Space Crusade: Mission Dreadnought

Space Crusade: Mission Dreadnought Rulebook

Table of Contents

Introduction

Mission Dreadnought contains several new weapons and Dreadnought pieces. Before you set out on your first mission, read through the new rules carefully. All the basic rules of Space Crusade still apply and many of the new rules work in a similar way.

Marine Players

The Marines now have a new range of weapons to choose from: three Extra-Heavy Weapons and a Tarantula - a devastating Mobile Support Weapon. To man the Tarantula, the Marines' ranks have also been increased by the addition of two more Marines to act as Gunners.

Extra-Heavy Weapons

The Extra-Heavy Weapons are designed to give the Marines greater fire power against heavily armoured foes.

As with the original Heavy Weapons, each Extra-Heavy Weapon has a special way of firing: each affects an area and may therefore hit more than one target at a time. However, to operate these Extra-Heavy Weapons, you will need to roll three Heavy Weapons dice to attack.

Order and Equipment cards for Heavy Weapons may not be used for Extra-Heavy Weapons.

Each Extra-Heavy Weapon Marine is worth 10 points to the Alien player when eliminated.

The Las-cannon

The Las-cannon may fire three shots in one turn. All three shots must be fired either before or after the Marine miniature moves. For example, a Marine may not fire one shot, move and then fire his remaining two shots.

Each shot of the Las-cannon affects an area of four squares as illustrated below (Fig.1a). But only the squares to which the firing Marine can trace a direct line of sight will be affected.

Each time you fire the Las-cannon, roll one Heavy Weapons die: each and every miniature in the affected squares will be attacked with the score rolled.

You may also decide to concentrate one or more shots onto the same area. If you choose to do this, you may roll two or even all three Heavy Weapons dice in one attack; the total scored by all dice will determine what effect your attack has in the target area.

Fig. 1a: a 2 x 2 area of four squares.

Example

The player with the Las-cannon decides to fire his first shot at the lighter shaded area (See Fig.1b). He rolls a 2 and applies that score to each of the Gretchins in the area; he eliminates three of the Gretchins, but the fourth Gretchin is not eliminated because, although he stands within the area normally affected by a Las-cannon shot, the Marine firing cannot trace a direct line of sight to that particular square. Next, the player decides to combine his remaining two shots on the darker shaded area. He rolls two dice and scores a total of 3 and therefore eliminates both the Androids.

Fig. 1b: the example board for the Las-cannon (printed diagram).

The Fusion Gun

The Fusion Gun fires at all miniatures along a straight line of squares; this line may be horizontal, vertical or diagonal. Each and every miniature in the line of fire is attacked separately by the total rolled on three dice. This is similar to the way the Plasma Gun fires. However, the three dice are rolled for each miniature in the line of fire. As with the Plasma Gun, the line of fire is blocked as soon as it hits a wall or a closed door.

Example

The Fusion Gun is fired along a corridor where there are three miniatures in the line of fire (see Fig. 2). The player rolls three dice and scores a total of 7 against the Gretchin and therefore eliminates him. He then rolls three dice and scores a total of 2 against the Android who remains unhurt. Finally, he rolls three dice and scores a total of 4 against the Ork and eliminates him as well.

Fig. 2: a corridor with a Marine, a Gretchin, an Android and an Ork in the line of fire (printed diagram).

The Conversion Beam

The Conversion Beam fires in a straight line of squares, which may be horizontal, vertical or diagonal. The Conversion Beam will travel in a straight line until it is blocked by a wall or a closed door. The last square in the line of fire is where the greatest damage will occur. Any miniature in this square will be attacked by the total rolled on all dice.

The impact of the Conversion Beam causes an explosion which affects all adjacent squares. These squares are attacked by the total rolled minus one. The blast will not affect adjacent miniatures on the far side of closed doors or walls.

The squares back along the line of fire are also affected by the blast. Each successive square is attacked with a score equal to one less than the score on the square before it, until the Attack Value reaches zero.

Beware! If the Conversion Beam is fired at very close range it may result in the blast eliminating the Marine who fired the weapon!

