Xenomorph 1642
Xenomorphs vs Pike & Shot in the 30 Years War
I’ve been challenged to run a game demo between soldiers of the Pike & Shot era vs Xenomorphs by Dragons Beyond!
Not content to just have one battle, I also created two follow-up scenarios for playing if the humans win or lose.
The first scenario is a Skirmish game, with individual models. The follow-up scenarios use the rules from Bigger Battles and scaling to reduce the number of miniatures needed.
Below is the first scenario setup, map and force lists. The scenario is available as a PDF download at the end of the post. In the next post we’ll have the video play through and a download for the follow-on scenarios.
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Scenario 1: “The Black Forest Incursion”
Setting
It’s 1642, deep in the Black Forest during the Thirty Years’ War. A small Imperial detachment of 33 soldiers from a larger army has been dispatched to investigate reports of “demonic creatures” slaughtering villagers in the region. The soldiers, a mix of pikemen and arquebusiers, are led by Captain Heinrich von Sturm, a grizzled cavalry officer. They’ve set up camp in a clearing near a ruined chapel, surrounded by dense woods and rocky outcrops. Unbeknownst to them, a small hive of Xenomorphs—brought to Earth through a mysterious rift—has been stalking the area, preying on anything that moves. The forest is dark, misty, and eerily silent, save for the occasional snap of a twig or a distant, unnatural hiss.
Terrain Setup:
· A 3’ x 3’ play surface, heavily forested.
· A 12” x 12” clearing in the center with a small campfire and the ruined chapel (provides heavy cover, -2 to hit for shooting).
· Dense forest surrounds the clearing (difficult terrain, halves movement speed, provides light cover, -1 to hit for shooting).
· Rocky outcrops (heavy cover, -2 to hot for shooting) are scattered around the edges of the clearing.
· Xenomorphs can use the forest to their advantage, gaining +1 to Stealth rolls.
Forces
Imperial Detachment (Pike & Shot)
Total: 33 miniatures
Captain Heinrich von Sturm (Mounted Cavalry Leader): 1 figure
Pikemen: 15 pikemen + 1 Sergeant
Arquebusiers: 15 arquebusiers + 1 Sergeant
Imperial Detachment Stats
Captain Heinrich von Sturm (Mounted Cavalry Leader)
Combat: +2 (Skilled fighter on horseback)
Movement: 8” (Mounted speed)
Weapons/Traits:
Cavalry Sabre: Melee, +1 to Combat rolls in close combat.
Pistol: Range 6/12”, +0 to Combat rolls, one shot per reload (takes 1 action).
Leader: +1 to die roll for any model within 12” and LOS to recover from being Shaken or Wounded and Down.
Mounted: gains +1 to Close Combat rolls.
Determined: Ignore Shock and Wound penalties in Close Combat.
Pikemen Sergeant (Specialist)
Combat: +1 (Slightly better fighter)
Movement: 6”
Weapons/Abilities:
Pike: Melee, +1 to Combat rolls if fighting in formation (at least 3 pikemen within 2” of each other). Pikes have a 2” reach, allowing them to strike first in melee if charged.
Sword: Melee, +0 to Combat rolls (backup weapon if pike is broken or in close quarters).
Invulnerable: Once per turn, may re-roll a failed Rally roll.
Armored: On a roll of 8 reduce Wound effect by one level.
Special: Xenomorphs’ acid blood—after killing a Xenomorph in melee, roll a D6. On a 1-2, the pikeman takes a wound from acid splash (no save).
Pikemen
Combat: +0 (Average melee fighters)
Movement: 6”
Weapons/Abilities:
Pike: Melee, +1 to Combat rolls if fighting in formation (at least 3 pikemen within 2” of each other). Pikes have a 2” reach, allowing them to strike first in melee if charged.
Dagger: Melee.
Determined: Ignore Shock penalties in close combat.
Armored: On a roll of 8 reduce Wound effect by one level.
Special: Xenomorphs’ acid blood—after killing a Xenomorph in melee, roll a D6. On a 1-2, the pikeman takes a wound from acid splash (no save).
