Vanguard Session 1 GM's Guide

This is a blow-by-blow breakdown of running Session 1 of the Vanguard Mini-Campaign.

VANGUARD MINI CAMPAIGN 

GM’s GUIDE (Session 1 Version)

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This Vanguard Mini-Campaign is designed to establish the core encounters of a “Vanguard” campaign, envisioned using the Lancer gaming system but adaptable to other gaming systems. 

This mini-campaign GM’s Guide will consider:

• Prepping the major encounters on a VTT

• Running the major encounters

Note that this version of the guide only handles Session 1. Later sessions of the guide will cover the entire mini-campaign. You are encouraged to review the token pack for this session before going through this document.

What is this game in a nutshell?

When I pitched this game to my players, I said this was “Star Trek meets Starcraft with Mechs.” That of course was meaningful to my players, but if your players are less familiar with those settings, you might try: “You drop from orbit in a mech to fight alien horrors and save colonies on the fringes of space.” From there, if that sounds fun to them, I would give them the Vanguard Campaign Setting Player’s Guide.

Questions to Decide Before Advertising

As a GM, you will want to decide early what sort of players you expect to be running with, and what you want from this game, so that you understand how best to use this module. 

New to Lancer? This campaign setting is (subjectively speaking in the author’s opinion) relatively straightforward and simple compared to the Lancer core setting, so this might actually be ideal for new players, so long as you explain that they don’t need to worry too much about all of the core narrative elements of the Lancer setting. The early encounters can be relatively straightforward, and it is designed to be friendly for new lancer players to ease into the system, and for you as a GM to get used to how encounters will feel.

Established Lancer players? This is basically fine, so long as you clearly communicate that the worldbuilding of this setting will be pretty different from Lancer’s baseline. That being said, I indicate notes to increase difficulty throughout this module, usually adding more scuttlers to a combat, to make it more thrilling for experienced players.

Looking for a longer campaign? Honestly, I think it is pretty easy to use this framework to add additional missions with fresh planets and Gen-Forger threats. This module has not pre-generated more tokens and maps for you to use for standalone missions, but assuming you have the capacity to either make tokens and maps, or plan to use theater of the mind, it would not be difficult to come up with new planets to save and new Gen-Forger monsters to fight to add between each major mission. Alternatively, you could continue on with the war after this module, going off on your own at that point.

Action-oriented Gamers? This module veers toward action orientation, so this module is ideal for that. If your players are most interested in mech action, then you might keep the emphasis on the pocam as more secondary, and emphasize the effects of the interface less.

Action-oriented with interest in exploring transformation or gender? How you handle the Pocam and the Interface are questions if you want a more cerebral or transformative experience. You could explore the pocam people and culture more, or you could amp up the influence of the interface after each mission. Note that you could invent new directions for interface-based transformations based on player desire, such as becoming more cybernetic, or becoming more like the pocam (more alien), or other changes based on what would be fun for you and GM and player to explore.

Note on Relation to “The Flow” novel

This mini-campaign is geared for a group of players that have not read “The Flow” novel. It is approached as though everything in this setting is completely new to the players. You could even use the “Zerg” if you wanted to set this in the Starcraft universe, although this module is not written presuming you would do that. Likewise, this campaign is somewhat more condensed and streamlined than the events of the novel. 

Note on Adapting Lancer Setting

In terms of worldbuilding, it’s not too hard I think to discard a lot of the Lancer setting elements you don’t need. One element that is interwoven into the game design, though, is the “License Level” of the mechs. This element I would tie directly to achieving victories over the Gen-Forgers and the new weapons systems. You might also re-theme some of the companies as being “Terran” mech companies (maybe those focusing on certain chassis, physical kinetic weapons) and “Pocam” mech companies (maybe those focusing on energy weapons). Generally I have not found it a huge issue to just use the existing Lancer companies from the book as needed. But if you adapt the game into a longer campaign, you might start to explore the dynamics of the different companies more.

On the Format of this Guide

I decided to write this guide with my notes on running the encounters proceeding with the breakdown of the encounters themselves. I did it this way to explain the rationale behind some choices, so that you can adjust things to match the feel you’re going for in your particular game more easily. These notes do slightly increase increase the length of the guide, but I think they are very helpful to understand why things are the way that they are, and areas you can change to match the tone you want.

Executive Summary of Campaign Trajectory

This is designed as a basically linear action game. You are of course welcome to add non-linear elements.

Depending on how session one goes and how quickly combat runs, it’s envisioned in the following sequence:

Session 0: Design characters.

Session 1:

• Alert sounds. Give the players a chance to describe where they were in the ship when the klaxon alarm sounds, and then allow them to be introduced in a sequence as they enter Mech Bay One. The players get a brief mission briefing from Unit 434. They enter their mechs and connect to the interface. The ship drops out of warp, and they leap from the hangar down to Haven Colony.

