The Gambit of Glory

A Deep Dive into the Law & Misrule Intrigue System

In the claustrophobic sprawl of Necromunda, no battle is ever just a battle. It's an opportunity—a chance to plant evidence, settle a debt, or ignite a rebellion right under your enemy's nose. This is the domain of Intrigues, the brilliant sub-plot system that transforms every skirmish in the Law & Misrule campaign into a multi-layered game of hidden objectives, moral compromise, and explosive narrative payoff. Intrigues are not mere side quests; they are the soul of the campaign's asymmetric warfare, where reputation is the ultimate currency and every action risks revealing your true allegiances.

The Core Mechanics: A Deck of Hidden Agendas

Before the first shot is fired, each player draws three Intrigue cards from a custom deck (or a modified deck of cards using Diamonds and Spades). These cards are your secret agendas for the battle, falling into two distinct, opposing categories:

• Outlaw Intrigues (Diamonds): Acts of sabotage, rebellion, and pure criminal enterprise. Burn It Down!, Collect A Debt, Run With The Ghasts.

• Law Abiding Intrigues (Spades): Missions of enforcement, bounty collection, and maintaining a fragile order. Cut Off The Head, Retrieve The Informer, Show of Force.

The twist? Any gang can attempt any Intrigue, regardless of their alignment. This is where the system transcends simple mechanics and becomes a profound narrative engine.

The Ultimate Risk: The Alignment Check

Attempting an Intrigue from the opposing category is a high-stakes gamble. Success grants the reward, but in the post-battle sequence, you must pass an Alignment Check.

• The Test: Roll a number of D6s as specified on the Intrigue (from D6 for minor crimes/acts to a daunting 4D6 for major ones like Break Their Will or Resurrect The Dead).

• The Consequence: If you fail this roll, your gang's alignment immediately changes. A Law Abiding gang caught committing arson (Burn It Down!) might be branded Outlaws overnight. An Outlaw gang caught performing a sanctioned assassination (Cut Off The Head) might find themselves pressured into becoming sanctioned enforcers.

This mechanic creates incredible dramatic tension. Do you pass up a lucrative Outlaw Intrigue to stay safely Lawful? Or do you take the risk for the reward, knowing it could redefine your entire place in the campaign? It forces players to roleplay their gang's discipline or lack thereof in the heat of battle.

A Tale of Two Alignments: Contrasting Playstyles

The Intrigues are masterfully designed to promote and reward the core fantasy of each alignment.

The Outlaw Path: Chaos & Catharsis

Outlaw Intrigues are about destruction, defiance, and personal power. They often involve:

• Sabotage Actions: Vandalise, Graffiti, Start Fire, and Plant Bomb. These turn your fighters into agents of chaos, altering the battlefield itself.

• Brutal Displays: Make Them Bleed! and Stand Alone reward you for humiliating the enemy leadership or creating a lone, legendary champion.

• Forbidden Empowerment: Hit The Stimms, Run With The Ghasts, and Resurrect The Dead provide powerful, one-off tactical boosts or campaign-saving resurrections, emphasizing the Outlaw's willingness to use any means necessary.

The Outlaw Player's Mindset: "How can I break their stuff, embarrass their leaders, and seize power through sheer audacity?"

The Law Abiding Path: Control & Commerce

Law Abiding Intrigues are about enforcement, evidence, and economic stability. They often involve:

• Precision Strikes: Cut Off The Head and Minimum Force reward surgical removal of enemy leadership or controlled application of violence.

• Protection & Patrol: Hold The Line and Keep The Trade Flowing focus on controlling zones and ensuring the machinery of the hive keeps running.

• Bureaucratic & Covert Ops: Mark The Impure, Plant Evidence, Carry A Guild Bond, and Watch From The Shadows feel like police or spy work—gathering evidence, escorting assets, and shadowing targets.

The Law Abiding Player's Mindset: "How can I efficiently neutralize the threat, secure the area, and fulfill my contract?"

Strategic Integration: Intrigues in the Grand Campaign

Intrigues don't exist in a vacuum; they are deeply woven into the campaign's other systems.

• Fueling the Reputation Engine: Most Intrigues reward Reputation, the key stat for unlocking powerful Reputation Boons. A gang that aggressively pursues Intrigues can rocket up the reputation ladder, gaining free Hangers-on, market discounts, and enhanced bounties faster than their rivals.

• The Credit Economy: Many Intrigues offer direct credit payouts (Clear The Smuggling Routes: 200 credits, Bring Them In Dead Or Alive: 50 credits per kill). This provides an alternative income stream to Rackets, crucial for gangs struggling to hold territory.

• Creating Unforgettable Moments: Intrigues script cinematic highlights. The fighter who Stands Alone to take down three enemies. The Champion who plants a bomb at the battlefield's heart in Blow It Up!. The Juve who successfully Shadows an enemy Leader for an entire game. These stories are the campaign's legacy.

• Influencing Battle Tactics: Intrigues can completely override a gang's optimal battle plan. A ranged-focused Van Saar gang might find themselves forced into melee to complete Minimum Force. A melee-heavy Goliath gang might have to avoid killing a target to Plant Evidence on them. This creates wonderfully chaotic and unpredictable battles.

Mastering the Intrigue: Tips for Players

1. Read Your Hand Early: Assess your three Intrigues during deployment. Do they synergize? Can you pursue two at once? Hold The Line (control a terrain feature) and Show of Force (take out six enemies) can work together. Collect A Debt (shake down) and Make Them Bleed! (take out leaders) likely conflict.

2. Know Your Opposition: If you're Law Abiding and draw Break Their Will (requires an Outlaw enemy), you might discard it pre-game if facing another Lawful gang. Context is everything.

3. Calculate the Risk/Reward: Is the +4 Reputation from a 3D6 Alignment Check Outlaw Intrigue worth potentially flipping your alignment and losing all your Law-Abiding Boons? Sometimes the answer is a glorious "yes."

4. Use Intrigues as Distractions: Sometimes, openly pursuing a flashy Intrigue (like Start Fire) can draw your opponent's attention away from the real objective: securing the Racket at stake.

5. Embrace the Narrative: Don't just mechanically complete actions. Narrate the Graffiti your Escher is spraying. Describe the Shakedown your Goliath is performing. This is where your gang's personality shines.

Conclusion: The Soul of the Underhive War

The Intrigue system is the masterpiece of the Law & Misrule campaign. It ensures that no two battles are alike, injecting paranoia, opportunity, and profound choice into every encounter. It asks the essential Necromunda question: What are you willing to do, and who are you willing to become, for power?

It’s a system that rewards cunning as much as combat, where a perfectly executed Pict Capture or a daring Plant Bomb can be as decisive as wiping out the enemy gang. In the end, Intrigues remind us that in the underhive, victory isn't just about who is left standing—it's about whose story is told, and whose reputation echoes through the smog-choked tunnels long after the guns fall silent. Draw your cards, choose your path, and let the intrigues begin.