Scenario package: “The Rusty Storm”

Scenario package: “The Rusty Storm”

• Era: 3025 (Succession Wars)
• Playing field: 180cm x 120cm (standard 6×4 feet)
• Unit measurement: Point Value (PV) according to current Master Unit List (MUL) values.
• Round duration: Max. 8 rounds per mission
• Only the mercenaries receive victory points . The winner is then determined based on their total number of victory points.

Campaign logic (optional):

The players start with a small strike force and bring in reinforcements for each subsequent mission.

• Repair:
  Armor points are automatically repaired to 100% between missions. Structure points are only repaired to 50% (rounded up). Destroyed units are lost unless the next mission allows “replacement”.

Mission 1: Contact at Canyon 7

The pirate vanguard tests the lines of defense. Rapid reaction forces are needed.

• Army size: 200 PV per side.
• Terrain: “Canyon”. Place blocking terrain (rock walls, visual blockades) in such a way that three main paths (corridors) are created along the long edge of the table.
• Line-up:
  • Mercenary: Within 6 inches (15 cm) of the northern short edge of the table.
  • Pirates: Within 6 inches (15 cm) of the south short edge of the table.
• Goals:
  1. Recon (10 VP): Scan the pirate commander. A mercenary model must end its movement within 8 inches of the enemy commander (highest PV) and may not fire this turn.
  2. Deny breakthrough (10 VP): No pirate mech may escape over the northern table edge.
• Special rules:
  • Jammers: Due to the high canyon walls, indirect fire (IF) is not possible.

Mission 2: Night watch at the hydro plant

The pirates use the darkness to attack the industrial facilities. Your troops have been reinforced, but visibility is poor.

• Army size: 300 PV per side. (The survivors from mission 1 + reinforcements).
• Terrain: “Industrial zone”. In the center of the table (an area of 60x60cm) there are 4 large buildings (the hydro tanks) and various small structures. The rest of the table is open terrain.
• Line-up:
  • Mercenaries: May deploy anywhere within the central industrial zone (center of the table).
  • Pirates: Enter the playing field in round 1 from any long table edge (decision by D6: 1-3 West, 4-6 East).
• Goals:
  1. Protect the water (15 VP): The 4 hydro tanks have the following values: structure 15, armor 0. The pirates receive 15 points for each tank destroyed. The mercenaries win if at least 2 tanks survive.
  2. Hold the line (5 VP): Destroy 50% of the opponent’s PV.
• Special rules:
  • Night combat: The maximum range of vision is 24 inches. All attacks over 12 inches receive an additional modifier of +2 to the target number.
  • Searchlight: A mech can sacrifice its shooting phase to “light up” a target within 24 inches. The target is then normally visible to all other attackers (no night modifiers).

Mission 3: Storming the scrap heap

You have found the base. It’s time for the counterattack with heavy reinforcements.

• Army size: 400 PV per side.
• Terrain: “Scrapyard”. The entire table counts as difficult terrain (+1 inch movement cost per inch of movement), except on defined paths. Many visual blockages due to scrap heaps (height 1 or 2).
• Line-up:
  • Pirates: Defender. Set up in the center of the table (strip 60cm wide). They also have 2 turrets (free of charge, do not count towards the PV limit):
    • Tower profile: SZ 2, Armor 6, Structure 3, Immobile. Damage: 3 (short/medium), 1 (long).
  • Mercenaries: Attackers. Enter the field from both short table edges (divide your squad).
• Goals:
  1. Destroy the defense (10 VP): Destroy both turrets.
  2. The landing ship (10 VP): There is a marked building (landing ship) in the center of the table. It must be shot at and suffer a total of 20 points of damage to be rendered incapable of taking off.
• Special rules:
  1. Explosion: If a unit (friend or foe) is destroyed, roll a d6. On a 5 or 6, the wreck explodes: All units within 4 inches suffer 2 points of damage.

Mission 4: The duel of the vultures (finale)

The pirate lord “Baron Krell” and his elite are ready for the last stand. Everything you can muster is needed now.

• Army size: 450 to 500 PV per side. (Full company strength).
• Terrain: “Open field with burning wrecks”. Little cover, but lots of clouds of smoke.
• Line-up:
  • Classic field battle. Set-up zones 10 inches away from the long table edges.
• Pirate forces (special feature):
  • The Pirate player must set up a BattleMaster (or comparable Assault Mech) as “Baron Krell”.
  • Baron Krell’s stats: He has skill 2 (instead of standard 4) and gains the special ability “Tactical Genius” (may repeat the initiative roll once per round).
• Goals:
  1. Regicide (20 VP): Destroy Baron Krell’s mech.
  2. Total annihilation (10 VP): Reduce the enemy force to less than 25% of its starting PV.
• Special rules:
  • Forced Withdrawal: In this mission, the pirates fight to the death (ignore the retreat rules for pirates). The mercenaries are subject to normal withdrawal rules (on loss of internal structure).

Campaign evaluation

Add up the victory points (VP) from all missions:

• 0 – 30 VP: Defeat. The pirates escape with the loot. Your mercenary reputation is ruined. You can barely cover the repair costs.
• 31 – 60 VP: Partial victory. You have driven off the pirates, but at a high cost. The governor pays the standard wage.
• 61+ SP: Legendary victory. The “Vultures of Antares” no longer exist. Your unit receives a massive C-Bill payout.

Recommended units (examples for 3025)

To fill the PV values, here is a guide for 3025 era:

• Light (15-30 PV): Locust, Wasp, Stinger, Jenner.
• Medium (30-40 PV): Phoenix Hawk, Griffin, Wolverine, Shadow Hawk, Hunchback (Hunchback has high damage, but low range).
• Heavy (40-50 PV): Warhammer, Thunderbolt, Marauder, Archer.
• Overheavy/Assault (50-60+ PV): BattleMaster, Stalker, Atlas (approx. 52-60 PV depending on variant).

Tip for the game master: The pirates should tend to have many cheap units (locusts, tanks), but 2-3 very strong leader mechs to reach the PV limit. The mercenaries should focus more on quality and synergy.