• The players land in Haven Colony and establish a Landing Zone for the Vanguard Transport Ship. The Vanguard Transport Ship lands and they defend the transport from the Bulwark Beast. As the Transport Leaves, the players are informed of the podseed spotted by the Vanguard.

• The players head to the Podseed Battlemap where they try to recover the Podseed crashsite, killing the Gen-Forger monsters nearby, quelling more Gen-Forger monsters that emerge from the podseed.

This version of the guide is specifically for Session 1, but it’s good to have a basic sense of the rest of the campaign.

Session 2: Begins with the players dealing with an on-ship outbreak of scuttlers, and later involves the players seeking out and destroying the Gen-Forger Seedship in a low-G complicated space battle.

Session 3: Begins with the players going to Resonance Prime, where they will then head out to attack a major Gen-Forger base, the source of the Seedship.

Do You Need a Session 0 for a mini-campaign?

This of course largely hinges on how familiar your players are with Lancer and what sort of narrative elements and rules you need to establish, as well as how likely you are to expand this into a larger campaign.

The first time I ran this mini-campaign, I was dealing with “action-oriented” science fiction players, a group new to lancer but with a lot of experience with TTRPGs, and needed to do little work setting up intimacy rules because I knew the group wasn’t going to be super interested in that path for the game. However, I would have a clear conversation with the players if you are considering having intimacy in the game about how that should be handled. 

Additionally, you’ll want to think about how flexible your players are as gamers. If they are both new to Lancer and new to Tabletop Gaming, then you may need a lot of extra time working through building the character sheet, and a full dedicated session 0. In my first time running this campaign, I only needed about an hour for everyone to build their sheets, and we managed to finish a joint Session 0+1 in four hours, but they are very experienced gamers and most groups would probably take longer.

In Session 0, I generally take the time to get portraits and tokens for each player and their mech. Getting the player choose the aesthetic style not just of their pilot but also of their mech is going to be one of the first things that really connects them to the world.

VTT Preparing Session 1

For Session 1, I encourage you to pre-build Mech Bay One, the Haven Colony LZ, and the Podseed Crashsite. Mech Bay One is fine for players to build their character sheets, and then the two battlemaps for Haven Colony should I think typically be enough for a first session (if you veer toward longer sessions, then you might want to also prep Session 2).

Creating Your VTT Setup

I am writing this guide from the perspective that you will be using Roll20, but of course you can use any VTT – understanding that some elements need more prep than others. I liked Roll20 because it has the ability to create the campaign with Lancer Character sheets enabled, but other VTTs might over similar benefits at the time you choose to make this campaign.

Mech Bay One

This is the initial scene where the players get their mission briefing and see their new gear.

VTT Setup:

• Load the map background for Mech Bay 1 into your VTT of choice.

• Since this will (in Session 2) become a combat location, set up the Hex Grid you want. See GRID NOTE below.

• Add the Vanguard Transport to the bay.

• Add Unit 434 to the bay.

• Add a sample Everest model token, or other tokens depending on what the players chose in Session 0.

GRID NOTE

While using default square grids won’t likely make or break the game, if you have players that are more familiar with D&D square grids, choosing Hex grid can further help get them into the Lancer mood. 

For the maps in this campaign, I tend to use: Hex (V) grids, with Hex Path measurement, and 50x wide hexes, so that the map images in this bundle ‘feel big’ and give the players more room to move around (especially against the Bulwark). I like to set the measure tool to hexes being 10 feet, to make everything “feel big,” especially for players used to D&D. 

Haven Colony Extraction

This is the first combat encounter, where players must rescue colonists from an overrun settlement.

VTT Setup:

• Load the Haven Colony map background. 

• Establish the grid in your VTT. (I use the same grid settings on each map)

• Add as many Scuttlers as you want. The number will determine the difficulty and length of the encounter. More Scuttlers can create a more desperate, overwhelming feeling. See the later note on Scuttler evasion levels and HP in the statblock discussion for them. I chose Three Scuttlers the first time I ran this campaign, because I wanted it to be an easy, fast introduction to lancer-based combat. Add more if your players are more experienced with the system and more comfortable with combat.

• If players have already created their mechs in Session 0, add their tokens to the map.

Haven Seedship Encounter

This encounter takes place in a dense, overgrown environment, adding environmental challenges to combat.

VTT Setup:

• Load the Haven Seedship Jungle map background. Establish the Grid.

• Add as many Scuttlers as you want, spreading them out through the jungle to create opportunities for ambushes and tactical movement. You might decide some are initially hidden, and determine a skill check for scanning to detect them before they attack. I would do this based on how you felt the players handled the number of scuttlers you had in the Colonial Extraction map. In my first time running this campaign, based on how the previous fight went, I added three scuttlers to the base map, then planned to add three more scuttlers and three shrikes erupting from the pod.

• If players have already created their mechs in Session 0, add their tokens to the map.

