Overview
The Pyrriah Campaign is a loosely run, "omnibus" campaign. What that means is that (1) there is little to no central organization, and (2) pretty much every GW game set in the grim dark can be played as part of the campaign.
The next phase of the Pyrriah Campaign will run from November 2021 through February 2022. After February 2022, the general results will be taken into account, and a new phase will begin taking off from where the previous phase ended. Participants will have great flexibility as to what games systems, type of games, and armies they play, and who they play against each phase, and can completely reshuffle all these things in the next phase. In short, the Pyrriah Campaign is more a framework for building a collective narrative than a hard and fast campaign, and there are no prizes or awards for "winning." The prize is encouraging people to play more, to invest in creating new armies, and to imagine great stories to set those armies in.
Read the information below about pods and zones and game systems, and when you are ready to sign up, you can do so using this SignUp Genius link: www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4DA8A72EA4FA7-pyrriah
Pods and Zones
The core of the Pyrriah Campaign is the "pod." A pod is a group of like-minded participants (at least two and as many as can be handled) that work together to organize games and to forge a narrative. One person in each pod is the "pod leader" that has final say in how games are played and who are the participates in the pod, and who is responsible for giving a short summary of the narrative developments at the end of the phase. There is no limit on how many pods can participate in the campaign, and participants can be part of more than one pod at a time, either as pod participants or just general "freelancers" who don't sign up to play in any particular pod but are available as requested to play a certain faction or game.
"Zones" are the four zones of engagement on Pyrriah: Central, Northern, Eastern, and Southern. The map at the top of this page depicts the five zones, as well as the major Hive Cities within the four zones: Kantara and Chapter Keep Promethia in the Central Zone, Bet Shean and Naxos in the Northern Zone; the Temple City of Ascalon in the Southern Zone; and Caesara and Cilicia in the Southern Zone.
Each pod ideally should be anchored in one of the four zones for the entire phase of the campaign. As an example, Participant A signs up to be the pod leader for a pod anchored in the Southern Zone, so the games played by the pod should be set within the Southern Zone. Games can be set outside of the Southern Zone, but there should be some narrative reason to explain this that is reasonable to the average grim dark fan. Other participants can sign up to be in Participant A's pod and should indicate when they sign up which game systems they want to play (see below).
Pod leaders are free to select whatever zone they want. In order to help preserve a somewhat consistent narrative for Pyrriah, below is a list of who has been fighting in each of the zones and what the major storylines have been. Participants are encouraged, but not required, to use this information as a starting point for choosing a zone and forming pods.
Central (Kantara and Chapter Keep Promethia)
Factions: Ad Mech, Astra Militarum, Adeptus Astartes (particularly BT, DA, and GK), Aeldari, CSM (particularly NL and TS), Drukhari, Orks, Tyranids
Storylines: Defense of Kantara from Orks, CSM attempt to gain Chapter Keep, BT crusade to regain Chapter Keep, Drukhari raiding parties, Tyranid incursion from Eastern Zone through the Inner Sea.
Northern (Bet Shean, Naxos, and Neversun)
Factions: Ad Mech, Adeptus Astartes (particularly SW), CSM (particularly TS), Genestealer Cults,
Storylines: Defense of Bet Shean as gateway to mountain passes to the Chapter Keep, race to Neversun, Genestealer Cult bandits surrounding Naxos
Eastern (Jungle Temple City of Ascalon)
Factions: Ad Mech, Adeptus Astartes (particularly DA, GK, and SW), Aeldari, CSM (particularly Slaaneshi), Drukhari, Genestealer Cults, Tyranids
Storylines: Tyranid overrunning of nearly the entire Zone, searching for ancient archeotech in the jungles ruins, Ascalon falling to Slaaneshi cultists and daemons
Southern (Caesara and Cilicia)
Factions: Ad Mech, Adeptus Astartes (particularly DA and UM), Aldeari, Astra Militarum, CSM (particularly Death Guard and Khorne), Drukhari, Genestealer Cults, Orks, Tyranids
Storylines: Battle for control of Cilicia among DG, GSC, and Adeptus Astartes; fall of Caesara to Orks with the forces of Astra Militarum now behind enemy lines; Ad Mech scavenging to save useful archeotech in Caesara and surrounding area, Ork bandit wargangs in the wastelands between Caesara and Cilicia; Aeldari hit and run raids along coastal areas
All Grim Dark Games Welcome
People can participate in the campaign by playing 40k matched play games, 40k Crusade games, 40k Open play games, Apocalypse, Kill Team, Aeronautica Imperialis, and even Adeptus Titanicus (which is normally set in the 30k timeframe). Games can be linked or not, and can be core parts of the pod narrative, or just "one off" games.
