There had been no end to the constant assault from the foul ratmen and every day there seemed to be another vile trick up their sleeves. Even now, in the dead chill of night, there had been many foiled raids. Now the Duke himself had come to join the fray - surely that would turn the tides of battle! As the Sentries pondered their fates they missed a small cloaked form slip into camp. Small beady eyes peered out of the shadows... |
he
soldiers stood around the crackling fire and tried to fight off the exhaustion
and cold that plagued them. The flames warmed their bruised and battered
bodies but did little to improve their spirits or mend their frayed nerves.
Mark off an area about 24" x 24". The outlying edges of the square table will be overgrown with dense stands of trees, bushes and boulders. The exact centre of the table should contain the General's tent. Other smaller tents (up to 12) should be arranged around the General's tent, creating paths and walkways. These tents may not be placed closer than 7" of the forest edge.
The Assassin's goal is to swiftly kill the General and make it back off any table edge. Once the Assassin has completed his task, a small distracting party of Assassins-in-training will rush out to cause a diversion and allow their leader to escape. The Assassin player scores a Minor victory if the General is slain and a Major victory if the General is slain AND the Assassin escapes.
The Defending player must safeguard their leader and destroy the deadly intruder. A Minor victory is declared if the General survives and a Major victory if the General survives AND the Assassin is pulled down and slain.
The game lasts until the Assassin's forces are slain or escape off board.
The Defending player places any two troop models as sentries anywhere on the board. They will be facing a random direction (see Sentry rules below). The rest of the remaining Defending troops are resting in their tents (up to three per tent) until the camp has Sounded the Alarm!
The Assassin deploys next at any table edge they choose, most likely behind some sort of obstacle. The additional troops may not come on board until the alarm is sounded.
The Assassin goes first in this scenario.
This scenario uses the special Sentries rules which are detailed below:
Sentries
Until the Alarm is sounded Sentries move D6-3" per turn. Roll separately
for each Sentry to determine how far he moves. If the distance is a negative
number then the attacking player is allowed to move the sentry model. For example,
a roll of 1 gives a move of -2", so the attacker moves the Sentry 2"
in any direction.
After moving each Sentry, roll the Scatter dice and turn the model to face the direction indicated.
If the sentry is moved by the Attacker and happens to sleepily amble off the table, the model is dispatched by a waiting Attacker and does not return!
Spotting
To determine the distance a Sentry can see in the dark roll 2D6 for each
model at the end of the Defender's turn. This is the number of inches a Sentry
can see, so if there is an Assassin in that distance and in line of sight (a
90° arc) you may roll a further D6 and consult the spotting chart below:
• An Assassin in the open (not within 2" of any obstacle)
will be spotted on a D6 roll of 2 or more.
• An Assassin in partial cover (within 2" of an obstacle) will be
spotted on a D6 roll of 4 or more.
• An Assassin in cover or hiding will be spotted on a D6 roll of a 6 (curses
to shadows & intuition!)
Sounding the Alarm
The alarm is sounded when:
• A sentry spots an Assassin
• The General is attacked
• The Assassin attacks and fails to immediately kill a trooper
What happens when the Alarm sounds
The additional Attacking Forces may come into the playing area from any
table edge. They may charge if available targets are in range. Next, the sentries
may move and attack freely. Finally, all the sleeping troops will awake.
Waking Up
Once the shouting begins, the other troops wake up. As the soldiers and
their General were sleeping, they will be without their armour but may use a
shield. They are dazed as well. All characteristics, except Toughness and Wounds,
are halved for one turn.
Knife in the Dark!
Assuming that he has not yet been spotted, an Assassin may sneak into any
tent to slay his foes. There are two types of tents:
Troop Tent
These are the tents for the soldiers. Each tent has as even a number of troops
inside where possible. If the Assassin wants to attempt to slay the occupants
roll a D6. On a 4-6 the Assassin can successfully slit everyone's throat
without drawing attention. On a roll of 1-3 the soldiers all wake up and the
alarm is sounded. The number rolled also represents the number of survivors
in that tent!
General's Tent
No one gets to be a Warlord without being a bit cautious! The General always
wakes up the instant the Assassin charges. Count the General as Waking Up for
the first round of combat.
While Dark Elves and Skaven are the two armies that have Assassins it is possible to imagine a Dogs of War desperado with a stiletto, a Wood Elf Wardancer sneaking into an evil-doers camp or any other combinations you can dream up. As no other race has such trained Assassins as Dark Elves and Skaven, the Knife in the Dark special rules should not be used by other races. They will fight normally.
This
scenario makes for a perfect lead in to a larger game of Warhammer! Here is
how the larger game is affected:
General Slain - If the Assassin makes a clean kill and manages to make it to safety, the opposing army will not be able to field a full complement of characters!
General Lives - On the other hand, if the General makes it through the night the troops will be inspired and any unit within 18" may use his Leadership during the next battle.
Assassin Escapes - The Attacker gets a free Assassin in their larger battle.
Assassin Dies - The Defenders have the satisfaction of knowing there are no Assassins in their opponent's army.
Terrain
Project: You can find an article on how to build tents for this scenario,
here.
Warhammer Skirmish - Assassin: [Download PDF - 124 Kb]
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