Escape the Dark Sector: Mission Pack 1 – Twisted Tech
Escape the Dark Sector: Mission Pack 1 – Twisted Tech Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
How to Use This Pack
Mission Pack 1: Twisted Tech is an expansion pack for Escape the Dark Sector, introducing new rules and content to enhance your adventures. The following pages will explain how to incorporate this into your games. You'll need a copy of the Escape the Dark Sector core set, and we recommend being familiar with how to play it before adding any expansion content.
Components
- 4 x Act 1 Chapter Cards
- 4 x Act 2 Chapter Cards
- 4 x Act 3 Chapter Cards
- 3 x Drone Cards
- 9 x Item Cards
- 1 x Boss Card
- 1 x Supplemental Rule Book
- 3 x Special Ammo Dice
- 3 x Flame Ammo Dice
- 1 x Tech Die
Changes to Setup
For maximum variety each time you play, all content in the Escape the Dark Sector range is designed to be mixed together. Before setup, simply add the new chapter cards, item cards, and boss card contained in this pack to their corresponding decks of your existing Escape the Dark Sector collection (the core set and any other expansions you may have). Put the tech die with the chapter dice from the core set, and place the Special Ammo dice and Flame Ammo dice alongside the ammo dice from the core set.
Then follow the normal steps for setting up the game but add the following final step:
Select Drone
As a group, choose one of the three new drones to take with you on your mission (details of what each drone does can be found in the following pages). Place the chosen drone in the usual tactical combat action space of the play area and put the other drones, including the original drone from core set, back in the box.
Using the New Drones
The three drones included in this pack offer exciting new tactical options for crewmembers when performing the Standard Combat Action, activate drone.
Activating
In addition to declaring that your crewmember will take the activate drone action and placing your crew die on the drone card, you must now also declare whether you intend to activate the Basic or the Advanced function of the drone. The functions of each drone are described in detail below and summarised on the drone cards themselves for easy reference during play.
The Basic function of each drone has a fixed outcome, but the Advanced function requires you to roll the TECH DIE to determine the outcome – and be warned, these drones are known to malfunction and the results are not always positive!
After activating either function, you must turn over the drone card to its Drone Recharging side as usual to end your action.
The Tech Die
This pack introduces the TECH DIE, which represents the variable outcome of certain actions involving machines, computers and equipment beyond the crew's control. It will be rolled to activate the new drones, to resolve certain chapter cards, and to determine the Combat Special of the new boss contained in this pack – Neuroshima!
Using the Tech Die
Unless otherwise stated, whenever you are instructed to roll the TECH DIE you can choose which player will roll it. However, in the case of drones it must be rolled by the player whose crewmember is taking the ACTIVATE DRONE action.
The TECH DIE can be re-rolled if the crewmember has the necessary gear to do so.
Surgical Drone
An advanced medical drone capable of sealing wounds and regenerating tissue in the heat of battle.
- Basic Function: HEAL – Restore 1HP to your crewmember.
- Advanced Function: REGEN – Roll the TECH DIE and apply the result:
- Large circuit symbol = Restore 3HP to your crewmember, or remove a mutation*.
- Small circuit symbol = Restore 2HP to your crewmember.
- Chip symbol = Restore 1HP to your crewmember.
- Skull symbol (Malfunction!) = The drone glitches and wounds you. You lose 1HP.
*IMPORTANT – Mutations are introduced in Mission Pack 3: Mutant Syndrome. If you are playing with mutations, when the TECH DIE symbol for 3HP is rolled you must choose between restoring 3HP to the crewmember taking the action, or discarding one mutation card of your choice from their inventory. You cannot do both.
If you're not playing with mutations you can ignore the second option and simply restore 3HP to your crewmember.
Source note: the source's wording reads "Mutations are introduced in Mission Pack 3: Mutant Syndrome", but the Mutant Syndrome supplemental rule book on the same source page is headed as Mission Pack 1 and its body calls itself Mission Pack 2. The reference is transcribed as printed.
Replication Drone
A support drone capable of replicating weapons and items of gear the crew have previously encountered on their mission.
- Basic Function: HEAL – Restore 1HP to your crewmember.
- Advanced Function: REPLICATE – Roll the TECH DIE and apply the result:
- Replication Overdrive! Take any two weapons or items of gear from the discard pile.
- Replication Successful! Take any one weapon or item of gear from the discard pile.
- Replication Error! Draw an item card from the top of the item deck.
- Malfunction! The replicated item explodes just before completion. You lose 1HP.
IMPORTANT – With the exception of the Replication Error! result, the Replicator Drone can only replicate items which are already in the discard pile, and only those with the keyword Weapon or Gear. You can freely search the discard pile to choose which items you want to replicate (but not the item deck).
Replicated items must immediately be put into the inventory of the crewmember taking the ACTIVATE DRONE action. If there is not enough space to do so, then either the newly replicated items or items already in that crewmember's inventory must be placed in a temporary item pool below the mission deck.
For the remainder of the chapter, any crewmember may pick up cards from the item pool by taking the Standard Combat Action, TRADE. This works just like the normal TRADE action, but they will be trading with the item pool instead of with another crewmember. Alternatively, at the end of the chapter, cards in the item pool can be taken by any crewmember without the need to take an action.
Before a new chapter card is turned, any cards remaining in the pool must be discarded.
Sentry Drone
A combat drone armed with an array of weaponry and targeting systems, capable of accurately striking enemy weak points.