Example

Examine Fig. 3 to see the effect of the Conversion Beam's impact: a Marine chooses to fire along the corridor as he risks getting caught in the blast if he fires in any other direction. The player rolls three dice and scores a total of 6. The diagram shows the Attack Value against the various squares affected by the shot. At the initial point of impact against the wall, the Attack Value is 6. The explosion caused has a value of 5 in the adjacent squares and as it recoils back along the line of fire, its effect decreases, leaving the Marine unscathed.

Fig. 3: the Conversion Beam's Attack Value on each square (printed diagram; the Attack Value is 6 at the point of impact, 5 in the adjacent squares, and decreases back along the line of fire).

The Tarantula

The Tarantula is a Mobile Support Weapon. During a normal Marine player turn, the Tarantula may either move or fire, providing it is manned by a Marine. Unlike other pieces, the Tarantula may not move and fire during the same Marine player turn, unless certain Order Cards are played (see Order Cards on page 11). Order and Equipment cards for Heavy Weapons may not be used for the Tarantula.

As with other miniatures, the Tarantula will block the line of sight of other Marines firing. However, other Marine players can see past the Tarantula to locate Blip tokens in their line of sight.

The Alien player may not use the Tarantula. If the Alien player destroys the Tarantula, he scores 10 points.

Tarantula Gunners

All Marines are trained to operate the Tarantula. The Tarantula may only move or fire when it is manned by a Marine. To operate the Tarantula, a Marine must be equipped with the Tarantula Control Console and be standing in the square immediately behind the Tarantula.

Because of the Tarantula's protective defences, Marine Gunners automatically have their Armour Value increased from 2 to 4. However, this only applies if the Gunner is fired at by a miniature that is within the Tarantula's Arc of Fire.

For example, an Alien shooting at the Gunner from within the Tarantula's Arc of Fire must roll higher than a 4. If the Alien attacks the Gunner from outside the Tarantula's Arc of Fire, he only needs to roll higher than the Gunner's ordinary Armour Value of 2. (Also see Arcs of Fire on page 10.)

If the Gunner is eliminated, the Marine player may, during his turn, substitute another Marine to act as Gunner. The new Gunner exchanges his current weapon for the Tarantula Control Console. However, he may not move or fire the Tarantula in the same turn unless an Order Card has been played. Each Gunner is worth 5 points to the Alien player.

If the Tarantula is destroyed, the Gunner may be armed with a Bolter and continue as an ordinary Marine.

Moving the Tarantula

The Tarantula may only move when a Gunner is operating it. The Tarantula occupies three squares when manned by a Gunner. These three squares must run in a straight line, either vertically or horizontally, but never diagonally. When moving, the Tarantula may pass through other Marine miniatures but may not end its move if any of the three squares it will occupy contain another miniature.

The Tarantula may move six squares at a time. Always count the number of squares the Tarantula moves from the front edge. The Tarantula may move horizontally or vertically, but never diagonally. It may change direction by pivoting 90° or 180° around its middle square. This turning motion does not count as one of the six squares it may move.

Fig. 4: the Tarantula's movement diagram (printed diagram).

Example

In Fig. 4, the Tarantula begins its move on the darker shaded squares and is first moved forward four squares. It is then turned 90°, pivoting on its centre, shown as the darker shaded space, and moved a further two squares to finish its move on the lighter shaded squares.

Arcs of Fire

The Tarantula may only fire at those targets that are partially or fully within its Arc of Fire, and to which the Gunner operating the Tarantula can also trace a direct line of sight. Targets that are fully outside the Arc of Fire may not be fired at.

Fig. 5: the Tarantula's Arc of Fire (lightly shaded squares) and the squares the Gunner cannot target (marked with a cross) (printed diagram).

Example

In Fig. 5, the squares within the Tarantula's Arc of Fire are shown with the light shading. The squares marked with a cross are those to which the Gunner, located at the rear of the Tarantula, cannot trace a direct line of sight and so may not fire at, even though these squares are within the Tarantula's Arc of Fire.

Firing The Tarantula

The Tarantula may fire three shots in one turn. It has two Las-cannons which fire in the same way as the standard Las-cannon.

However, for each of the three shots, the Marine player rolls two Heavy Weapons dice instead of one. Therefore, by combining shots onto the same area, the Tarantula may roll four or even six dice in one attack.

