Ship-Boarding - 40k Special Game
These are some rules for creating a boarding action scenario during a fleet conflict. You can read the text below or download the rules with my two other special games as a PDF. You can find the PDF at the following URL:
[URL="http://www.mediafire.com/?fjwm92s6dm47xcz"]http://www.mediafire.com/?fjwm92s6dm47xcz[/URL]
I am also posting my two other special games, updates for the 4th edition missions, and an Ork special mission, so if you like this please check those out!
Now, what you came for:
Boarding Action
During fleet combat, a boarding vessel has managed to breach the hull of an enemy ship, bringing with it a squad of marines tasked with crippling the vessel. The guards on board must fight fiercely against their elite foes to protect the vital systems of the ship.
Setup
Decide which player will be the attacker and which player will be the defender.
Using strips of paper, pieces of cardboard or some other material, the defender literally designs the floor plan of his ship, laying the materials out to represent walls and doors, creating a series of rooms and corridors making up the interior of the ship, using the guidelines below. This will take some time, so this should be done while the attacker is busy with something else or before the attacking player even arrives to where the game will be.
1. The ship layout can take up as much or as little space on a 4’x6’ table as the defender desires.
2. Doors in a corridor will be placed within 12 to 24 inches of the nearest door in that same direct corridor. Doors may only be placed closer than 12 inches if there is a clear and reasonable design need agreed upon by the attacker, such as closing off rooms adjacent to a corridor. The space between two doors, as well as isolated rooms with one door will be referred to as “Cells.” Cells must be at least 4” wide unless agreed upon by the attacker.
3. Barricades, boxes, and other small pieces of terrain may be placed by the defender throughout the ship, but don’t be excessive, place no more than one object every 12”, as more would hinder movement too much, and there will be a passive 5+ cover save in effect anyway.
4. The defender places one Vital System, representing something that the ship requires to function at all or which would destroy the ship if damaged, such as the ship’s life support, Tyranid synapse node, Soopa Rokkit Fuel Tankz, etc. It would be wise to place this in an easily defendable, isolated room near the center of the ship.
5. The defender then places four Secondary Systems: one Navigation System, one Shield Generator, one Gun Batteries marker, and one Engines marker, each an important system that would not render the ship useless if destroyed individually. Each Secondary System may not be placed within 24” of another Secondary System or of the Vital System.
Forces
-Attacker-
-The attacker chooses 250 points of infantry units taken from the Elite, Troops, Fast Attack and/or Heavy Support options of that army. No model may have a Toughness value greater than 5, and no unique/special character models may be taken.
-All attacker units are equipped with frag grenades and melta bombs.
-All attacker units are Fearless.
-All attacker units must be subdivided into smaller units of 1-3 models as desired.
-After the ship layout is decided, the attacker chooses one Fleet Asset and one Marine Asset listed in the final section.
-Defender-
-The defender chooses 500 points of infantry units, with up to 150 points allowed from the Elites and the remainder from the Troops options of that army. No model may have a Toughness value greater than 5 or a 2+ armor save, and no unique/special character models may be taken. The defender does not reveal his list before the game starts
-All defender units are subdivided into smaller units of 3-5 models as desired, if not required in smaller units by their entry.
-Any fall back moves made by defender units are made in a path chosen by the defender which leads away from attacker units. The unit automatically regroups after the move and may act normally in the following turn.
-Defender units are equipped with weapons that are not strong enough to do significant damage to the ship’s internal systems if aimed in the wrong place. Defender units may not fire ranged weapons with a Strength value higher than 5 (frag/plasma missiles, etc, are allowed).
-After the ship layout is decided, the defender chooses one Ship Asset listed in the final section.
Gameplay
-After setup, the defender sets up bits of paper, each representing a unit, anywhere in the ship. These may move and run as the unit they represent normally would. The defender should note in shorthand what each paper represents (e.g. 2TB 1TH = 2 Tactical Marines with Bolter, 1 Tactical marine with Heavy Bolter) on the hidden side of each bit of paper. The defender replaces any bits of paper with the unit they represent at the end of any attacker movement phase in which the attacker came into line of sight of the paper, placing all models within 3” of the paper’s location. Any revealed models then remain on the table until they are killed or the game ends.
-The attacker then deploys all of their units in any part of any one Cell of their choice on the edge of the ship. The attacker gets the first turn and attacker units may shoot and assault in the turn they deploy.
-The Vital System and the Secondary Systems are considered stationary vehicles with AV 14. Any Penetrating Hits scored against AV 14 will destroy the System.
-If the Vital System or at least three Secondary Systems are destroyed the attacker wins. If all attacker units are killed, the defender wins.
Additional Rules
-All walls and doors completely block line of sight.
- Barrage weapons may not be used in this game.
-All models may take a 5+ cover save against shooting attacks unless a better save is available.
-Doors are considered to be open and not blocking line of sight if there is any model within 2” of the door.
-Doors can be locked shut by defender units at the end of their Movement Phase if they have a model within 2” of the door. Doors are unlocked if the defender does not have any models within 2” of the door or if a defender unit within 2” of the door chooses to unlock the door at any time during their Movement Phase.
