A Shot in the Dark: The Mission Pack

A small planet has emerged from the Warp, on the outskirts of the Galaxy. Interestingly, it shows no sign
of being tainted by the powers of Chaos. The various races & factions in the area send small scouting
parties to the surface, to investigate.

What secrets does the newly emerged planet hold? Where did it come from? Does it hold any strategic
value, or possibly valuable lost technology? Clues to the past of the Galaxy, or the future?

One thing is certain; if there is something of value to be had, each faction will fight to gain control of it
for their own use.

The Missions
These missions are to be played in order, over four (4) rounds of play using the Skirmish Warhammer
40,000 event format.

Victory and Defeat

Each Mission has its own parameters for victory and defeat. Some Missions will award Event Points to
just the winner, and some will award points to both players.
Mission 1: The Beacon
Upon landing, both forces pick up a beacon broadcasting mysterious, coded signals. Surely these
beacons must hold some clue to the planet’s origin or purpose, or point the way to whatever secrets it
holds. The scouting forces race to be the first the reach and decode the signals.

Setup: Place an objective marker (no larger than 50mm in width) in the exact center of the table. This is
The Beacon. The Beacon may not be placed in terrain, or within 5 inches of any terrain feature.

Deployment: Players roll off. The winner divides the table in half, either vertically, horizontally, or
diagonally. The loser then picks which sides the players will deploy in. The players roll off again to
determine the order in which they deploy. Each player deploys their entire force at once.

Objective & Mission Rules:

• The Beacon is a marker only. It does not count as a model, does not block Line of Sight, and does
not interact in any way with models, except as noted below.
• The Beacon must be decoded in order to win the Mission. To decode the Beacon, a player must
have an Infantry model in base to base contact with the Beacon for 2 of their own Player Turns,
without being in melee combat during that time. This means if you want to decode the Beacon,
you must be there for your turn, then the following opponent turn, and then your turn again.
• The Beacon cannot be decoded or interacted with during Game Turn 1. Models may begin
attempting to decode the Beacon starting in Game Turn 2.

Victory Conditions:
• If one player has decoded the Beacon, and the other has not, the player who’s decoded it wins
the Mission via Major Victory. If both players have decoded the Beacon, both players win the
Mission via Minor Victory.
• If both players score a Minor Victory, but then one force is wiped out, that player retains a
Minor Victory (they sent the decoded messages back to HQ before they were wiped out), but
the player who eliminated his opponent scores a Major Victory instead.

Event Points:
• Major Victory: 3 Event Points
• Minor Victory: 2 Event Point
Mission 2: Opening the Tunnels
The decoded transmissions contain coordinates to a network of tunnels. Each tunnel has been stopped
up with concrete, alien resin, boulders, forcefield generators, steel plates, and whatever other sturdy
materials the original inhabitants of this planet could scrape together. Bones and other battlefield debris
are scattered for hundreds of feet around each tunnel entrance.

HQ has sent orders that the scouting force is to gain access to the tunnels and investigate what
valuables may be hidden beneath the earth. And to do it quickly, before competing forces are able to do
the same!

Setup: Divide the table into four (4) equal quarters. Place an objective marker in the center of each
table quarter. These are the tunnel entrances.

Deployment: Players roll off. The winner divides the table in half, either vertically, horizontally, or
diagonally. The loser then picks which sides the players will deploy in. The players roll off again to
determine the order in which they deploy. Each player deploys their entire force at once. No models
may be deployed within 9 inches of an objective marker.

Objective & Mission Rules:

• The tunnel entrances are blocked, and must be cleared in order to allow access. The tunnel
entrances have the following stats and special rules:
o T6 W10 Saves: 3+ Armor save, 5+ Invulnerable Save
o The Tunnel entrances cannot be attacked during Game Turn 1.
o All ranges for shooting attacks and melee attacks are measured to the center of the
objective markers.
• The Objective of the mission is to clear more tunnel entrances than your opponent. A tunnel
entrance is cleared when it loses its last Wound. Remove the objective marker for that entrance
at that point.

