Campaign theme ideas?

[Comrade Wraith]

At some point in the near-ish future, a couple of friends and I are hoping to start a mordheim campaign after enjoying a campaign of necromunda. Unfortunately I'm completely at a loss as to an ultimate objective or mutual storyline we can follow. I usually work as a game master of sorts in these things, giving plot points and twists, but I'm a little out of my comfort zone when it comes to writing fantasy narratives (I tend to read fantasy rather than write it). I'm perfectly familiar with Warhammer background, I just can't come up with a convincing theme despite trying.

So I turn to you, Warseers, to help me create a narrative malleable enough to fit the uncertainty of the game but with scope for twists and suprises.

Some details which may help: My warband will be Middenheim Mercs, and the other two participants are playing undead (and has chosen a fluffy list of a vampire and his wolfy pets + a necromancer) and Dwarf treasure hunters.

Thanking you in advance.

[Whitwort Stormbringer]

For the couple of Mordheim campaigns I've run, the first step is always a campaign hook - where is it taking place and why are the warbands there? If going for a story-driven campaign then you'd probably want warbands to have at least some motivation beyond treasure-hunting, and it's also probably good to have them want more than to just fight each other. Perhaps there's a powerful vampire count in the area, who could be a rival of the undead player and also holds a dwarven artifact of some kind (family heirloom for the dwarf noble). Middenheimers could be loyal servants of their state, come in to clean up and oust the undead from their lands (doesn't have to be set in Mordheim proper, and Empire in Flames seems like a good setting for these 3). What's going to be tricky with the warbands present, as I see it, is that dwarfs and Middenheimers seem like natural allies against the undead, so it would be good to come up with some sort of enmity between those factions to avoid too much teaming up. From there, I constructed a sequence of scenarios that would allow the players to discover bits and pieces as they went along, with a few massive battles including all warbands (we were playing with 6 warbands), a few specific match-ups, and a few randomized scenarios.

I always try to come up with at least a few NPC's and some NPC factions that the players can side with/against, potentially gaining some troops or items for certain scenarios. I've used a chaos cult attempting to summon balewolves, local militia, beastman tribes, and a wandering slayer brotherhood.

Sorry it's not a more concrete idea, but I think without knowing the players and the fluff behind their warbands it's probably easier for me to just give an idea of how I go about constructing the campaign, and let you fill in the details.

[Tulkas]

I've been playing since the game's been released, but I've never really seen anyone of us use anything of a campaign element, other than killing each other and trying to get rich doing it.

[Whitwort Stormbringer]

We normally play one big, continuous, ongoing campaign set in the city and surrounding countryside with no real greater narrative, because each warband is more-or-less just sticking it out in the city. Some have more of a backstory than others.

But, from time to time we'll run a campaign with a definitive end-goal in mind, and write up new warbands for it. Once the campaign has ended, they join the rest of the warbands in the city and fight it out there. Gives us a chance to mix things up from time to time while still regularly using our old favorites.

[Comrade Wraith]

That's a very helpful way of looking at it, thanks!
NPC factions will definitly help account for the relatively small number of players. I shall come up with motives for the factions to be there, and for them to be against eachother.

An NPC antagonist would meanthe warbands have something to work to, eiher aiding or stopping him/her it.

[Colonel_kex]

We use a mix of mighty empire and the 40k equalient to make atile map with a town surrounded by fields and forests. As for why we are there and kicking eachothers butts... we have no idea...

[Dirinel]

We ran a couple of campaigns with some background. In the first one we used a strategic map with territories to hold as a victory condition. The story behind it was that each of our five factions was sent by a larger army to conquer enough terrain on a medium sized island to allow an easy disembark of the majority of the troops. Each faction was controlled by only one player, and consisted of two warbands. We also used some rules to add the terrains effects and/or preexisting population. We didn't use NPC warbands though, beacuse we already had a large number of warbands (10).
The second time I played as a master in a role campaign with four players. Once again, each player was in charge of two allied warbands, and we used some sort of strategic map. The biggest difference is that I was the only one to know the actual areas disposition. The players knew the overall shape of the islands, but not the connection between territories, or anything else. Also, instead of winning by holding territories, they could win achieving an objective. Every information given to the players was role-played, pretty much as in a book-game (Lonely Wolf style). Also complete freedom upon actions was allowed, since I was not involved in the battles, but only in the narration. In this second campaign we employed also NPC warbands to show up when someone was left at the end of each campaign turn without an opponent.
The overall story behind this second campaign is that the warbands are searching for "something" that can lead to an unimaginable power. That something, to be discovered during the course of the campaign was the lost reasting place of Sigmar. To find it, the players had to find a NPC group to ally with, help him in a war against another NPC group, thus leading to an ultimate war between the player's warbands.