Running Session 1

I start the players on the Mech Bay One battlemap. Once everyone is settled in, I read the following:

A klaxon sounds. An alert flashes on your datapad: We have a distress signal from 

Haven Colony. All Pilots, report to Mech Bay One immediately for a briefing by Unit 434. 

All hands, prepare for warp.  

The TPA Vanguard is designed so that anyone on the ship can reach Mech Bay One in a 

relatively short span of time. Describe where your character is and what they were doing when the klaxon sounds. Then, describe them as they physically enter Mech Bay One. What do they look like? I will then describe what you see as you enter Mech Bay One once you all are done.

I’d give them an order, or figure out who is likely to arrive first (any engineers might already be on the bay). This is a great time for giving a sense of the characters on the ship. Once they’re done, it’s time to establish Mech Bay One. 

Note here that I am using “it” for Unit 434, since I don’t like to overload my players with exposition. However, if you plan to have gender and identity a theme in your game, you could use the “ve” pronoun system for Unit 434.

Mech Bay One is a cavernous space, the military center of the TPA Vanguard Carrier-Ship, and the air is always a little thin here. That’s because, directly in front of you, you see the currently shielded opening of the hangar. As soon as those shields drop, this whole bay will be depressurized. Far to your right, you idly note the secured storage containers of Cargo Bay One, where many of the materials and armaments for the mechs are secured. As your field of vision flows from right to left, you see one of the Vanguard Transport Ships. It’s a rugged, low-atmo insertion craft—reinforced with angular armor, every panel whispering utilitarian design over beauty. Its dual engines hum with restrained power, ready to punch through storms or drop you into the worst mess the galaxy has to offer.

Between the Transport Ship and you is Unit 434. They are an alliance android. They have an androgynous appearance, slender. Unit 434 stands with mechanical stillness, their pale, angular features framed by a scalp shaved clean along the sides and back, leaving a narrow ridge of short, sculpted hair running from forehead to crown. Their standard-issue navy uniform fits with unnerving precision, devoid of ornament except for a single chevron and an unmarked service bar. You know each alliance ship has one designated android that can fill a variety of tasks as needed. Today it will be briefing you. Although it is not your commanding officer, it does speak with the confidence of the captain.

To your left as you run through the hatch, you see the rigged and secured mechs of your squadron. Please describe what everyone sees when they see your mech. [Choose one player at a time, probably mirror order of entry]

Let the players describe the mechs, then briefly:

You all head for your briefing by Unit 434. Describe how you’re standing as you prepare for your briefing.

I like little invitations to roleplaying like this, especially early on, to get a feel for the characters. Next we go to the briefing. But I like to give little moments mid-briefing to further bring the characters into the world. I play Unit 434 as neutrally as possible, which is convenient because then it’s clearly a vehicle for exposition by the GM and the players don’t need to second-guess the character’s motivations in this straightforward briefing. I would not be subtle that Unit 434 is a vehicle for GM exposition.

Unit 434 speaks with a matter-of-fact, direct voice: “A short while ago, we received a distress call from Haven Colony. We have already confirmed reports of Scuttler attacks.”

From Unit 434’s report, you realize this is it. Your first real deployment with Aegis Squadron. But as they speak, you also can’t help but remember how you felt the first time you saw that head-cam footage sent from Centauri V, the first time scuttlers destroyed a terran colony. What are you thinking about, when you hear that Haven Colony is under attack by Gen-Forger scuttlers?

This invitation to feel the thoughts of the individual characters helps establish the shared sense of purpose and motivation of these soldiers. This doesn’t need to be a huge flashback, generally only a few sentences is fine for each player to capture their thoughts and mood. After that interlude, I continue the briefing as Unit 434.

While some colonists have evacuated the planet, we have confirmed signals that some remain trapped in Emergency Shelters on the planet surface. Our first and top priority is to rescue those colonists. Your mission therefore has two initial confirmed stages: first, to land and establish a Landing Zone (LZ) for this Transport Shuttle, piloted by myself, and second to defend the LZ as we extract the colonist survivors. As you all know, this is the first Gen-Forger colony attack in this sector, so as the Vanguard surveys the planet, you may get updated mission parameters should we see opportunities to learn more about the nature of this Gen-Forger attack. Any questions?

In my playthrough of this mini-campaign, this was a point for more out-of-character questions, with the player characters not needing to ask in-character questions (the setup is pretty straightforward). 

It’s impossible to anticipate what all questions players may ask. As they do, I’d go with your gut on what makes the most sense to you. Once that’s done, it’s time to get in the mechs.

With the briefing complete, it’s time for you to load into your mech and connect to the Pocam interface. How does your character enter their mech?

This is a point to gently exposit on the level of connection between pilot and mech in this setting. 

