Mission 1, Campaign 1 for , ARR.

v20.1
Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Introduction
Welcome to your first campaign! After this introduction and a short narrative is a section for each
scenario in the campaign. Each scenario section has instructions for setup, starting, and running the
scenario as well as a reference section that contains information on any enemies or other relevant
objects.

After these instructions are the narrative pieces. Each narrative piece is preceded by a reference
number. Any time you are asked to turn to a section followed by a number (for example, section 1) you
should go to the narrative section and read the appropriate piece. Try to avoid reading narratives you
are not directed to in order to avoid spoilers.

There is an After Action Report that you can use to keep track of what happens in each scenario at the
end of this document labeled as Appendix AR1.1.1 through 1.1.4.

Turn Limits

Generally, if you focus on engaging the enemies and going for the objectives the turn limit should have
little effect on your gameplay and can be safely ignored. The turn limits on the scenarios in this
campaign are designed for playthrough at a normal pace and aren’t meant to force you to choose
between objectives in the scenario.

If you choose to play with the scenario with the ‘hard’ rules, add 5 to each of the scenario timers.

Supplies

You’ll need at least one complete Squad Leader and their accompanying Allies, d10 and d6 dice,
measuring equipment or hex map, and other supplies normally needed to play the game. Expect to be
out in the field without resupply for a while and plan your inventory accordingly.

You’ll want roughly a half dozen tokens (I use green glass beads) as Venom counters.

I’ve found keeping track of ammo is much easier using physical counters such as poker chips.

Several buildings or objects that can serve as buildings, as well as objects that can serve as walls or
barricades. I find that small cardboard boxes, papercraft, dvd cases, and other random objects of a
similar size work great. For walls I found that small wooden blocks found in many other games to be the
easiest to use.

Some small objects that can represent debris.

See section 88 for a list of figures or stand ins needed. Please be aware that this list contains spoilers of
the enemies you will face by necessity.

Rules

Entanglement is widely used in this campaign. The Entangle check is as follows:

Attacker rolls Athletics d10

Defender rolls Athletics d10 and Instinct d6

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Attacker wins if it has the highest number showing on all the die, or if it ties with the
Defender.

Both the entangled character and the entangling character receive 1 less Action per turn. If either
character is defeated than the entanglement is instantly and automatically canceled.

Venom will appear occasionally as well. Venom affects any character with an Armor of 0, or any
character with Armor > 0 and AHP < Venom. A character effected by Venom loses 1 Action and 1 point
of Venom at the beginning of their turn.

The opponents in this scenario will often attack in groups, making use of the Supporting Attacker and
Supporting Defender rules pretty common. Supporting Attackers add 1 Attack Dice to an Attacker
attacking the same target as a previous Attacker in the same turn, if that target is in Close Combat with
both Attackers. Put another way, the 2nd Attacker on a single target gets an additional Attack Dice while
in Close Combat. Supporting Defenders are engaged with the Attacker, but with no other opponents,
and add 1 Defense Dice to the Defender. There are good examples of this in the Rulebook under
Supporting Defender.

Difficulty Adjustment

To increase difficulty to ‘hard’ mode, you can add 1 BHP to each ‘biological’ enemy in the scenario. Note
that this not only increases their resilience, but also the need for you to monitor your supplies such as
ammo.

You can also use the Number of Players count (NoP) to raise or lower the difficulty by artificially adding
or subtracting from this number.

To make the game easier, there is an option at the end of the intro text for campaign 1 to visit section
80 for some help.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Mission 1 – Bring Me Back Some Food

Campaign 1 – Terra Dome 39

You are rapidly coming up on the furthest inhabited planet in the Lissa’s End system, called Cobalt by
the locals. Although once it held dozens of active mining operations, the planet seems nearly dead
compared to what it used to be. Based off preliminary readings, this is common across all of the planets
in the system, with levels of light and electromagnetic pollution at far lower levels than when you had
left the system. There are six locations marked on the map for you to choose from that have been
authorized for deployment. The other squads have already chosen targets. Ostensibly the ripest looking
ones. You’ll have to make do with being scrappy on what remains. On the bright side, it looks like only
five of the squads are going to participate in going for the Alpha position, not including you. Twitching
your finger through the deployment schedule, you see that some of the other squads have chosen to tag
along as support. Probably in the hopes of gaining favor with the squad they were supporting. Or for
money. You are a bunch of mercenaries after all.

You’ll have a few days to get your squad in order, with the help of Sticks, and prepare for the coming
campaign. Most of the squads are getting to pick their targets. You, however, are voluntold for the last
one by virtue of being the newest arrival on the list of participants.

Your target is a seemingly abandoned terra dome that has one section blown inward, as if from an
external explosion, or series of explosions. Preliminary scans show no signs of organic life, although
there seems to be some movement. In general the structure appears to be worn down and not
maintained. There are several large holes in the once securely enclosed structure. Unfortunately none
are large enough to fly a transport through and the port doors aren’t responding to remote commands.
Once you’re inside the Dome, resupply will be difficult if not impossible. You’ll have to be careful with
supplies, including ammo for your weapons, and your health.

From your database you know that the Dome was fully functional and a trading partner with several
other nearby colonies. They had been generating a surplus of food prior to your exit form the system, so
there’s a good enough chance that you’ll find something there that the Captain thinks it’s worth your
while. However, Sticks says that something makes her uneasy about the whole thing. She’s
recommending you go in there expecting a fight. With what she does not know.

Note: If you find this first mission too hard, you can turn to section 80 for some tips and an option to
make it easier.

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Scenario 1 – Enter the Terra Dome

Setup:

A roughly 2.5’ by 2.5’ surface or 30 x 30 hex area.

4 Walls that span the entrance to the Terra Dome,

appearing halfway between both play area ends. The walls
are climbable with gripper claws and extend upwards until
the gaps are closed. There are 3 gaps in the walls, which
look as they were violently formed.

1 Large building, approximately 6” by 8” with one

Entrance door facing towards the wall. The building should
be placed at the edge of the outside of the play area and
roughly centered.

4 dead bodies, placed randomly between the wall and the

building. They should be at least 3” away from the wall,
the edges of the play area, and the building. If you prefer,
you can lay them out as in the attached diagram.

You will need approximately 20 slow / traditional zombie figures for enemies (or proxies).

You will be tracking an Investigation score for this Campaign. Make a note on your sheet whenever you
gain an Investigation point.

You will be tracking a Food score for this Campaign. Make a note on your sheet whenever you gain Food
points.

This scenario has an optional turn limit of 25. Track your ammo for this campaign, as resupply will not be
available in between scenarios, unless specifically noted.

Start:

Place your figures anywhere in the start area, section A, which is 1” or 1 hex away from the play area
edge. This is where you’ve ended up after leaving the drop ship.

When you are ready to begin, turn to section 1.

When one of your characters gets within 4” of any of the walls, or the gaps between the walls, turn to
section 45 immediately. You can resume your movement after reading the section.

The first time one of your figures pass through one of the gaps, go to section 58.

If you reach one of the bodies (C1, C2, C3, C4), go to section 29.

When you get within 4” of the entrance to X, go to section 37 immediately. You can resume your
movement after the section.

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When you, the other Squad Leaders (if present), and all your allies enter the building at X, go to section
68, unless instructed otherwise to go to section 21.

Reference:

Rep Move Ath Pre Ins Awa BHP AHP

Zombie A 1 3 1 0 0 0 2 0
Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in
Line of Sight, it moves 3” in a random direction. Prefers to work in groups and will
surround an opponent. If more than 1 are attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker
of that opponent will attempt to entangle the opponent for their 2nd Action (if available).
Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other Attacking zombies remain. Activate
Zombie As in order from the one closest to an opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1
Damage on a hit in Close Combat.

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Scenario 2 – Zombies? Seriously?

Setup:

A roughly 2.5’ by 2.5’ surface or 30 by 30 hex area.

The play area is playable with as little as a 2’ by 2’ or
24 by 24 hex area as long as the minimum of 2”
separation for the buildings and alleys are
maintained. The doors serve as trigger points, so a
larger playfield will reduce the difficulty by preventing
multiple triggers firing at once.

9 Buildings, sized and placed such that the upper edge

of the buildings are at the edge of the play area, or so
close that a character cannot pass there, and the
others are no more than 6”, but no less than 2”, from
each other on all sides. The buildings work best if they
are of roughly equal size. There are debris fields
blocking passage that extend to near the top of the
buildings. The buildings are gripper claw friendly, but
note that you have to have at least one ally move
through point H before the scenario will end. The
heights of the buildings are variable, but should be at least 6” tall. Your characters may not go on the
roofs of the buildings.

You will need approximately 20 slow / traditional zombie figures + 10 for each additional player beyond
one, and up to 12 quicker looking zombie figures for enemies (or proxies) + 6 for each additional player.

You will be tracking an Investigation score for this Campaign. Make a note on your sheet whenever you
gain an Investigation point.

This scenario has an optional turn limit of 25. You will be tracking a Food score for this Campaign. Make
a note on your sheet whenever you gain Food points.

You will either need the card deck for this scenario or 7 playing cards of A -> 7.

Start:

Place your figures adjacent to each other and as close as possible to the exit from building S.

When you are ready to begin, turn to section 14.

When you get within 4” of any entrance to a building, turn to section 4 immediately. You can resume
your movement after reading the section.

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If you wish to investigate one of the Zombie B bodies, roll a Knowledge roll of Difficulty 8 or a Medic
Knowledge roll of Difficulty 5. You can do this once per body. If you succeed, turn to section 81. You may
do this until you succeed once.

The first time one of your characters passes through the area around point J, go to section 87.

The first time one of your characters is in Line of Sight of point H, go to section 28.

When your first character reaches point H, go to section 19.

When you, the other Squad Leaders (if present), and all your allies enter the building at X, go to section
15. If you successfully investigated one of the Zombie B bodies, go to section 55.

Reference:

Rep Move Ath Pre Ins Awa BHP AHP

Zombie A 1 3 1 0 0 0 1 0
Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in
Line of Sight, it moves 3” in a random direction. Prefers to work in groups and will
surround an opponent. If more than 1 are attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker
of that opponent will attempt to entangle the opponent for their 2nd Action. Repeat until
opponent is entangled, or no other Attacking zombies remain. Activate Zombie As in
order from the one closest to an opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit
in Close Combat.
Zombie B 2 6 2 0 1 1 1 0
Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in
Line of Sight, it moves 4” in a random direction. Prefers to work in groups and will
surround an opponent. If more than 1 are attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker
of that opponent will attempt to entangle the opponent for their 2nd Action. Repeat until
opponent is entangled, or no other Attacking zombies remain. Activate Zombie Bs in
order from the one closest to an opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit
in Close Combat.

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Card Reference:

Card Event
Ace Spawn 2 * NoP Zombie As at the entrance to this door. They burst out, almost as if they
were waiting for you. The zombie’s immediately get 1 Move Action. Resume normal play
after completing their free Move. If this door was in LoS of any allied character, each
character that has LoS to the door can make a Knowledge check of 9. If you succeed, add 1
to your Investigation score.
2 Spawn 2 + 2 * NoP Zombie As at the entrance to this door. They will chase the nearest
character continuously until either they are dead, or the character they are targeting is
dead. If the latter is the case they resume normal function afterwards.
3 Spawn 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie Bs at the entrance to this door.
4 Spawn 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie As at the entrance to this door. They get an immediate free
Move action and will move towards the character that triggered this card if applicable.
5 Spawn 1 + 1 * NoP Zombie Bs at the entrance to this door. After they move away from the
door, spawn an additional 3 Zombie As at the entrance to this door. These zombies do not
move until the following turn.
6 Spawn 1 + 2 * NoP Zombie As at the entrance to this door. They will chase the nearest
character regardless of LoS.
7 Spawn 1 * NoP Zombie Bs + 1 * NoP Zombie As at the entrance to this door. They get an
immediate free Move action and will move towards the character that triggered this card if
applicable.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Scenario 3 – Zombies on a Pad

Part A

Setup:

A roughly 2’ by 2’ surface or 24 x 24 hex area.

This is a three part scenario. For the purposes of skills

that reset or refresh at the end of a scenario, all three
parts are considered to be one scenario. In other
words, they do not recharge between the parts. This
includes Power.

You will need approximately 20 slow / traditional

zombie figures + 10 for each additional player beyond
one, up to 12 quicker looking zombie figures for
enemies (or proxies) + 6 for each additional player,
and up to 8 big and slow looking zombie figures for
enemies (or proxies) + 4 for each additional player.

You will be tracking an Investigation score for this

Campaign. Make a note on your sheet whenever you
gain an Investigation point.

This scenario has an optional turn limit of 20. You will

be tracking a Food score for this Campaign. Make a
note on your sheet whenever you gain Food points.

You will either need the card deck for this scenario or 6 playing cards of A -> 6. These cards are not used
for Part A.

