🕑 8 min read
This a board game review of Formula D. There will be a Game Night blog post up, very soon. Enjoy!
This a board game review of Formula D. There will be a Game Night blog post up, very soon. Enjoy!
Classic BattleTech Scenario - 1 v Swarm
There are moments in tabletop gaming where an idea starts as a throwaway “what if…” and very quickly escalates into something far more dangerous.
This was one of those moments.
Glen and Dave posed a simple question: what happens when one pilot puts everything into a single, god-tier BattleMech… and the other brings a swarm? Not just any swarm either - fast, coordinated, opportunistic. The kind of force that doesn’t win through brute strength, but through chaos.
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| Two Bases and River runs through it... |
And one particularly spicy house rule:
Alternating Initiative
After round one, initiative alternates automatically - but you can give it away in exchange for a single reroll that turn.
Use it wisely… or regret it forever.
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| Marauder II |
Glen (The Solo Player):
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| Marauder / Thunderbolt / Blackjack |
Dave (The Swarm):
Glen’s Marauder II was a monster - elite pilot, heavy firepower, and jump jets. But Dave’s trio? Flexible, dangerous, and capable of surrounding and isolating.
Glen’s plan was simple: use terrain, isolate targets, and dismantle the swarm one mech at a time.
Dave’s plan? Overwhelm the big guy.
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| Yo. Where we going? |
Glen wins initiative - and it might be the most important roll of the game.
Dave spreads out immediately:
Glen responds cautiously, hugging a tall wall and denying line of sight. No early LRM nonsense today.
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| Peekaboo!! |
Glen commits.
The Marauder II leaps onto a wall, revealing the battlefield - and itself. It’s a bold move. Possibly reckless.
Dave advances steadily, all three mechs walking for accuracy.
Then… nothing.
An entire volley of fire from Dave’s force misses. Everything.
Glen lands a single AC/5 hit.
A sign of things to come.
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| Keep coming my pretties... |
Dave accelerates. The Thunderbolt takes a forward wall, Blackjack sprints into open ground, Marauder lumbers behind trying to keep up.
Glen stands still. Waiting.
Then fires.
The Thunderbolt takes a PPC to the head.
Critical hit: life support destroyed.
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| Feels like a Monty Python sketch |
Glen dances along the parapet, keeping his legs hidden and angles awkward.
Dave presses forward - but the dice betray him again. A storm of fire yields almost nothing.
Glen continues to chip away, calmly, methodically.
The swarm is starting to feel… disjointed.
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| Cannon BALLL!! |
And then Glen does something utterly unhinged.
He jumps.
Not to reposition.
Not to retreat.
But to Death From Above Dave’s Marauder.
Mid-air, the Marauder II is lit up:
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| Well. This is awkward. |
But Glen lands the piloting check.
And then lands the hit.
30 damage. Spread across the Marauder's top arms, torso and head
The battlefield pauses.
Dave’s Marauder staggers - but doesn’t fall.
Both players stare at the table.
That just happened.
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| HE chickened out! |
Glen immediately jumps out of line of sight, vanishing behind a level 3 wall.
Dave groans.
No shots fired.
Momentum is reset.
Dave is forced to split his force just to get back into the fight.
Thunderbolt and Marauder trade jump fire with each other, but again - poor accuracy plagues Dave.
Glen lands everything.
The Thunderbolt is getting frustrated, battered… but not broken.
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| Choo-Choo! You're dead. |
Glen drops from the wall and disappears again.
Dave takes the bait.
The Thunderbolt is out of position again, leaving only the Marauder and Blackjack to engage.
Glen unleashes everything on the Blackjack.
Right arm: gone.
Left side: exposed.
Dave swears. Loudly.
Return fire? Pathetic.
The Marauder II dances away almost untouched.
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| Excuse me. Coming through. |
Everything comes down to this.
Dave tries to set up a crossfire.
Glen… refuses to cooperate.
He runs behind the Marauder, isolating it from support.
PPCs slam into the leg.
Then....A kick.
Right leg again.
The Marauder suddenly collapses.
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| All I can hear is screaming... |
Time is up.
Technically a draw.
But both players agree: Glen had the edge.
A single assault mech had survived - and nearly dismantled - the swarm.
Roles reversed.
Now Glen commands the swarm.
Dave brings the big gun.
Glen (The Swarm):
Dave (The Titan):
This time, the fear is very real.
