Okay, sorry this took a while, but I had an important decision to make: whether this would attempt to support both Battle Value-derived forces and Alpha Value, or just Alpha Value.
In the end, I decided to not even try to support BV. It's broken, has no relevance to an Alpha Strike unit's capability, and so on and so forth. So if you want to use these, you probably SHOULD use
my Alpha Value system.
First and foremost, these are written up from a TOURNAMENT point of view, with each side having an even number of points to choose a force, bringing it to a location, and playing against others who are not necessarily friends with a similarly chosen force. I do love unbalanced and in-universe scenarios as well, so don't imagine that this is a be-all end-all list that "I INSIST BE THE ONLY THING USED EVER," but an expansion to current rules.
These scenarios are designed to encourage a versatile force design, with an even number of heavy and light units within a force, because you don't know, before rolling on the table, whether or not you'll end up as the attacker (which can favor faster units) or defender (which usually favors slower units). Also, there are special situations where one player or the other ONLY gets a certain number of units, or a player is given a free skill upgrade to ONLY their most dangerous unit. It tries to punish a player for 'going all-in' on a single strategy, and encourages a versatile build.
The point of using two 1D6 rolls instead of a 2D6 was to avoid the bell curve inherent in 2D6; I wanted all scenarios to be equally likely to show up in a regular tournament game to avoid people weighting their forces in favor of the most likely rolls.
I'm not going to lie - I have NOT playtested these thoroughly. If anyone finds a gaping hole in-game and brings it to my attention, I will do my damnedest to fix it.
12 SCENARIOS FOR USE IN BV2.0-BALANCED PICKUP GAMES OR TOURNAMENTS
This is a list of 12 scenarios, designed to be randomly rolled, for use in tournament settings (and casual play!) Several of them are adapted from the end of Total Warfare, but are expanded upon and balanced for forces using the same total BV regardless of the scenario.
Some of them are designed to favor fast units, even going so far as to exclude the slowest units; others favor the slower, powerful units. Some scenarios have a definite advantage for expensive, small units, whereas others will give an advantage to the player with cheap hordes. This variance is to encourage construction of flexible opfors with as broad a variety of unit types as possible.
Note, though, that the terms 'attacker' and 'defender' are used in a tactical sense, not a strategic one; if using these in a campaign then it's entirely likely that the strategic defenders might stage a strike against the attacker's supply depot (but would be considered the Attacker for purposes of that mission) or similar.
Each scenario consists of seven sections:
QUOTE: A humorous or educational quote that illustrates something about the scenario.
BRIEFING: A short explanation of what led to the scenario.
BOARDS & DEPLOYMENT: An explanation of how the board should be laid for the scenario, as well as where and how the attacker and defender may place their miniatures.
OVERALL SPECIAL RULES: Any special rules that apply to both sides.
ATTACKER SPECIAL RULES: Any special rules that apply to just the attacker.
DEFENDER SPECIAL RULES: Any special rules that apply to only the defender.
VICTORY CONDITIONS: An explanation of what is required to win the scenario, which is (for most scenarios) based on Alpha Value destroyed by either side, with the side having destroyed the most AV being judged the victor. When using the Forced Withdrawal rules, a unit forced to withdraw that makes it off its side's table edge is worth half its total AV towards the total (unless otherwise noted).
To use these properly, follow this procedure:
1) Roll to determine who is the attacker and who the defender, by rolling a d6: on a 1-3 the dice-roller and 4-6 the other).
2) Roll 1d6 to determine whether or not you are on Table 1 (1-3) or Table 2 (4-6), then roll a second dice to determine the specific scenario:
1 MEETING ENGAGEMENT
2 SCORCHED EARTH
3 EXTRACTION
4 THE DUEL
5 DEPOT RAID
6 FINAL STAND
1 BREAKTHROUGH
2 RESOURCE RUSH
3 CONVOY ASSAULT
4 RAVENING HORDE
5 AMBUSH!
6 HEADHUNTING
3) Having rolled the scenario, each player rolls a d6: highest roll picks which map edge they deploy on.
4) The game plays as normal. Recipe serves between 2 and 1,562 Alpha Strike tournament fanatics.
MEETING ENGAGEMENT
"Best damn job I ever had. Travel the universe, visit exotic locations, meet interesting people, and try to kill them."
-Sergeant Mitchell Belluci
BRIEFING: During the initial stages of an invasion, two sides will send out their faster-moving units to pin down the opposing side for long enough to attack with their slower units.
