Scenario Contest #3- Salvage

[Jen]

Salvage is the third scenario in our scenario contest, and it's live on our website.

As a quick reminder, the scenarios have been randomized, and the authors’ names have been removed. Please don’t mention who the author is, even if you know.

This thread will stay open until July 27 for feedback. Playtest feedback is especially important, although editorial feedback is helpful, too.

Enjoy!

Jen

[FJCestero]

What? No Super Heavies?!? No joyous arguments over 13.07 or whether they should count for 2.5 AUs ?!?

Well I'm not playing this poor excuse for a scenario! ;-)

Actually, it sound kinda kewl. Needs a "Mad Max" counter that can ride shotgun on a LGEV then jump onto the hood of a fleeing enemy hovertruck and take it over, though (with none of that wait-a-turn stuff). The existing scenario special rules are ok (and easy to remember, bonus!), but generic. Needs dramatic tension... :)

Haven't played it yet, but reinforcements feel weak. One unit every other turn? That's not nearly enough to sustain any real furball.

Still, I give it high marks for originality. (And I'm not even getting paid to say that).

[bms]

This may seem nitpicky, but the flavor text may need to be tweaked to not refer to a cache of reactor cores. I think of a cache of something as being in a small contained area. If you're playing the 4 map version, your cache of reactor cores is actually scattered over an area greater than 1300 square kilometers.

[KevinR]

Originally Posted by bms

If you're playing the 4 map version, your cache of reactor cores is actually scattered over an area greater than 1300 square kilometers.

Half the size of the Chernobyl exclusion zone sounds plausible. Maybe even explanatory.

[Buzzardo]

This may be out of bounds for the discussion, but what about a variant where players have to find the cores? A unit must check each hex, with some chance (2 on 2 dice?) that the hex contains a core. Or the location is a rumor, with the real location being some number of hexes away, which a player discovers only when arriving where rumor put the thing.

Just a thought.

[offsides]

Originally Posted by Buzzardo

This may be out of bounds for the discussion, but what about a variant where players have to find the cores? A unit must check each hex, with some chance (2 on 2 dice?) that the hex contains a core. Or the location is a rumor, with the real location being some number of hexes away, which a player discovers only when arriving where rumor put the thing.

Just a thought.

The latter's an easy variant - just roll 2 dice: 1d3-1 is the # of hexes from the "expected" location (or a larger possible number), and 1d6 gives the direction (1 => N, 2=>NE, etc). Having them totally hidden makes for a LOT of extra bookkeeping, especially if you're trying to keep them from all being in one spot...

[Buzzardo]

I wasn't thinking of any bookkeeping. Each time a unit enters a hex, that side rolls. If they get a 2 on 2 dice, there's a core in that hex. Once the total number of cores has been found, everyone stops rolling.

That might lead to one player finding a bunch of them and unbalancing the scenario, but that's how Easter egg hunts work, and this thing sounds a lot like a high-tech Easter egg hunt.

No offense meant - nothing wrong with a good Easter egg hunt. :)

[wolf90]

Minor questions, but nevertheless pertinent:

- May a combat unit that escapes re-enter the map on a later turn?
- May a hover truck that leaves with a reactor re-enter the map on a later turn? If so, is there a delay before it can re-enter (for unloading or further transport of the reactor core)?
- If a unit enters on a road (or water/rail for GEVs), does it receive the movement bonus on it's initial turn?
- For the Ogre variants, may it enter underwater if there is a water hex within the proscribed entry area?
- For reinforcements with more than one option, is it player choice or randomly determined?
- May specialist Infantry be chosen (at usual cost) instead of regular Infantry, either during initial force selection or as part of reinforcements?


EDIT - Answers below.

Plus the obvious formatting typo: "“Blocking�"

D.

[Jen]

Originally Posted by wolf90

Minor questions, but nevertheless pertinent:

- May a combat unit that escapes re-enter the map on a later turn?
- May a hover truck that leaves with a reactor re-enter the map on a later turn? If so, is there a delay before it can re-enter (for unloading or further transport of the reactor core)?
- If a unit enters on a road (or water/rail for GEVs), does it receive the movement bonus on it's initial turn?
- For the Ogre variants, may it enter underwater if there is a water hex within the prescribed entry area?
- For reinforcements with more than one option, is it player choice or randomly determined?
- May specialist Infantry be chosen (at usual cost) instead of regular Infantry, either during initial force selection or as part of reinforcements?

These are the suggested answers from the writer:

1. No. Rule 5.12: no unit may re-enter the map once it has left.
2. No, you get a new hovertruck with reinforcements.
3. Per 5.07.1, yes.
4. Yes.
5. Player choice.
6. Yes.