A skirmish game between the Adeptus Arbites and a mysterious but deadly killer

Background

For the past four years, a serial killer has terrified the seaport shanty town of Dark Harbor on the ocean world of Myrna.

This killer is so dangerous that, at night, even small patrols of Enforcers are not safe, and the local Arbites Precinct now deploys nighttime patrols in groups of five—whenever possible with one Enforcer armed with a flamer.

This scenario pits two five-man squads of Enforcers against the lone serial killer. Special rules put limits on the Enforcers’ ability to maneuver for a simple reason: The Enforcer player has a helicopter view of the table, whereas the Enforcer models would have a limited idea of where the killer is lurking.

After a nearly dozen games, I can’t say the scenario is properly balanced. Some players will find running the Enforcers too frustrating, although I enjoyed it—I’ve never worried about “fair” in a narrative fight.

Still, this scenario can easily be played solo. Then you’ll experience the tactical challenges of both sides, and you won’t mind if the game isn’t entirely “fair.”—TheGM

Rules

This is a skirmish battle that we played using the discontinued Shadow War: Armageddon (SWA) game by Games Workshop.

Fortunately, this scenario will work just fine with GW’s Kill Team or Necromunda rules, and, really, any set of skirmish rules you enjoy.

Setting

It’s a foggy, chilly night in the town of Dark Harbor, and two five-man patrols of Enforcers are walking the dirty streets near the port’s docks.

These hardened law-enforcement officers are nervous, as well they should be. Not far away, xeno eyes are watching them carefully.

Opposing Forces

To respect GW’s intellectual property rights, we can’t give you the stats of the models we used, but we took the stats used by Necromunda for its Palatine Enforcers, found in the codex: “The Book of Judgment.”

Actually, you also can use the stats for Veteran Astartes . Just equip them as if they were Arbites.

If you use Necromunda, the Enforcers consist of:

Squad #1: Palanite Captain (Leader), Palanite Subjugator (Elite), and three Palanite Patrolmen (regular troops).

Squad #2: Palanite Sergeant (Champion), Palanite Subjugator (Elite), and three Palanite Patrolmen (regular troops).

Weapons: Feel free to load the models up. In our games, most had shotguns and stun grenades, and one patrol had a flamer.

Heavy weapons, such as heavy bolters or missile launchers, are not allowed. We’re talking law enforcement officers, not soldiers.

The Genestealer is a special operative for the Genestealer Cult faction in SWA. I did boost its Wounds to 2.

Hopefully, GW won’t care about the stats of an out-of-publication game, so treat the Genestealer as follows:

Movement: 6″ Weapon Skill: 6 Ballistic Skill: 0 Strength 4
Toughness: 4 Wounds: 2 Initiative: 6 Attacks: 3 Leadership: 10

• Two claws with the Rending ability.
• 5+ Invulnerability
• Obviously no Ballistic Skill
• Cannot be pinned by weapons fire.
• Can climb and descend walls as normal movement, and can jump twice as far a normal human.

Finally, see the Special Scenario Rules farther down, as the Genestealer is a sneaky, slithering creature that’s hard to see or track.

Terrain

The terrain should reflect a poor, small seaside port. You don’t need a dock area, but it would enhance the “atmosphere.”

What you do need are a lot of small buildings, organized in a pattern that creates lots of alleys, back streets, and walls and scatter terrain that breaks up the line of sight (LOS) of the models.

You want your serial killer to have lots of places to skulk, hide, and slither around unseen. He is hunting the Enforcers, and the more claustrophobic the setting, and the more avenues of movement, the better.

Also, don’t make the table too small. I found that a 5-foot-by-5-foot table was just about right.

Deployment

Two five-man Enforcer patrols are set up in any opposite corners of the battlefield. All models start within 6″ of each patrol’s commander (sergeant or captain).

All Enforcers are assumed to be on Overwatch as the game begins.

The serial killer (our Genestealer) deploys last, and it may set up anywhere on the table that’s more than 12″ from the Enforcers. (Preferably out of sight.)

Objectives

Enforcers seek to kill the serial killer.

The Genestealer seeks to kill five Enforcers. When that objective is reached, the surviving Enforcers must make a Leadership Test every turn thereafter (morale roll) to continue the game. At this point, all the Genestealer needs to do is stay hidden, and the Enforcers eventually will flee.

Most players will just call the game at that point, unless the Enforcers are in the midst of battle and there is a possibility they can pull a last-minute, “heroic” win.

Special Rules

Given the tabletop viewpoint of the players, the battle isn’t fair if the Enforcers know where the Genestealer is. So, I’ve developed some rules to  make the game a real “cat and mouse” confrontation.

