The second scenario from the Vancouver play group, the makers of Cold Storage, for use in Toss Yer Cabers 2023.
Information Warfare is the second in a series of all new tournament-ready skirmish missions. We wanted to create a skirmish scenario that used the portable objective mechanics but wasn’t too complicated to play, inspired by Escape Velocity and Capture the Flag game modes from competitive shooters. Running data packets from the close-by access panels to your side’s terminal is easy, but if you find yourself in a jam you can risk it all and try to deliver a virus to your opponent side’s terminal! Be careful though, overextending can leave a data packet in the right place for your opponent to score right away, or when on the defensive, lead to a virus in your mainframe. Note that larger squads like regulators can hold two zones at once, so squads have extra utility in this scenario. We find this scenario has a nice balance between careful defensive play and big, bombastic end runs. Playtested by the Vancouver meta since November and carefully adjusted for balance and fun, along with Cold Storage we think this will make for a great addition to the scenarios in the Pendulum tournament pack!
Skirmish Mission: Information Warfare
Covert operations are performed behind the scenes every day in the thousand worlds, the prized objective of these operations is control of arcantrik computer systems that keep communication lines open and maintain void gate networks.
Stealing information can be one goal, but even better is crippling an opposing government’s computer systems with a virus uploaded into their systems by delivering corrupted packets to an enemy’s data terminal.
SETUP
Place four permanent objectives onto the table as indicated on the map. Objectives should be centered at the points described.
The two objectives in the center represent access panels. The access panel objectives do not provide cover.
The two objectives in the corners represent terminals. Terminals are considered to be terrain features and provide cover.
SPECIAL RULES
When a unit ends its activation securing an access panel objective, place a data packet portable objective in play next to a model in the securing unit. That model is considered to be securing the data packet portable objective. Each unit can only secure one data packet portable objective at a time.
When a model securing a data packet portable objective ends its activation securing a terminal objective, the data packet is extracted. Remove that data packet portable objective from the table.
SCORING
Each player can only score each permanent objective once per Pulse round, and objectives are scored when a unit ends its activation
while securing the objective.
1 victory point is scored for objectives. Additionally, each time a player succeeds in extracting a data packet portable objective, that player scores 2 victory point for the terminal closest to the player’s starting battlefield edge, and 4 victory points are scored for the terminal closest to their opponent’s side of the battlefield.
VICTORY CONDITIONS
After the third Pulse round is scored, the player with the most victory points wins the game.
