To help the referee get a better feel of the Rhand system several missions are detailed in this section.
These will not only help the referee to design other missions, but will illustrate the uses of the Morningstar, an integral part of the Orca.
Mission:
Guard Risk Level:
1 Coordinates:
+012.2 +01.6 Location:
City State ofOpara.
Orca embassy and grounds The ink is barely dry on the treaty between Opara and the Orca, and the situation is somewhat tense.
The Combat Team is told to avoid any killing if possible, but to hold the embassy secure.
The embassy is a 40 hex by 30 hex two story building with a basement.
There is a veranda on the second story 15 hexes by 5 hexes.
Room layout is left to the referee.
with the officials' rooms on the second story, Combat Team's barracks and strong- box with valuables in the basement.
A ten foot high wall 50 hexes on a side surrounds the embassy.
The personnel of the embassy are two diplomats, a translator, and two house- keepers.
Rooms for the housekeepers are in the basement.
The Combat Team should split guard duty into three eight hour shifts and pick positions to stand guard.
Everything is quiet until the seventh day (night, actually).
A group of Brigands tries to break in to steal valuables.
The CV of each is 12 (SL 3, armed in LT, from the table) and their total CVequals the team's.
They use double short swords in combat and daggers as thrown weapons.
Each has an Infiltration SL of6 and is equipped with rope, grappling hook, and lockpick kit.
The team should attempt to capture them and tum them over to local authorities.
If the brigands get away with any valuables from the strongbox.
the Combat team cannot pursue and will forfeit their Mission Point for this mission.
Mission:
Mobile Assault Risk Level:
4 Coordinates:
+016.4 +04.0 Location:
North of City State Newcon A band of about 100 Rogues has settled in the ruins of a city 36 miles north of Newcon.
The group has made fortifications in various places so that an area about 300 hexes square is effectively walled off.
Each side of the fortified area is composed of the walls of five buildings and four streets.
The walls are each 48 hexes long, 20 feet high, crenelated, and have a break- ing strength of800.
The streets are each 15 hexes wide and have wooden barricades 8 feet high built across them.
The breaking strength of these barricades is 45.
There are four guards per side, usually stationed in pairs at the middle two barricades, and one guard on a platform at each comer of the fort.
All guards carry archery equip- ment based on the following 1-10 roll:
(1-6), medium composite;
(7-8), heavy composite;
(g), longbow;
(10), medium crossbow.
All the Rogues in this band are taken straight from the Troops and Enemies De- scription table.
Unless otherwise stated, they have their choice of combat weapons, and two thirds have archery equipment varying as described above.
The surrounding terrain is light brush on the east, north, and west, and city rubble to the south.
If assaulted in force, casualties would be unacceptably high.
Therefore, the Orca is using Mobile Assaults, lightning raids to weaken and eventually crush the enemy.
The Combat Team will be part of the third wave of these attacks.
They will be transported in, along with two other teams, at 2:
15 AM local and must return before 2:25 AM.
The first two waves (at 11:15 PM and 12:45 AM) were also composed of three teams each.
The teams were transported in at three drop points 200 hexes east, north.
and west of the fortification.
For this wave, the coordinates have been changed to drop each team 50 hexes to the north of the previous positions in case these locations have been pinpointed by the enemy.
These precise transportation coordinates were located by a previous Orca intelligence mission.
For this mission the teams are equipped with either ropes and grappling hooks or light rams, depending on their preferred mode of entry.
Using grappling hooks re- quires a high SL in Climbing and Infiltration, while using rams means braving arch- ery fire from the wall guards.
Each team should include at least two archers.
The mission can now be run in two ways:
the character's team may choose to attack from either the west position or the north position.
If they choose to attack from the west, the referee should inform them that the last wave succeeded in weakening the middle hex of the southernmost street barricade (breaking strength is now 30).
If the character's can ram this, a one hex breach could be created.
Needless to say, a pair of guards will be at this barricade.
If the team chooses to attack from the north, they get no special information.
However, a group of rogues (equal CV total) is waiting in ambush at the previous drop point 50 hexes to the south.
They are all armed with archery weapons, and at least two will be keeping a full circle watch for intruders (Spotting SL of2 to 4).
If the team does not detect them fIrst, it could mean a massacre.
The object for each Combat Team is to inflict at least half their CV total in casualties and then get out.
Any team causing more than their CV in casualties should earn one or two extra Mission Points, while any team inflicting no damage should lose one point.
Attacking a barricade can be rather tricky.
If the guards are not silenced in the fIrst phase of discovery, they will sound an alarm.
