Operation Winter Scar

It’s shaping up to be a beautiful day, and you’re about to do one of the craziest things you’ve ever done in your life. Considering what landed you on Cressidium in the first place, that’s saying something.

Being part of a naval op taking place on actual water is a novel experience. Unfortunately, you don’t get much of a chance to admire the ocean view from down in the flight bay where your mechs are being prepped for launch, high-mobility packs clamped to their backs. You’ve all had a crash course in how to operate these external flight units: they’ll keep you comfortably airborne for a decent stretch… or they can get you somewhere uncomfortably fast exactly once.

You’ve never done a horizontal combat drop before, but what the hell, today’s a day of firsts.

***

The conflict on Cressidium between the Leandric States Alliance and the Vestan Sovereignty has turned to open war, and the mechanized chassis pilots of the Union carrier Rio Grande have been tasked with aiding their allies in the LSA as the hardline Vestan government escalates the conflict even further.

Now, as part of Task Force Indigo, they face one of their most critical missions yet: inserting deep into Vestan territory, linking up with local resistance forces, and then tracking down the top secret Vestan superweapon codenamed TARTARUS. Success here could turn the tide of the war, but the Sovereignty won't give up without a fight.

***

Operation Winter Scar is a structured mission module for Lancer, written and designed by Kai Tave as a followup to Operation Solstice Rain, continuing the narrative first established there. Playing through Operation Solstice Rain prior to this module is recommended, but not necessary.

This module takes characters from License Level 2 to LL4 across two missions, pitting the now-seasoned pilots against the might of the Vestan Sovereignty Armed Forces. From advanced combat chassis to main battle tanks, the Sovereignty will stop at nothing in their efforts to push the pilots of Task Force Indigo and their Vestan resistance allies back, all the while the threat of TARTARUS hangs overhead.

In addition to six more combat scenes spread across two missions, this module also contains new player and GM options suitable for any Lancer campaign:

• The HA Gilgamesh - A resilient all-rounder that can eject damaged parts to perform mid-combat repairs, the Gilgamesh is a new license focused on the use of Limited weapons and systems, including the reliable Legionnaire Battle Rifle, versatile Utility Drones, and the Legion Nexus which allows you to command a unit of combat subalterns into battle.
• New Variant Frames - The SSC Amber Phantom grants pilots effective precognition during combat and rewards advanced planning, the HORUS Lycan begins each combat as an unassuming Defender until shedding its carapace and extending brutal Shock Claws, and the HA Kutuzov takes the Napoleon's famous survivability and turns it outward with a series of parallel-tracked shield projectors for close-quarters protection.
• New NPC Class - The MBT, a main battle tank with a reinforced armored facing and multiple weapon options, allowing you to create your own battlefield juggernaut.
• New NPC Template - Marine, a template which grants NPCs zero-gravity maneuverability along with a suite of Defender role options, from Pointman Plating to help protect allies to the brutal Captive Spike, which turns hapless boarders into improvised cover.

Each combat encounter in Operation Winter Scar is once again accompanied by fully illustrated tactical maps, with design by Dunya Kat and artwork by Conner Dodd, made for use with both square grids and hex grids depending on your group’s preferences. Additional artwork is provided by returning artists Elizabeth Brewer, E.M. Fields, Peyton Gee, and Juan Gee Tan, with additional mech art by returning Lancer artist Théotime Galmiche.

The .lcp files included also contain all the player-facing content for COMP/CON, our free character builder tool, and will remain free to download (see the 'demo' file below).

See you on Cressidium.