STALKER7

Scrapjacks Opposition

It would be easy if deep space were dead space. Then, salvage would only require tricky demolition work or finicky disassembly of critical components on a derelict ship or station. Demanding, sure. Worthy of hazard pay on top of an decent hourly rate. But nothing worth fighting over.

Trouble is space isn’t as empty as you think. Dangerous things wait in the Black: greedy claim-jumpers, malfunctioning security droids, abandoned experiments, and more. And that’s on top of job site perils: structural instability, failing support systems, solar radiation, and a dozen other things that go catastrophically wrong in a heartbeat.

Hazards and Hostiles

Scrapjacks face two kinds of adversary on the job: the environment and intruders. Hazards and Hostiles. Once a MHU is breached, activation alternates between the Scrapjack crew and the site itself. These are the Sweep and Hitch Phases that continue as long as the crew remains in the MHU.

There’s plenty of valuable salvage and gear scattered throughout the wrecks but the environmental dangers and intruders grow more dangerous as the crew moves deeper. Game-wise, that means each Level of 6 MHU has its own Hitch Table. What seems difficult but manageable to a new crew on Level 1 is assisted suicide on Level 3 – without any upgraded training and gear.

HITCH TABLE LEVEL 1 (D10)

Mechanical failure, human error, the illusion of safety.

1. All Clear
   No Hazard or Hostiles this turn.
2. Arcs and Sparks
   Electrical discharge floods the MHU.
   Scrapjacks risk Stun when entering or moving this turn.
3. Power Loss
   MHU goes dark.
   Darkness penalties apply until end of Hitch Phase.
4. Ghosts in the Alloy
   Phantom signals, echoes, and impossible motion.
   All Scrapjacks roll Grit –1.
   Failure: lose Grit die for next activation.
5. Toxic Fumes
   Air quality drops in one tile.
   Line of Sight reduced; Resolve as standard Toxic Fumes Hazard.
6. Void Rats (Ghost Step)
   Spawn normally. (Prime Check)
7. Small Maintenance Droids (Fast-Mover)
   Spawn normally. (Prime Check)
8. Infested Crew (Frenzied)
   Spawn normally. (Prime Check)
9. Hull Shift
   Sudden structural movement.
   All Scrapjacks roll DD. Failure: suffer 1 Wound.
10. Pressure Building
    No immediate effect.
    The next Hitch roll is made on the Level II table.

How many X miniatures do I need?

Players need models for their Scrapjack crew, 4 to 5 depending on their ship’s class, plus a small supply sled and a support droid. So seven models for their crew of rugged, blue-collar heroes.

As far as enemies, only Hostiles require miniatures. As you can see on the L1 Hitch Table, there are 10 possible complications. Across the levels, 3 to 5 of those will be Hostiles. Allow 6 of that entry’s type, that’s 18 – 30 enemy models, depending on which Level your crew is working.

What kind of Baddies?

There are 14 ‘suggested’ Hostiles in the Scrapjacks core rule book. These are commonly encountered adversaries, each with their own profile. There is also a template and trait menu to encourage players to make their own, or stat out their favorite ‘evil adversary’ models for use in Scrapjacks.

As you’d expect in mini-agnostic rules, the adversary categories are broad: large and small robotic enemies, large and small xeno types, and various human types ranging from desperate raiders and determined pirates to private security ‘clean up’ crews looking to eliminate any evidence of corporate misbehavior.

The idea is you can dress them up however you like and the descriptions are general enough you can stat out the coolest minis in your collection. Or generate your own species of deep space menace.

Primes and Apex Threats

To twist the vibro-knife a bit deeper, there are options to add ‘squad leaders’ to your basic enemy types. These are termed ‘Primes’ and tend to be the same as their peers but a hair tougher.

For the finale, Scrapjacks offers Apex Threats. These are singular adversaries. BBEG characters who are always located in the last MHU on Level 3.

Want to fight a Xenos Queen? Apex Threat.
A Rogue AI that’s taken over a massive space station? Apex Threat.
A Mega-Corps Security Commander out to eliminate your crew simply for doing their job? Apex Threat.
What about an Extra-Dimensional Entity on a mysterious spaceship presumed lost seven years prior? Apex Threat.

They will be tough to take down. But Apex Threats have Apex Rewards. So buckle up, buttercup.

To be fair, players don’t have to delve so deep in that derelict spaceship or that huge space station. Scrapjacks supports single missions. Players can select their salvage vessel class, kit out their crew accordingly, and breach a hull in a few simple steps. The game is accessible to casual as well as campaign players. Your job – your call.

Bottom Line

Scrapjacks is designed to be versatile. It can be adapted to nearly any gritty, sci-fi setting, taking its cues from Outland, Alien, The Expanse, Pandorum, Elysium… and a host of others. Some minor adjustments, you can slot in most any kind of miniature. If players aren’t partial to EVA-suited figs, there are simple adjustments to accommodate encounters in single large facilities where Aircharge becomes the combined breathable air and auxiliary power remaining in the environment. Same goes for players who want a PvP experience with rival crews battling in the same site. Scrapjacks can handle it.

I’m going to hold here for now. Thanks for taking the time. The core rulebook is still on track for Q1 release.

In the meantime, remember the Quick Start Guide is free at WargameVault.

Have an excellent day.