Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident
Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Setup / Scale / Terminology / Random Selection / Mission Objectives
These are all pretty straightforward, covered clearly in the manual itself.
Sequence of Play
Human Action Phase
- Determine alert level. If aliens are nearby, it is "Combat." Otherwise, "Explore."
- Each human unit acts (exception: aliens go first in a successful ambush — see Combat).
- Resolve gas attacks.
- Check for panic (if a unit sees another human get a "K" from a claw attack, a unit starts a phase as the only active human in an area with aliens, or a unit discovers a dead body).
Alien Action Phase
- Check for human abduction (in a room with 1 or fewer active humans, roll 1D6. On a 1, all humans in the area are abducted and put in the cup).
- Aliens act / attack.
- Status of "down" aliens is checked (roll 1D6. 1-3: dead. 4-6: alive — check surprise table and continue combat).
Orbit Phase
(Doesn't happen during "combat" status.)
- Move the orbit timer ahead one box.
- If you've reached the "orbit" counters, flip the next counter.
- Resolve orbit phase actions (healing, computer hacking, spacesuit patching, etc).
Discovery Phase
(Checking for encounters.)
- Check for discovery in rooms that haven't been explored yet (table 5.0A, top half).
- Check for ambush in newly entered corridors or explored rooms that now have no active humans in them (table 5.0A, bottom half).
- Resolve all new events discovered.
- If hostiles are encountered: check the surprise table for both discovery and ambush encounters (table 5.0C, rolling one die for each space between you and the nearest alien), then begin combat — aliens go first if humans are surprised.
- If the ship is in atmosphere / reentry, move the timer ahead one box and check for ship destruction.
Movement
Free Movement
When the game is in "Explore" mode, there are no restrictions on general movement, including doors, airlocks, hatches, or the lifts. However, units must stop and check for an encounter any time they enter any area that doesn't currently have humans in it, regardless of whether it has been previously explored or not.
Combat Movement
Whenever the alert level is "Combat," units may only move based on their movement rates. For each turn, decide if a human is walking, jogging, or running, and consult table 4.0A.
Restrictions on Combat Movement
- White (clear) squares cost 1MP.
- Lt. Grey (cluttered) squares cost 2MP.
- Dk. Grey (obstructed) squares cost 3MP.
Humans carrying plasma guns or other humans use the "Heavy Humans" movement rate.
Up to four active units can be on one square (including moving through it) — so if a square already has 4 active humans, it can't be moved through (this applies at all times, not just during combat). Aliens and inactive / down units are not affected by this stacking limit.
Doors, hatches, and airlocks: the first unit to go through during a turn loses 1MP, and then ½ of its remaining movement for that turn (rounded up) after passing through. All other units can pass through freely for that turn. Airlocks can only have one end open at a time (doesn't matter during free movement).
Zero-G Movement
Whenever you are in the central hub, or in the Ring area when the "stop spinning" action has occurred, you are considered to be in zero gravity. All units, human and alien, use the "Zero-G" movement rate on table 4.0A in these situations.
Discovery / Ambush
Entering Unexplored Rooms
After moving your units, roll a die for each area that was entered that was not already explored previously (table 5.0A, top section). If the table shows it, draw the indicated number of events from the cup. If aliens and surviving crew members are drawn at the same time, roll a die or flip a coin to see which stays, and place the losing group back into the cup. Place any drawn aliens using table 5.0B. Resolve any drawn encounters (see encounter reference in back of manual to see what it does). Roll for surprise if aliens were drawn and placed (table 5.0C).
Entering Any Empty Corridor or Previously Explored Room
If your units enter any corridor or previously-explored room that did not have any units occupying it last turn, check for an ambush (roll on table 5.0A, bottom section). If the ambush was successful, draw the encounters from the cup, and put back anything but aliens or live crew members (you do not have to draw again to replace them). Roll on table 5.0C to see if your units are surprised by the ambush (be sure to note the +2 modifier for it being an ambush).
Events
Once an event has happened, do not put the encounter back into the cup — it is now out of the game.
Crew Members
Crew members that are discovered are played just like Marines. The first crew member discovered is armed with a pistol. The second crew member is armed with the torch. All other crew members are unarmed. All crew members are considered unarmored. Marines may not voluntarily leave a crew member alone in a space. If a crew member does end up alone, he must move as fast as possible to the closest marine-occupied area.