Notes:

This is a three part scenario and tracks the group as it approaches, enters, and summits the multi-port
central pad. The scenario maps are smaller than normal, but, especially the second part, can be quite
complicated with the multiple rooms. If you are playing this with a group of people and need to facilitate
quicker map changes without having a bunch of monument pieces available, I would suggest the
following. On your play table, map out part 2’s map using thin masking tape. Use a mat, cardboard, or
paper as a base for the part 1 map. Use the other side (or the same side if you don’t mark it) of that mat,
cardboard, or paper for part 3.

Start A:

The starting area S extends roughly 3” from the corner of the play area. If necessary due to the amount
or size of your minis, you may extend past this.

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When you are ready to begin, turn to section 30.

Place 3 + NoP Zombie Bs by entrance A1. Place 2 + 2 * NoP Zombie As by entrance A2.

The first time one of your characters is in Line of Sight of the doors at B1 and B2, turn to section 71.

If you wish to investigate one of the Zombie C bodies, roll a Knowledge roll of Difficulty 9 or a Medic
Knowledge roll of Difficulty 5. You can do this once per body. If you succeed, turn to section 59. You may
do this until you succeed once.

The exit area, X, extends roughly 3” from the corner of the play area. When your all of your characters
have reached the exit area X, or have all gotten as close as they can to the corner at X, go to section 11.

Reference:

Rep Move Ath Pre Ins Awa BHP AHP

Zombie A 1 3 1 0 0 0 1 0
Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in
Line of Sight, it will move towards any visible Zombie C. Otherwise moves 3” in a random
direction. Prefers to work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are
attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle
the opponent for their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other
Attacking zombies remain. Activate Zombie As in order from the one closest to an
opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.
Zombie B 2 6 2 0 1 1 1 0
Moves before other Zombies. Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and
attacks. If no figures are in Line of Sight, it moves 4” in a random direction. Prefers to
work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are attacking the same
opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle the opponent for
their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other Attacking zombies
remain. Activate Zombie Bs in order from the one closest to an opposing figure to the
farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.
Zombie C 2 3 1 0 0 1 4 0
Moves after Zombie B, but before Zombie A. Approaches the nearest opposing figure in
Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in Line of Sight, it moves 3” in a random
direction. Prefers to work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are
attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle
the opponent for their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other
Attacking zombies remain. Activate Zombie Cs in order from the one closest to an
opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Scenario 3 – Zombies on a Pad

Part B

Setup:

A roughly 2’ by 2’ surface or 24 x 24 hex area.

This is a three part scenario. For the purposes of skills

that reset or refresh at the end of a scenario, all three
parts are considered to be one scenario. In other
words, they do not recharge between the parts. This
includes Power.

The edge of the play area to the corridor entrance

and the first of the shops is roughly 3” on either side,
and repeats on the other side for the exit area. The
rooms themselves are about 6” x 6” each. The
corridor width is about 6”.

You will need approximately 20 slow / traditional

zombie figures + 10 for each additional player beyond
one, up to 12 quicker looking zombie figures for
enemies (or proxies) + 6 for each additional player,
and up to 8 big and slow looking zombie figures for
enemies (or proxies) + 4 for each additional player.

Notes:

This scenario has an optional turn limit of 25. You will be tracking an Investigation score for this
Campaign. Make a note on your sheet whenever you gain an Investigation point.

You will be tracking a Food score for this Campaign. Make a note on your sheet whenever you gain Food
points.

All of the doors indicated on the layout are currently locked down and impassable by zombies. You may
open any door by making a Security check of difficulty 5. Each attempt takes an Action. If you fail an
attempt, the lock Is damaged. You may make a Repair check of difficulty 6 to repair the lock mechanism.
The attempt to repair may be repeated once per character per turn. Note that if a character does not
have the Repair or Security Knowledges they cannot attempt the corresponding skill. You may also
assault the door. Each door has 4 AHP and is treated as an Average sized character with no Instinct
(toHit of 6). For the first 2 doors you break down with violence, spawn 2 additional Zombie B’s randomly
at either section S, section X, or in the middle of the room you opened. Once a door is unlocked, it must
stay unlocked. The doors slide into the walls or ceiling and provide clear LoS through them. Zombies will
not pass or chase through locked doors, but will through unlocked doors. Remember that once a zombie
is activated, they do not need continuing LoS to hunt you.

You will either need the card deck for this scenario or 6 playing cards of A -> 6.

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Start B:

The starting area S extends roughly 1” from the edge of the play area.

When you are ready to begin, turn to section 65.

Place 6 + 2 * NoP Zombie As in the center of point G. Place 3 + NoP Zombie Bs up against the walls on
either side of point G, split evenly as possible. Place 2 + 2 * NoP Zombie Cs evenly split on either side of
the group of Zombie As at point G. The Zombie As will follow behind the Zombie Cs until they are either
killed or enter into Close Combat with one of your players. The Zombie Bs will rush out ahead of the
both the Zombie As and Cs by taking their turn first upon Activation. The zombies at point G only
activate if a character is in LoS and within 1” of the corridor entrance or exit (meaning your characters
have some room near the entrance and exit edge to maneuver without activating the point G horde).

The first time you enter any of the shops labeled as rooms A-F on the map, turn to section 22.

If you wish to investigate one of the Zombie C bodies, roll a Knowledge roll of Difficulty 9 or a Medic
Knowledge roll of Difficulty 5. You can do this once per body. If you succeed, turn to section 59. You may
do this until you succeed once.

The exit area, X, extends roughly 1” from the edge of the play area. When your all of your characters
have reached the exit area X, AND all activated zombies have been killed, proceed to section 47.

Reference:

Rep Move Ath Pre Ins Awa BHP AHP

Zombie A 1 3 1 0 0 0 1 0
Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in
Line of Sight, it will move towards any visible Zombie C. Otherwise moves 3” in a random
direction. Prefers to work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are
attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle
the opponent for their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other
Attacking zombies remain. Activate Zombie As in order from the one closest to an
opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.
Zombie B 2 6 2 0 1 1 1 0
Moves before other zombies. Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and
attacks. If no figures are in Line of Sight, it moves 4” in a random direction. Prefers to
work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are attacking the same
opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle the opponent for
their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other Attacking zombies
remain. Activate Zombie Bs in order from the one closest to an opposing figure to the
farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.
Zombie C 2 3 1 0 0 1 4 0
Moves after Zombie B, but before Zombie A. Approaches the nearest opposing figure in
Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in Line of Sight, it moves 3” in a random
direction. Prefers to work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are
attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle
the opponent for their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other

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Attacking zombies remain. Activate Zombie Cs in order from the one closest to an
opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.

Card Reference:

Card Event
Ace This room appears to be full of holopads and other entertainment devices. And no zombies
in sight. Unfortunately, you’ve already seen all of the holoshows here.
2 Spawn 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie As in the center of this shop. It looks like it used to sell snack
foods for travelers. If the shop is empty of zombies, you may make an Awareness check of
difficulty 7. This takes 1 Action and each character may make 1 attempt. If successful, the
team finds a box worth of unopened food. Add 10 to your Food score. You may succeed up
to 2 times for this shop.
3 Spawn 1 Zombie B in the center of this shop. This zombie is wearing a tattered yellow dress.
The shop itself is full of various types of traveler friendly clothing. None of them are in your
size except for a purple and red monstrosity.
4 Spawn 2 * NoP Zombie As in the center of this shop. They happened to be looking right at
the door, unfortunately for you. The zombies immediately get 1 Move Action. Resume
normal play after completing their free Move.
5 This shop was an old food vendor. If the shop is empty of zombies, you may make an
Awareness check of difficulty 7. This takes 1 Action and each character may make 1
attempt. If successful, the team finds a box worth of unopened food. Add 10 to your Food
score. You may succeed up to 2 times for this shop.
6 Spawn 1 Zombie C and 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie As at the entrance to the door you unlocked.
Place the Zombie C as close to the character opening the door as possible and the
remaining Zombie As behind it. This zombie moves into Close Combat range with that
character immediately.

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Scenario 3 – Zombies on a Pad

Part C

Setup:

A roughly 2’ by 2’ surface or 24 x 24 hex area.

This is a three part scenario. For the purposes of skills

that reset or refresh at the end of a scenario, all three
parts are considered to be one scenario. In other
words, they do not recharge between the parts. This
includes Power.

The corridor that wraps around the central lift at X are

enclosed and cannot be climbed over. The corridor
itself is roughly 2” wide (meant for 2-3 characters side
by side). The central lift itself is roughly 6” x 6” in size.
The angled corners near points A-D extend to the
ceiling and are decorated support structures for the
pad above.

You will need approximately 20 slow / traditional

zombie figures + 10 for each additional player beyond
one, up to 12 quicker looking zombie figures for
enemies (or proxies) + 6 for each additional player, and up to 8 big and slow looking zombie figures for
enemies (or proxies) + 4 for each additional player.

Part C:

You will need to track the number of turns that have passed in Part C of this Scenario.

You will be tracking an Investigation score for this Campaign. Make a note on your sheet whenever you
gain an Investigation point.

This scenario has an optional turn limit of 25. You will be tracking a Food score for this Campaign. Make
a note on your sheet whenever you gain Food points.

You will either need the card deck for this scenario or 5 playing cards of A -> 5.

Start C:

The starting area S extends roughly 3” from the corner of the play area. If necessary due to the amount
or size of your minis, you may extend past this.

When you are ready to begin, turn to either section 70 or 40 according to the instructions you got in
section 54.

Whenever your first character crosses through one of the gaps in the supporting structure (ie, bringing
two or more of the points A-D into LoS) pick one card randomly for each of the points A, B, C, D, and E.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Deploy enemies as described by the cards. All of the deployed zombies will begin chasing the nearest
character on their next turn regardless of LoS.

When one of your characters passes through point E, go to section 6 immediately. You may continue
your move after reading the section.

If you wish to investigate one of the Zombie C bodies, roll a Knowledge roll of Difficulty 9 or a Medic
Knowledge roll of Difficulty 5. You can do this once per body. If you succeed, turn to section 59. You may
do this until you succeed once, including any success in previous scenarios.

When your all of your characters have entered the exit area X, proceed to section 24.

Reference:

Rep Move Ath Pre Ins Awa BHP AHP

Zombie A 1 3 1 0 0 0 1 0
Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in
Line of Sight, it will move towards any visible Zombie C. Otherwise moves 3” in a random
direction. Prefers to work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are
attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle
the opponent for their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other
Attacking zombies remain. Activate Zombie As in order from the one closest to an
opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.
Zombie B 2 6 2 0 1 1 1 0
Moves before other Zombies. Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and
attacks. If no figures are in Line of Sight, it moves 4” in a random direction. Prefers to
work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are attacking the same
opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle the opponent for
their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other Attacking zombies
remain. Activate Zombie Bs in order from the one closest to an opposing figure to the
farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.
Zombie C 2 3 1 0 0 1 4 0
Moves after Zombie B, but before Zombie A. Approaches the nearest opposing figure in
Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in Line of Sight, it moves 3” in a random
direction. Prefers to work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are
attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle
the opponent for their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other
Attacking zombies remain. Activate Zombie Cs in order from the one closest to an
opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.

Card Reference:

Card Event
Ace Spawn 2 Zombie C and 1 + 1 * NoP Zombie As at this point. Place the Zombie As on the
point first. Then place the Zombie Cs adjacent to the Zombie As on the side that is closest to
the nearest non zombie figure, or the closest path to the nearest non zombie figure.
2 Spawn 2 + 2 * NoP Zombie As at this point.
3 Spawn 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie Bs at this point.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

4 Spawn 3 + 1 * NoP Zombie As at this point. If they are in LoS of one of your characters, they
make an immediate free Move action towards the nearest of your visible characters,
resume normal play after completing their free Move.
5 Spawn 2 Zombie Bs + 1 * NoP Zombie As at this point. If they are in LoS of one of your
characters, the Zombie Bs make an immediate free Move action towards the nearest of
your visible characters, resume normal play after completing their free Move.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Scenario 4A – Tunnels and Dead Things

Setup:

A roughly 1.5’ by 1.5’ surface or 18 x 18 hex area.

You need to map and explore the tunnel system. A

tunnel map is located at the end of the ‘Card
Reference’ section. You will be rolling two d6 dice at
the beginning of every turn. Use either one at a time
or of two different colors to differentiate the two. The
first roll will identify the column and the second will
identify the row. For your first turn with the map,
make two sets of rolls for two map pieces and place
them on your map. Your team starts at point S and
can move one unexplored grid space at a time. After
you move your team, you will do one of the following:

Red Grid Piece : Draw 1 Red Card

Green Grid Piece: Empty Tile

Black Grid Piece: Draw 1 Black Card

Follow the instructions on the card. If it is a zombie card, make a map representative of the tile space
you are on. Place the enemies as close to the middle of the map as possible. There will be no resupply at
the end of this scenario, so watch how you use your resources. After resolving the battle, you can begin
the next map turn by rolling for a new map tile. If you end up stuck and unable to continue, you may roll
both dice once again to gain an additional tile. If you roll a tile you cannot or do now want to use, you
may place it anywhere on the map. On your next map turn, draw one additional red card, no matter the
result of your map tile roll. Play that card in addition to any other card drawn for the new tile. If you’re
still stuck, you’ve hit a dead end. You’ll have to fall back and go through Scenario 4B instead.

