THRACK
We played through the first introductory game of Thrackdown, with the Loot & Scoot scenario, it uses pre-set warbands of four fighters on each side.
The Iron Pact brought a Line Marshal, Bulwark Gunner, Oathman and Greenbrace.
Facing them were the Scavver Clades, with a Clade Boss, Scrap Jack, Gearhead and Gutter Rat.
Both warbands used the starter rosters.
The battlefield was a container settlement with elevated walkways and support structures. Four loot markers were spread across different levels: one on the ground near the centre, one a storey up near each deployment zone, and the last on top of a two-storey building halfway between the two sides.
There would be plenty of climbing, a few potentially risky jumps and, as it turned out, a remarkable amount of missed shooting.
The board was setup, both forces were deployed and ready to start.
Note on Momentum: Momentum is one of the core mechanics in Thrackdown. It rewards fighters for pushing forward, doing actions such as double moves, jumps and moving into combat can build the warband’s pool, up to a maximum of three. Holding one or more objectives also grants one Momentum at the start of a round. Momentum boosts initiative and can be spent on a Dash, a reroll or an extra action etc, so spending it now can mean giving up an advantage later.
Turn 1: First shots and the race for loot
The Iron Pact took the first activation. Their Greenbrace used a double move and his slightly faster movement characteristic of 6” to climb onto a container building, earning one Momentum and getting into position to collect the objective next round.
The Scavvers had split into two pairs: the Scrap Jack and Gearhead went together, while the Gutter Rat accompanied the Clade Boss. The Scrap Jack used a double move action to climb onto the opposing container building, which held the objective closest to the Scavver deployment edge. A bridge connected it to the Greenbrace’s position. He had taken up position, ready to line up a shot next turn and gained one Momentum.
The Iron Pact’s Oathman also carried out a double move action, climbing the first section of a two-storey building near the back corner, ready to provide covering fire. Across the board the Gutter Rat darted through the container buildings as he ran towards the only ground-level objective, with a double move action, gaining one Momentum
The Line Marshal moved through the support structure beneath another building and lined up the first shot of the game against the Gutter Rat and missed.
Meanwhile, the Gearhead double moved, climbing up beside the Scrap Jack and jumped over the Jersey barrier, finishing directly on the objective. He was ready to collect it next round, but standing in the open. This brought the Scavvers to their cap of three Momentum.
The Bulwark Gunner moved up behind the Line Marshal. Through the support struts, he could also see the Gutter Rat. He opened fire with his Heavy Slug Spitter, trying to put some Nerve tokens on him but missed all three shots.
So far, nobody had hit anything.
The Clade Boss was the last fighter to activate, he moved up in support of the Gutter Rat but kept hidden from view and incoming fire.
Turn 2: The Scavvers collect their loot
Objectives held: Iron Pact 0, Scavver Clades 0
The Scavvers had gained 3 Momentum in the first turn for all the double moves to the Iron Pact’s 2. At the start of any round the Momentum bonus is added to your initiative roll. Despite the Scavvers having an advantage, the Iron Pact won the roll off and activated the Oathman first.
He climbed to the top of the building and was just within range of the Gutter Rat, who was standing over the ground-level objective. The Oathman fired, dealing one damage and leaving the Rat on one of his two Hit Points.
The Gutter Rat activated next. His first attempt to collect the objective failed but his second succeeded. He had the loot, although getting away with it was another matter.
Up on the containers, the Greenbrace also picked up the objective then fired at the exposed Gearhead. Even a glancing hit would add Nerve and potentially stop him activating. Instead, the Greenbrace rolled a one and missed. As this was the first introductory game, we weren’t using the Crude weapon rule, so at least his gun didn’t break. He could also ignore the Reload trait but only for this mission.
The Scavvers then activated their Clade Boss. He spent 1 Momentum to dash for +1 movement, used a double move to charge into engagement with the Line Marshal, gaining an extra Momentum doing so then spent all three Momentum on an extra action to attack.
He won the fight and dealt two damage to the Marshal, as well as adding a Nerve token. Another hit like that and the Marshal would go down.
