SKIRMISHES ON FORSAKEN WORLDS

Infestation
A DEADZONE SUPPLEMENT

Contents

Credits
1

Concept & Game Design:

www.quirkworthy.com

Veer-myn

Enforcers

18

Forge Fathers

22

Tim Jackson
Arthur Monteath-Carr
Mark Smith
Gaetano Ferrara

Rebs

26

Marauders

30

Asterians

34

Introduction

CONTENTS

Exham IV Deadzone Factions

Elite Army Lists

Rules Development:

Additional Rules Development:

Mike Early
Pat Lewis
Lee Montgomery
Jonathan Peletis
Shannon Shoemaker

Playtesting:

Campaigns
Campaigns on Exham IV 38

The Sack of Priory Station

41

Missions

43

Nell Monteath-Carr
Robert Grange
Jon Peletis
Ronnie Renton
Leon Chapman

Editing:

Matt Gilbert

Exham IV Exploration Table

Exploration Table

Jake Thornton

Additional Background Material:

48

Michael Grey

Cover Art:

Shen Fei Chan

Logo:

Luigi Terzi

Internal Art:

Dave Allsop
Shen Fei Chan
Roberto Cirillo
Daniele Comerci
Heath Foley
Michele Giorgi
Hai Hoang
Luigi Terzi

Layout and Graphic Design:

Francesco Volpe

Photography:
Ben Sandum

Painting:

Leigh Buckett
Dave Neild
Chris Webb
Mantic Entertainment 2016 Mantic, Deadzone and
all associated characters, names, places and things
are TM and
www.manticgames.com

containment protocol: infestation

dormant and content, until a SanMar long range
scout ship anchored itself over the world and
tagged it as Category D planet fit for immediate
exploitation, with a footnote for massive mineral
potential. What followed was a bidding war in
the most factual sense only possible within the
GCPS. Conglomerate-busting bribes, persuasion
teams, and even out-and-out warfare were used
in the days before the almost instantaneous
tendering system of today. In the end, a young
and hungry Mi-Gan emerged with the sole lease
to exploit Exham IV and its vast potential wealth.
And exploit it they did.

Exham IV is well-known in the Galactic CoProsperity Sphere. Even among the hundreds
of thousands of inhabited systems throughout
GCPS space, Exham is one of a handful every
schoolchild can name. In itself, Exham was
responsible for the expansion into the Perseus
Arm. Discovered on the cusp of what would
become known as the third wave of human
expansion, the rocky inner planets of the Exham
star were the fuse that would see Mi-Gan
become one of the richest corporations within
the Sphere.
In its formative years, Exham collided with
another system, swallowing the errant star
whole while their planets collided in an
apocalyptical display of pure inertia. At least
one exoplanet smashed into Exham IVs surface,
infusing its mantle with the dense concentration
of the precious ore of two worlds, and giving the
planet an almost solid outer shell of asteroids.

Tunnelers the size of ocean liners were rapidly

constructed and plunged into the planets skin.
Manpower was shipped to the new colony in
the tens of thousands, lured with the promise
of a more comfortable life, only to find even the
meagre health and safety guidelines of Mi-Gan
bypassed for the sake of its bottom line.

There Exham IV remained for billions of years.

Cultivating and erasing complex ecosystems
like millions of planets galaxy wide, it grew

INTRODUCTION

Settlements spread quickly from the initial survey

sites, swelling out across Exhams iron-red soil like
an affliction. Within decades entire landmasses
crowded with low grade housing, quickly running
to slums of ultra-high concentration, until the
workers ancestral memories harkened back to
the uncramped apartments of Sao Paolo and
Neue Berlin as some kind of spacious utopia.
These accommodations were built directly over
the mines Mi-Gans worker population laboured
in, keeping manpower transit to a minimum. The
scant air-quality regulations were conveniently
lost under a sea of yield projections. Beneath
the surface, seam after seam of ore was cleaned
out; rhodium, iridium, palladium, iron, francium.
All were chased and hunted down until the
mantle was a honeycomb, more stagnant tunnel
air than solid rock.

of GCPS space. Within days McKinley drives

could take the military and executives to stars
so distant as to be unknown a generation ago,
but the bulk haulers which were the lifeblood of
interstellar commerce needed fuel and supplies
on their outward journeys. Journeys which took
them within hauling distance of Exham.
Above Exham, Priory Station was refitted;
docking ports were added, habitation blocks
restructured, faux-grav drives installed, and
storage hangers expansive enough to refit stargoing vessels constructed. Its size mirrored its
growing importance, until at 1.4 x 109 kg mass
it officially became the largest man-made object
in Sphere skies. Exham became the primary hub
for any voyage to third stage space, until all a
flight officer had to say was, Were going to
Priory for someone to know they were in for a
long journey.

As each mine ran dry the pitheads shifted,

taking the machines and people with them.
Entire cities were abandoned, left to moulder
in an ever growing industro-urban sprawl until
not a scrap of the original ruddy earth could be
seen. In a final indignity the seas were boiled
away, exposing even more land, while the water
was broken down into its component elements
and sold when the pan-galactic resource market
gave acceptable dividends. Not even the groundwater was spared as Exhams earth was sucked
dry, leaving the wind to blow oxidised red dust
over every building, vehicle and smelting plant.

Over time, Priory Stations importance to MiGans bottom line waxed as that of the planet
below waned. Every day it arced over Exhams
sky, insultingly visible to those on the surface.
Teasingly close, but unreachable for workers
stuck on the planet-slum for their whole lives.
To Mi-Gan these people did not register. They
had the most lucrative and busiest port in the
GCPS; a constant and unlimited credit supply to
buy themselves a seat on the Council of Seven.
Until Exham IVs orbit was knocked outward from
its sun.

From then on the importance of Exham may

have been consigned to a footnote in history, a
textbook example of how to leverage maximum
profit for minimum outlay, were it not for an
unforeseeable turn. As humans moved on to
leave their footprint on ever more distant planets,
Exhams location became a natural stepping
stone onto the ever-expanding boundaries

The culprit was a rogue planet. If Mi-Gan had

not been headstrong, so focused on the winning
the contract they might have completed their
due diligence. They might have cross-referenced
long term star charts, might have identified the
nomad gas giant designated MJ-6674cK, noted

its long term circuit around the galactic sector,

and how its passage could take it through the
Exham system, across Exhams IVs path and pull
its orbit a sliver away from system centre.
Within a decade Exham IV slipped 0.3au away
from its star. Barely a scratch in the galactic map,
but enough to see what would have been an ice
age had most of the surface water not been
ionised. Exham went into deep freeze. Away
from the equatorial band daytime temperatures
scarcely broke into the positive. Shifting weather
systems battered the surface, driving blizzards
of frigid air between abandoned apartment
buildings, coating everything in Exhams red dust.
The population fell. Deaths were in the millions
from the official citizens. Among the poor souls
cramped in the tunnels and decommissioned
cities, the labour surplus as demand dropped,
the numbers were so high as to be deemed not
worth counting.

decision to compartmentalise the data to avoid

panic spreading to the Station.

Entire manufacturing centres were shut down as

fuel stocks ran low. Engines began misfiring in
glacial temperatures, accidents saw operations
drawn inwards to centralised hubs, leaving even
further stretches of Exham hollow and empty,
filled with nothing but frozen dust and the winds
howl.

However, the concentrated use of the word virus

on Mi-Gans comm bands triggered the latent
subroutines of the Council of Sevens defence
forces. When the words were cross referenced
against the stress levels in the speakers voice
an alert was sent to Corporation Central, tagged
Magenta level critical. The closest Enforcer Task
Force was alerted and a Recon Unit dispatched
with Grounding and Containment protocols on
hold pending investigation.

And the sound of scurrying.

It was as the remaining citizens gathered around
the controlled profit centres; the remaining
smelting plants and the sole spaceport to Priory
Station; that the bleeding sickness struck. It
came without warning, coursing through a
tightly packed populace huddling three families
to an apartment.

By the time the Recon Unit, ID designate P126-12, arrived at Exham two cycles later another
150,000 people had fallen to the bleeding
sickness. 6-12 arrived on a planet virtually
abandoned but for the concentric bands circling
the remaining spaceport. Millions frantic to
leave the planet crowded into areas designed
for thousands, held out by the equally desperate
ring of Mi-Gan Marine Corps. To all purposes
Exham was derelict, a planet waiting for its
remaining inhabitants to die.

Mi-Gan moved quickly to protect their

investment. Security cordons were thrown up
around the last spaceport and immediately
began repelling the riots of the sick and the
desperate trying to get off-planet. The medicos
on Priory Station set every expert they had to
studying the sickness. The results found that it
used a select agent similar the Lujo Virus of Old
Earth, granting the highly contagious sickness
a mortality rate of 80%, but only among the
grown and healthy. Children, the aged and the
frail shrugged off the virus, while other sufferers
would quickly go into haemorrhagic shock, and
drown in blood as their lung tissue broke down.
But for all their effort, the experts on board Priory
could find no hint of a cure other than to let the
sickness run its course, and Mi-Gan made the

For 6-12, a veteran recon trooper with two

decades of successful missions behind her,
those empty industrial streets held similarities
to previous missions which were too apparent to
ignore. Virus pandemics were not uncommon in
the GCPS, but the abrupt nature of the outbreak
on Exham; its lethality, the unnecessary foulness
of the deaths; bore the hallmarks of missions
she had been on before.
3

INTRODUCTION

The city above ground was nigh-on deserted.

Only the hopeless and mentally deficient walked
between the derelict manufacturing plants and
heavy machinery, and even then, the blasts of
frozen wind desiccating the air finishing off the
job the bleeding sickness began. Knowing she
would find nothing among the abandoned heavy
machinery, 6-12 descended below street level
to the sewers, and immediately her suspicions
were confirmed. Holes had been knocked upward
from the extinct mining tunnels, too frequent and
too ragged to be the result of erosion. Through
those holes and into the tunnels beyond, even
more evidence to support her suspicions;
dirt disturbed by the passage of clawed feet,
discarded bones gnawed upon by over-large
incisors, and thin scratches along the walls; too
purposeful to be anything but deliberate, and
disturbingly similar to those shed seen light
years away, below the surface of other planets.
The circumstances built up until the chance of
coincidence was negligible. Following protocol,
6-12 left a vigilance control system to trigger
if she did not return and moved towards the
remaining spaceport.

The chance of such a potently virulent disease

reaching Priory Station and spreading through the
core worlds was alone enough for 6-12 to order
an immediate Containment Protocol, but the
sheer size of the Veer-myn brood was a danger
in itself. If the brood splintered, confirming the
elimination of all Veer-myn on Exham may be
impossible. To increase the chance of mission
success she would have to tag the Brood Mother;
the dominant female around which broods were
centred. 6-12 knew that would mean she would
never leave those tunnels. Loading her rifle with
tracer darts, she tagged the Brood Mother. The
effect was instantaneous; the entire colony
was roused at their Mothers keening wail
and, drawing on the broods group perception,
focused on 6-12. In her last act she released a
drone cloud to record the discovery and return to
the vigilance control system.

6-12s suspicions were confirmed with ominous

speed. The shafts delved by Mi-Gans tunnelers
had been excavated to the limit of structural
integrity. They criss-crossed in intersections
wider than highways, and disappeared
kilometres underground until it could almost be
called a city. And among the cavernous shafts
creatures had indeed made their homes.

A Grounding Protocol was triggered. Instantly,

nav data to and from Priory Station was severed.
All traffic stopped, and shuttles in transit
between the surface and the Station found
themselves unexpectedly under manual controls.
Unable to compensate many crashed, some
into the station, some in the forest of asteroids
around Exham, and some into the cities.

There were Veer-myn beneath Exham IV.

On Exham, having noticed the break in nav

transmissions, a horde of Veer-myn erupted
from beneath the surface. The Marine battalions
guarding the spaceport were unprepared. Already
reeling from the sudden loss of communications,
they found themselves swamped from below as
hundreds of Veer-myn Night-Crawlers sought to
take control of the remaining launch facilities.
Meanwhile on Priory Station, access hatches and
air ducts burst open, and the Veer-myn smuggled
up in ones and twos over months poured through,
swamping Mi-Gans unprepared guards and
sending the hundreds of visitors into panic.

She ran out of ammunition before she ran out of

targets.
P12-6-12s drone cloud executed their final order,
and 6-12s last recorded moments were returned
to the VCS and the files transmitted.