BOARD & GAME LENGTH: This uses the typical 6'x4' board, with each player deploying from the long table edge. The game length is 12 turns.
OVERALL SPECIAL RULES: Any units with a Move of 12" or higher is deployed within their Move of the table edge, not counting terrain, with the rest being held in reserve. Units with 10" Move enter from their side's map edge at the start of the 4th turn, and units with 8" Move enter from their side's map edge at the start of the 8th turn. Units with any lower Move may not be deployed unless they are transported aboard faster units. OPTIONAL: Roll a d6 at the start of the game. On a 1, the first four turns are fought under the Dawn Environmental condition (pg 92); on a 6, the last four turns are fought under the Dusk Environmental condition.
ATTACKER SPECIAL RULES & DEPLOYMENT: Forced Withdrawal (pg 27).
DEFENDER SPECIAL RULES & DEPLOYMENT: Forced Withdrawal (pg 27).
VICTORY CONDITIONS: Units destroyed before the 8th turn passes (when the 8" units deploy) count for double AV, with units forced to withdraw before that turn counting for their full AV rather than half.
SCORCHED EARTH
"In recent decades, as armies attempt to capture and hold targets intact, scorched earth has become an extremely rare policy. It is only used when long-term victory is impossible or when the target is too valuable to fall into enemy hands."
-TRO 3025, Firestarter entry
BRIEFING: The defenders
cannot allow the attacker to take the buildings here intact - conversely, the attacker must not permit the defender to destroy the valuables contained therein.
BOARD & GAME LENGTH: The board uses a 4'x4' arrangement, with a 2'x2' square in the center of the defender's side to place buildings upon. Place two buildings for every 50 AV of the game. The game ends at 10 turns, when all the buildings are destroyed, or if one side withdraws completely.
OVERALL SPECIAL RULES: Each building is considered to have 5 CV.
ATTACKER SPECIAL RULES & DEPLOYMENT: The attacker must deploy at least 12" away from the urban area. Forced Withdrawal.
DEFENDER SPECIAL RULES & DEPLOYMENT: The defender may deploy anywhere within the urban maps. Forced Withdrawal.
VICTORY CONDITIONS: In addition to the standard AV rewards, each building that the defender destroys adds 20 AV to his total. Each building intact at the end of the game adds 20 AV to the attacker's total.
EXTRACTION
"Because the needs of the one... outweigh the needs of the many."
- Admiral James T. Kirk
BRIEFING: The remains of a battlefield can leave valuable debris for the victor, but only if he knows that it's there. In this case, he left an ejected and wounded pilot behind, one that is important... and now, he has to retrieve the pilot before the other side does.
BOARD & GAME LENGTH: The board uses the full 6'x4'. Place a single token in the very center to represent the damaged full-head ejection pod of the pilot. The game lasts 12 turns or until one side achieves the victory condition.
OVERALL SPECIAL RULES: Any BM or CM unit can pick up the pod and carry it if they remain stationary for one turn next to it. Because of the pod's weight and awkwardness, a Size 1 unit has its Move reduced by 2" while carrying the pod. If the unit is destroyed, or if the player chooses to, it drops the pod in the hex directly in front of it.
ATTACKER SPECIAL RULES & DEPLOYMENT: The attacker deploys his units within half the unit's Move of a short table edge. Forced Withdrawal.
DEFENDER SPECIAL RULES & DEPLOYMENT: The defender deploys his units within half the unit's Move of the short edge opposite the attacker's. Forced Withdrawal.
VICTORY CONDITIONS: The side that carries the ejection pod off its deployment zone edge wins. If time runs out, the player whose deployment zone is nearest the ejection pod is declared the winner.
THE DUEL
"...The rest of the battle had stopped in an informal truce around the two Assault 'Mechs. All of them knew that those two pilots would decide the outcome of their petty struggle. This battle would make history, and the two MechWarriors fighting it were destined for immortality."
- Warrior, En Garde
BRIEFING: Battles are won most easily by breaking the will of an enemy to fight. There are few more effective ways to break that will than to destroy their champion in front of their eyes, and the leaders of both OpFors have chosen this path.
MAPS & GAME LENGTH: The board uses a 6'x4' arrangement, with the game lasting 10 turns.
OVERALL SPECIAL RULES: Each player nominates a unit with the highest AV to be the Commander. The only unit that can fire on the Commander is the enemy Commander until one of them is destroyed or forced to withdraw. Until that happens, any untargeted damage that would hit one or the other (artillery scatter, Swarm missiles, mines) automatically misses.
