Story Encounter: Battle of the Clockwork Juggernauts!

[Hateful Darkblack]

A Story Encounter for Malifaux (PDF)

by TedPro

(co-written by megnc86, with huge thanks to lifeblood, kasul, and The Bad Man for feedback and playtesting)

"This old heap of gears and springs ain't much now, but if we can get it fixed up in time, it will be unstoppable!"

SETUP:

The setting should be a city or town layout, with buildings, laboratories, and possibly crumbling ruins and strange obelisks, but also enough open outdoor space that the Clockwork Juggernauts can reach each other. No Special Effects or Features are needed.

Place four 30mm Parts Counters on the board. Each must be at least 6" away from any other Parts Counters, scheme objectives, models, or deployment zones. These should be marked as Ram (:rams), Crow (:crows), Tomes (:tomes), and Mask (:masks).

Each side begins with one additional model, The Clockwork Juggernaut (See below). Deploy this model with the rest of your crew. This model is activated normally during each turn, but has special abilities, restrictions, and objectives.

(Recommended models to repesent the Clockwork Juggernaut: Peacekeeper, Pigapult, Teddy, Ice Golem, Steamborg Executioner, Mature Nephilim, Bad Juju, Any Rider, Killjoy, Desolation Engine. You can also use an appropriate model from another game as long as it has a 50mm base and looks about Ht 3.)

VICTORY CONDITIONS:

2VP if your Clockwork Juggernaut inflicts at least 6 Wd on any enemy Clockwork Juggernauts.

4VP if your Clockwork Juggernaut kills an enemy Clockwork Juggernaut.

PARTS COUNTERS:

Any non-Insignificant model can pick up a Parts Counter as a (1) Interact action, or drop the Parts Counter into base contact at any point during its activation at no cost or Action. A model can only carry one Parts Counter at a time. If a model carrying a Parts Counter leaves play, place the Parts Counter in base contact with the model before removing the model.

UPGRADES:

Any non-Insignificant friendly minion carrying a Parts Token can take a (1) Interact action to upgrade the Clockwork Juggernaut while in base contact with it.

To upgrade, flip a card. Combine the suit of the card flip with the suit of the Parts Token and consult the Upgrade Chart below. Order doesn't matter. If a Joker comes up on the flip, use that instead of any suits. This flip cannot be cheated.

After an upgrade, the Clockwork Juggernaut gains the effects or bonuses listed until the end of the enounter (or a Black Joker Accident! result.) If the Clockwork Juggernaut already has the effect, the Clockwork Juggernaut gains a healing flip instead.

Black Joker: Accident! Lose all existing upgrades. Flip twice to gain one random upgrade.

Ram + Ram :rams :rams: Huge Blade! Clockwork Spike gains Cb +2 :rams and Critical Strike trigger.

Ram + Crow :rams :crows: Stabilizers! Regeneration 2.

Ram + Tome :rams :tomes: Repair Assembly! Ca +1 :rams and Scavenger. Gain a spell: (1) Combat Mechanic (CC: 10 :tomes:rams/Rst: - /Rg: 6) Discard 1 Scrap Counter, or kill 1 friendly Construct within range. This model or target friendly Construct within range makes a Healing Flip.

Ram + Mask :rams :masks: Long Limbs! Wk/Cg +1/+2, Cb +1, and Clockwork Spike gains Rg 2" .

Crow + Crow :crows :crows: Redundant Gears! Hard to Wound 2, Hard to Kill and Slow to Die.

Crow + Tome :crows :tomes: Creepy Gyroscope! Ca +1(:crows). Gain a spell: (1) Decay

(CC: 14 :crows/Rst: Wp /Rg: 10 ) Dg 2/3 :blast/5 . Friendly Undead hit by this spell or by any b heal 2 Wd instead of suffering damage.

Crow + Mask :crows :masks: Self-Preservation Apparatus! Df +1 and Wp +1.