6-12 worked her way closer to the spaceport,

and at a convergence of four tunnels hollowed
out into a vast cavern she found reason enough
to order an immediate Containment Protocol;
more Veer-myn than she had encountered in
any operation, a seething mass of thousands.
Enough so the tunnels floor and lower walls
were lost beneath their writhing bodies. The
situation had become clear; Exham with its ultrahigh population had bred a Veer-myn colony of
prodigious size. A colony which could perhaps
have gone unnoticed forever in the swathes of
empty cities, until the unforeseen onset of an ice
age. It was then a choice of freeze or escape,
and the Veer-myn had recognised the potential of
Priory Station and acted upon it. Viral outbreaks
had long been documented as tools of the Veermyn, and the bleeding sickness could only have
been a first strike on the Mi-Gan troopers already
struggling with a dying population in open revolt.

When the Grounding protocol was executed

P12-6-12s task force was already en-route,
standard operating procedure to backup first
contact recon units. The Drakon class vessel
Terminal Intervention arrived with a full strike
company of Enforcers. It ignored the panicked
activity and impotent comms from Priory Station,
and instead dispatched its drop ship, loaded
4

on Exhams surface. The ships distress call was

relayed through the now-crewless Drakon and
then direct to Corporation Central, where, as per
procedure when an Enforcer ship is shot down, a
Containment Protocol was activated.

with the Interventions full troop compliment.

Their mission; to confirm the possible threat
vector identified by P12-6-12, and exterminate if
necessary.
The Enforcers insertion went to plan until the
drop ship entered the asteroid field making up
Exhams outer orbit. Centuries of traffic around
Priory Station had left the entire field in a
constant state of excitement, with rocks the
size of hab blocks in a perpetual uncoordinated
dance. The Enforcer pilot was more than
capable of navigating the almost solid shell of
asteroids, and managed to do just that, until
an unexplained explosion ripped through the
ships hull, destroying its gyroscope and sending
it uncontrolled through the asteroids. The
fuselage was shredded and most of the troop
compliment killed, punctured by dozens of hyper
fast rocks. It was a testament to the pilots skill
that any managed to survive the crash landing

Exham IV to all intents and purposes winked

out of existence. On the ground, the remaining
Enforcers were left in arctic conditions with
limited supplies and no chance of immediate
support.
Their mission, however, remains. If the Veermyn were able to take the remaining spaceport
and reach Priory Station they could spread their
bleeding sickness throughout Second Sphere
space, infecting billions.
The Enforcers must eliminate the Veer-myn
threat before they can reach the station and be
lost among the stars of the GCPS.

FACTIONS

EXHAM IV DEADZONE FACTIONS

The crisis on Exham IV has brought death, disease and terror to both the unemployed ex-mining
families living in the planets abandoned shanty-towns and derelict mine workings, as well as the
travelling Executive-class businessmen caught on board Priory Station. It also brings opportunity for
those brave, desperate, or foolhardy enough to seize it. This section describes the various factions
fighting in the Exham IV Deadzone, and their motivations for doing so.

ELITE ARMY LISTS

The Army Lists found in the Deadzone Core
Rulebook describe the most common fighting
forces found in the war-torn battlefields of the
GCPS, and offer the most flexibility when making
a Strike Team to fight in a Deadzone.

Strike Teams made using the Elite Army List. You

must take the Character model; it will count as
both a Leader type and Character type model
during the game for any objectives or other
rules that refer to model types. Like leaders from
standard army lists, these characters have a
recon value and an Army Special ability. These
attributes are only relevant when the character
is the leader of the Strike Team, not when they
are a hired mercenary.

However, the galaxy is a big place, and within

each faction there is often great variation in the
leadership styles and composition of units within
them. In Deadzone, these elite commando units
are represented by Elite Army Lists.

In all other ways, the Strike Team is built in

the same way as normal. Hire a leader, and a
number of units. Unless otherwise specified
by the army list, specialists and vehicles are
restricted according to the number of troops as
normal, although units that count as Specialist
models in the standard Army List might count
as Troops in the Elite army list (and vice versa).
Elite Army Lists may not hire mercenaries
with the Character model type, but may still
hire Mercenaries of other model types, and
are limited to one per strike force. Additional
equipment is restricted by the total point size of
the battle and the rarity of the equipment.

Using an Elite Army List to build your Strike Team

works largely in the same way.
The major differences are the units available
when building the Strike Team. Many
commanders favor certain styles of combat and
strategies.
As a result, they tend to prefer specific units
over others. So while N7-117 is an enforcer, and
theoretically has access to Peacekeeper units,
they would not requisition such assets when
given command of their own Strike Teams. As
a result, when using these rules, you may only
draft your Strike Team from those units listed in
the chosen Elite Armys list.

An Elite Strike Team is of the same faction listed

in their title, for example, a Strike Team drawn
from Enforcer Elite Army List: Recon Unit N7117 is considered to be from the Enforcer faction.

When using an Elite Army List, the Character

model in the list serves as the Leader for any
6

Elite Army Lists in Campaigns

It is possible to play with Elite Army lists in
campaigns as well. When using an Elite Army
list in a campaign, the same rules apply to
building your Army roster as for building your
Strike Team, with a few small adjustments.
Normally, Character models are not added
to an army roster. This rule does not apply
to the leader of an Elite Army however, so
purchasing the leader puts him on the Army
list permanently.

Additionally, the Leader of an Elite Army is

immune to permanent injury and will never
permanently die from injury. If the Leader
rolls a Permanent Injury or Death result during
the post-game sequence, their troops sink all
of their available resources into saving them.
You will forfeit any RP earned for winning or
losing the game; though you will still earn
RP for completing any non-Kill objectives
and from the Exploration Table (and from the
Exploration Table result) as normal.

THE VEER-MYN

Veer-myn forces

glands have been found post-mortem from

female Veer-myn which are thought to release a
dense concentration of hormones into the body,
promoting the growth of the reproductive system
found inside a Brood Mother.

Brood Mother
There are many aspects of the Veer-myn which
worry the Council of Seven. But the greatest
concern is not the sicknesses the creatures
spread carelessly, nor the ease with which they Brood Mothers bodies are larger than other
can spread undetected throughout GCPS space; Veer-myn. Topping well over two metres, the
it is that so far there has been no indication to Mothers physiology is mostly in proportion to its
what drives these clearly intelligent creatures.
size, with the exception of its abdomen, which is
Broods had been found to abandon their nests distended with the enlarged reproductive organs
and migrate from one city to another, or to within.
take residence on bulk haulers to jump planet
completely for no outward reason. There was It is unusual to see a Brood Mother in direct
no suggestion theyd outgrown local resources, combat. The purpose of conflict is usually to
nor did the planet later suffer some cataclysmic protect her at all costs, as without her there is
event* which would posit some group prescience. no brood. However in the direst circumstances
the Mother may take to the field, urging her
There was also a pattern to the supplies they
brood onto feats of extraordinary savagery in
took and the apparatus they would rip from
machinery, a correlation which would not their need to protect her, and laying into any
become apparent until the materials were turned enemy who come within striking distance with
on their erstwhile corporation owners in ways the ferocity of a mother bear.
more devious than even the foulest mind among
them could devise. It suggested there was a *Except for the Continental Shearing Incident of
deliberate intention behind the thefts towards a Axiom Secunde, however that was deemed to
be anomalous.
calculated purpose.
It was not until the Auditing of Santa Catarina
Sete when a Veer-myn nest was located,
isolated, and gassed, that the question was
believed to be answered. The result was the
most complete specimen group the GCPS had
yet seen, including a Veer-myn of a genus not
yet encountered.
What the scientists on Santa Catarina had
discovered was a Brood Mother, and while they
knew they had found the driving intelligence
behind a brood, their wildest postulations
would not come within touching distance of the
importance the Brood Mothers played in Veermyn life.
Brood Mothers are the matriarchs, the one
binding factor relating every member of a
Veer-myn brood, for it is through her that every
member is related. That is not to say that the
Brood Mother gives birth to each member of
the brood personally. Instead there is a caste of
females within each nest whose sole purpose
is to aid the Mother in populating the brood.
This serves the dual purpose of helping to
support a larger population and also providing a
measure of security, as its thought that when a
new Mother is needed it is from this caste that
one is selected. How is not known; however,
8

Physically, the Brood Mother looks like any

other Veer-myn on a larger scale, although
with a distended midsection where her
organs are.

She is the very heart of the brood; without

her, the nest does not exist. Because of
this, her midsection has the best armour
the Maligni can provide.

The release of hormones within a normal

Veer-myn female to create a body capable
of holding the swollen reproductive organs
required to support an entire nest has
augmented her size to a frightening degree,
bringing with it great strength.

Her body is encased in solid armour,

although it is manoeuvrable enough to
allow her to strike with her powerful arms
to any enemy that comes close enough, or
escape swiftly if needs be.
9

THE VEER-MYN

Progenitors
Because of the lack of solid data, there have
been many far-reaching and eccentric theories
surrounding the Veer-myn, their habits, abilities
and social structure. Some of these theories
have been supplanted as slowly more is learned
of these creatures. One such theory which
survived until only recently was that there was
only a single male in the brood which bred with
the Brood Mother.*

*The theory was replaced after evidence of

exponential growth in some broods was proved
to be impossible with a single breeding male. It is
currently thought that an unto-now undiscovered
caste of males are instead used as breeders,
milked of their reproductive DNA until they die
and are replaced by their own male offspring.

The reason why the hypothesis remained for so

long was due to combat encounters. In almost
all cases the Veer-myn were led by a single
male, apparently of the Malignus caste but with
obvious authority across the brood. It was, and
is still, believed that there is no discernible rank
below Brood Mother, and the conclusion that this
male would hold a unique place among the nest
and therefore on the battlefield was accepted as
logical.
Even though this theory has been dismissed
no other has been proposed as to how these
males attain their authority, and the reasoning
is marked down as another mystery surrounding
the Veer-myn.

10

The Progenitor looks like a regular

Malignus, armed with the most valuable,
and usually experimental, weaponry
available as befits its station. This
weaponry tends to come in two load
outs; a Spitter Rifle, or a Chem-Pistol
and Hand Drill.
The Spitter Rifle fires a nitrogen based
liquid, literally spitting out a small glob
at tremendous pressure. The result is
a highly accurate cryogenic fluid bullet
which can eat through armour.
The Chem-Pistol and Hand Drill are
lighter, more mobile versions of the
weaponry carried by the Scourer
Malignus, not requiring the heavy,
Scourer armour for support.

Nightmares
One reason the existence of the creatures which
would become known as the Veer-myn took so
long to become accepted was the nature of the
stories told by the ships crews who encountered
them. In these stories the Veer-myn were
mysterious, half-seen creatures scuttling away
into the dark before one could be captured or,
in the cases where the story tellers were more
reluctant to convey what theyd witnessed,
hulking monstrosities formed from the stuff of
nightmares.

In combat Nightmares live up to and surpass

their name. In stature they vastly outstrip the
more common Veer-myn, reaching over three
metres tall at a minimum. Their frame is bulked
out with hard muscle, and further enhanced
by overlapping layers of armour which offers
an impressive degree of protection for the
wearer. The Nightmares are almost exclusively
encountered in tunnel and internal combat
zones, leading to the theory that they are
the tunnel clearers of the Veer-myn nest, a
hypothesis supported by the close ranged nature
of the weapons they carry.

The stories had more than a flavour of the tales

told by sailors of Old Earth who were quick to
ascribe the unexplained to monsters and spirits,
so it was no wonder that until the Sitakund
incident that is how the tales were treated.

The uncharacteristic ferocity of the Nightmares

and their size has long been a mystery for
scientists. Why are these Veer-myn so large
and aggressive compared to all the others
encountered? Study of Nightmare remains
have given some clues. The non-repetitive DNA
strands stand apart from that of their smaller
kin, suggesting these Veer-myn have been
purposefully altered post-birth to fit a niche
unfulfilled in their society. If this is the case,
what else the Veer-myn may be able to create
from their own race is genuinely concerning.

The disappearance of the Jindal Manjula

sparked a re-interest in those initial stories as
people tried to put what they were learning
into context, and when Corporation troops first
encountered a huge breed of Veer-myn they had
a name ready: Nightmares.