As the cockpit canopy hisses shut, sealing you in the dim combat glow, the world narrows to the hum of the machine and the cool touch of the interface ports against the skin. The initial sync sequence sends a jolt through the nervous system, a sensation like cold static rushing through every nerve, a digital ghost awakening in the machine. Then comes "The Flow"—your consciousness bleeds outwards, pouring into the mech's circuits until the distinction between flesh and metal dissolves. The thirty-foot titan becomes an extension of your own body, its sensors your eyes, its hydraulic limbs your own. Thankfully the mech doesn’t have nerves over every part of the body so you won’t hurt as much as you would if your physical body was injured. But it is a moment of absolute power and terrifying intimacy, a symbiotic union where every thought translates to motion, but with the unsettling knowledge that the current flows both ways, leaving its alien imprint long after the connection is severed.

You might register player reactions to the flow or just move on. I’d wait a beat.

With all of you connected, you feel the gentle lurch of the TPA Vanguard dropping out of warp. This is it. Your first mech deployment against the Gen-Forgers.

You hear the Captain come in through the comms. “Attention Aegis Squadron. We are now in orbit around Haven Colony. All crew, evacuate Mech Bay One. This is an emergency situation and we are not doing a controlled depressurization. I repeat: all crew evacuate Mech Bay One.” You watch as the remaining support staff head for the bulkheads, sealing them tightly behind them, everything in the Bay now strapped down or secured. Even though you don’t have nerves on most of the mech’s body, you can still ‘feel’ the bay becoming colder from the void of space which it is now a part of. The captain’s voice booms: “Mech Bay One is clear of personnel. Drop Mech Bay One Shields!” You see the crackle of energy as the shields dissipate, and can see the whoosh as any mote of dust or forgotten coffee cup is sucked into the void of space. Finally, the Captain’s voice booms: “Release Mech Harnesses. Aegis Squadron, you have drop clearance. Go! Go! Go!”

Let the players describe their experience and the actions of the mech as they initiate their drop. Then go into the drop itself:

Clouds tear past your sensors in a roar of white, and the atmospheric entry buffets your frame hard enough to rattle your bones through the interface—nothing dangerous, but enough to remind you: this isn’t a simulation. This is your body now. You ride the descent with the full momentum of a falling star.

You can see the others on your HUD, green targeting brackets tracing their trails as your squad screams through the upper atmosphere, plummeting in formation toward the terraformed planet below. Much of the planet is still covered in the dense vegetation of terraformed jungle, but you are heading toward the Agro-Sector and colony outpost. Here, below you, the first bloom of fire marks a burning outbuilding. 

The main colony domes are already decimated, flaming. But you can see the Emergency Domes, initially designed for colonists to survive errant asteroid impacts or unexpected weather phenomenon–now their last defense against Gen-Forger scuttlers.

And you see them: Gen-Forger scuttlers themselves, clawing at the tops of the emergency survival domes, clearly trying to get to the colonists hiding within. 

The scuttlers are monstrous even from altitude—each one a hulking, beetle-like brute larger than a terran wolf, moving with a speed and hunger that defies their armor-plated mass. Their carapaces are cracked obsidian, blackened and scorched as though kiln-fired, glowing faintly at the seams with a molten orange light that pulses like a slow heartbeat. Bladed limbs gouge at the domes, sparking against the hardened polyglass with every strike, and their heads split open in snarling mandibles that hiss steam with every breath, venting whatever chemical engine drives them.

They seem entirely focused on their task, and don’t immediately react as your mechs land in the ruins of Haven Colony. Your descent vector locks in. There’s no more time. You drop into combat range in five seconds. Weapons hot. Scuttlers waiting. Colonists screaming, unheard beneath the shell of the domes. This is it. This is the moment you were training for.

From here you’ll probably mostly shift into battle-mode. I like to have the scuttlers non-reactive to the descent of the mechs, and then all attack as soon as the mechs attack them.

Let’s briefly talk about Scuttler design:

Scuttler (Creature NPC)

Size: 1/2    HP: 4    Evasion: 12    Speed: 6

Save Target: 10    Sensors: 5   E-Defense: 10    Armor: 0

Melee Claws

   • Attack: Melee

   • Damage: 1d6 AP

   • Effect: On a hit, target takes listed AP damage.

Leap (Move Action)

   • Effect: Move up to Speed (6), ignoring difficult terrain, to enter melee range.

Trait: Unreactive – Does not take reactions.

The idea of this creature is that many starting weapons will kill them in one shot. However, they are hard to hit, since they are small and fast. 

I do not give the scuttlers overwatch, so the characters might be able to move away from them even after the scuttlers have leaped at them. This is partly because new players might not understand all the rules involving melee and range until they’re mid-fight, but narratively to emphasize that these are very small creatures and won’t necessarily be able to get a claw-attack in when mechs are moving away. This also helps keep the combat moving. However, I would mention that some enemies they encounter might take reactions when you move around them, i.e., the Bulwark Boss up next. 

The most obvious thing to change here to fit the mood of your particular game would be the Evasion. Evasion 12 means that more than 50% of the time, new Lancer players will miss their attack. The idea here is to a) give the players more satisfaction when they do finally get one, and b) to create a sense of progression when at higher LLs they hit the scuttlers more frequently.

