Loopy from Masters of the Forge Builds a F.A.T. Mat Zone Mortalis Board

Thanks to Doug from Tablewar, my club has some new F.A.T. Mats to play our campaign games. I have created some custom Zone Mortalis walls for use with these mats.

For now, I’ve focused on the Industrial board, mainly for narrative purposes. We’ll certainly be delving into the Underforge mat in the next mission, which is even better suited for Zone Mortalis.

Although it isn’t fully painted, this board looks really great already and I wanted to share it.  I have produced a video about how I produced this custom board.

Although it is fully modular, I did have a mission in mind when I built the board. If you’re interested, here it is:

The Forges of Ghorrok Scenario 4: The Lifts

The Mission

Most of the Blood Ravens and Mechanicus forces are engaged in fighting throughout the Manufactorum, but a small team has penetrated the inner corridors thanks to the intimate knowledge of the facility by a Magos Reclamatus and the burning hatred of Orks at the heart of Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Fedrico Caphone. The Magos has informed the Blood Ravens that the STCs and Fabricator Locum have been secreted away to the lower levels of the Manufactorum Reclimat facility. So far, even after months of trying, the Orks have not been able to penetrate these defenses. With the shield power conduits disrupted, however, these defenses are also compromised and the Blood Ravens must make haste.

The Armies

For this scenario, 500 points each of Adeptus Mechanicus and Blood Ravens forces are fighting against 1000 points of Orks. Each Player uses the Zone Mortalis Combatant Force Organization chart.

Game Play

Both players roll off to see who decides to deploy first. The player deploying first also goes first unless their opponent can seize the initiative.

Game Length: This game continues until no models remain in play. Models which are in reserve, immobilized, or fleeing are considered to be not in play.

Battlefield

We suggest using the Industrial F.A.T. Mat for your table cover. For this scenario, we built custom Zone Mortalis walls out of 1×4 lumber, sprue, and plastic pipes. See the map for details.Your Zone Mortalis design should make it difficult for models to reach the lifts and there should be fields of fire for any path leading to either of the two lifts.

Objectives: Even on this level, some relics of import are strewn about and should be retrieved if possible. Place four Objective markers at dead ends and in rooms. These Objectives are not impassible; instead they can be moved as with The Relic with the exception that models may run while carrying the Relics.

Deployment: Set up equitable deployment zones which will make it a challenge to reach the lifts. Note the map diagram.

Special Mission Rules

Night Fighting, Reserves, Zone Mortalis

No Advanced Scouts: Models with the Scout and Infiltrate special rules may not use them in this scenario. Note that Teleporting, however, is allowed.

Secrets of the Reclimat: When a unit seizes a relic for the first time, roll a die and apply the ability associated with it for the rest of the game.

1. Molecular Binder: A unit in possession of this relic has a 5+ invulnerable save.
2. Refractor: A unit in possession of this relic has the Shrouded special rule.
3. Fleshknitter: An infantry unit in possession of this relic gains the It Will Not Die and improves their Feel No Pain by 1.
4. Datascroll: A unit in possession of this relic at the end of the game scores an additional Victory Point.
5. Technospike: At the start of the controlling player’s turn, the model in possession of this relic may select an enemy model within 12” and destroy one piece of that model’s Wargear. In the case of items listed as multiples in a single line item (such as Krag Grenades) all of those items are destroyed.
6. Focus Amp: A unit in possession of this relic increases the strength of their non-ballistic weapons by 1.If a model in the unit is equipped with a non-ballistic pistol, their close combat attacks are resolved at AP 3. If you and your opponent cannot agree on what is or is not a ballistic weapon, you’re probably playing the wrong game.

Lifts Down: The dark gray square in each deployment zone is the lift your army used to get to this level. This lift is considered your home board edge for all game rule purposes.

Lifts Up: At the end of your Movement Phase, if you have any models completely within the boundaries of a Lift, you may remove those models from play, even if some models in a unit would remain in play. Models removed in this way do not count as casualties. If a model leaves the play area via a lift while holding a Relic, the Relic is also removed.

Victory Conditions

Tally the points value of the models which were removed as a result of using the Lifts. Players score 1 Victory Point for every 100 points in models removed in this way.

Also, players score 2 Victory Points for each Objective their units held at the end of the game and 5 points for each Objective they removed from the battlefield via the Lifts.