11

THE VEER-MYN

Night Terrors / Terrors

The pro-existence movement, as the supporters
of the theory that the Veer-myn were an existing
species before the GCPS encountered them are
known, have often postulated what an early
Veer-myn would look like. With so few workable
specimens recovered intact from battlefields,
and virtually none from nests (it may be that
Veer-myn perform cannibalism on dead brood
members, perhaps due to some religious
significance or a base drive), regressing the Veermyn through potential past evolutionary steps is
difficult. And the discovery of a massive Veermyn in the Rzeszow System had pro-existors in
gleeful victory at the discovery of a proto-Veermyn sub-species. Or it did, until they had the
chance to study it.

elongated blades to scythe through any enemy

the Terrors passes, or have a Chem-Thrower
strapped between their shoulders, dousing the
beasts path in acrid chemicals.
However, post mortem examinations have
shown the Terror to be, at least at the base level,
genetically identical to other Veer-myn. The
artificial bloating on hormonal glands and certain
organs suggest these are not evolutionary
offshoots, but deliberate creations; normal Veermyn fed a soup of chemicals which force growth
in the subject to many times its original size and
weight. Such exponential growth could only be
agony to the Veer-myn, which would explain the
extreme aggression it shows on the battlefield.
However, given the uncontrollable aspect of the
Terror and the variations in physiology between
individual specimens suggests the Terrors are
not intentional creations, but mistakes put to use
on the battlefield.

Variants
Reaper: The Terror reaper is fitted
with a harness across its shoulders, on
which are grafted long scythed blades,
intended to cut down infantry as it runs
by.

The troopers on Rzeszow report initial contact

with the Veer-myn went as expected when the
extermination of a nest was attempted, until
they met stiff resistance, and the Veer-myn let
loose a monster. The report states a large group
of Night-Crawlers approached the troopers line,
causing the officer in charge to hesitate at the
unusual tactic, before their ranks opened and a
Veer-myn the likes of which had never been seen
charged forward and tore into the human line.
The creature took an extraordinary amount of
firepower to put down, by which time the Veermyn horde overran one of the human flanks,
forcing the troopers back and making the theatre
commander order a firebombing to contain the
situation. Showing the unimaginative simplicity
encouraged in Sphere line troopers, the soldiers
dubbed this Veer-myn the Terror. Terrors are
quadrupedic and heavily muscled around the
front shoulders. Those seen in battle either
wear a harness across the backs, grafted with
12

Cutter: The Cutter is the ranged

variant of the Terror. Like the Reaper it
is fitted with a harness, fixing a ChemSprayer between its shoulders. The
Chem-Sprayer is a variant of the ChemThrower, less accurate and shorter
ranged, but with a larger injection
reservoir, allowing it pump much more
fluid over a target cube. The Sprayer is
strapped firmly onto the Terror, and as
such can only fire in the direction it is
facing. However, given that that would
be in the direction of the closest enemy
that is not always a negative. The Cutter
has been seen to spray its chemical
ammunition continuously throughout
an engagement. Its thought the firing
mechanism on the Chem-Sprayer is able
to be triggered to spray continuously
until empty. A simple tactic, but one
which can misfire if the Cutter loses
direction and charges through Veer-myn
lines, as has been witnessed on more
than one occasion.

Night-Crawlers
The average Veer-myn possess a cunning which
can be fatally surprising to any corporation
trooper who underestimates them.
This resourceful aggression is not the level
of intelligence most sentient races possess
however, and can only take them so far.
The use of complex tools and tactics are beyond
these Veer-myn, and instead weight of numbers
is employed in the place of martial prowess.
These Veer-myn are collected into large packs
and armed with simple weapons. Ray guns are
rifles of comically primitive appearance, using
an unsophisticated laser technology which
fractures what would usually be a tight beam of
focused energy into an inaccurate spread of high

intensity light, capable of flash burning a whole

area in a second.
As with all sections of Veer-myn society, within
the Night-Crawlers there sit identifiable sub
classes, one of the most numerous of which
have been dubbed Frothers.
Frothers are some of the few Veer-myn which
human troops have seen close up as the rabid
creatures are driven into close combat with their
enemy.
Whether this is due to a genetic disorder or
disease which overrides the Veer-myns natural
caution, or the result of drugs bringing on violent
episodes is unknown, and usually at the back
of a corporation troopers mind as the Veer-myn
leap across the battlefield, gobs of froth foaming
across their jaws.

13

THE VEER-MYN

erupt from vents and gratings, fall from ceiling

The Piper
Very little is known about Veer-myn culture. ducts onto the Troopers below, clawing at their
Corporate and Council authorities view the larger eyes and biting at gaps between armour.
and more complex colonies as infestations, and
deal with them as they would any other vermin.
As such, GCPS exobiologists rarely have any
other data to gather than the smoking ruins of
emptied nests and the eye witness accounts of
Corporation Troopers.
Most of these accounts are suspect, tinged with
emotion, and come from untrained eyes. Most
could not discern the difference between the
average Veer-myn than they could one pig from
a herd.
But there is the sighting of one individual which
pops up consistently from one conflict on Exham
to another.
The accounts tell of a Veer-myn; sleeker and
healthier than most; who stalks the battlefield
with no fear. It directs the Tide of vermin, using
them like a weapon. At his direction vermin

Often this Veer-myn will follow his minions into

combat, falling on the distracted troopers with
knives and teeth. The vermin swarm over his
body, acting as a living ablative armour to the
shots and blows which come its way, only to
replenish and surge toward the shots source to
wreak terrible vengeance.
The troopers have dubbed this Veer-myn The
Piper after a folk tale of Old Earth. A tale which
has come to terrible life on the streets of Exham.

14

Maligni
Pathology and chemistry permeate Veer-myn
culture. It is thought that hormones play a major
part in deciding what caste a Veer-myn will
belong to, and evidence suggests pheromones
are a central element in Veer-myn language.
For this reason, the social caste of the Maligni
are one of the highest bands within a broods
structure.
Its through the chemistry experts of the Maligni
that the Veer-myn cultivate the viruses which act
as their first strike weapons. Whether these are
created artificially, or form part of the Veer-myn
natural biology is not known.
What is known is that the Maligni also act as the
broods engineers, and are responsible for the
creation of the Ray-Guns and Chem-Throwers,
as well as the more esoteric machinery such as
the armour worn by the Brood Mother.
Their primary role on the battlefield is to carry
and operate the more capable weapons that
the Night-Crawlers are deemed either too
slow-witted to use or just too small to carry.
The mainstay of these weapons is the ChemThrower. More feared than the ray guns carried

by the Night-Crawlers, and for good reason; the

Chem-Throwers fire a jet of highly corrosive
sludge over a wide area. The inherent inaccuracy
of the weapons delivery means nothing when it
is likely to hit everything in its path. Anything hit
by the liquid will bubble and dissolve, and the
GCPS scientists have yet to find a compound
which can nullify the chemicals used.
In addition, they oversee the testing of new and
experimental weapons, be they mechanical or
biological. Only recently has it been identified
that the more extreme Veer-myn specimens
recovered from battlefields are not entirely
natural.
GCPS biologists have failed to sequence
the genome of the various monstrosities
encountered by human troops, however the lack
of consistency outside of the non-repetitive DNA
are clear signs of purposefully experimental
mutation.
This ability of the Maligni to manipulate
biological matter is one of the few consensually
accepted theories among the small group of
GCPS Veer-myn experts.

15

VEER-MYN ELITE ARMY LIST

THE VEER-MYN

The Piper

S
2-3
1

34 pts / 3 VPs

F Sv

The Piper lives on the outskirts of the colonies

on Exham IV. His affinity for the lesser vermin
makes the other Veer-myn nervous. But the
coming calamity on Exham has made for strange
bedfellows while not a natural leader, the Piper
has been forced by the invasion of his home to
lead those who would ordinarily shun him into a
desperate defence of the colony.

6+ 5+ 4+
Agile
Tough

Swarm Lord

Tide of Vermin: Choose an unactivated, friendly

Troop model and immediately make a full activation
with it. Mark the model as activated, afterwards,
as usual.
Recon: 4+
The Piper may also be used as a Mercenary for
Veer-myn Strike Teams using other Army Lists

Shock Baton: RF, AP1

Weapon Options:
None

New Ability: Swarm Lord

The Piper has the power to direct swarms of lesser vermin.

When deploying your models, in addition to your strike force, deploy up to two vermin swarm bases in
your deployment zone. If there are fewer than two vermin swarms in play, The Piper may use a Special
action to call a new swarm. Place a single vermin swarm in The Pipers cube. The target cube must
have enough available room to fit the vermin swarm. If no such cube exists, The Piper may not call a
vermin swarm.
Vermin Swarms are not part of the Army List, gain no experience, and are not added to a players roster.

Name

Points
Type
Speed
Shoot
Fight
Survive
Size
Armour
VPs

ELITE ARMY LISTS

Campaign Ability Options:

None

Vermin Swarm -

Weapons & Equipment

Abilities

- 2-3 - 6+ 5+ 2

Teeth and Claws: RF

Crawlers

12 T 2-3 6+ 5+ 5+ 1

Ray Gun: R4, Weight of Fire (1)

Stalkers

10 T 2-3 7+ 4+ 5+ 1

Ray Pistol: R2

Nightmares

23 S
1-2
6+ 4+
4+ 2 - 2

Night Terror
with Scythes

26 S 2-3 - 4+ 5+ 2

Scythes: RF, AP1, Frenzy (1)

Rampage

Night Terror
with Spitter

26 S 2-3 5+ 5+ 5+ 2

Heavy Chem Spitter: R5, AP3

Rampage

16

Agile, Beast, Horde

Name

Weapon Upgrades

Skill Table(s)

Item Points Rarity

Vermin
Swarm

None None

Ammo 2 Common

Crawlers

Small Arms

AP Ammo 4

Stalkers

Small Arms, Light (Melee)

Nightmares Hardpoints: 2

(Small Arms, Light (Melee,

Assault), Heavy (Assault, Melee)

Ranged
Melee
Ranged,
Melee

Night Terror Beast (Melee)

W/Scythes

None

Night Terror Beast (Ranged)

W/Spitter

None

17

Rare

Frag Grenade 6

Common

Smoke Grenade 3

Common

Medi-Pack 5

Common

ENFORCERS

Enforcers
ThunderHeads
The twelfth division of the Perseun task forces
is officially designated P12 in the Council of
Sevens records. Anyone with the requisite
security clearance would be hard pressed to find
another with a more accomplished history.
It is P12 under Captain Kellman Morrow which
has applied the Councils peace in the wedge of
unincorporated systems along the GCPSs coreward border for 24 years. When Draugheime
III was invaded by the Marauder forces of selfstyled Chief Skodde, it was P12 that responded
and turned them back with only a 0.44% drop
in local corporate production and an acceptable
31.2% civilian casualty rate. When an Almar
Inc. star caravan destined for newly terraformed
worlds was assaulted and stolen by insurgents,
it was P12 that located the responsible base
world and recovered the shipment, annihilating
the local rebel cell so utterly that six years later
the Council Protection Agency still registers
no insurgent activity in the sector. They have

a reputation for lethal efficiency that has

permeated the ordinarily complete secrecy
around Council military, and are one of the few
Enforcer task forces which have been christened
on GCPS infotainment nets. To the Council
they are P12, but to anyone who knows their
reputation they are The ThunderHeads.
The uprising on Exham is an embarrassment to
Captain Morrow. Never mind that the prediction
of Veer-myn outbreaks is beyond even the best
supercomputers in the Sphere, nor that never
had a Veer-myn infestation been prevented and
barely ever contained; this one happened in the
Heads sector, and that would not stand.
The crash landing on Exham left the question
of honour as moot. Morrow must improvise if
he is to salvage the mission, let alone pride.
His surviving units must operate without
Peacekeeper or heavy support in conditions far
beyond anything they have fought in before. But
they are the ThunderHeads. And if any force can
tear a victory from such a mountain of odds, it
is them.

18

19

ENFORCER ELITE ARMY LIST

34 pts / 5 VPs

ENFORCERS

Long Range Observer N7-117

S
1-2
1

F Sv

While he often works alone, once N7-117 has

identified a threat requiring an escalated response
his preferred approach is to eliminate targets
before they can close to CQB. After all, if an enemy
has to die, N7-117 would rather it happen before
he has to walk all the way over to them. N7-117 is
nothing if not pragmatic.

