S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game: Duty & Freedom Faction Pack

Expansion for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game: Duty & Freedom Faction Pack Rulebook

Table of Contents

Integrating Expansion with the Core Game

Duty & Freedom Expansion adds additional components and Story to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game. As soon as you open the box you may add its components to the Core box following these rules:

Add the RPG-7U Weapon card to the Weapon deck. You may obtain it following the standard rules.
Add the 2 RPG Grenade Pouch Item cards to the Item deck. You may obtain them following the standard rules.
Add the 11 Attachment cards to the Attachment deck. You may obtain them following the standard rules.
Add all 4 Map tiles to the Core box Map tiles. D&F Map tiles have the following numbers: 60, 61, 62, 63.
Place the Enemy team and -1 HP tokens in their respective places in the token tray.
The remaining components may become available as you progress through the D&F Story.

All cards that are shuffled together with cards from the Core box have a DF mark in one of their corners for easier identification should you wish to remove the Duty & Freedom content from the Core game. Cards that are limited to one Faction are clearly marked as belonging to either Duty or Freedom.

Duty & Freedom Story

The Duty & Freedom box adds one additional Story that contains 3 Missions. You may add it to your playthrough at any moment by updating your Zone Map with the following sticker:

1. "Mission DF1 Rock and a Hard Place".

For your storage convenience, you may swap already completed Mission boxes with the new ones from the Duty & Freedom box.

Completing "Mission DF1 Rock and a Hard Place" changes your Zone Exploration Phase and your Binder content, so to fully experience it we recommend completing it as soon as possible, but due to its difficulty level, it is advised to finish at least 1 Story before you do.

Faction Rules

After you join a Faction you will be able to obtain Faction-restricted equipment and skills. But joining a side brings consequences that a loner wouldn't even think of.

Your Faction allegiance will be marked using a sticker on your Zone Map.

Faction Weapons and Armor

C40 (Duty Quartermaster) and C45 (Freedom Smuggler) offer Weapons and Armor restricted to their Faction. When visiting these traders you may buy Weapon and Armor cards marked as Duty/Freedom on their back respectively.

Additional Stalker Models

You can use any models of the Faction you have chosen after completing "Mission DF1 Rock and a Hard Place".

Faction Skills

C41 (Duty Drill Instructor) and C46 (Freedom Mentor) can each teach you unique Skills restricted to their Faction. Faction Skills are always active in the same way as Character abilities.

Each Stalker may have up to 2 Faction Skills at a given time and you may redistribute them between Stalkers during Zone Navigation or every time you visit a trainer. There's no limit to how many Skills your team can have in total, but each additional training session will cost more.

The guide prints two sample Faction Skill cards:

WITCH DOCTOR – Whenever you perform the Action of a Medicine Item, target of that Action additionally heals 4HP.
AIMED BURST – Once per Turn, you may pick a Body Part when you Attack with a Burst.

Faction Consequences

At the beginning of the Faction Camp Phase you draw 1 Consequence card. Consequences can provide you with positive and negative events alike, but if left unchecked they may quickly overwhelm you causing the loss of the campaign.

Here's an example of a Consequence card, "Shifting Anomalous Fields":

Name – Shifting Anomalous Fields.
Story – Anomalies frequently shift their location, rendering any charts and regular safe routes obsolete. However, every activity increase in the Zone comes with some perks – 2 fresh anomalies breed more artifacts!
When Resolved – Chart New Safe Routes: Place this card at the bottom of the Consequences deck.
Ongoing – Longer Routes: During this Duty Camp step, you may only choose up to 2 cards to resolve.
Unresolved – Better Hauls: At the beginning of the Mission, all Stalkers discard 2 Food. For all Anomalies with an Artifact: place 1 additional Artifact in the center of each Anomaly overlay. Return this card to the cardholder.

Each numbered element is defined as follows:

Name.
Story.
When Resolved – Effect that is applied when you decide to resolve the card.
Ongoing – Effect that applies for as long as the Consequence is slotted in the cardholder.
Unresolved – Effect that applies if you finish the Faction Camp Phase without resolving this Consequence.

Duty & Freedom Team Tokens

This expansion uses two new team tokens: a DUTY token and a FREEDOM token.

They are considered to be in an opposing team to Enemies in team 1 and 2 (unless they're additionally marked with a token of that team).

During the resolution of the Enemy Activation cards, apply all effects that influence red Enemies additionally to DUTY, and all effects that influence green Enemies additionally to FREEDOM.

If multiple Enemies should be Activated at the same time, and there's a tie, we recommend to Activate them in the following order: FREEDOM → DUTY → green → red → yellow → blue.

Duty & Freedom Expansion in Zone Survival Mode

To enhance your Zone Survival experience you may buy Equipment cards labeled Duty or Freedom but exclusively from one of the factions.

The Skill tokens can be purchased for 4000 K – draw 2 tokens, choose one and discard the other.

Each Stalker may have up to 2 Skill tokens.

Standee and Model Glossary

New Enemies appear in this D&F box. Here are the correct standees and models that represent them.

Standees:

4 Military Enemies + 3 Bandits – Rifle (Warden of the Monolith).
2 Military Enemies (IPSF Grenadier).
2 Military Enemies + 3 Bandits – Rifle (IPSF Trooper).

Models:

3 Duty Troopers.
1 Duty Exoskeleton (Duty Trooper, Kulak).
3 Freedom Fighters.
1 Freedom Exoskeleton (Freedom Fighter, Misha).

Team Attention FAQ

Source page: "Team Attention FAQ" (the guide's own page 17, which quotes the DF2-03a and DF2-03b card texts).

Team Attention tokens are printed on the guide's FAQ cards as follows.

