Hardwired 28

Campaign

The Untethered are spreading. What began as scattered heresy in the lower tiers has become something organized, something coordinated. Open Channel broadcasts grow bolder each cycle, promising liberation from cables and subscriptions. The signal reaches further than it should. Something is answering.

The Departments smell opportunity. Resource Allocation wants whatever the Untethered found in the Roots. Revenue Operations wants the salvage rights. Human Capital wants the converts for reeducation. Security & Compliance wants the heresy crushed before it spreads further. Each Department sends their own squads. Each Department expects results. None of them share intelligence.

Your squad investigates. Recover data-slates from dead drops. Confiscate transmitters before the signal spreads. Interrogate cultists who would rather die than talk. The Departments pay well for artifacts. They pay better for Founders secrets. They pay best for silence about what you find down there.

The deeper you go, the stranger the evidence becomes. The Untethered aren't just receiving signals. They're answering them. And something in the Roots is listening. Something that remembers the time before the Tethering. Something that has been waiting six hundred years to speak again.

Fail and your subscription drops. Succeed and someone else claims the bonus. Defect and you become the next contract. The Departments always need more bodies. The Departments always need more silence. The investigation continues until someone finds the source. Or until the source finds them.

THE SIGNAL CRISIS DESTROYED THE OLD WORLD. Do not let it destroy this one.
Conduit Authority Public Advisory

Board

2'x2' with dense terrain. Avoid long corridors and open lanes: ranged models dominate sight lines longer than 12". Scatter cover to create multiple approach paths. Hostiles act as third-party threats.

Setup

Standard Deployment: Deployment zones extend 3" from each table edge.

Pick Side: Roll your Boss's Wits vs opponent's Boss's Wits. Winner chooses a table edge. The other player takes the opposite edge.
Deploy First: Roll Boss Wits vs Wits. Winner chooses who deploys first. Players alternate placing one model at a time within their deployment zone until all models are deployed.
Loot & Coworkers: Players alternate placing Loot Markers and Coworkers in the areas specified by the scenario.
Start: Roll Boss Wits vs Wits. Winner chooses who activates first in Round 1.

Unless a scenario specifies otherwise, use Standard Deployment.

Game Length: Games last a minimum of 5 rounds. At the end of Round 5, roll d6: on 3+ the game ends. At the end of Round 6, roll d6: on 2+ the game ends. The game automatically ends after Round 7.

Relic: A special Loot Marker placed by some scenarios. Interact to pick up. Carrier moves at half speed. Drops if carrier goes Out of Action (Interact to pick up again).

Hostiles: Unless the scenario specifies otherwise, spawned hostiles appear at the start of the round, together at a random board edge, as close to center as possible.

Scenario Selection

Calculate Evidence Gap

Total = Evidence + Leads
Subtract lower total from higher
Aggressor: Squad with higher total
Defender: Squad with lower total
If tied, higher Evidence wins. Still tied: random

Roll d3 on Gap row

Gap	d3: 1	d3: 2	d3: 3
0-1	The Condemned Block	Smuggler's Run	The Wave Shrine
2-3	The Encryption Keys	The Barricade	The Ambush
4+	No Quarter	The Vault	Debt Leverage

Hostile Type

d6	Faction
1	Scrapers
2	Feral Crews
3	Wave Callers
4	Static Wraiths
5	Feral Automata
6	Cable Feeders

Roll Objective Modifiers

Loot Modifiers

d6	Modifier	Effect
1	Standard	Normal `Search`
2	Decoys	Half are fake. Placing player decides. Reveal on `Search`
3	Locked	2 consecutive activations adjacent to unlock. Attack or move breaks sequence
4	Heavy	All `Loot Markers` are Heavy. Needs 2 friendly models within 1" to `Search`
5	Drop Zone	Place delivery points instead of `Loot Markers`. At each round start, 1 `Loot Marker` drops at a random point
6	Extraction	Carry off board to score. No Performance Review

Coworker Modifiers

d6	Modifier	Effect
1	Standard	Normal `Interrogate`
2	Panicked	Always use Flee behavior at half `Move` (ignore AI roll)
3	Escort	Can't `Interrogate` on spot. Carry to your edge to score
4	Hostile	Start marked Hostile (use Atk columns)
5	Informant	Worth 2 `Evidence`. Reroll 0 results
6	Bribed	Pay 3 subs: auto-succeed (still roll result table)

Gathering Evidence

Start the campaign with 0 Evidence and 0 Leads. Both persist between games.

