reward
The leader of the warband who wins this battle bears the following artefact of power in the final battle of the campaign:
Amber King’s Blade: Once wielded by the legendary last king of Hardoon, this blade forged from pure amberstone strikes with a rare and terrible fury.
Add 3 to the damage points allocated by each critical hit from attack actions made by the bearer that have a Range characteristic of 3 or less.
Strangler’s Marsh
At the foot of the Morruk Hills lies Strangler’s Marsh, a vast stinking swampland home to many Kruleboyz tribes. The commander who seizes this territory can take advantage of the choking smog that hangs over the place to mask their troop movements, catching their foes by surprise.
Battleplan
Victory: Roll a dice:
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Sudden Death |
| 3-4 | No Quarter |
| 5-6 | Raze |
Twist: Roll a dice:
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Murky Swampland |
| 3-4 | Deluge |
| 5-6 | Eager for the Fight |
Reward
During the final battle of the campaign, once both warbands have been deployed, the victor of this location can pick 1 of their battle groups in reserve and deploy them immediately.
Whiterush Strongpoint
The fortified strongpoint of Whiterush stands on the bank of the Questing Serpent River. It is an important trading hub for Amberstone Watch. Securing the settlement will cement Sigmar’s control over this vital waterway and provide crucial supplies in the battles to come.
Battleplan
Victory: Roll a dice:
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Seize Territory |
| 3-4 | Scorched Earth |
| 5-6 | The Raid |
The Auric Lions are the defenders
Twist: Roll a dice:
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Dusk |
| 3-4 | Dead of Night |
| 5-6 | Dawn |
Reward
During the final battle of the campaign, at the start of the first hero phase, the victor of this location gains D3 wild dice.
Battleplan: The Decisive Battle
War has raged between Amberstone Watch and the Morruk Hills, with the Thunderstrike Stormcasts of the Auric Lions clashing with the Kruleboyz under the command of Gazog across multiple fronts. The Auric Lions have sought to consolidate their position at Amberstone Watch while the Kruleboyz have tried to undermine them every step of the way. Through bitterly fought battles, one side has now gained the advantage and rides out to defeat their foe once and for all.
The Warbands
Each player musters a warband of no more than 1,300 points. The Auric Lions player musters a warband that consists of fighters with the Thunderstrike Stormcasts faction runemark () and the Gazog’s Boyz player musters a warband that consists of fighters with the Kruleboyz faction runemark (). Each warband must include the 3 heroes from the campaign. The leader of the Auric Lions warband is Tyberain Vorst and the leader of the Gazog’s Boyz warband is Gazog. The Gazog’s Boyz warband can include 4 fighters with the Hero runemark () if those 4 fighters are the 3 heroes of the campaign and a Murknob with Belcha-banna.
The player who has won 2 battles in the campaign so far is the attacker. The other player is the defender.
Terrain
The defender sets up the terrain. If the Auric Lions player has won 2 battles, the terrain is set up to represent the swamps at the foot of the Morruk Hills. If the Gazog’s Boyz player has won 2 battles, the terrain is set up to represent the ruins of Amberstone Watch.
Deployment
3 deployment cards are drawn. Each player discards 1 of them (starting with the attacker) – the remaining card is used. The attacker chooses who is red and blue and orientates the deployment card
Victory
A player wins the battle as soon as all enemy fighters are taken down.
Twist
Victory At All Costs: In the hero phase, when a player is declaring how to use their wild dice they can instead declare victory at all costs. If they do so, they gain 2 wild dice instead of 1, and then declare how they will be used. Each player can declare victory at all costs only once per battle. Once a player has declared victory at all costs, they receive no further wild dice in subsequent battle rounds.
Battleplan Abilities
This battleplan has 2 unique abilities that can only be used when playing this battleplan:
| Runemark | Ability |
|---|---|
| [Double] From the Heavens: This fighter makes a bonus move action. At the end of that move action, if there are any enemy fighters within 1" of this fighter, pick 1 of those fighters. Allocate D3 damage points to that fighter. | |
| [Double] Out of the Mists: This fighter can use this ability only if there are no visible enemy fighters within 12" of this fighter. This fighter makes a bonus move action. |