Narrative Play

Where Matched Play is ideal for games between players who want a fair fight and Open Play is aimed at those who want complete freedom to play how they wish, Narrative Play uses the game as the vehicle for a compelling story. Narrative battles are more structured than those found in Open Play, but they stand out from Matched Play battles by focussing more on making for an interesting battle than trying to determine which player is the more accomplished Princeps. That is not to say that solid generalship is unnecessary in Narrative Play; indeed, in some missions, it will take a very good grasp of battlefield strategy to stand a chance of victory.

Narrative Play makes use of mission scenarios in the same way as Matched Play. However, each one is based around a key battle from the background of Adeptus Titanicus, and has at its heart an interesting twist on the core mechanics of the game. It might tell the story of a desperate redoubt, for example, in which one side faces utterly overwhelming odds but must try to hold out for a time. Or maybe it will describe an ambush or a thrilling game of cat and mouse between two forces.

The missions included in this section are only a small sample of what Narrative Play can achieve. Further inspiration for designing original Narrative Play scenarios can be found in Black Library novels and other Games Workshop publications, including the background section of this book.