Cadian Gate map

 

First map of the year, a depitcion of the Cadian Sector during the Indomitus Crusade with orbital and ground territories for our next campaign. The rules are pretty straightforward: players take turns launching attacks on systems adjoining theirs, if they're unclaimed they conquer them automatically, if under enemy control a naval battle must be fought followed by a land one if the attacker won. Each win grants control of the orbit and the planet itslef. Note that Cadia doesn't have orbit due to being destroyed (i.e. only naval games there). Wins whoever has more sytems at the end.

- Forgeworlds like Kantrael and Deimos Binary are the lynchpin worlds of the sector, provinding an extra 25pts in BFG games or one command point during land battles.

- Hiveworlds like Xersia or Belisar are important manufacturing centres granting one command point in land battles and one extra reroll in BFG.

- Mining worlds are important sources of fuel and raw materials, each boosting the CP and BFG points bonus of a single forge/hiveworld in +1/25, as long as you can trace a supply route between the two without passing by enemy held systems. In the Cadian gate these are Nihil and Clausten.

- While not worth much on their own agriworlds provide an important food boost to hiveworlds, increasing their command points bonus in +1 as long as you can trace a supply route between the two without passing by enemy held systems. In the Cadian Gate these are Fremas, Helotas, Exeltra minor and Barisa.

-Finally penal worlds provide a reliable source of manpower, giving you an extra reroll in BFG games.

Other planets

- Fortress world: A well fortified system, it gives one imperial bunker or an extra 2D6X10 pts in BFG defenses for the player holding the planet, but only when defending this system.

- Civilized world: While possessing some industrial capability, this planet only provides +1 CP to the owner.

- Space Marine Homeworld: These heavily defended planets combine the benefits of both fortress and civilized worlds, so they should be a tough nut to crack.

- Naval Base: One of the lynchpin worlds of the Imperial Navy, it provides +50 points in BFG. If attacked, you can deploy +2D6X10 defence points in space battles taking part in the system.

- Shrineworld: A repository of the subsector's relics these provide your army with an additional relic, in addition their boost to the Imperium's morale is such that if the imperials hold one they gain one BFG extra reroll and CP.

- Dead world: The planet is either lifeless or too dangerous, no benefits whatsoever. 

- Destroyed: If an exterminatus has blown up the world replace it with an asteroid field, the planet and any ground forces disappear and the system can only be held by fleets.

- Daemon world: Suffused with the energy of the warp this cursed orb give one extra CP and BFG mark to any chaos player, while deducing one CP to any other player due to chaos corruption. Imperials can opt to play an exterminatus mission when attacking the planet. You could combine this trait with another like forgeworld to represent specific planets such as Merdengrad for example.

The above represents the game mechanics of the more vanilla factions such as imperium, chaos, tau, and orks, but there are some armies that have their own rules and alternative values for each planet.

Tyranids

Instead of getting bonuses in the usual way, tyranids can consume any planet of their own, the planet becomes a dead world (above) and provides a certain amount of resources that are lost once spent, planets consumed in this way never provide victory points to other factions.

Hive, agri, and space marine worlds: +4 CP, +50 BFG points.

All the rest: +2 CP, +25 BFG points.

Shadow in the warp: warp travel is affected in such a way that enemy players (save eldar, necrons or other tyranids) must roll 3+ in order to move into a system held by tyranids, if the roll is failed their turn ends

Necrons

Necrons should have a second set of characteristics for all planets in the map representing their ruined necropolises buried beneath the surface, these benefits replace the planetary traits once the necron player seizes control of the system. 

- Crownworld: the seat of the local necron dynasty, this planet provides +2 Cp and +25 BFG points.

- Coreword: a secondary tomb world it gives +1 CP and one extra BFG reroll.

-Fringeworld: a minor necron colony, it only gives +1 CP.

- Dolmen Gate: while not providing any resources this arcane gateway allows you to attack any system in the sector during your turn, not only those you have a warp route connection to.

- Pariah nexus: a world filled with null pylons all psychic powers cast here have a -2 to the roll, and in addition travel through connecting warp routes requieres a 4+ roll.

Dark Eldar

Pretty much like tyranids these corsairs prey on the populations of the system, using their pain and suffering to power their infernal machineries. Note that they do not consume planets, that wouldn't be fun, but harvest resources in the usual way. 

- Hive, Penal and Marine give them +2 CP and +25 BFG points.

- All other planets (save those uninhabited) provide +1 CP/ +1 BFG reroll.

- Webway Gate: while not providing any resources, this arcane gateway allows you to attack any system in the sector, not only those you have a warp route connection to.

Eldar/Harlequin

Like necrons, eldars should have a second set of characteristics to represent the ancient ruins of their once great empire.

- Maiden World: A beautiful planet crafted in times of yore, it gives +1 CP to the eldar player.

- Croneworld: once the center of the eldar empire these imposing ruins provide +2CP, an extra relic and  25 BFG pts.

- Lesser species: a planet infested by the brutish settlements of the barbarians, +1 CP.

- Webway Gate: while not providing any resources, this arcane gateway allows you to attack any system in the sector, not only those you have a warp route connection to.

- Craftworld: This is a special type of planet that can move during your turn to any adjacent system held by your fleets, it gives +2 CP,  and in BFG a free farseer and +25pts. Add these benefits to those of the system it is orbiting. If the craftworld is attacked you should play a space and/or ground battle to represent the boarding, if the battle is lost the craftworld is destroyed and all its benefits lost.

Pirate factions

A fun mechanic that can be introduced is the addition of a pirate fleet that shows up on a random system at the beginning of the campaign and expands to a random planet each turn. This new faction will never held ground control but can be attacked as usual.