ATTACKER SPECIAL RULES & DEPLOYMENT: The attacker deploys within 6" of one board edge, with the commander placed first and in the center of their deployment edge. The unit chosen as the commander gets a 1-point bonus to its Skill. Forced Withdrawal is in effect.
DEFENDER SPECIAL RULES & DEPLOYMENT: The defender deploys within 6" of one board edge, with the commander placed first and in the center of their deployment edge. The unit chosen as the commander gets a 1-point bonus to its Skill. Forced Withdrawal is in effect.
VICTORY CONDITIONS: The unit chosen as the commander is worth triple AV if destroyed or forced to withdraw by the other player's commander; do not count the increased Skill from this scenario into this value. Otherwise ordinary victory conditions are in effect.
DEPOT RAID
"Amateurs study strategy, professionals - well, you know the rest. The keystone of warfare is logistics, and the key of logistics are supply depots. More planets have been won with a lance of Locusts striking behind the lines than a company of Atlases lumbering forward."
-General Andrew Redburn (attr.)
BRIEFING: The supply depot located here is invaluable to the defender's strategy; unfortunately for the defender, the attacker has located them and staged a strike.
MAPS & GAME LENGTH: The board uses a 4'x4' arrangement, with the game lasting for 12 turns.
OVERALL SPECIAL RULES: For every 50 AV of the game, place two counters around the center of the board, no closer than 2" to each other. Each counter represents a building with 3 CV. Once all the CV is gone, the building is destroyed.
ATTACKER SPECIAL RULES & DEPLOYMENT: The attacker may only deploy units that have Move of 12" or higher, unless they are transported aboard a unit that qualifies. He deploys within 8" of any map corner (note: can be multiple corners!)
DEFENDER SPECIAL RULES: The defender may only deploy an amount of units equal to 1/4th the total AV (rounded up to the nearest tens digit) initially.The defender deploys those units within 6" of any supply pile counter. At the start of the 4th turn, 1/4th more may move in from any map edge. At the start of the 8th turn, the remainder of the defender's force deploys from any table edge.
VICTORY CONDITIONS: If the attacker has destroyed more supply depots by the end of the 20th turn, then the attacker is the winner. If the attacker has not destroyed more total, than the defender is the winner.
FINAL STAND
"All men die. Not every man chooses where and why he dies. Today, we choose to die as heroes."
-Tai-sa Jessica Alberez, final words
BRIEFING: A token force has been left behind to delay the enemy for as long as possible; victory is not measured in survival, but in time purchased with blood.
BOARD & GAME LENGTH: The board uses a 2'x4' arrangement, with the game ending on the 12th turn.
OVERALL SPECIAL RULES: None.
ATTACKER SPECIAL RULES & DEPLOYMENT: The attacker may only deploy units that have a Move of 12" or higher at the beginning of the game, unless they are transported aboard a unit that qualifies. The attacker deploys those units within 6 inches of one short table edge. At the start of the 4th turn, any units that have a Move of 8" or 10" may move on from the attacker's map edge. At the start of the 8th turn, the attacker may move any remaining units on from his map edge. The attacker uses the Forced Withdrawal rules.
DEFENDER SPECIAL RULES & DEPLOYMENT: The attacker splits his units into two equal (or as close as possible) halves according to AV, then rolls randomly to see which half he deploys and which half he leaves behind. He may use the Hidden Deployment rules (p.102) for up to half of his deployed force. The defender deploys his units within 6" of the board's center.
VICTORY CONDITIONS: If the defender has destroyed or forced to withdraw more than half of the attacker's AV total (note that units forced to withdraw still only count for half their AV) before being destroyed, he wins. Otherwise, the attacker wins.
SECOND HALF
BREAKTHROUGH
"Long ago, when the advent of tanks meant that truly mobile warfare was possible, the concept of schwerpunkt was first named. Schwerpunkt is the focal point of a battle, which if you could break through, you could encircle and destroy the shattered remnants of the enemy line. A full ten centuries later, the schwerpunkt remains a key concept of warfare."
-Republic of the Sphere command training manual
BRIEFING: The lines have clashed, and the both sides have a clear goal. The attacker: penetrate the enemy lines. The defender: prevent same.
BOARD & GAME LENGTH: The board uses a full 6'x4' arrangement, and the game lasts for 10 turns.