-The attacker can destroy doors by scoring a Penetrating Hit against AV 11.
-All Tyranids are considered to be in Synapse range and Necrons do not Phase Out.
Assets
-Fleet Assets: Attacker-
Precision Shot: The Attacker chooses any one Cell on the edge of the ship. This Cell is hit with a powerful shot, breaching the hull. Any units in the chosen Cell are sucked out into space and immediately killed. No unit may enter this Cell for the remainder of the game. Be sure not to block off your only path!
Revealed/Used: After defender has deployed, before attacker has deployed.
Ion Cannon: Roll a D6 at the start of every turn. On the roll of a 5+, a supporting ion cannon battery strikes your area of the ship, temporarily disabling all electrical systems. All doors become unlocked but still block line of sight even if there is a model within 2” of the door, and no Ship Assets may be used this turn. Additionally, the Night Fighting rule is used for the turn. On the roll of a 1, the supporting ship is attacked, and on the following turn if a 4-6 is rolled, the ion cannon does nothing but resumes normal support next turn. If a 1-3 is rolled, the ion cannon is destroyed and no longer provides support.
Revealed: At the start of the attacker’s first turn.
Ship Recon: Whether through advanced scanners, psychic abilities or infiltration, the team has received some information from HQ about what they are up against. The attacker chooses two Cells with at least one defender unit inside and then the defender chooses one such Cell. All units in those three cells are revealed.
Revealed/Used: After defender has deployed, before attacker has deployed.
-Marine Assets: Attacker-
Grenade Acrobats: The marines have learned to bank grenades off walls or use guided weapons to attack ambushing units around corners. Instead of shooting, attacker units may make a shooting attack with a range of 9” that may be measured around walls (but not through them!). The shot is a S3 AP- Small Blast and scatters 1D6” with no subtraction for Ballistic Skill. If it scatters through a wall, move it back the minimum distance to have it land in the corridor where it was originally intended to land. This may only be used if the target is out of line of sight.
Revealed: The first time it is used.
Stun Grenades: The marines brought along devices to blind or confuse the enemy as they advance down a corridor. All attacker units are equipped with Defensive Grenades.
Revealed: The first time it is used.
Trip Mines: The marines leave traps behind them to slow the enemy. Five times during the game, any attacker unit may choose instead of shooting to place a trap within 3” of one of the unit’s models. The first time that a defender unit comes within 3” of the trap all models in the unit take a S4 AP- hit. Traps may be destroyed on Penetrating Hits against AV 8.
Revealed: The first time it is used.
Smoke Bombs: Three times during the game, any attacker unit may choose instead of shooting to throw a smoke bomb into the corridor they currently occupy. Defender units must take a difficult terrain test to move in that corridor during the subsequent movement phase, and attacker units will get a 3+ cover save in the subsequent shooting phase.
Revealed: The first time it is used.
Long-time Rivals: Veterans of a long campaign against this race, all attacker units have +1 WS.
Revealed: During first assault engagement.
-Ship Assets: Defender-
Keep the asset you want to choose in mind while designing your ship!
Poison Traps: A system was installed so that in dire situations invaders could be locked in a chamber and poisoned with gas. The defender may choose to poison up to a total of three Cells throughout the game during their shooting phases. Each model in a poisoned Cell must roll a D6 at the start of their turn and add the number of previous consecutive turns they had spent any time in the poisoned Cell. Any modified rolls of 7+ will cause a wound with no armor save allowed. The poison disperses with no further effect if a door in the Cell is destroyed or if the defender chooses to vent the poison away at any time. Adjacent Cells may not both be poisoned.
Revealed: The first time it is used.
Intelligent Ship: The ship mind or computer can distinguish friend from foe and will work to slow enemy movement. Six times per game, whenever the attacker moves a unit through a door, you may inform the attacker that the door is in fact locked, and the attacker must then place his unit just in front of the door. You may choose to unlock the doors at any time, but must subtract one of your six uses if you lock the door again.
Revealed: The first time it is used.
Evasive Maneuvers: Your skilled pilot managed to swerve as the boarding vessel approached, forcing it to land off-target. After the attacker has chosen their deployment cell, you may force them to choose another deployment cell that is not in or adjacent to their first choice.
Revealed/Used: After the attacker chooses deployment Cell.
Upgrade: The ship has a backup or a duplicate of a particular system, and both components must be destroyed in order to sufficiently disable the ship’s functionality. When placing Secondary Systems, choose one type of Secondary System and place a second system of that type, adding a fifth Secondary System to the ship. The two identical Secondary Systems count as one and will only add one to the attacker’s total of destroyed systems if both are destroyed.
Revealed: During ship layout.
Auto-Turrets: Some ceiling turrets were installed in the ship in case of emergency. Place an additional bit of paper in the center of each Cell throughout the ship, with five of the pieces marked as turrets. Reveal the turrets as you would another unit, removing any pieces that are not marked as turrets when revealed. The turret is stationary and fires with the following profile:
BS: 2 18” Range, S:4 AP: - Heavy 4
Penetrating Hits against AV 8 will destroy an Auto-Turret.
Revealed: During defender deployment.
