As we get closer to the LVO we wanted to chat with the people who make our events tick.
Today we are having our annual interview with Darren who has been running the show at the LVO 40k narrative for a while now!
1. Tell me a bit about you. How long have you been playing, what armies do you play, and what are some past events you have organized?
Many know me as Commissar Darren. I started back in 4th Edition with the Battle for Macragge box set and still have the crashed Aquila lander it came with. My main armies are Imperial Guard, Sisters of Battle, and my heavily-converted Genestealer Cult army. I also have Chaos Space Marines and Orks for when I want something a bit different and not Toughness 3.
This year will be the fifth time I’ve had the privilege of running the 40k Narrative for the Las Vegas Open. Before I volunteered for the position, I’d only ever managed a few 20 player escalation leagues for my local store.
2. Is the story for this year’s events a continuation from last year’s event? What is the narrative hook for this year’s event?
We’re picking up a short time after we last left off. The Juron sub-sector rests in what was once a relatively quiet section of the Segmentum Ultima. That all changed when The Gate of Night was opened and subsequently destroyed. Now that the worlds of Juron, Memnar, Kascarla Primus have emerged from obscurity, the stage is set for the next chapter of conflict.
The Imperium’s war machine is ever hungry for soldiers and material. With the ongoing conflict on Armageddon, and countless others besides, a call has gone out to find ready supplies that might be reallocated to more crucial warfronts. Great harvester ships have been dispatched to claim what they can from Juron and its long-absent siblings.
Yet this is not a transaction that will be taken lightly. The worlds are still very much embroiled in open conflict and what places have been secured are under the dominion of the knight houses named in the Kascarla accords, and the Mechanicus explorator station. A civil war may very well be on the horizon.
For those not chained to the Imperium, this emerging conflict represents incredible opportunities. It is a chance to strike while foes squabble amongst themselves, to settle old grudges, or just maybe to tip the scales in another direction altogether…
Our event plays as 2v2s, 1000pts per player. We have a mission briefing twice a day, one before each round. It runs from 9am-6pm, with an hour lunch. Two games on Fri/Sat and then one big game on Sunday
4. This is the first 11th Edition Narrative LVO How does that change things?
In previous editions, asymmetrical missions were an oddity, so we only featured one per battlezone. 11th has reversed this, so we’ll only be including a handful of the previous style.
While initially tempted to design a variety of missions around the disposition system, we decided against it. Instead we are opting for something that accounts for the narrative alliances the teams are part of. Suggested layouts, in line with those in the Chapter Approved pack, will be provided. That said, the final say is up to the players and they are free to make adjustments as necessary.
5. What are you most excited about for this event?
Seeing all the players, new and old. Every year we get some tremendously fun and creative people to join in. Seeing folks from varied walks of life sharing their marvelous armies and having some truly memorable games is what first drew me to this event in the first place.
6. Narrative 40k feels like it is in a bit of an experimental undefined phase right now. How are you hoping to engage the players and make the event special? Planning any new wrinkles?
There shall be wrinkles aplenty. I agree that we’re in a whole new phase for narrative. To that end, we’re bringing in new battlezone traits, new missions, and exciting dramatis personae to keep even the most hardened veteran on their toes.
Thank you Darren that sounds like a great event! If you are interested in going, there is still room!