Tome + Tome :tomes :tomes: Spark Array! Ca +2 :tomes. Gain a spell: (1) Electrical Fire (CC: 14 :tomes /Rst: Df / Rg 12) Dg 2/3/4, ignoring Armor.

Tome + Mask :tomes :masks: Hypnotic Metronome! Gain a spell: (1) Obey (CC: 14 :masks /Rst: Wp /Rg: 12) Target non-Master model immediately makes a (1) Action or a Charge controlled by you. The Action selected may not cause the model to be killed or sacrificed as part of the action. This spell may be cast once per activation.

Mask + Mask :masks :masks: Ornithopter! Df +2. Flight. This model can Charge as a (1) Action.

Red Joker: Awakened! Gain your choice of either Fast (+1) or Use Soulstone. Also gain a spell: (0) Inferno (CC: 14 / Rst: - / Rg: C) Models within 3 of this model suffer 3 Dg at the start of the Closing Phase. If this model is killed before the Closing Phase, immediately apply the effect and increase to 6 Dg.

REPAIRS:

Any non-Insignificant friendly minion carrying a Parts Token can take a (1) Interact action to Repair the Clockwork Juggernaut while in base contact with it. The Clockwork Juggernaut then makes a healing flip.

CONTINUED PARTS:

After any repair or upgrade, an enemy player then places the Parts Counter used back on the board, at least 6 inches from all models and at least 12 inches from all Clockwork Juggernauts. (You can place a Parts Counter adjacent to other Part Counters during this placement.) If there is no valid place to put the Parts Counter, remove it from the game.

(Recommend that you print out the sheet below, with one copy per player so you can mark up as it gains new abilities.)

THE CLOCKWORK JUGGERNAUT:

Construct, Insignificant

50 mm base

Soulstone Cost (Scenario)

Wk/Cg: 2/3

Ht: 3

Df: 3

Wp: 5

Ca: 4

Wd: 12

Weapons

Clockwork Spike

Range: 1"

Cb: 3

Dg: 2/4/6

Talents:

Epic: Clockwork Juggernaut is immune to all damage and all effects that come from a source other than a Clockwork Juggernaut, except for Interact actions to Upgrade or Repair using Parts Counters. Clockwork Juggernaut is immune to disengaging strikes.

Brutal Protocol: If this model does not begin its turn within melee range of an enemy Clockwork Juggernaut, this model's first action must be to Charge an enemy Clockwork Juggernaut. This Charge must travel up to its maximum Cg or into melee range of an enemy Clockwork Juggernaut. During the Charge, this model must move directly toward an enemy Clockwork Juggernaut, except to move out of the way of terrain. If any other models are in the way of this Charge, push them up to 3” out of the way. This model can make this Charge even without LoS. If no enemy Clockwork Juggernaut is in play when this model begins its turn, end this model’s activation.

Simple Algorithm: This model cannot target any model except Clockworth Juggernaut, unless this model has at least one spell.

Coiled Springs: This model gains Wk/Cg +1/+1 for each Upgrade it possesses.

Shambling: This model ignores severe terrain penalties.

Melee Expert (+1)

Casting Expert (+1)

Edited April 18, 2012 by Hateful Darkblack
Added PDF link.

[Hateful Darkblack]

We have played this a few times in playtest now and it turns out to be a lot of fun.

It's possible, once the Juggernauts get close, that a juggernaut may decide to back away and go pick on other models instead. That's okay: it'll need to Charge again the next round, and it's actually not as advantageous as it may look since you'll probably lose out on VP that way.

[Orboros]

Really creative idea, will test this myself in the future. Giant mechas make me giggle and scream in joy

[Ebonstar]

Sounds like a lot of fun!

[Hateful Darkblack]

I've had a lot of fun when playing this Story Encounter.

I hope you'll try it too, sometime when you have a free Malifaux game.

[Hateful Darkblack]

It occurs to me that you could probably use a lot of warjacks and deathjacks and juggernauts from Warmachine to represent the Clockwork Juggernaut.

But I've never played Warmachine so I wouldn't know the details at all.

(If someone else has, I'd love to hear suggestions!)