4+ 6+ 3+
Tactician (1)

On My Mark: Spend an Army Special result when

one of your models has taken a Shoot action. A
second un-activated model with LOS to the target
of the first Shoot action may take a Shoot action
aimed at the same target. Mark the second
model activated once this second Shoot action is
resolved.
Recon: 3+

Laser Rifle: R6, Rapid Fire

Grenade Launcher: R5, Indirect (3)
Weapon Options:
None

Name

Points
Type
Speed
Shoot
Fight
Survive
Size
Armour
VPs

ELITE ARMY LISTS

Campaign Ability Options:

None

Weapons & Equipment

Pathfinders

15 T 1-2 4+ 6+ 4+ 1

Tag Rifle: R6, Tag

Scout

Pathfinder
Specialist

15 S 1-2 4+ 6+ 4+ 1

Tag Rifle: R6, Tag

Scout

Enforcer

16 S 1-2 4+ 6+ 4+ 1 1 2

Laser Rifle: R6, Rapid Fire; Jump Pack

Enforcer
Specialist

15 S 1-2 4+ 6+ 4+ 1 1 2

Laser Rifle: R6, Rapid Fire; Jump Pack

Enforcer
Medic

20 S 1-2 5+ 6+ 4+ 1 1 2

Laser Rifle: R6, Rapid Fire; Jump Pack

Enforcer
Strider

30 V 1-2 4+ 5+ 4+ 4 3 3 -

20

Abilities

Medic

Name

Weapon Upgrades

Skill Table(s)

Item Points Rarity

Pathfinder

Small Arms, Recon

Ranged

Ammo 2 Common

Pathfinder
Specialist

Small Arms, Recon,

Light (Sniper)

Ranged, Specialist

Enforcer

Small Arms

Enforcer
Specialist

Small Arms, Light (Automatic,

Explosive, Sniper, Assault)

Enforcer
Medic

Small Arms

Enforcer
Strider

Hardpoints: 2 Walker (all)

AP Ammo 4
Frag Grenade 6

Melee
Ranged
Ranged, Specialist
Ranged

21

Rare
Common

Holo Sight 8

Rare

Medi-Pack 5

Common

Smoke Grenade 3

Common

Thermal Mines 4
Mono-Wheel
Scout Bike

Rare

12 Unique

FORGE FATHERS

Forge Fathers
When the Mi-Gan Corporation first landed on
Exham IV and began to exploit its mineral wealth
the Star Realm was insulted twice over.
Firstly, the Forge Fathers had long ago earmarked
the planet for full and complete coring and
secondly, what the humans called mineral
exploitation was offensively incomplete
compared to what the Forge Fathers could do
with Exham.
While Mi-Gan thought they were utilising the
planets resources to the fullest, they were being
wasteful in a way only a short-lived species
could.
The Star Realm watched as Mi-Gan missed the
choicest seams, prematurely moved operations
leaving thousands of tonnes of ore untouched,
and most insultingly, remained blissfully unaware
of the galactic regions densest concentrations
of osmium - right beneath their noses. But the
Forge Fathers are rich in the most valuable
commodity in the galaxy, one so priceless the
humans fail to appreciate they dont have; time.

When the shortest lifespan of a dwarf is

measured in centuries, the plans of the Forge
Fathers take on the kind of long term view
impossible to humans.
The Forge Fathers could have taken Exham IV by
force, but chose instead to persuade the humans
to leave of their own accord. For a race whos
Forge-Stars can rob a sun of its energy, finding
a rogue planet with a trajectory through Exhams
region and influencing its course so its transit
would intersect Exhams own; far enough to
leave each planet untouched, close enough to
nudge Exhams orbit; it was simply of a matter of
applying existing engineering. Exhams modified
orbit would be nothing short of catastrophic for
the human inhabitants, and either they would
leave or they would die. It may take 20 years, it
may take 60, but they would leave. All the Forge
Fathers had to do was wait.

A Quiet War
The Forge Fathers watched from a distance
as Exham sank into chaos. As the inhabitants
fell upon themselves and their own troops in
desperation, it became possible the dwarves

22

could take Exham sooner than expected. In

response, a Clan Formation of Steel Warriors
and Brokkrs were posted in a neighbouring
system just in case.
When it came, the bleeding sickness was not
surprising. Humans are filthy creatures, and their
frail constitution is nothing against a dwarfs.
The outbreak was not unexpected. The Veermyn, however, were.
The Forge Fathers know of the Veer-myn. Like
many star faring races, the Forge Fathers have
found the foul creatures nesting in their colonies
and ships, and long since decided the pests
deserved the bare minimum of attention. Their
diseases were too weak to find a hold in the
robust dwarven metabolism, even assuming
they could penetrate their sealed armour.In
return the Forge Fathers find the Veer-myn too
expensive to deal with. The amount of time and
energy needed to properly eradicate a nest is
almost always more profitably spent elsewhere.
Best to leave poison traps to keep their numbers
low until operations have finished.

That a nest of such magnitude had been allowed

to grow beneath their own homes confirmed the
Dwarfs prejudices of the humans, but it was still
an eventuality the clan elders had not planned
for.
The sudden drop in communications from the
surface meant an Enforcer task force may only
be days away, perhaps hours, and if they found
the infestation too large to be contained the
human Council might enact a more permanent
solution. The Forge Fathers had witnessed what
happens when a planet suffers the Councils
Steenkamp Plan, and if they chose to sanction
its application Exham would be a no-go area for
thousands of years.
Therefore the nearby Clan Formation was
ordered into action. Before covertly landing
on Exham they peppered the planets meteor
bands with mines to take out the Enforcer ships,
delaying any reports back to the human Council.
If the Clan Formation could eradicate the Veermyn, or at least kill the Brood Mother, before
more Enforcers arrived they might still be able to
win Exham without a war.

23

FORGE FATHERS

FORGE FATHERS ELITE ARMY LIST

30 pts / 4 VPs

Bjarn Starnafall

S
1-2
1

F Sv

Bjarn Starnafall is a firm believer in the benefits

of an unannounced, overwhelming strike. As the
spokesman and face of the Hammerfist Drop
Armour line, he has negotiated a cut-rate deal with
the supplier to outfit his closest armsmen with the
heavy, atmospheric resistant armour and they
come in very handy when plummeting into the
heart of a Deadzone to plunder its riches.

4+ 6+ 3+
Tough

Fist of an Angry God: Spend an Army Special

result to call in a model equipped with Hammerfist
Drop Armour. Place the Hammerfist model as per
the usual rules for Hammerfist Drop Armour, with
the exception that the cube may be occupied by
an enemy model. When the model lands, instead
of the usual rules for Hammerfist Drop Armour,
resolve a Frag (4) explosion in the cube against
any models that were in the cube prior to the
Hammerfist models arrival. If any enemy models
remain alive in the target cube, the Hammerfist
model initiates a Fight action against one enemy
model as if the enemy model was pinned and the
Hammerfist model had entered the cube.
Recon: 5+

Weapon Options:
None
Campaign Ability Options:
None

Name

Points
Type
Speed
Shoot
Fight
Survive
Size
Armour
VPs

ELITE ARMY LISTS

Mining Laser R4, AP2; Hammerfist

Orbital Drop Armour

Weapons & Equipment

Militia

14 T 1-2 5+ 5+ 4+ 1

Hailstorm Rifle: R6, AP1, Rapid Fire

Steel Warrior

21 T 1-2 4+ 5+ 4+ 1 1 2

Hailstorm Rifle: R6, AP1, Rapid Fire

Abilities

Hammerfist
28 S 1-2 4+ 5+ 4+ 1 1 2 Inferno Drills: R4, AP2
Drop Trooper Forge Hammers: RF, AP1
Hammerfist Orbital Drop Armour
Steel Warrior
Specialist

21 S 1-2 4+ 5+ 4+ 1 1 2

Forge Guard
30 S 1-1 4+ 5+ 4+ 1 2 3

24

Hailstorm Rifle: R6, AP1, Rapid Fire

Hailstorm Rifle: R6, AP1, Rapid Fire Life Support

Forge Hammer: RF, AP1

Skill Table(s)

Item Points Rarity

Small Arms

Ranged

Ammo 2 Common

Small Arms

Ranged

AP Ammo 4

Name

Weapon Upgrades

Militia
Steel
Warrior

Frag Grenade 6

Rare
Common

Hammerfist Small Arms

Drop Trooper

Ranged,
Melee

Holo Sight 8

Steel Warrior Small Arms, Light (Automatic,

Specialist Explosive, Assault), Heavy (Automatic)

Ranged

Smoke Grenade 3

Common

Medi-Pack 5

Common

Forge Guard Heavy (Automatic, Assault),

Hardpoints: 1 - Light (Explosive)

Ranged

25

Thermal Mines 4

Rare

Rare

REBS

Rebs
Wherever there is disaffection within the GCPS
you find the roots of Rebellion, and on Exham
there is a lot of disaffection. Mi-Gan treats their
workers as any other commodity, spending less
capital on them then they do on their machinery.
The watch word of the foremen on the fledgling
colony was life is cheap, machines are not, an
in-joke at the expense of workers lives. Little did
Mi-Gan know they had given a rallying cry the
insurgency already germinating onplanet.
The Rebs have had assets on Exham IV for a long
time. Its vast population of low grade workers
has always been a ripe source of discontented
men and women more than ready to take up arms
against Mi-Gan, and it only took some slight
suggestive re-education to spill the resentment
against one corporation into outright ideological
hostility against the GCPS as a whole. Since
the orbital slip the Rebs activities on Exham
has increased. The progressively draconian
treatment of the citizens compounded by the
changing climate alone could have pushed the
planet to out-and-out revolt. The bitterness and
suffering of an entire population cast off and left
to choose between starving and freezing would
inevitably boil over into an uprising against its
corporate masters.

an unhealthy, twisted weight around her neck.

She has long since passed the point where the
troops under her command were people and not
assets to be used and, if necessary, sacrificed.
Were it not for her record of mission successes
perhaps her superiors would have admitted
Adrienne was a catastrophe waiting to
happen. But in her short life Adrienne has been
responsible for dozens of successful ops against
key corporate interests; diverting data, freeing
prisoners. The destruction of Midas Corps
military shipyard around the Homunculus Nebula
was officially reported as a disastrous accident,
brought on by unforseen problems with the
nearby Eta Carinaes duel stars. In reality it was
the result of hundreds of demolition charges on
all of the yards fuel tankers, planted by Adrienne
and her cell. The explosion was mistakenly
reported as a supernova on news channels,
and such was the level of destruction that the
site is a still a tourist attraction for the morbidly
inclined.

Only, the Rebellion did not want that. At least

not unless it was under their control.

Insurgency
It is not widely reported by the tightly controlled
infotainment nets, but riot and revolts are a
common occurrence throughout the Sphere.
Where workers are treated like property they
rise up, only to be ruthlessly put down. And
that wont do for the Rebs. When Exham rises
up the Rebs want it to stay risen. Exham is well
known, if it were to throw off the shackles of
corporatocracy it would be impossible for the
Council to hide. Exham would become a beacon
for rebellion throughout the galaxy, and Priory
Station would be the vector to spread the word
of revolution.
Exhams potential to the cause needed a
special hand to guide its upheaval, and the
Rebel command in the Perseus arm believed
it could choose no better than Adrienne
Nikolovski. Adrienne does not look like the
kind of person who could command an entire
planets insurgency. That is, until you look her
in the eye. Adriennes dedication to the cause
borders on sociopathic. Her level of devotion is
26

It was perhaps the success at the Homunculus

Nebula which gave her the idea that the Rebs
high command was not thinking big enough about
Exham. That, yes, they could take the planet, but
so what? They could not hold it. The destruction
of Priory Station on the other hand?
If the legendary Priory could be destroyed it
would do more than just hurt the GCPSs revenue
stream. The safe little planets in the inner
spheres would know fear. In the core worlds,
where war was just another sport to cheer on
from the infotainment channels, they would
know none of them were safe. And the loss of
so many lives on the station was a price she was
more than willing to pay.

The infestation on Exham, while a surprise,

did nothing but move the timetable forward.
Adriennes private army have thrown off their
shrouds and revealed themselves. While her
trusted troops will rush to complete their true
mission on Priory, on the surface, the recruited
Rebs are determined to take back Exham, though
they might just let the Veer-myn clean out the
last of the Mi-Gan troopers first.
Adrienne is nothing if not practical

Over the course of years she followed the official

plan, recruiting men and women from Exham
on the pretence of liberating the planet, while
troops she trusted infiltrated Priory, gathering
intelligence and preparing for the day the GCPS
would change forever.
27

REBS ELITE ARMY LIST

28 pts / 4 VPs

Adrienne Nikolovski

S
REBS

1-2
1

F Sv

One sentients terrorist is another sentients

freedom fighter. Adrienne doesnt make that
distinction: In the struggle against the GCPS, if
youre not with the Rebellion, youre a collaborator.
If the tree of Liberty is watered with blood, then
Adrienne has fed that tree very deeply indeed.