You will need approximately 6 slow / traditional zombie figures + 2 for each additional player beyond
one, up to 4 quicker looking zombie figures for enemies (or proxies) + 2 for each additional player, and
up to 2 big and slow looking zombie figures for enemies (or proxies) + 1 for each additional player. Note
that the enemies here do not give any Reputation Points.

You will be tracking an Investigation score for this Campaign. Make a note on your sheet whenever you
gain an Investigation point.

You will be tracking a Food score for this Campaign. Make a note on your sheet whenever you gain Food
points.

You will either need the card deck for this scenario or 12 playing cards of two different colors, A -> Q.
Keep the two separate colors in separate decks to draw from. Once all cards have be drawn reshuffle
the deck.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Start:

Place your figures adjacent to each other and as close as possible to the exit from building S.

If one of your team has the Survival skill, each turn you may make a Survival roll against a difficulty 8. If
you succeed you may reroll one of the map dice once per turn.

When you are ready to begin, turn to section 60.

When you are able to reach Map Tile X, turn to section 52.

Reference:

Rep Move Ath Pre Ins Awa BHP AHP

Zombie A 0 3 1 0 0 0 1 0
Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in
Line of Sight, it will move towards any visible Zombie C. Otherwise moves 3” in a random
direction. Prefers to work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are
attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle
the opponent for their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other
Attacking zombies remain. Activate Zombie As in order from the one closest to an
opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.
Zombie B 0 6 2 0 1 1 1 0
Moves before other Zombies. Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and
attacks. If no figures are in Line of Sight, it moves 4” in a random direction. Prefers to
work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are attacking the same
opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle the opponent for
their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other Attacking zombies
remain. Activate Zombie Bs in order from the one closest to an opposing figure to the
farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.
Zombie C 0 3 1 0 0 1 4 0
Moves after Zombie B, but before Zombie A. Approaches the nearest opposing figure in
Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in Line of Sight, it moves 3” in a random
direction. Prefers to work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are
attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle
the opponent for their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other
Attacking zombies remain. Activate Zombie Cs in order from the one closest to an
opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Card Reference:

Card Red Card Events

Ace Spawn 2 * NoP Zombie As.
2 Spawn 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie As and 1 Zombie C. Place the Zombie Cs next to the Zombie As,
but as far away from the player’s team as possible.
3 Spawn 3 + 1 * NoP Zombie Bs.
4 Spawn 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie As and 1 * NoP Zombie Cs. Place the Zombie Cs adjacent to the
Zombie As, but as close to the player’s team as possible.
5 Spawn 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie As, 1 + 1 * NoP Zombie Bs, and 1 + 1 * NoP Zombie Cs. Place the
Zombie Cs adjacent to the Zombie As, but as close to the player’s team as possible. Place
the Zombie Bs adjacent to the Zombie As, but to the left and right of the group of Zombie
As.
6 Spawn 3 * NoP Zombie As.
7 Spawn 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie Bs. They get an immediate free Move action.
8 Spawn 3 + 1 * NoP Zombie As. You’re so focused on the path ahead that you don’t notice
these until they are almost on top of you! Place the zombies 2” behind your group. Their
phase starts immediately.
9 Spawn 4 + 1 * NoP Zombie As. Roll Awareness vs 5. If you succeed, the zombies skip their
next phase.
10 Spawn 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie As and 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie Cs. Place the Zombie Cs adjacent to
the Zombie As, but as close to the player’s team as possible.
Jack Spawn NoP Zombie Cs.
Queen Spawn NoP Zombie Bs.

Card Black Card Events

Ace You stumble upon a section of tunnel with long scrapes on the walls. They were caused by
metal objects. There are scores of both small and large scratches, all oriented in the same
direction. Something has been using these tunnels to move materials around. Add 1 to your
Investigation Score. Remove this card from play, you may not draw it again.
2 Spawn 3 * NoP Zombie As.
3 Have one of your characters make an Awareness check against a difficulty of 5. If you fail,
place this card in the discard pile. If you succeed, turn to section 2.
4 Spawn 1 + 1 * NoP Zombie Bs.
5 There’s a pile of mauled bodies stacked against the side here. They are all missing a limb or
have other visible traumatic damage to them. If you have Medic or Science skill available on
your team, roll your preference against a difficulty of 5. You may roll once for each skill and
character present if needed. If you fail, place this card in the discard pile. If you succeed, go
to section 31.
6 Spawn 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie As and 1 Zombie C. Place the Zombie Cs adjacent to the Zombie
As, but as far away from the player’s team as possible.
7 Make a Traps check against difficulty 6. If you succeed, you notice a perturbance in the
ceiling and manage to guide your team around it. If you fail, go to section 43.
8 Spawn 2 * NoP Zombie As.
9 Roll Awareness against a difficulty of 5. You make one roll per character with Awa of 1 or
more. If you succeed, go to section 73. Otherwise place this card into the discard pile.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

10 Spawn 1 + 1 * NoP Zombie As.

Jack Roll Awareness against a difficulty of 5. If you succeed, go to section 73. Otherwise place
this card into the discard pile.
Queen Spawn NoP Zombie Bs.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Tunnel Map:

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Scenario 4B – Push Through

Setup:

A roughly 2.5’ by 2.5’ surface or 30 x 30 hex area.

The center corridor is in between two large buildings

which join above it. Thus, the corridor is not gripper
claw compatible. The corridor is about 20-22” long by
6” wide.

The starting and exit areas are about 5-6” squares.

You will need approximately 14 slow / traditional

zombie figures + 5 for each additional player beyond
one, up to 8 quicker looking zombie figures for
enemies (or proxies) + 2 for each additional player, 3
big and slow looking zombie figures for enemies (or
proxies) + 1 for each additional player.

You will be tracking an Investigation score for this

Campaign. Make a note on your sheet whenever you
gain an Investigation point.

This scenario has an optional turn limit of 25. You will be tracking a Food score for this Campaign. Make
a note on your sheet whenever you gain Food points.

Start:

You may place your figures anywhere in the start area S.

When you are ready to begin, turn to section 5.

Spawn 5 + 3 * NoP Zombie As at point F. Spawn 3 + NoP Zombie Cs at point F. Place the Zombie Cs
adjacent to the Zombie As, but as close to the player’s team as possible.

At the beginning of the 3rd turn, spawn 3 + NoP Zombie Bs on both point A and point B. They will head to
the character nearest them regardless of LoS.

At the beginning of the 5th turn, spawn 3 + NoP Zombie As on both point C and point D. They will head to
the character nearest them regardless of LoS.

When you, the other Squad Leaders (if present), and all your allies enter the exit area at X, go to section
33.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Reference:

Rep Move Ath Pre Ins Awa BHP AHP

Zombie A 0 3 1 0 0 0 1 0
Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in
Line of Sight, it will move towards any visible Zombie C. Otherwise moves 3” in a random
direction. Prefers to work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are
attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle
the opponent for their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other
Attacking zombies remain. Activate Zombie As in order from the one closest to an
opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.
Zombie B 0 6 2 0 1 1 1 0
Moves before other Zombies. Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and
attacks. If no figures are in Line of Sight, it moves 4” in a random direction. Prefers to
work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are attacking the same
opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle the opponent for
their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other Attacking zombies
remain. Activate Zombie Bs in order from the one closest to an opposing figure to the
farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.
Zombie C 0 3 1 0 0 1 4 0
Moves after Zombie B, but before Zombie A. Approaches the nearest opposing figure in
Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in Line of Sight, it moves 3” in a random
direction. Prefers to work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are
attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle
the opponent for their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other
Attacking zombies remain. Activate Zombie Cs in order from the one closest to an
opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Scenario 5 – String Puller

Setup:

A roughly 2.25’ by 2.25’ surface or 27 x 27 hex area.

The corridor on the left side is roughly 3” wide. It is

not gripperclaw friendly, you will need to travel the
entire length to exit it. The corridor ends roughly 4”
from the edge of the play area.

The starting areas S and T are roughly 3” x 3” large.

The building on the right side is roughly 14” x 14”

made out of rough but thick material. It has an
entrance tunnel with a door on it. The tunnel is
roughly 4” long and 2” wide (it should be wide
enough to handle two figures side by side). It is
gripperclaw compatible on the outside.

Area C is at least 3” (or 3 hexes) from top to bottom

and spans the entire distance between the wall and
the building. The bottom edge of C as depicted should be roughly 6” away from the top edge of the
scrap metal pile.

An object should be placed at Point J that looks like a refrigerator sized machine or probe that landed
there.

The scrap metal piles should be at least as tall as a normal figure’s height.

The barrier near point J extends to the ceiling of the building.

You will need approximately 14 slow / traditional zombie figures + 5 for each additional player beyond
one, up to 8 quicker looking zombie figures for enemies (or proxies) + 2 for each additional player, 3 big
and slow looking zombie figures for enemies (or proxies) + 1 for each additional player, and up to 6
other distinct zombie figures, preferably that look like they may be throwing something (or proxies) + 1
for each additional player. In addition, you will need 1 large robotic looking figure.

You will be tracking an Investigation score for this Campaign. Make a note on your sheet whenever you
gain an Investigation point.

You will be tracking a Food score for this Campaign. Make a note on your sheet whenever you gain Food
points.

You will either need the card deck for this scenario or 13 playing cards of one suit, A -> K.

This scenario has an optional turn limit of 25.

Your final objective is inside the building at point J.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Start:

You may place your figures anywhere in the start area S if you completed scenario 4B or T if you
completed scenario 4A.

When you are ready to begin, review the final section from either 4A or 4B, whichever you previously
completed.

Spawn 3 + 1 * NoP Zombie As at point A. Spawn NoP Zombie Cs at point A. Place the Zombie Cs adjacent
to the Zombie As, but as close to the path nearest the player’s team as possible. These zombies will not
activate unless they come within LoS of a player’s character, or the player uses a ranged weapon that
has ammo. They will chase the nearest player character after activation regardless of LoS.

Spawn 3 + 1 * NoP Zombie As at point B. Spawn 1 + NoP Zombie Bs at point B. Place the Zombie Bs
adjacent to the Zombie As, but as close to the edge facing area C as possible.

When your first character passes through area C on foot, turn to section 25. Note that subsequent
characters can attempt to jump over area C, which is 3” in distance at its narrowest and spans the
entirety of the area between the building and the corridor.

Door D can be opened using one of the following methods. Each character that is adjacent to the door
may make a Security attempt at difficulty 7, an Engineering attempt at difficulty 10, or a Explosives
check at difficulty 7 at the cost of 1 grenade. These may be repeated. If none of these are an option, or
at the player’s choice, the door can be attacked as a 10 AHP character and will open when destroyed.

The first time a character passes through point E, turn to section 32.

The first time a character passes through point F, turn to section 56, unless otherwise directed.

The first time a character has LoS to the object at Point J, turn to section 42.

Reference:

Rep Move Ath Pre Ins Awa BHP AHP

Zombie A 1 3 1 0 0 0 1 0
Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in Line
of Sight, it will move towards any visible Zombie C. Otherwise moves 3” in a random
direction. Prefers to work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are
attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle
the opponent for their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other Attacking
zombies remain. Activate Zombie As in order from the one closest to an opposing figure to
the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.
Zombie B 2 6 2 0 1 1 1 0
Moves before other Zombies. Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and
attacks. If no figures are in Line of Sight, it moves 4” in a random direction. Prefers to work in
groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are attacking the same opponent, the
first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle the opponent for their 2nd Action.
Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other Attacking zombies remain. Activate Zombie

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Bs in order from the one closest to an opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a
hit in Close Combat.
Zombie C 2 3 1 0 0 1 4 0
Moves after Zombie B, but before Zombie A. Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line
of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in Line of Sight, it moves 3” in a random direction.
Prefers to work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are attacking the
same opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle the opponent
for their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other Attacking zombies
remain. Activate Zombie Cs in order from the one closest to an opposing figure to the
farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.
Zombie D 2 3 1 2 0 1 1 0 P1
Moves after Zombie As. It throws some kind of caustic liquid on the target with the least
Instinct within 6” of its position with a Pierce of 1. If it hits, its ranged attack does 1 damage.
Zombie Ds can shoot through other zombies with no penalty. If no figures are within 6”, it
moves up to 3” and then fires. If no figure is within 9” of its current position, it moves
another 2” and ends its turn. If it is engaged in Close Combat prior to its turn, follow the rules
for Zombie A.
Kill Iron 20 3 2 3 0 2 0 * B3,A1,S2
Kill Iron’s health works differently than most enemies. On each turn, draw one card and
follow its instructions, placing the card in the discard pile when finished. Reshuffle the deck
when all cards are drawn. Each time Kill Iron takes damage, remove 1 card from the top of
the deck for each point of damage and place it out of play. If out of cards in the deck,
reshuffle the discard pile back into the deck. If no cards remain in either the deck or the
discard pile, Iron is defeated. Kill Iron has a Bulk of 3, Armor of 1, and Systems 2.