For example, one pod is set in the Southern Zone and has at its core multiple Crusade games played among Orks, Astra Militarum, and GSC to control a warehouse district outside of Cilicia. But the participants also decide to play a Kill Team game between Orks and GSC to represent an attempt to infiltrate the dock control center, and they also play an Aeronautica Imperialis game where Ork bombers try to dislodge AM fortifications around Cilicia. The players decide that the outcomes of these KT and AI games will have an impact on later Crusade games.
Another pod decides to be set in the Central Zone, where Drukhari and Ad Mech players will play three matched play games to see who can win best of three, which represents Drukhari clashes with Ad Mech forces in the empty zone between Hive City Caesara and the Chapter Keep. Another two players in the pod run a Kill Team campaign between Black Templars and Drukhari representing skirmishes in the mountain ruins leading to the keep, while two other players just want to play a single Apocalypse-sized game of Dark Angels holding off a Tyranid swarm advancing into the Central Zone from the jungles of the Eastern Zone. While finally, two other players agree to set a game of Adeptus Titanicus in the Central Zone, where a loyalist Legio has been called to defend Ad Mech forces from a traitor Legio that is assaulting Pyrriah. This can all be part of a single pod.
Finally, someone may be only interested in playing a single game system, for example Aeronautica Imperialis, or a single faction, say Sisters of Battle. That participant lets all the pod leaders know that they are available as a freelancer if an air combat game would be useful for the narrative of the pod, or if there is need for Sisters of Battle to be part of any pod game. That freelancer may play several games during the phase of the campaign, but never two games in the same pod.
The Pyrriah Campaign is a loosely run, "omnibus" campaign. What that means is that (1) there is little to no central organization, and (2) pretty much every GW game set in the grim dark can be played as part of the campaign.
The next phase of the Pyrriah Campaign will run from November 2021 through February 2022. After February 2022, the general results will be taken into account, and a new phase will begin taking off from where the previous phase ended. Participants will have great flexibility as to what games systems, type of games, and armies they play, and who they play against each phase, and can completely reshuffle all these things in the next phase. In short, the Pyrriah Campaign is more a framework for building a collective narrative than a hard and fast campaign, and there are no prizes or awards for "winning." The prize is encouraging people to play more, to invest in creating new armies, and to imagine great stories to set those armies in.
Read the information below about pods and zones and game systems, and when you are ready to sign up, you can do so using this SignUp Genius link: www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4DA8A72EA4FA7-pyrriah
Pods and Zones
The core of the Pyrriah Campaign is the "pod." A pod is a group of like-minded participants (at least two and as many as can be handled) that work together to organize games and to forge a narrative. One person in each pod is the "pod leader" that has final say in how games are played and who are the participates in the pod, and who is responsible for giving a short summary of the narrative developments at the end of the phase. There is no limit on how many pods can participate in the campaign, and participants can be part of more than one pod at a time, either as pod participants or just general "freelancers" who don't sign up to play in any particular pod but are available as requested to play a certain faction or game.
"Zones" are the four zones of engagement on Pyrriah: Central, Northern, Eastern, and Southern. The map at the top of this page depicts the five zones, as well as the major Hive Cities within the four zones: Kantara and Chapter Keep Promethia in the Central Zone, Bet Shean and Naxos in the Northern Zone; the Temple City of Ascalon in the Southern Zone; and Caesara and Cilicia in the Southern Zone.
Each pod ideally should be anchored in one of the four zones for the entire phase of the campaign. As an example, Participant A signs up to be the pod leader for a pod anchored in the Southern Zone, so the games played by the pod should be set within the Southern Zone. Games can be set outside of the Southern Zone, but there should be some narrative reason to explain this that is reasonable to the average grim dark fan. Other participants can sign up to be in Participant A's pod and should indicate when they sign up which game systems they want to play (see below).
