The following is a conversion of the Warhammer Fantasy Battles supplement Triumph and Treachery for use in games of Warhammer 40,000. Triumph and Treachery is an amusing set of rules for allowing three to five players to play a single game against each other, forming alliances and tearing them apart while (figuratively) stabbing their fellow players in the back.
These are just the conversion guidelines, not a reprint of any rules that don’t need to be modified. You should have a copy of Triumph and Treachery to use these rules. They’ll be in the order you’ll find the rulebook in, and will note any changes.
Download a PDF of these rules for handy reference.
TRUST NO ONE
GAME PHASES
In the movement phase, there are no charges, so ignore that note under “Movement Phase.” Replace the “Magic Phase” section with the following:
“Psychic Phase: Only the enemy player receives Warp Charge dice, and only enemy units may be chosen at the target for any powers (apart from blessings, which can only target units belonging to the casting player as normal). Note that powers that use templates or that normally affect ‘any unit (friend or foe)’ (i.e. nova powers) within a certain range will not affect neutral units.
Maledictions last until the start of the casting player’s next psychic phase, or the beginning of the target player’s second turn after the power was cast. For example, if James is ahead of Phil in the turn order and casts enfeeble on Phil’s Terminator Squad, and in the next game turn Phil has his player turn before James, the malediction will end at the start of James’ turn. This prevents a player from unfairly dealing with the effects of a malediction twice through simple luck of the turn draw.”
Change references to “Close Combat phase” to “Assault phase” and add the following to the start of “Close Combat Phase:”
“If there are no friendly units in combat with units from an opposing army, the player may choose his enemy player normally, and can only declare charges against that player.”
VICTORY TOKENS
This section is largely the same, with one minor change.
GAINING VICTORY TOKENS
Add the following sentence after the first sentence: “Any unit or character destroyed will be worth at least one brass token regardless of points cost.” This helps prevent players from getting creative with designing lists to make it hard for opponents to score. It also promotes targeting smaller units that might not “pay out” as much as larger units.
TREACHERY CARDS
The cards themselves will need some minor conversions to their rules. At the end of this set of rules is a conversion chart for cards that explains any changes. Please make sure all players have access to this list so they know what their cards do, and don’t spoil their own surprises for their enemies by having to ask “What does this card do?”
MERCENARIES
The rules for mercenaries work fine in 40K as they are. In the spirit of Triumph and Treachery’s Mercenaries rules, all Mercenaries from an army that would normally have a Level of Alliance worse than Allies of Convenience (Desperate Allies or Come the Apocalypse) instead count as Allies of Convenience during the battle. We can assume they are rogue members of their faction setting aside any typical enmity for the promise of pay. There are many multi-racial pirate and mercenary bands wandering the stars, containing humans, Orks, and Eldar all in the same band. In the case of Tyranids, it might be better to consider them experiments, whereby some enterprising commander seeks to control creatures cut off from the Hive Mind, and their wavering loyalty is really the Hive Mind trying to assert control again.
ALIGNMENT
Some of the Treachery Cards mention alignment. Warhammer 40,000 is even more grey in terms of morality than Warhammer Fantasy Battles, but in order to keep the spirit of those cards, use the following Alignments for factions:
Forces of Order: Imperium, Eldar, Tau
Forces of Destruction: Chaos Space Marines, Chaos Daemons, Dark Eldar, Orks
Non-aligned Factions: Necrons, Tyranids
TREACHERY CARD CONVERSION
Replace all instances of “Magic phase” with “Psychic phase” and all instances of “Close Combat phase” with “Assault phase.”
The following cards are in alphabetical order. Where there are duplicate cards in the set, there will be duplicate listings below.
Alliance – No change (see notes on alignment)
Ancient Enmity – No change (see notes on alignment)
Ambush Fire – No change
“Bad Luck Sir!” – No change
Better Part of Valour – No change
Bribe – No change
Caltrops – No change
Clandestine Aid – “Play if you are a neutral player when a combat is drawn within 12” of one of your units. You may select one side to win the combat by 1.”
Cunning Ruse – No change
Dirty Trick – No change
Don’t Listen to Him! – “Play if you are a neutral player when a unit takes a Leadership test within 12” of your Warlord. The unit uses your Warlord’s unmodified Leadership for that test.”
Duplicitous Mage – “Play in the Psychic phase when a psyker is nominated to use a power. Discard two brass Victory Tokens to stop the psyker from using any powers for the remainder of that phase.”
Forgery – “Play when a unit is charged. The unit cannot fire Overwatch.”
Gas Bomb – “Play at the start of the Assault phase. Pick one unit within 12” of one of your units. That unit suffers a -2 penalty to its combat results.”
Hidden Trap – “Play this card when a player announces that one of their units is going to Run. The unit may not Run.”
Inspire Fury – No change
Look Behind You! – No change
Masterstroke – No change
Masterstroke – No change
Misdirection – “Play when a psyker is nominated to use a power. Discard one brass Victory Token to pick the target for the power.”
Null Stone – “Play in the Psychic phase to remove D3 Warp Charge dice from both players’ pools (roll once and apply the result to both pools)”
Oil Slick – No change
Paranoia – No change
Retribution – No change
Riches – “Play in the Assault phase when a unit is nominated for Sweeping Advance. Discard one brass Victory Token to halve the total Sweeping Advance roll for that unit.”
Sabotage – “Play in the Shooting phase when a vehicle or artillery unit is picked to make a shooting attack. It may not shoot that phase.”
Scratching Power – “Play in the Shooting phase when a unit is picked to make a shooting attack. The unit counts as having moved in the preceding Movement phase. If the unit is a vehicle(s), it counts as moving at Combat Speed (unless it moved further).”
Secret Agenda – No change
Secret Agenda – No change
Secret Information – No change
Secret Raid – No change
Sorcerous Aid – “Play if you are a neutral player when a psyker fails a psychic test. The power is cast irresistibly; no Deny the Witch roll can be taken. In addition, the psyker suffers Perils of the Warp.”
Surprise Attack – “Play at the start of your Movement or Assault phase. Pick one of your units. That unit adds +D3” to the distance it moves or assaults.”
Traitor in the Ranks – “Play at the start of a round of combat. Discard 1 brass Victory Token and select a unit; that unit may only make attacks with models in base contact during the ensuing combat.”
Trickster’s Ring – “Play when a psyker nominates a power to use. The psyker will suffer Perils of the Warp on any double.”
Underdog – No change