DF2-03a – Team Attention. In this Mission, there are two new types of tokens present. Each has the name of the team: Monolith and Duty/Freedom. They denote areas which interest those Factions. It will attract Enemies of that team (and no other Enemies) as any other token. They may be discarded due to Environment card effects, including this card, but not in any other way. Other than that, they are treated as any other token.

End of Round: Each Enemy discards matching Team Attention token from their space.

DF2-03b – Team Attention. Team's Attention token attracts Enemies of that team (and no other Enemies) as any other token. They may be discarded due to Environment card effects, including this card, but not in any other way. Other than that, they are treated as any other token.

When an Enemy from the team which has not captured the Scientist gains LoS to him, that team resolves "He's there".

Whenever the last Enemy on the space with the Scientist dies, that team resolves "He's there".

He's there: Discard all team's Attention tokens of the team that's resolving "He's there" from the Map. Then, place 1 of that team's Attention tokens on the Scientist. This Attention will move with the Scientist.

End of Round: Each Enemy discards matching Team Attention token from their space except on the evacuation space (card DF2-13a for Duty/Freedom and card DF2-14a for Monolith).

The guide then rules as follows:

Team's Attention tokens attract Enemies if their name contains the name of the team on the Attention token.
Duty team's Attention tokens will attract only Duty Troopers and Kulak (Duty).
Freedom team's Attention tokens will attract only Freedom Fighters and Misha (Freedom).
Monolith team's Attention tokens will attract Warden of the Monolith and Monolithian.
IPSF team Attention's tokens will attract IPSF Troopers and IPSF Grenadiers.

Team's Attention tokens are High Attention tokens, so as long as one is on the Map, you have to draw a High Attention Enemy Activation card each turn (even if you have not been spotted). They are not moved due to Enemy Activation card effects.

If Enemies have any High Attention token closer than their team's Attention token (e.g. because they have spotted a Stalker), they will go toward that High Attention token instead of their team's Attention token.

He's there: this rule means that Enemies which didn't capture the Scientist and gain LoS to him can follow his movements through the Map, because their team's Attention token will move with the Scientist. If they manage to capture the Scientist, their team's Attention token will be moved to their evacuation space (so they will try to move toward that space).

Helicopter Attack and Movement

The following example shows how to resolve the Helicopter's Movement and Attack, as well as how to determine its Line of Sight.

When the Helicopter appears during the Mission, it is not placed on the Map, but next to one of the Map edges. The Helicopter Activates according to the Mission Event card, and it Attacks all Targets in its LoS. All instructions from the Enemy Activation cards should be ignored in case of Helicopter – the team icon determines only the Team the Helicopter is in.

The Helicopter has LoS to all spaces with an open edge (not a Wall) along the full extent of the Map edge it is adjacent to, and further in that direction, as per regular LoS rules (Helicopter can't draw LoS through Windows). The Helicopter is always considered to be at Range 6 from all marked spaces, and the Entities on those spaces are considered at Range 6 from the Helicopter, ignoring the distance between the Map edge with the Helicopter and the marked space with an Entity.

Example (Helicopter starts next to the left edge of the Map; marked spaces are considered to be in the Helicopter's LoS). The Helicopter starts next to the left edge of the Map. Marked spaces are considered to be in the Helicopter's LoS.

Example (after it Attacks): After the Helicopter Attacks it moves toward the next Map edge in the clockwise order.

Example (after it moves): After the Helicopter moves to the next Map edge its LoS changes.

Mission DF1: Rock and a Hard Place

Mission Summary:

You have to hunt a Chimera, get heavy guns and some medicaments in case it gets too close.
You will operate in its nest – the ruined building complex, so forget about sniper rifles.
Good news – there will be no anomalies!

Take Mission box DF1 "Rock and a Hard Place" from the game box. It contains all Mission-specific components you will need during setup and when playing this Mission.

Now, go back to the Zone Navigation, step 6 in the Campaign binder, and continue.

Setup

1. Map Setup

Find Map tiles: 12, 13, 14, 25, 29, and place them as shown.

2. Environment Setup

Environment cards:

Take out all Environment cards from Mission box DF1.
Find the DF1-01a (Mission Objective), DF1-02a (Emission), and DF1-13a (Additional Objective) cards, read them and place them next to the Map.
Now, set the following cards on the Map as shown on the illustration below: DF1-03a, DF1-04a, DF1-05a, and DF1-07a. These are your starting overlay cards.
Keep the remaining Environment cards as the Environment deck next to the Map, as they will be needed during the Mission.
In Mission box DF1 find the Kulak (Duty) and Misha (Freedom) Enemy cards. Flip them and place them overlay side up on the Map as shown. They will be represented by Freedom and Duty Exoskeleton models.

3. Other

Stalkers:

Place the Stalker models on the space marked as "Starting Point".

Enemies:

In Mission box DF1 find the Freedom Fighter Enemy card and place it next to the Map. Mark it with the FREEDOM team token.
In Mission box DF1 find the Duty Trooper Enemy card and place it next to the Map. Mark it with the DUTY team token.
You can read about their Faction on the back of their cards. It might help you pick your side.
Find the Dog, Rodent, and Zombie Enemy cards. Pick one at random and return the other two to the box. Mark it with a blue "1" token.
Find the Tick, Poltergeist, and Bloodsucker Enemy cards. Pick one at random and return the other two to the box. Mark it with a yellow "1" token.
Find 3 Freedom Fighter models and 1 Freedom Exoskeleton model. Place them on spaces marked with a green (FREEDOM-type) team token on the Map as shown.
Find 3 Duty Trooper models and 1 Duty Exoskeleton model. Place them on spaces marked with a dark red (DUTY-type) team token on the Map as shown.
Find all standees (5 Dogs, 6 Rodents, or 8 Zombies) matching the randomly chosen Enemy card with the blue "1" token. Place all of them next to the Map.
Find all standees (1 Poltergeist, 2 Bloodsuckers, or 4 Ticks) matching the randomly chosen Enemy card with the yellow "1" token. Place all of them next to the Map.