OVERALL SPECIAL RULES: At the start of the combat, roll a d6. On a roll of one, the first four turns are fought using Dawn Environmental rules. On a roll of 6, the last four turns are fought using Dusk Environmental rules.
ATTACKER DEPLOYMENT & SPECIAL RULES: The attacker's deployment zone is on one of the short table edges is twice the Move of his
slowest unit, and is only subject to Forced Withdrawal for the half of the map closest to his deployment zone.
DEFENDER DEPLOYMENT & SPECIAL RULES: The defender's deployment zone
starts 24" away from the attacker's deployment zone. The defender may use Hidden Deployment rules for up to one-fourth of his total force, and is subject to Forced Withdrawal.
VICTORY CONDITIONS: The victory is calculated using AV, with the following modifications: Any of the attacker's units which are destroyed or forced to withdraw are worth double the normal BV to to the defender's total, while the attacker adds the AV of any of his units which end the final turn within 12" of the defender's table edge.
RESOURCE RUSH
"Lostech. Water. Food. Land. Ammunition. Treasure. Even knowledge. All of these and more have been the underlying cause beneath the roiling turmoil of war for centuries, and will continue to be for the centuries to come."
-Commodore Skuld the Scorpion
BRIEFING: Scattered across the battlefield are invaluable resources that must be taken, or if not taken then controlled so the enemy doesn't have easy access to them.
BOARD & GAME LENGTH: The board is a 4'x4' square. Roll a d6: On a 1-3, the battle takes place in a cityscape with half of the board with as many buildings as available. On a 4-6, the battle takes place in a wilderness area. The battle lasts for 20 turns or until one side achieves victory.
OVERALL SPECIAL RULES: There are two counters for every 100 AV, representing the resources being fought over. Each player takes it in turns to place them, with the following caveats: No counter may be placed within 6" of either deployment zone, or closer than 6" to each other, and if the battle takes place in a cityscape, each counter must be placed within a building. The counters may be picked up, carried, and put down by BA, BM, CI, and CM.
ATTACKER DEPLOYMENT & SPECIAL RULES: The attacker deploys within 10" of a long table edge. Forced Deployment is in effect.
DEFENDER DEPLOYMENT & SPECIAL RULES: The defender deploys within 10" of a long table edge. Forced Deployment is in effect.
VICTORY CONDITIONS: Standard AV rules apply, with the following additions:
+20 AV per counter 'controlled' at the end of the battle (the side with the highest-BV unit closest to the counter controls it.)
+50 AV per counter carried off one side's respective map edge. 'Mechs which carry a counter off may not return to the battlefield, but do not give 1/2 their BV for Forced Withdrawal unless they
were subject to Forced Withdrawal.
[DEV NOTE: In practice, this means that light 'Mechs tend to rush in, carry off what they can, and the big boys stay in to duke it out over the rest - with Forced Withdrawal pathways often trying to go over a counter so the damaged 'Mech can pick up a counter on the way out of the battlefield. It's fun!]
CONVOY ASSAULT
"Given the choice between a death sentence and J-27 duty, many choose the death sentence. At first this claim was dismissed as hyperbole, but studies have shown this to be true.... and may be no choice at all. The mortality rate for J-27 crews is triple that of any other military vehicle."
- TRO 3025, J-27 Transport entry (paraphased)
BRIEFING: A convoy of much-needed ammunition and armor is being taken to the front. The attacker's goal is to disable or destroy as many transports as possible, while the defender's goal is to get them off the table, or to throw back the attackers - whichever might be easier.
MAPS & GAME LENGTH: The board uses the full 6'x4', and should have no buildings on it. Place a road through the middle of the board from one short edge to the other short edge. The game lasts for 10 turns or until the last J-27 is off the board, either destroyed or moved from the far table edge by the defender.
OVERALL SPECIAL RULES: For every 50 AV of the match, the defender controls one
J-27 Transport (Armor) in addition to his regular forces. They deploy along the road, starting at one short table edge, each one spaced 1" from the the last. The defender deploys his other units within 6" of the convoy. The defender deploys all his units BEFORE the attacker.
ATTACKER DEPLOYMENT & SPECIAL RULES: The attacker may only deploy units that have a Move of 10" or higher, unless they are transported aboard a unit that qualifies. His deployment zone is 10" from BOTH long edges. Forced Withdrawal rules are in effect for the attacker.
DEFENDER DEPLOYMENT & SPECIAL RULES: The defender may
not deploy any BM of Sz 4. (The heaviest units would be at the front line, not escorting a ammo convoy, after all!) The defender's units will NOT retreat using Forced Withdrawal - no doubt afraid of ending up on a J-27 crew themselves!