However, for players both new to lancer and new to TTRPGs, this might not be the vibe you want. You could reduce the Evasion to 8, or even 6, so that they very often are hitting the Scuttlers in this first combat. If so, I would increase the number of scuttlers by at least two, but possibly much more, maybe even adding another wave. If you want this to feel more like popping zerglings, I’d do 6 Evasion and 6 scuttlers at least. However, I like the 12 evasion, with fewer numbers, so that amplifies the contrast with the Bulwark boss coming up.

When playing the scuttlers, I’d emphasize them as small (compared to the mechs), fast, and ferocious. When they use Leap, they might launch themselves up to the head of the mech where the cameras are located, digging their claws in viscerally. 

Note that with Evasion 12, this combat might go fast or it might not, depending on the player rolls – but it’s unlikely the scuttlers can down a starting mech here, unless you really pump the number of scuttlers you want to throw. Personally, I’d use this combat to help decide how many scuttlers you want in the Podseed fight coming up soon.

Note that when the players ask, “so are we out of combat?” when the last scuttler drops, you need to be clear that the answer is “no.” Ask them to let the full sequence that follows complete, since many things will be happening in short order.

Next, let’s go over the end of combat and sequence to Phase 2 of this fight. I would begin reading the passage. Then, first add the Vanguard Transport Shuttle token, after the LZ is confirmed clear. Then, near the end of the read section below, add the Bulwark Token.

The last scuttler crumples, its legs curling inward like dead wires, its molten seams sputtering out in a hiss of cooling slag. Your HUD flickers briefly—target lock lost, hostile signatures reduced to zero. The comms crackle.

Unit 434: “Vanguard confirms: orbital scans detect no remaining Gen-Forgers near the E-Domes. Is the LZ secure?”

[Assuming your team gives the all-clear, continue]

There's a moment of eerie calm. Then, with a low roar and the downward blast of stabilizers, the Vanguard Transport Ship descends from the clouds like a falling fortress, kicking up a hurricane of ash and broken debris. It lands hard in the ruined field near one Emergency Dome, its rear hatch opening with a hydraulic scream.

[I would place the shuttle toward one of the northern E-domes, so that the players have a bit more time before the Bulwark reaches them]

Almost instantly, the doors of two domes hiss open, and colonists begin spilling out—a dozen or more, stumbling, shouting, some carrying children, others injured, limping, or dragging hastily packed belongings. One woman with black hair looks up at you and gives you a smile and a cheering fist pump. They run toward the transport, eyes wide with a mixture of hope and terror.

But the third dome stays sealed. Seconds tick by.

Then a voice bursts across the emergency channel:

Colonist Comms: “We can’t get the door open! It's jammed—we’re trapped in here! Please—we have wounded!”

[If the squad fired ordnance near that dome earlier, you recognize the scorch damage near the sealed hatch. Otherwise, it's clear the scuttlers’ attacks mangled the door’s control panel.]

Before anyone can respond, the Captain’s voice cuts through, sharp and strained:

Captain: “Aegis Squadron, move fast. We’ve got a massive heat signature closing on your position from the south. Bigger than anything we’ve seen yet. Get those people out now, and get ready to fight!”

Your sensor suite pings:

[WARNING: MASSIVE BIO-SIGNATURE DETECTED – CLASS: UNKNOWN. PENDING DESIGNATION: “BULWARK.” – DIRECTION: SOUTH]

And then you see it—crashing through the tree line like a living avalanche.

The Bulwark Beast towers over the wreckage, thirty feet tall, its obsidian hide grooved with molten seams. Twin engine-like structures mounted on its shoulders roar with exhaust flame, venting steam and fire as it pounds forward. Its limbs are plated in thick, cracked armor, each one ending in claws made more for crushing steel than climbing. The earth shudders beneath its weight.

It advances slowly, like it knows nothing in its path can stop it.

The colonists scream. The domes tremble. Your comms ping again:

Unit 434: “Aegis Squadron, please get that door open and give me enough time to get the last of the colonists out of here.”

The Bulwark roars, and the jungle around it dies in heat.

Let’s talk about this Bulwark Boss Enemy.

Bulwark Beast (Boss)

Size: 3    HP: 20    Evasion: 8    Speed: 4

Save Target: 12    Sensors: 5   E-Defense: 8    Armor: 2

 Attacks: Massive Claws (Main Melee)

+1 vs Evasion, 2d6 Kinetic
On Hit: Target is Knocked Prone (Flash Balance: optional Save Target 10 to avoid, or unavoidable after hit, based on GM gut)
Can target 2 adjacent enemies with one action (sweeping attack)

Armored Plates (Passive)

While not Prone or Impaired, ignores the first Shred or Knockback effect each round. This does not include being knocked Prone.

