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26. The Gauntlet V2

Get ready to run!

Rust Town Run

For those who think the horror-infested depths of the underhive aren't dangerous enough - there's the Rust Town Run! This special scenario utilises the Necromunda Badzone Delta-7 tiles set to create a twisting maze of death - putting runners against hunters, as one player tries to guide their gangers to glory, while the other tries to knock them into giant fans and blazing furnaces!

The Rust Town Run is legendary among the underhive inhabitants of Hive Primus. Every sump-scraper, done runner and ripper herder has heard the tales of Bald Bryen's path of perils, and when news spread of a gang willing to take on the Mayor of Rust Town's maze, hivers flock to see the action. Spectators cram themselves into vent shafts and drain irises, or gather around flickering pict-screens for a good view of the action. Fistfuls of scrip change hands as they bet on the runners, getting good odds on most likely to be eviscerated or the number of juves who fall into the grinder. For a gang, the run is a chance to prove their worth and win glory for their house, plus maybe even scrag one of Bald Bryen's 'chrono crystals' - rare gems worth a Guilder's ransom in creds. Of course the Rust Town Run is more then just a dungeon of deadly perils, and when a gange takes up the challenge the call goes out for skilled killers to oppose them. There is no shortage of gangers willing to don the mantle of one of Bryen's hunters, the chance to stop a run in its tracks almost as prestigious as completing one.

No one knows for sure when Bald Bryen’s Rust Town Run started or where the crazed mayor got the idea, though more than one Guilder has made the comparison between the Rust Town Run and stories of Helmawr’s Gauntlet. When the great wheels of industry complete their long and prodigious revolution, Helmawr’s scriveners descend upon the Clan Houses to count the fruits of their labour and measure it against the hive tithe quotas. When these vast tallies are reckoned, one House stands at the top of the production output and another at the bottom. In his beneficence, Helmawr allows the lowly House a chance to reclaim its honour by sending its champions to complete his Gauntlet – a maze of punishment chambers designed to torment both mind and body. The other Houses can send their own champions to see that the lowly House stays in its place, and so take on a role not unlike Bald Bryen’s hunters. If the lowly House can defeat Helmawr’s Gauntlet then the Lord of Necromunda might grant them his forgiveness and a measure of the top House’s output – all the more reason for the other Houses to make sure they fail. So it is for the Rust Town Run, and if a gang can win their way through, their fortunes will swell, almost always at the expense of the gang that failed to stop them.

Source: Warhammer Community, January 2019

Attacker & Defender

In this scenario, one gang is the attacker (known as the runners) and the other is the defender (known as the hunters). In a campaign, the player who chose this scenario is the attacker. In a skirmish, players should roll off and the winner decides whether they will attack or defend.

Battlefield

The Gauntlet has been set up by Bald Bryen so it is especially dangerous for the runners taking part (not to mention entertaining for the paying spectators). The battlefield is set up as shown on the map below, using the Badzone Delta-7 tiles:

Once the tiles have been placed, four doors are added as follows:

  1. One double door on the Unlit Crossroad tile, in the lit gap closest to the bridge tile.
  2. One single door on the Ventilation Turbine tile, where the one square gap is between wall and tile edge closest to the bridge.
  3. One double door on the Ventilation Turbine tile where the hazard stripes are.
  4. One double door at the entrance to the vault on the Secure Vault tile.

Finally, a single loot casket should be placed in the Vault (the grey room).

After the doors have been placed, the defender may add up to four barricades anywhere on the battlefield.

At the beginning of the battle, all doors are closed but not locked, with the exception of the Vault door which is of course locked!

Crews

  • Attacker: Custom (D6+4).
  • Defender: Random (D3+4).

Tactics Cards

  • Attacker: Custom (2).
  • Defender: Random (2).
  • Underdog (starting crew cost): +1 random per 100 credits.

Deployment

The attacker deploys first, placing their crew of runners anywhere within 6" of the centre of the Unlit Crossroad tile. The defender then deploys their crew of hunters as described by the From the Shadows special rule below. The attacker has priority for the first round.

Special Rule: From the Shadows

Bald Bryen likes to make sure the odds are stacked against the runners, and the Gauntlet is filled with hidden tunnels and hatches only the hunters have access to. At the start of the battle, the defender can set up their crew of hunters anywhere on the battlefield (with the exception of the Unlit Crossroad tile) or can choose to have them Lurking in the Shadows. Fighters that are Lurking in the Shadows take no part in the battle until they are deployed.

When it is the defenders’ turn to activate a fighter, they can choose to either:

  • Pass (taking no action).
  • Activate a Ready fighter as normal.
  • Move a fighter that is Lurking in the Shadows onto the battlefield (placing it anywhere on the battlefield at least 3" from an enemy fighter).
  • Remove a Standing and Active or a Prone and Pinned fighter from the battlefield to Lurk in the Shadows once more.
  • When a fighter that was Lurking in the Shadows is placed on the battlefield, they are not given a Ready marker; they are considered to have used their activation to enter the Gauntlet. At the beginning of the following round, the fighter is given a Ready marker and may be activated to take actions as normal.

Special Rule: Something to Prove

Once the run begins, it is all or nothing! In this scenario neither side need to make Bottle tests. However, if at the start of any round, half of the attacker’s Crew (rounding fractions up) are Seriously Injured or Out of Action, the attacker may voluntarily bottle out.

Objectives

Attacker: Break into the Vault and open the loot casket (retrieving the chrono crystal).

Defender: Stop all the runners by taking them all Out of Action.

Ending the Battle

The battle ends when:

  • Only one gang has fighters remaining (at the start of any round).
  • An attacking fighter opens the loot casket in the Vault.

Victory

If the attacker wins by claiming the chrono crystal, otherwise the defender wins.

Rewards

Credits

  • +10 credits for each opposing Ganger or Juve taken Out of Action.
  • +20 credits for each opposing Champion taken Out of Action.
  • +40 credits for the opposing Leader taken Out of Action.

The attacker can sell the chrono crystal for 2D6x20 credits (if they get it) or hold onto it as it might be useful at some point in the future...

Experience

Scenario specific rewards:

  • +1 for taking part.
  • +1 to each defender for taking an attacker Out of Action (in addition to the standard for this).
  • +D3 to each winning attacker.

Standard rewards:

  • +1 for taking an enemy Out of Action.
  • +1 for taking an enemy Leader or Champion Out of Action.
  • +1 for killing an enemy (during the battle).
  • +1 for Rallying.

Reputation

  • +1 to both gangs.
  • +1 to winning defender.
  • +3 to winning attacker.
House Rule

Infiltrate

Problem: Infiltrate can be imbalanced or break this scenario.

Solution: If at least one player wants, Infiltrate can't be used in this scenario. Instead, Infiltrating fighters can make 1 or 2 move actions before the first round.