Every Wednesday, our Field Test blog brings you new rules, missions and ideas to supercharge your games! Last time, we shared some rules for Squat Kill Teams. This week, we've put together some rules for adding archaeotech into games of Warhammer 40,000.
It's hard to imagine what went through the minds of the simple people of Dalathax as the heavens opened and the vast and brutal edifice of a crippled Blackstone Fortress forced its way through. Venting plasma, burning from acre-wide holes in its hull, screaming with a myriad klaxons, it must have seemed like some collapsing palace of gods to those unfortunates. As its shadow fell on them, what prayers they must have muttered... until it crashed to the earth and annihilated them all.
Now, so many years later, all that is left of them is a faint, ghostly memory. But the treasures of the Blackstone Fortress lie scattered across the landscape, like jewels buried in dust and debris.
We're used to breaking into the inner vault of a Blackstone Fortress as it hangs suspended in space. But what if one fell to earth and shattered, sending mysterious and powerful archaeotech in every direction? Well, this is what happened on Dalathax, and now two armies are clashing for control of the site.
These rules can be used in two ways: either as a complete mission, or a bolt-on additional element to your favourite missions.
Playing the Mission: Treasure Hunters
If you simply want to play this as a mission, take turns with your opponent in placing 6 tokens around the battlefield. Tokens must be at least 6" from a deployment zone, and at least 6" from another token. It does not matter if these tokens are numbered or not, as the archaeotech represented is generated randomly.
To discover a piece of archaeotech, a model must end its move in contact with the token and pass a Leadership test on 2D6 (the result must be equal to or under the model's leadership). If a unit of more than one model moves into contact with the token, the player must choose one model to make the test.
- No single model or unit may attempt more than one test to discover archaeotech in a single movement phase.
- Vehicles may not attempt to discover Archaeotech.
- The attempt to discover archaeotech can only be made in the actual movement phase.
- Command points may be used to reroll one of the dice using the usual stratagem.
If the archaeotech is discovered, remove the token from the battlefield. The model that discovered the archaeotech is now designated a Warden. Roll on the table below to see what item has been discovered and apply the affects.
You may not use command points to change the result on the table below.
Some archaeotech is used immediately, other items take effect at different times. There is no limit to the number of pieces of archaeotech a model can carry and utilise.
Calculating Victory Points:
After 5 rounds, victory points are calculated.
For each piece of Archaeotech discovered: 1 VP
For each piece of Fabled Archeotech discovered: D3 VP
For each friendly warden alive at the end of the game: 1 VP
If you have discovered more Archaeotech than the opponent: D3 VP
If you have more wardens alive at the end of the game: D3 VP
Playing this as a bolt-on to an existing mission
If you simply wish to spice up your games with a smattering of ancient treasures, simply agree with your opponent on how many archaeotech tokens you want to include (or roll a D6 to determine the number) and place them following the rules above.
As an add-on, archaeotech does not add victory points and does not affect the conditions of victory.
The Archaeotech Table
When archaeotech is discovered, roll on this table once to determine the type of archaeotech, and again to determine the specific item. If an item is discovered a second time in the same game, just roll again on the Item sub-table.
We love sharing our ideas with the community, and appreciate all the feedback we get. Do let us know if this is the sort of thing you enjoy, and how it worked in your games, and we'll be sure to carry on writing bonkers articles like this. Oh, and if you'd like a copy of the above table, just email us at enquiries@artofwarstudios.co.uk.
May your big guns never tire!
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