Boosted Charge (Full Action)

Move up to Speed +2 in a straight line.
All enemies passed through must pass an Agility Save (Target 12) or take 2d6 Kinetic and be Knocked Back 1 + Prone
Ends in a free Claw attack

The token is Size 3, so it should be BIG on the map.

It’s meant to be spongy, but we don’t want it grinding session 1 to a full halt. With Evasion 8, players will hit it more often than not, but with a lot of the damage absorbed by Armor 2. 

The first time I ran this game, I overreacted and only allowed the Bulwark its base move action, without a boost. However, I think you do want to let it do boost move actions, for 8 total hexes per turn until it gets to melee range, otherwise the players are likely to drop it before it even gets a swing off. 

The players might be likely to scan the Bulwark given its glowing shoulder thrusters. If they do so, make sure you explain the Boosted Charge mech, so they know it’s coming. 

Generally speaking, most everests could just kite it if killing the mech was the bulwark’s objective – but it’s probably more interested in that weird looking shuttle with all the meaty little humans running into it. It definitely will attack players, especially those that stand between it and the Shuttle, but if it’s kited too much it just focuses on the shuttle. Once the shuttle is gone, players can kite it and drop it pretty easily.

If the players have any weapons that can make the Bulwark Prone, that will give them some time to get the doors open and free the colonists before the Bulwark reaches the shuttle.

If the Bulwark seems too easy at a glance, you can add some additional Scuttlers to the fight. The Bulwark on its own is a thrilling environmental challenge for new players. For experienced players, a Bulwark and Four Scuttlers might be a tactically complex fight.

The Objectives

I usually don’t put the colonists on the map as tokens, and just say that once the doors are open they’re getting inside, but if the Bulwark does get to the E-Dome with the stuck door, then it obviously would kill them without rolling dice.

Vanguard Transport Shuttle
Size: 2 | Armor: 2 | Evasion: 0
HP: 20

This means the Bulwark Beast will always hit it, but it shouldn’t usually kill the Shuttle in one hit. I like to keep the objective relatively simple. If the Bulwark gets a solid hit off on the shuttle, I’d declare that 434 is dropping off the existing colonists, before maybe circling back if for some reason they failed to get the doors of the stuck E-Dome Open.

Stuck E-Dome

I’d have any mech that has a plausible-sounding way to get the doors open to succeed on any sort of DC10 check. I tend to keep most of the focus on the fight with the Bulwark, with the transport shuttle leaving as the mechs stay behind for the fight. 

After the Bulwark is Downed – The Next Objective

The last impact echoes through the jungle as the Bulwark Beast collapses, its molten core venting in great plumes of black steam. 

Unit 434 (calm, measured):
“Extraction complete. Transport has cleared orbit. You are still live in hostile territory.”

A pause—then the next directive comes, crisp and without ceremony:

“Vanguard has detected an anomalous object southeast of your current location.

Long-range scans suggest a non-Terran impact site—probable Gen-Forger origin. The object appears to have crashed recently and is partially embedded in the jungle canopy.

Recommend securing the area for threat assessment and potential data recovery. However: your primary directive is threat containment. Recovery of the object is secondary to maintaining operational control.

Proceed at your discretion.”

Your sensors ping a new waypoint: dense jungle, heavy canopy, approximately one kilometer out. No visible enemy signals—but the trees have a way of swallowing heat signatures. The air is thick, and the forest ahead waits, still and wrong.

Your mission continues.

(Assuming they proceed there, I would move the players to the Podseed battlemap)

You quickly and effortlessly move through the agri-sector, over the farmlands, toward what quickly becomes a dense terraformed jungle. Your Everest frames stomp forward through the swampy undergrowth, each step sinking slightly into mud that tugs at your mech’s legs with a hungry, sucking pull. The narrow agri-paths give way to overgrown terrain—towering fern-like trees, gnarled red-rooted mangrove growth, and pockets of stagnant, neon-tinged water. The terraformed jungle here is thick, and the shadows move unnaturally in your periphery.

Servos whining in protest as vines catch on exposed joints. The ground isn’t just wet—it’s spongey, pulsing subtly underfoot, the kind of terraform residue that never quite settled right. 

Then, just as the terrain starts to incline, you see it.

A massive streak of carnage tears through the jungle ahead—broken trees, burned foliage, and a gouged trench of melted earth and twisted debris, like something seared its way through the canopy at terminal velocity. The jungle here is dead and blackened, the impact path glowing faintly where the crash's heat still radiates from under the soil.

You approach from the northwest, cresting the edge of the scorched path, your mechs half-silhouetted by steam and filtered sunbeams. For a moment, all is quiet.

But your sensors flutter—faint motion signatures, subtle tremors beneath the muck.

At the far end of the trail, partially buried beneath roots and debris, lies the podseed: an alien structure, clearly Gen-Forger, its organic shell pulsing, small vents of purple mist puffing out in various patches. It doesn’t look inert.

