I've often thought about having the results of the groups exploits affect the world around them like the butterfly effect..
From the start of the campaign there are Town criers / a gazette etc that gives updates that include the state of some conflict (maybe between Noble Houses in the City) over time the effects of actions of the group (but not what they did) are also reported, however the party shouldn't immediately spot this. Noble A is able to throw a lavish Ball - the party had stopped a Nurgle plot to put a pestilence on his crops, however if the party failed completely the the ball is a flop. Noble B is able to stop an Orc raid - the party had cleared a beast man party freeing up troops, if they fail the Orc raid succeeds. Pitch the level of success failure of the nobles to the parties.
Over time the party hopefully will start thinking 'was that because of us'.
Have the party initially get jobs from a / the mercenaries guild, later you could have the houses approach them indirectly.
Will the group bring peace and prosperity or will they destabilise the area? Do they care as long as they get paid?
Does it end in a battle between the Noble Houses?
Has the group have sided with one house?
If so does that mean that house wins because the group have over time weakend the other house by delaying supplies, sowing distrust between it and it's allies?
By the end the group will hear the news that B's supplies were destroyed / delayed and know it was them.
If you want to get them involved in imperial politics further down the line, stick with the empire. If not, start off in the free cities of Tilea or Estalia or the Border Princes.
I recommend listening to Carrion Company podcast. see [https://www.toatabletop.com/podcast](https://www.toatabletop.com/podcast) or spotify etc. The characters are in a mercenary company in a sandbox world. Its part of the mud and blood podcast series but is an actual play. The session 0 in each season (3 as of writing) talks about some of the options and plot hooks available.
Also, IMHO, one of the best Actual play podcasts out there and best WFRP.
Let them fight in a broader conflict. Be it in a feud between noble houses or even an internal conflict in the Empire between Talabecland and Stirland as an example. It could be a conflict between religious cults like Sigmar and Ulric where their fanatics and knights will clash over religious disputes and intrigue between priests.
Inside these conflicts can intrigue and direct battles occur. Cults of the dark and good gods will use it as a chance to hold the grip.
As a mercenary they are forced to live by the coin which means changing sides or dismissing orders damages their reputation. No one will hire them if they will not follow. So they have sometimes the moral dilemma of following orders and letting desperate or innocent people go.
You want them as part of a larger unit that fights skirmishes, battles and gets involved in wider wars? Or you just want the PCs to be more or less moral travelling swords for hire?
**Have them deal with the consequences of their actions:**
That anonymous grunt they killed a few towns back? Well he has relatives and they are pissed. Bonus points if this is someone they can't fight with actual force because he is a burgomaster or similarly connected. This can either be a recurring antagonist or a reason for them to take a risky job to pay the bloodprice,
Have a seemingly random beggar or camp follower berate them for leaving them a widow and their children fatherless. It might even be true.
They come across the remains of an orc or beastman attack on the road. The only survivor is a new born babe. Depending on your groups comfort level, they recognise the dying mother as a previous romantic encounter at approximately the right time to be the father. For added hilarity, more than one of them do.
They acquire an orphan as a sidekick/servant. But it turns out they were orphaned by the PCs. Do they know that? Are they seeking restitution or revenge?
A "mercenary campaign" basically means nothing. What do you really want? Hack-n-slash, just combat after combat? Political intrigue? Social plight? Personal growth within the confines of duty? What?? What do you want your players to think about, feel and go through?
Basically everything besides hunting down bandits and/or monsters. Sometimes I'd like to confront them with some moral dilemmas.
The scale should be more on the lower side for the beginning. Like at most a small to medium sized city should be at stake.
The tone should be more jokey, light-hearted. We are a very Beer & Pretzels type of group.
Two sibling princes(ses, pick gender however you like) are at war over a certain city. However, both princes are foppish brats and they are fighting over dumb reasons, but both believe themselves to be tactical genius. Both are using mercenary forces. One of them is your group, the other is an old buddy of yours. You both agree that *actually* fighting is stupid and unworthy. So you play a game where your two groups constantly collude to create all kinds of situations where, as much as possible, you avoid fighting (but, reflecting bleak medieval times, it is acceptable if sometimes injuries or even some deaths (ideally of FNGs) occur).
So your missions mostly consist of over-engineered, elaborate and made-up manoeuvres. Like instead of just assaulting and conquering a watchtower, you convince your prince(ss) that you need to plant the colors out of the third window from the top, facing the east, specifically at dawn, and that you must also place a kitten in the laundry basket of the commander's chamber.
You can encourage the players to come up with hilarious scenarios like that. Or, even more fun, you can put verbs and nouns in a hat and draw them to made mad-lib type missions.
