Sacred Wire 28

U1Campaign

Campaign

0.9.0-beta

Open Distribution Statute: CC BY-SA 4.0

The Untethered are spreading. What began as scattered heresy in the lower tiers has become coordinated, cell by cell. Open Channel broadcasts grow bolder each cycle, promising liberation from cables and subscriptions. The signal reaches further than it should. Something is answering.

The Departments smell opportunity. Resource Allocation wants whatever the Untethered found in the Roots. Revenue Operations wants the salvage rights. Human Capital wants the converts for reeducation. Security & Compliance wants the heresy crushed before it spreads further. Each Department sends their own squads. Each Department expects results. None of them share intelligence.

Your squad investigates. Recover data-slates from dead drops. Confiscate transmitters before the signal spreads. Interrogate cultists who would rather die than talk. The Departments pay well for artifacts. They pay better for Founders' secrets. They pay best for silence about what you find down there.

The deeper you go, the stranger the evidence becomes. The Untethered aren't just receiving signals. They're answering them. And something in the Roots is listening. Something that remembers the time before the Tethering. Something that has been waiting six hundred years to speak again.

Fail and your subscription drops. Succeed and someone else claims the bonus. Defect and you become the next contract. The Departments always need more bodies. The Departments always need more silence. The investigation continues until someone finds the source. Or until the source finds them.

THE SIGNAL CRISIS DESTROYED THE OLD WORLD. Do not let it destroy this one.
Conduit Authority Public Advisory

K1.1Board

2' by 2' with dense terrain. No model should have clear LoS across the entire board. At least half of all firing lanes should offer Cover. Avoid open lanes longer than 12". Scatter cover to create multiple approach paths. Hostiles act as third-party threats.

K1.2Setup

Boss Roll-off: Roll your Boss's Wits vs. opponent's Boss's Wits. The winner is First Player for the entire setup.

Standard Deployment: Deploy on the table edge.

  1. Loot: Second Player places first. Alternate placing Loot Markers per the rolled Loot Layout.
  2. Coworkers: First Player places first. Alternate placing Coworkers per the rolled Coworker Setup.
  3. Table Edge: First Player picks table edge (unless Advantages override).
  4. Deploy: Second Player deploys first. Alternate placing one model at a time per the rolled Deployment.
  5. First Draw: First Player draws the first Activation Token.

Corner: A 4" by 4" square zone in the corner of the board.

Game Length: Minimum 5 rounds. End of Round 5, roll d6: ends on 3+. End of Round 6: ends on 2+. Ends automatically after Round 7.

Hostiles: Unless a mission says otherwise, spawned hostiles arrive at round start at the rolled Spawn Location (see below). Roll the Hostile Type once at setup; every spawn in that mission uses that faction.

Mission Exits: Exiting the board for a mission objective is not Flee. No Performance Review penalty.

Trigger Missions: The first time a squad reaches 5 or more Evidence, play The Signal instead of rolling the generator (once only). While a squad has 8 or more Evidence, it may play The Source instead of a generated mission to attempt campaign victory. Resume the generator otherwise.

Tiebreaker: Most surviving models. Still tied: Defender wins.

Mission Markers: Defender places all markers (3"+ from edges). "At center" means the geometric center (12" from each edge). Place as close as possible if terrain blocks.

Placement order: Place objectives first; a Loot Marker, Coworker, or Hostile within 1" of one shifts to the nearest clear spot so objectives stay reachable.

Deployment edge: the table edge you deploy along; with no edge (Center), use the nearest board edge.

K1.3Mission Generator

Calculate Evidence Gap

Example · Evidence Gap

Squad A holds 4 Evidence and 3 Leads: total 7. Squad B holds 2 Evidence and 1 Lead: total 3. The gap is 4, so A is the Aggressor and B the Defender. The 4+ row gives 1 Setup advantage, 1 Tactical advantage and 1 more from either table.

Roll each table in order. See Missions (Vol. 5) for full rules and rewards. Roll d12 for mission (missions are numbered).