The Atlas II isn’t just big - it’s terrifying. Heavy Gauss rifle, LRMs, ER large lasers… it deletes mechs.
Glen’s plan: mobility, misdirection, and rear armour abuse.
Dave’s plan: point at target, remove target.
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| RUN!!!! |
Quiet.
Measured.
The swarm advances quickly, using walls for cover.
The Atlas takes its time, climbing into position.
Like a predator waiting for the right moment.
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| HIDE!!!! |
Glen makes a bold call: gives away initiative for a reroll.
The Centurion runs the gauntlet.
The Wolfhound flanks and the jump jetting Lights scatter into cover.
Then the Atlas fires.
Everything hits.
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| These trees will protect me. |
But somehow…
It stays standing.
Barely.
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| I got your back son. |
Glen goes all-in.
Light mechs leap into position.
Wolfhound breaks cover.
Centurion limps forward - still alive, somehow.
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| Mistakes were made. |
The Stinger launches into the sky.
Death From Above.
It connects.
The Atlas is knocked clean off the wall.
Five levels down.
Into the river.
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| Tickle tickle tickle. Hee hee. |
SMASH.
The table erupts.
Nearby gamers turn to look.
One giant plastic robot lies face down in the water.
Dave looks… less amused.
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| ENOUGH!! Puny MORTALS! |
The Atlas rises from the river like a furious god.
The Centurion sees its moment.
Moves one hex closer.
Fires.
AC/20 connects.
The swarm circles:
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| Centurion has a heart attack and dies. |
And this time… The Centurion dies.
Utterly obliterated.
Everything converges.
The Atlas retreats toward Glen’s base wall, trying to create distance.
The Wolfhound advances - bravely or foolishly.
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| Tickle tickle tickle |
Perfect positioning.
Then:
The swarm strikes.
Kicks.
Shots.
Pressure from every angle.
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| Nap time. |
Leg destroyed.
The Atlas collapses, triggering catastrophic damage.
The Gauss ammo cooks off.
Explosion.
Pilot unconscious.
Dave concedes.
The jump jetting vultures have done their work.
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| yes yes very concerning.. |
So… was the swarm idea fun?
Absolutely.
Was it balanced?
Surprisingly… yes.
The single mech dominated through:
The swarm won through:
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| The culprit. |
Dave’s biggest mistake came early in Game Two.
He almost committed to open ground - where the Atlas could dominate.
Instead, he climbed the walls.
That decision gave the swarm:
And ultimately… the win.
This wasn’t just two games.
It was a proper test of BattleTech’s depth:
And perhaps most importantly:
Never underestimate a handful of angry light mechs.
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| This is Dave |
Then I played it twice with Dave
.
This is normally the point where a designer pretends everything went exactly to plan and nods wisely. That is not what happened.
What did happen is that I learned a lot, lost some ’Mechs, nearly lost a VIP in increasingly stupid ways, and had several moments where I realised I’d accidentally designed something far better (or far more dangerous) than I intended.
Which, honestly, is the best possible outcome.
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| The Map |
I love Classic BattleTech. Well, I remember enjoying it as a teen.
I love narrative play.
And I love spending time pushing toy robots around a table with friends far more than I care about winning.
What I don’t love is scenarios that end when one side stops moving.
Evacuation Under Fire was an attempt to fix that - to create a game where:
Killing ’Mechs isn’t the whole point
Standing still feels like a mistake
And both players feel mildly stressed from Turn 1 onwards
Basically, I wanted a scenario that yells:
“Stop faffing about. Something important is happening.”
Let’s start with the obvious star of the show.
The VIP.
On paper, this is just a slow-moving token with armour. In practice, it became the single most motivating object on the table. Players ignored perfectly good targets just to take speculative shots at it. Light ’Mechs did absolutely unhinged things to get line of sight. Heavy ’Mechs soaked terrifying amounts of fire because maybe, just maybe, they could end the game right now.
Which is exactly what I wanted.
After a few tweaks (yes, 15 armour was the correct choice), the VIP stopped being fragile and started being tempting. You couldn’t casually kill it - but you could absolutely ruin your own game trying.
Perfect.
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| Some Turrets |
I’ll be honest - the turrets were supposed to be background noise.
They were not background noise.
Turret control became a mini-game inside the scenario:
Unmanned turrets annoyed people
Manned turrets scared people
High-gunnery pilots on turret duty became priority targets very fast
At one point I realised I’d created a situation where a lightly armoured Raven was more important than a heavy ’Mech. That’s not something that happens often in BattleTech, and I’m choosing to pretend it was intentional. It wasn't. Honest to god.