Card Reference:

Card Red Card Events

Ace If Iron is in Close Combat, it will rotate if necessary and attack up to two targets in Close
Combat that are within 2” of each other for 2 damage each. If not in Close Combat, but a
character is within 4” of Iron, Iron will first Move 4” to target and then perform a single
Close Combat attack for 2 damage. If no characters are within 4”, Iron will move 3” towards
the nearest character and then perform a ranged attack for 2 damage. If no ranged attack is
possible, Iron will move another 1” towards the nearest target.
2 If in Close Combat, Iron makes a Close Combat attack for 2 damage against the target with
the lowest combined HP. Otherwise, if 2 or more targets are available for a ranged attack,
Iron attacks up to 3 targets for 1 Damage each. If only one target is available for a ranged
attack, Iron makes an attack for 2 damage.
3 If in Close Combat, Iron makes a Close Combat attack for 2 damage against the target with
the lowest combined HP. Otherwise, if 2 or more targets are available for a ranged attack,
Iron attacks up to 3 targets for 1 Damage each. If only one target is available for a ranged
attack, Iron makes an attack for 2 damage.
4 If Iron is in Close Combat, attempt to Push up to two targets in Close Combat. If Iron falls, it
immediately stands back up and its turn is complete. If not in Close Combat, but a character
is within 4” of Iron, Iron will first Move 4” to target and then perform a single Push action
against the target. If no characters are within 4”, Iron will move 3” towards the nearest

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

character and then perform a ranged attack for 2 damage. If no ranged attack is possible,
Iron will move another 1” towards the nearest target.
5 If Iron is in Close Combat, attempt to Push up to two targets in Close Combat. If Iron falls, it
immediately stands back up and its turn is complete. If not in Close Combat, but a character
is within 4” of Iron, Iron will first Move 4” to target and then perform a single Push action
against the target. If no characters are within 4”, Iron will move 3” towards the nearest
character and then perform a ranged attack for 2 damage. If no ranged attack is possible,
Iron will move another 1” towards the nearest target.
6 If in Close Combat, Iron makes a Close Combat attack for 2 damage against the target with
the lowest combined HP. Otherwise, if 2 or more targets are available for a ranged attack,
Iron attacks up to 3 targets for 1 Damage each. If only one target is available for a ranged
attack, Iron makes an attack for 2 damage.
7 If Iron is in Close Combat, it will rotate if necessary and hit up to two targets in Close
Combat that are within 2” of each other for 2 damage each. Otherwise, if 2 or more targets
are available for a ranged attack, Iron attacks up to 3 targets for 2 Damage each. If only one
target is available for a ranged attack, Iron makes an attack for 4 damage.
8 If in Close Combat, Iron makes a Close Combat attack for 2 damage against the target that
last attacked it, or a random target. Otherwise, Iron makes a ranged attack for 2 damage
against the last target to attack it.
9 If Iron is in Close Combat, it will rotate if necessary and hit up to two targets in Close
Combat that are within 2” of each other for 2 damage each. If not in Close Combat, but a
character is within 4” of Iron, Iron will first Move 4” to target and then perform a single
Close Combat attack for 2 damage. If no characters are within 4”, Iron will move 3” towards
the nearest character and then perform a ranged attack for 2 damage. If no ranged attack is
possible, Iron will move another 1” towards the nearest target.
10 If in Close Combat, Iron makes a Close Combat attack for 2 damage against the target with
the highest HP. Otherwise, if a target with Armor is available for a ranged attack, Iron makes
an attack on that target for 4 damage. If more than 1 targets with Armor are available, Iron
attacks the one with the most HP. If a ranged target with armor is not available, and 2 or
more targets are available for a ranged attack, Iron attacks up to 3 targets for 1 Damage
each. If only one target is available for a ranged attack, Iron makes an attack for 2 damage.
Jack If in Close Combat, Iron makes a Close Combat attack for 2 damage and 1 Pierce against the
target with the highest Armor. If no target with Armor is available, and Iron is in Close
Combat, Iron makes an attack against a random target. Otherwise, if 2 or more targets are
available for a ranged attack, Iron attacks up to 3 targets for 1 Damage each. If only one
target is available for a ranged attack, Iron makes an attack for 2 damage.
Queen If in Close Combat, Iron slams the ground. All characters within 2” gain the Fallen state.
Otherwise, if 2 or more targets are available for a ranged attack, Iron attacks up to 3 targets
for 1 Damage each. If only one target is available for a ranged attack, Iron makes an attack
for 2 damage.
King If Iron is in Close Combat, it will rotate if necessary and hit up to two targets in Close
Combat that are within 2” of each other for 2 damage each. If 2 or more targets are
available for a ranged attack, Iron attacks up to 3 targets for 2 Damage each. If only one
target is available for a ranged attack, Iron makes an attack for 4 damage.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Scenario 6-8 – Food Delivery Service

Setup:

A roughly 2.5’ by 2.5’ surface or 30 x 30 hex area.

Each scenario uses 8 buildings / rooms, each of

roughly 5” x 5”, randomly placed using one of two
methods. You may also mix the two methods
depending on your needs.

Method one uses the reference grid to the right. Roll

2 d6 dice and place a building at each coordinate.
Every time a building is placed it has a door facing a
random direction. Two adjacent buildings can have a
door placed between, however, if a door is randomly
placed where another door already exists, its position
must be rerolled. You will roll the two dice a total of 9
times. The last roll determines your starting position.

Method two involves rolling a random direction (using

) and 1 d4 and 1 d6. Starting at the center of the
playing area, move a distance equal to the 3 plus the
result of the d4 and d6 in the random direction you rolled. Place a building at that location such that the
corner starts at that point. Keep the buildings separate and orient as desired. Roll a d4 to determine the
placement of the door on each building. Roll for 8 buildings and then a final time to determine your
starting location. This method is designed for those with premade buildings that don’t fit well with the
rooms that may result from method one.

You will need approximately 14 slow / traditional zombie figures + 5 for each additional player beyond
one, up to 8 quicker looking zombie figures for enemies (or proxies) + 2 for each additional player, 3 big
and slow looking zombie figures for enemies (or proxies) + 1 for each additional player, and up to 6
other distinct zombie figures, preferably that look like they may be throwing something (or proxies) + 1
for each additional player.

You will be tracking an Investigation score for this Campaign. Make a note on your sheet whenever you
gain an Investigation point.

You will be tracking a Food score for this Campaign. Make a note on your sheet whenever you gain Food
points.

Each scenario has an optional turn limit of 25.

You will either need the card deck for this scenario or 12 playing cards of two different colored suits, A -
> Q. Shuffle the cards together.

Start:

Place your figures next to each other in the start area.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

At the beginning of each scenario, you may roll 1 dice for every Survival knowledge skill level in your
Squad against a difficulty of 6. For each success, you may reveal one card from the top of the events
deck and assign it to a random building. This card will not activate until you reach the door of the
building. You do not have to activate these cards if you choose not to. Place them in the discard pile
when finished with the scenario.

Any time one of your characters reaches a door, draw a random card from the shuffled deck (unless one
is already revealed for the building) and follow the instructions on the card.

When you have searched all the buildings you would like to, you can go to the edge of the map to end
the scenario. You may repeat this scenario up to 3 times total.

When you are done playing the final scenario you intend to, or do not wish to play any of these
scenarios, go to section 75 to end your first campaign.

Reference:

Rep Move Ath Pre Ins Awa BHP AHP

Zombie A 1 3 1 0 0 0 1 0
Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in
Line of Sight, it will move towards any visible Zombie C. Otherwise moves 3” in a random
direction. Prefers to work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are
attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle
the opponent for their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other
Attacking zombies remain. Activate Zombie As in order from the one closest to an
opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.
Zombie B 2 6 2 0 1 1 1 0
Moves before other Zombies. Approaches the nearest opposing figure in Line of Sight and
attacks. If no figures are in Line of Sight, it moves 4” in a random direction. Prefers to
work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are attacking the same
opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle the opponent for
their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other Attacking zombies
remain. Activate Zombie Bs in order from the one closest to an opposing figure to the
farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.
Zombie C 2 3 1 0 0 1 4 0
Moves after Zombie B, but before Zombie A. Approaches the nearest opposing figure in
Line of Sight and attacks. If no figures are in Line of Sight, it moves 3” in a random
direction. Prefers to work in groups and will surround an opponent. If more than 1 are
attacking the same opponent, the first Attacker of that opponent will attempt to entangle
the opponent for their 2nd Action. Repeat until opponent is entangled, or no other
Attacking zombies remain. Activate Zombie Cs in order from the one closest to an
opposing figure to the farthest. Does 1 Damage on a hit in Close Combat.
Zombie D 2 3 1 2 0 1 1 0 P1
Moves after Zombie As. It throws some kind of caustic liquid on the target with the least
Instinct within 6” of its position with a Pierce of 1. If it hits, its attack does 1 damage.
Zombie Ds can shoot through other zombies with no penalty. If no figures are within 6”, it
moves up to 3” and then fires. If no figure is within 9” of its current position, it moves

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another 2” and ends its turn. If it is engaged in Close Combat prior to its turn, follow the
rules for Zombie A.

Card Reference:

Card Red Card Events

Ace Randomly choose another building. Spawn 1 + 1 * NoP Zombie Ds at the door to this
building. If no characters are in LoS to the Zombie Ds, they immediately make a single Move
action towards the door which caused you to draw this card. They will continue to Move
towards this door until either they have a character in LoS or until they reach the door, after
which the resume normal behavior.
2 Spawn 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie As and 1 Zombie C. Place the Zombie Cs adjacent to the Zombie
As, but as far away from the player’s team as possible.
3 Spawn 3 + 1 * NoP Zombie Bs.
4 Spawn 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie As and 1 * NoP Zombie Cs. Randomly within 3” of the door.
5 Spawn 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie As, 1 + 1 * NoP Zombie Bs, and 1 + 1 * NoP Zombie Cs. Place the
Zombie Cs adjacent to the Zombie As, but as close to the player’s team as possible. Place
the Zombie Bs adjacent to the Zombie As, but to the left and right of the group of Zombie
As.
6 Spawn 2 * NoP Zombie As and 1 Zombie D.
7 Spawn 1 + 1 * NoP Zombie Bs. They get an immediate free Move action.
8 Spawn 2 + 2 * NoP Zombie As.
9 Spawn 2 * NoP Zombie As.
10 Spawn 2 + 2 * NoP Zombie As and 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie Cs. Place the Zombie Cs adjacent to
the Zombie As, but as close to the player’s team as possible.
Jack Spawn NoP Zombie Cs.
Queen Spawn NoP Zombie Bs.

Card Black Card Events

Ace Opening the door reveals that it used to house some small shop that included foodstuffs in
its inventory. Roll 1d10 plus the Awareness Dice of the character that opened the door.
Multiply the highest result by 10 and add that number to your Food count.
2 Spawn 2 * NoP Zombie As and 1 Zombie D. After you have defeated them, you search the
interior and find what looks to the remnants of racks of food along one wall. Unfortunately
most of them have been mauled or destroyed in some fashion. Roll 1d6. Multiply the result
by 10 and add that to your Food score.
3 Have the character opening the door make an Awareness check of difficulty 6. If you
succeed, go to section 51. If you fail go to section 18.
4 Spawn 1 + 1 * NoP Zombie Bs and 1 + 1 * NoP Zombie Ds. When you’ve cleared these
zombies, go to section 82 to search the building.
5 Two Zombie As spill out as you open the door, knocking some boxes over as they do so.
Afterwards you take a look and see that they are full of snack foods. Add 20 to your Food
score.
6 Spawn 2 + 1 * NoP Zombie As and 1 Zombie C. When you’ve cleared these zombies, go to
section 23 to search the building.

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7 Make a Traps check against difficulty 3. If you succeed, you notice signs that this building
was used as a stronghold. Go to section 27. If you fail, go to section 84.
8 Spawn 1 + 1 * NoP Zombie As. After you have defeated them, you search the building. It
used to be a home, and there are still some scraps left in the pantry. Roll 1d6. If anyone on
your Squad has Survival knowledge, add an additional 1d6 to the result. Multiply the total
result by 10 and add that to your Food score.
9 A single Zombie A pushes the door open just as you reach it. Spawn 1 Zombie A near the
door. After you have dealt with it, you may search the building. Roll 1d6 plus an additional
1d6 per skill level for the highest Survival knowledge skill present in your Squad and
multiply the result by 10. Add that number to your Food score.
10 Spawn 1 + 1 * NoP Zombie As. After you have defeated them, you search the interior and
find a cache of food piled into a container. Roll 1d10. Multiply the result by 10 and add that
to your Food score.
Jack Opening this door reveals an empty room, except for a single box sitting in the middle and
covered in dust. You are about to leave, but have a second thought and go to check out the
contents. It’s full of dried foods. Roll 1d6 and multiply the result by 10. Add the number to
your Food score.
Queen Inside the door are a bunch of steel racks behind a narrow counter. Even from the doorway
you can tell that many of the objects cluttering them are food related. It takes more than a
few minutes to inventory all of it. Roll 2d10 and add 10 to the result. If any member of your
Squad has Survival knowledge, and an additional d10. Multiply the result by 10 and add it to
your Food score.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Campaign Narrative
1
You turn to watch the dropship “Derek's Walnuts” disappear into the sky. Derek, the eponymous pilot of
said dropship, had won a contest once allowing one of the drop pilots to name their own ship. He was
drunk at the time. Captain wasn't thrilled with the name, the story went, but made up for it by making
the ship's nose art a shriveled dead tree with two extremely small, but detailed, walnuts. Most people
think Derek got off very easy on that one. Partly because he is a damn good drop pilot.

