Daboarders Narrative Missions: The Convoy

Heya,

So I've had a few ideas for a number of narrative based missions that should be interesting to play. the idea is that these missions help to create a story, while not requiring a large investment in additional models or specific terrain. This is the first of these suggested missions and I would like to read the communities thoughts on the matter.

Overview:
Attacker: The enemy is attempting to move an object of vital importance to the war effort through contested territory. Your Mission is to intercept and secure the objective while preventing its destruction at the hands of the enemy.
Defender: It is vital that the convoy you are guarding does not fall into enemy hands, the loss of this convoy to the enemy could tip the balance of the war against us. If the safety of the convoy cannot be ensured you are directed to destroy it.

Failure is not an option!

Set up:
After setting up terrain and choosing sides as per the BRB deploy forces on the table as per the following image.
The Defender deploys in the red area and the Attacker is able to deploy as desired in the Blue area. Determine who deploys first as per normal.

Attachment 10297

Primary Mission:

The Convoy:
The Convoy is made up of a number of Transporter units with the following stat line:

Armour F/ S/ R: 13/ 13/ 12, BS: 3 HP: 3
Type: Vehicle

It is recommended that games between 1500-2000 pts have 2 Transporter units, and that players increase or decrease the number of convoy units at smaller and larger games

NB: The mission is designed to work by using an armies basic dedicated transport models as the transporter units. Allowing players to readily play the mission without needing to bring or own specialist models. Therefore the models used should be considered from a thematic perspective. A Deathwing army would probably have an adjusted Land raider, whereas a Dark Eldar army would use modified raiders. The basic statline can be rationalised buy either the addition of extra armour to protect the cargo or the removal of power and redundant systems in order to provide more space. If they desire players can choose to use the obvious additional rules such as skimmer, but it is recommended that they stay away from fast vehicles.

Escorting the Convoy:
The Defender is responsible for moving the "Convoy" units off the opposite short table edge. Or, in the case of the transporters destruction, form preventing the enemy form obtaining the material therein.
Each Convoy unit that makes it of the table edge during its movement phase awards the defender 2 victory points.

Capturing the Cargo:
The Attacker is responsible for securing the cargo, however given the valuable nature of the cargo it stands to reason that the Defenders would be willing to destroy the cargo, rather than allow it to fall into enemy hands. Because of this the Attacker must not only disable the Transporter units, but then secure them.
Once a Transporter unit has been destroyed (through explosion, hull points etc) it becomes an objective marker worth 2 victory to the Attacker at the end of the game.

NB: The idea here was that the defender needs to choose when to destroy the transporter units, if he does this too early then the opponent will gunline and prevent him from scoring the objective. if he does it too late then he risks failing and allowing the transporters to escape.

Secondary Missions:
It is recommended to use a modified secondaries, where each player draws/roll 3 maelstrom objectives (re-drawing/rolling impossible missions) and keeps these hidden until completion.

So, any thoughts, would anyone be willing to play this and try it out, or does anyone notice any glaring holes in the game. Or is there anything I have left out?

It seems to me that the defender has a large advantage. If he simply destroys both transports outright at the start of the game, he is already ahead.

Both players will still be at 0 points, but the attacker has the distinct advantage of being able to score 4 more points before secondary missions. If you however also give the defender the option of scoring those points they will most likely simply gunline around their transports and not even move, forcing the attacker to come in to claim them, or not destroy them for a tie.


The best solution, I think, is to make every living transport that hasn't left the field yet worth 1 point to the attacker. (represent it with the attackers army arriving and taking the convoy with sheer numbers, but reduced effectivity.) Make every destroyed but defended transport worth 1point to the defenders. (They had enough time to destroy the goods, but obviously they failed their primary mission.)

If the defender gunlines his transports and refuses to move them the attacker does not destroy them, settling for 1 point less. This way your timing of destroying the convoy becomes extra important for the attacker, and the defender can't simply stall the game.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Theik

It seems to me that the defender has a large advantage. If he simply destroys both transports outright at the start of the game, he is already ahead.

Both players will still be at 0 points, but the attacker has the distinct advantage of being able to score 4 more points before secondary missions. If you however also give the defender the option of scoring those points they will most likely simply gunline around their transports and not even move, forcing the attacker to come in to claim them, or not destroy them for a tie.


The best solution, I think, is to make every living transport that hasn't left the field yet worth 1 point to the attacker. (represent it with the attackers army arriving and taking the convoy with sheer numbers, but reduced effectivity.) Make every destroyed but defended transport worth 1point to the defenders. (They had enough time to destroy the goods, but obviously they failed their primary mission.)

If the defender gunlines his transports and refuses to move them the attacker does not destroy them, settling for 1 point less. This way your timing of destroying the convoy becomes extra important for the attacker, and the defender can't simply stall the game.

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Why would the defender be allowed to shoot /destroy his own units?

The defender only scores by leaving convoy units and secondaries.

The attack only scores by destroying convoy units and "capturing" the resultant objectives.


hmm solid idea on the 1 point if convoy doesn't leave

edit: That being said, if the defender does "Gunline" then the game devolves into secondaries, but the defender always has the risk that the attacker will get into a position to destory one of the Convoys and make the secondaries mostly obsolete

I quite like it. Having to take out the transport, and then secure the cargo prevents boringboringgunline just hitting it with the dakka, and makes when you smash up the transport a big question tactically.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr Mystery

I quite like it. Having to take out the transport, and then secure the cargo prevents boringboringgunline just hitting it with the dakka, and makes when you smash up the transport a big question tactically.

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Thats the idea yeah, I mean there are armies that can ensure the Transporters die when they want, but with the right terrain, screening and a few turns to try an eliminate said targets, the defender should be able to make a game of it

Sorry, maybe what I meant wasn't entitely clear. I do not mean for the defenders to destroy their own transports.I meant that if a transport does get destroyed (by the attacker), give the defender 1 point if they still control the tech at the end. (minor victory for destroying the resource). It prevents the attacker from simply destroying the transports and then letting the game come down to secondaries only, ruining the whole idea of your escort.