Robots
When a robot is discovered, roll 1D6 to check its status:
- 1: Malfunctioning, and goes berserk (see Berserk rules).
- 2-3: Seriously damaged, must be repaired before it's operational.
- 4-6: Inactive. May be activated by any human during the Orbit phase.
Robots that are discovered are controlled just like human units, but have both special abilities and limitations. Robots must have a human in the area or they become inactive. They may carry one piece of equipment but may not use it. They are not affected by gas or decompression. They may not Hack, Examine Records, Launch Shuttle, or Activate Robot. See manual section 10.2 for details on specific types of robots.
Alien / Hostile Actions & Movement
Intelligent Hostiles
This includes most aliens, the predator, and the herbivore.
For each area where intelligent hostiles are encountered:
- If there are active humans in the area, roll a die and use chart 6.0A to see how the aliens react (comparing number of hostiles to number of active humans). If the number or greater is rolled, they attack. Otherwise, they start running to the nearest exit. If they run into another area that has active humans, roll on the chart again. If they run into an empty area, remove them from the map and place them back in the cup.
- If there are only inactive humans in the area (for example, if all units are downed): all humans are abducted. Place the hostiles and the humans into the cup.
- If no humans remain in the area at all (for example, they all successfully flee): all hostiles in the area are returned to the cup.
Berserk Hostiles
Such as berserk robots, insane crewmen, and the acid sprayer alien.
A berserk unit will attack the nearest active unit, both hostile and human. It will fight until either it or its opponent is downed or killed. If a berserk unit is left in an area without active units, put it back in the cup.
Ambushing Hostiles
Ambushing hostiles do not roll on the reaction chart — they always attack.
Human Abduction
(Note: there do NOT have to be alien counters in the area for this to occur.)
During the "check for abduction" stage of the alien's turn phase, if there are one or fewer active humans in an area, roll the die (repeat for each phase it applies to). If a 1 is rolled, all humans (including the active one) are abducted, and are placed into the cup. If an abducted human appears during the discovery / exploration phase, roll a die: 1-4: Dead. 5-6: Seriously wounded. If dead, the unit(s) that discovered the body automatically panic (see Panicking). Abductions do not happen in areas that have aliens in them, in the assault shuttle, in locks, or to casualties stored in the MedLab.
Combat
Ranged Combat
Applies to guns and the alien acid spray.
Each weapon has its own table. To clarify how to read them:
- Top line: name of weapon, and 2D6 roll needed to hit at various ranges (note also the modifiers in table 7.1C).
- Range die rolls apply to ranges as shown in chart 7.1B (for example, an enemy 2-3 squares away is considered "point-blank").
- Range die rolls are in order of closest to farthest, so for example for the Pistol, a 3+ would hit at "adjacent" range, and an 8+ would hit at "medium" range.
To attack with a ranged weapon:
- Pick your target, and your weapon. Check for the range using table 7.1B.
- Check for line of sight. If a straight line between you and your target is blocked by a wall, door, or other solid object, you have no target (other units, and things like chairs and so on, do not block LOS).
- Roll 2D6. Compare result to "to hit" numbers at upper right (for example, at "medium" range with a pistol, you needed to roll at least an 8) to see if you hit.
- If you hit, look up the result in the Hostile Damage chart (7.3C) or the Friendly Damage chart (7.3A) depending on who just got hit.
- Each unit normally only gets one shot. A unit has the option to fire two shots, but at a -2 to hit on the die roll. Panicking marines also fire two shots with the -2 modifier. You can fire at two targets during a "double-shot," but you have to declare your targets before rolling.
Missing: if you miss, the bullet will hit something else in the area. If there are other units in the same line of fire, roll a die for each one, starting with the closest. 1-3: Hit (check attack damage as usual, and stop rolling). 4-6: Miss — roll for the next unit. If there are no more units that can be hit, the bullet will hit whatever object is next in the line of fire: wall, window, computer, door, etc.
- Hit a wall: no effect.
- Hit a door or window: check at the bottom of the weapon chart for the "Door penetration" value. Roll 1D6. If any of the numbers in the "Doors" values come up (for example, a 4, 5, or 6 for the plasma rifle), place a Breach marker on the door — it is now free to move through (but still separates two areas when exploring is concerned). If it is an outside wall/window or against a depressurized area, see the manual for Decompression rules (7.18).