Turning toward the dome, the first thing you notice is that it's dark inside. Very dark. There's some light
leaking in from dim sun overhead, but it only serves to outline some of the dark buildings that lay in wait
underneath the half shattered dome. You glance down at a holoreader before stowing it back away.
There's a building just inside the entrance. You shiver a little and start walking towards the dome.

2
There's a distinct area of tunnel here that looks worn down, not by scraping or wear. Roll a Science
check against a difficulty of 4. If you succeed, go to section 17.

3
You feel warmth tickle the back of your neck, followed by the faint smells of gas. Acting on instinct, you
leap back out of the entry way. Flame erupts behind you. Place your figure just outside the entryway
and door D. Continue your turn from here.

4
Anytime one of your character's gets within 4" of a door for buildings A-G, reveal a card from the event
card deck for the scenario. Follow the instructions for the resulting card. When you are done reading,
place the card near the building it was drawn for, or note it which building it was drawn for on the table.
You will need to track this information for later.

5
You make your way close to the corridor as quietly as you can. As you draw near, you take a look around
the corner towards the passageway. There's a large clump of zombies waiting there. There's heavies in
the front chaperoning a mass of other zombies. It's not something you're looking forward to running
headlong into. Unfortunately you don't really have any other options. With a shout, your group moves
towards inevitable conflict.

6
Place 3 + 1 * NoP Zombie As in the center of point F. Place 1 + NoP Zombie Cs adjacent to the horde of
Zombie As, but as close to the entrance of the corridor as possible. None of the zombies will activate
until they have LoS to one of your characters. Once one does, they will all activate at the same time. The
Zombie As will follow behind the Zombie Cs until they are either killed or enter into Close Combat with
one of your players.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

7
"Well, good news for you boss. You made the Captain happy. By happy I mean he didn't curse when I
mentioned your name. We've distributed info on the re-animated you encountered and dissected the
tech. You may have figured this out already, but it's clear the overall intelligence behind these things is
interested in gathering metal and shipping it off world. Don't know why or where. So that's cute. They
run off a wireless network and use a combination of preservation techniques and electrical impulses to
keep the mortems moving. Their individual intelligence is enough for them to fight and gather
autonomously, but that's about it. With that brain bot down they should just mill about down there until
they all run outta power. In theory."

"In theory?"

"Well, no one has a fog on why they're actually here... or where the brain bot for the brain bot is. If that
makes any sense. Anyways. Good job down there. Captain's granting you some extra sugar. But. We still
gotta competition to win, and we need to get some more food for that."

Add 100 to your Food Score for this campaign.

"Now, while you were down there some of the other squads came back too, and some are still out
there. You recover and I'll start work on getting your next assignment spun up."

8
There's a drop down door located in the ceiling in the corner. You pop it open to reveal a loose ladder
that slides itself toward you. Within seconds you're up in the space that it leads to. It looks like a
survivor holed up here for a while. Unfortunately, the single corpse with a gun nearby tells you how
their story ended. You search the location for any usable food and find a cache of military nubars. Roll
1d6 and add 5 to the result. If this character has any Survival knowledge, add a number of d6's equal to
their Survival skill. Take the total, multiply it by 10, and add it to your Food score.

Roll another Awareness check against a difficulty of 5. Any character who is within 1" of the door can
make this check now or at a later time. However, each character may only make the attempt once. If
you succeed, go to section 34.

9
Had you been a bit more aware you might have seen them earlier. Place 2 Zombie As directly against the
character that failed the roll. They are in Close Combat with the character. Place an additional d4 + NoP
zombies against the building, as close to the door as you can. These will prioritize moving towards the
door and blocking it instead of towards the nearest character, unless they are within 3". They will even
ignore ranged fire to do this.

10
You trip on the door jamb and suffer 1 Damage to your dignity. Go to section 16.

11
You reach the entrance to the port complex. The large glass doors are a stark and welcoming contrast to
the dismal worn down world around you. They don't open automatically for you as they once would

33
Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

have. But it doesn't take much effort. You make your way inside, closing and securing the door behind
you.

12
Roll for Instinct vs a difficulty of 5. If you succeed, go to section 3. If you fail, go to section 39.

13
The field autopsy of the defeated foe finally yields a clue. There are bundles of wires running through
the spinal column. Not alongside it as you expect with cybernetic wiring, but actually through the spinal
column. You yank on them, stirring up some kind of smell. The character with the highest Knowledge
skill rolls a Knowledge check against a Difficulty of 5. If you succeed, go to section 53.

Following the wires, you take a guess and slash a wide incision through the base of the skull. The wires
enter a hole carved in the back of the head. You grimace a bit, poke in, and find hard edges where you
expected soft tissue. It takes a bit of feeling, but you're positive it's a circuit board and computer of
some kind. You switch to the lower wires. Probing along the back of the body, you find that back of two
ribs below the shoulder blade bone have been removed. Another slice and some more probing... and
you find another box. This one you pull halfway out. It's a battery pack. Someone, or something has
been turning fresh... mostly fresh... corpses into walking robots...

At least with this knowledge you know where you need to be aiming for. All Zombie As are now -1 HP for
the rest of the scenario. This means that they start with 1 HP instead of 2 HP for the rest of the scenario.
Add 1 to your Investigation points.

Go to section 21 instead of section 68 after you and the other Squad Leaders (if present), and all your
allies enter the building at X.

Inspecting any additional zombie bodies in this scenario grants no further bonuses and you will not
discover anything new.

14
You manage to make it out of the building quietly after recollecting yourself and your team. It's deathly
cold outside, the shattered terra dome not providing any of its intended environmental functions. You
exit the building as a group and begin moving forward on the route outlined by Sticks. The silence hangs
in the air, making every crunch of your foot, every movement of your arm sound like a grenade going
off. It's going well as you advance towards your final objective. The farther in you get, the denser and
large the buildings become. You get to the edge of a block where the building layout is somewhat
regular. It's a good place to check in with Sticks.

You cautiously approach the outermost building and make entry. The building itself is up against a
reinforced wall that separates it from what looks to be a processing plant of some sort. You listen at the
door for a moment. It's quiet. You stack at the door and roll in with caution. It's clear. In a moment you
have a line open up to Sticks. She doesn't wait for you to say anything.

"Boss... you better keep moving. Activity nearby. Nice of you to call in."

Never mind the message, the tone of Sticks’ voice is enough to tell you need to move. "Got it, we're
out."

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

15
You emphatically close the door once everyone is inside. Once again the lights have flickered on. It's
small consolation though. The new zombies were quicker than the last, even quicker than most
unmodified humans. You get a green light on the comms access and call for Sticks over the waves as
your feeds and other data automatically get passed through to the ship. It takes a few minutes for Sticks
to connect. She immediately calls out to you.

"Glad to hear you're still breathing. Woulda hated to have to file for a new squad."

"Miss you too Sticks."

"Alright, latest area analysis shows that some of the area between you and the old port is crawling. But I
got a path figured out I think that avoids all that. There’s still movement there though. So you'll still get
your party on."

"Great. What about resupply, Sticks? We're starting to feel a little ragged down here."

"Good news there, I think I can get a drop of replacements goodies to you onto one of the port pads. I'll
add it as an objective for you. Oh, and I am just getting word from the research division... looks like they
think those faster zombies probably just have bigger capacitors and better power delivery. Probably take
a little more to build. Deal with them the same way."

You have time before the next scenario to make armor repairs and treat wounds. Anyone in your group
that has Knowledge in Medic or Repairs can use those bonuses now. You can use any of the items you
brought along as well. Luckily, there is power available, and you can refill all of your powered devices
here.

16
This looks like a zombie nest. Literally. There are scraps of paper and rags bunched up and arranged in a
bed-like manner in the corner of the building. What the frak is going on here?

Turn to section 10.

17
This area show signs of being dissolved chemically, most likely by some type of acid. A closer look also
implies that this isn't natural, it looks like it was thrown against here with some amount of force. Looks
like acid throwing zombies may be in your future. Hurray.

Add 1 to your Investigation score. Place this card out of play.

18
You crack open the door slowly, expecting zombies to swarm you at any second. It’s quiet inside. Too
quiet? A rat scrambles across the floor and you and your companions open fire, spraying the inside with
death. Satisfied with your work, you open the door the rest of the way and bring light to the situation.
You're confronted with a grim sight. Hundreds of cans and packages of food riddled with weapons fire.
You sigh and take inventory of what's left.

Roll 2d10 and multiply the result by 10. Add the resulting number to your Food score.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

19
The character who first reached point H rolls an Awareness check vs 7. If they succeed, go to section 74.
If they fail, go to section 36.

20
"Great. You're in the lead on the other Squads. We still got a few more missions to go it looks like
though. I'll get working on getting the next mission organized for you."

Go to section 50.

21
You finally close the door behind you as the last of your team makes it into the confines of the building.
For what it's worth, it looks like that last surge of... creatures... cleared out the inside for you.
Interestingly enough, lights have flickered on. There's power for some reason. You make a firm barricade
against the entrance and send someone up to the roof to deploy an antenna. A few minutes later you
have re-established comms with Sticks and begin making your report. It doesn't take long for her to
comment.

"Wait, did you say 'zombies'? Have you been drinking something down there?"

"Check the cam feeds, they should be uploaded."

There's a pause before she answers again.

"Yeah... well... frak. Those sure do look like zombies. And I thought Grexler's squad had found some
weird stuff. Sending off your feeds for analysis now. Did you get any info on them?"

"They've been implanted with control chips and power. Someone made these things. Also, they smell
terrible."

"Glad it's you and not me. Aaaright, your objective is 107 degrees local from your position, just over
halfway through the city. According to the scans up here that's the most likely spot for high density
foodstuffs storage. It's the location of the former multiport pads." She paused for a moment. "Also,
Captain wants you to figure out what the frak is going on down there. Offering bonus points or
something. Also, you have to do it either way. Let me know when you're ready to head out."

You have time before the next scenario to make armor repairs and treat wounds. Anyone in your group
that has Knowledge in Medic or Repairs can use those bonuses now. You can use any of the items you
brought along as well. Luckily, since there is power available, you can refill all of your powered devices.

22
Each time a character first unlocks a door leading into one of the rooms, draw one of the cards and carry
out the event as listed in the Card Reference section for this part.

23
This looks like it was a small food processing plant. Unfortunately, all of the unfinished product is
spoiled. Fortunately whatever did make it into final packaging looks to be in fairly good condition. By
fairly, you mean that the color of the food itself looks slightly off from the packaging. Roll 1d10 + 1d10

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

per skill level for the highest Survival knowledge skill present in your Squad. They will have a much
better idea of what food may last for how long under these conditions. Add 10 to the result. Multiply
the resulting total by 10 and add it to your Food score.

24
Exhausted, you finally close the door of the lift behind you and activate the controls to be taken up to
the primary launch pad. The trip is short and uneventful. And, when you emerge at the top, it opens up
smoothly to reveal the expansive central pad. You walk out onto the surface and start getting ready to
open comms to the ship when you notice something odd. Roll a Piloting check against a difficulty of 2. If
none of your characters has the Pilot skill, or you fail the roll, you can roll an Engineering check against a
difficulty of 5. Each character that has either of the skills may attempt the roll. If you fail both or do not
have either skill, go to section 49. If you succeed on any of these rolls, go to section 61.

25
This character can make either an Awareness check against a difficulty of 10 or a Traps check against a
difficulty of 2. If you succeed, go to section 67. If you fail, go to section 48.

26
You work your way into the building. There's not a lot of time to poke around, but you do find enough
usable food to feel ok about the diversion.

Add 10 to your Food score. Place this card out of play.

27
You dodge to the side as a shotgun blast rings out. Peering back through the door you see that it was
rigged to fire automatically. You stick your leg in the door to prevent it from closing. A closer look
reveals that that action would reload the gun for the next attack. You ease in gently, scanning for traps
along the way, but none present themselves. There's a hole in the wall in the back... and clear signs of a
struggle. A torn corpse near one of the sidewalls confirms the grim atmosphere of the room. A little
searching reveals that, as you might expect, the former occupants had a stash of long lasting food
supplies. Roll 1d10 + 1d10 per skill level for the highest Survival knowledge skill present in your Squad.
They will know where the best hiding spots for food might be, and what food looks like to a survivalist.
Multiply the result by 10 and add it to your Food score.