Loot:

Map tile 13: Take 7 random Loot tokens and place them in stacks on the Map as shown.
Map tiles 25 and 29: Depending on the player count you will fill different spaces on the Map tiles with Unknown tokens.
- First, find 3 Special Loot tokens in Mission box DF1. Then, depending on how many Stalkers there are:
  - 1 Stalker: Shuffle 3 Special Loot tokens with 7 Unknown tokens and place them in stacks on the spaces with red numbers.
  - 2 Stalkers: Shuffle 3 Special Loot tokens with 9 Unknown tokens and place them in stacks on the spaces with red and blue numbers.
  - 3 Stalkers: Shuffle 3 Special Loot tokens with 11 Unknown tokens and place them in stacks on the spaces with red, blue, and yellow numbers.
  - 4 Stalkers: Shuffle 3 Special Loot tokens with 13 Unknown tokens and place them in stacks on the spaces with red, blue, yellow, and green numbers.

Unknown tokens:

Depending on the number of Stalkers, take a set of Unknown tokens, shuffle them, and place them on the Map as shown. (Each Unknown token shows either a blank "X" or a coloured Enemy icon with one or two dots; for a one-dot icon place 1 Enemy standee of that colour, and for a two-dot icon place 2, as described in the core rules.)
- Single Stalker: 2 × blank (X), 2 × yellow one-dot, 4 × blue one-dot, 2 × blue two-dot.
- 2 Stalkers: 1 × blank (X), 3 × yellow one-dot, 4 × blue one-dot, 2 × blue two-dot.
- 3 Stalkers: 2 × yellow one-dot, 1 × yellow two-dot, 4 × blue one-dot, 3 × blue two-dot.
- 4 Stalkers: 2 × yellow one-dot, 2 × yellow two-dot, 2 × blue one-dot, 4 × blue two-dot.

Event deck:

Take out all Mission Event cards from Mission box DF1.
Stack the Mission Event cards in numerical order, face down. Mission Event card I should be on the top and number V should be on the bottom. This is your Event deck.

Mission begins! Start the first Round.

Scenario Rewards

The guide prints two Epilogues for this Mission, chosen by the outcome of the Mission. Narrative text is omitted; the rewards are transcribed.

Epilogue A (Duty):

Mark Mission DF1 as unavailable.
Then, update your Zone Map with the following stickers:
- 51. "Mission DF2 Kept in the Dark"
- 1. "Duty Trooper" Achievement
If you have card DF1-13b (Mission Complete), gain 6000 K.
Then, update your Enemy deck by adding the "Freedom Fighter" and "Duty Trooper" Enemy cards to it.
If the Freedom Exoskeleton model is on the Map, find Mission box DF3 "Final Countdown" and place the Misha Enemy card inside that box.
Then, excluding Equipment cards gained by players, return all Mission Event and Environment cards to Mission box DF1.
See script D11.

Epilogue B (Freedom):

Mark Mission DF1 as unavailable.
Then, update your Zone Map with the following stickers:
- 51. "Mission DF2 Kept in the Dark"
- 1. "Freedom Fighter" Achievement
If you have card DF1-13b (Mission Complete), gain 6000 K.
Then, update your Enemy deck by adding the "Freedom Fighter" and "Duty Trooper" Enemy cards to it.
If the Duty Exoskeleton model is on the Map, find Mission box DF3 "Final Countdown" and place the Kulak Enemy card inside that box.
Then, excluding Equipment cards gained by players, return all Mission Event and Environment cards to Mission box DF1.
See script F11.

Mission DF2: Kept in the Dark

Mission Summary:

There will be a lot of narrow tunnels.
You can expect high radiation levels.
Mutants might show up, stay alert.
You'll face two enemy groups, don't let them surround you.

Take Mission box DF2 "Kept in the Dark" from the game box. It contains all Mission-specific components you will need during setup and when playing this Mission.

Now, go back to the Zone Navigation, step 6 in the Campaign binder, and continue.

Setup

1. Map Setup

Find Map tiles: 9, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 60, 61, 62, and place them as shown.

2. Environment Setup

Environment cards:

Take out all Environment cards from Mission box DF2.
Find the DF2-01a (Mission Objective) and DF2-03a (Team Attention) cards, read them and place them next to the Map.
Now, set the following cards on the Map as shown on the illustration below: all three DF2-02a cards randomly, DF2-04a, DF2-05a, DF2-06a, DF2-07a, DF2-08a, DF2-09a, DF2-10a, DF2-11a, and DF2-12a. These are your starting overlay cards.
Keep the remaining Environment cards as the Environment deck next to the Map, as they will be needed during the Mission.

Anomalies:

Draw 1 random non-moving Fire type Anomaly and place it next to the Map.
Find 3 Fire Anomaly overlays (2, 9, or 10) and place them randomly on the Map so the tip of the triangle in the Anomaly center points toward the top of the Map.
Place 1 Artifact token in the center of each Anomaly overlay. Then, place matching Anomaly standees on those overlays.

3. Other

Stalkers:

Place the Stalker models on the space marked as "Starting Point".