Arquebusier Sergeant
Combat: +1 (Better aim and leadership)
Movement: 6”
Weapons/Abilities:
Arquebus: Range 9/18”, +0 to Combat rolls, one shot per reload (takes 1 action). On a natural 1 to hit, the arquebus misfires and cannot be used for the rest of the game.
Sword: Melee, +0 to Combat rolls.
Nerves of Steel: Ignore first Shaken result.
Command: Once per turn, can order their unit to “Volley Fire” (all arquebusiers within 6” can fire as a single action, rolling once to hit but adding +1 to the Combat roll for each arquebusier in the volley).
Special: Xenomorphs’ speed makes them hard to hit—arquebusiers take a -1 penalty to hit Xenomorphs unless the target is within 6”.
Arquebusiers
Combat: +0 (Average shooters)
Movement: 6”
Weapons/Abilities:
Arquebus: Range 9/18”, +0 to Combat rolls, one shot per reload (takes 1 action). On a natural 1 to hit, the arquebus misfires and cannot be used for the rest of the game.
Dagger: Melee.
Special: Xenomorphs’ speed makes them hard to hit—arquebusiers take a -1 penalty to hit Xenomorphs unless the target is within 6”.
Xenomorph Hive
Total: 12 Xenomorph miniatures
12 Xenomorph Warriors (standard Xenomorphs, no leader—operate as a hive mind)
Xenomorph Hive Stats
Xenomorph Warrior (12 total)
Combat: d12 count as Veterans
Movement: Quick +1” movement
Weapons/Abilities:
Claws and Tail: If a Xenomorph wounds a model in melee (6-8 on Wounds chart), roll a D6—on a 5+, the model is instantly killed (dragged off or impaled).
Acid Blood: After being killed, a Xenomorph’s acid blood splashes nearby enemies. Any model within 2” must roll a D6—on a 1-2, they take a wound (no save).
Armored: On a roll of 8 reduce Wound effect by one level.
Slippery: Ignore 1” rule for proximity and may leave Close Combat when activated.
Special:
Stealthy: -1 to be hit if target of Shooting.
Xenomorphs can attempt to hide in the forest. Roll a D6 at the start of their activation—if they’re in forest terrain, on a 4+, they are hidden and cannot be targeted by ranged attacks until they move or attack.
Fearful Presence: Any human model within 6” of a Xenomorph must pass a Coward test (roll 5+ on d10) at the start of their activation, or they become Shaken (cannot act this turn). Each model or unit must only check once per game.
Deployment
Imperial Detachment: Deploy within 6” of the central clearing. The pikemen form one or two defensive lines around the campfire, with the arquebusiers positioned near the chapel for a better firing angle. Captain Heinrich starts near the chapel, ready to rally his troops.
Xenomorphs: Deploy at least 12” away from any human model, emerging from the forest. The player controlling the Xenomorphs can choose their starting positions to maximize stealth and ambushes.
Scenario Rules
Terrain Effects: As described in the setting the forest slows movement and provides cover, rocky outcrops provide hard cover, and the chapel offers defensive positioning.
Night Conditions: The battle takes place at night. Ranged attacks beyond 12” take a -1 penalty to hit due to poor visibility, unless the target is near the campfire (which illuminates a 6” radius).
Victory Conditions
Imperial Detachment:
Major Victory: Kill or drive off all Xenomorphs (reduce them to 0 models on the table).
Minor Victory: Survive 8 turns and have at least 10 models remaining (they hold the line long enough for reinforcements to arrive).
Loss: The detachment is wiped out (0 models remaining).
Xenomorph Hive:
Major Victory: Kill all human models before the end of Turn 8.
Minor Victory: Kill Captain Heinrich von Sturm and at least 20 other human models, even if some humans survive.
Loss: All Xenomorphs are killed.
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Scenario Download
You can download the PDF of this scenario here: Xenos vs Pike & Shot
Video Introduction
A short video introducing the terrain layout, forces involved, and basic mechanics of FFOL.
Thanks for reading! I am looking forward to hearing about your own experiments with this scenario.
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