One key aspect of open play is that it grants the freedom to forego certain army composition rules in pursuit of the narrative. At its most simple, players will often ignore percentages and other restrictions when creating their armies, choosing instead to write a muster list that best fits the narrative. Taking it further, some players will ignore points values altogether, and instead field opposing armies created purely to fit into their story.

Of course, ignoring such rules can lead to an imbalanced match-up, and this thought may be unappealing to some players. This is perfectly acceptable and any group of players is encouraged to use the suggestions given here, or not, as they see fit. However, these imbalances can often prove part of the charm of a narrative battle, and can invariably be countered by special rules and objectives. Ignoring points values might lead to an army being outnumbered ten to one, for example, and that army might reasonably be expected to suffer a crushing defeat and terrible losses. But the challenge of the game might be to hold out until turn four – perhaps that will grant a vital messenger sufficient time to escape, carrying word of the size of the invading army, and thus the terrible defeat can be claimed as a victory (of sorts).