Across 2 games, a few patterns became very clear:
The player who committed first usually did better
The player who tried to do everything usually did worse
Overkilling already-dead units happened more than I care to admit
Light ’Mechs died heroically, stupidly, and often
Victory Points did their job quietly in the background. They rewarded:
Pulling out damaged units
Playing the objective
Knowing when to stop
Which meant games ended because the story ended, not because the table was empty.
That’s a huge win in my book.
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| I think you're winning Dave... |
No. And I’m genuinely relieved about that.
There are sharp edges, sure:
High-gunnery turret controllers are terrifying
Narrow corridors can be exploited
Assault ’Mechs can absorb frankly offensive amounts of punishment
But nothing ever felt unfair - just dangerous. And there’s a difference.
If anything, the scenario punishes hesitation more than bad luck, which feels very on brand for BattleTech.
If there’s one big lesson from this, it’s this:
Objectives should fight back.
The VIP moved. The turrets mattered. Time mattered. Players had to react, not just optimise.
Second lesson:
Narrative happens whether you plan for it or not.
You just need to give it somewhere to live.
I also learned that swapping sides is essential. Playing both attacker and defender exposed problems far faster than theory ever could - and it stopped me blaming the scenario for my own terrible decisions.
Evacuation Under Fire isn’t perfect.
But it is interesting, stressful, cinematic, and replayable.
Most importantly:
Every game ended with us talking about what we’d do differently next time.
That’s why I design scenarios.
That’s why I keep learning.
And that’s why there will absolutely be more of these - whether my friends are ready for them or not.
Until next time. Hopefully I can get some PROPER board games on the table. See yah.
P.S. Thanks to Dave and the Classic and Everything Battletech Facebook pages for all their help, time and advice. We KILLED it!!
PEW PEW.
After the dramatic first playthrough of Evacuation Under Fire, Dave and I immediately agreed that the scenario deserved a rematch - this time with sides swapped. I would take the attacker’s role, while Dave would defend the base and dignitary convoy.
With lessons learned from Game One, both sides arrived with very different force compositions and a much clearer plan. This second game would test whether the scenario could hold up when played aggressively and with intent.
Blackjack BJ-1DC (Gunnery 3 / Piloting 5)
Raven RVN-1X (Gunnery 2 / Piloting 5)
Panther PNT-9R (Gunnery 3 / Piloting 5)
Catapult CPLT-K3 (Gunnery 2 / Piloting 5)
This was a deceptively nasty defensive lineup.
The Raven’s elite gunnery made turret control extremely dangerous, while the Catapult’s ER PPCs threatened the battlefield from almost anywhere. The Panther provided mobile PPC pressure, and the Blackjack acted as a close-range brawler and harassment unit.
Awesome AWS-8T
Archer ARC-2Rb
Valkyrie VLK-QD
Locust LCT-1V
Stinger STG-3Gb
I clearly planned a high-speed, multi-flank assault, with the Locust and Stinger rushing early, while the Awesome and Archer crushed turrets through the centre.
The defenders deployed compactly around the base, clearly prioritising turret control and interior denial.
The Raven positioned itself to reach turret control immediately.
The Catapult took a forward interior position, ready to step out and dominate lines of fire.
The Panther was placed to threaten fast movers approaching the walls.
The Blackjack sat deeper in the base, ready to counter-punch or redeploy.
I won initiative and immediately committed to speed.
The Locust sprinted up the northern edge, hugging terrain and lining up on the base entrance. The Stinger mirrored this on the southern flank, using hills for cover. The Archer and Awesome advanced methodically from the eastern edge, already lining up long-range shots on the turrets.
On the defensive side, the Raven walked straight onto turret control, while the Panther leapt onto the wall, drawing a bead on the Locust. The Catapult moved out from the gate, facing the incoming light ’Mech threat.
Fire flew immediately. Turrets barked but missed the Locust, though the Stinger took a nasty large-laser hit. The Archer and Awesome stripped heavy armour from two turrets, while the Valkyrie nearly finished one off. Despite multiple PPCs and lasers aimed at it, the Locust somehow survived untouched.
The tone was set: this game would be fast and violent.
Attacker wins initiative.
The Raven stayed on turret control - and the turrets immediately proved their value.
One Stinger disappeared in a flash of light as turret fire cored its centre torso. The first attacker ’Mech was gone by Round 2.