Victory Conditions:
• The player who has cleared more entrances by the end of the game wins a Major Victory. If both
players have cleared the same number, both players win a Minor Victory.

Event Points:
• Major Victory: 2 Event Points
• Minor Victory: 1 Event Point
Mission 3: Darkness Falls
As the last of the tunnels are opened, a howling wind begins to issue forth from below the ground, and
thick clouds of black ash and smoke spew into the air! The scouting forces find it difficult to navigate in
the obscuring wind and fog, and wind up running into each other.

More frightening yet, dark shapes the size of buildings seem to be moving about, obscured behind the
clouds of ash. Monstrous roars can be heard in the distance, and soldiers who fall behind are dragged
off into the darkness, screaming.

The scouting forces must fight to consolidate their position, and call for extraction. In the confusion, it
seems that whatever is stalking the darkness is drawn to the wounded.

Setup: No special rules.

Deployment: Players roll off. The winner picks a point within 12 inches of any table edge. He/she
deploys their models within 9 inches of that point. The other player then picks a point within 12 inches
of any table edge, and further than 24 inches from the other player’s point. They deploy their models
within 9 inches of the point they’ve chosen. Both players roll off to see who takes the first turn.

Objective & Mission Rules:

• All ranged weapons have their ranges reduced by 6 inches.
• All charge distances are -2 to the dice result.
• At the end of each player’s Movement Phase, roll a d6 for each unit in their army. On a roll of a
1, that unit suffers d3 Mortal Wounds as something lunges from out of the darkness and strikes.

Victory Conditions:
• Killing the enemy buys you time. It draws the attention of the monsters moving in the storm of
shadows and lets your forces set up communications and call for help. Each enemy unit that you
destroy gives you 1 Objective Point.
• An Objective Point can be used to negate a d3 worth of Mortal Wounds caused by the Mission
Rules. This must be declared before the d3 is rolled. If it is used in this way, the Objective Point is
lost, and removed from that player’s total.
• The player who ends the game with the most Objective Points wins via Major Victory. There is
no Minor Victory in this Mission. If the result is a tie, both players lose the Mission.

Event Points:
• Major Victory: 1 Event Point
• Minor Victory: N/A
Mission 4: Escape!
Something terrible has been unleashed from beneath the planet’s surface! As the storm of ash and
darkness dissipates, huge footprints are left behind; clawed and monstrous.

Reports come down for orbit: the planet is being overrun, and the scouting forces need to make it back
to their fleets with valuable intel on what happened, so that plans can be made to deal with whatever
has been set free.

But as the forces rush to reach their extraction sites, they encounter hostile forces! Surely, these other
forces are responsible for this tragedy! You must make haste to reach safety, but in the grim darkness of
the far future, there’s always some time for revenge, and to stop the enemy from escaping the planet
with their own valuable intel reports!

Setup: Place an Objective marker (no larger than 50mm in width) in the exact center of each table edge,
3 inches onto the table.

Deployment: Players roll off. The winner selects a table edge. The loser takes the opposite table edge.
The players then alternate placing models, one unit at a time, within 8 inches of their table edge,
starting with the player who won the roll to choose deployment zones.

Objective & Mission Rules:

• Get to the Extraction Point. The Objective marker in your opponents’ deployment zone
represents your Extraction Point. You must reach that point and stop the enemy force from
reaching their own Extraction Point.
o Players gain 1 Objective Point for each friendly unit that’s within 4 inches of their
Extraction Point. This is calculated at the end of each Game Turn, starting on Game Turn
3, and is cumulative.
o Players gain 1 Objective Point if their enemy has no units within 4 inches of their
enemy’s Extraction point. This is calculated starting at the end of each Game Turn,
starting on Turn 3, and is cumulative.

Victory Conditions:
• The player with the most Objective Points at the end of the game wins via Major Victory.
• If there is a tie, both players win via Minor Victory.

Event Points:
• Major Victory: 3 Event Points
• Minor Victory: 1 Event Point

To Be Continued….
The mystery planet may have been lost to the titanic monsters from beneath the soil, but there is
something here worth taking, and the various forces of the Galaxy are not done with the planet yet….