Enemies:

If you have the "Duty Trooper" Achievement sticker on your Zone Map: Find the Freedom Fighter Enemy card and place it next to the Map. Mark it with the FREEDOM team token.
If you have the "Freedom Fighter" Achievement sticker on your Zone Map: Find the Duty Trooper Enemy card and place it next to the Map. Mark it with the DUTY team token.
Then: In Mission box DF2 find the Warden of the Monolith Enemy card and place it next to the Map. Mark it with a blue "2" token.
If you have the "Duty Trooper" Achievement sticker on your Zone Map: Find 3 Freedom Fighters and 1 Freedom Exoskeleton models. They all represent Freedom Fighters. Place 4 of them on spaces marked with a green cross token.
If you have the "Freedom Fighter" Achievement sticker on your Zone Map: Find 3 Duty Troopers and 1 Duty Exoskeleton models. They all represent Duty Troopers. Place 4 of them on spaces marked with a green cross token.
Then: Find 4 Military Enemy and 3 Bandit with Rifle standees. They both represent the Wardens of the Monolith. Place 4 of them on spaces marked with a blue cross token and 3 next to the Map.

Loot:

Take 17 random Loot tokens and place them in stacks on the Map as shown.

Other tokens:

In Mission box DF2 find 5 Duty/Freedom Attention tokens and 3 Monolith Attention tokens and place them on the Map as shown. Place the Duty/Freedom Attention tokens with the side matching the Enemies up.

Event deck:

Take out all Mission Event cards from Mission box DF2.
Stack the Mission Event cards in numerical order, face down. Mission Event card I should be on the top and number V should be on the bottom. This is your Event deck.

Mission begins! Start the first Round.

Scenario Rewards

The guide prints two Epilogues for this Mission, depending on who evacuated the Scientist. Narrative text is omitted; the rewards are transcribed.

Epilogue A (the Scientist was evacuated by your group):

Mark Mission DF2 as unavailable.
Gain 6000 K.
Then, update your Zone Map with the following stickers:
- 54. Mission DF3 "Final Countdown"
Then, update your Enemy deck by adding the "Warden of the Monolith" Enemy card to it.
Then, place 1 Monolith/IPSF Attention token and the Scientist standee in Mission box DF3.
Then, excluding Equipment cards gained by players, return all Mission Event and Environment cards to Mission box DF2.
Open the Campaign binder to page 6 and resolve the Post-Mission cleanup.

Epilogue B (the Scientist was evacuated by enemies):

Mark Mission DF2 as unavailable.
Gain 2000 K.
Then, update your Zone Map with the following stickers:
- 55. Mission DF3 "Final Countdown"
Then, update your Enemy deck by adding the "Warden of the Monolith" Enemy card to it.
Then, place 1 Monolith/IPSF Attention token and the Scientist standee in Mission box DF3.
Then, excluding Equipment cards gained by players, return all Mission Event and Environment cards to Mission box DF2.
Open the Campaign binder to page 6 and resolve the Post-Mission cleanup.

Mission DF3: Final Countdown

The guide prints two versions of this Mission, each with its own Mission Summary and setup. The guide does not print a rule choosing between them in the Mission text itself; the two Epilogue stickers from Mission DF2 (54 after Epilogue A, 55 after Epilogue B) are the only linking information printed. Both versions take Mission box DF3.

Version A: Final Countdown (Calibration)

Mission Summary:

Stand by until the device is calibrated.
Expect open terrain with long sightlines and minimal cover.
High radiation and anomalies present – prepare accordingly. Bring a detector; it may prove useful.
Be advised: IPSF is a military organization. Heavy equipment is likely.

Take Mission box DF3 "Final Countdown" from the game box. It contains all Mission-specific components you will need during setup and when playing this Mission.

Now, go back to the Zone Navigation, step 6 in the Campaign binder, and continue.

Setup (Version A)

1. Map Setup

Find Map tiles: 1, 2, 3, 7, 11, 14, 16, 26, 27, 28, 63, and place them as shown.

2. Environment Setup

Environment cards:

Take out all Environment cards from Mission box DF3.
Find the DF3-01a (Mission Objective), DF3-02a (Helping with Calibration), and DF3-13a (IPSF Team Attention) cards, read them and place them next to the Map. Place 1 red token in slot 0 of the DF3-01a card.
Find all three DF3-03a cards, shuffle them and place them face down next to the Map. They create the Scientist's Request deck.
Now, set the following cards on the Map as shown on the illustration below: DF3-04a, DF3-05a, DF3-06a, DF3-07a, DF3-08a, DF3-09a, and DF3-10a. These are your starting overlay cards.
Keep the remaining Environment cards as the Environment deck next to the Map, as they will be needed during the Mission.

Anomalies:

Draw 1 random non-moving Electric type Anomaly card and 1 random non-moving Fire type Anomaly card and place them next to the Map.
Draw 2 random Electric Anomaly overlays (6, 7, or 11) and place them randomly on the Map so the tip of the triangle in the Anomaly center points toward the top of the Map.
Find 3 Fire Anomaly overlays (2, 9, or 10) and place them randomly on the Map so the tip of the triangle in the Anomaly center points toward the top of the Map.
Place 1 Artifact token in the center of each Anomaly overlay. Then, place matching Anomaly standees on those overlays.

3. Other

Stalkers:

Place the Stalker models on the space marked as "Starting Point".

Enemies:

In Mission box DF3 find the IPSF Trooper and IPSF Grenadier Enemy cards and place them next to the Map. Mark the IPSF Trooper with a blue "2" token and the IPSF Grenadier with a red "2" token.
If you have the "Duty Trooper" Achievement sticker on your Zone Map: Find the Freedom Fighter Enemy card, and Misha Enemy card if it is in Mission box DF3. Place it/them next to the Map. Mark it/them with the FREEDOM team token.
If you have the "Freedom Fighter" Achievement sticker on your Zone Map: Find the Duty Trooper Enemy card, and Kulak Enemy card if it is in Mission box DF3. Place it/them next to the Map. Mark it/them with the DUTY team token.
Then: Find 5 IPSF Trooper standees and place them next to the Map.
Find 2 IPSF Grenadier standees and place them next to the Map.
Find all models (3 Freedom Fighters and 1 Freedom Exoskeleton, or 3 Duty Troopers and 1 Duty Exoskeleton) matching the Enemy card(s). Place them randomly on spaces marked with a green cross token. If you don't have the Misha/Kulak Enemy card, the Exoskeleton model is treated as a Freedom Fighter/Duty Trooper.

