Saturday, April 25, 2015

Bolt Action custom scenario


Like some of us in the interweb, I found the Bolt Action scenario meh... Not super exciting and very much: I kill you, you kill me, let's see who killed the most.
Most of battles are less about killing bodies (WW1 is a bad example), it was most about cunning strategies and attacking weaker enemy.

Here are some scenario freely inspired by Urban Mammoth game Urban War. The game deserved a better exposure, if only for the number of scenario they made.



1 ====Assassination


Every military force relies on its leadership to carry out battlefield operations effectively. Because of this, it is often more efficient to simply eliminate command figures on the field to defeat the enemy, instead of destroying their force outright. Such assassination attempts require careful planning and intelligence if the attacker wants to make a quick clean kill, or else they'll have a considerable escort force to deal with.

Forces

The scenario is played with 2 equal size forces.

Mission

 One player will be the attacker and one will be the defender.
The defender’s main officer will be the target of the attacker.
The defender may replace the bodyguards by a full squad worth up to 20% of the total force size.
The targeted officer must not be deployed in a tank.

Deployment and Terrain

Density: medium.
There should not be any long, unobstructed lines of sight from any table edge to the center of the table, to prevent first-turn sniping of the target.

Once the terrain is placed, the defender chooses which terrain table edge he will deploy his reinforcement at. The attacker will deploy on the other side.
The first models to be placed are the target and his bodyguards.

Map


Special rules

Bodyguard
A new action is available to any model from the bodyguard unit: Look out Sir!.
If the target is hit by a non-template ranged attack, a model from the bodyguard unit may attempt the Look out Sir!.action. In order to successfully carry out this action, the model must pass a Command Check subject to normal modifiers.
If successful it has reacted in time and the hit is transferred to it.
If failed, it has not reacted in time, do not move but count as having been activated, and the hit is resolved on the target as normal. Only one model may attempt a Look out Sir!.action during any single activation.

Game Length

The game lasts for six turns, or until one of the following criteria have been met:
·         The target is killed.
·         Either team is completely obliterated.

Victory Points

ConditionsThe objective for the attacker is to kill the leader of the defending team. The defender must prevent this from happening, and drive off the attacking force.Victory points are awarded as follows:
  • ·         For each surviving unit at the end of the game, the player receives victory points equal to the unit’s cost.
  • If the target is killed, the attacker receives 150 victory points
  • If the target survives the game, the defender receives 75 victory points.
  • If the leader of the defending team is within 6” of the center of the table at the end of the game, the defender receives an additional 75 victory points.
The winner is the player with the most victory points at the end of the game.


2====Atrocity


One of the ugly realities of war is that civilians die. When the bullets start flying, it's almost inevitable that they will end up in the crossfire sooner or later. No matter how advanced targeting systems become, or how well trained the soldiers are, someone will end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. In some special and horrible occasion, it is about reprisal against a group of people that has to be prevented.

Forces

The scenario is played with 2 equal size forces. 

Mission 

One player will be the attacker and one will be the defender.

Deployment and Terrain

Density: medium.
There should not be any long, unobstructed lines of sight from any table edge to the center of the table.

Once the terrain has been set up, deploy 10 civilians. The civilians are considered unharmed and will be scattered 2d6” from the table center (using a scatter dice). If the civilian is scattered off the table or into a player’s deployment area, reroll the scatter dice.

Map


Special rules

Civilians
The civilians in this scenario are each represented by single, human-sized infantry models and use inexperience infantry profile but carry no weaponry or equipment.
They will always be moved after all units have been activated but before end of turn. Wherever possible, they will have a Run order, subject to the following constraints:
·         If no unit from either player is within LOS of the civilian, roll a scatter dice for the direction of movement. If the movement would take them off the table, they stop in contact with the table edge.
·         If the civilian begins with or comes into LOS of one or more attacking unit(s), it will be moved directly away from the attacking unit(s), adjusting movement accordingly for any additional unit that come into LOS. If the civilian cannot move without moving closer to an attacking unit, it will move towards the nearest cover. If no cover is available, they will not move. 
·         If the civilian begins with or comes into LOS of one or more defending unit (s), it will be moved towards the defending player's deployment zone.
·         If the civilian begins with or comes into LOS of one or more unit (s) from both sides, it will be moved towards the defending player's deployment zone. However, if this would take it closer to an attacking unit, move the civilian towards the nearest defending unit instead. If this would take it closer to an attacking unit, move the civilian towards the nearest cover.
·         Once a civilian reaches the defender's deployment zone, it will move off the table in the next turn automatically and be considered as having “escaped”. A civilian will never willingly move into base contact with an attacking unit.