VICTORY CONDITIONS: In addition to standard BV rules, each J-27 destroyed is worth 30 AV to the attacker, or if intact is worth 30 AV to the defender.
RAVENING HORDE
"Ravannion theorized that 'Mech warfare should be carried out by swarms of ultra-light 'Mechs to attack and overwhelm heavier, but numerically inferior defending 'Mechs."
-TRO 3025, Blackjack entry
BRIEFING: Whether by lunacy, luck, or genius, one side has an almost unstoppable mass of lighter 'Mechs to throw against the other.
BOARD & GAME LENGTH: The board is a 2'x4' area, and the game lasts for 12 turns.
OVERALL SPECIAL RULES: None.
ATTACKER DEPLOYMENT & SPECIAL RULES: The attacker may only deploy Sz 1 units, and can only deploy BA/CI that is transported by another unit. At the start of the game, the attacker moves his units on from any table edge. Every three turns, the attacker may recycle his force by removing any units he deems too damaged to continue and move them on as a fresh unit from the table edge.
DEFENDER DEPLOYMENT & SPECIAL RULES: The defender counts the number of units deployed by the attacker and chooses a number of units equal to that number to deploy 18" from the short table edges. All of those units gain +1 Skill.
VICTORY CONDITIONS: Each of the defender's units is worth one victory point, totalled at the end of the game, with destroyed units going towards the attacker's total, and still-functional units going towards the defender's. If the attacker has more, he wins; if not, the defender wins. Ties go to the defender.
AMBUSH!
"All's fair, in love and war - pfagh! Nothing's fair in war, and that's the way I like it."
-Lt. Colonel Aserin "Silver" Bulat
BRIEFING: The attacker is about to spring an ambush onto an unsuspecting defender. The defender's goal: Survive. The attacker's: Wipe them out utterly.
MAPS & GAME LENGTH: The board uses the full 6'x4' table. The game lasts for 10 turns or until all units are destroyed.
OVERALL SPECIAL RULES: Roll a d6. On a 1-2, the first three turns take place under Dawn Environmental rules. On a 5-6, the last three turns take place under Dusk Environmental rules. The defender deploys all of his units BEFORE the attacker
ATTACKER DEPLOYMENT & SPECIAL RULES: The attacker deploys half of his force according to the Hidden Deployment rules, and his deployment zone is within 10" of any long table edge or 30" of the short edge opposite the defender's. In addition, he may place two Minefields per 100 AV of the game anywhere but in the defender's deployment zone. He is under effect of Forced Withdrawal.
DEFENDER DEPLOYMENT & SPECIAL RULES: The defender deploys in a zone extending 30" from one short map edge and not closer than 10" to either long map edge. He may not deploy any ground units with a Move of 12" or more.
VICTORY CONDITIONS: The defender gains normal BV points per attacker unit destroyed or forced to withdraw, but also adds to his total the BV of any of his own units that successfully move off the far table edge.
HEADHUNTING
"While some commanders at regimental level might wish they could command from their 'Mechs, the truth of that scale is that it requires a dedicated HQ post - which can be dangerously vulnerable."
BRIEFING: The attacker has found and prepared an attack on the defender's headquarters. The defender wants to throw back the attack, and the attacker wants to decapitate the defender's HQ before it has a chance to respond.
MAPS & GAME LENGTH: The board is 4'x4', with a 1' square in the center representing the Headquarters area. Place 2d6 buildings in that square, with the defender designating one of them as his HQ with a CF of 15. The game lasts for 10 turns.
OVERALL SPECIAL RULES: None.
ATTACKER DEPLOYMENT & SPECIAL RULES: The attacker may deploy within 12" of any table edge, and may only deploy units that have a Move of 10" or higher, unless they are transported aboard a unit that qualifies.
DEFENDER DEPLOYMENT & SPECIAL RULES: The defender splits his force into two equal halves, then rolls randomly to see which he places within the 1' square of the HQ and which are in reserve. In addition, he designates one unit from the half which deploys at the start to be the CO. This unit gets a +1 Skill, but is immobile the first two turns. The other half deploys from a single table edge on turn 5.
VICTORY CONDITIONS: If the attacker destroys the HQ and the command unit, he wins. If he does not, the defender wins.
Well, the .doc version is coming - soon, I hope. But as always, it's a scramble to pay rent.