4+ 5+ 4+
Tactician (1)

Special Delivery: Spend an Army Special result

at the beginning of one of your Survey Drones
activations.
The Survey Drone gains the BOOM! (3) ability until
the end of the round. This does not count as an
action.
Recon: 4+

Dual Needle Pistols: R2, Toxic

Magma Lance: R6, AP2; Holo-sight
Weapon Options:
None

Name

Points
Type
Speed
Shoot
Fight
Survive
Size
Armour
VPs

ELITE ARMY LISTS

Campaign Ability Options:

None

Weapons & Equipment

Rebel Trooper

T 1-2 5+ 6+ 6+ 1

Rifle: R6, Rapid Fire

Sphyr Lancer

18 T 1-2 4+ 6+ 5+ 1

Mata Magma Lance: R5, AP2

Survey Drone

7 S 2-3 - - 4+ 1 - -

Zee

S 1-2 7+ 7+ 6+ 1

Pistol: R3

Rebel Sniper

16 S 1-2 4+ 6+ 6+ 1

Sniper Rifle: R8, Sniper Scope

Abilities

Construct, Agile
Scavenger

Rebel
30 S 1-2 6+ 4+ 5+ 3 1 3 Ceremonial Blades: RF, AP1 Teleport,
Teraton Grenade Launcher: One-use, R3,
Tough
Frag (3); Hand Flamer: One-use,
R2, It Burns!
Rin Nomad
17 S 1-2 4+ 5+ 5+ 1 1 2

28

Twin Pistols R3, Weight of Fire (1)

Twin Knives: RF, Frenzy (1)

Skill Table(s)

Item Points Rarity

Name

Weapon Upgrades

Survey
Drone

None

Rebel
Trooper

Small Arms, Light (Melee)

Ranged

AP Ammo 4

Sphyr
Lancer

Small Arms,
Light (Assault, Automatic)

Ranged

Frag Grenade 6

Zee

Small Arms

Specialist

Rebel
Small Arms, Light (Sniper)
Sniper

Ranged,
Specialist

Rebel
Teraton

Small Arms,
Light (Melee, Assault)

Melee,
Command

Rin
Nomad

Small Arms,
Light (Sniper, Automatic, Melee)

Ammo 2 Common

Melee,
Ranged
29

Holo Sight 8

Rare
Common
Rare

Smoke Grenade 3

Common

Medi-Pack 5

Common

Stun Grenade 4

Rare

Defender Shield 5

Rare

MARAUDERS

Marauders
The Mandrake Rebellion, or the Mandrake
Betrayal as Sphere textbooks have to refer to
it by law, saw the end of GCPS militarisation of
the Orc race. After the initial uprising battalion
after battalion of Orc troops were systematically
wiped out by corporation forces, often before
they were even aware of their peoples revolt,
and usually from orbit with no warning. However
the rebellion might be called, within five years
the resulting war was officially concluded in
GCPS records. By then, the ultra-secret Enforcer
program had already begun, and GCPS citizens
were tacitly being encouraged to think of
Marauders as dangerous pirates instead of the
soldiers once responsible for their safety.
For some, however, the war never ended.
In the century and a half since the Mandrake
Rebellion most surviving Marauders have been
content to slip into the roles of mercenaries for
hire, or ply the inter-system trade lanes on the
hunt for undefended caravans. Some, however,
were not. Some want more. Whether it be
their own planet or colony, these Marauders,
unsatisfied with the miniscule payments for
winning others wars, want to be strong enough
to wage their own.

Inside the Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere this is

easier said than done. The GCPS sprawls across
thousands of systems and each inhabitable plot
of land is already logged and notionally owned.
The Corporations guard their property jealously,
and the Council will do everything in its power
to keep the current status quo, lending entire
planets dedicated to arming its vast military
complex to this aim if need be.
In addition, the Corporations are undeniably
cunning. Their intelligence networks are
everywhere, and as could be expected the
Council of Seven is aware of many of the
antagonistic Marauder groups.
These warbands are allowed small victories; a
destroyed frigate here, an overrun outpost there;
until they gather enough followers to become a
possible threat. Then the Council destroy them,
as thoroughly and ruthlessly as they did their
grandparents in the Betrayal.
However, this constant harvesting leads to
a Darwinian motion within the surviving
Marauders, until only the most cunning and most
dangerous Orcs remain. One such Orc is Chief
Mauhulakh, and he was on Exham IV when the
Containment Protocol came down.

30

The Enemy Within

Mauhulakh has built himself a reputation for
meticulous and long-term planning compared
to other Orc chiefs. His operations are daring
and their success often beyond belief. The only
known assassination of a corporation planetary
governor is at Mauhulakhs hands, when his
warbands coordinated strike of explosive and
well-aimed auto-piloted shuttles knocked a
communications satellite out of orbit and onto
the governors mansion with the power of a
meteor strike. His successes are often attributed
not only to a shrewd grasp of tactics but also
to his recruitment regime. Mauhulakh is one
of the Orc chiefs to make regular trips to Gora,
making use of the innate aggression and natural
combat ability of the Orc natives. His Auxiliaries
often go on to become successful mercenary
captains in their own right, but none so far have
managed to match the successes or reputation
of their teacher. But mission after mission of
such success has left Mauhulakh empty. All his
work has gone for the benefit of others while he
walked away with only money. Now Mauhulakh
has decided he wants more. He wants his own
little empire, and he has decided Exham IV and
its prized Priory Station is the perfect place to
begin.
Mauhulakh is not stupid. He has seen firsthand the obscene capacity of the GCPS military,
and knows there is no one who could defend
an entire station if they decide to take it back.
Which is why he will use the humans biggest

weakness against them; greed. Priory Station is

too important to too many corporations to lose. If
he can take control and threaten its destruction,
he will be more than willing to allow the human
ships to carry on using it. For a price, of course.
The mission stages took months of preparation.
Mauhulakh smuggled his troops into jobs as
deck hands and security at space ports on Exham
and also directly on board the station, confident
in the humans opinion that all Marauders look
alike. As the missions go time approached
Mauhulakh himself arrived on Exham, taking
up temporary residence at the planets primary
spaceport in the guise of a mercenary captain
looking for work. When the signal was sent his
troops would overthrow the human guards and
take the station and the only way to access it
from the surface, and Mauhulakh was there on
the ground to oversee the whole operation. All
was ready and just waiting for the signal.
And then the Containment Protocol came down.
Mauhulakh was not ready for all comms and
navigational data to switch off, and certainly
not for the furry little monsters suddenly pouring
through windows of abandoned buildings and
from beneath the street, but he had been in
enough Deadzones to know what would happen
next, and his plan would not survive contact with
the Enforcers.
If Priory Station was to be his he would have to
work quickly.

31

MARAUDERS ELITE ARMY LIST

28 pts / 4 VPs

MARAUDERS

Chief Mauhulakh

S
1-3
1

F Sv

Assassin. Brigand. Pirate. Soldier of fortune. Chief

Mauhulakh has been all these things and more. But
now, with the right crew, the right plan, and with a
whole lot of luck, he might yet become something
more: The King of Priory Station.

4+ 4+ 4+
Tactician (2)
Tough

Twin Heavy Pistols: R4,

Weight of Fire (2); Jump Pack

Move It! Move it! Move It!: Spend an Army

Special result at the start of your models
activation. Increase the active models speed by
+1/+1 until the end of its activation. This does not
count as an action.

Weapon Options:
None

Recon: 4+

Name

Points
Type
Speed
Shoot
Fight
Survive
Size
Armour
VPs

ELITE ARMY LISTS

Campaign Ability Options:

None

Weapons & Equipment

Commando

12 T 1-2 5+ 5+ 4+ 1

Rifle: R6, Rapid Fire

Commando
Specialist

12 T 1-2 5+ 5+ 4+ 1

Rifle: R6, Rapid Fire

Skyscraper

17 S 1-3 5+ 5+ 4+ 1

Rifle: R6, Rapid Fire; Jump Pack

Goblin
14 S 1-2 5+ 7+ 6+ 1 - 2 Heavy Rifle: R8, AP1,
Sniper Heavy, Sniper Scope

32

Abilities

Name

Weapon Upgrades

Skill Table(s)

Item Points Rarity

Commando Small Arms, Light (Melee)

Melee

Ammo 2 Common

Commando Small Arms,

Specialist Light (Automatic, Assault)

Ranged

Skyscraper Small Arms,

Light (Automatic, Melee)

Ranged,
Melee

Goblin
Sniper

Ranged

Small Arms, Light (Sniper)

AP Ammo 4
Frag Grenade 6

33

Holo Sight 8

Rare
Common
Rare

Smoke Grenade 3

Common

Medi-Pack 5

Common

ASTERIANS

Asterians
To the Asterians, all creatures have their place
in the galaxy. Every species, from the sentient
down to the most base single-celled organism,
exist for a reason, even if that reason is beyond
the understanding of a people as ancient as the
Asterians. Through millennia of observation
the Asterians have come to understand that it
is the very presence of all creatures, and the
myriad changes they each effect, which keeps
the galaxy in balance. It is the butterfly effect
writ to a schema so large no one individual could
ever hope to understand it. This observation is
key to the psyche of an Asterian, from each of its
members to the race as a whole every creature
has its place, and no one species has the right to
decide if anothers place is better off in the past,
extinct.
The humans, however, have pushed that belief
to the very limit.
In the few centuries the humans have swaggered
among the stars there is not a species they have
not butted against, nor a danger they have not
prodded with no thought of the consequences.
The re-emergence of the Scourge was the just
the latest danger the humans have unthinkingly
unleashed upon the galaxy, and even in the face
of a threat so lethal to their survival the humans
seems quite content to carry on as if the future is
filled with nothing but their continued prosperity.
It is as if the humans suffer from a racial
adolescent belief in their invulnerability. They
are the infants of the galaxy; just knowledgeable
enough to be dangerous, lacking the wisdom to
realise they know nothing.

So, for their own good and that of the galaxy,

the Asterian Clades monitor the humans so
extensively that an AI has been conceived for
the sole purpose of tracking their movements
and communications. Over the centuries
hundreds of potentially catastrophic events the
humans would otherwise have blundered their
way into have been averted by anticipating their
primitive thought processes and influencing
their actions. The sudden and unexpected trade
concessions given to the Forge Father clan
House Varll - averting war across the heavilypopulated emission clouds of the Eagle Nebula
- were the direct result of this practice, as is
the unquestioned existence of a blank area on
human starship nav computers, which would
otherwise contain the densest concentration of
systems with Scourge artefacts outside of the
Death Arc. On only a handful of occasions has
direct military force been deemed necessary to
stop the humans causing irreparable harm to the
galaxy.
The severing of transmissions around the
planet they call Exham attracted the humanfocused AIs attention, but nothing more. The
burst of imagery from their Recon Units final
transmission, however, was enough to jolt it into
action.
The AIs infiltration into the Mi-Gans
communication network was seamless as it
was invisible. It sequestered the results from
the bleeding sickness examined by the human
technicians, and before the results could be fully
translated the AI was already searching for the
Clade closest to Exham star.