28
Rounding the corner, you catch glimpse of a collection of flesh near the intersection where you want to
be. Their heads instantly track towards you. They look aggressively towards you, eyes locking on yours.
They look quick, and somehow angry. A perspective reinforced when they begin sprinting towards you
with outstretched arms.

Place a cluster of 4 + NoP * 2 Zombie Bs (quicker looking zombies) all together on point H.

29
You can examine the body with either a Knowledge roll of Difficulty 8 or a Medic Knowledge roll of
Difficulty 5. If you succeed, turn to section 76. If you fail, you may only attempt this roll once for each
body.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

30
The squad is stationed at various points around the inside of the building in a loose formation. One of
them is munching on a nutribar. Another rolls a piece of loose metal between their fingers. The air is
cold and motionless. Your period of contemplation is cut short by the sound of bodies scrabbling at the
door. One of your team pipes up.

"There's a back window we can hop out. May be able to sidestep em."

A few minutes later you're rolling out the back and out towards the multi port. It's harder going this
time, and you have to dodge one or two hordes on the way. But soon enough the port's landing pads
come into view. You can make out any distinct shapes. But the low murmur that is emanating from that
direction is a clear break from the silence that blankets most of the dome.

You manage to get pretty close through the use of cover. There's just one set of buildings between you
and the complex that serves the pad's entrance.

31
A closer look reveals that some of the bodies that are missing limbs weren't damaged in fighting. They
were cleanly cut off with some care. Whoever these were a part of, they were deliberately delimbing
their dead to avoid adding to the zombie forces. There was a resistance at one point at least.

Add 1 to your Investigation score. Place this card out of play.

32
The character who first passes through this point rolls for Awareness against 9 or Traps against 5. If you
succeed, go to section 79. If you fail, go to section 12.

33
You make it past the onslaught of zombie defenders and quickly move away from the chokepoint. That
was not a lot of fun. You don't have much time to recuperate before nearing your final objective.

You around the corner to the final corridor, only to come face to face with more of the undeceased.

34
You find a notebook laying on top of a desk that is coated with thick dust. You flip through it a bit. It's a
journal. As you suspected, the author observed the zombies removing metal and bringing it to the
multiport after decimating the population. Occasionally a ship would land and takeoff, presumably with
whatever metal it could hold. You flip through a bit more. Most of the text is a sad depiction of an
isolated human, struggling with a slow descent into madness before finally deciding to take their own
life.

You place the notebook with your belongings for more thorough study later. There isn't much else to do
here. You stow the ladder and shut the door respectfully after you leave.

36
As you get close to the building you hear a deep shuffling coming from within. The door swings open and
a herd of slow zombies pours out. Unfortunately, the door swings right into a haphazardly stacked pile

38
Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

of debris, knocking it over. Which in turn, knocks into a second, even larger pile of debris. The resulting
crash is deafening, trembling the ground beneath you, and sending a large cloud of dust into the air.
Crud.

Place a cluster of 4 + NoP * 2 Zombie As at the entrance to the door of building X. These zombies will
block the entrance to the door as best they can. They will prioritize moving towards the door instead of
towards the nearest character, unless there is a character within 3". They will even ignore gunfire to do
this.

For each building that you did not trigger any zombies for, reveal one of the remaining cards from the
even deck and place the zombies at the corresponding door per the instructions. These zombies follow
the normal rules, except if they do not have any of your characters in their line of sight, they will head to
the entrance of building X at their normal speed, following the origin of the noise.

Remember that the scenario is complete if you can get all of your allies inside of building X, and that
your supplies must last the entire campaign.

37
Whichever of your characters is closest rolls for Awareness against a Difficulty of 7. If you succeed, go to
section 63. Otherwise go to section 9.

38
You shake your head slowly. This can't happen. You could be caught and rumors would spread. You turn
to walk away, but can't help but turn around one last time to gaze longingly at its cold dead eyes.

39
The entryway begins to feel warmer. Then much warmer. Then burning hot as flames erupt around you.
Take 1 Damage.

40
You're advancing through the multi port quickly and are only a few minutes away from the central pad's
plaza. You round a corner and come skittering to a halt. Zombie horde. Type As. It's too late now.
They've already noticed you. You quickly change tactics and have the rest of your team follow you as
you rush past the other side of a barrier. The zombies switch direction and begin to slowly chase after
you as you pass around the next corner. You continue on your way without stopping. Soon enough
you're looking at the plaza for the primary lift to the central pad. You can hear the small horde coming
up behind you still. If you don't move forward now you'll be at risk of getting stuck in a fairly narrow
corridor with zombies on both sides. With a deep breath you prepare yourself to enter.

At the beginning of turn 3, 4 + NoP Zombie As enter the map area at point S and will begin chasing the
nearest character, regardless of LoS.

41
You look up to see debris a few feet from your head. You scramble forward, but are caught by some of
it. This character takes 1 Damage. A debris field is formed at point J behind your character, and is
impassable.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

42
Looking around the dividing wall for the first time, you see what looks to be a hunk of machinery in the
center. It's making a humming electronic noise as you get closer.

You can make a Hacking + Science + Knowledge Roll against a difficulty of 9 to try and gather more
information on it. If you succeed, go to section 57. You can make one check per character, but must do
so before destroying it.

If Kill Iron or any zombies in the building are still alive, then the object has 12 AHP. Destroying it will
deactivate Kill Iron. If Kill Iron or any zombies in the building are dead, you destroy it freely and end the
scenario. Go to section 85.

43
Regardless of who set the trap off, it goes off. Each character with you in the tunnels makes an Instinct
check against difficulty 4. If you fail, take 1 Damage. Place this card into the discard pile.

44
A shotgun blast rings out and slams against your body, shoving your body back with some force. You
suffer 1 Damage. You recover enough to thrust a leg out and stop the door from closing completely.

A closer look reveals that that action would reload the gun for the next attack. You ease in gently,
scanning for traps along the way, but none present themselves. There's a hole in the wall in the back...
and clear signs of a struggle. A torn corpse near one of the sidewalls confirms the grim atmosphere of
the room. A little searching reveals that, as you might expect, the former occupants had a stash of long
lasting food supplies. Roll 1d10 + 1d10 per skill level for the highest Survival knowledge skill present in
your Squad. They will know where the best hiding spots for food might be, and what food looks like to a
survivalist. Multiply the result by 10 and add it to your Food score.

45
Some movement catches your eye just inside the wall. You edge a little closer, expecting to see some
debris floating on the wind. You don't. It's a humanoid figure, and it sends all your hair standing on edge.
You try calling out to it.

"Identify yourself!"

There is no answer. Another figure joins the first in the darkness. You quickly shine a light on it. And
immediately turn your head away and back. What's before you is a walking mess of human flesh in
tattered clothing. It's moving towards you. And it has friends.

Roll NoP d4. Add 2 to that number. Place that number of zombie figures in a group in the gap nearest
you. Place them such that they are more than 3” away from the nearest character. Refer to the
Reference section of the scenario for their stats. They do not perform any Actions during the Turn they
are placed.

For any downed zombie, you may inspect their bodies for clues to their origins. Place them horizontally
where they are killed or track them another way until you are finished inspecting their corpses. This
takes 1 Action. Roll for Medic Knowledge against a Difficulty of 9. The character rolling must have Medic

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Knowledge to make this roll and be within 1” of the body they are inspecting. If you fail, you may no
longer inspect that zombie and the body can be removed from the game area.

The first time you succeed on one of these rolls, go to section 13.

46
"Upper middle of the pack. We're in the hunt boss, don't let off the accelerator. We still got a few more
missions to go it looks like though. I'll get working on getting the next mission organized for you."

Go to section 50.

47
You finally make your way out of the shopping way and into the larger part of the terminal. There's
rumblings from different sections in front of you. The low pitched noise of walking things.

Make an Awareness check against a difficulty of 8. Only one of your characters can make this check, and
you only get one shot at it. If you succeed, go to section 78. Otherwise go to section 54.

48
You startle to a stop as the ground abruptly explodes near your position. Shrapnel flies through the air,
peppering you with pain. Take 1 damage. The character that triggered the explosion is 1” into the field
at C and their Move is now over.

There's a minefield here. You can see some signs of them, but there's not telling how many or where
they are without spending considerable time.

For every 1" you move through C, roll a 1d6. On a 1,2, or 3, take 1 damage. For every point of Traps or
Explosive a character has, you can apply a +1 modifier to their dice roll. For example. if you had a Traps
skill of 2 and rolled a 2, you would add +2 from your Traps skill to get a 4, thus avoiding damage. Only a
move over 1” in one turn will trigger a roll through the field at C. This means that if your characters
move at 1” or 1 hex through C they will not need to roll for the minefield as they carefully pick their way
through.

As soon as the explosion triggers, something pops around the pile of scrap metal directly in front of you.
Add 2 + NoP Zombie Ds to the field at point L. They fire on the character currently in the C field
immediately, taking a free Move if they need to get into range, and then act normally thereafter.

49
"Sticks, you there?"

"Yeah, gotcha five by five. I got a present for you inbound. Right on the pad. How you holding up?"

"Well, a shower would be nice."

"Huh... Hey, can you brush your hand against the scorch marks immediately to your front?"

It's an unusual request, but you comply. The black dust coats your hand as you do. "Yeah, it's real loose
on the ground."

"That's recent then. Someone's been using that pad."

41
Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

"What does that mean?"

"Captain said to forget about the food, you're to..."

"Wait, Captain said that?"

"No, what Captain said I won't repeat over the air. Also it would take a while. What Captain meant was,
don't come back without figuring this out, food or no food. Captain wants the food. So you'll need that.
Just after this one little thing."

"Going into the heart of the beast doesn't feel like 'one little thing'."

"Want me to get Captain on the comm?"

You sigh heavily. "Send me the location data."

"Good choice. Captain wants you to investigate the location I'm sending you. Based on analysis up here,
looks like that's the location that has the most traffic coming into and out of it."

"What's the best way to get there?"

"You got two choices. They're in your package. But we've identified a tunnel system that you can use to
sneak your way in. Only problem is that we can't get any read on how active or inactive they are inside.
Could be a cake, could be a grinder. The other way is a series of moves above ground. Think I got a way
to avoid most of em. Except for one point. There's a narrow corridor that you'd have to blast your way
through. It's crawling with the dead heads."

"I suppose getting a lift is still not an option?"

"No one's flying through that rat's nest down there. I'm not even asking. Captain would never risk a
dropship cause you're shy around the undeceased."

As she finishes, you hear a loud single clunk noise off to your left. You turn to see the supply drop pod.

"Confirm supply's secured. Thanks Sticks. Guess I'm off to have some more fun."

"Roger that, Sticks out."

You have time before the next scenario to make armor repairs and treat wounds. Anyone in your group
that has Knowledge in Medic or Repairs can use those bonuses now. You can use any of the items you
brought along as well. The droppod has medkits, repair kits, and grenades. You can refill or take as many
of these as you need for the upcoming battles. This can take you above the amount you originally
carried with you. There is no cost for taking these items.

You can recharge all of your powered devices as well.

If you wish to try your luck with the tunnels, go to Scenario 4A. If you wish to fight your way through the
horde, go to Scenario 4B.

50
You pull out your holopad to get the status of your allies. Right as you get into the data, Sticks interrupts
you once again.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

"By the way boss, the lab's been working on the corpses you brought in. Found all sorts of interesting
information. Including a way to weaponize the acid venom that the D types make. They're giving ya the
prototype as a thank you."

You've acquired 1 Venom Blade, an EMB weapon, or electro mechanical bio weapon. It has 2 ammo that
automatically regenerates every scenario. It's a 1 Handed melee weapon that, at the cost of 1 ammo,
causes 2 Venom damage to target with no Armor, or 1 Pierce to a target with Armor. The heart of the
weapon processes and converts a bio food sludge into the venom acid that the Zombie Ds were using as
a projectile weapon. You can use the melee weapon, or give it an Ally who is currently using a normal
melee weapon. It will be available from the ships store after they figure out a more efficient way to
manufacture it.

Sticks gets up to leave, giving you time to get back to scrolling information on your holopad and
prepping you and your Squad for the next mission.

51
You crack open the door slowly, expecting zombies to swarm you at any second. It’s quiet inside. Too
quiet? A rat scrambles across the floor and you raise your hand violently, trying to prevent anyone else
from firing in on the motion. Some fire still rings out. After some shouting you're able to get the door
open without further incident and bring some light into the situation. You sigh as you look in. Hundreds
of cans and packages of food, some of which were damaged by the brief bout of fire, and some by the
rats. You sigh and take inventory of what's left.

Roll 1d10 and multiply the result by 10. Add 100 to this. Add the resulting number to your Food score.

