Combat Zone Chronicles, an occasional newsletter devoted to em-4's Near Future combat game, Combat Zone.

Issue 3 AN OCCASIONAL NEWSLETTER July 2002

Junkyard War
by Peter McDonald

Lord Grim thought kidnapping Renee Bouvier would bring an easy profit. He was wrong. His gang, "The Talons" has kidnapped the teenage daughter of Francois Bouvier, chairman of the Primus Corporation.

The Talons are based in a fortified junkyard in a combat zone near the city limits. This combat zone is not currently claimed by any of the corporations, so Primus Security forces can expect to operate unhindered by media interference.

P.T.P. (Primus Tactical Planning) has discovered that Ms. Bouvier is being held in the junkyard office near the back of the compound. The junkyard itself has been fortified with a watch tower, firing platforms, and has only one entrance the main gate. P.T.P. has decided that a frontal assault by APC through the main gate will be the best tactical response and also the most cost effective for the corporation.

The Table

This scenario has been played on a 4'x6' table although a much smaller one will do. The junkyard compound is surrounded with a corrugated iron wall and has one gate located in the front wall. The interior is a maze of junk piles of twisted metal, partially destroyed vehicles and other forms of refuse. The Gangers have also constructed crude firing platforms and a guard tower. There is also small office building at the back of the yard. It is in this building that Renee Bouvier is being held.

Deployment

The Gangers setup first and can be placed anywhere with in the compound, firing platforms, office or guard tower. The troopers (Primus Tactical team) start off in side the APC crashing through the gate. Troopers are in headset contact, the Gangers having headsets is optional.

Figures

I always like scenarios that don't demand that you have certain types of figures and you can use what ever you have available. I recommend using the figures that come with the game. You could easily throw in an EM-4 Cyborg or Alien to spice things up if you like. You will also need a something to represent the APC. I used a modified toy from the Dollar store but you can use what ever you have on hand.

You can also find a suitable free card model of an APC here http://www.chalz.net/bp/models/index.html or http://www.tin-soldier.com/paper/corridor.htm

Objectives

The Troopers must fight from the APC to the office retrieve Renee Bouvier and return to the APC. Capturing Lord Grimm and killing as many Gangers as possible is always a bonus. There are no minor victories for the Troopers, it's all or nothing.

To achieve a victory the Gangers must maintain control of their hostage and repel the troopers…..duh! Of course if they completely destroy the Troopers and get their hands on the APC it would be a definite plus.

Terrain

The terrain for this scenario is easy to make and largely consists of whatever "junk" you have on hand. My junkyard wall was made from corrugated cardboard with the paper removed on one side. I spray painted it dark gray and added lots of graffiti (the most fun part). The gate was made in the same way with a few signs added. The watchtower is made from bamboo skewers and balsa wood and the office from foam core. (It sits on short stilts and has a balcony and a flight of stairs in the front.) The roof of the tower and office come off for interior use. The junkyard is littered with half-destroyed cars and trucks. These were purchased from Dollar stores, smashed with a hammer and the useable chunks painted.

Note: Don't smash these up in front of your children!

Piles of junk were made out anything I could find and then suitably painted. The more junk and vehicles the better! This junkyard should be a maze of winding paths that play havoc with LOS.

Game Notes

Junkyard debris should be placed randomly around the yard, but with some close enough to the gate so as to prevent the APC from penetrating too deeply into the yard. If the APC gets to close to the office the game ends very quickly.

EM-4 offers free vehicle rules in Combat Zone Chronicles 2 that will work quite well for the APC. As an alternative just start the first turn with the APC already inside the gate. But this is not as dramatic as is having the APC ramming the gate.

The APC can be mounted with a turret containing a rotary cannon to provide fire support for the Troopers.

If you want to turn this scenario into a mini-campaign build an escape hatch into the back wall of the compound. When the Troopers are close to recovering Renee Bouvier, Lord Grimm and some of the Gangers can escape with her as a lead-in to another scenario. In this case, the Troopers score a victory by forcing the retreat.

I have never seen a junkyard in North America without a "Junkyard Dog". In one version of this scenario we added "Rosco" a randomly attacking dog that attacked Troopers and Gangers alike. At the beginning of each turn a player turn rolls 1D8. If the result comes up 8 the player gets to place the dog anywhere he wants on the table for one free attack. In our game the Ganger player placed Rosco in side the APC, Ouch! This option should only be used for comic effect with the right kind of players.


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