But the attackers answered brutally. The Valkyrie destroyed a turret, and the Awesome convincingly erased another. With the Catapult and Panther distracted by the dead Stinger, the Locust suddenly found itself staring down a clear corridor straight through the base entrance.
Running flat out, the Locust burst through the gate and - against all expectations - landed a medium laser hit on the Dignitary convoy.
Gasps all around the table. The VIP was suddenly at 10 armour and very much under threat.
The defenders won initiative, but it wasn’t enough.
The Valkyrie attempted an indirect LRM shot at the convoy and missed. The Blackjack and Panther tried to collapse on the Locust, while the Raven disengaged from turret control to chase it down.
Then the Awesome stepped up.
From outside the base, it lined up a long-range shot through the corridors - and hit. The Dignitary convoy was completely destroyed.
The table fell silent. The defenders had lost their primary objective by Round 3.
But the fight was far from over.
The defenders won initiative, AGAIN!
With the VIP dead, the defenders shifted goals: deny points and cripple attackers.
The Panther and Catapult began a relentless cycle of knocking the Awesome to the ground. Engine hits, falls, and brutal follow-up fire turned the assault ’Mech into a battered wreck that simply refused to die.
The Blackjack flanked aggressively, slamming into the Archer from behind and knocking it over. The Raven danced between turret control and harassment fire, while the Valkyrie and Locust, both damaged and exhausted, began to disengage.
Despite repeated volleys, the Awesome stubbornly stood back up again and again - only to be knocked down once more.
The defenders won initiative, for the 4th and final time...
By Round 6, the battlefield was a mess of craters, wreckage, and battered ’Mechs.
The Stinger was gone.
The Awesome was crippled but somehow still standing.
The Locust and Valkyrie withdrew.
The Raven reclaimed turret control for the end-game bonus.
With objectives resolved and no realistic path to further points, the game was called.
Defenders (Dave)
1 destroyed ’Mech: 2 VP
1 crippled ’Mech: 1 VP
Controlled turrets at end of game: 3 VP
Total: 6 VP
Attackers (Glen)
2 destroyed turrets: 2 VP
Assassinated the Dignitary: 2 VP
Total: 4 VP
Glen: 10 + 4 = 14 VP
Dave: 3 + 6 = 10 VP
This second game felt completely different to the first.
The early assassination proved the attackers can win quickly - but the defenders showed that even after catastrophic loss, there are still meaningful decisions and points to fight for.
Before we dive into scenario balance and lessons learned, we’re going to stop here - because this game deserves a proper post-mortem of its own.
And yes… the Awesome really did just keep standing back up.
Classic BattleTech Scenario Playtest
For our latest BattleTech game night, we finally put our custom scenario Evacuation Under Fire on the table. This was its first live playtest, and it did not disappoint: collapsing turrets, missed assassination runs, falling Assault ’Mechs, and one very unlucky Commando.
Glen One N (me) took on the role of the Defender, holding a half-abandoned base while a planetary Dignitary attempted to escape. David led the Attacking force, tasked with preventing that evacuation by any means necessary.
Before we get into the blow-by-blow, let’s look at the forces involved.
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| The Defenders in the Base |
Marauder
The obvious anchor and convoy bodyguard. Twin PPCs and sheer intimidation made it the natural “bouncer at the door.”
Catapult
Long-range fire support, ideally placed to command the battlefield and punish over-extension.
Blackjack
Flexible and underrated. Perfect for turret control early, and able to reposition once the fight escalated.
Valkyrie
Fast, evasive, and ideal for harassment, spotting, and last-ditch heroics.
On paper, this force was all about area denial and reaction. Fewer ’Mechs, but excellent synergy with the base turrets and strong firing arcs once the attackers committed.
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| The Attackers |
Hunchback
A terrifying mid-range threat, even without its famous AC/20.
Centurion
Durable and versatile, ideal for turret removal and pressure on the convoy.
Enforcer
Mobile fire support with an LB-10X, perfect for crit fishing.
Shadow Hawk
Flexible flanker and potential capture platform.
Commando
Fast, fragile, and clearly intended for a high-risk capture run.
This was a numerically superior force with strong combined-arms potential. The attacker’s plan was clear: use mobility and numbers to overwhelm turret control, then apply pressure to the convoy before the evacuation window closed.
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| Getting Ready for Round 1 |
The defenders deployed conservatively, but with intent.