Pod leaders are free to select whatever zone they want. In order to help preserve a somewhat consistent narrative for Pyrriah, below is a list of who has been fighting in each of the zones and what the major storylines have been. Participants are encouraged, but not required, to use this information as a starting point for choosing a zone and forming pods.
Central (Kantara and Chapter Keep Promethia)
Factions: Ad Mech, Astra Militarum, Adeptus Astartes (particularly BT, DA, and GK), Aeldari, CSM (particularly NL and TS), Drukhari, Orks, Tyranids
Storylines: Defense of Kantara from Orks, CSM attempt to gain Chapter Keep, BT crusade to regain Chapter Keep, Drukhari raiding parties, Tyranid incursion from Eastern Zone through the Inner Sea.
Northern (Bet Shean, Naxos, and Neversun)
Factions: Ad Mech, Adeptus Astartes (particularly SW), CSM (particularly TS), Genestealer Cults,
Storylines: Defense of Bet Shean as gateway to mountain passes to the Chapter Keep, race to Neversun, Genestealer Cult bandits surrounding Naxos
Eastern (Jungle Temple City of Ascalon)
Factions: Ad Mech, Adeptus Astartes (particularly DA, GK, and SW), Aeldari, CSM (particularly Slaaneshi), Drukhari, Genestealer Cults, Tyranids
Storylines: Tyranid overrunning of nearly the entire Zone, searching for ancient archeotech in the jungles ruins, Ascalon falling to Slaaneshi cultists and daemons
Southern (Caesara and Cilicia)
Factions: Ad Mech, Adeptus Astartes (particularly DA and UM), Aldeari, Astra Militarum, CSM (particularly Death Guard and Khorne), Drukhari, Genestealer Cults, Orks, Tyranids
Storylines: Battle for control of Cilicia among DG, GSC, and Adeptus Astartes; fall of Caesara to Orks with the forces of Astra Militarum now behind enemy lines; Ad Mech scavenging to save useful archeotech in Caesara and surrounding area, Ork bandit wargangs in the wastelands between Caesara and Cilicia; Aeldari hit and run raids along coastal areas
All Grim Dark Games Welcome
People can participate in the campaign by playing 40k matched play games, 40k Crusade games, 40k Open play games, Apocalypse, Kill Team, Aeronautica Imperialis, and even Adeptus Titanicus (which is normally set in the 30k timeframe). Games can be linked or not, and can be core parts of the pod narrative, or just "one off" games.
For example, one pod is set in the Southern Zone and has at its core multiple Crusade games played among Orks, Astra Militarum, and GSC to control a warehouse district outside of Cilicia. But the participants also decide to play a Kill Team game between Orks and GSC to represent an attempt to infiltrate the dock control center, and they also play an Aeronautica Imperialis game where Ork bombers try to dislodge AM fortifications around Cilicia. The players decide that the outcomes of these KT and AI games will have an impact on later Crusade games.
Another pod decides to be set in the Central Zone, where Drukhari and Ad Mech players will play three matched play games to see who can win best of three, which represents Drukhari clashes with Ad Mech forces in the empty zone between Hive City Caesara and the Chapter Keep. Another two players in the pod run a Kill Team campaign between Black Templars and Drukhari representing skirmishes in the mountain ruins leading to the keep, while two other players just want to play a single Apocalypse-sized game of Dark Angels holding off a Tyranid swarm advancing into the Central Zone from the jungles of the Eastern Zone. While finally, two other players agree to set a game of Adeptus Titanicus in the Central Zone, where a loyalist Legio has been called to defend Ad Mech forces from a traitor Legio that is assaulting Pyrriah. This can all be part of a single pod.
Finally, someone may be only interested in playing a single game system, for example Aeronautica Imperialis, or a single faction, say Sisters of Battle. That participant lets all the pod leaders know that they are available as a freelancer if an air combat game would be useful for the narrative of the pod, or if there is need for Sisters of Battle to be part of any pod game. That freelancer may play several games during the phase of the campaign, but never two games in the same pod.