Anyone organising a Battle March matched play event may choose to use Secret objectives, adding further tactical challenges for players and awarding additional Victory Points upon their completion. The twist is that not all Secret objectives are achievable by every army or in every game, because with each passing round the players must choose a single objective from a diminishing pool:
When writing their muster lists) for a matched play event at which Secret objectives are in use, each player must choose a number of Secret objectives from those detailed opposite, equal to the number of games scheduled.
At the start of each game, each player must choose one of their Secret objectives and make a note of it on a piece of paper, which should then be placed face-down at the edge of the battlefield, in sight of their opponent.
At the end of the game, when calculating Victory Points, both players reveal their Secret objective. If either has achieved theirs, they win a VP bonus as stated in that objective's description.
After each round, when submitting results to the scorekeeper, each player must also record which Secret objective they chose for that round, and whether they were successful in achieving it.
Players are free to remind themselves of their objective at any time, but must ensure it is returned to the edge of the battlefield once they have done so. Once a Secret objective has been selected, it cannot be selected again for the remainder of the event.
Pick-up Games
Should you wish, Secret objectives can be used in stand alone games played amongst friends at a local club, often called 'pick-up games'. To do so, randomly generate a pool of three Secret objectives and choose one of them for the game ahead. In the unlikely event that all of the Secret objectives you have drawn are impossible to score, show them to your opponent and then randomly generate a new pool of objectives.
The Importance of Secrecy
As their name would suggest, Secret objectives should be kept secret from your opponent until the end of the game when calculating VP. This not only adds further drama and suspense to the game, but also ensures that your opponent has to keep guessing as to what your Secret objective might be. If you are able to, feigning an attempt at a different Secret objective can mislead your opponent and bait them into committing resources to stopping the wrong Secret objective.