Last few weeks to play it if you wish, as it is written for KT2021
I will update it at certain point once I am confident I understand the new edition well enough.
This is born from a mostly underwhelming experience with KT21's Spec Ops campaign. No quantifiable/satisfying ending, inconsequential battle scars, bland scenarios, snowballing imbalance, difficulty with getting some players to play consistently, being stuck with a faction while wanting to play another...with this little project I wanted to at least partially solve these hurdles.
KILL TEAM MINI CAMPAIGN
The search for something and stuff
1. Campaign overview
This campaign is a simplified version of the Spec Ops campaign from the
KT rulebook, designed to be played in a single day or over the course of three evenings. It consists of three linked, narrative scenarios in which operatives can gain experience and suffer battle scars. After each game players gain points for completing various campaign-related tasks. The player with the most points at the end of the campaign is its winner.
The campaign doesn’t use the rules for the Base of Operations (limited Equipment Points, Rare Equipment, Strategic Assets, Requisitions) and completing Spec Ops, unless mentioned otherwise.
You need only two players to play this, but any even number can take part (each pair playing the same scenario at the same time). Switching pairings inbetween battles is perfectly viable.
2. Preparing the roster
Players choose a single Kill Team just like for an individual game of Matched Play. Then, they may add one extra operative to stay in reserve. This operative has to be either a basic, unlimited Warrior, or an operative of a different type or armed differently than the rest.
For example, if the base Kill Team has a Gunner operative with a Plasma Gun, the reserve operative can also be a Gunner, but can’t be armed with a Plasma Gun.
The total of these operatives are always available to players to choose from before each game, so one of them will always stay in reserve.
One random operative from the roster starts the campaign with 2 Experience Points.
Two other random operatives from the roster start the campaign with 1 Experience Point.
Before each game players choose Equipment normally, as if for a regular Matched Play game.
3. Experience
Operatives gain experience normally during each game (including the last one). Each scenario provides additional conditions that may cause operatives to gain extra experience.
To make levelling faster in the limited number of games in this campaign, the thresholds for receiving Ranks and Battle Honours have been lowered.
VETERAN – 4XP
ACE – 7XP
4. Battle Scars
After each game players perform Casualty rolls for their incapacitated operatives normally, but after games 1 and 2 they re-roll all “Slain” results. After game 3 operatives can be slain. Remember to modify the Casualty rolls for Battle Scars operatives already have!
The operative not taking part in game 2 can make a recovery roll as normal, if they have a Battle Scar.
5. Tac Ops
Tac Ops are chosen differently, to further push players out of their comfort zones and provide a unique challenge.
All
Tac Ops available to a player’s Kill Team (all legal archetypes + faction
Tac Ops) are put together in a pool and three
Tac Ops are generated randomly from this pool before each battle. After each battle the
Tac Ops used in that battle are discarded from the pool. This may result in a composition of
Tac Ops that wouldn’t be legal in a Matched Play game – it’s fine.
6. Scenarios
Scenario maps are generated as normal for Matched Play games, but have specified scoring conditions and a narrative twist.
Scenario 1: THE CLUE
In the abandoned ruins of an Imperial outpost lies, lost and forgotten, an important clue for your search. You notice, though, that the enemy is also searching the ruins. Are they looking for the same thing as you do or do they have their own objective?
Scoring: CAPTURE
Mission: Random short edge deployment
Set up: At the start of the Select Drop Zone step of set up (before Attacker and Defender are determined) both players secretly choose one piece of terrain on the board and note it where their opponent can’t see it. This is the piece of terrain in which their opponent’s Clue is hidden.
Special rules: Operatives can perform the Search mission action (1AP) when within 1” of a terrain piece that hasn’t been Searched by their Kill Team yet. The opponent should confirm whether it is the terrain piece they chose before the game or not. If it is not, nothing happens. If it is, place a friendly Clue token 1” of the operative who has performed the Search action. The token can be picked up by any operatives.
Note that you can only Search for and find your own friendly Clue (the one “hidden” by your opponent) not your opponent’s, but you can pick up both. The same terrain piece may be Searched (successfully or unsuccessfully) by both Kill Teams.
Note that Search is a mission action that grants 1XP to an operative who performs it as per 1st condition of gaining XP (so it doesn’t stack with getting 1XP for Capturing an objective).
Consequences:
The operative who finds the friendly Clue receives 1XP
The operative who controls the friendly Clue at the end of the game receives 1XP
The operative who controls the friendly Clue at the end of Game 1 counts as knowing the Clue in games 2 and 3. This operative can perform Secure and Loot mission actions in these games for 1AP less (to a minimum of 0AP).
If your operative controls the friendly Clue at the end of Game 1 and no enemy operative controls their friendly Clue, you automatically win the right to decide who has Initiative in Turning Point 1 of Game 2.