Squares will only be affected if they are within the Tarantula's Arc of Fire and in the Gunner's line of sight.

Order Cards

Some Order Cards may enable the Tarantula to move and/or fire several times in a single turn. These are especially powerful, as the Tarantula may usually only move or fire. The Order Cards that enable the Tarantula to do both are: By Sections!, Move It! and Fire!

Hits on the Tarantula

The Tarantula has an Armour Value of 6. It may be fired at in the usual way and if the value of the attack exceeds its Armour Value it is destroyed and removed from play. The Gunner reverts to his role as an ordinary Marine and may then be armed with a Bolter. If the Alien player destroys the Tarantula, he scores 10 points.

The Tarantula in Hand-to-Hand Combat

When attacking the Tarantula in hand-to-hand combat, the Alien player must decide whether to attack the Tarantula or the Gunner. The Tarantula itself does not roll any dice in hand-to-hand combat, although the Gunner, if attacked, may roll two Light Weapons dice as usual.

If the Tarantula is attacked in hand-to-hand combat, the opponent must try to destroy the Tarantula by rolling higher than its Armour Value of 6.

If the attack succeeds, the Tarantula is destroyed and removed from the board. The Gunner reverts to his role as an ordinary Marine and may then be armed with a Bolter.

The Alien Player

New Dreadnoughts

The Alien player has a number of new Dreadnought pieces which enable him to build up to four alternative Dreadnought models. These act in exactly the same way as the existing Dreadnought. However, the new pieces improve a Dreadnought's performance in the following ways:

i) Any Dreadnought fitted with the longer leg pieces may move six squares instead of four.

ii) Any Dreadnought with the larger top piece may be armed with four weapons instead of two. Therefore, it will take five hits to eliminate the Dreadnought as there are four weapons to be removed instead of two. The Armour Value for all Dreadnoughts remains at 4.

New Dreadnought Weapons

The new Dreadnought weapons operate in exactly the same way as the new Marine weapons (Las-cannon, Fusion Gun and Conversion Beam). These new weapons are added to the other Dreadnought weapons available. When the Alien player places a Dreadnought onto the board for the first time, he may choose to arm it with any of the Dreadnought weapons he has available.

Bulkheads

Bulkheads operate in the same way as normal doors except that they cannot be opened by the Marines: to get through them, the Marines must destroy the bulkheads by rolling higher than the bulkhead's Armour Value of 4.

Marine Commanders may also smash bulkheads in hand-to-hand combat. The Marine Commander must try to destroy the bulkhead by rolling higher than its Armour Value of 4.

If an attack succeeds, the bulkhead is destroyed and removed from the board. Once eliminated from the game, it cannot be used again.

The Alien player may open bulkhead doors and then close them at the end of his turn.

Scoring points

The Alien player scores the following points when he eliminates:

Target	Points
A Marine armed with Extra-Heavy Weapons	10 points
A Tarantula	10 points
A Gunner	5 points

Dreadnought Classes

The Space Marines have named the various Dreadnoughts encountered so far. Their names and capabilities are listed below:

Mark VII Dreadnought - Malevolent Class

Move: 4
Weapons: Mountings for 2 Heavy/Extra-Heavy Weapons. Bolters mounted on main structure.
C.E.R. Value: 25

Mark VIII Dreadnought - Marauder Class

Move: 6
Weapons: Mountings for 2 Heavy/Extra-Heavy Weapons. Bolters mounted on main structure.
C.E.R. Value: 30

Mark IX Dreadnought - Dominator Class

Move: 4
Weapons: Mountings for 4 Heavy/Extra-Heavy Weapons. Bolters mounted on main structure.
C.E.R. Value: 40

Mark X Dreadnought - Abomination Class

Move: 6
Weapons: Mountings for 4 Heavy/Extra-Heavy Weapons. Bolters mounted on main structure.
C.E.R. Value: 50

All Missions

Marine players do not have to move their Space Marines back to their starting positions to finish a mission.

Instead, the Space Marines may leave the board from any corridor square marked with a white arrow. Check the location of these squares at the beginning of each mission.

When the Space Marines start a mission on one of the four playing boards, the Alien player must place his Blips onto each board before any of the Marines move.

Remove the Mothership Commo. card from the Alien Event deck for all three missions.

