58. Stagecoash Ambush
Source: Town Cryer #25 PDF
Setting: The Empire
Author: Mark Havener, et al.
Notes: An Empire In Flames scenario. Defenders on horseback must protect a stagecoach from mounted attackers. Roadwarden & highwayman Hired Swords may be hired at ½ price. Lots of special horsy rules.
The roads of the Empire are very dangerous and teeming with all manner of bandits, Beastmen and mutants. A warband has been paid to protect the local stage on a dangerous road to the next coaching inn. A rival warband is laying in wait to ambush the stage on a particularly secluded part of the route. When the stage and its outriders turn a corner in the road the ambush is sprung and the chase is on!
terrain
Each player takes it in turn to place a piece of terrain, either a stand of trees, a length of hedgerow or a small rocky outcrop. There must be a distinct road marked on the battlefield for the coach to follow. Both players should roll a D6. The highest scoring player may place the piece of terrain anywhere along the leading table edge, creating a continuous stretch of the road.
set-up
The defenders may use as much of their warband as they have mounts for, Only defending warriors on the stage and warriors riding on mounts may take part in the scenario. The defending warband is deployed facing the opposite short table edge and no closer than 40" of that edge, (this edge represents the escape route). The stagecoach must be placed with the warband, and must also be facing this direction. Up to 50% of the attacking warband may be set-up in Hiding anywhere on the battlefield but no closer than 18" to any of the defending warband. The rest of the attacking warband is set up 24" behind the defenders facing in the same direction — this part of the attacking warband must all be mounted.
special rules
The stage comes with its own driver (use the Muleskinner from ‘Blazing Saddles’ in the Mordheim 2002 Annual and replace his skills with Ride and Drive Cart and his whip with a blunderbuss). For this scenario alone, the driver counts as an additional member of the warband.
In addition, the defending warband is loaned some horses (or other applicable steeds) for the warband members by the Imperial Stage (the defending player may spend up to 250gcs on riding beasts that must be returned at the end of the game).
A Roadwarden Hired Sword may be hired as a one off for the defenders in this scenario at half the usual cost.
The attackers are loaned enough horses (or applicable alternative mounts for races that do not use horses — eg, War Boars for Orcs) for their warband (the attacking player may spend up to 400gcs on riding beasts only to be used in this scenario).
Only warbands of a good alignment may protect the stage (ie, Human Mercenaries, Elves, Dwarfs, etc) you cannot have a Possessed warband protecting the Imperial Stage! You can however, adapt this scenario if only evil warbands are taking part and have an evil warband protecting the Carnival of Chaos Plague Cart from attack (you will have to wait for a later issue as this is a warband exclusive to Empire in Flames!) A Highwayman Hired Sword may be hired as a one off for the attackers in this scenario at half the usual cost.
The Chase - This is a special rule that only applies to riding mounts and for this scenario only. Mounted warriors may always leave close combat in their Movement phase if they desire and because they are mounted are not automatically hit by their enemies (this allows the scenario to move along at pace and not to get too bogged down in fighting).
Dwarf Ingenuity — If the attacking warband is Dwarf Treasure Hunters then they are allowed to place a barricade across the road no closer than 18" to the stagecoach. This makes up for the fact that the short guys cannot ride mounts. If the defending warband is Dwarf Treasure Hunters then they are allowed to take a wagon in additional to the stagecoach for their warriors to ride upon.
Applying the Spurs! — This is a special rule that only applies to riding mounts and for this scenario only. A rider may Apply the Spurs! to his mount to make it move faster in a similar way that Applying the Lash! works with the stagecoach. A rider may not charge and apply the spurs in the same turn. Roll a D6 and add this amount to the ’ rider’s move. If a 1 is rolled roll on the table opposite:
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Steed Tiring — The steed is growing tired — if the rider Applies the Spurs! next turn you must halve the score rounding fractions up. |
| 3-4 | Rider Shaken — Due to the mount’s speed the rider is thrown all over the place and may not apply the spurs next turn as he recovers his composure. |
| 5-6 | Out of control — Make a roll on the Whoa Boy! table from ‘Blazing Saddles’ in the Mordheim 2002 annual. |
ending the game
The battle ends when one warband fails a Rout test or the stagecoach leaves the table by the opposite edge it was facing when the game started. Any warband which Routs, loses automatically.
experience
- +1 Survives. If a Hero or a Henchman group survives the battle they gain +1 Experience.
- +1 Winning Leader. The leader of the winning warband gains +1 Experience.
- +1 Per Enemy Out of Action. Any Hero earns +1 Experience for each enemy he puts out of action.
- +1 Destroying the Stagecoach. If a Hero in the attacking warband destroys the stagecoach he earns +1 experience.
- +2 Capturing the Stagecoach. If a Hero in the attacking warband captures the stagecoach intact he earns +2 experience.
- +2 Stagecoach escapes. If the stagecoach manages to survive and leaves the battlefield in the hands of the defending warband the leader gains +2 experience.