52
You finally reach the targeted coordinates and head out of the tunnel. You're right next to the building
that seems to be at the center of all this. Except it doesn't look like much of a building. It looks like a
crash site that's had an enclosure built around it. This is further confirmed by a hole punched in the
terradome directly above its location. Judging by the distinct lack of battle damage in the area, like the
one you observed when you breached the Terra Dome originally, you're guessing that this occurred after
the initial attack on the outside of the Dome.

That's all great, you think, as the zombies in the area all begin lunging towards you.

Add 1 to your Investigation score.

53
It smells strongly of a biological preservative. Gain 1 Investigation point. Return to section 13.

54
The rumblings in front of you are growing louder as you make your way to the lift for the central pad.
Have one of your characters make an Awareness check against a difficulty of 7. If you succeed, start part
3 using section 70. If you fail, start part 3 using section 40.

43
Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

55
You emphatically close the door once everyone is inside. Once again the lights have flickered on. It's
small consolation though. The new zombies were quicker than the last, even quicker than most
unmodified humans. You get a green light on the comms access and call for Sticks over the waves as
your feeds and other data automatically get passed through to the ship. It takes a few minutes for Sticks
to connect. She immediately calls out to you.

"Glad to hear you're still breathing. Woulda hated to have to file for a new squad."

"Miss you too Sticks."

"Alright, latest area analysis. Shows that some of the area between you and the old port is crawling. But
I gotta path figured out I think that avoids all that. There is movement there though. So you'll still get
your party on."

"Great. What about resupply Sticks? We're starting to feel a little ragged down here."

"Good news there, I think I can get a drop of replacements goodies to you onto one of the port pads. I'll
add it as an objective for you. Oh, and the research division agree with your conclusions on the new
zombies. Good thing they go down they same way. I mean, for you. I'm fine. It's nice and quiet up here."

You can only muster a sigh in reply.

You have time before the next scenario to make armor repairs and treat wounds. Anyone in your group
that has Knowledge in Medic or Repairs can use those bonuses now. You can use any of the items you
brought along as well. Luckily, there is power available, and you can refill all of your powered devices
and capacitors here.

56
As you round the corner, the dim lit interior comes into view. There's an armored wall blocking off the
back half of the interior, which has the same armored and roughly constructed feel of the outside.
There's a lot of metal here, but not nearly enough to account for the scavenging you've been seeing
throughout your journey. There's loud mechanical noises coming from the back corner, and soon
enough an armored automaton of some sort rounds the corner. It's sporting a large rotary gun and
hammer, both of which it seems to be happy to use. Your fixation on the incoming menace blinds you to
the two trap doors that have spewed out several class B zombies that are now making your
acquaintance. Prepare yourself for a tough battle.

Spawn 2 + NoP Zombie Bs at both G and H. You may make an immediate free 1” move to get back into
the hallway. The closest zombie from each point gets one free Move turn and closes with the figure that
stepped onto point F. Spawn Kill Iron, a giant humanoid figure with a projectile weapon and a melee
weapon on point K.

You assume that whatever is at the heart of this mess is behind that wall. You have no way of knowing
whether killing that first will stop all the hostilities around you.

57

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

It looks like something an AI would build, going by aesthetics and audio clues. Based on your knowledge,
its most likely a splinter AI, a shadow of a larger AI's consciousness sent here for a specific purpose.
Doing so is not particularly dangerous for an AI, but apparently was so for the humans here.

Add 1 to your Investigation score.

Return to section 42.

58
A faint shuffling noise reaches your ears as you finally get a good view of the inside of the Terra Dome.
It's a mess, and it looks like there was a big fight here. There are a couple of dead bodies discernable
amongst the debris. It looks like they've been handled. May be worth a closer look.

As you scope out a building that is still largely intact and should serve as good temporary shelter,
something else catches your eye. More movement.

For each body, add 1d4 zombies at each location. If NoP is greater than 2, add 1 additional zombie to
each location. Your objective is the building, and the scenario will end when all of you can get inside.

59
This is a much larger body than the other zombies you've encountered. You poke around the front of the
body and discover large sections of tough material underneath. You make an incision and work your way
down to one of the plates. It's tough but organic material. It must be the work of splicing. The only way
this is possible is if the tissue was not completely dead before being modified. That might explain why
these are more rare than the other two types. This kind of growth would require a more recent donor.
Add 1 to your Investigation score.

You may only obtain this Investigation score once.

60
The entrance to this side of the tunnel system is just a maintenance hatch set near a building. It's
unsecured and already open, and there's signs of recent traffic near the door. You cautiously make your
way down. It's quiet when you reach the bottom. And cold, but not quite cold enough to freeze the
small line of water that is at the bottom of the tunnel. Luckily you don't have to walk through it. The air
is stagnant and carries a heavy stale smell. Faint sounds echo down around the corner occasionally.
Steeling yourself, you make ready to head your team out.

61
Something's a little off about the pad. It takes you a few minutes as you look around and observe the
surroundings before it clicks. It's been used. Recently.

Add 1 to your Investigation score.

With that, you raise Sticks up on the comms.

"Sticks, you there?"

"Yeah, gotcha five by five. I got a present for you inbound. Right on the pad. How you holding up?"

45
Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

"Well, a shower would be nice. Also, Sticks?"

"Yeah, still here."

"Someone's been using this pad."

"Well ain't that interesting. Good work down there. You ain't done yet though."

"What does that mean?"

"Captain said to forget about the food, you're to..."

"Wait, Captain said that?"

"No, what Captain said I won't repeat over the air. Also it would take a while. What Captain meant was,
don't come back without figuring this out, food or no food. Captain wants the food. So you'll need that.
Just after this one little thing."

"Going into the heart of the beast doesn't feel like 'one little thing'."

"Want me to get Captain on the comm?"

You sigh heavily. "Send me the location data."

"Good choice sport.

"What's the best way to get there?"

"You got two choices. They're in your package. But we've identified a tunnel system that you can use to
sneak your way in. Only problem is that we can't get any read on how active or inactive they are inside.
Could be a cake, could be a grinder. The other way is a series of moves above ground. Think I got a way
to avoid most of em. Except for one point. There's a narrow corridor that you'd have to blast your way
through. It's crawling with the dead heads."

"I suppose getting a lift is still not an option?"

"No one's flying through that rat's nest down there. I'm not even asking. Captain would never risk a
dropship cause you're shy around the undeceased."

As she finishes, you hear a loud single clunk noise off to your left. You turn to see the supply drop pod.

"Confirm supply's secured. Thanks Sticks. Guess I'm off to have some more fun."

"Roger that, Sticks out."

You have time before the next scenario to make armor repairs and treat wounds. Anyone in your group
that has Knowledge in Medic or Repairs can use those bonuses now. You can use any of the items you
brought along as well. The droppod has medkits, repair kits, and grenades. You can refill or take as many
of these as you need for the upcoming battles. This can take you above the amount you originally
carried with you. There is no cost for taking these items.

You can recharge all of your powered devices as well.

46
Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

If you wish to try your luck with the tunnels, go to Scenario 4A. If you wish to fight your way through the
horde, go to Scenario 4B.

62
Sticks has arranged for Steph Aguilo to accompany you on this campaign, in addition to your normal
Squad. Steph has the following stats:

Rep / ARP Move Ath Pre Ins Awa Kno BHP AHP
Steph Aguilo Cost
4 2 1 1 1 1 3 1 Rep 1
Steph was originally the chaplain for a hapless town named Idesboro that called Craggler up to aid in their
defense from the assault of a nearby city. The city wanted cheap access to its mines. After negotiations broke
down, the city decided to take the mines by force. Unfortunately, the town was built around the entrance to
one of the most lucrative deposits. The city had made it clear they had no problems in clearing their own path.
The Craven Corps arrived just in time to repulse the assault, but not enough to spare the town completely.
Steph witnessed much that day.

Inspired to leave, Steph volunteered as a rookie with Craggler. It became quickly apparent to the former
chaplain’s squad leader that rifle work was a waste of time. Steph wouldn’t shoot at another living anything.
Heck, Steph wouldn’t even pull the trigger. Frustrated, the squad leader ripped the rifle away from Steph’s
hands. Defenseless and facing down a horde of animaluses rushing a barricade, Steph used the only weapon
left. A grenade. The metal sphere arced through the air, landing in front of the rushing horde… and exploded
two seconds later, perfectly in the center of the ravenous maluses. That pattern continued as the battle waged
on for the next ten minutes. Steph scavenged grenades from other rookies, the ground, even dead allies.
Steph’s precision and timing was head and shoulders above the other rookies.

Steph can be seen on the battle field still wearing a scarf reminiscent of their old career as a chaplain. Rookies
will often speak to Steph seeking advice and consolation. While not the most effective on some missions, it’s
hard not to want to have more grenades if someone’s willing to carry them.

Steph refuses to use a firearm or bladed weapons. When Steph throws a grenade, you may add 1 to their Ath
score for purposes of determining distance. Steph carries 4 grenades with them in total, two Attack grenades,
and two Defensive grenades. They also carry a mace that behaves as a 1 damage Melee Weapon.

63
There's movement from just within door, and you see it just in time to react. Place d4 +NoP zombies
against the building, as close to the door as you can. These will block the entrance to the door as best
they can. They will prioritize moving towards the door instead of towards the nearest character, unless
there is a character within 3". They will even ignore gunfire to do this.

64
You hear the rumbling just in time and leap forward, avoiding injury. A debris field is formed at point J
behind your character, and is impassable. Phew.

47
Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

65
You wander the empty halls of the port, making your way near the landing pad access lifts. There are
signs of the once thriving population everywhere. A few remains can be found here and there, torn by
more violent forces and presumably made useless as zombie candidates. The air is stale, and the very
smell of it is unsettling. Still, you continue on. The signs directing travelers to the appropriate ports are
still accurate and you are making good progress. It's not until you enter a corridor heading towards the
central pad’s terminal that you spot trouble. Right in the middle of the corridor is a large pack of
zombies. Shops line both sides of the horde’s location. Some of them look like they may have food in
them, and it might be a good time to get a headstart on gathering the supplies the Captain requested.
Luckily its dark here and the air is stale. There's a good chance they haven't noticed you yet.

66
Sticks inhales before speaking.

"Well, boss, thanks to you, there's a storm headed our way. Captain thinks you're not the sharpest tool
in the shed. Basically called you a moron. Outside of that, we've distributed info on the re-animated you
encountered and dissected the tech. You may have figured this out already, but it's clear the overall
intelligence behind these things is interested in gathering metal and shipping it off world. Don't know
why or where. So that's cute. They run off a wireless network and use a combination of preservation
techniques and electrical impulses to keep the mortems moving. Their individual intelligence is enough
for them to fight and gather autonomously, but that's about it. With that brain bot down they should
just mill about down there until they all run outta power. In theory."

"In theory?"

"Well, no one has a fog on why they're actually here... or where their master bot is. If that makes any
sense. Anyways. We still gotta competition to win, and we need to get some more food for that."

"Well, what if I don't want to be 'Alpha Squad'?"

Sticks glares at you, your body warming in response. "What?"

"I mean, hypothetically."

"'Hypothetically' I took a big chance on taking on a rookie like you under my wing. And 'hypothetically' I
would make sure you took a slow dance in the airlock."

"Right. I'll do better next time."

"See to it. I'll start working on getting your next assignment spun up."

67
You startle to a stop as something catches your eye on the ground ahead. Mines. You can see some of
them, but there's not telling how many or where they are without spending some time.

For every 1" you move through C, roll a 1d6. On a 1 or 2, take 1 damage. For every point of Traps or
Explosive skills a character has, you can apply a +1 modifier to their dice roll. For example. if you had a
Traps skill of 2 and rolled a 2, you would add +2 from your Traps skill to get a 4. Only a full 1" move in

48
Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

one turn will cause a roll. If you are playing with hexes, you can model this by taking 2 actions to
complete a 1 hex move.

As soon as you enter the field, something pops around the pile of scrap metal directly in front of you.
Add 2 + NoP Zombie Ds to the field at point L. They fire on the character in the area C immediately and
then act normally thereafter.

68
You finally close the door behind you as the last of your team makes it into the confines of the building.
For what it's worth, it looks like that last surge of... creatures... cleared out the inside for you.
Interestingly enough, lights have flickered on. There's power for some reason. You send someone up to
the roof to deploy an antenna. A few minutes later you have re-established comms with Sticks and begin
making your report. It doesn't take long for her to comment.

"Wait, did you say 'zombies'? Have you been drinking something down there?"

"Check the cam feeds, they should be uploaded."

There's a pause before she answers again.

"Yeah... well... frak. Those show do look like zombies. I thought Grexler's squad had found some weird
stuff. Sending off your feeds for analysis now. Did you get any info on them?"

"Negative. I tried to figure it out, but... Sticks. I'm kinda freaked out here. They're zombies as sure as I
can shoot them."

"As long as they stop moving when you shoot them, what's to worry about?" She paused for a moment.
"One of the docs up here says they'll do a remote autopsy with you. You got a body nearby?"