Mission One

Primary Mission - Mission 211/1-Sector 978 - Assault

Establish a foothold on the main access tunnel. Expect determined opposition from Chaos forces in the area.

Warning: Genestealers have infested parts of this Sector.

The main assault has been successful. The Space Marines have established a defensive perimeter while they prepare their attack on the heart of the Dreadnought factory. A preliminary attack is to be launched to reach the main access tunnel.

The Primary Mission token will be won by the first Marine player to move two of his miniatures into the access tunnel.

The Secondary Mission token will be won by the second Marine player to move two of his miniatures into the access tunnel.

Mission One map: the playing boards with the access tunnel and Bulkheads (printed diagram; see page 15 of the Mission Book).

Blips and Reinforcements

All Blip tokens, except Mark VII and Mark X Dreadnoughts.
One Marine Player - All Green and Blue Reinforcement tokens.
Two Marine Players - All Reinforcement tokens except Dreadnoughts.
Three Marine Players - All Reinforcement tokens except Mark VII, Mark VIII and Mark IX Dreadnoughts.

Notes

When a Genestealer card is drawn during the game, the Alien player may now place all three Genestealers onto any one board. If there are fewer than three Genestealers, the Alien player may place as many as he has available.

Mission Two

Primary Mission - Mission 211/2-Sector 978 - Neutralize

Warning: Chaos forces in this area have resisted initial assault. Secure main area before launching main attack on Dreadnought production plant. Imperative all Chaos forces be cleared from this Sector.

The outer limits of the Dreadnought factory have been reached. However, several small pockets of resistance need to be overwhelmed before the production plant itself can be assaulted.

The Primary Mission token will be won by the Marine player who collects the most Blip and Reinforcement tokens.

If two or more Marine players finish with the same number of tokens, then the Primary Mission token will be awarded to the one with the most points.

There is no Secondary Mission.

Mission Two map: the playing boards with Bulkheads (printed diagram; see page 17 of the Mission Book).

Blips and Reinforcements

All Blip tokens, except Mark VII and Mark X Dreadnoughts.
One Marine Player - All Green and Blue Reinforcement tokens.
Two Marine Players - All Reinforcement tokens except Dreadnoughts.
Three Marine Players - All Reinforcement tokens except Mark VII, Mark VIII and Mark IX Dreadnoughts.

Mission Three

Primary Mission - Mission 211/3-Sector 978 - Destroy

Commence final assault. Penetrate Dreadnought production plant in Sector nucleus and destroy. Locate Alien Command Centre beyond and destroy.

Chaos forces have now retreated into the Dreadnought factory itself. The time for the final conflict has come. Sensors indicate that Dreadnought production has been increased to strengthen their defence. The assault must be decisive.

The Primary Mission token will be won by the first Marine player to move two of his miniatures into the Dreadnought factory with no Aliens or Blips present. Once the Primary Mission has been completed, no more Dreadnoughts may be built.

The Secondary Mission token will be won by the first Marine player to move one of his miniatures into the Alien Command Centre with no Aliens present.

Mission Three map: the Dreadnought factory layout (printed diagram; see page 19 of the Mission Book).

Blips and Reinforcements

All Blip tokens, except Dreadnoughts.
One Marine Player - All Green and Blue Reinforcement tokens.
Two or three Marine Players - All Reinforcement tokens except Dreadnoughts.

Dreadnought Assembly

At the end of each Marine player's turn, you may complete one Dreadnought Production Phase.

Dreadnoughts are built in three phases.

Base, lower body and legs Place the unfinished Dreadnought in any one of the four assembly bays in the Dreadnought factory and out of the line of sight of any Marine miniature.
Upper body Add the upper body to any unfinished Dreadnought in any assembly bay. The Dreadnought may now move and fight during the Alien player's turn. However, as it is only half completed, the Dreadnought will only be able to fire its Bolters and attack in hand-to-hand combat.
Weapons Finally, place weapons onto any Dreadnought in any assembly bay in the factory. This may be a Dreadnought that has just been built or a Dreadnought that has been damaged and needs repairs.

Dreadnought Assembly diagram: the Dreadnought factory layout (printed diagram; see page 19 of the Mission Book).