The Iron Pact still had both the Line Marshal and Bulwark Gunner to activate. The plan was to pull the Marshal out of combat, leaving the Clade Boss exposed to the Gunner.
However, the Marshal now had a single Nerve token, which means at the start of his activation he’d need to roll above the number of tokens he had or lose his activation. He rolled a one on his activation test.
This felt important enough to spend two Momentum on a reroll.
Another one. The Line Marshal stayed exactly where he was, his activation over.
The Scrap Jack aimed and fired at the Line Marshal in combat with the boss and scored a glancing hit, adding another Nerve token.
With his own boss still blocking a clean shot at the Clade Boss, the Bulwark Gunner turned his Heavy Slug Spitter on the Gutter Rat instead. Two misses and a glancing hit added a single Nerve token, but the Rat remained standing. Being targeted allowed the Rat to make his one-inch reactive move, heading back towards his own lines with the objective in hand.
Finally, the Gearhead activated, collected the objective and shot the Greenbrace for one damage. The Greenbrace was close to the edge of the container, but managed to keep his footing.
Turn 3: The Gutter Rat makes his escape
Objectives held: Iron Pact 1, Scavver Clades 2
At the start of any round, all fighters remove a single Nerve token, this was the first turn in which it happened. Additionally, any warband that currently holds an objective gains +1 Momentum at the start of the round, putting both sides at 1 Momentum point each. This time the Scavvers won initiative roll off.
The Clade Boss activated first. He fired his pistol at the Line Marshal and missed, then attacked in melee and lost, taking a wound and a Nerve token for his efforts. Maybe the Marshal wouldn’t go down so easily.
The Line Marshal then failed his activation test again on a one. He was surviving the fight, but contributing very little to his own escape. With not enough Momentum for a reroll that was that.
The Scrap Jack aimed at the Oathman to offset the −1 Accuracy penalty from Heavy Cover, but still missed.
The Bulwark Gunner also aimed, this time at the Gutter Rat. His three dice came up one, two and one. Another complete miss.
The Rat made use of his Rat’s Reflexes rule again and scurried a further inch to safety. It wasn’t enough to escape that attack’s line of fire, but it put him close enough to reach cover with a single Move action.
He activated next. Before retreating, he fired at the Line Marshal, despite the Marshal still being engaged with his own Clade Boss. A glancing hit added another Nerve token. Then the Rat used his second action to duck around a corner, out of sight, with the loot safely in hand.
The Greenbrace activated next. More than five inches from a friendly fighter, he had to take a Nerve test for Untested, which he passed. He then jumped the gap in the bridge, gaining a Momentum point and bringing the Iron Pact’s pool back up to two, enough for another reroll if they needed it.
His shot at the Gearhead scored a hit, causing 1 damage and adding a Nerve token. This time, the attempt to disrupt an activation worked: the Gearhead failed his test, rolling a one and could do nothing.
The Oathman took the Iron Pact’s final activation. He shot at the Scrap Jack and missed, then moved to the edge of his two-storey container building, ready to attempt a jump towards the high objective next round.
At this point, the Scavvers held two objectives to the Iron Pact’s one. The Gutter Rat had escaped behind cover, the two leaders were still locked in combat, and neither side’s shooting had given them much to celebrate.
Turn 4: The Iron Pact lose their rookie
Objectives held: Scavver Clades 2, Iron Pact 1
The Iron Pact won initiative. Getting the Line Marshal out of combat was becoming urgent, so he activated first, and failed his Nerve test again.
Two Momentum bought another reroll. He failed that too!
With the Marshal going nowhere, the Scavvers could afford to leave the fight for a moment. They activated the Scrap Jack, who aimed at the Greenbrace and hit, taking his remaining Hit Point. The rookie went down and dropped the Iron Pact’s only objective.
The Pact now held no objectives, their leader was still stuck in combat, and they had their first downed fighter.
They activated the Greenbrace next, it was a desperate gamble to try and prevent him being eliminated. Downed fighters still activate if they haven’t already done so that round, but his roll brought neither recovery nor death. He remained on the bridge, bleeding out.
