The Drawbridge Mega-Battle Team has set Extra Life in our sights for another big event. We’ve done two prior Bug Hunts, where different teams have hunted Tyranid creatures big and small, and the nice thing about Extra Life is that we can do some special silly because of the rules of that event (e.g. don’t like a dice roll result? Donate a dollar to re-roll!). So we’re announcing our third Bug Hunt, which will actually be a “Mug” hunt, as your units will be hunting the most (least) dangerous game: man, and making mugs out of the best of the skulls. Yes, we’re working on some skull mugs as part of the prize pool.

Background: The Hunt-Master continues to curate his pocket dimensions to stage his little games. Much blood will be spilled, and many skulls taken–literally. This time when units have been kidnapped to participate through time and space, hearing a mysterious voice saying “take their skulls, all their skulls, and the best and hardest-won will be fashioned into a mug for your prize”. The forces of the best-of-the-best hunters found themselves appearing on battlefields where various Imperial forces are on live-fire maneuvers. The same scroll as years past has arrived, written bafflingly in their own native tongue: “Hunt as many as you can. The winners will be returned with a prize in hand, the rest kept for eternity. Kill your trophies and compete for the greatest haul… but at least one of your number needs to return to your transport to keep them.”

What: This will be a staged event that runs all morning through afternoon on the day of Extra Life (currently TBD, watch for date to be finalized). Players can contribute in two ways. First, by painting Astra Militarium, Adeptus Sororitas, and non-space marine Imperial Agents models to populate the terrain. Or you can join the hunting crew by bringing a single squad of most other forces (including loyalist space marines) and a transport that can hold them (see more info below) and seeing just what all they can hunt before escaping the various “islands” with their haul. There will be multiple GM’s on hand so people can compete starting at different points on the 12 foot island board we’ll have, and we’ll keep a “leader board” through the night detailing which players have the most points killed on their safari expeditions… while still managing to get a single model back and free. If there’s room, players can even give a try multiple times during the event with their squads. As always, prizes at Drawbridge will be based upon a random draw amongst participants where additional draws will be entered for not only the winner, but for each unit newly painted for the event that participants bring (as we ask all models in these events be a minimum of three colors and based), and for “best painted” Imperial humans and hunting squads alike.

Hunting Squads: Players participating in the bug hunt will bring one infantry squad of their choosing, attach one character (non-epic, so no “named” characters), and a vehicle that can transport that squad and character. Note that while the temptation may be the most expensive transport, note that the Imperials will have a set of “Artificial Intelligence” rules for when they notice something and organize a counter-attack–so a Land Raider firing off lascannons 48″ away might just alert the entire half of the island. That means no jump infantry or other “doesn’t fit in a transport” types, and that some armies will have different limitations (e.g. Necrons can only transport Warriors in their Ghost Arks, but they can bring a Night Scythe if they want a different sort of unit). Also, no Drop Pods… as the point is needing to “get away to safety” in the transport. There will be entries into the prize draw for fielding a newly-painted squad, a newly-painted character to lead them, and a newly-painted transport. There will also be extra draws awarded for the best painted combo squad+transport, and the best “Hunters” themed squad (aimed at those who want to convert up a squad of specialized hunters or even specifically human hunters). And sorry: no Knights armies, no Daemons, and no Tyranids, given the nature of this event being about a squad striking out from and returning to a transport.

Skulls for the Cause: The goal is to cover the table in groups of regular human Imperium models, from large to small, the biggest tanks to the smallest infantry. The more the merrier. So to encourage people to paint up those units, each squad of Imperial models that are painted up for specifically the event give the person bringing them a bonus two draws in the prize pool. And we’d love if the established regular Imperial players bring along their already-painted masses as well, just to crowd the board with all sorts of regular human skulls for the taking.

How Will it Run? The Imperials are on maneuvers when these hunting squads emerge–so they have live weaponry but confusion can mean that they take time and orders to feel confident engaging. The more OBVIOUS the hunters are, the more likely the Imperials will respond in force. See below for the “if/then” set of reactions that will guide when and where Imperial units respond to the attacks of the hunter squads. The sound of battle, the sight of long range gunfire, and the rustle of nearby bushes will all have a chance to draw other squads into the fray. This is specially dangerous when the last stragglers are trying to get back to their transport with a haul of human skulls to make into mugs. As always with our big events, the goal is simple, silly, and thematic rules to get us throwing dice together and laughing at the fortunes (and misfortunes) of squads as they compete for glory in the “Mug” Hunt!