Clade Sekauteu
The Clades, of course, are aware of the Veermyn, even if they know them by a different
name. The creatures have tried to insinuate their
way onto the underside of Asterian civilisation
as they have with every other culture advanced
enough to reach the stars. But where Asterians
trap and relocate the furred creatures, the
humans treat them as a minor impediment to
expansion; to ignore when possible, or ineptly
attempt to exterminate when not.
The Clades watched as the Veer-myn blossomed
beneath the humans profligate society, thriving
off the refuse thrown away half-used and
forgotten, and witnessed as the inevitable
diseases and infections which grew with the
nests seeped out and took their toll in human
lives.
34

But all creatures have their place. And perhaps

the Veer-myns is to limit the pace of human
expanse through disease.
Except that the sickness the AI found on Priory
Station was something new. What the Maligni
on Exham had created was not simply a
disease, it was a biological agent so virulent, so
evolved as to be pan-species; a self-developing
bioweapon which could re-write its own genetic
code to adapt to any potential host. Humans,
Sphyr, Grogan, Judwan, Dwarf Asterian.
Through complex mathematical models the AI
mapped how the bleeding sickness could reach
across the stars, riddling the galactic arm as a
virus would infect every living body, until system
after system would be left dead and empty and
the galactic balance devastated.
The complete and thorough annihilation of all
faster-than light craft from Exham was suddenly

of the utmost importance, and the rare use of

military force was deemed a necessity. The
AI identified Sekauteu as the Clade closest
to Exham. Bearing a noble history reaching
almost to the birth Asterias star empire, Clade
Sekauteu may not be the largest Clade, nor one
with a martial reputation, but Sekauteu, and its
current Master Overseer Suu Thein, is known
for doing what has to be done, no matter how
distasteful. A summons to battle from an AI is
an action of last resort, and Master Suu Thein
will follow his directives to the letter. This is not
a matter of honour for Sekauteu, but of balance,
and therefore of infinitely more importance.
Sekauteu must cut Exham off from the rest of
galaxy far more comprehensively than the half
measures of the humans and their Containment
Protocols. It must be excised from space as a
surgeon would cut out a cancer, and then left for
the galaxy to heal.

35

ASTERIANS ELITE ARMY LIST

30 pts / 3 VPs

Nem-Rath

ASTERIANS

S
1-2
1

F Sv

In his long life, Nem-Rath has observed and

directed over a thousand battles. To him, the
ebb and flow of warfare is like a symphony to a
conductor: Multi-layered, complex, and alive with
its own horrific harmonies and deadly melodies.
As a shuuvatar, Nem-Rath rides the crescendo of
combat to inevitable victory, bringing the cosmos
ever closer to true balance in his every action.

4+ 6+ 5+
Tactician (2)

Noh Pistol: R3
Charge Glove: RF, Knockback
Energy Pulse: R1, Knockback

The Balance is All: Spend an Army Special result

to re-roll any number of your remaining command
dice.

Weapon Options:
None

Recon: 3+

Points
Type
Speed
Shoot
Fight
Survive
Size
Armour
VPs

ELITE ARMY LISTS

Campaign Ability Options:

None

Weapons & Equipment

10 T 1-2 5+ 6+ 5+ 1

Noh Rifle: R5

Construct

Cypher
15 T 1-2 3+ 5+ 5+ 1 1 2 Noh Rifle: R5

Construct,
Vulnerable,
Toxic Smokescreen

Cypher
15 T 1-2 3+ 5+ 5+ 1 1 2 Noh Rifle: R5
Specialist

Construct,
Vulnerable,
Toxic Smokescreen

Name
Marionette

Black Talon
20 S 1-2 3+ 5+ 5+ 1 1 2 Noh Rifle: R5;
Energy Shield (2); Jump Pack

Abilities

Construct,
Vulnerable,
Glide

Sky Razor
20 V 2-4 4+ - 5+ 2 - 2 Twin Noh Rifles: Vehicle
R5, Weight of Fire (1)

36

Name

Weapon Upgrades

Marionette Small Arms

Skill Table(s)
Ranged

Item Points Rarity

Ammo 2 Common
AP Ammo 4

Cypher

Small Arms,

Ranged

Frag Grenade 6
Holo Sight 8

Cypher
Specialist

Small Arms,
Light (Explosive), Heavy (Lance)

Ranged,
Specialist

Smoke Grenade 3

Rare
Common
Rare
Common

Stun Genade 4

Rare

Black Talon Small Arms, Light (Melee)

Ranged,

Specialist

Energy Shield (2) 5

Rare

Energy Shield (3) 7

Unique

Sky Razor

Energy Shield (4) 9

Unique

Bike (Automatic)

Ranged

37

CAMPAIGNS

CAMPAIGNS ON EXHAM IV
Exham IV presents many opportunities for
creating exciting stories through your games.
Unlike the frontier world of Nexus Psi, Exham
IV or more accurately, Priory Station is an
integral part of the Galactic Co-Prosperity
Sphere, and when it goes dark, people are bound
to notice, leading to any number of chances for
adventure, intrigue, and profit.
This book presents a narrative campaign
detailing the mission of the Enforcer Pathfinder
team sent to investigate the Deadzone, and
the Veer-myns defense of their home and their
desperate attempts to leave the planet before it
is forever plunged into an ice age. However, this
is not the only story to be told on Exham IV: The
Marauders, Forge Fathers, Rebs, and Asterians
all have reasons for getting involved in the
conflict.

The Plague
Officially, there have been no signs
of a Plague outbreak on Exham IV.
Unofficially, however, Exham IVs warren
of abandoned mining tunnels served by
a network of gray-market scrap metal
shipping to Priory Station makes the
perfect cover for a covert research base;
perhaps, in your campaign, the Plague
escaped its confinement during the
chaos caused by the Bleeding Sickness
epidemic, or one of the planets many
wildcat ore scavengers disturbed a
Plague Artifact partially embedded in
millennia-old bedrock.
In short, you shouldnt feel constrained
by the canon narrative Mantic is in
the business of making great games
that inspire the imagination, and not in
the business of telling gamers how they
should or should not have fun. Whatever
you and your friends agree to, in the spirit
of respectful collaborative wargaming,
is just fine by us.
With a bit of work, the scenarios in this book
can be adapted to fit the goals and desires of
the other factions with a stake in Exham IVs
fate; alternatively, players might feel inspired to
create their own conflicts and custom scenarios
to share with their friends.

Broadly speaking, the various factions strategic

objectives for Exham IV boil down to three
categories: Escape, Containment, or Conquest.

Escape
Factions that wish to escape the environmental
catastrophe of Exham IV include the Veer-myn,
Plague, and potentially a Rebs cell or Marauder
crew caught on the planet when the Containment
Protocol went into effect. A campaign involving
one of these factions might take the role of
the Veer-myn as outlined in the Sack of Priory
Station campaign, or might re-arrange the order
of the scenarios so that the Exodus mission is
the climax of the campaign.
Containment
Factions that seek to contain the Bleeding
Sickness and ensure that it does not spread
throughout the stars include the Asterians,
Enforcers, and Forge Fathers. These factions
make great opponents for Escape factions, and
can take the role of the Pathfinders in the Sack
of Priory Station campaign, with the Evacuation
mission being a natural climax.
Conquest
Factions that seek to take control of Exham
IV or Priory Station (or both) include the Rebs,
Marauders, and Forge Fathers. The Evacuation
mission makes an excellent climactic mission;
alternatively, the Elimination mission can be
also be adapted to change the target to a key
enemy commander of the opposing faction who
is standing in their way.

CAMPAIGNS

Environmental Hazards

Slurry Storm
The wind has carried a fast-moving slurry of
Environmental Hazards are random events that arsenic, mercury, lead, and other hazardous
affect both sides during the battle.
waste left behind after the Mi-Gan corporation
was finished strip-mining the planet. Soldiers
The hazards presented here represent Exham caught in the open risk being injured by the
IVs unique ecosystem and environment the storm of toxic chemicals.
shift in its orbit is rapidly turning Exham IV into
an arctic desert the temperature ranges from Roll a d4. This is the turn in which the slurry
cold to below freezing as vicious winds carry storm arrives. At the start of the turn in which
flurries of toxic mine tailings in massive, acidic the slurry storm arrives, randomly determine a
sandstorms. The network of access tunnels, board edge from which the storm enters. Any
mine shafts, and improvised housing has left the model without a solid wall (ie, one without any
ground unstable and susceptible to tremors and gaps that a model could see or move through)
between it and the slurry storms board edge is
earthquakes.
affected.
Before the game, once both players have
deployed their forces, resolved any Recon effects The Slurry Storm rolls a
and Scout redeployments, roll a single dice and
3 dice 5+ test (x)
consult the following table:
Roll once to determine the strength of the storm
Dice Result
Environmental Hazard for all affected models.
1-2
Gale Force Winds
Each affected model rolls a
3-4

Unstable Ground

5-6

Slurry Storm

Draw or Survive wins: No effect.

7-8

Frigid Cold

Slurry storm wins: The difference in successes

is the potential damage suffered by the affected
model.

3 dice Survive test (x)

Gale Force Winds

The wind whips through the battlefield, kicking
up dust and debris and chilling the fighters to Frigid Cold
the bone. All Shoot actions suffer a -1 penalty to The chilling temperatures and sudden blasts of
frozen winds blowing across the arid landscape
Shoot tests during this game.
can often wreak havoc with biological organisms
Unstable Ground
and technological constructs alike. Living things
The battlefield lies atop one of Exham IVs may freeze to death from prolonged exposure
treacherous patches of unstable ground under while sensitive electronic equipment and
the soldiers feet lies miles and miles of mine sensors are prone to malfunction in such an
tunnels propped up by bearers which didnt meet extreme environment.
safety codes even when they were new.
At the beginning of each turn, roll one dice and
At the start of each turn, roll two dice, one for add the turn number. If the result is 8 or higher,
a random column, one for a random row to give this is the turn on which the frigid cold reaches
a grid reference. All models in any cube in this its maximum intensity. For this turn only, short
actions count as long actions. If a model wants
stack must take a 3 dice Survive (2) test.
to attempt to take a long action (such as Sprint
Success means the model keeps its footing, and or a Shoot action with a weapon with the Heavy
is unaffected.
ability), it must take a 3 dice Survive test (2). If it
succeeds, it may take the long action.
Failure means that that the model is Pinned. In
addition, any items not held by a model in any After this turn, the models left in play acclimatize
cube in this stack will scatter one cube in a to the sudden drop in temperature, and the Frigid
Cold ceases to have any effect on play.
random direction.
40

THE SACK OF PRIORY STATION

Introduction
This campaign outline presents a series of
five linked scenarios representing the conflict
between the Veer-myn colony of Exham IV and
the detachment of Pathfinders from P12 the
ThunderHeads sent to investigate the bleeding
sickness outbreak and Veer-myn infestation.
The Pathfinders are cut off from their main
supply lines and must live off the land while they
infiltrate behind Veer-myn lines and assassinate
the Brood Mothers that hold the colony together;
the Veer-myn, in turn, seek to secure passage off
the planet before the Containment Protocol is
enforced in earnest. The campaign concludes
with a dramatic showdown in the maintenance
sectors of Priory Station in a last-ditch effort to
either contain the Veer-myn (and the bleeding
sickness) or for the Veer-myn to escape a dying
world and spread throughout the GCPS.

Using These Scenarios

The Sack of Priory Station is a narrative
campaign for two players. One player takes the
role of the Pathfinder team sent to investigate
the outbreak of the bleeding sickness; the other
Emerging Narrative

Its all very well to talk about narrative

wargaming, but what does that mean in
practice? Surely its just a game, with clear
rules, winners and losers, right?
Tabletop Wargames (and their close cousin,
Tabletop Role-Playing Games) are played as
much in the imagination as they are on the
table. Your playing pieces arent merely pawns
on a chessboard: They are heroes and villains
in a larger-than-life battle between diseasecarrying alien vermin and the jackbooted thugs
of a Capitalist oligarchy that spans the stars.
On one level, a game of Deadzone tells a story
of who wins and loses the battle; the scenarios
in this book will talk about the stakes of the
conflict, and the consequences for each faction
should they win or lose.
On another level, Deadzone gives rise to an
emergent narrative through play Maybe
theres one Stalker in your strike team who,
through improbable luck, survived three turns in
combat with an Assault Enforcer, denying your
opponent the VPs they needed to win the game

player represents the vanguard of the Veer-myn

colony as they defend against the invaders and
seek to secure their passage off-world.
Each player should create an Army as described
on page 46 of the Deadzone rulebook; one player
using a Veer-myn Army List or an Enforcer Army
List. Each player should feel free to use one of
the Elite Army Lists presented in this book; in any
case the Enforcer player (referred to throughout
the campaign as the Pathfinder player) should
weight their forces towards including Pathfinders
and away from Peacekeepers to better represent
the forces deployed during the initial stages of
the Exham IV Containment Protocol.
Before and after each game, the players should
follow the Pre-Game and Post-Game sequence
for campaign games as per the Campaign rules
in the Deadzone rulebook; we recommend using
the Exham IV Exploration table on page 48 of this
book in place of the standard Exploration Table,
and the inclusion of the environmental effects on
page 40 during setup, to give the campaign the
flavour of Exham IV.
this obviously isnt just any Stalker: Hes
Jarrat Kelkarn, veteran of a hundred battles,
with the scars to prove it; and every game in the
campaign after that, your opponent might make
a point of trying to take him out as payback.
These moments will live on as anecdotes in
your gaming group and grow in the telling; a
story that you created, a unique experience for
you alone.
Of course, this aspect of the hobby will have a
greater or lesser appeal to an individual gamer.
Some players find their enjoyment more in the
tactical play of the game itself, or collecting and
painting their miniatures to a high standard, or
anything else to enjoy about the game and
thats fine. Theres no wrong way to have fun
- unless your fun comes at the expense of the
enjoyment of others, of course and if you find
yourself on the receiving end of a let me tell you
about my character! story from your opponent
without any need to share one of your own, just
smile in appreciation of their enthusiasm for
your shared hobby as you plan your devastating
pincer assault on her unsuspecting strike force.
Shell never see it coming.

