Now that everyone has had time to read and digest the new Steamroller 2014, it’s time to start talking about this year’s league: Scars of Caen.

Actually, before we talk about Scars, perhaps we should discuss leagues and book release events in general. Common feedback I hear from players regarding these casual-style events is that they are fun and very different, but they don’t feel as balanced as Steamroller. And you know what? That’s right. They aren’t as balanced as Steamroller.

Now this doesn’t mean the unique scenarios, rules, or season models are unbalanced or broken. What it does mean is that when we develop rules for leagues, we have a unique freedom to push the envelope in ways we would honestly never even attempt in Steamroller.

Steamroller is about playing the game you know and love in a competitive and balanced environment. Leagues are about fundamentally changing specific aspects of the game you know and love to offer a casual and highly narrative experience.

The first season in the upcoming Scars of Caen league is titled Charsaug. This season has many different themes, and if you are familiar with the dragon after which it is named, you can guess that one of the themes is fire and heat. So, in this season we can tell a story by including a scenario involving two armies battling in the middle of a dense forest that is literally burning all around them.

We can alter faction models to better fit the overall league theme of duality, including different rules based on whether a player has committed to being a Purist or an Opportunist (the two global teams everyone is fighting for this year). We can change a great many things in unique and sometimes over-the-top ways because, in the end, these seasons are only temporary. They don’t permanently change the way we play WARMACHINE and HORDES.

Now, if you read over the league rules and think, “This is a bit too much. I just want to practice for Steamroller,” talk to your Press Ganger about adjusting the rules. Think of the leagues like Steamroller events where dozens of variants are all happening at once. Maybe your local community doesn’t want to use everything: perhaps you just want to use the league models or maybe just the league scenarios every once in a while. Or maybe you actually want to take in the whole package in all its game-changing splendor.

Feel free to play the game the way you find most fun, whether you are a hardcore competitive player or a strictly casual player. Enjoy these league seasons in whatever manner best suits you, even if you’re only reading the fiction and checking out the rad (and I mean insanely rad) spoilers that will be unlocked throughout the year.

However you participate, we look forward to hearing your story. Tell us your tale of an epic battle that took place among the molten remains of a Krielstone circle or send us feedback about how much fun you had as a Purist Legion of Everblight player using your alternate Carnivean’s magical spray attack to wipe out Incorporeal troops. Maybe you just want to let us know that you only played the Steamroller scenarios during the league but it gave you a good reason to paint your models. Whatever your experience is, we can’t wait to hear about it.

I didn’t even scratch the surface of what specific goodies are coming in the first season of Scars of Caen—I guess we’ll get to that next time.

Just know that season one, Charsaug, starts March 3rd and runs until March 30th. Don’t miss out!