Loot:

Take 12 random Loot tokens and place them in stacks on the Map as shown.

Other tokens:

In Mission box DF3 find 1 Scientist standee and 1 IPSF Attention token, and place them on the Map as shown.

Event deck:

Take out all Mission Event cards from Mission box DF3.
Return Mission Event cards Ib and II back to the Mission box.
If you have the "Freedom Fighter" Achievement sticker on your Zone Map: Return Mission Event card VII-D back to the Mission box.
If you have the "Duty Trooper" Achievement sticker on your Zone Map: Return Mission Event card VII-F back to the Mission box.
Then, stack the Mission Event cards in numerical order, face down. Mission Event card Ia should be on the top and number VIII should be on the bottom. This is your Event deck.

Mission begins! Start the first Round.

Version B: Final Countdown (Secure the Scientist)

Mission Summary:

Secure the Scientist – quickly.
Stand by until the device is calibrated.
Expect open terrain with long sightlines and minimal cover.
High radiation and anomalies present – prepare accordingly. Bring a detector; it may prove useful.
Be advised: IPSF is a military organization. Heavy equipment is likely.

Take Mission box DF3 "Final Countdown" from the game box. It contains all Mission-specific components you will need during setup and when playing this Mission.

Now, go back to the Zone Navigation, step 6 in the Campaign binder, and continue.

Setup (Version B)

1. Map Setup

Find Map tiles: 1, 2, 3, 7, 11, 14, 16, 26, 27, 28, 63, and place them as shown.

2. Environment Setup

Environment cards:

Take out all Environment cards from Mission box DF3.
Find the DF3-11a (Mission Objective: Reclaim the Scientist) card, read it and place it next to the Map.
Now, set the following cards on the Map as shown on the illustration below: DF3-04b, DF3-05a, DF3-06a, DF3-07a, DF3-08a, DF3-09a, and DF3-10a. These are your starting overlay cards.
Keep the remaining Environment cards as the Environment deck next to the Map, as they will be needed during the Mission.

Anomalies:

Draw 1 random non-moving Electric type Anomaly card and 1 random non-moving Fire type Anomaly card and place them next to the Map.
Draw 2 random Electric Anomaly overlays (6, 7, or 11) and place them randomly on the Map so the tip of the triangle in the Anomaly center points toward the top of the Map.
Find 3 Fire Anomaly overlays (2, 9, or 10) and place them randomly on the Map so the tip of the triangle in the Anomaly center points toward the top of the Map.
Place 1 Artifact token in the center of each Anomaly overlay. Then, place matching Anomaly standees on those overlays.

3. Other

Stalkers:

Place the Stalker models on the space marked as "Starting Point".

Enemies:

In Mission box DF3 find the IPSF Trooper and IPSF Grenadier Enemy cards and place them next to the Map. Mark the IPSF Trooper with a blue "2" token and the IPSF Grenadier with a red "2" token.
If you have the "Duty Trooper" Achievement sticker on your Zone Map: Find the Freedom Fighter Enemy card, and Misha Enemy card if it is in Mission box DF3. Place it/them next to the Map. Mark it/them with the FREEDOM team token.
If you have the "Freedom Fighter" Achievement sticker on your Zone Map: Find the Duty Trooper Enemy card, and Kulak Enemy card if it is in Mission box DF3. Place it/them next to the Map. Mark it/them with the DUTY team token.
Then: Find 5 IPSF Trooper standees and place them next to the Map.
Find 2 IPSF Grenadier standees and place them next to the Map.
Find all models (3 Freedom Fighters and 1 Freedom Exoskeleton, or 3 Duty Troopers and 1 Duty Exoskeleton) matching the Enemy card(s). Place them randomly on spaces marked with a green cross token. If you don't have the Misha/Kulak Enemy card, the Exoskeleton model is treated as a Freedom Fighter/Duty Trooper.

Loot:

Take 12 random Loot tokens and place them in stacks on the Map as shown.

Other tokens:

In Mission box DF3 find 1 Scientist standee and place it on the Map as shown.

Event deck:

Take out all Mission Event cards from Mission box DF3.
Return Mission Event card Ia back to the Mission box.
If you have the "Freedom Fighter" Achievement sticker on your Zone Map: Return Mission Event card VII-D back to the Mission box.
If you have the "Duty Trooper" Achievement sticker on your Zone Map: Return Mission Event card VII-F back to the Mission box.
Then, stack the Mission Event cards in numerical order, face down. Mission Event card Ib should be on the top and number VIII should be on the bottom. This is your Event deck.

Mission begins! Start the first Round.

Scenario Rewards (Mission DF3)

Both versions share these Epilogues. Narrative text is omitted; the rewards are transcribed.

Epilogue (Freedom):

Mark Mission DF3 as unavailable.
Discard all Consequences cards from the cardholder.
Draw 2 Freedom Skill tokens. Choose up to 1 of these tokens and assign it to a Stalker. You may choose not to, if you don't want any of the drawn Skills (each owned Skill increases the cost of obtaining additional ones).
Then, excluding Equipment cards gained by players, return all Mission Event and Environment cards to Mission box DF3.
Open the Campaign binder to page 6 and resolve the Post-Mission cleanup.

Epilogue (Duty):

Mark Mission DF3 as unavailable.
Discard all Consequences cards from the cardholder.
Draw 2 Duty Skill tokens. Choose up to 1 of these tokens and assign it to a Stalker. You may choose not to, if you don't want any of the drawn Skills (each owned Skill increases the cost of obtaining additional ones).
Then, excluding Equipment cards gained by players, return all Mission Event and Environment cards to Mission box DF3.
Open the Campaign binder to page 6 and resolve the Post-Mission cleanup.