The Clade Boss returned his attention to the Marshal. A hit from his two-damage pistol would have been enough to bring him down, but he managed only a glance, adding more Nerve. Their melee ended in a draw. Neither leader could outdo the other.
Up above, the Oathman shot the Gearhead, leaving him on one Hit Point. The Gearhead was close enough to finish off the Greenbrace, so the Nerve from that hit might buy the rookie another turn.
The Oathman then attempted a four-inch jump between two tall structures, heading towards the high objective. He made it across, earning the Iron Pact a Momentum point for the attempt.
Unfortunately for the Greenbrace, the Gearhead passed his Nerve test. He moved over and eliminated the downed rookie.
The Bulwark Gunner had waited several rounds for the Marshal to clear his line of fire. With no other targets visible, he finally decided to shoot into the melee.
He aimed to try and mitigate the worst of it and fired. The first shot hit the Clade Boss for one damage. The other two missed their intended target, but shooting into combat meant rolling those attacks against the other fighter instead. Both glanced off the Line Marshal, adding another two Nerve tokens to his already considerable problems.
The Gutter Rat finished the round with a double move around the back of the battlefield. Still carrying his loot, he reached the base of the Oathman’s building, ready to climb up next turn.
Turn 5: The Rat pushes his luck
Objectives held: Scavver Clades 2, Iron Pact 0
Elimination points: Scavver Clades 1, Iron Pact 0
The Scavvers won the initiative and activated the Gutter Rat. With six inches of movement per action, he could reach the Oathman before the Pact secured the high objective.
The plan wasn’t necessarily to win a fight. He just needed to engage the Oathman and stop him picking up the loot.
The Rat scrambled up the support frame and reached the top, only for the Oathman to turn and Snap Fire.
Snap Fire cost the Oathman an action and imposed a −1 Accuracy penalty, but he still hit before the Rat could engage. The shot took the Rat’s last Hit Point, dropping him and the objective he had worked so hard to escape with.
Because he was close to an edge, this also required a stability test to see if he fell. He rolled a 1 and fell backwards off of the building, hitting the ground below. Because the drop was over 3” in height he immediately took 1 damage and because he’d already been downed before the fall, any further damage removes the model from play.
The Scavvers were down to one held objective.
Then, finally, the Line Marshal passed his Nerve test.
He moved out of combat and fired at the Clade Boss. The shot only added Nerve, but the important part was that the Bulwark Gunner now had a clear target.
Unfortunately, the Clade Boss activated next, passed his Nerve test and charged back into the Marshal.
The Marshal rolled a five against the Boss’s two. The Scavvers spent two Momentum on a reroll: a five or six would win the fight and bring the Marshal down, while a four would draw. The reroll came up three. The Boss lost the fight and took a wound, leaving him on his last Hit Point.
The Boss hadn’t done particularly well in the duel, but he had occupied two Iron Pact fighters for much of the game while the rest of his warband collected the loot.
The Bulwark Gunner aimed and fired into the melee again: two misses and a glancing hit. The Clade Boss survived, while one of the missed shots went on to hit and wound the Marshal.
Both leaders were now on one Hit Point each. The Gunner was certainly making the fight more dangerous, just not always for the right person.
The Scrap Jack aimed at the Oathman, but the elevated fighter’s Heavy Cover kept him safe from even a Nerve token.
The Oathman then activated with his one remaining action, having already spent the other on Snap Fire. He picked up the objective. With that, we had also confirmed that none of the objectives in this game were booby-trapped.
Each side now held one.
The Gearhead was carrying the Scavvers’ last remaining objective and needed somewhere safer to stand. He attempted to jump down from the bridge where he had finished off the Greenbrace, intending to move into cover afterwards.
He failed the jump test, ending his activation.
The attempt had earned him a Momentum point, bringing the Scavvers’ pool to two, the same as the Iron Pact’s. Keeping those points would help with the final initiative roll, but leaving their one remaining Hit-Point objective carrier exposed was a considerable risk.
