Interceptor: a Spectre Operations scenario

 Interceptor 

This scenario for Spectre Operations is based on the adorably well-meant 2022 action movie starring Elsa Pataky. The plot is thoroughly straightforward: Evil Villains capture a bunch of Russian ICBMs to level the US with and also capture the two missile interceptor bases the US has to intercept those. (Yes, only two....)  

While the first Interceptor base falls easily to the terrorists, at the second one the terrorists’ evil plans are thwarted by sole survivor captain JJ Collins. She Kicks Ass. And stabs someone to death with an empty pistol. Watch that movie. But be warned. It is cult-level BAD. 

The scenario:

Captain JJ Collins and Corporal Rahul Shah occupy the base’ Command center. This is locked from the inside. All other base crew have been killed by the terrorists. JJ (Professional) and Shah (Trained) both have level 1 body armour and a sidearm. Evil Mastermind Alexander Kessel (sidearm, Trained) and six terrorists (SMGs, Trained) are outside trying to get in. The clock is ticking, since SEAL Team SIx is underway to reinforce JJ. Kessel must have completed his mission before that. 

Miscellaneous equipment:

• JJ and Shah have a laptop with which to control the missiles from anywhere in the base.
• JJ has a roll of Ductape.
• Kessel and his men have a blowtorch (Breaching tool) to break down the Command Center Door (Heavily barricaded door). A blowtorch attack needs a 4+ to succeed and does 1 damage. The door has 3 strength points. One Attack per turn.
• Kessel and his men have three canisters of acid to destroy the Command Center consoles with. This is an Attack action at throwing range that succeeds automatically. At least two are needed.
• Kessel has a satellite phone he can use to order ICBM launches with.

Miscellaneous options:

Team JJ has 10 option cards she can play closed as an Action. Each card can be played only once but Team JJ can play as many cards as she likes per turn. A card needs to be played as an Action for either JJ or Shah. 

Playing a card means JJ or Shah perform the action the card stands for. Cards can't be played when their Actions cannot both be performed, like the Ace and Three of hearts at the same time for JJ. 

Once the effect of a card becomes clear, the JJ player must turn it over to allow the Kessel player to check. When a card is played the JJ and Shah figures are not moved until the card’s effect becomes apparent.  

• 5 cards are random decoys and don’t do anything.
• Ace of hearts: JJ may leave the Command center to its roof and remain there Hidden.
• Two of Hearts: Shah may leave the Command center to its roof and remain there Hidden. 
• Three of Hearts: JJ may leave the Command Center through the floor, drop into the sea and re-emerge at the top of the stairs of any pylon, also Hidden, the next turn.
• Four of Hearts: Shah may leave the Command Center through the floor, drop into the sea and re-emerge at the top of the stairs of any pylon, also Hidden, the next turn.
• Five of Hearts: By using the air ducts OUTSIDE the Command center, either JJ may disappear (an Action) and reappear anywhere on the base in a following turn, as long as it is OUTSIDE the Command Center. The laptop will not work from inside the air ducts, so sticking there is not an option 😊

JJ and/or Shah may fire any number of Interceptor missiles from within the Command Center or with the laptop from anywhere. It takes an Action to fire an Interceptor missile with the laptop or the Command Center Console. Interceptor missiles never miss and never run out.

Figures may appropriate any weapon from a dead opponent (Action). Searching a dead terrorist for a reload also takes an Action and succeeds on a 4+.

Rolling a 6 with an appropriated weapon means it fired but is now empty. 

JJ may also declare her sidearm to be empty during a Close Combat and then use it as a +2 Close Combat weapon ONCE (you should REALLY watch that movie….).  

JJ may use an Action and Ductape to stop any Bleeding. This also lowers her own Wound status one level.

Kessel can use his Satellite Phone and an action to order any number of  ICBM launches. Interceptor missiles need to be launched within three turns to shoot those down and save an entire US city!

A Blackhawk with 10 Navy SEALs (Professionals, Body armour, Carbines, Sidearms, Grenades L/N-L) is underway to reinforce JJ. At the end of each turn, roll a D6 and add the Turn number. If the result is 15+, the Blackhawk will arrive the next turn and the SEALs will appear as a group (fast-roped down) anywhere on the open top deck.   

Both the radar dome and the rocket launchers are indestructible. I know this makes no sense, but neither does this movie. Except as a game scenario. 

Victory conditions:

When one or more US cities are destroyed, Kessel wins.

When all ICBMs are either shot down or not launched at all, JJ wins.

Oh, and you'll need a missile base...

How it played for us: 

The decoy cards proved useful. I played JJ/Shah and despatched Shah to the roof and JJ through the floor as soon as it seemed likely the door would be breached. I played one Decoy card to confuse my opponent, but I could have played more. 

Shah took out one terrorist but was then eliminated as he was too exposed on the roof. I should have kept him for a better moment. 

JJ took position alongside pylon 1 and was able to eliminate several ICBMs before she was found. Getting overconfident, I decided to shoot it out. But not only did I fumble my shots, the Kessel player lined up two terrorists to shoot me and those fired just one bullet too many....

With JJ down, Seal Team Six arrived too late to prevent the US being nuked. Darn. 

I would have done better to have played the air duct card and run. That would have bought JJ at least two more turns and could have moved her out of some terrorist's way and into better cover. 

But the scenario resulted in a good game of cat-and-mouse. There are all kinds of options available. JJ and Shah can try to defend the Command Center, stay as long as possible and then escape to the rest of the base, split up and combine these tactics, sending one of them out with the laptop and the other as a last stand in de CC. I wager we'll be playing this one a few more times.