Scriptbook

The Scriptbook is printed on the back of the guide. Scripts are read when a Mission or Zone Exploration step sends you to them by number. Narrative lines in quotation marks are transcribed as printed.

Duty Scripts

D01

Kulak, the Duty team leader shakes your hand and looks you in the eye. "You came in the nick of time," he says, wincing. "Quite a mess, eh? Listen, we are in a tight spot. We have been deployed to locate an object codenamed the Device. Our mission is of utmost importance not only for our faction but also for the Zone! Unfortunately, it seems that those Freedom scumbags are looking exactly the same thing. We have a few wounded, and…"

He sighs and rubs his forehead.

"The reinforcements are on the way, but with that emission, there is no guessing when they will arrive. We would appreciate your help. Got any meds to spare?"

If you don't have card DF1-06a, find it and place it next to the Map.

Do you want to:

Ask about Duty and their worldview – See script D02.
Ask about Freedom and their worldview – See script D03.
Ask about the Device – See script D07.
Offer them medicine – Discard Medicine Items:
- 1/2 Stalkers: 3 Items
- 3/4 Stalkers: 4 Items
- See script D12.
Only if you have card DF1-09a (Device) – Show the Device – See script D04.

D02

"We are the ones that understand the seriousness of the situation and that comprehend the evil of the Zone. This place is the cancerous growth on the tissue of our planet, and all that has spawned here deserves only to die, including all the insane people who call it their home or try to benefit from its wicked resources. We can't let such trade thrive. We will stop its sprawl".

Go back to the game.

D03

"I can smell those Freedom rats from here," the Duty leader snarls. "I can't believe they are after the same thing and I cannot imagine what they are willing to do with it. Freedom… Even the name of their faction is a bloody deception. It's not freedom they seek, but anarchy! Chaos! Destruction! They are the worst that could happen to the Zone, worse even than the mutants because they are not determined to spread evil, but choose to do it!"

Go back to the game.

D04

"Ok, it matches the description? Good! We are gonna secure it. You OK with that?"

Decide:

No way, give me some time to think about it – See script D06.
Yeah, let's do it together – read on:
- If Mission Event III is still in the Event deck, see script D08.
- Otherwise, see script D05.

D05

Suddenly the chimera arrives, drawn by the smell of human flesh, and surges at you, a vortex of claws and muscles. Kulak curses and opens fire.

"Get the Device to the camp!" he yells. "You will be re-"

Then his mad courage is a prelude to a fatal mistake. The Chimera pounces at Kulak and he dies in an explosion of blood and torn flesh.

What did he mean? You will be rewarded? Sounds good enough to try out.

If you don't have a Chimera Enemy card, draw it and place it next to the Map. Mark it with a green "2" token.

Find 1 Chimera standee and place it on a space closest to your space.

If you have card DF1-08b (Wounded Chimera), place a red "-1" token and a yellow icon token (as printed) on the Chimera, and discard card DF1-08b.

Discard cards DF1-01, DF1-07a, and DF1-11a.

Place DF1-12a on the Map and flip card DF1-09a (The Device).

Flip the oversized overlay cards remaining on the Map. Discard the Kulak model and Enemy card, and place the Misha Enemy card next to the Freedom Fighter Enemy card if it's not there yet. From now on the FREEDOM team token applies to both the Misha and Freedom Fighter cards.

Continue the game.

D06

Do you seriously think those Freedom freaks are worth your time? Make up your mind!

Go back to the game.

D07

"No one can pinpoint the location of the Device? We expect it to be in the inaccessible, vermin-infested part of the facility."

Go back to the game.

D08

You did your best to safely carry the Device to the Duty camp. You pass it on to Kulak and sigh with relief, but the respite is brief.

"There is some activity among the Freedom!" a sentry reports.

"Damn," Kulak looks at you. "They may have spotted you carrying the Device. They may go into action any minute now!"

If you don't have card DF1-10 (Friends: Duty/Freedom), find it now, and place it Duty side up, it determines your allegiance to one of the factions. Then flip the oversized overlay card with Misha, Freedom Leader on it, and place it Enemy side up, next to the Freedom Fighter Enemy card. From now on the FREEDOM team token applies to both the Misha and Freedom Fighter cards.

Discard all Random Events from the Mission Event deck. Draw Mission Event III (Last Chance). This is your Active Mission Event now.

See script D05.

D09

The Freedom soldiers appear all of the sudden and charge like devils, their guns blazing. The camp of the Duty becomes an inferno of blood and explosions. The soldiers of the Duty do their best to repel the attack, but their fire is not coordinated as if their leaders have failed. Their defeat seems imminent.

Remove from the game:

Contact card C42 (Duty Rookie),
1 random Duty Weapon type (all cards, including those gained by Stalkers),
1 random Duty Armor type (all cards, including those gained by Stalkers),
Consequence card Clash with Freedom.

Draw 1 Consequence and place it in the cardholder. Do not resolve its "unresolved" effect.

Go back to the Campaign binder.

D10

There is always this one step too many. Your boot grazes a forgotten glass bottle, and it rolls over with a noise that could make a dead body jump. Your blood runs cold when you hear the shouts of alarmed soldiers.

You run like hell amidst the hail of deadly bullets. Panic takes over, and you barely glimpse that you have lost some of your gear. Nevermind, just get out of there!

Discard 1 of your Weapons at random.

Go back to the Campaign binder.

D11 – Duty Camp

You decided to join the Duty Faction. As it opens new opportunities to you it also brings new dangers.