The Scavvers spent both points on a reroll.
This time, the Gearhead landed successfully. He used his second action to move further into cover, making it harder for the Marshal or Bulwark Gunner to reach a firing position in the last round. The movement also recovered one Momentum.
That left three fighters on each side, one held objective each and one elimination point each. The Iron Pact ended the round with two Momentum; the Scavvers had one.
Turn 6: One last chance
Objectives held: Iron Pact 1, Scavver Clades 1
Total victory points: 2–2
Holding an objective at the start of the round brought the Iron Pact to three Momentum and the Scavvers to two. Both sides rolled the same number for initiative, but the Pact’s higher Momentum bonus gave them the first activation.
The Oathman activated first. He moved to the edge of his vantage point and lined up a shot at the Gearhead. He was the only Pact fighter who could get a shot at the Scavvers’ objective carrier, and there was enough Momentum left for a reroll.
His first roll produced a glancing hit. It added Nerve, but that wasn’t enough. The Gearhead only had one Hit Point left; the Pact needed damage.
They spent two Momentum on the reroll, leaving them with one.
One damage! The Gearhead went down and dropped his objective.
For the first time in the game, the Iron Pact were ahead: one objective and one elimination point against the Scavvers’ single elimination point.
The Clade Boss needed to keep the remaining Pact fighters occupied long enough for the Scrap Jack to recover the dropped loot.
He fired his pistol at the Marshal and missed. Then they fought in melee once more, and this time the Boss won. The Line Marshal finally went down, although the Boss had no actions left to finish him off.
The Bulwark Gunner couldn’t get far enough around the Boss to shoot the Scrap Jack. His four-inch movement was proving a limitation. But after spending most of the game shooting past, or into his own leader, he finally had a clear shot at the Clade Boss.
There wasn’t enough time to reach and help the Marshal, or to finish off the Boss if he fell. So the Gunner stayed put and aimed. With the Clade Boss exposed, he had another Accuracy bonus as well.
The three shots produced a hit for one damage and two glances.
The Clade Boss dropped beside the Line Marshal, although he had already activated this turn so wouldn’t be forced to make an Injury roll test.
Now it was the Scrap Jack’s turn, and potentially the game.
He needed to move, jump and interact with the dropped objective: three actions. The Scavvers had two Momentum, and his jump would bring them to the three needed to buy an extra action. He still had to land it successfully. A failed jump would end his activation before he could collect the loot.
He moved into position, jumped and made the landing, arriving on the dropped objective.
The Scavvers spent all three Momentum for an extra action. The Scrap Jack attempted the pickup and succeeded.
One objective each again. With one elimination point apiece, the score was back to 2–2.
Everyone still standing had activated. The result now depended on whether either of the remaining downed fighters would bleed out and be removed from the game, giving a victory point to the other team.
The Line Marshal went first. He rolled a five, staying downed and continued bleeding out. After spending much of the game refusing to move, he was now refusing to give the Scavvers another victory point.
That left the Gearhead.
A roll of one to three would eliminate him and give the Iron Pact a victory-point lead. A four or better would keep him in the game, leaving the scores tied and the result decided by total Momentum.
He rolled a six, Adrenaline Surge!
The Gearhead stood back up with one Hit Point, ready for another round that wasn’t coming.
The result
The game ended level on victory points: one held objective and one eliminated enemy fighter each.
Loot & Scoot uses remaining Momentum as its tiebreaker. The Scavvers had spent their last three points on the Scrap Jack’s final pickup, while the Iron Pact still had one left after the Oathman’s reroll. The Iron Pact took the win by the narrowest margin.
The Clade Boss spent most of the game struggling to beat the Line Marshal, but keeping the Marshal and Bulwark Gunner occupied gave the other Scavvers time to collect the loot. The Oathman brought the Pact back into contention by stopping the Gutter Rat and dropping the Gearhead.
For all the missed shots, the final round was close. A failed jump, a failed pickup or a different Injury roll on a downed fighter would have easily swung the result one way or the other.