- Basic Function: HEAL – Restore 1HP to your crewmember.
- Advanced Function: SHOOT* (ranged combat only) – Roll the TECH DIE and apply the result:
- Two wounds! Remove two chapter dice of your choice.
- One wound! Remove one chapter dice of your choice.
- Miss! The drone has missed the target this time. No effect.
- Malfunction! The drone mistakes you for the enemy. You lose 1HP.
IMPORTANT – The Advanced function of this drone counts as the SHOOT action and can only be activated during Ranged Combat. The Basic function can be activated during either type of combat.
Special Ammo Dice
This pack introduces a new kind of ammo to the game – Special Ammo. Special Ammo is only fired by certain weapons (see below) but otherwise works just like the game's other ammo types.
Punch-Gun
The Punch-Gun is a Special Weapon which fires Special Ammo and can only be used in Close Combat.
- Ammo: 1 Special Ammo die. Fire Rate: 1.
- Card text: If this weapon is loaded, when you take the FIGHT action and HIT, roll the Special Ammo die and apply it in addition to your crew die.
- Special Ammo symbol (crosshair) = 1 wound.
- Blank face = No extra damage.
Loading – When you draw this weapon from the item deck, or when the crewmember carrying it takes the RELOAD action, put one Special Ammo die on the loaded space marked on the card.
Firing – When you have declared the FIGHT action for your crewmember, if the Punch-Gun is loaded you must then declare whether or not your crewmember will be using it before rolling their crew die to attack. Then, if your crewmember successfully HITS the enemy, the punch-gun automatically goes off. Roll a Special Ammo die:
- Hit! The Punch-Gun delivers a brutal blast to the enemy at point blank range. Inflict one wound in addition to any wounds inflicted by the result of your crew die.
- Malfunction! (blank face) You inflict no additional wounds. Discard this die.
Sniper Rifle
The Sniper Rifle is Special Weapon which fires Special Ammo and can only be used in Ranged Combat. Extremely powerful if used at the right moment, it needs to be loaded and primed before it is ready to fire, and it can only be fired from the Flank.
- Ammo: 1 Special Ammo die. Fire Rate: 1.
- Card text: New Flank Action: SNIPE. Special Ammo symbol (crosshair) = Remove all chapter dice of one type or any three.
Loading – When you draw this weapon from the item deck, or when the weapon is out of AMMO and the crewmember carrying it takes the RELOAD action, put one Special Ammo die on the loaded space marked on the card.
Priming – If the Sniper Rifle is already loaded, your crewmember may prime the weapon to make it ready to fire by taking the reload action once again: Slide the Special Ammo die from the loaded space to the primed space marked on the card.
Firing – The only way to fire the Sniper Rifle is by performing a new Flank Action:
SNIPE (Flank Attack) – To perform this action, a crewmember must be on the Flank with a primed Sniper Rifle. Roll a Special Ammo die:
- Bullseye! Remove all chapter dice of one type (MIGHT, CUNNING, or WISDOM) or any three chapter dice of your choice.
- Miss! (blank face) You missed the target. Discard this die.
IMPORTANT – Bonus FLANK damage does not apply to this action. This action counts as the SHOOT action, meaning in the following round of combat players can choose whether to continue with Ranged Combat or begin Close Combat.
Flame Thrower
The Flame Thrower is a Special Weapon which fires Flame Ammo and can only be used in Ranged Combat. Bathing the enemy in flame, this weapon's attack ignores resistances to other ammo types and inflicts a wound for each HIT scored. But be warned, this power comes at significant risk to the wielder...
- Ammo: 3 Flame Ammo dice. Fire Rate: 1–3.
- Card text: Flame symbol = 1. Engulfing flame symbol = 1 + Engulfing flames. You lose 1HP. Cannot be reloaded.
Loading – When you draw this weapon from the item deck, put three Flame Ammo dice on the card. When it is out of AMMO, it cannot be reloaded.
Firing – To fire the Flame Thrower take the SHOOT action as normal. The Flame Thrower has a variable Fire Rate of one to three. This means that provided there is enough ammo left, each time your crewmember takes the shoot action you may choose how many Flame Ammo dice to roll: one, two, or three.
Flame Ammo results:
- Hit! The enemy is bathed in flame. Inflict one wound.
- Miss! You missed the target. You inflict no wounds. Discard this die.
- Engulfing Flames! The fire spreads wildly. Inflict one wound, and you lose 1HP.
Cybernetic Upgrades
This pack includes a new cybernetic implant which can be found in the item deck during missions. Crewmembers can rip out their current implant to install this new one by taking the new INSTALL CYBERNETIC action:
INSTALL CYBERNETIC – Between chapters, deduct 1HP from your crewmember to discard their current cybernetic implant and replace it with another.
Using Drone Commander
This new cybernetic implant allows the crewmember using it to take the ACTIVATE DRONE action and perform the Basic function of any drone without turning it to its Drone Recharging side afterwards. This means the drone remains available for use the following round by any crewmember, and for either its Basic or Advanced function. It is therefore possible to use the basic function twice in one chapter, but the advanced function can only ever be used once per chapter.
Drone Commander card – The printed card text reads: "Once per combat, after taking the ACTIVATE DRONE action, do not turn over the drone card if you used its Basic function." The rules text above contains no once-per-combat limit and says the Basic function may be used twice in one chapter. The two are transcribed as printed; the card and rules text conflict and the publisher's wording has not been resolved here.