Deployment

d6 Type Rule
1 Standard Opposing edges
2 Flanked Same edge, opposite corners
3 Corners Opposing corners
4 Split Aggressor splits between two adjacent edges, Defender deploys in opposing corner
5 Center Defender deploys within 3" of center, Aggressor picks edge
6 Crossfire All 4 corners. Aggressor picks first, then alternate

Coworker Setup

d6 Setup
1 Swarm tier, within 6" of center
2 Swarm tier, random board edge
3 Normal tier, 4"+ from center (not more than 8")
4 Elite tier, alternate placing anywhere (6"+ from edges)
5 Normal tier, within 3" of any Loot Marker (no markers: center)
6 Elite tier, within 3" of center

Coworker Modifiers

d6 Modifier Effect
1 Standard No modifier
2 Skittish After failed Interrogate, this Coworker Flees
3 Buddy System Need 2 friendly models within 1" to Interrogate
4 Grudge Holder After failed Interrogate, becomes Hostile
5 Talkative Double the Coworker: +1 to result. Triple+: +2, etc.
6 Claustrophobic Becomes Hostile if 2+ models within 1"

Hostile Timing

d6 Timing Spawns
1 Early Round 1 (Swarm tier), Round 2 (Normal tier)
2 Standard Round 2 (Normal tier), Round 4 (Elite tier)
3 Late Round 3 (Swarm tier), Round 5 (Swarm tier)
4 Waves Round 1 (Normal tier), Round 4 (Elite tier)
5 Surge Round 2 (Normal tier and Elite tier)
6 Ambush Round 1 (Elite tier), Round 3 (Normal tier)

Loot Layout

d6 Layout Rule
1 Scattered 5 markers. Alternate placing (6"+ from edges, 3"+ apart)
2 None No Loot Markers this mission
3 Central Cache 3 markers within 3" of center (alternate placing)
4 Edge Stash 4 markers within 6" of a non-deployment edge (alternate placing)
5 Trail 4 markers along centerline (evenly spaced)
6 Heavy Drop 5 markers: 1 in center + 1 at each 6" diagonal (6" from center)

Hostile Type

d6 Faction
1 Scrapers
2 Feral Crews
3 Wave Callers
4 Static Wraiths
5 Feral Automata
6 Cable Feeders

Spawn Location

Roll Spawn Location each time hostiles spawn.

d6 Location
1 Random board edge without a deployment zone (if every edge has one, any random edge)
2 Center of board
3 Nearest edge to last Search or Interrogate action (none yet: random)
4 Nearest board edge to any Aggressor model
5 Random direction, d4" from center
6 Random direction, d4+2" from center

Loot Modifiers

d6 Modifier Effect
1 Standard Normal Search
2 Decoys +1 DT to Search. Half are fake. Placer decides. Reveal on Search
3 Timed Normal Search. All markers removed at end of Round 4
4 Heavy -1 DT to Search. All markers Heavy. 2 friendly models within 1" to Search
5 Trapped Normal Search. Fumble deals d6 damage to searcher
6 Contaminated -1 DT to Search. Carrier takes 1 damage per round

K1.4Evidence Gap Advantages

Gap Advantages
0-1 None
2-3 Roll 1 Setup + 1 Tactical
4+ Roll 1 Setup + 1 Tactical + 1 from either

Setup Advantages

d6 Advantage
1 Redeploy one Aggressor model to a new valid position
2 Choose deployment edge first
3 Defender chooses hostile spawn location this mission
4 Place 2 terrain pieces before deployment
5 Defender places all Loot Markers (ignore normal placement rules)
6 Place all Coworkers (ignore normal placement rules)

Tactical Advantages

d6 Advantage
1 Defender deploys last (after all Aggressor models)
2 Hostiles target Aggressor until Round 3
3 Defender's Boss gets +1 DT Defense this mission
4 Defender draws first Activation Token in Round 1
5 First hostile spawn delayed by 1 round
6 One Defender model starts with a free Search (roll immediately, keep result)

"Resource Allocation reminds all contractors: strategic disadvantage is a temporary condition. Strategic incompetence is a termination event."
Resource Allocation Internal Memo

Gathering Evidence

Start the campaign with 0 Evidence and 0 Leads. Both persist between games.

K2.1Search

Within 1" of Loot Marker. Roll Wits vs. 2d6. Success: remove the marker.

d20 Finding
1 Random Grenade
2 Random Light Armor
3 4 subs
4 Random Melee Weapon
5 6 subs
6 1 Evidence
7 Random Consumable
8 8 subs
9 Random Ranged Weapon
10 1 Evidence, +1 Lead
11 Random Medium Armor
12 1 Evidence
13 Random Gear
14 12 subs
15 Random Heavy Armor
16 15 subs
17 1 Merit
18 20 subs
19 1 Evidence
20 Roll twice (ignore 20s)
Example · Search

Pike has Wits 2d4 and rolls 3 and 4: 7. The marker rolls 2d6: 2 and 5, also 7. The lower DT wins ties, so Pike's 2d4 beats the marker's 2d6. He removes the marker and rolls d20 on the table: 14, 12 subs.

K2.2Interrogate

Within 1" of target. Wits vs. Wits (opposed). +1 DT if the Coworker is wounded. Success: remove the Coworker.