The Marauder stood squarely at the base entrance like a nightclub bouncer daring anyone to start trouble. The Catapult hid just inside the walls, ready to leap into a commanding fire position. The Blackjack deployed deep in the base, eyeing up the turret control system, while the Valkyrie began on a central hill, poised to react.
The attackers entered from the Blue Border with purpose. The Commando immediately pushed up the northern flank, while the Shadow Hawk and Centurion advanced in the south. The Hunchback took a cautious approach behind hills, and the Enforcer jumped into woods on a distant hill to scout and harass.
From the very first movement phase, it was clear this would be a positional game, not a reckless charge.
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| Enforcer Down |
Fire in the opening exchanges was… enthusiastic, if not effective.
Autocannons barked, LRMs streaked across the battlefield, and almost nothing landed — except for one important moment. The Enforcer clipped the Valkyrie with an LB-10X cluster, drawing first blood.
The defenders answered immediately. Twin PPC fire from the Marauder slammed into the Enforcer, knocking it clean off its feet after a failed pilot skill roll. The message was clear: approach the base at your own risk.
Meanwhile, the Blackjack seized control of the turrets early, and the Catapult dramatically leapt onto a heavy building, surveying the entire map like an artillery god… and then proceeded to miss with its LRMs for several turns.
The Commando’s northern dash slowed, and that hesitation would soon prove fatal...
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| Turret Popping |
The turning point came swiftly.
Seeing the Commando creeping forward without full speed, the Marauder broke formation and charged out of the base. Two PPC shots later, the Commando’s right leg was blown clean off, sending it crashing to the ground in a shower of armour and regret.
The Commando did manage a defiant SRM volley into a nearby turret before falling — but its fate was sealed. Multiple failed stand attempts later, an ammunition explosion finished it off entirely.
Elsewhere, turrets began to fall. The attackers focused fire efficiently, obliterating one turret after another. The Shadow Hawk even made sure of one kill with a somewhat unnecessary “double tap.”
Still, turret fire had its moments — hammering the Shadow Hawk and Enforcer and making every approach feel costly.
The Valkyrie danced in and out of danger, repeatedly jumping back behind the walls, while the Marauder punished anyone who strayed too close.
By the end of Round 3, the battlefield was littered with smoking turret wreckage, and the attackers were running out of time.
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| Valkyrie Jet Dancing behind the Centurion |
Things escalated quickly.
The Shadow Hawk pushed forward again — and paid dearly. Automatic turret fire smashed into its head, followed by a critical gyro hit that dropped it hard to the ground. Attempts to stand only worsened the pilot’s condition until they were knocked unconscious.
The Hunchback finally found its range, hammering the Marauder and scoring a brutal gyro hit of its own, sending the iconic Assault ’Mech crashing to the dirt in front of the base gates.
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| Expensive Gyro Hit for Marauder |
Suddenly, everything was on the line.
The Enforcer and Hunchback closed in on the fallen Marauder, while the Centurion desperately tried — and failed — to hit the Dignitary convoy with indirect fire. The Catapult, having overseen the entire battle from its rooftop throne, finally landed some medium-laser hits, forcing the Centurion to the floor, but couldn’t finish the job.
The defenders held firm.
Despite being prone and under pressure, the Marauder absorbed punishment. The Valkyrie harassed where it could. The Blackjack burst from the base to support its fallen comrade. And crucially — the Dignitary convoy survived.
With the evacuation complete and losses mounting, David made the sensible call to disengage.
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| Panic Setting in... |
When the smoke cleared:
Defender
5 VP – Dignitary successfully evacuated
3 VP – Controlled turrets at game end
2 VP – Destroyed Commando
Total: 10 VP
Attacker
3 VP – Destroyed three turrets
Total: 3 VP
A clear defender victory.
This first playtest confirmed several things:
Turret control matters, but turrets alone won’t win the game.
The Marauder is terrifying when used aggressively — and still relevant even when prone.
Capture attempts are dangerous, and hesitation is punished brutally.
The scenario creates genuine tension right up to the evacuation moment.
Most importantly, it felt like BattleTech.
Hard choices, missed shots, sudden catastrophic failures, and a story that practically wrote itself.
We’ll absolutely be running this scenario again (in a few weeks) — and next time, the attackers might be a little less polite.
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| The Map - Defenders Deployed on Green Hexes, Attackers Deploy from Blue Border. The Dignitary (VIP) moves from Hex 1 to Evacuate on Hex 6 (Round 6). |