East Indianman Knight Hawks Scenario

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UPF Escort

This is a Knight Hawks advanced game scenario. It requires the hex map from the Knight Hawks boxed set and several counters to represent various ships, as described below.

Contents

Background

An East Indiaman Medium Freighter is on its way from Gruna Garu (Hargut) to Prenglar (Gran Quivera) with a shipment of Yazirian-made gyrojet rifles for distribution to the remnants of LandFleet, stationed and awaiting weapons for their next mission.

The dread pirate Googrith-Kaar (Dralasite – complete with a patch, peg-leg, and hook for a hand –and a flair for the ultradramatic pirate talk of ancient humans) has caught wind of this and has mobilized his pirate fleet - which normally wouldn’t prey on something this large.

Of course, UPF sent along an armed escort, but in typical armed-escort fashion, it’s under-equipped for the danger it faces. As soon as the forward UPF scout detects the pirates, it sends out a request for some assistance to the UPF fleet stationed in the Prenglar system. Will the back-up arrive in time?

Setting Up

The two forces enter the map from opposite, short map edges. The pirate player can establish whatever speed he wants for each of his ships on the previous turn. The East Indiaman freighter and the UPF ships must begin with a speed of 5. The UPF Assault Scout (it was scouting ahead) must begin in the center of the map, unlike all other ships which must begin touching the edge of the map at opposite ends. At the start of the scenario, the freighter is in the control of the UPF side. After the ships are placed, the pirate side has initiative (is designated side A).

The Pirate Fleet
Ship HP ADF MR DCR Weapons Defenses
Fighters P1,P2,P3,P48 4 5 30 ARx3 RH
Assault Scouts P5,P6 15 5 4 50 ARx4, LB RH
Command Frigate P7 40 4 3 70 LC, RBx4, LB, Tx2 RH, MSx2, ICMx4


The UPF Escort
Ship HP ADF MR DCR Weapons Defenses
Fighters U1,U28 4 5 30 ARx3 RH
Assault Scouts U3 15 5 4 50 ARx4, LB RH
Destroyer U4 50 3 3 75 LC, RBx4, LB, Tx2, EB RH, MSx2, ICMx5


The East Indiaman Medium Freighter
Ship HP ADF MR DCR Weapons Defenses
Medium Freighter F1 50 1 3 50 LB RH

Special Rules

Time

It is important for the players to keep track of the number of turns that have passed in the game since the beginning of the scenario. For simplicity, this burden falls on the side of the pirate player(s), since they begin the game with automatic initiative. Each time it’s the pirate player(s) turn, add 1 to the number of turns that have passed.

Grapple & Board

Any ship can attempt to gain control of the East Indiaman freighter by grapple & board attempt. Fighters will be useless for this, of course, but other ships can be quite effective. To do this, a ship enters the same hex as the East Indiaman going in the same direction and speed as the freighter, ending its turn docked on top (where the LB can’t shoot it!). This is more complicated than one may think, and takes careful planning and maneuvering. If this is done, the two ships move as one (whoever controls the East Indiaman moves both ships; they’re connected). Each turn the grappling ship rolls d100. If less than or equal to that ship’s HP rating (maximum, not current), the grappling ship gains control of the East Indiaman.

For example: if the Command Frigate P6 successfully maneuvers into the right hex at the right direction at the right speed, the pirate player rolls d100. If the result is less than or equal to 40 (the Frigate’s max HP), he has successfully captured the freighter and now controls it.

The only way to halt the takeover is for the East Indiaman’s controlling player to shake off the grapple. This is done by rolling 1d10 and rolling less than or equal to that ship’s MR (that is, they must roll 3 or less). This knocks off the grappled ship, which is now moving in the same direction and speed as the East Indiaman but no longer moving with that ship.

A Spy Among Us

Unknown to the captain of the East Indiaman Class Medium Freighter, the pirate Googrith-Kaar has planted a spy in the midst of that crew (that’s why he’s emboldened to raid a ship this large). He has been spending his entire mission acquiring the means by which to gain control of the freighter. The pirate player(s) may, at any point, call on this spy to act. When this happens, roll 2d10. If the result is less than the number of turns that have passed since the beginning of the scenario, the spy is successful and the Pirate player now controls the East Indiaman. This can only be attempted once, successful or not. The UPF player might figure things out if the pirate team seems to be waiting for something...

Calling for Reinforcements

On turn 20, the UPF’s reinforcements arrive, traveling any speed the UPF player desires. They’ll come from the pirate’s side of the map (from the direction the East Indiaman freighter was heading)! This will sandwich the pirates between two dangerous groups. The pirate player need not keep track of the passage of turns at this point; it’s the last timed event in the scenario. The reinforcements will be as follows:


UPF Reinforcements
Ship HP ADF MR DCR Weapons Defenses
Fighters U5,U68 4 5 30 ARx3 RH
Destroyer U7 50 3 3 75 LC, RBx4, LB, Tx2, EB RH, MSx2, ICMx5


Victory Conditions

Unlike many scenarios, the victor isn’t the side who eliminates all of the opponents. The victor is whoever owns the East Indiaman freighter when it travels off the map in the opposite direction from where the controlling player started the scenario. Thus, if the pirate player controls it when it exits the map in the direction the UPF side started, then the pirate fleet is the victor. If the East Indiaman is destroyed for any reason, nobody wins and the scenario ends in a tie.