Version 1.0

Written by Mark Hampson

& The London Warhammer Gaming Guild

Little is known of The Cursed Orb however the Skaven revere it as an item of unprecedented power with which to be used in the encroaching darkness of the end times. Although this verminous race had only recently produced this item from the darkest of Warpstone, it had already proved itself effective against the armies of undead in fledging conflicts within Bretonnia which pleased the council of thirteen as a lot had been risked and lost in its conception and production.

But it was lost.

Skaven are renowned for their lack of discipline and whilst a clawpack of Clan Skyre were testing the Cursed Orbs effectiveness, a stout Bretonnian lord named Tarquinn Von Leffe had noticed the grim machinations of the Skaven wurring in his homeland. The rats were using the Cursed Orb on the walking dead, ever since Mallobaude's treachery the dark powers had swept through Bretonnia and the dead walked unhindered through the wilderness; this to the Skaven was the perfect place to test the powerful orb. However in their stupidity they had forgotten how destructive an army of gleaming silver knights where at full tilt, and on the fourth day of testing Tarquinn lead a ramshackle force of knights that he had organised at great pace into the rearguard of the Skaven army.

The rats scattered from the shock, and the lady would have been pleased with the glorious victory, however the Cursed Orb was missing, and the Bretonnians were unaware of its existence and power. In the carnage a clanrat named Nreek had managed to pull the Cursed Orb out of its Screaming Bell resting place and fled the battle. Nreek was a particularly uninspiring member of his race, but upon stealing the Orb he became giddy with dreams of greatness, perhaps the council of thirteen would answer to him now? However his dreams were short, like so many others of his race, as he had decided to make haven in the sewers of Altdorf - perhaps a place to create a new clan and destroy the humans from below. But it wasn't long before the Sewer Guard found him, and after having two Crossbow bolts dart though his back his dreams dissipated - however is final thoughts were that the stupid humans would never find his beloved Orb. But they did...

It lay dormant in the Vaults for half a year and time was hard to come by for the Engineers and Mechanics of the Empire, and they could never truly say what the Orb was for and they signed it off as an obscure statue or some kind of portent device and nothing more. But on a dark and burgeoning night a sleek and vicious Vampire named Shaar slunk unnoticed into the deep vaults and hastily stole the Orb and it wasn't until a week previous that the Guards even noticed that it had been stolen. They cried 'witchcraft' or that the Orb had been stolen from the Skaven who had dug from beneath, but Shaar was long gone by this time.

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SPENDING YOUR GOLDYour armies and its Generals will have been gathering Gold over the last few weeks, and you now have a decision to make... Before all of the Months End battles you will be able to spend you Gold to gain additional benefits in that game, this is due to your Generals success allowing them to purchase trinkets and bolster their force.

WHEN TO USE YOUR GOLD?

Your Generals will be able to spend the Gold that you have gathered from the Gold Digger table (see Pg10) to purchase particular extras for themselves and their force. This is a bit of a risk as the Gold you will have spent is lost, however there are many ways to gain Gold in the Months End scenarios so you’ll have to weigh up that risk... You can use your Gold for Months End scenarios only as your General will only want to fork out for additional resources for the biggest games. You can

not spend Gold on your force for normal campaign games.

PURCHASES

Purchases must be announced before the game begins and done in secret. When you have made a purchase ensure that you adjust your Gold quantity accordingly, additionally a purchase will not roll over to the next Months End game and you will have to purchase it again if you would like to make use of it.

Increased Armoury - (2 Gold Required)Your General has decided to purchase an additional item of power to help him in his Months End struggle, this additional item will allow your General to be even more effective in the coming battle.Your General gains an additional +25Pts of magic items to their allotted points limit. Note: This only allows 1 of your Generals to increase their limit, you will have to spend an additional 2 Gold for each General past the first.

Expanded Knowledge - (2 Gold Required)Your Wizard has empowered them self for the coming battle in preparation for the magical warfare that is surely going to wreak havoc across the table.One of your Wizards knows 1 more spell that they are usually allowed and that wizard may re-roll the result of a single miscast during the game. Note: That the second result stands.

Regiment of War - (3 Gold Required)Your General has purchased a magical banner for one your units that has proven itself in the last few battles.Select one of your units that have a Standard Bearer, that unit may select a Magic Banner with a value of upto 50Pts for free. This banner does not count towards the units total points cost, or your selection restrictions, it is free on all accounts.

Spending Spree - (4 Gold Required)Note: May not be selected in conjunction with the Increased Armoury purchase.Your General has decided to purchase a whole trove of magic items in preparation for the battle, making them a force to be reckoned with in the height of war.Your General gains an additional +50Pts of magic items to their allotted points limit. Note: This only allows 1 of your Generals to increase their limit, if you will have to spend an additional 4 Gold for each General past the first.

Beckon Forth - (5 Gold Required)Your General has decided to call forth one of his Lieutenants from the fold to help them organise their army in this time of need.Your Lord must always be present in Months End games as described in each scenario, however your Hero Lieutenants do not have to feature. If you purchase this benefit then you may add one of your Lieutenants to your force for free, this means that they do not count towards your selection restrictions, they are free on all accounts.

Reinforcements - (6 Gold Required)Your General has brought more troops to the fray in an attempt to swarm the enemy to grasp victory.You may add an additional +250Pts to your overall Points Limit for the battle, your selection restrictions must be changed to suit the new total value, so your must have 25% Core of the new overall total.

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THE CURSED ORBShaar had stolen the Cursed Orb unbeknownst to the guard of Altdorf, however the foolish Vampire has managed to ‘partially’ turn the device on. Shaar had decided to leave it hidden within a dark crypt whilst he continues his dark exploits, however its power is now leaking out into the void where every wizard near by can sense its powerful presence. Shaar had foolishly left the item unattended due to his fear of its corrupting power affecting him, but voracious Generals have sensed it and are preparing to fight to claim it.