- Hit a hatch: no effect.
- Hit a computer: roll 1D6 to see if it penetrates (there is a "Computer" value at the bottom of the weapons charts, next to the "Doors" value). If it does, roll 1D6 on chart 7.1D.
- Hit any of the 3 "drive walls" in the drive room: causes a "drive overload" event. See event list in back of manual.
Jamming: if you roll a 2 ("snake eyes") on the to-hit roll, or the weapon is shot during a panic, the weapon jams. For a pistol or rifle, a marine (not crew) can unjam it by taking a phase to do the unjamming (for every attempt, roll on table 9.0A to see the result). Plasma guns can only be unjammed in the machine shop, by a unit with the Mechanic skill. If a 2 is rolled during a panic fire, the weapon is destroyed instead of jamming.
Close / Non-Ranged Combat
Includes alien claws, herbivore teeth, welding torch, and unarmed combat.
Close combat only occurs with units on the same square. No "to hit" roll is necessary, and there are no modifiers — just roll on the weapon chart to see the effect. Note: humans must down any hostiles in the same square as them before attacking anything else. If a human leaves a square with a hostile, and there are no other humans in that square, the hostile gets an immediate free attack.
Running During Combat
Units may not run and attack at the same time (both for ranged and close combat). Walking and jogging have negative "to hit" modifiers (see chart 7.1C).
Attacking to Subdue / Unarmed Combat
You can't kill anything with unarmed combat, but you can use it to knock out an insane crew member, or if you're really lucky with the roll (but unlucky enough that you're without a gun), down an alien.
Attack Results
- Light wound: movement is reduced by half. Additional -2 to hit on ranged weapons. Can be healed by the medic or a trip to the MedLab.
- Serious wound: inactive for rest of game, and loses all carried equipment.
- Killed: remove unit from game. All equipment is lost. If it's an alien, remember the acid spray attack when it dies. Note: killed hostiles are not returned to the cup. They can now be used as "explored" markers.
- Serious Damage (robots): robot inactive until repaired.
- Berserk: unit goes berserk. Refer back to Berserk Hostiles.
- KO: unit inactive until healed by the medic or brought to the MedLab.
- Down (humans): place a "down" marker on unit. Unit is inactive until another unit takes an action to do a status check (or does one during free movement after combat). To status check, roll 1D6 — 1-3: Dead. 4-6: Seriously wounded. Must be done in same square as downed unit.
- Down (aliens): place a "down" marker on unit. Alien can continue to be attacked, but no further damage is done unless a "K" is rolled. At the end of its action phase (before the humans move next), roll 1D6 — 1-4: Dead. 5-6: alien was stunned — roll on surprise table (5.0C) with a +1 (and no other modifiers) to see if it gets a surprise attack, and continue the battle. If an alien is downed twice, it is automatically dead.
Cumulative Damage
If a unit is wounded and then hit again, refer to chart 7.3B for the result.
Damage to Spacesuits
Any time a marine takes damage, their spacesuit is breached and the marine is now considered unprotected. Flip the marine counter over. A suit can be patched (if you find the suit patch), or replaced either at the spacesuit locker or the transport shuttle (both are considered to have unlimited replacements). It takes a full action to replace a suit (flip the counter back over to normal).
Special Attacks
Acid Spray
Whenever an alien is killed with a "K" roll, all units in the same square immediately take damage from the acid spray attack table. This does not happen with aliens that are "down" and then found to be dead.
IC / Knockout Gas
Roll on the Gas Attacks table (on the Hostile Units side of the charts sheet), and repeat every turn. All units in the area are affected, with the exception of protected/suited units — they are not affected by the gas.
Other Actions
Carrying People
An inactive human can be carried by one or two humans. If two humans are doing the carrying, they are both considered "Heavy" on the movement table. If one human is carrying, he is also Heavy, and may not jog or run. Any unit that is carrying may not move and fire in the same phase, and also has a -2 to hit on attack rolls. Picking up or dropping is a full action, and has to be done in the same square as the person the unit is picking up or dropping.
Panicking
Check for a panic any time a human:
- Sees another human get a "K" from a claw attack.
- Begins a phase as the only active human in a room with aliens.
- Finds a human body.
To check for a panic, roll 1D6. On a 1 or 2, the human panics.