41

missions

Scoring
The winner and loser of each mission will be
awarded Campaign points. Keep track of these
on your Army Roster. At the end of the campaign,
the player with the most campaign points is the
overall winner of the campaign.

These challenge scenarios should not be

considered fair or balanced, or suitable for
tournament play, but they can offer a refreshing
change in perspective or chance to stretch your
tactical acumen in new directions.

Force Composition & Terrain Considerations

This section of the scenario will set out the points
value for the game, along with any restrictions
on model types. The forces available to each
player may be limited by terrain, logistics or the
results of previous games in the campaign.
It will also discuss whether a particular terrain
piece (such as a fortification or landing pad) is
required or recommended for the scenario, as
well as offer guidelines to use your existing
terrain collection to depict the type of battlefield
envisioned in the scenario.
If your terrain collection doesnt contain the
exact pieces required or recommended, dont
worry do your best with what you and your
friend have.

Deployment
This section will contain a map of the board
showing the deployment zones for each side,
and any cubes containing objectives.
Victory Conditions
This section specifies the victory conditions for
each player. Each player may have the same
victory condition, or a unique condition to their
side to model the different strategic priorities of
the two factions.
Challenge Scenarios
War is not fair. While Deadzone aims to be an
enjoyable game, balancing the various factions
available to players so that each player has a
path to victory, in life this is quite often not the
case.
To represent this, the missions presented in the
Sack of Priory Station will have an optional,
Challenge scenario, which will unbalance the
mission on favour of one player or another.

Gaming Well With Others

Tabletop Wargames are a unique social

activity. On the one hand, they are a
competitive game: A contest of skill and
luck, with winners and losers. On the other
hand, they are a great excuse to spend time
with friends, or forge new friendships over
the clatter of dice. Usually, these aspects
work together to create a rewarding hobby
experience for all involved; sometimes,
however, the clash of miniatures on the table
can lead to a clash of personalities outside
the game.
More than half the time, these disputes
arise because each player has a different
expectation of the game they are playing:
Anne might have been playing competitively,
while Bob thought he was in for a night of
tossing d8s and tossing back Mountain Dew.
Neither player is wrong and Deadzone is
designed to accommodate and enable both
styles of play; the issue is that they didnt
hash out what they were after from the game
beforehand, and so a simple rule dispute or
ruthless ploy can lead to hurt feelings.
Always check with your opponent to make
sure youre on the same page before playing
a game. A simple Im bringing my powergamer list, do you want to try and break it?
beforehand will go a long way to prevent
misunderstandings and hurt feelings.
Remember: Deadzone is a game, and games
are about having fun! Good sportsmanship
and clear communication will go a long way
to making sure an evening spent around the
table is enjoyable for everyone.

Consequences
Our intention in presenting these is to offer a This section will describe any ongoing effects
change of pace for players looking for something for the remainder of the narrative campaign. For
to challenge their mastery of the game. Try example: If the Pathfinders fail the first mission,
playing these scenarios turn-about, with one Infiltration, they will be unable to take Vehicleplayer playing the Pathfinders, and then using type models in scenario 3, as they will not have
his opponents list to see if he can do better than been able to secure a path through the Veershe did.
myns territory for the bulky, noisy equipment.
42

Mission 1: Infiltration
The Pathfinders must move through Veer-myn
held territory to reach the site Recon unit P12-612 identified as the heart of the infestation.

Force Composition & Terrain

150 points per side. The Pathfinder player may
not take any Vehicle models, representing a
small, silent infiltration force. This battlefield
represents the outer edges of the Veer-myns
territory; this might be a light industrial area
or exploited mine. To make best use of the
scenarios special rule, ensure to use a moderate
to high amount of LOS-blocking scatter terrain.
Deployment
The Veer-myn player uses the Red deployment
zone. The Pathfinder player uses the blue
deployment zone.

In this scenario, the Pathfinder players models

are considered to be using any scrap of cover
they can find to conceal themselves, and the
strike force as a whole is considered to be
Undiscovered.
While they are Undiscovered, the Veer-myn
player may not target any model on the Pathfinder
players strike team with Shoot actions, including
from Indirect, Frag, or Grenade weapons.
At the end of either players activation, check
to see if the activated model has LOS to any
enemy model. If so, the Veer-myn player must
roll to see if they Discover the intruders, rolling
3 dice 5+ test (2). If successful, the Pathfinder
players forces have been Discovered, and the
Veer-myn player may freely target their enemy
in the normal way. Either player can move into
a cube containing an enemy model and Fight
them as usual; if the Veer-myn players model
lives through the Fight, they are able to raise the
alarm; the Pathfinder players strike team has
now been Discovered.

Challenge Scenario
The Veer-myn player may deploy four models as
if they had Scout to represent a roaming patrol.
Additionally, try using two battle mats stacked
one above the other. The deployment zones
remain the same but there will be a lot more
space between them.

Victory Conditions
To win, the Pathfinder player must have 12VP
worth of his Strike Team leave the board from
the Veer-myn players deployment zone. The
Veer-myn player must kill 16 VP worth of the
enemy Strike Team.

Consequences
The winning player will earn:
2 Campaign Points.

Special Rules: Stealth Mission

The Pathfinders are employing every tactic and
trick drilled into them to avoid detection by the
Veer-myn patrols, but the Veer-myns keen sense
of smell and sheer numbers mean that its not a
question of if theyll discover the intruders, but
when.

43

The losing player will earn:

1 Campaign Point
If the Pathfinder player wins this mission,
they will be able to include vehicles in their
strike force for Mission 3.
If the Veer-myn player wins this mission,
they will count as scoring seven successes
in the Recon roll for Mission 2.

missions

Mission 2: Acquisition

Victory Conditions
VPs are scored by:
P12-6-12s final transmission from her personal
Killing enemy models (VP value of model)
nanodrone cloud was partially corrupted by an
Claiming VP counters.
unknown third party to the conflict. The original
data remains in the memory banks of the cloud;
the Pathfinders need this crucial data to identify The first player to reach 16VP is the winner;
the location of the Veer-myn colonys Brood however a player must have earned at least one
3VP token in order to declare victory.
Mother.
In turn, the Maligni believe that they will be able
to use the data contained in the drone cloud to
reverse-engineer a transponder code that they
can use to evade the Grounding Protocol. This
data presents a crucial step towards saving the
lives of the entire colony.

Force Composition & Terrain

150 points per side. The Pathfinder player may
not include any Vehicles in their strike force, as
they have not yet secured a corridor into this
sector of Veer-myn territory as yet.

Challenge Scenario
Killing enemy models is worth 0VP; VPs may only
be earned by claiming objective tokens. The first
player to 9VP is the winner.
Consequences
The winning player earns:
2 Campaign Points

This battlefield represents one of the typical

abandoned industrial facilities that litter the
surface of Exham IV. No special terrain is
required for this scenario.

Deployment
The Veer-myn player uses the Red deployment
zone. The Pathfinder player uses the blue
deployment zone.
The Objective cube is yellow.

Place five 3VP counters in the objective cube. A

player may claim one of these tokens at the end
of a round if they have the only models in that
cube; the token is treated as an Intel item worth
3VP. A player may claim only one token per turn
up to a total of 4 tokens.
44

The losing player earns:

1 Campaign Point
If the Pathfinder player wins this mission,
they count as scoring seven successes in
the Recon roll for Mission 3.
If the Veer-myn player wins this mission,
they count as scoring seven successes in
the Recon roll for Mission 4.

Mission 3: Elimination
The Pathfinders have located the Veer-myns
nests, and have deployed an elimination detail to
several key locations throughout the Veer-myns
warren in order to eliminate the Brood Mothers.
The Veer-myn, warned of the intrusion by
the precognitive talents of their Tangles, are
prepared to put up a stiff resistance in the face
of the invasion of their home and hearth. For
them, this is a matter of life or death; for the
Enforcers, this is simply pest control.

Force Composition & Terrain

200 points per side. If the Pathfinder player won
the Infiltration mission, they may include Vehicle
models in their Strike Force. The Veer-myn player
must include (and pay for) a Brood Mother in
their Strike Team, even if their Army List does
not normally allow for one to be included in the
Strike Team. For this battle, the Brood Mother
acts as the Strike Teams Leader, using the Recon
value and Army Special ability from the core Victory Conditions
VPs are scored by:
Deadzone Rulebook.
Killing enemy models (VP value of model)
This battlefield represents the warren of
the largest and most influential of the Veer- The Veer-myn player must reach 20VP to win.
myn Brood Mothers. As much as your terrain The Pathfinder player must reach 16 VP to win.
collection will allow, try to represent a maze However, the Pathfinder player must have killed
of corridors drilled from the rock and shored up the Brood Mother in order to declare victory if
they have reached 16VP but the Brood Mother
with scavenged habtainer slabs, or otherwise yet lives, continue to play until either the Veergive the impression of a dark, claustrophobic Myn player reaches 20VP or the Brood Mother
environment.
is slain.
Deployment
The Veer-myn player uses the Red deployment
zone. The Pathfinder player uses the blue
deployment zone.

Challenge Scenario
The Veer-myn player receives 6 free Crawlers or
Stalkers (in any combination) in addition to their
regular Strike Force.
Additionally, the Veer-myn player has the option
of taking a second Brood Mother as well as the
first; in this case, the Pathfinder player must kill
both Brood Mothers in order to win.

Consequences
The winning player earns:
2 Campaign Points
The losing player earns:
1 Campaign Point
In addition, the winner of this game will
receive +1 Command Dice each round for
the duration of Mission 4.
45

missions

Mission 4: Elimination

Victory Conditions
VPs are scored by:
After the Elimination Detail finishes its grisly
Killing enemy models (VP value of model)
work, the Veer-myn decide to push towards the
last intact spaceport on Exham IV in a desperate The first player to reach 20VP is the winner;
however if at the end of any round, the Veer-myn
attempt to leave the planet.
player is the sole occupant of all four objective
The Pathfinders, cut off from heavy support, cubes simultaneously, they win the game.
must try to stop them seizing the landing pad.
Challenge Scenario
Force Composition & Terrain
The Veer-myn player receives 250 points with
200 points per side. The Pathfinder player may which to build their Strike Team. Additionally,
include vehicles, but not any Peacekeepers.
consider using two battle mats:
The Pathfinder player receives two free Sentry
Guns, which may be deployed emplaced as if
they had one cubes worth of Scout movement.
This battlefield represents the last intact
spaceport on the planet.
You will need to represent a landing pad of at
least 2 x 2 x 1 size, and have a way of designating
which cubes are the objective cubes.

Deployment
The Veer-myn player uses the Red deployment
zones. The Pathfinder player uses the blue and
yellow cubes as their deployment zone.
The Objective cubes are yellow.

Consequences
The winning player earns:
2 campaign points
If your landing pad terrain piece is larger than
2 x 2 x 1 cubes, this is perfectly acceptable;
simply ensure you and your opponent know
which cubes are the objective cubes, and which
are not.
Likewise, if the landing pad terrain piece
overlaps with the Pathfinders deployment zones,
this is also not an issue for the scenario.
46

The losing player earns:

1 campaign point
If the Pathfinder player wins, the Veer-myn
player only has 225 points with which to
choose their strike team for Mission 5.
If the Veer-myn player wins, they will have
275 points with which to choose their Strike
Team for Mission 5.

