38. Toll Bridge
RAW ✔️ The Book of Peril, p86
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.
Gangs fight over a vital bridge in the underhive.
Battlefield
This scenario uses the Battlefield set-up guidelines, as described on page 117 of the Necromunda Rulebook and may either be a Zone Mortalis or a Sector Mechanicus battlefield. When creating the battlefield, players should leave a 12" wide corridor with no terrain or tiles down the middle of the board – this is the toxic river. The river can be represented either by a gap, or a suitable piece of scenery. Only a single bridge crosses the river, which can be represented by a gantry or similar piece of narrow long terrain – this is the toll bridge.
Crews
This scenario uses the standard rules for choosing a crew, as described on page 118 of the Necromunda Rulebook. Players use the Custom Selection (10) method to choose their crew.
Deployment
This scenario uses the standard rules for deployment from page 119 of the Necromunda Rulebook. Crews must start the game on opposite sides of the river.
The Toxic River
The two gangs are fighting to control a valuable toll bridge spanning a toxic river. Fighters cannot voluntarily enter the river, and its sludgy waters are so dangerous that those who fall into the river are immediately taken Out of Action. If both players choose, they can add flotsam and jetsam to the river, represented by barrels, face-down barricades, loot caskets or even ramshackle boats if they have these in their terrain collection. These pieces of debris can be spread out across the river within a few inches of each other or collected along the edges of the river.
Fighters can use debris to cross the river, leaping from one to the other, or as a makeshift boat, standing on the piece of debris and moving it up to their Strength in inches as a Row (Double) action. In both cases, at the end of their activation, they must make an Initiative check to see if the debris they are standing on capsizes or sinks. If they fail, they fall into the river. Fighters who become Pinned or Prone while standing on debris must also make an Initiative check to see if they fall into the river.
The Bridge
The bridge over the toxic river uses an ancient mechanism to swing open or closed. At the beginning of the battle, its ends are connected to the shore and it spans the river. In the End phase of the third round, and each round thereafter, roll a D6. On a 5, the bridge pivots 90 degrees to the right, while on a 6 it pivots 90 degrees to the left. On any other result, the bridge remains stationary.
When the bridge pivots, fighters within 1" of its ends must make an Initiative check or fall from the bridge – if the ends were touching the shore before it moved, fighters fall onto the shore and become Prone, otherwise they fall into the river and are taken Out of Action.
If their gang has failed a Bottle test, fighters on the bridge do not need to make Cool tests to see if they flee the battlefield – provided that the bridge is not connected to the shore, they have nowhere to go! However, as soon as the bridge connects to the shore, they must make tests as normal.
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. The game also ends if, after the end of the third round, one gang has at least one fighter within 12" of the centre of the bridge and their opponent does not.
Victory
If only one gang has fighters on the board at the end of the game or they are the only gang with fighters within 12" of the centre of the bridge, they are the winner – otherwise the game is a draw.
Rewards (Campaigns Only)
Credits
The gang who won the scenario, and thus claimed the bridge, adds 3D6x10 credits to their Stash.
Experience
Each fighter that took part in the battle earns 1 XP.
Any fighter that crossed the river earns D3 XP.
Reputation
Each gang gains 1 Reputation for taking part in the battle.
The gang who won the scenario earns an additional D3 Reputation.
Arbitrating the Scenario
In a game that pits the Arbitrator against one or more players, the Arbitrator can take on the role of the defender of the bridge. The bridge itself might be fortified with barricades, or perhaps even a powerful brute or monster acting as its guardian. Meanwhile, a gang of Guilder Watchmen might be covering the river from the far bank, protecting the Guild of Coin's interests. In this kind of scenario, the players are attempting to get across the river at all costs, either clearing the bridge or using crude boats to brave its toxic depths, and every fighter who reaches the far side can escape off the enemy board edge to earn their gang D6x10 credits.