Infestation: Campaigns on Exham IV
19th May 2016
Dave
Once a gem of GCPS exploitation, Exham IV is now a world tearing itself apart. Subject to the largest infestation of Veer-Myn ever located, the elite Enforcers were dispatched to contain the outbreak before the creatures could spread. The Enforcers' ship was shot down before it could make landfall.
Now, although they are stranded and cut off from any support, their mission remains the same. Locate the Veer-Myn Leader - the Brood Mother - and eliminate her by any means necessary.
Tales from the Deadzone
Whilst the Deadzone rulebook contains the full rules to run a 'generic' campaign inside Containment Protocol, the Infestation Supplement has something altogether different. The Campaign tells the story of the desperate Pathfinders of Exham IV. From evading Veer-Myn packs, to the final battle for Priory station, the main narrative of Exham IV unfolds.
The book includes five new scenarios, each one following the Pathfinders' struggle. These have their own specific goals as a result of the unfolding story, as well as suggested game sizes and consequences for wins or losses for the players. You and an opponent can play through the campaign together, one player taking control of the Veer-Myn and the other player the Enforcers. Your Strike team will face the hostile environment of the Deadzone, including violent weather, unstable ground or blistering cold.
If you want to add some extra flavour to your games, you could try using the Elite Army Lists in some of your games. These limit your force selection, but more than make up for it by allowing access to powerful new characters, such as the Veer-Myn Piper or the Enforcer Forward Observer. Each scenario also includes a less balanced (and therefore more difficult) 'Challenge Scenario'. These are designed to test your skills and Strike Team to the limit, providing a crucible against which to test yourself in Deadzone.
Other Factions in Infestation
The Veer-Myn and Enforcers are the focus of the Infestation Supplement, they are far from the only forces present in the Deadzone. The Forge Fathers have earmarked Exham IV for their own ends, while the mysterious Asterians have deployed their Cypher Clades to the surface of the planet. Marauders and Rebels have infiltrated the GCPS' infrastructure, both on Priory station and the world below. With the sudden arrival of the Veer-Myn, all of these factions have been spurred into action.
Each of the factions above also has their own Elite Army List, complete with an individual character. Once again, these aren't necessary for play, but do add an element of narrative to your games. You can tie these into the infestation campaign in two ways. Firstly, using the scenarios from the Deadzone rulebook, but participating in the campaign in Infestation - using all of the same special rules as everyone else.
Secondly, you can alter the Veer-Myn vs. Pathfinder scenarios to match your forces. The simplest way to do this is when you roll for deployment, the winning player will decide whether they want to play as the 'Veer-Myn' or the 'Pathfinders', then deploys accordingly. Between this and the Deadzone rulebook, you'll have a total of nine scenarios to play through, plus the addition of environmental hazards and the brand new Exham IV Exploration table.
The eagle-eyed of you with have noticed that I haven't mentioned the Plague. Officially, there is not recorded incident of the contagion on Exham IV. Unofficially, the story could be very different - perhaps there is a covert research base, which was abandoned in the recent chaos. Maybe an artifact was located and hidden, before being inevitably activated. Don't feel limited to the canon - your mutated monstrosities can find a place in Exham IV alongside the other factions.
So what are you waiting for? Exham IV is doomed and it's up to you to survive!
Deadzone: Infestation is available to pre-order now and will be shipping at the end of June! You can also pre-order your Veer-Myn and Enforcer Faction Starters to prepare for the campaign!