Control of Enforcer Movement: In most instances, a d6 is rolled for each of the two patrols. On a 3+, the Enforcer player can move the patrol normally. On a 1-2, the Genestealer player moves the patrol.

(Obviously, if played as a solo game, the player should move each patrol as the die indicates: On a 3+, the patrol should move as it would if it wants to catch the Genestealer. On a 1-2, you move the patrol in the wrong direction.

What Was That?—It should be noted, that when the Genestealer controls a patrol, it can send each Enforcer model in a different direction. It’s a great way to isolate an Enforcer, have him search a deserted alley, and jump him when he’s out of sight of his heavily armed comrades.

Slow and Steady—Each patrol will only move normally (no running), as no one runs into an alley where there may be a killer. The controlling player otherwise may move a patrol’s models as desired, separating them into smaller groups, putting them into cover, or putting some models on Overwatch.

There are exceptions to the above rules. In some situations, control of the two patrols are NOT rolled for, and they remain under the control of the Enforcer player (whether a second player or the solo gamer putting on his Enforcer cap).

• If an Enforcer model is attacked by the Genestealer, roll a d6. On a 4-6, the Enforcer manages to shout a warning on his vox-link and, in the next Enforcer  turn, both patrols are under the command of the Enforcer player. They may move (and run), shoot, or react as an Enforcer commander would want.
• If an Enforcer model sees the Genestealer in the xeno’s move (it runs across a street when the Enforcer is facing in that direction), an Enforcer on Overwatch can fire on the xeno, shout a warning, and both patrols will be under the control of the Enforcer player in the next turn.
• If an Enforcer model moves in its turn and spots the Genestealer, it reports the xeno’s position, and any Enforcers that have not yet moved may immediately react. They are under the control of the Enforcer player (why would the Genestealer player move a model to spot itself) and may run and shoot, etc.
• The Enforcer player maintains control of both Patrols until: Two full Enforcer turns have passed without any Enforcer spotting the Genestealer (or they do NOT hear gunfire, which might occur if an Enforcer manages an Overwatch shot before he dies).
• If, after two full turns, the Enforcer has not had visibility or heard gunfire, the Enforcer patrols again begin rolling a d6 for control.

Quiet Menace—Certain rules make it harder to spot the Genestealer:

• At a distance of more than 12″ to 24″, the Genestealer that runs can only be seen in the open on a 4+ of a d6. The Enforcer must be facing the Genestealer to see it.
• At a distance of more than 12″, the Genestealer that moves at a walk cannot be seen in the open.
• At a distance of less than 12″, a Genestealer can be seen or heard moving on a 4+.
• If a Genestealer is in cover, it can hide. It can only be seen if an Enforcer is within 6″, and the Enforcer is facing in the right direction.

Buildings

There are times when models may enter or leave a building. Rather than offer detailed rules for such situations, I’ll leave it to players to decide how to move, shoot, and fight in a building, or whether doors are locked or not.

I would suggest, though, that at least 1″of movement is needed to see if the door is locked or not, and it should take 2″ of movement for the Genestealer to slip through a window. You can allow a roll for a model to “break in” a building.

Final Thoughts

I found this scenario a lot of fun. Although the Enforcer control rules may strike some as abstract, it is a decent simulation of the confusion of the Enforcers patrolling in the dark, and it offsets the “helicopter view” of players.

The rules create a proper “cat and mouse” environment, and although the game leans in favor of the Genestealer player, he or she must prepare carefully before attacking. All it takes is a couple lucky shots and the Enforcers win.

Thus, the Genestealer player needs to take his time to separate the Enforcers when he/she gain Genestealer wounded, under fire, and running for your life.

Don’t let people shoot at you.

(For the impatient, I will point out that you can play this scenario in as little as 40 minutes. It takes seconds to move the Genestealer, and not much longer to move a five-man patrol, so don’t worry if you have to run across the table to “shake off” chasing Enforcers, or it takes 10 moves to get an Enforcer isolated for an attack.

The game is about hunting. If you play it like chess, it’ll be fun. If your player who wants to get into a brawl, this isn’t for you.

If you’re like most people, you’ll only try this scenario once and move on. But, if you are apt to “fiddle” with rules, I’d love to hear if you change things in an effort to make the game more exciting or you find a way to make the scenario more balanced.

(I don’t recommend adding more Enforcers. It’s no fun if it’s easy to corner the Genestealer.)

I’ve played this scenario seven times, and I’ve given up on balancing it. In real life, a fair fight isn’t very likely. And so I’m fine with playing this again with the odds against the Enforcers.

Here’s a link to our personal battle against the Genestealer. Consider it the “historical” account.

Click here to see more of Sharpwriter’s artwork.

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The Corvus Cluster is a Warhammer 40K blog documenting our gaming adventures in the fantastical sci-fi universe of Games Workshop.