THE ARMIES The four players with the most total Gold before it has been spent on additional purchases will fight on the main Cursed Orb table. The other players will then fight in order of total Gold on the Road To The Orb tables. Each army must be 2,000Pts and include your Lord Campaign General as he is leading your force to this important battle.

THE BATTLEFIELDS Set up a single table for the Cursed Orb battle as detailed below and then as many additional tables as required for the Road To The Orb games. Place as much terrain as you feel necessary but ensure that a crypt style building is placed in the centre of the Cursed Orb table, as this is where the Orb itself is residing.

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DEPLOYMENT Before deployment you must select another player to strike an alliance with, this will result in a mega game with a total of 4,000Pts per side. Each army must be deployed in a singular half of the deployment zone, creating a visible divide between the allied forces. The allied force that won the roll to choose table sides will deploy first, each player in that alliance must deploy a unit at the same time, followed in turn by the opposition.

FIRST TURN Each alliance rolls a D6 the alliance that finished deployment first gets +1 to their roll. The alliance with the highest result can choose whether to go first or second.

GAME LENGTH This game lasts for 8 game turns, or to an agreed limit organised by the players themselves.

VICTORY CONDITIONS The General who has possession of The Cursed Orb at the end of the battle is the winner. Also see the Aftermath section to see how this will affect your force.

SCENARIO SPECIAL RULESClaiming the Cursed Orb: Only your Generals can grasp The Cursed Orb, to claim it your General (or unit the General resides) must come into contact with the Crypt. At the end of your Movement phase the General that is in contact with the Crypt must roll a D6, on a roll of 3+ your General has found the Cursed Orb. If your General is in combat or taken away from the Crypt for any reason then they may no longer roll. Once your General has the Orb he may only lose it if he is killed by another General or flees, if another General (or the unit he resides) kills the carrier then that General instantly takes control of it. If a character flees then the Orb is dropped, put a counter on the table to represent the Orb’s position and any General may then move upto this counter and take control of the Orb instantly.

Warpstone Thunderstorm: Once the Cursed Orb has been removed from the Crypt, roll a D6 at the start of every Magic Phase, on a roll of 1, 2 or 3 the device charges and nothing happens this turn. On a roll of 4+ the Orb charges the clouds with sickly green energy and blasts the tabletop with Warpstone Lightning. Roll a D6 for every unit on the table, on a roll of 6 it will suffer D6 Strength 5 hits distributed as per shooting with no armour saves allowed.

CURSED ORB SCENARIOPlayers note: All of these games should aim to kick off at the same time, you’ll notice the Warpstone Thunderstorm scenario special rule is particularly nasty, and every time your roll it you must alert the other tables as they will also feel the wrath of the Cursed Orb!

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DEPLOYMENT As described previous set up as many 1 v 1 tables as required to accommodate the rest of the campaign players in order of Gold achieved. For deployment use the Battle Line scenario as detailed on Pg144 of the Warhammer Rulebook

FIRST TURN Each player rolls a D6 the player that finished deployment first gets +1 to their roll. The player with the highest result can choose whether to go first or second.

GAME LENGTH This game lasts for six game turns, or to an agreed limit organised by the players themselves.

VICTORY CONDITIONS Use victory points to determine the winner of the battle, as described on Pg143 of the Warhammer Rulebook. Once your have determined a winner and calculated your Gold

you must find another player to fight against, continue playing games until the larger Cursed Orb battle finishes as this will allow you to gather more Gold so get playing!

SCENARIO SPECIAL RULESLate To The Party: Your General has failed to discover the exact whereabouts of the Cursed Orb, however he is not alone as other Generals have also struggled to find the device’s whereabouts. Your Generals must always issue a challenge to your opponents Generals if they are in the same combat and they cannot refuse, this is due to each believing that the opposition already has the Cursed Orb in their possession.

Warpstone Thunderstorm: Every time the players on the Cursed Orb table roll for a Thunderstorm they must shout out loud to alert the Road to the Orb players. These players must stop where they are instantly and roll a D6 for each of their units on the battlefield, on a roll of 6 that unit suffers D6 Strength 5 hits distributed as per shooting, with no armour saves allowed.

ROAD TO THE ORB SCENARIO

'Months End' Gold Digger TableResult Gold ObtainedTake part in a Months End game regardless of result. 2 per GameWin the Cursed Orb Scenario and obtain The Cursed Orb 10Win the Cursed Orb Scenario where your Ally obtained The Cursed Orb 8Win a Road to the Orb Scenario 2 per VictoryKilling an opponents Campaign General that had possession of the Cursed Orb 2 per GeneralKilling an opponents Campaign General 1 per General

AFTERMATH The player who had control of The Cursed Orb at the end of the battle now owns it, the ally who worked with that player had been betrayed and the promise of joint power extinguished... Revenge will surely have to be had. The Orb itself suffered greatly in the ensuing carnage as the armies vying for it overloaded its small frame, even though it has been severely drained it is still a useful tool for any aspiring leader. The Cursed Orb now counts as an Enchanted Item and may be taken by any of your Generals at a value of 65Pts, this item can no longer be lost in Campaign Games and if your General desires then it can be turned into a Signature Item, simply change this on your Player Sheet.

THE CURSED ORB 65 pointsBound spell (power level 5). The Cursed Orb is a Magic Missile with a range of 36” and causes D6 Strength 5 hits with no armour save allowed. If the target has the Undead special rule then it causes D6+3 hits instead. The bearer may choose to use a more powerful version of the bound spell which increases it to (power level 10). It causes 2D6 Strength 6 hits with no armour saves allowed, with an additional +3 if the target has the Undead special rule.