Search

Within 1" of Loot Marker
Roll Wits vs 2d6

d20	Finding
1	2 subs
2	Random Light Armor
3	4 subs
4	Random Melee Weapon
5	6 subs
6	Evidence
7	Random Consumable
8	8 subs
9	Random Ranged Weapon
10	2 Evidence
11	Random Medium Armor
12	Evidence
13	Random Gear
14	12 subs
15	Random Heavy Armor
16	15 subs
17	Evidence
18	20 subs
19	Evidence
20	Roll twice (ignore 20s)

Interrogate

Within 1" of target
Wits vs Wits (opposed)
+1 DT if target wounded
Success: target cannot be interrogated again

2d4	Result	Effect
2	False Data	Lose 1 `Evidence`
3	Misdirection	Nothing
4	Bribe Offer	10 subs
5	Rumor	1 `Lead`
6	Cooperates	1 `Evidence`
7	Talkative	1 `Evidence`, +1 `Lead`
8	Full Disclosure	2 `Evidence`

Recording Evidence

When you gain Evidence:

Choose how many Leads to spend (0 or more). These are lost.
Roll d10.
If the result is a duplicate, you may reroll once per Lead spent.
After your final roll: unique result records new Evidence, duplicate result gains 1 Lead.

Matched Missions

The Condemned Block

Sector 7-Receivable. The name tells you everything: defaulted, seized, abandoned. When a district falls behind on infrastructure payments, the Authority reclassifies it. Cooling gets cut. Maintenance stops. The residents become "receivables" on someone's ledger.

This hab-block was scheduled for demolition decades ago. The paperwork is still pending. Both squads arrived within minutes of each other. Frightened workers still shelter in the ruins. They've seen things. They'll talk, if either side can reach them first.

Terrain

Sector 7-Receivable. Ruined hab-block. Collapsed coolant pipes, exposed wiring, plenty of maintenance alcoves to search.

Loot

Players alternate placing 3 Loot Markers each.

Coworkers

Roll Coworkers (Swarm tier). Must touch terrain.

Deployment

Standard.

Threats

Round 3: Roll Hostile faction table (Swarm tier). Spawn on random edge.

"Sector 7 defaulted before I was born. My parents defaulted here. Their debt is mine now."
Receivable Resident

Smuggler's Run

The Solder Market is the Complex's black market. Officially it doesn't exist. Unofficially, the Toll Collectors take a cut of everything that moves through it. The smell of flux and burned insulation. Cables strung overhead like festival decorations. The outer edges are worse: unlicensed waypoints where cargo changes hands without paperwork and questions get you killed.

A dossier is hidden somewhere in this maze. Names, dates, shipment manifests. Worse: evidence of Department dealings with the Untethered. Resource Allocation and Human Capital both want it buried. Both squads want it found. The local freelancers have run protection here for years. They don't care who wins. They care who pays.

Terrain

Solder Market edges. Cargo depot. Stacked containers, loading cables, toll-booths with sealed doors.

Loot

1 Loot Marker (the dossier) in center. Players alternate placing 2 Loot Markers each (6"+ from center).

Coworkers

Roll Coworkers (Elite tier).

Deployment

Standard.

Threats

Rounds 3, 5: Roll Hostile faction table (Normal tier). Spawn on random edge.

"Resistance will add to your balance."
Toll Collector final notice

The Wave Shrine

Conduit Junction Null. The Monks call it cursed: no cable reaches here, no signal flows clean. Light comes from indicator LEDs and the occasional work lamp. Centuries ago, a cascade failure severed this junction from the Holy Network. The Monks sealed it and moved on. The Untethered found it.

They've been using this place for months. Open Channel broadcasts originate here, some say. The wave corruption is thick enough to taste: metal and ozone, the flavor of forbidden frequencies. Something rests on that altar. Something from before the Tethering. Something that still works.

Terrain

Conduit Junction Null. Corrupted shrine. Central data-terminal, scattered prayer-mats, diagnostic candles, hidden alcoves.

Loot

1 Relic in center. Players alternate placing 1 Loot Marker each within 6" of Relic.

Coworkers

Roll Coworkers (Normal tier).

Deployment

Standard.

Threats

Rounds 2, 4, 6: Roll Hostile faction table (Elite tier). Spawn from center.