Purple ooze has pooled around it. From its base, a tangled mass of reddish-brown tendrils spreads outward like roots, some no thicker than branches, others large enough to tangle a mech’s leg. These tendrils stretch across the terrain in all directions—dense, knotted, and wet, climbing over debris and dipping into shallow water. They're not just part of the crash—they're growing into the jungle, merging with the earth, and pulsing faintly with a disturbing organic rhythm.

The area around the pod is difficult terrain.

• Movement through the tendril field requires careful piloting; mechs must Boost or risk being Slowed until they clear the growth.
  
  

• Every so often, a tendril quivers slightly, like it senses your presence.

At the edge of the clearing to the south, you can see the remains of shredded undergrowth where something massive recently moved–the Bulwark was too big to have emerged from this ship, but perhaps it came from here anyway? But all around the podseed, you catch subtle shifts—scuttlers, waiting in ambush, partially buried beneath root and moss, nearly indistinguishable from the terrain unless you're looking closely.

This isn’t just a crash site. It’s a birthing ground.

Ask the players to describe how they approach the podseed. Then ask: “Do you scan the area or keep moving?”

If they scan or proceed cautiously:

Skill Check:
Roll Systems or Hull (choose based on flavor—Systems to detect, Hull to watch terrain), DC 10.

Success reveals:

• Scuttlers lying in wait in the dense growth—partially submerged, motionless, their carapaces camouflaged in fungus and ash
  
  

• Their position forms a loose ring, defensive, as if guarding the podseed like it's a nest.

Failure results in:

• A Scuttler surprise round as one of them bursts from the muck behind the squad
  
  

• The rest follow in an ambush from multiple directions

Assuming you kept to the 12 Evasion for scuttlers, I’d have three of them spotted in the growth, assuming a success. Or 6, if you went 6/8 evasion. 

If the players scan the podseed, they likely discover that it seems to pulse with living energy. Don’t be too subtle–they can feel like more gen-forgers could emerge from the pod at any time.

I give the players one round with the scuttlers outside before gen-forgers begin emerging form the podseed. During this round, they might attack the podseed itself. If so, I’d let them break through the carapace, damaging some of the Shrikes and Scuttlers that will soon be emerging. If they break open the pod, three shrikes and at least two scuttlers exit the pod, but do not get any other actions this round, giving the players an opportunity to use any ordnance or area based effects while they’re nicely grouped.

If the players don’t directly attack the podseed, then Shrikes begin emerging from within. At the start of round 2, they see three shrikes emerge from the pod.

Let’s talk about Shrikes:

Shrike (Flying Gen-Forger Acid-Spitter)

Size: 1    HP: 6    Evasion: 12    Speed: 6 (flying) 

Save Target: 11   Sensors: 5   E-Defense: 10   Armor: 0

Corrosive Spit (Main Ranged, Range 5, Blast 1)

+1 vs Evasion
1d6+1 Energy
On Hit: Target takes 1 Burn, and their Armor is reduced by 1 until the end of their next turn

Shrikes have a touch more hp and do a touch more damage than the Scuttlers, but their main thing is the burn damage that can build up, stacking, and the fact that they ignore difficult terrain. 

You might play the shrikes as more tactical than the scuttlers, using the terrain to their advantage if possible.

But the shrikes individually aren’t too much of a threat – the bigger concern is the fact that more of them might keep coming from the pod.

Now let’s talk about the Podseed.

Podseed

Type: Stationary Alien Structure
Size: Size 3 (immobile)
HP: 20 | Armor 1 | Evasion 0 * Note special reaction on first hit.

Special Trait – Cracked Shell

When the Podseed takes its first significant hit (5+ damage or more from a single mech-scale weapon), its outer carapace splits, and something shifts inside. Players see:

• A glowing heart-organ, pulsing rhythmically

• Partially-formed creatures suspended in fluid, pulsing as they develop

• Tendrils knitting in real time—both Shrikes and Scuttlers

• A slow leak of violet mist, suggesting an active terraforming protocol
  
  

• Shrikes and Scuttlers begin spawning in earnest (see round tracker below)

Note that the Scuttler count in this is presuming the Evasion 12 scuttler. Depending on how long the session is going, you might scale down the number of spawns on the Pod Tracker that follows to allow the session to end on time. Depending on player luck, I subjectively think it is unlikely that this session will result in any downed mechs, so adding more or fewer Gen-Forgers more shapes how the session feels than the ‘true difficulty’. But use your judgment in the moment.

Round Tracker: Pod Behavior

Round

Event

Round 1

Inactive. Pulsing faintly. Looks inert. Can be scanned (e.g., Systems check DC 10) or attacked. There are visible bulges, as though something may emerge at any moment.

Round 2

Three shrikes emerge from the bulges. More bulges begin to form.

Round 3

Spawns 2 Scuttlers near the southern base of the pod.

Round 4

Spawns 1 Shrike emerging from a side port, wings still wet.