You let out an involuntary groan. "Yeah... one minute." You walk over to the entrance of the building
and wave one of your allies over. "I need to get a sample."

The reaction is a raised eyebrow.

"I know! Captain's orders."

You get a well practiced shrug in return.

"Alright, so you're going to open the door. I'm going to drag a corpse in. You're going to close the door.
Easy easy."

The door opens shortly and you select the least smelly of the intact bodies nearby and drag it in by a
ragged piece of clothing. The slamming of the door behind is followed by a strong smell of chemicals and
death. You position the body near the door, get some light on it, and get Sticks back on the comms.

"Alright. Ready."

"Doc Glear on the comms. Alright, let's start with an incision..."

The process takes about twenty minutes. And what you find is a little disturbing. There's a control box
nestled amongst the cranial cavity, wiring running through the spinal column and splitting off to various
muscle groups, and a battery inside the chest cavity. These things were made from fresh corpses.

49
Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

Finished, you toss the body back outside, taking most of the smell with it, and spend a few long minutes
trying to get all the gooey bits off your hands. You take a few minutes to secure a firm barricade at the
entrance. When you're done, you get Sticks back on the comms channel.

"Welp, that was fun. At least now you'll know how they tick. Aaaright, your objective is 107 degrees
local from your position, just over halfway through the city. According to the scans up here that's the
most likely spot for high density foodstuffs storage. It's the location of the former multiport pads." She
paused for a moment. "Also, Captain wants you to figure out what the frak is going on down there.
Offering bonus points or something. Possibly a hug? Pretty sure that was sarcastic. Also, you have to do
it either way. Let me know when you're ready to head out."

You have time before the next scenario to make armor repairs and treat wounds. Anyone in your group
that has Knowledge in Medic or Repairs can use those bonuses now. You can use any of the items you
brought along as well. Zombies will have -1 BHP going forward. This will be accounted for in the
reference section for subsequent scenarios and you will not have to make any adjustments to what is
listed in the reference section for the scenario. Since there is power available, you can refill all of your
powered devices.

69
The zombie presses against you familiarly. Too familiarly...

If you wish to try and push it away, go to section 38.

Otherwise, proceed to section 83.

70
As you advance through the multi port something feels off. You call for a halt and slowly peek around
the next corner. There's a collection of zombies there. You can get around them if you rush, but they
would be following you. You turn around and look towards a large display with a map of the port. You
can backtrack a bit and get around this horde. It's a lucky break that you're more than happy to take.
Soon enough you're looking at the plaza for the primary lift to the central pad. It seems quiet, but you
know better by now. With a deep breath you prepare yourself to enter.

71
As you get around the corners of the building, your eyes are greeted by hungry mobs of animated flesh.
Place 2 + NoP * Zombie As at each B entrance. In front of each group of Zombie As, place NoP / 2 and
rounded up Zombie Cs in front of each horde. These Zombie As will stay behind their accompanying Cs
until that zombie is in Close Combat with a character or is killed.

Place 3 + NoP * Zombie Bs at the exit area X. These will not activate until they have LoS to one of your
characters.

72
"Well boss... we're sucking if I'm being honest. We need to pick it up on the next few missions. I'll get
working on getting the next one organized for you."

Go to section 50.

50
Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

73
There seems to be an access door from a building that leads into the tunnel system. If you have a
character with the Security skill, they can make a check against a difficulty of 4. If they succeed, go to
section 26. If the check is failed, place this card into the discard pile.

74
Something catches your ear as you approach point H. There it is again... there's a rumbling coming from
the building ahead. You notice a stack of debris near the door. You make a quick signal to your allies to
warn them. It's too late to stop anything as the rumbling grows louder and turns into a deep shuffling
noise coming from within. The door swings open and a herd of slow zombies pours out. Unfortunately,
the door swings right into a haphazardly stacked pile of debris, knocking it over. Which in turn, knocks
into a second, even larger pile of debris. The resulting crash is deafening, trembling the ground beneath
you, and sending a large cloud of dust into the air. Crud.

Place a cluster of 4 + NoP * 2 Zombie As at the entrance to the door of building X. These zombies

For each building that you did not trigger any zombies for, reveal one of the remaining cards from the
even deck and place the zombies at the corresponding door per the instructions. These zombies follow
the normal rules, except if they do not have any of your characters in their line of sight, they will head to
the entrance of building X at their normal speed, following the origin of the noise.

Thanks to your early warning, you and all of your allies may execute 1 Move Action immediately.
Continue with your turn after completing this Action.

Remember that the scenario is complete if you can get all of your allies inside of building X, and that
your supplies must last the entire campaign.

75
Your body aches, your allies are looking worse for wear, and you just ate your last nubar. Exhausted, you
finally decide its time to get out of here. Soon enough you're trudging back towards the multiport. After
contacting Sticks for extraction you have some time to take a look out over the edge of the large pad
you're on. The zombies are still active, but are not moving in a coordinated manner anymore. Most of
them have remained in clumps. And these cells wander, occasionally bumping into each other and
merging. Or sometimes splitting. There's no discernible pattern. In all cases they ignore the piles of
metal they once were focused on hauling. Whatever machinery still exists in them is functioning without
direction.

Add 1 to your Investigation score.

You wonder what that means for this place as you wait around for the dropship. Your comm crackles to
life once again.

"Hey, Captain wants you to grab some corpses. One of each type you fought. Make sure they're dead
dead too. No wriggling or nothing."

You groan in response, but its a reasonable request. There's bodies for most of the types nearby, and
you get lucky finding a roving Zombie D nearby. Your grim task is completed just as the dropship
thunders overhead. Soon enough you're on board, food loaded, corpses loaded, and accelerating

51
Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

skywards into the atmosphere and beyond. The rest of the trip is uneventful and you soon find yourself
in the rotating section of the ship, happy to see the visage of Sticks greeting you as you disembark.

"You look like shit boss." Before you can come up with a clever retort she continues. "And you smell like
it too. Go hose off before you get it on the rest of the ship. And then get some rest. We'll debrief after
you’ve refreshed."

You know there's no point in arguing as you and your allies walk up to one of the high pressure auto
cleansers for disinfection. The experience is generally unpleasant. A short while later you're walking
back out, clean as the Captain's armor. Next on the schedule is a dip in the medpod for some flesh work
if you need it, and then, finally, some sleep.

You wake back up in what feels like a blink. Getting up is not as pleasant as laying down, but you're soon
dressed and pinging the comm for Sticks. A few moments later and she's standing across from you in
the cramped quarters that serves as your office, bedroom, and bathroom.

Roll 2d10's. If the total is less than your Investigation score, go to section 7. Otherwise go to section 66.

76
The body is definitely formerly human, but it has suffered violent injury. It's no where near as intact as
the shambling forms that have been harassing your progress. You suspect these were not in good
enough condition to be used. The bodies look like they have been here for a while, but the cold and dry
climate has preserved them well. The interesting thing is that certain pieces of their clothing have been
removed. Specifically anything metal. Clasps, buckles, sidearms, even buttons and zippers have been
removed. Looking around the area, you can see this is a common theme. Metal is missing from
everywhere, even the structure of the Terra Dome itself. So that's comforting.

Add 1 Investigation point.

77
The pinata explodes, but instead of candy, only shattered dreams and lost innocence spills out,
blanketing the floor in despair. You drop to your knees and look up to the sky to scream. But no noise
comes out.

78
One of your team catches something out of the corner of their eye and waves you over. There's a view
of the outside through a window of a small group of zombies jumbled up moving across the front of a
building. At first it looks like its just a clump of them milling about. But you quickly realize they are all
carrying bundles of scrap metal.

Add 1 to your Investigation score.

Get on your way quickly to section 54.

79
Instead of going to section 56 when directed, go to section 86. You can see a trap just past the entry way
ahead. Roll for Instinct vs a difficulty of 5. If you succeed, go to section 3. If you fail, go to section 39.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

80
The zombies are fairly slow and weak, however, if they are able to gang up on a character in a swarm
they can easily be deadly as they gain extra attack dice because of the multiple assailants. Sometimes its
better to disengage and take a few opportunities of attack and get some distance. Kiting them is an
option on some of the maps. Moving and attacking as a group in this campaign is a good strategy. With
these enemies there's a very low risk of running into explosive or other area attacks.

There's no time limit for the maps. You can use this to your advantage by staying in a tight group if the
going is particularly difficult. Sometimes you just have the wrong mix of people. Try upping your
Communication skill and getting more companions. Remember that even recruits can use grenades, or
can be used to mule a few extra and exchange them at the end of each scenario. There will be an
opportunity to resupply roughly halfway through the campaign.

Most of the scenarios grant the ability to refill Power before proceeding to the next one. Use this to your
advantage by taking Power using weapons.

If it's still too hard, Sticks can arrange an extra companion for you. Check out section 62 if you want to
try out this option.

81
You take a quick look at the body and determine that the surgical modifications seem to be the same.
But the body feels heavier. You put the body face down and make a quick cut through the back.
Reaching in, you feel around for the battery. It's bigger than you remember, and warmer, with larger
wires heading out of it. Seems like the trick here is a larger battery and wiring. They use more metal and
other resources in their construction, but have much higher speed as a result. Add 1 to your
Investigation score.

82
Inside is a mess with building and furniture debris strewn around. You have no idea if it was because of a
struggle or if some zombies got stuck in here and went stir crazy. Make an Awareness check against a
difficulty of 7. Any character who is within 1" of the door can make this check now or at a later time.
However, each character may only make the attempt once.

If you succeed, turn to section 8.

If you fail you find nothing but rags and shattered dreams.

83
The zombie's body is cool against yours, drawing the heat out from your very soul. And that's the last
thing you remember.

84
Roll an Instinct check against a difficulty of 6. If you succeed, go to section 27. Otherwise go to section
44.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

85
With the machine destroyed, the humming noise that permeates the building suddenly whines to a
stop. You look around at your team, feeling a bit haggard after the run in with the guardian of this place.
If someone would have told you would be standing ankle deep in viscera in an abandoned Terra Dome
well over a hundred years after joining up for the jobs in Lissa's End, you would have laughed at them.
Jokes on you obviously. You take a minute and recollect before making preparations to contact Sticks
and begin thinking about what to do next. Extraction is going to be an option. But the reality is that you
haven't really gathered much food either. That was the real reason you were here. Shortly the comm
line cracks with static and the voice of Sticks.

"What'd you find boss?"

"You'll have to see the feeds to believe it. More pressing matters. What are our options Sticks?"

"If you're confident you’ve finished the investigation, you should probably look for some foodstuffs.
You're close to some areas with high potential. I'll send you data on them. I've set up extraction for the
central landing pad, so when you're ready you can head there. Bad news is Captain wants everyone back
aboard quick like. There's no time for you to make a trip to resupply at the pad and back out again.
You'll have to make do with what you have and search out for as long as you think it’s safe. And I say
that cause the scanners show no reduction in activity down there."

You sigh before replying. "Gotcha Sticks. We'll review your package and make a decision from there."

"Roger, just let me know. Sticks out."

There are three potential areas Sticks has identified. You may visit any number of them that you choose,
including none, and return to the launch pad when you're finished. You here some shuffling and barely
manage to turn around before a zombie that must have lingered in one of the trap doors leaps towards
your group. It's downed quickly, but soberly as you all realize that despite the destruction of the
machine, it's not going to be quiet out there quite yet.

86
Wary of the trap you saw earlier, a pressure plate directly at the intersection of the room and the entry
way, you peek around the corner and peer into the dim lit interior. There's an armored wall blocking off
the back half of the interior, which has the same armored and roughly constructed feel of the outside.
There's a lot of metal here, but not nearly enough to account for the scavenging you've been seeing
throughout your journey. There's loud mechanical noises coming from the back corner, and soon
enough an armored automaton of some sort rounds the corner. It's sporting a large rotary gun and
hammer, both of which it seems to be happy to use. There's two trap doors in each of the corners,
which pop open at that moment. Apparently the plate was just the backup trigger.

Spawn 2 + NoP Zombie Bs at both G and H. Spawn Kill Iron, a giant robotic humanoid figure with a
projectile weapon and a melee weapon on point K. You may make an immediate free 1” move to get
back into the hallway.

Continue your turn from here.

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Dark Metal – Mercenaries in the Deep – Mission 1 – Campaign 1

You assume that whatever is at the heart of this mess is behind that wall. You have no way of knowing
whether killing that first will stop all the hostilities around you.

87
As you pass through the area, there's a deep rumble. Roll for Instinct vs 7 for the character who entered
the area. If you succeed, go to section 64. If you fail, go to section 41.

88
The following figures, or stand ins:

20 slow looking / standard ish zombie like figures or stand ins (+5 for each player above 1)

12 quicker looking zombie like figures or stand ins (+6 for each player above 1)

8 big and slow looking zombie like figures or stand ins (+4 for each player above 1)

6 throwing object or another type of distinct looking zombie like figures or stand ins (+1 for each player
above 1)

1 slightly larger robotic looking mini

55