Campaigns

Campaigns are a core feature of Gyrinx that allow users to organize and track multi-game narratives with multiple participating gangs (lists). The campaign system provides tools for tracking progress, managing shared resources, and creating collaborative storytelling experiences.

Overview

A campaign in Gyrinx represents a series of connected games with:

• Multiple participating gangs (lists)

• Shared narrative and tracking

• Asset management (territories, relics, etc.)

• Resource tracking (credits, supplies, etc.)

• Action logging with optional dice rolls

Campaign Lifecycle

Campaigns progress through three distinct phases:

Pre-Campaign

• Initial setup phase

• Add participating lists

• Define asset types and resource types

• Set up campaign narrative

In Progress

• Active gaming phase

• Lists are cloned for campaign-specific tracking

• Resources are allocated

• Players can log actions and outcomes

• Assets can be transferred between gangs

• Resources can be modified

Post-Campaign

• Archived state

• No further modifications allowed

• Historical record preserved

Campaign Features

Action Logging

Players can log actions during the campaign with:

• Descriptive text of what happened

• Optional dice rolls (D6)

• Outcome recording

• Automatic timestamp and user tracking

Example actions:

• "Ambushed rival gang in Sector 7"

• "Explored abandoned manufactorum" (with 2D6 roll)

• "Negotiated trade agreement"

Asset Management

Campaign owners can define custom asset types:

• Name: Singular and plural forms (e.g., "Territory" / "Territories")

• Description: Rich text description of the asset type

• Individual Assets: Named items that can be held by gangs

Assets can be:

• Created by campaign owner

• Assigned to specific gangs

• Transferred between gangs

• Tracked with full history

Common asset types:

• Territories (specific locations)

• Relics (unique items)

• Alliances (political connections)

• Contracts (ongoing agreements)

Resource Tracking

Resources represent countable items shared across the campaign:

• Name: Resource identifier (e.g., "Credits", "Ammunition")

• Description: What the resource represents

• Default Amount: Starting quantity for each gang

• Modifications: Add or subtract amounts

Resource features:

• Automatically allocated when campaign starts

• Cannot go below zero

• Modifications create action log entries

• Both campaign and list owners can modify

Data Model

Core Models

• Campaign - Main campaign entity with lifecycle state

• CampaignList - Join table linking campaigns to lists

• CampaignAction - Action log entries with optional dice rolls

• CampaignAssetType - Custom asset type definitions

• CampaignAsset - Individual assets assignable to gangs

• CampaignResourceType - Resource type definitions

• CampaignResource - Per-gang resource quantities

Key Methods

• Campaign.start() - Transitions to In Progress, clones lists, allocates resources

• Campaign.end() - Transitions to Post-Campaign, locks modifications

• List.clone() - Creates campaign-specific copy of a list

Permissions

Permission checks are implemented in views and enforced at the model level:

• Campaign Owner (campaign.owner == request.user): Full control

• List Owners (list.owner == request.user): Can modify own resources and log actions

• Other Users: Read-only access to public campaigns

Technical Implementation

• Lists are cloned via List.clone() when campaign starts to preserve state

• All modifications tracked with django-simple-history

• Action logs are immutable once created

• Resources use F() expressions for atomic operations

Related Documentation

• Lists - List system and campaign integration

• Models and Database - Data model documentation

• History Tracking - How modifications are tracked