My gaming group was looking for a campaign that could fill some free weeks over the summer and decided to make our own!
Our group is just wrapping up our Bagration campaign, but we have also started thinking about what comes next. While we wait for some made-to-order releases to arrive, we decided that a late-war campaign would be the perfect change of pace. More specifically, we wanted something that would let us finally put a few of those rare units on the table.
Unfortunately, there is not much out there that really fit what we had in mind. We wanted a campaign with a map to give it structure and flavor, but without the added layer of Firestorm units, supply rules, and similar mechanics.
At the same time, we recently started digging into the Aces campaigns Battlefront released over the years. Those original 3rd Edition campaigns centered on a specific character who gained experience and abilities as the campaign unfolded. That idea really stuck with us. It had a lot of narrative charm, and it felt like a great foundation to build on. With that in mind, here is what we came up with.
How Firestorm: Berlin Works
- The campaign is built around the Firestorm: Berlin map and runs for three rounds, with Allied and Axis players drawing from several late-war source books and formations.
- In each round, every player is supposed to play one game against each member of the opposing team. If a matchup cannot happen, that player’s opponent may instead play another member of the enemy team.
- Before each battle, players roll to see who chooses the territory to attack. On a 3+ the Allies choose, and on any other result the Germans do. The chosen territory must be one the attacking side does not already control.
- Area Z is a special case. It cannot be attacked unless the player is German or already controls an adjacent territory. Germany starts with every territory at 1 point, except Z, which begins at 5 points. Ties in territorial scoring go to the Germans.
- Players may bring along one tank Ace and one infantry Ace, though they are not required to field them every game. Aces level up at the start of each round, replace the normal 1iC command team, and must keep the same paid equipment from battle to battle.
- Aces can be taken in any legal detachment that normally allows that unit type. Players may also scrap an old Ace and choose a new one, but the replacement starts fresh and selects upgrades as though it were the first round.
- Missions can be chosen by agreement or generated randomly by first deciding between Prepared Positions and Meeting Engagement, then rolling the exact scenario. Players may reject a mission, but doing so gives the opponent more control over the next selection.
- After each game, players earn post-game rewards based on tiered dice rolls, with winners receiving two rewards and losers one. Players may hold only two rewards at a time, can swap newly earned rewards in, and must track them openly. The campaign winner is the team controlling the most territories after round three.
You can grab the full files here. If you try it out let me know what you think!