2d4 Result Effect
2 False Data Lose 1 Evidence
3 Misdirection Nothing learned. The model gains a bonus action
4 Bribe Offer 10 subs
5 Rumor 1 Lead
6 Cooperates 1 Evidence
7 Talkative 1 Evidence, +1 Lead
8 Full Disclosure 1 Merit
Example · Interrogate

Teodor has Wits 2d6 and rolls 5 and 3: 8. The Data Clerk has Wits 2d8 and rolls 4 and 2: 6. Teodor wins and removes the Coworker, then rolls 2d4 on the table: 4 and 2, Cooperates. That is 1 Evidence, left unrecorded until the post-game.

K2.3Recording Evidence

All Evidence is recorded the same way, after the game. Evidence from Search or Interrogate stays unrecorded until then; the mission winner also gains 1 Evidence to record (unless the mission states otherwise). To record one Evidence: choose how many Leads to spend (lost), then roll d10 for its type. Types are abstract: the d10 result is the type. Name them if you like. A unique final roll records that new Evidence type. A duplicate rerolls once per Lead spent; a duplicate final roll gains 1 Lead instead.

K2.4Losing Evidence

When an effect says lose Evidence, the owner chooses what to lose: an unrecorded Evidence or a recorded type, one per Evidence lost.

Post-Game Sequence

  1. Log Merits
  2. Exploration phase
  3. Out of Action models roll Injury
  4. Check Merit thresholds for Promotion rolls
  5. Buy/sell equipment at Trading Post
  6. Dismiss models (optional)
  7. Replace dead models (free)
  8. Move items between models or to Lockers
  9. All models restore full Health
  10. Performance Review: models that left or fled take d6 damage. Models that used Rage Stim take d4 damage

K3.1Merit Sources

Each model tracks its own Merits. Hostiles do not generate Merits. Additional mission-specific Merits are defined in each mission.

Source Merits Who
Enemy player model Out of Action 1 Model that scored the kill
Enemy Boss Out of Action +1 Same model (bonus)
Example · One post-game

Dov has 3 Merits. He puts an enemy Boss Out of Action (1 Merit for the kill, +1 for the Boss), then goes Out of Action himself. Step 1: he logs 2 Merits, now 5. Step 2: the squad's five Wits rolls total 31, Above Quota, +20 subs. Step 3: his Injury roll is 9, Hobbled, -1" Move. Step 4: 5 Merits pass the threshold of 4, so he rolls 2d6 for Promotion: 8, Training, +1 DT Wits.

K3.2Exploration

Each surviving model rolls Wits. Sum all dice totals.

Total Result Subs
1-5 Marginal Returns 0
6-10 Standard Haul +5
11-15 Fair Extraction +10
16-25 Acceptable Yield +15
26-40 Above Quota +20
41-60 Surplus Discovery +25
61+ Windfall Dividend +30

K3.3Injuries

2d6 Result Effect
3 or less Terminated Remove from squad. Its equipment goes to Lockers
4 Degraded -1 max Health
5 Scrambled -1 DT Wits
6 Exposed -1 DT Defense
7 Scarred No effect
8 Diminished -1 DT Combat
9 Hobbled -1" Move
10 Sidelined Miss next game
11 Glitch No effect
12 Reviewed No effect

Promotion Thresholds: 1, 2, 4, 7, 11, 16, 22 Merits (gap increases by 1 each time)

Attribute Limits: 2d4 min, 2d12 max. Max Health at 0 or below: remove from squad.

K3.4Promotion

2d6 Result Effect
2 Demotion -1 DT to the lowest attribute
3 Bonus +1 max Health
4 Transfer +1" Move
5 Clearance +1 DT Combat (or Power)
6 Coverage +1 DT Defense
7 Promotion Pick: +1 DT any, +1" Move, +1 Health, or Power
8 Training +1 DT Wits
9 Raise +1 DT Combat (or Power)
10 Benefits +2 max Health
11 Relocation +2" Move
12 Fast-track +1 DT to two different attributes

K3.5Recruitment

Squads always have 5 models. Replace dead models for free. New Resources start with base attributes and no equipment. Models that miss a game stay home: play with fewer models. Remove any model voluntarily: equipment goes to Lockers.

K3.6Boss Succession

If Boss dies, promote a Resource. They keep their contract type but become the Boss for morale. Pick one:

K3.7Trading Post

Buy equipment at listed price. Sell at half price. Store unused equipment in Lockers between games (no limits). Choose what each model carries before each game.

K3.8Campaign Victory

First squad to collect 9 unique Evidence types wins.

"Nine artifacts. That's the threshold. After that, the Departments stop pretending you're expendable and start pretending you're important. Your subscription renews either way. The question is whether you remember what you found down there. Most don't."
Human Capital Retention Advisory