Round 5

Spawns 2 Scuttlers again. Mist thickens—terrain near pod becomes Obscured.

Round 6+

Alternates: 1 Shrike → 2 Scuttlers → 1 Shrike, etc.

Ongoing

At GM discretion, the terrain may mutate, or the pod tries to anchor itself further, hinting at a larger terraforming function.

• As a Quick Tech Action, on turn 1, a PC can make a Systems check to study the pod:
  
  

  • DC 10: Learn that the pod is constructing bio-forms on a timer

Obviously this process is already obvious if they wait beyond turn 1.

Narrating the end of the fight depends on what the players choose. If they get to a point where they can easily kill each pod spawns while they’re still forming, then they might keep the heart alive and excavate the whole thing. Otherwise, they kill the heart.

 If the players contained and excavated the pod:

The heart remains intact, its glow now dim and twitching, thick strands of biomass slowing in their rhythmic contractions. Whatever intelligence governs its growth appears to have withdrawn, leaving behind a half-formed archive of biology and purpose.

Automated survey drones arrive from the Vanguard shortly after your final sweep, followed by Unit 434’s remote uplink.

Unit 434 (over comms):
“Pod neutralized. Core intact. This is a high-value research object. Preparing recovery rig. Stand by.”

The pod is excavated whole and lifted aboard a containment rig. Inside Mech Bay One, you can feel the structure of the Vanguard hum as the object is deposited into Cargo Bay One—in the same hangar as your mechs, your mechs ready to go if its dormant state becomes less than dormant.

If the players destroyed the heart:

The heart ruptures with a flash of molten light and a deep organic scream—not audible, but felt in the bones of your mech. The jungle around you goes silent, tendrils curling inward like drying leaves. The terraforming mist thins and fades.

Unit 434’s uplink is immediate.

Unit 434 (neutral):
“Pod neutralized. Recovery operation commencing.”

Recovery drones still arrive—but this time, what’s salvaged is debris: splintered bio-circuitry, cooling fluid, chitin flakes scraped from your armor. It’s enough to raise questions. The Alliance will still try to learn what it can.

After this, the players mechs are extracted back to the Vanguard. Once on board, at least some of them get out of their mechs, presumably. 

Back in Mech Bay One, you see the crackle of energy as the shields are put back into place. You can still see the expanse of stars beyond. The Captain orders: “Begin pressurization of Mech Bay One.” Atmosphere begins pumping back into the Bay.

The hiss of pressurization fades as the cockpit canopies open one by one, releasing you from the hum of the interface and the blur of combat. For the first time since the firefight, you step down—just you, not the thirty-foot exoshell.

And standing there, outside your frame, you realize how massive the podseed truly is.

Suspended by magnetic clamps in the far end of Mech Bay One, the pod looms like a suspended organ—thrice the height of your Everest mechs, its rootlike tendrils still twitching slightly as containment crews weld down bio-suppressant restraints. The soft glow of containment fields reflects off its slick, pitted surface, and from this close you can see vein-like ridges, places where the surface grew from within, not built or cast. This thing was grown—hurled at the planet like a seed with purpose.

Just through the hatch to the hallway, you see the survivors of Haven Colony looking in at you—most still in emergency pressure suits, those who are uninjured excited to meet the heroes that saved their lives. One of the children points at the pod through the glass and says something you can’t hear.

Whatever it was, it makes the mother pull him away, turning his face toward the bulkhead.

Unit 434 arrives a moment later, posture neutral, voice flat.

“The science team will need time to assess. You, in the meantime, have earned an upgrade.”

They gesture to the nearby mechanic crew already rolling up diagnostic carts.

“Refits begin now. Prepare for retrofit or resupply. Note: current analysis leads us to suspect your next deployment will not be planetside. Make sure you have maneuvering thrusters. We are en route to Delta-Psi Science Station for deposit and study of the podseed materials.” 

Once delivery is complete, the Vanguard will either return to Terra Station Prime for retrofitting—or conduct the retrofits aboard ship, depending on mission tempo (and your preferences for handling downtime). 

Your squad has now reached License Level 1. Each of you receives a personal retrofit voucher. For some, this means a full refit of frame systems. For others, it's a quiet evolution—new weapons, smarter armor, faster connections.

Your next mission will take place in low-G or microgravity conditions. Make sure your mechs and gear are ready to maneuver in reduced gravity.

Prepare for at least one out-of-mech encounter—combat or exploration. Flesh-and-blood pilot readiness will be just as important as your frame.

Note that the start of session 2 should occur before they reach Delta-Psi. Bear that in mind when deciding how you want to handle any out-of-combat roleplay at the end of this session.

Depending on how long the session went and the energy level of the players, you might have some downtime roleplay on board the ship on the way to Delta-Psi, or you might work with the players on the LL1 increase, otherwise that might occur between sessions. I would certainly give the players time to implement the LL1 increase at the end of this session even if it only ‘occurs’ when they reach Terra.