Mission 5: Evacuation

Victory Conditions
VPs are scored by:
While the ThunderHeads and the Veer-myn
Killing enemy models (VP value of model)
have been battling on the surface of Exham IV,
a desperate guerrilla war has been raging in the
service corridors and maintenance ducts below The first player to reach 20VP is the winner;
Priory Station. Its objective: Control over the life however in order to declare victory, a player
must be the sole occupant of both objective
support and docking control modules.
cubes, and have at least a 2 VP lead over the
If the Enforcers are able to seize these systems,
other player.
they can vent the entire station into the void,
sending passengers and vermin alike into hard Challenge Scenario
vacuum to freeze and die. Doing so, however,
will ensure that the bleeding sickness will Consider having both players deploy their entire
be contained, with the minimum necessary remaining Army, regardless of the relative points
damage to the station itself, preserving a vital values of each Army.
infrastructure and trade hub for the Council of
Alternatively, the Pathfinder players Strike
Seven to refurbish once the crisis is contained.
Team might represent a different detachment of
For the Veer-myn, control of Priory is essential Enforcers sent to seize control of the station.
to their salvation. If they can seize enough of
the freight and passenger ships docked with If this is the case, both players should make a
it, they may yet be able to overwhelm the strike team worth 300 points. While the VeerThunderHeads control cordon through sheer
myn player is free to use troops from their
strength of numbers and save at least some of
regular Campaign Army Roster, the Pathfinder
their society.
player must choose a new Strike Force from
Force Composition & Terrain
any Enforcer Army List. The troops chosen are
250 points per side. See the Consequences all Rank 0, but do not have any permanent
section for Mission 4 for more details.
injuries. The Pathfinder player will be eligible
The battlefield represents the maintenance for Underdog dice as described in the Deadzone
network that supports Priory Station. Space will Core Rulebook.
be cramped, and fixtures and structures are not
likely to be more than one or two cubes in height. Consequences
The winning player earns:
Deployment
2 Campaign Points
The Veer-myn player uses the Red deployment
zone. The Pathfinder player uses the blue
The losing player earns:
deployment zone.
1 Campaign Point
The objective cubes are yellow.
If the Veer-myn player has the most
Campaign Points and has won Mission 5,
they win a Major Victory; otherwise, they
win a Minor Victory.
If the Enforcer player has the most Campaign
Points and has won Mission 3, they win a
Major Victory; otherwise, they win a Minor
Victory.

47

EXPLORATION TABLE

Exham IV Exploration Table

D88 Result

Event

11
Terminal Intervention - Your Strike Team finds some wreckage from the dropship

released by the Terminal Intervention, a Drakon-class Enforcer warship. Your team finds

large quantities of high-grade military gear. Add 3 AP Ammo and 2 frag grenades to your
stores.
12-13

Pandoras Box - While searching for Intel in the vault of a comms station, your team
discovers something extremely valuable encrypted logs from the CSS Sloveshy Vassily,
transferred upon its docking with Priory Station. Your superiors will be extremely interested
in decrypting and analyzing the contents, to discover what really happened on Exham IV,
and why Mi-Gan attempted to keep it secret for so long Add +2d8 RP to your roster.

14-15

Verminium Ingot - While searching through the detritus inside a local mining depot your
team finds something extremely valuable. Perhaps this explains why Exham IV was mined
so thoroughly. Roll 2d8, and discard one result. Add this number of RP to your roster.

16-18

Mi-Gan Outpost - The GCPS troops stationed on Exham IV were well equipped by corporate
standards, but ultimately unprepared for the waves of Veer-myn that overran them. Your
team recovers what they can from the dismembered, half-eaten bodies. Add 1 Ammo and 1
AP Ammo to your stores.

21-23

Slurry Pit - Your Strike Team notices an intact weapons depot, sure to be filled with useful
munitions. Unfortunately for your team, it is half-submerged in thick chemical slurry, leaked
from the extensive abandoned mines. If you choose to retrieve the munitions, pick one
member of your Strike Team to make a 3-dice Survive (2) test. If they succeed, add 3 Ammo,
2 AP Ammo and 2 Frag grenades to your stores. If they fail, gain nothing and the model
must roll on the injury table.

24-26

Survival of the Weakest - While searching the tunnels, your team becomes aware of the
presence of hundreds of lifeforms lurking in the shadows. Fearing the worst your team
retreats to a safe distance and takes another route. As they press further, the scent of
roasted meat leads them to a chamber filled with the charred bones of Mi-Gan troops and
Veer-myn alike. In the distance a small figure darts away into a crack in the tunnel wall.
Your team instantly realizes what many of the children orphaned by the bleeding sickness
are doing to survive. They notice some useful gear amongst the discarded clothes and
armour and hastily retrieve it before leaving. Gain 1d4+1 RP.

27-32

Research Lab - Your team finds a medical lab, filled with victims of the bleeding sickness
floating in stasis fluids, hooked up to various tubes and monitors. The scientists that once
worked here must have been searching for a cure. While there is an abundance of medical
supplies here, their experimental nature may yield unpredictable results. Add 2 Experimental
Surgical Kits to your stores.

During the Resolve Casualties phase of the post-game sequence, you can use these items
to try to heal a Permanent Injury instead of spending a Medi-pack to re-roll the result.
Discard an Experimental Surgical Kit and roll on the following table:

1: The Experimental Surgical Kit has no effect. The model suffers the permanent injury you
originally rolled.

2-4: The Experimental Surgical Kit works, but the model will need some time to recover

from the surgery. They must miss the next game (as if they had rolled a 4-7 on the Casualty
Table).

5-7: The Experimental Surgical Kit works as intended. The model makes a full recovery (as
if they had rolled an 8 on the injury table).

8: The kit contains some highly advanced (and effective) nanotechnology. The model makes a
full recovery (as if they had rolled an 8 on the Casualty Table, and the
model may heal one previous Permanent Injury which had reduced its stats.

33-36 Spaceport - STRATEGIC ASSET: Your Strike Team finds and secures a spaceport. The

frozen bodies of those attempting to board the last ships off-world are strewn everywhere,

some with laser burns puncturing through them, others with gashes and gnawed limbs.

While there are no shuttles remaining here, automated drones ferrying supplies from Priory

Station still arrive on schedule, although some of the cargo they deliver is dangerous and

unexpected. Gain 3 extra RP post-battle during the exploration phase after every game

you play, and roll a d8. On a roll of 1, choose one member of your Strike Team to roll on the

injury table.

48

37-42

Abandoned Hab-block - Your team searches some of the many cramped civilian quarters
that cover the surface of Exham IV, all of them are now either abandoned or filled with
corpses, the walls slick with frost. While signs of life are non-existent, there are still items
of value to be found here. Gain +1d4 RP.

43-46

Mi-Gan HQ - STRATEGIC ASSET: Your strike team stumbles upon the local headquarters
of the Mi-Gan corporation, its doors burnt open with acid. Claw marks and bloodstains coat
the interior. Your strike team is able to repair the HQ to set up as a forward base of
operations, and hacking the core database yields a wealth of information about hidden
caches and assets to use in the event of outbreak. Before each battle you may place an
additional item crate in any cube of your choice within the limits defined by the mission.
Rolling this result has no further effect if you already have a Mi-Gan HQ.

47-52

Frozen Corpse - You discover the dead body of a Mi-Gan security officer, stiff and frozen,
with most of his face nibbled off. Roll a d8 to see what you find:

1: The officer died of the bleeding sickness. You leave the corpse alone.

2: +2 RP

3-4: 1 Ammo

5-6: 1 AP ammo

7: Intel: Treat this result as a roll of 81-83 (The Hive) instead.

8: Mi-Gan master key: Treat this result as a roll of 43-46 (Mi-Gan HQ) instead.

53-56

Industrial Complex - STRATEGIC ASSET: You find a functioning Industrial Complex, fully
fitted with manufacturing capabilities. With some modifications, you are able to produce
military-grade munitions. After each battle during the exploration phase, gain 1 Ammo.
Rolling this result has no further effect if you already have an Industrial Complex.

57-62

The Sickness - Your team finds a group of survivors infected with the bleeding sickness.

VEER-MYN: The survivors will make excellent test subjects for the Maligni, new and
virulent strains of the sickness may be present in their blood. Gain +d8 RP and choose a
model from your strike team to gain +1 XP.

REBS: Your team takes pity on the survivors and provides them with supplies and medicine
to ease their suffering. They reveal the location of some of their surviving relatives, some
too old or young to be infected, others simply lucky enough to have survived or avoided
infection. You locate the survivors and offer them refuge. Some of them are good fighters,
too. Deduct 3 RP from your roster if possible (or as much as you have if you have less than
3 RP), and add 1 Rebs Trooper or 1 Rebs Specialist (your choice) to your army.

ENFORCERS: Interrogation techniques approved directly by the Council of Seven are highly
effective, even on the dying. Your team uses the information gained to locate and eliminate
elements of the native population, securing valuable resources in the process. Gain +d8 RP.

OTHERS: Your team gives the survivors a quick death, either out of mercy, or simply to
eliminate the threat. You find some supplies in their hideout. Add +1d4 RP to your roster.

63-66

Hypertunnel Network - STRATEGIC ASSET: Your strike team finds and secures an
underground transport hub. This will allow you to rapidly explore the vast honeycombed
interior of Exham IV, if you are willing to risk disturbing the dangers that lie within After
each battle, during the exploration phase you may choose to make an extra roll on the
exploration table which cannot be modified by Scout/Scavenger or any other means. If you
do so, roll a d8, on a roll of 4+ choose a member of your strike team to roll on the injury
table as the creatures lurking underground attack. Rolling this result has no further effect if
you already have a Hypertunnel Network.

67-72

Lost in the Caverns - A member of your strike team goes missing while exploring the
underground caverns of Exham IV. You assume they are dead, either devoured by the many
creatures lurking within the planets crust or simply killed by exposure. When they return
much later, they bear the scars of their ordeal, but have become adept at surviving the many
dangers the underground holds. A random, non-leader model from your Strike Team must
miss the next game. At the end of your next game, they return and gain +5XP, but must also
roll on the injury table.

49

EXPLORATION TABLE

73-75

Acid Cloud - While searching some industrial ruins, your strike team hears the screeching
of metal as a pipe breaks, spilling acidic vapour into their midst. Choose one model from
your strike team to roll on the injury table. If you have a model with Engineer in your strike
team, ignore this result as they recognize the structural instability in advance.

76-78

Drone Swarm - Some of the Recon drones released by P12-6-12 are still active on Exham
IV, their emergency programming activated by the containment protocol. Their primary
directive is to identify and report threats to pathfinders still active in the deadzone.

ENFORCERS: In the next game you play, the enemy leader counts as being Tagged for the
entire game (Tag rifles gain +1 dice when making a shoot action against the model).

OTHERS: You may shoot down the drones in an effort to disable the drones and learn
valuable intel from them. If you choose to do this, spend 1 Ammo, and add +1d8 RP to your
roster. If you do not or cannot spend 1 Ammo, you do not get the +1d8 RP.

81-83

The Hive - Your team finds a map detailing a mass of 3-dimensional tunnels known locally
as The Hive due to their honeycombed structure. You can use this to your advantage, if
you want to risk attention from the dangers that lurk below. An extra 4 of your models may
deploy as if they had the Scout rule in your next game. If you choose to do this, roll a d8,
on a 4+ one of the models that you would have deployed as if they have the Scout ability is
instead removed as a casualty before the game begins. This does not grant your opponent
VPs, roll for injury after the battle as usual.

84-85

The Horror - Your strike team heads deep underground, following a path one of them saw
in an incredibly lucid dream.

VEER-MYN: Visions of glory and greatness enter the minds of your underlings as they
burrow deep into the heart of the world and emerge with an oracle of your people. Add a
Tangle to your Army for no cost.

OTHERS: Pain and terror pierces the minds of one of your squad, driving them insane.
Choose one model in your strike team to receive a 2 result on the injury table as their
brain becomes permanently damaged. You may discard 1 Medi-Pack from your stores to
sedate the victim before the seizures consume them and ignore this result.

86-87 Cave-in - While exploring some of the more unstable tunnels underneath the surface, a

cave-in traps a member of your team. In the time it takes to clear the rubble by hand and

extract them, their injuries become severe. Choose one model to roll on the injury table. You

may discard 1 frag grenade from your stores to breach through a tunnel wall and ignore this
result.
88 Frostbite - A member of your squad becomes isolated amidst the freezing gales that scour

the surface of Exham IV. When they return, they are in dire need of medical attention.

Choose one model to roll on the injury table. You may discard 1 Medi-Pack from your stores

to administer timely first aid and ignore this result.

50