Now perform the following setup:

Exchange the Contacts page of the Campaign binder with the Duty Camp page. It contains new instructions and splits the cardholder into three rows:
- Consequences – Various Events that influence your Zone Exploration providing new opportunities or restrictions.
- Duty Contacts – Three Contacts that from now are always available to you.
- Neutral Contacts – Three slots remain available for non-Duty Contacts.
Remove all Contacts from the cardholder and move them to your Stash.
Find 3 Duty Contact cards: C40 (Duty Quartermaster), C41 (Duty Drill Instructor), and C42 (Duty Rookie) and slot them in the middle row of the cardholder.
If you have Contact card C04 (Glasses), remove it from the game.
If there is an Artifact Smuggler Contact sticker on the Zone Map mark it as unavailable.
Find all Duty Consequences, shuffle them, draw 1 and slot it in the top row of the cardholder.
Draw 2 Duty Skill tokens. Choose up to 1 of these tokens and assign it to a Stalker. You may choose not to, if you don't want any of the drawn Skills (each owned Skill increases the cost of obtaining additional ones).

Open the Campaign binder to page 6 and resolve the Post-Mission cleanup.

D12

Kulak looks at the meds, and nods his head. Then, he turns to you and extends his hand.

"It is a generous gift," he says in a serious voice. "An ally like you does boost the morale. The wounded have a better chance of survival now."

He affords a little smile.

"And now we will fight like devils. I almost feel sorry for the Freedom bastards."

If you don't have card DF1-10 (Friends: Duty/Freedom), find it now and place it Duty side up next to the Map. Then flip card DF1-01a (Mission Objective) and the oversized overlay card with Misha, Freedom Leader on it and place it Misha Enemy side up, next to the Freedom Fighter Enemy card. From now on the FREEDOM team token applies to both the Misha and Freedom Fighter cards.

Go back to the game.

Freedom Scripts

F01

"Hey," Misha the Freedom team leader shakes your hand and hugs you. "You pulled a nice one out there. Come and sit. Wanna rinse your throat with something strong?"

Regardless of your answer, he pours a few shots and empties one.

Do you?

Yeah – reduce your Radiation dosage by 6 and discard the Item marked with the blue icon (as printed), then continue reading.
No – continue reading.

"You must be wondering what we're up to here. Well, that ain't no secret. There is a thing we are looking for. For the lack of a better expression, we call it the Device. Shocker, eh? Yeah, we need to get it. That and the dude to operate it, an egg-head that is roaming around somewhere. Hell, we would already be on our way back, but the Duty showed up to mess things up."

He takes a swig from the bottle.

"We have a few casualties, and the reinforcements may be stopped by the emission. I am not sure if our wounded will make it. Can you help with your meds?"

If you don't have card DF1-06a, find it and place it next to the Map.

Do you want to:

Ask about Freedom and their worldview – See script F02.
Ask about Duty and their worldview – See script F03.
Ask about the Device – See script D07.
Offer them medicine – Discard Medicine Items:
- 1/2 Stalkers: 3 Items
- 3/4 Stalkers: 4 Items
- See script F12.
Only if you have card DF1-09a (Device) – Show the Device – See script F04.

F02

"We ain't no bad guys," the leader says with a broad grin. "Right, we have guns and we can use them, but we are never the aggressive ones. Unless someone makes us truly angry, haha! Catch my drift? Anyway, we don't fight the Zone, but only defend ourselves against its monsters. We adapt to it. We tame it. We benefit from it. And you know what? It makes us happy."

Go back to the game.

F03

"The Duty? Damned bastards. Who do they think they are? What gives them the right to decide about the Zone? What possessed them and made them think that this is an evil ground for everybody? We thrive here and we do not need some fascist, brain-washed morons to tell us that we are in the wrong. Our name is Freedom and we mean it. Wanna tell me how to live? Wanna take my Zone from me? Over my dead body."

Go back to the game.

F04

"You got the thingy? Cool. Let's join sides!"

Decide:

No way, give me some time to think about it – See script F06.
Yeah, let's do it together – read on:
- If Mission Event III is still in the Event deck, see script F08.
- Otherwise, see script F05.

F05

There is never enough chaos in the Zone. All of the sudden, the chimera appears out of thin air. Blinded by fury and hunger, it pounces and pins Misha to the ground.

"Bring the Device to the camp," he manages. "There is money for…"

Abruptly, the monster tears his head off, splattering the man's blood around. You take a step back. Money? All right, it's worth checking out. Let's take the contraption to the camp!

If you don't have a Chimera Enemy card, draw it and place it next to the Map. Mark it with a green "2" token.

Find 1 Chimera standee and place it on a space closest to your space.

If you have card DF1-08b (Wounded Chimera), place a red "-1" token and a yellow icon token (as printed) on the Chimera, and discard card DF1-08b.

Then discard cards DF1-01, DF1-07a, and DF11-a. [sic – printed as "DF11-a" in the source.]

Place DF1-12a on the map and flip card DF1-09a (The Device).

Flip the oversized overlay cards remaining on the Map. Discard the Misha model and Enemy card, and place the Kulak Enemy card next to the Duty Trooper Enemy card if not there yet. From now on the DUTY team token applies to both the Kulak and Duty Troopers cards.

Continue the game.

F06

Right, but do not take too much time, ok? The Duty is the wrong horse to bet on.

Go back to the game.

F07

"The Device? Can't be sure. Somewhere in a sealed part of the compound where you can expect nothing but crawlies and shit."

Go back to the game.

F08

Tired and panting, you reach the Freedom camp and hand the Device over to Misha.

"Good," he smiles. "So this is the thingy?"

You are just about to inform him what you have been through when a sentry comes running.

"The Duty are on the move," he whispers. "They may have seen our allies sneaking over here."

"If that is so, we may expect their attack soon," Misha grins grimly. "Don't worry. We've been through worse!"

