34. Escape the Badzone
RAW ✔️ The Book of Peril, p78
Many of the Badzones Environments, such as the Sump Sea or the Stygian Depths, can have a big impact on how a scenario plays out. Sometimes, this will mean a little bit of planning on the part of the players to decide how the hazardous environment fits in with the scenario and how they set up the battlefield. For instance, when playing the Toll Bridge scenario over a Sump Sea, the bridge is most likely a central gantry between two structures and the 'river' below it represents an especially deep part of the sea or an especially toxic one. In scenarios which use specific terrain or markers, such as the Manufactorum Raid or Fungal Horror, if an area of the board is impassable or hazardous, such as the ground in Stygian Depths, then the terrain or markers should be put in places where the fighters can reach and interact with them.
Two crews must escape the Badzone.
Battlefield
This scenario uses the Battlefield Set-up guidelines, as described on page 117 of the Necromunda Rulebook. Additional guidelines might apply depending on the kind of Badzone Environment that the gangs are traversing. After setting up terrain, players take turns placing four loot caskets anywhere on the battlefield at least 8" from any board edge.
Crews
This scenario uses the standard rules for choosing a crew, as described on page 118 of the Necromunda Rulebook. Both players use the Custom Selection (10) method to choose their crews.
Deployment
This scenario uses the standard rules for deployment from page 119 of the Necromunda Rulebook.
A Path to Safety
Both gangs are attempting to find a path through the Badzone, while stopping the other from doing the same. Use the Badzones Events table or Badzones Environments Events cards to determine the Environment that the scenario is taking place in and adjust the battlefield depending on the guidelines. Each gang must get its fighters off the board edge closest to their opponent's deployment area.
If in the End phase a fighter is within 1" of their opponent's board edge and not Engaged, they may be removed from the battlefield and count as having escaped the Badzone. Fighters within 1" of a loot casket may choose to take the casket with them when they leave the board. Fighters removed in this way are ignored for the purposes of making Bottle tests (i.e., they do not count as part of the crew size but also do not count as having been taken Out of Action).
Dangerous Ground
The battle is taking place in an especially hostile Badzone. For the duration of the game, Badzone Events are discarded after they have been in play for one round even if their Discard Trigger is not rolled (see Generating Events).
Tactics Cards
Each player may choose two Tactics cards from their Tactics deck. If during the pre-battle sequence the total Credits value of fighters in one player's starting crew is less than their opponent's then they may randomly draw an additional Tactics card for each full 100 credits of difference.
Ending the Battle
If either player has no fighters on the board at the end of a round, the game ends. If one player's gang bottles out and flees the battlefield and their opponent gang's does not then any of their opponent's remaining fighters count as having escaped the Badzone.
Victory
The gang with the most fighters who escaped the Badzone is victorious. If both gangs had an equal amount of fighters escape the Badzone then the game is a draw.
Rewards (Campaigns Only)
Credits
Each loot casket a gang carries off the board adds 2D6x10 credits to their Stash.
Experience
Each fighter that took part in the battle earns 1 XP. Any fighter who escapes the Badzone earns 1 XP.
Reputation
If at least half of a gang's crew escaped the Badzone, they gain D3 Reputation. If either gang bottled out, they lose 1 Reputation.
Arbitrating the Scenario
If this is an Arbitrated scenario, the Arbitrator can take control of the Environment and Events. The Arbitrator begins by choosing an Environment they want the game to take place in and setting up the board to match. This could mean creating a broken gantry network over a Sump Sea or a Carnivorous Plant-choked tunnel network with only a few safe paths from one side to the other. Then, as the game progresses, the Arbitrator chooses Events to introduce, rather than them being chosen at random. This allows the Arbitrator to swing the battle from one side to the other or foil both players' plans by having toxic fogs descend, swarms of rats appear or sudden shutdowns locking doors and putting out the lights, just when the gangs think they might be on the verge of victory.