“Commander, I have a read on that trans-stellar asteroid. It … appears that there is something still active near the mining fields. Something … old? Should I adjust our heading?”
Unknown Helmsmen
Legiones Astartes White Scars
The Armies
For this mission, all Commanders should compose an Engagement Force from their Battle Company’s Regimental Registry, adding any additional Conscripts to their armies from the list of approved Horus Heresy publications provided by the Event Organizer (EO). The total points cost of the Engagement Force can be played at any scale agreed upon by the Commanders, though it may not exceed the current Campaign Supply Limit.
Commanders should roll off to see which side will be the “Relic Hunters” and which side will be the “Pursuers”.
The Battlefield
Terrain will be set up to mimic a mining outpost formerly maintained and manned by a local Mechanicum sect. As such, armoured containers, servo-haulers, piping, diggers, and other pieces of the Sector Mechanicus terrain set should be used.
After the terrain is placed, but before any forces are deployed, players take turns placing five Objective markers, represented by markers 1” in diameter. These markers should be placed in accordance with the normal rules for Placing Objective Markers in the Age of Darkness Core Rulebook. However, they may NOT be placed in a Commander’s Deployment Zone unless there is either no other place to put it -OR- it Scatters into one.
Deployment (Reliquary)
The Relic Hunters Commander must select a long board edge as their own board edge and deploy their entire army within the Relic Hunter’s Deployment Zone. Any Unit which cannot be deployed due to spacing constraints should be placed in Reserves.
The Pursuers’ board edge is the one opposite the Relic Hunters’, which the Pursuers’ now deploy within their alloted Deployment Zone. Any Unit that cannot be deployed due to spacing constraints should be placed in Reserves.
Special Rules
Reserves, Rapid Rotation, Location Unknown, Cold Void
Rapid Rotation
Instead of the usual Night Fighting special rule, the asteroid’s rotation axis in the deep void of space has its illumination changing at a rapid pace. Commanders must roll a D6 before the first Game Turn. On a resulting roll of a 4+, Night Fighting is active for every odd Game Turn (1, 3, 5). Otherwise, it is instead active starting on every even Game Turn (2, 4, 6).
Location Unknown
Each of the objective markers placed during the game set-up represents a potential location of a relic which both sides are seeking. During the Movement phase, if a model from a Unit finishes its move within 3” of an Objective, its controlling player rolls a D6 and adds the number of the current game turn. On a result of 2-6, the objective marker is a false reading or a dead end, being removed from the board. However, it still counts as a Location Unknown roll for the purposes of the Victory Condition.
On a result of a 7+, the relic has been discovered; this Objective marker is left in place and all other Objective markers are immediately removed from the board. This objective must now be held and defended as accompanying servators work to uncover its secrets before its power source fails.
When only a single Objective remains and the relic has yet to be discovered, the last one is automatically the relic’s location and this rule no longer applies.
Cold Void
When this special rule is in effect, the following conditions apply to the region:
- All weapons and attacks with a Strength of 6 or higher now cause Shred, unless their target has the Heavy Subtype or has an Armour/Cover Save of 2+.
- Weapons and attacks which have the Blast special rule also now cause Pinning if they did not already.
First Turn
The Pursuers have the First Game Turn; their opponent, the Relic Hunters, may attempt to Seize the Initiative.
Game Length
After five turns, roll a D6. On a 4+, a sixth and final turn is played.
“Wipe Out!”: Regardless of any other condition, if at the end of the game your enemy has no units left on the table then you are victorious!
Victory Conditions
The Outpost Sacking Mission details the opposing sides of the Conflict within the Nebula happening upon one of its many secrets traveling between the void between stars; fighting to steal away that knowledge before the enemy can. The winner of this mission is the side that controls the Objective marker that represents the Objective at the end of the game. If the relic has not been revealed, the player that made the most Location Unknown rolls is the winner.
Fruits of Victory
If the relic is discovered and fully in the control of a Unit with the Line subtype, then the it may be fully extracted for use by the Winner. However, if it is in control of a Unit without the Line subtype, only fragments of the relic may be extracted. In either case, contact the EO after you submit your Battle Report for a summary or what your forces find.
Mission Debriefs: After you finish playing the above mission, ensure that one of the Commanders logs it in our system via the following Google form: https://forms.gle/gFNQJEq2UKnNqBV58.