When a human is panicking, that unit always goes before all other humans, and must do one of the following actions:
- a) Panic (double) fire at the nearest hostile unit(s), going for active ones before downed.
- b) If unable to fire, use entire movement allowance to move away from hostiles.
- c) If unable to do either, stand in place and freeze, OR run for nearest human-occupied space.
Re-roll for panic result at the end of each human phase. The unit recovers fully if a 1 or 2 is not rolled, or at the beginning of the next Exploration turn.
Special Areas / Rooms
Command Pod
Contains the Crew Manifest. The manifest requires a 1D6 Hack roll of 4 or better to get — see table 9.0B for Hack modifiers.
Shuttles
The marine shuttle is a safe zone — no ambush or discoveries there, and casualties may be left there safely. The other shuttle is treated like any other area for discovery. Both shuttles can be used as lifeboats.
Lift Shafts
Can be moved by a unit in the car, or a unit at either end of the shaft. Moving the car is a free movement (however, the doors cannot be opened during the same phase the car moved during combat). Units must spend ½ of their movement for that phase to enter or leave the car. The car can hold 8 humans.
Drive Room
Hitting one of the three "drive walls" causes a "Drive Overload" event. See events list in the back of the manual.
MedLab
Any human may use an action while in the MedLab to:
- Place an incapacitated unit into a suspension capsule, which protects it from attack.
- Revive an unconscious (KO'd) unit.
- Recharge the marine medkit (if held).
Machine Shop
- Mechanics get +1 to repair rolls.
- Marines get +1 to unjam rolls.
- Only area where plasma guns may be unjammed/repaired (and only by a mechanic).
Computer Room
Any hits to the wall units have a 50% chance of destroying the computer and disrupting power to the ship. If this happens, the lights go out (all areas are considered dark), the ring stops (causing Zero-G), and the computer room fills with IC gas and foam (see events list in back of manual, and Special Attacks re: gas).
Items / Equipment
The manual covers these clearly on its own item and equipment charts. Note that the Crew Manifest and RAM Dump can only be picked up after a successful hack attempt, and the unit must take an action to actually read them before they count towards your "accounted for" crew.
Ending the Game
The game is over when:
- There are no more active humans.
- The ship has been destroyed.
- The shuttles have been evacuated (see conditions below).
This is a rescue mission, so the marines are not allowed to leave until the crew has all been accounted for (you need at least 15 accounted for to reach this level). This means that all live (including insane) crew have to be loaded up onto an escape vehicle. All crew members that are dead, and any accounted for by items like the Crew Manifest, are placed in the "crew accounted for" box on the map.
If the ship starts reentry, the marines are allowed to give up and start launching escape vehicles. However, if any humans (including "down" humans) are not accounted for yet, the shuttles can't launch until it is known for sure that they are dead, or the reentry timer hits 4.
Evacuation / Lifeboats
Units can be evacuated using the marine assault shuttle, transport shuttle, and command pod. To launch, a human must spend one action in that lifeboat's launch area (see descriptions below). Once launched, a lifeboat cannot return to the ship. The transport shuttle and command pod must have a pilot on board (and conscious) or all on board are lost.
- Marine shuttle: holds 12. Launch area is either forward chair square. Does not need a pilot — has an autopilot system.
- Transport shuttle: holds 15. Launch area is either forward chair square. Marines must explore the shuttle and its storage area before launching, or they are immediately ambushed.
- Command pod: holds 7. Can be launched with a hacking roll of 7 from any location, including other parts of the ship.
Shuttles with a pilot can pick up units stuck in a decompressed area. This is an automatic action.
Victory
Victory is determined by adding up victory points (VP).
- Each crew member accounted for (but not rescued) is worth 3 VP.
- Each crew member rescued is worth 5 VP.
- Each surviving marine is worth 1 VP.
- If no one escapes, subtract 20 VP.
Each of the following is worth 2 VP:
- Last lifeboat launch was while the reentry timer was on "4" or greater (Cinematic victory).
- Both shuttles returned (Military victory).
- Command pod returned (Scientific victory).
- All crew (15+) accounted for (Total victory).
- Only one marine escapes (Pyrrhic victory).
If the VP total is 42 or more, the mission is a success. 55 or more is a total success. If the VP is 30-41, the mission is a marginal failure. Less than 30 indicates total failure.