Two squads of Rogues, each with a CV total equal to the team's, will respond and arrive in 6 to 15 phases.
Roll separately for each group.
If the team is unlucky and the two squads arrive nearly simultaneously, they will be outmatched and should retreat.
If the team penetrates the outer perimeter undetected, either by brute force or stealth, there is a 10% chance per phase that a roving guard will happen by.
If this guard survives the phase to yell for help, the two Rogue groups will respond as above, as well as any nearby wall guards.
If any team survives the encounter with both Rogue groups and remains, another Rogue group of twice the team's CV will respond as above.
To make this scenario realistic the Combat Team's CV total should be between 80 and 160.
Mission:
Spinward Rescue Risk Level:
10 Coordinates:
+016.4 +04.0 Location:
North of City State Newcon (see previous scenario) The eastern Combat Team of the third Mobile Assault wave was defeated at the wall of the fortification.
Five members of the team escaped, leaving two others be- hind, captured by the enemy or dead.
One of the fallen was the squad leader, who had the team's Encoder.
The survivors managed to rendezvous with the northern team and transport home with them.
There is no time to brief a rescue team before Newcon enters Spinward phase, but one is assembled in the city.
Over the next three days the team is briefed and equip- ment prepared.
The team then departs on foot for the Rogue's fort 36 miles to the north.
This mission has to be a finesse operation since the Rogue's total CV is over four times the teani's total.
Every member of the team should be well trained in Climbing, Hunting, hlfiltration, and Traps and Spotting skills.
Each will be equipped with rope and grappling hook and camouflage uniforms (halves spotting odds).
As before, the team should include at least two archers.
The objective of the team is to rescue any surviving Orca members and recover the missing Encoder and Thrall.
Orca intelligence expects the Rogues to keep any Orca prisoners alive for ransom or exchange.
When the team gets within 10 miles of the fortification, there is a 15% chance per hour of encountering a patrol (Spotting SL of 4).
These patrols will only be one half the CVofthe team due to the attrition caused by the Mobile Assaults.
Remember that this team is difficult to spot, and may avoid detection by spotting the patrol first and hiding until they pass.
Once they reach the fort, the team must wait for the right moment (definitely at night) to scale the walls and attempt the rescue.
One of the main reasons for doing this rescue in the Spinward phase is that the Rogues will not expect it.
If the team loses this advantage of surprise by being discovered before they are inside, it is un- likely that any further attempts will succeed.
Once inside the fort (implying the team has either evaded or silenced the wall guards) they must find which building the prisoners are being held in.
There are nine intact buildings randomly scattered about the interior of the fort.
Each is single story, wood construction, and 30 hexes square.
Three of these are barracks, one is the officer's quarters, two are for storage, one is the hlfirmary where the 40 or so casual- ties are recovering, one is the mess hall;
and one is the stockade where the prisoners and their belongings are being held (not together).
There is still a lot of rubble and decaying structures for the team to hide in (referee discretion as to placement), so they should take cover and try to find the right build- ing by watching and listening.
The referee should not tell them directly which build- ing is the right one, but should just describe the comings and goings of the Rogues, any smoke coming from chimneys.
and any lights seen within the buildings.
If the characters are daring.
they can positively identify the right one by sneaking up and looking in the windows.
No guards are visible outside the stockade, but there are two inside (CV 18).
The characters should have little trouble entering.
silencing the guards.
and freeing the prisoners (both are alive).
The hard part is escaping.
All the while the team is in the fort there is a 10% chance per minute of a guard wandering by.
If the team has killed any guards getting in or left other obvious signs of their presence, there is another 10% chance per minute that these will be dis- covered.
In the event of discovery cries of alarm will be heard.
assuming the guard surVives the discovery phase.
Men will begin pouring out of the barracks and officer's quarters in 7 -12 phases.
They will only be partially armored.
.If the team makes free of the fort their problems are still not over.
There will defi- nitely be a pursuit of at least three times the team's CV.
The pursuit number (P) of this group will be 4.
The pursuit will last 7 -12 hours.
If the team successfully avoids the pursuit, they can head back to Newcon.
For every day spent returning.
roll a 10% chance of encounter with Rogues (equal CV this time).
One last piece of advice for the Combat Team:
watch out for the Rogue's officers, one of them is a magic user.
The reason for the eastern team's defeat was the Stun and Mental Control spells cast at them.
(Referee:
the mage is Combat SL 3 and MGSL 6, with 40 LP in Mental Magic, 10 LP in Air, and 6 LP in Water.)
10.08-sample_missions.txt