I tried to explain it in the fewest words possible, and I hope it's not confusing.

[yabbadabba]

I recommend hitting the library and just browsing through the films and books. You could easily convert a modern storyline to fit a fantasy background; also don't discount looking at comics or RPG books.

Also, get a real map, if you think it would work of your local area. Go for 1:25,000 or smaller as this will show up a good level or detail. I once ran a Necromunda campaign using the shopping guide maps of a local town centre. Some renaming and editing (with a pen) will really add a little touch to the campaign. Also get the other players inputing all the time, but not compulsory, it will help.

Finally have a real end point but make sure you keep a record of possible spin offs; this allows players to know the campaign will end at some point but they will also be on the look out for opportunities to extend it in different directions.

So, simple theme. Mybe:
Your Middenheimers have been employed by an Ulrican priest to investigate rumours of an illegal smuggling cartel in the area; several wolves have been found horribly mutilated and magic is feared. When you arrive at (insert here), you discover that things are a little more chaotic than you thought, literally. With no legal infrastructure, the place is littered with private armies with open warfare on the street and every piece of loot and territory fought for but there could be worse. Mental Mjik, the catatonic Kislevite is convinced that a popular chain of pawn shops (and allegedly warpstone traders) is in fact a front for a Chaos coven creating mutants, although through his alcohol fuelled halitosis it sounds more like Skaven. You are not the only interested party as well according to Mjik, as a party responsible to the Sigmarites is in town, and asking the same questions as you, but with far less subtlety. With the rivalry between the two churches, this is one race to truth you must win. What is going on, and who will find out first?

[Jape]

I always push for a narrative element in campaigns but I think keeping it loose is a good idea. I.e letting early battles help to drive the narrative. Say the Undead kill off one of the Dwarf heroes, well that's a grudge right there, you could have the Dwarfs attempt a dawn raid on the Vampire's crypt to seek revenge, or possibly recapture the body for burial before the Necromancer re-raises him as a zombie.

I have had three way Skaven/Cultist/Marienburg treasure hunt battles which ended with the 'evil' warbands in a deathlock while the humans swooped in and took the prize. The rats and cultists thoroughly peeved they teamed up and ambushed the Marienburgers inside a tavern while they celebrated their victory as a last stand - with some hired swords and bystander drunks (Ostlander Ruffians) joining them because they're surrounded too!

In-battle story elements are also fun - say two bands are breaking into an ancient tomb to get a treasure - if you have a GM involved land a surprise on them by having an undead spirit attacking the thieves or have the tomb go all Raiders of the Lost Ark, turning the scenario into a desperate escape.

Another fun if tricky to balance scenario we did was, after one warband (Reiklanders I think) got terribly mauled while the other band human won the treasure, we did a 'pickpocket' scenario. Basically we used W40k sentry rules with the defending warband encamped for the night, while Johann the Knife played by the Reiklander player attempted to sneak in and snatch the prize. He suceeded due to facepalming levels of luck but after a bad roll we decided he had made off with the loot for himself, leading to both bands hunting for him, I as GM played Johan, trying to get across the board in a scenario entitled "Bring Me the Head of Johann the Knife". Loads of fun.

Empire in Flames also offers plenty of new avenues. We did a campaign called "Shadow over Bledvlek" inspired by HP Lovecraft, with warbands exploring a Chaos infested fishing town, with a hoard of cultist peasants, and some demonic beasties thrown in. This included things like living swamps, rare artefacts that could drive you insane, we even did a flood scenario (didn't work very well but it was cool!). Protect the caravan is fun, storm the Keep we did which was basically a mini siege scenario inspired by Straw Dogs in a very indirect way. Also create your own settings if you want, how about pirates trying to board a merchant ship? Just draw up a ship outline and play on that. Years ago we also did a pretty bog standard campaign set in abandoned dwarf mines, but included special rules like rock slided caused by blackpowder weapons, and to continue my Indy love, managed to shoe horn in a mine cart chase. Frankly it wasn't very balanced as a scenario but we were laughing too much to care.

But then as others have said, take inspiration from movies, TV, books and comics, it doesn't have to be fantasy, just take the bare bones of the action and transplant into the Mordheim/Warhammer World.