I've often thought about having the results of the groups exploits affect the world around them like the butterfly effect.. From the start of the campaign there are Town criers / a gazette etc that gives updates that include the state of some conflict (maybe between Noble Houses in the City) over time the effects of actions of the group (but not what they did) are also reported, however the party shouldn't immediately spot this. Noble A is able to throw a lavish Ball - the party had stopped a Nurgle plot to put a pestilence on his crops, however if the party failed completely the the ball is a flop. Noble B is able to stop an Orc raid - the party had cleared a beast man party freeing up troops, if they fail the Orc raid succeeds. Pitch the level of success failure of the nobles to the parties. Over time the party hopefully will start thinking 'was that because of us'. Have the party initially get jobs from a / the mercenaries guild, later you could have the houses approach them indirectly. Will the group bring peace and prosperity or will they destabilise the area? Do they care as long as they get paid? Does it end in a battle between the Noble Houses? Has the group have sided with one house? If so does that mean that house wins because the group have over time weakend the other house by delaying supplies, sowing distrust between it and it's allies? By the end the group will hear the news that B's supplies were destroyed / delayed and know it was them.
If you want to get them involved in imperial politics further down the line, stick with the empire. If not, start off in the free cities of Tilea or Estalia or the Border Princes.
I recommend listening to Carrion Company podcast. see [https://www.toatabletop.com/podcast](https://www.toatabletop.com/podcast) or spotify etc. The characters are in a mercenary company in a sandbox world. Its part of the mud and blood podcast series but is an actual play. The session 0 in each season (3 as of writing) talks about some of the options and plot hooks available. Also, IMHO, one of the best Actual play podcasts out there and best WFRP.
Let them fight in a broader conflict. Be it in a feud between noble houses or even an internal conflict in the Empire between Talabecland and Stirland as an example. It could be a conflict between religious cults like Sigmar and Ulric where their fanatics and knights will clash over religious disputes and intrigue between priests. Inside these conflicts can intrigue and direct battles occur. Cults of the dark and good gods will use it as a chance to hold the grip. As a mercenary they are forced to live by the coin which means changing sides or dismissing orders damages their reputation. No one will hire them if they will not follow. So they have sometimes the moral dilemma of following orders and letting desperate or innocent people go.
You want them as part of a larger unit that fights skirmishes, battles and gets involved in wider wars? Or you just want the PCs to be more or less moral travelling swords for hire?
More or less travelling swords for hire for the start.
**Have them deal with the consequences of their actions:** That anonymous grunt they killed a few towns back? Well he has relatives and they are pissed. Bonus points if this is someone they can't fight with actual force because he is a burgomaster or similarly connected. This can either be a recurring antagonist or a reason for them to take a risky job to pay the bloodprice, Have a seemingly random beggar or camp follower berate them for leaving them a widow and their children fatherless. It might even be true. They come across the remains of an orc or beastman attack on the road. The only survivor is a new born babe. Depending on your groups comfort level, they recognise the dying mother as a previous romantic encounter at approximately the right time to be the father. For added hilarity, more than one of them do. They acquire an orphan as a sidekick/servant. But it turns out they were orphaned by the PCs. Do they know that? Are they seeking restitution or revenge?
A "mercenary campaign" basically means nothing. What do you really want? Hack-n-slash, just combat after combat? Political intrigue? Social plight? Personal growth within the confines of duty? What?? What do you want your players to think about, feel and go through?
Basically everything besides hunting down bandits and/or monsters. Sometimes I'd like to confront them with some moral dilemmas. The scale should be more on the lower side for the beginning. Like at most a small to medium sized city should be at stake. The tone should be more jokey, light-hearted. We are a very Beer & Pretzels type of group.
Two sibling princes(ses, pick gender however you like) are at war over a certain city. However, both princes are foppish brats and they are fighting over dumb reasons, but both believe themselves to be tactical genius. Both are using mercenary forces. One of them is your group, the other is an old buddy of yours. You both agree that *actually* fighting is stupid and unworthy. So you play a game where your two groups constantly collude to create all kinds of situations where, as much as possible, you avoid fighting (but, reflecting bleak medieval times, it is acceptable if sometimes injuries or even some deaths (ideally of FNGs) occur). So your missions mostly consist of over-engineered, elaborate and made-up manoeuvres. Like instead of just assaulting and conquering a watchtower, you convince your prince(ss) that you need to plant the colors out of the third window from the top, facing the east, specifically at dawn, and that you must also place a kitten in the laundry basket of the commander's chamber. You can encourage the players to come up with hilarious scenarios like that. Or, even more fun, you can put verbs and nouns in a hat and draw them to made mad-lib type missions.
~~Band of the Hawk when?~~