Amid the absolute hysteria of 40k, something happened. On the bottom shelf of the new release section of the local store, tucked in beside boxes upon boxes of Easy to Build Plague Marines, sat a brand spanking new book, simply titled "Path to Glory".
Path to Glory is not a new concept. We've recognised it as a loose (and if we're honest, more than a little unbalanced between different battle tomes and races) way to play a story-driven campaign that follows two or more Heroes of the realms as they rally a mighty host to their banner and clash in titanic duals with other generals. It's been floating on the fringes of the Age of Sigmar for some time, with different resources and books adding more elements, but we finally have a wholistic, well-rounded format contained in one book.
Now, the first thing that leaps out to me while reading this is that it is most definitely not for everyone. I think it takes a certain kind of player to fully embrace the narrative, and put themselves in the shoes of their chosen Hero. Don't get me wrong, theres definitely still that competitive aspect; no one enjoys their rise to glory by getting their teeth kicked down their throats. Needless to say, that does not inspire confidence in the masses. But I couldn't quite put my finger on where this book lay in the landscape of tabletop wargaming. It wasn't a game type that encouraged matches that leave you with internal bleeding from the beating you received, but at the same time, it wasn't totally about telling a story at the expense of a gameplay.
Then it dawned on me, in a moment of clarity and perception. This is the playbook for Tale of Four Gamers! The more I thought about it, the more it made perfect sense what this book is designed for and what its purpose is. It's a resource to be used by a handful of mates to grow their armies, play through scenarios and work toward a final goal in a very flexible and diverse campaign system.
Let's talk about the campaign system first. Its beauty is in its simplicity; every win you receive, you gain Glory points, while every loss earns you only one Glory point. You also get to add a Follower (essentially just a new unit) to your army. You can spend more Glory points to recruit more powerful Followers to your army. And how do you win? Well, the aim is to recruit a certain number of Followers or to accrue a certain number of Glory points, then bag yourself a final victory to claim ultimate ascension to the throne! What this allows you to do is not directly compete with your opponents over the same goal. If you can't seem to get a win and you're getting absolutely clobbered by your mates, you can choose to pour all of your resources into growing your fledgeling force into a war host, hit that elusive threshold and go in hot for a single win to pip your opponents at the post.
Alternatively, if you're the type to trample your opponents into the dirt, you can bank all of your Glory points in an attempt to be the most infamous conquerer in the realms!
So, now we know how to win the campaign. Next question is… How do we get there.
Well, as is familiar to us now, the Path to Glory is built upon charts. To start your war band, you pick your general; each character has an estimated power that is reflected in how many starting Follower rolls you get. A Skaven Warlord, for example, gets 4 Follower rolls, while a Lord-Celestant on a Stardrake (yes, that is a legitimate option) starts with absolutely no friends. You then choose where to spend your Follower rolls, whether on Retinues (run-of-the-mill units commonly seen in the army), Elite Retinues (much more powerful units that cost either two Follower rolls or a Follower roll and a Glory Point… decisions must be made!) as well as Heroes and depending on race, things like Behemoths and Skyvessels.
Flicking across each race's charts, it all seems on an even keel. Coming from a Matched Play perspective, it took me a while to get out of the points mindset, as that only led to me noticing disparities in power. But I think that's where I was missing the point of the whole book. It's got nothing to do with points. It's great to see that different charts require different costs to roll upon. Three Gryph-Hounds is not seen as equal to two Fulminators, and rightly so. This book is not perfectly balanced, but it is governed by the Rule of Cool, and there is something refreshing and exhilarating about that.
Every Start Collecting box also has rules as a pre made starting war band. Now, I know what you're thinking…
"But Gabe, Start Collecting boxes are all great value, but they sure aren't equals on the table!"
And in that, you are completely correct, my dear reader. To compensate for this, weaker SC boxes gain a free "Reward" (essentially an Artefact, special rule or stat buff that can be applied to a unit or hero for the rest of the campaign to represent their experience, renown or martial prowess) to give them the edge; it should be said that some of the Rewards are exceedingly powerful. Don't believe me? Have a little peak at "Adepts of the Hidden Path".
On the other side of the coin, more powerful Start Collecting boxes (such as Beastclaw Raiders, those frosty brutes!) have had the goal posts moved, needing two more Glory points than other war bands would usually need before they can make a dash for the finish line.
All in all, this is pretty much Tale of Four Gamers in a single book. I think it works ideally with four to six players, with the time frame being entirely up to the participants.
It should also be noted that this book contains seven Battle Plans, that all focus on some really great situations. Beast's Lair is a particularly cool scenario, that basically throws a spanner in the works, as war bands not only need to combat each other, but also survive the onslaught from a roaming Monster that rampages across the table at will!
It's a good resource all in all. It may not be for everyone, but it definitely scratches that Narrative itch, and gives you some fantastic new ways to play and battle plans to navigate. The price point is a wee nudge above that of the General's Handbook, but I don't regret my purchase at all.
Have you picked up the book? If so, what did you think? It's so good to be getting some Age of Sigmar love amongst the 40k fever!
Thanks for reading, as always
Gabe
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