Possible Campaign Rules and Ideas - Working Version

I am trying to think of some ways to tie our games together that still allows for an open-ended and flexible story to emerge (rather than setting the storyline and then fighting the battles) and that doesn't need a neutral party to determine what happens next, but rather is designed to be self-balancing.

Ideas:

Veteran Status:
I don't want to have to track XP and upgrades for lots of units, but wanted some way to designate veterans by recognizing excellent performance by a unit.

At the end of a game, each player designates one unit that performed particularly well (optional: should we decide to limit it to a unit that was not wiped out?) as a veteran. In the next game only, that unit gets a veteran ability. Should it be random, player choice, or based on what the unit did in the battle? I'm thinking we create a table for each type of heroic action and then either roll on it or pick one. The tables would mostly be that the unit gains a relevant Universal Special Rule for the next game only. Type of heroics
Melee: Furious Charge, Counterattack, etc.
Shooting: Sniper, Tank hunter, Relentless, etc.
Movement/Securing Objective: Scout, Outflank, Relentless, Fleet, etc.
Morale / Survivability: Feel No Pain, Stealth, Fearless, ATSKNF, etc.

By limiting it to one unit per game, it will be easier to keep track of and you won't end up with super units with multiple abilities that could unbalance games.

Preferably, it should be the ability most similar to what they did in the game (Sniper for killing the enemy Warlord with shooting, Tank Hunter for killing vehicles, etc.)


Mission Selection:
We will split the warzone into two sectors: hills/mining camps and the ruins of an old Xhorik city, destroyed in the cataclysm and now mostlty reclaimed by the desert (I would like to have a third combat zone, but will need more terrain!). Before our next games, each player should select a desired action for each of his two armies (one in each combat zone). The player that won the last game is said to have the initiative, which basically just determines who is setting the terms of the battle when there is a mismatch in actions selected. For example, if one army choose to perform recon and the other chose to make a full assault in the same combat zone, the resulting mission is very different depending on which army has the initiative or momentum. If the recon army has the initiative, they trap the incoming attacker in an ambush. If the attacking army has the initiative, they push back the scattered recon forces and force them to fight a rearguard as they are driven back.

Each action would have an associated Force Organization Chart and possibly special rules. The idea would be for each player to select their action for their army in each combat zone without knowing what the other picked and then when the actions are revealed, the missions would be determined. But since you would select the actions for all two (or three) combat zones at once before the round of battles starts, the exact mission played could still change depending on who wins the previous battle to get the initiative.

I'll post the details of the missions and the Force Organization Charts when I get time. But I'm excited for the idea so far. What do you think?


Effects of Objectives:
Some objectives would help during the game if your unit was controlling it at e start if your turn, others can grant you a bonus in the next game if you hold them at the end of the game.

In-game objective ideas:
Ammo Crates: Re-roll 1's to hit with shooting.  (Or re-roll 1's to wound if you already have that ability.)
Fuel Tanks: Vehicles can move an extra 3" as part of their base movement with no penalty to number if guns fired, embarking, etc. Flame Weapons can re-roll 1's to wound.
Optional: Both items could have a downside. Shots against a unit claiming the objective could be randomly allocated with the objective counting as a unit member with AV 9 and if you glance or penetrate, it blows up. Large blast S4.

Next game objective ideas:
Communication tower or beacon objectives: Allow you to pick deployment zone rather than roll; or give a unit Outflank, Infiltrate, Scout, etc. to represent better planning and communications; or allow you to re-roll Reserves roll, etc. Something along those lines.
Container of ore: Could allow an extra heavy support slot or elite if it is Terminators or Meganobz.