If you don't have card DF1-10 (Friends: Duty/Freedom), find it now, and place it Freedom side up, it determines your allegiance to one of the factions. Then flip the oversized overlay card with the Kulak, Duty Commander on it, and place it Enemy side up, next to the Duty Trooper Enemy card. From now on the DUTY team token applies to both the Kulak and Duty Troopers cards.

Discard all Random Events from the Mission Event deck. Draw Mission Event III (Last Chance). This is your Active Mission Event now.

See script F05.

F09

When the first silhouettes appear, for a brief moment you wish you had taken the Duty down. There is no time for further considerations or regrets, though, as the soldiers of the Duty come at the Freedom camp with unprecedented relentlessness. Bullets pierce the air, grenades shake the ground. Your utter defeat seems unavoidable.

Remove from the game:

Contact card C47 (Zirka),
1 random Freedom Weapon type (all cards, including those gained by Stalkers),
1 random Freedom Armor type (all cards, including those gained by Stalkers),
Consequence card Ambush Preparation.

Draw 1 Consequence and place it in the cardholder. Do not resolve its "unresolved" effect.

Go back to the Campaign binder.

F10

The terrain is merciless. No hollows, no tree trunks, no forgotten chests or walls. Every move attracts someone's attention and you are not even surprised when you hear the cries of alarmed sentries.

Multiple bullets rend the silence. Overwhelmed with terror, you flee like mad until you receive a hot punch in the shoulder. Adrenaline burns in your blood and suppresses the pain, but still, you know you've been hit.

Chosen Stalker loses half of their maximum HP (rounded up).

Go back to the Campaign binder.

F11 – Freedom Camp

You decided to join the Freedom faction. As it opens new opportunities to you it also brings new dangers.

Now perform the following setup:

Exchange the Contacts page of the Campaign binder with the Freedom Camp page. It contains new instructions and splits the cardholder into three rows:
- Consequences – Various Events that influence your Zone Exploration providing new opportunities or restrictions.
- Freedom Contacts – Three Contacts that from now are always available to you.
- Neutral Contacts – Three slots remain available for non-Freedom Contacts.
Remove all Contacts from the cardholder and move them to your Stash.
Find 3 Freedom Contact cards: C45 (Freedom Smuggler), C46 (Freedom Mentor), and C47 (Zirka), and slot them in the middle row of the cardholder.
Find all Freedom Consequences, shuffle them, draw 1 and slot it in the top row of the cardholder.
Draw 2 Freedom Skill tokens. Choose up to 1 of these tokens and assign it to a Stalker. You may choose not to, if you don't want any of the drawn Skills (each owned Skill increases the cost of obtaining additional ones).

Open the Campaign binder to page 6 and resolve the Post-Mission cleanup.

F12

Misha eyes the gift and whistles quietly.

"This is huge," he admits. "Very huge. Do you know that you have just made some very good friends in the Freedom?"

His eyes gleam, as he rubs his hands.

"Our wounded won't forget that. And guess what? We're just about to shred those Duty rascals!"

If you don't have card DF1-10 (Friends: Duty/Freedom), find it now and place it Freedom side up next to the Map. Then flip card DF1-01a (Mission Objective) and the oversized overlay card with the Kulak, Duty Commander on it and place it Kulak Enemy side up, next to the Duty Trooper Enemy card. From now on the DUTY team token applies to both the Kulak and Duty Troopers cards.

Go back to the game.

Mission Box Cleanup

(Scriptbook page 5, printed upside-down in the source.)

Mission DF1 "Rock and a Hard Place"

Return all Mission Event cards to the box: I, II, III, IV, V.
Return all Environment cards to the box: DF1-01, DF1-02, DF1-03, DF1-04, DF1-05, DF1-06, DF1-07, DF1-08, DF1-09, DF1-10, DF1-11, DF1-12, DF1-13, DF1-14, DF1-15, DF1-16.
Return the "Duty Trooper", "Freedom Fighter", "Kulak", and "Misha" Enemy cards to the box.
Each Stalker may now sell any number of chosen Equipment cards for their K value.
Open the Campaign binder to page 6 and resolve the Post-Mission cleanup.

Mission DF2 "Kept in the Dark"

Return all Mission Event cards to the box: I, II, III, IV, V.
Return all Environment cards to the box: DF2-01, DF2-02, DF2-02, DF2-02, DF2-02, DF2-03, DF2-04, DF2-05, DF2-06, DF2-07, DF2-08, DF2-09, DF2-10, DF2-11, DF2-12, DF2-13, DF2-14, DF2-15, DF2-16.
Return the "Guts" Artifact card to the box.
Return the "Warden of the Monolith" Enemy card to the box.
Each Stalker may now sell any number of chosen Equipment cards for their K value.
Open the Campaign binder to page 6 and resolve the Post-Mission cleanup.

Mission DF3 "Final Countdown"

Return all Mission Event cards to the box: Ia, Ib, II, III, IV, V, VI, VI, VII-D, VII-F, VIII.
Return all Environment cards to the box: DF3-01, DF3-02, DF3-03, DF3-03, DF3-03, DF3-04, DF3-05, DF3-06, DF3-07, DF3-08, DF3-09, DF3-10, DF3-11, DF3-12, DF3-13.
Return the "IPSF Trooper", "IPSF Grenadier", and "Helicopter" Enemy cards to the box.
If you failed Mission DF3 and there is "Kulak"/"Misha" Enemy return that Enemy card to the box. Otherwise, return it to the Mission box DF1.
If you failed Mission DF3, return 1 Monolith/IPSF Attention token to the box. Otherwise, return it to the Mission box DF2.
Each Stalker may now sell any number of chosen Equipment cards for their K value.
Open the Campaign binder to page 6 and resolve the Post-Mission cleanup.