If your operative controls the friendly Clue at the end of Game 1 you can choose one Rare Equipment item and use it for the rest of the campaign.
Scenario 2: THE GUARDIAN
As you try to secure the area to allow your dropships to pick you up once the mission is completed, you perceive an unnatural change in the air. An otherworldly warden entity of this place emerges from the ground to confront the sacrilegious interlopers.
Scoring: SECURE
Mission: Random diagonal deployment
Set up: Place a model to represent the Ancient Guardian in the middle of the Killzone. It can be any appropriately imposing model from your collection. The only limitation is the base size – be careful to choose a model with a base that allows it freedom of movement between pieces of terrain.
Special rules: Before the first activation of the Firefight phase of every Turning Point, the player who doesn’t have the Initiative activates the Ancient Guardian. First, they roll
2D6 and move the Guardian up to the number of inches shown on the die with the highest number. This can bring the Guardian within the Engagement Range of an operative in which case the Guardian counts as charging that operative. If possible this movement MUST allow the Guardian to attack an operative of either side. During this movement the Guardian can leave Engagement Range of operatives freely.
Then the controlling player MUST perform an attack against a valid target using one of the Guardian’s weapons. During this attack the controlling player can’t use any special rules available to their Kill Team (eg. Command Re-roll).
The Guardian can be charged and/or attacked by operatives as if it were an enemy model. It is affected by special rules that affect attack dice, defence dice, damage (for example
MW X,
AP X, Lethal etc). It shouldn’t be affected by other special rules and abilities, in particular those which involve activations,
APL, movement. For example – a critical melee attack with Stun will remove an extra attack dice from the Guardian’s pool, but won’t affect its
APL (as it has none). Ambiguous cases should be discussed before the game.
THE ANCIENT GUARDIAN
DF: 3
SV:4+/5++ W:22
(shooting) Eldritch blast A:5
BS:3+ D:2/3 !: P1, Indirect, Range 6”
(melee) Eldritch grasp A:5
WS:3+ D:2/3 !: -
Abilities: Cloak of Mists and Shadows : This model is not affected in any way by attacks or special rules of operatives who are not within 6” of this model.
This model has 5+ Invulnerable Save.
Once the Ancient Guardian is incapacitated, before removing it from the Killzone, place the Guardian’s Heart token as close to the centre of its base as possible. This token can be picked up.
Consequences:
The operative who deals the most damage to the Ancient Warden receives 1XP
The operative who incapacitates the Ancient Warden receives 1XP
The operative who controls the Guardian’s Heart at the end of the game receives 1XP
The operative who controls the Guardian’s Heart at the end of the game has the Guardian’s Heart meld with it. This operative counts its
APL as 1 higher for the purposes of controlling the Circle in Game 3. It can never be targeted by the Hungry Shadows effect in Game 3.
Scenario 3: THE CIRCLE
The riches of this place are yours for the taking, but the spirits that dwell here are not going to make it any easier. Hungry shadows reach for you from unnatural darkness. A strange, mystical circle drawn on the ground seems to be the quiet eye of this eerie storm.
Scoring: LOOT
Mission: Random long edge deployment
Set up: Mark a 12” diameter zone in the centre of the Killzone (a Warmachine zone is perfect
!). It is the Circle. Terrain pieces and objectives can (and should) overlap it.
Special rules: Hungry Shadows: At the end of each Turning Point, after all other effects have been resolved (
Tac Ops etc) the player who controls the Circle (has more total
APL within the Circle) must choose one operative that is not at least partially within the Circle . That chosen operative suffers 3 Mortal Wounds.
If no player controls the Circle the target of the Hungry Shadows is chosen randomly from all valid targets (ie those outside the Circle, not melded with the Guardian’s Heart).
Consequences:
None – just Loot whatever you can and try to survive!
7. Campaign scoring
Game 1
Winning the game – 3 pts
More points from
Tac Ops – 1pt
Higher % of surviving (not incapacitated) operatives – 1pt
Finding own Clue – 1pt
Controlling own Clue – 2pts
Opponent not even finding their own Clue – 1pt
Game 2
Winning the game – 3 pts
More points from
Tac Ops – 1pts
Higher % of surviving (not incapacitated) operatives – 1pt
Dealing the most Damage to the Guardian – 1pt
Incapacitating the Guardian – 1pt
Controlling the Guardian’s Heart at the end of TP4 – 2pts
Game 3
Winning the game – 3 pts
More points from
Tac Ops – 1pts
Higher % of surviving (not incapacitated) operatives – 1pt
Controlling the Circle 3 times -1pt
Controlling the Circle 4 times – 1pt (in addition to the above)
Incapacitating the enemy Leader – 2pts
Having the most experienced surviving (not Slain) operative – 2pts
