Grand Clash

In every conflict there are momentous battles that become etched into the annals of history. In the Horus Heresy, names such as the Dropsite Massacre, the Burning of Prospero, the Battle of Yarant, the Battle of Calth and, of course, the Siege of Terra, are just some of the defining moments that altered the path of history. They represent the moment where bitter foes clashed in epic battle to decide the outcome of a world or a star system, or even the entire galaxy.

The following section includes guidance and rules to help players conduct their own massive battle to function as the culmination of a campaign, the apex of the fighting that has led up to it. It also serves as a way to get everyone together for a final battle to celebrate the end of a campaign.

Fighting a Grand Clash

At the end of a campaign, players can agree to play a Grand Clash, a single campaign-defining battle involving every player; in cases where there are large numbers of players, two or more Grand Clash games can be fought instead.

Fighting a Grand Clash requires a few modifications to the rules, with a distinction placed between a Faction - each group of players - and the individual players as follows:

Points Limit

The total points limit for each Faction is determined by the Campaign Master before the Grand Clash. A standard points limit is the points limit of the final campaign Cycle multiplied by the number of players in a Faction, but a different points limit can be chosen.

Once the total Faction points limit has been determined, each player is then assigned a points limit for their Army. In general, all players within a Faction will have an equal amount of points, but an alternative method can be agreed otherwise. The total points limit of all players within a Faction must equal the Faction points limit.

Faction General

Each Faction should appoint a Faction General.

During the battle, the Faction General will be in charge of rolling off for Initiative and deciding the order of events where relevant.

Objectives

Missions and Objectives are determined as normal, or a custom Mission is used as dictated by the Campaign Master - this could be a Flashpoint Mission, a Mission from another Legions Imperialis supplement or a Mission built from scratch.

More players requires a larger battlefield. If using a Standard Mission or a Flashpoint Mission, the battlefield size can be modified in respect to the number of players fighting the battle. A good rule of thumb is to use one standard battlefield size per two players.

For example, if four players were fighting in the Grand Clash, a 10'x4'battlefield would be used. If six players were fighting in the Grand Clash, a 15'x4' battlefield would be used, and so on.

A larger battlefield also requires a modification of Objective markers placement. There are two ways of doing this. If the above method of increasing battlefield size relative to the number of players is used, then each 5'x4' section of the battlefield should have Objective markers set up as described in the Mission, resulting in a set of Objective markers per battlefield section.

The second way is to modify the placement of Objective markers to fit the battlefield size; where there is equal distance between Objective markers, simply increase the distance required to keep these ratios and any distance between battlefield edges.

For example, if the Grand Clash was fought using the Hold Ground Mission with a 15'x4' battlefield, the central Objective would still be the battlefield centre. The remaining Objective markers would be replaced 45" from the short battlefield edges instead of 15" (3x the length), but remain within 8" of the players' battlefield edges.

The Campaign Master can also add additional Objective markers as they deem necessary.

Secondary Objectives

Secondary Objectives are determined as normal, with each Faction having a single Secondary Objective rather than one for each player.

Control the Battlefield

The Control the Battlefield Secondary Objective is modified as follows:

At the end of the battle, the battlefield is divided into 3'x2' sections; if there is any remaining space after doing so, the remaining space is its own section. Tactical Strength in each section is calculated as normal, with the player with the greatest Tactical Strength in a section being in control of it

At the end of the battle, a Faction Scores:

  • 5 VPs if players from their Faction control at least a quarter of the battlefield sections.

  • 10 VPs if players from their Faction control at least half of the battlefield sections.

  • 15 VPs if players from their Faction control at least three-quarters of the battlefield sections.

Playing the Game

A Grand Clash uses the normal round sequence with the exception that when a player from a Faction is called upon to activate a Detachment, each player within the Faction activates a Detachment they control. Players within a Faction act simultaneously, with instances where the order of Detachment activation matters, such as which Detachment fires first, being determined by the Faction General.

When determining who is in control of an Objective marker, the sum total of Tactical Strength for all models in a Faction is used to determine which Faction controls the Objective Marker. Factions earn VPs as a whole rather than as individual players.