All defending units gain a +1 bonus to Morale checks in this scenario.

Game Length

The game lasts for six turns, or until one of the following criteria have been met:
·         All civilians are killed or have escape.
·         Either team is completely obliterated.

Victory Points

The objective for the attacker is to massacre as many civilians as possible, while the defender must try to safely escort them out of the combat zone. Victory points are awarded as follows:
·         For each civilian killed, the attacker receives 50 victory points.
·         For each civilian model that escapes, the defender receives 25 victory points.
·         For each enemy model killed, the player receives victory points equal to half the model's points cost.

The winner is the player with the most victory points at the end of the game.



3 ====Search and Rescue


Battle fields of world war 2 are very different, and more often than not, city are center of attention for all sides.
Although the heavily fought over areas are sometimes evacuated, sometimes a conflict arises before this can be done, or fighting spills over into a population center. Or perhaps a community simply didn't want to or cannot leave. Whatever the case, these groups often become the target of evacuation efforts to save them from the deterioration of the buildings they shelter in.

Forces

Two opposing forces of same size (1000 pts).

Mission

Each commander has received order to retrieve a selected number of civilians important for their high command. Unfortunately the opposite side too. The civilians are valuable alive only.

Deployment and Terrain

Terrain should be placed upon the battlefield in any mutually agreeable manner. The board should represent a run-down with damaged and ruined buildings, trash and rubble heaps, wrecked vehicles and machinery and other such features. Once terrain has been set up, selects ten counters to represent civilians and should be numbered 1 to 10. There are placed randomly on the battlefield: starting at the centre of the board, individually and randomly scattered 2d6+2’’, and place the civilian marker at the resulting point. Should the model scatter on to impassable terrain, the model is instead placed on the closest edge of the terrain. If a model is scattered off the table or into a player deployment zone, the dice are re-rolled.
After markers have been placed, both players roll a d6, with the winner choosing a board quarter as their territory. The other player is assigned the opposite quarter. Starting with the winner, players deploy their models alternately within 6” of their respective table quarter edges.

Map


Special rules

Civlians
Civilians are treated as terrain until retrieved. They cannot be shot at on purpose, civilians cannot move.
For the purposes of this mission, civilians are static until any soldier from any unit is in contact. A unit can contact multiple civilian if possible. Once in contact a unit with a civilian cannot run. They can fight as usual. Any shooting at a unit with civilians is resolved as usual. The civilian is considered as part of the unit. If a unit receives more hit than its number, the remaining hit are allocated to the retrieved civilians. A civilian in a unit losing a leadership test remains where it was.

Urban Rubble. (Optional)  
The area being evacuated is quite literally falling apart, with crumbling buildings liable to fall apart at the slightest provocation and unexploded ordnance. Starting from turn two roll a d10 at the start of the turn, and if it is still on the table, remove the civilian counter with the corresponding number. If the civilian was being carried by a model or team, or was in base contact with models from both sides, these models must make a Command check. Any model that fails takes 1 pin.

Game Length

The game lasts for six turns plus a possible 7 (on a 1,2,3 on a d6 roll), or until one of the following criteria have been met:
·         All remaining civilian markers have been moved to the players' deployment zones.
·         Either side makes a strategic withdrawal.
·         Either side is completely obliterated.

Victory Points

The objective for both is to retrieve as many civilians as possible. Victory points are awarded as follows:
·         For each civilian retrieved, each player receives 120 victory points.
·         For each unit left, each player receive the unit cost in victory points.
·         For each enemy unit killed, each player receives victory points equal to half the unit’s points cost.



2 comments:

  1. I'm always interested to see good scenario ideas, so these are welcome! Not sure I'd want to play the one about war crimes myself, though.

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    Replies
    1. I agree with you on the one with war crime, inspired by the Urban Mammoth scenario is the toughest one, more over if you are on the attacker side. Likely better with IA playing the attacker.
      Having said that, playing SS in Bolt Action always give me trouble, or the commissar in Soviet side shooting his own soldiers to increase leadership tests...
      I have more scenario though, under writing.

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