Leaders: As mentioned above, players can choose to have one character attached to the squad as well. Ideally we are thinking of them as “medic” support characters, particularly apothecary/hospitaller/painboy type models, but you can bring any model that isn’t an “epic” hero.

To reward those who were taking the time to do up their dedicated medic-type models, those fielding a medic will get a bonus in the game. That list includes models like: Apothecary, Sanguinary Priest, Hospitaller, Painboy, Plague Surgeon, Biophagus, Spirit Seer, and so on. Anyone fielding those models will get one “emergency patch-up”, where they can once during their mission. When they do, at the end of any phase, roll a d6 and restore that many models to their unit. That’s in addition to their other rules for bringing back models.

Imperial “Organized Reaction” Rules:

Every player turn their units will be doing things, and those things generate chances for the Imperials to hear, feel, smell, or sense them and attack back. Each player will have a d20 placed near their forces to represent the “alert level” for their turn. The list below has the various things that increase alarm amongst the Imperial models. They are additive (cumulative?). At the end of the player’s turn (move, shoot, charge, assault), note the number that the alert level has risen to that turn and then the player must roll ABOVE that number to remain undetected.

Action/Occurrence	Alert Level Modifier	Type
Unit Advances	+1	Sound
Hover Transport Moves	+1	Sound
Tracked or Wheeled Transport Moves	+2	Sound, Vibration
Aircraft Transport Moves	+1	Sight
Aircraft Transport’s Move comes within 24” of Flying Imperial model	+4	Sight
Massive Transport Moves (really huge hard-to-miss stuff that people might bring… Monolith or Stompa for instance)	+10	Sight
Imperial Unit damaged by ranged attacks	+3	Sound, Smell
Ranged Attacks from Silenced source (GM uses judgment, but needs to be like sniper rifles or properly silenced stuff… note that Ork Kommando guns are NOT silenced)	-2	Sound
Ranged attacks fired from a vehicle or infantry “Big Gun” or “Loud Gun” source (again GM judgment–machine guns and big cannons here, any projectile weapons that make a “bang” louder than a bolter)	+2	Sound, Vibration
Imperial Unit damaged by melee attacks	+4	Sound, Smell
Melee Attacks from Silenced Source (only commando troops get this: Kommandos, Night Lords, Raven Guard, Space Marine Scouts, Reivers, Striking Scorpions, units with infiltrate etc.)	-2	Sound
All Targeted Unit(s) Completely Wiped Out in this turn	-2	All
Model uses an ability or an attack with the “Psychic” keyword	+2	Vibes
Something else that would alert a unit (GM’s discretion)	+X by GM’s discretion	GM’s discretion
Something else that would keep a unit hidden/silent/unobserved, such as move after shoot to a hidden position or specific wargear (GM’s discretion)	-X by GM’s discretion	GM’s discretion

The player then checks for Alert at the very end of their turn by rolling a d20 and comparing to their Alert Level for the turn they just completed. If they roll ABOVE their Alert level, no problem, their hunt has remained undetected. Any Imperials that are in engagement range, have been shot but not killed by them, or have noticed them in a prior term but not reached them, get to respond with movement, shooting, charge, fight as normal, but no other Imperial units realize what is going on and remain dormant. Imperial units in melee also get to fight back in the player turn as normal. 

If the player rolls BELOW their Alert level, then the GM rolls a d3. That many units beyond any shot/hit respond to the attack. What units respond depend on the modifier descriptions (they indicate which model responds first). After that first unit is designated, the next that respond (up to the d3 result) are nearest to the “noticed” unit units (GM discretion for what makes sense given the situation). 

Sight: If this modifier was involved, the first unit to respond is the vehicle unit.

Smell: If this modifier was involved, the first unit to respond is the nearest infantry unit.

Sound: No special choices, just nearest models.

Vibration: If this modifier was involved, the first unit to respond is the closest infantry unit.

Vibes: If this modifier was involved, if there is an Imperial model with psychic abilities they and their unit respond. If not, go with the closest units.

If multiples of these are involved, the GM can use their discretion about what units compose the d3 responding and why.

Prizes: We’ll have a door prize draw that we do at the end of the event, that will include both 40k model kits as well as skull mugs. Everyone who participates gets one draw in the door prize drawing for attending, and the extra points for painting for the event as listed above. The top three points-getters for successful hunter expeditions will also be tracked, and they’ll get a tiered number of additional draws.

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