Special

At game end, Relic holder gains +3 Evidence.

WIRELESS IS DEATH: Feel the feedback in your teeth.

Advantage Missions

The Encryption Keys

The Comptroller's District processes every subscription in the Complex. Birth certificates, death notices, debt transfers. Endless corridors of identical offices. The constant click of data-slabs being stamped. The clerks who work here see everything and remember nothing. That's company policy.

One clerk remembered. They found something in Terminal 404, the sector where records have been corrupted for decades. Encryption keys to archives that should not exist. Archives that might predate the Tethering. The Aggressor needs what's in that clerk's head. The Defender tracked them here, to an annex where paperwork goes to die. The Authority hasn't noticed yet. They will.

Terrain

The Comptroller's District. Authority annex. Cramped offices, data-stacks, locked subscription vaults.

Loot

Players alternate placing 2 Loot Markers each (9"+ from center).

Coworkers

Roll Coworkers (Normal tier). Place within 6" of center.

Deployment

Aggressor picks edge, deploys first. Defender opposite edge, 3" deep.

Threats

Round 2: Roll Hostile faction table (Swarm tier). Spawn on random edge.

Special

Hostiles ignore Defender until Defender uses Search or Interrogate, or until Round 3.

"Every incident resolved is a shareholder satisfied."
Chief Arbiter Kale Duross

The Barricade

The Cooperative formed when Sector 7 defaulted. No leaders, no records, no subscriptions. Just the understanding that today's giver may be tomorrow's receiver. The Authority calls them criminals. The Houses call them lost revenue. They call themselves free.

They've been trading with the Scrapers, buying information about routes to the Roots. They helped the Defender fortify this junction. Weeks of work. Barricades from scrap. Now a stronger force approaches. The Defender has prepared the ground, but the ground may not be enough.

Terrain

Sector 7-Receivable. Fortified junction. Barricades, jury-rigged turrets, supply crates.

Loot

Defender places 4 Loot Markers within 6" of center (3" apart).

Coworkers

Roll Coworkers (Elite tier). Place within 6" of center.

Deployment

Defender within 9" of center. Aggressor on any edge, 6" deep.

Threats

Rounds 3, 5: Roll Hostile faction table (Normal tier). Spawn on random edge.

Special

Defender places 3 terrain pieces before deployment.

NO SUBS NO MASTERS (scrawled over sparking cable stump)

The Ambush

The Toll Collectors know everything. They track every transaction, every movement, every debt. When someone offers to buy information, they sell it. When multiple buyers appear, they sell it to all of them.

Someone sold the Defender's route. The Aggressor was waiting. The Defender's Boss carries crucial intel: names, locations, the threads of a conspiracy. If they die here, weeks of work dies with them. The local freelancers smell blood.

Terrain

Mid-Complex transit corridor. Open ground with scattered cover. Vendor stalls, abandoned cargo-sleds.

Loot

After Defender deployment, Defender places 2 Loot Markers within 3" of friendly models.

Coworkers

Roll Coworkers (Swarm tier). Place within 3" of friendly models.

Deployment

Defender deploys all models within 12" of center. Then Aggressor deploys within 3" of any edge.

Threats

Rounds 2, 4, 6: Roll Hostile faction table (Elite tier). Spawn on random edge.

Special

Hostiles target Aggressor models until Round 3.

"Resource Allocation sells your route. Revenue Operations buys it. You die in between. That's commerce."
Freelancer Wisdom

Overwhelming Missions

No Quarter

Lower Complex. Cooling priority: none. During heat events, these districts are sealed off to preserve capacity for priority areas. The Cooling Wars taught the Departments that sacrificing the lower tiers was cheaper than fixing them. The residents either survive until restoration or they don't. The Authority calls this "thermal triage." The survivors call it what it is.

The Aggressor found the safehouse. Revenue Operations wants the Defender's Boss dead. Security & Compliance wants them alive. Both Departments sent contractors. There will be no negotiation. The local scavengers smell weakness, drawn by the promise of whatever's left when the shooting stops.

Terrain

Lower Complex. Burned-out safehouse. Collapsed conduits, desperate cover, one clear path to escape.

Loot

Defender places 2 Loot Markers within 6" of center (the safehouse).

Coworkers

Roll Coworkers (Elite tier). Place within 6" of center.

Deployment

Defender places 2 barricades within 6" of center. Aggressor picks edge and deploys. Then Defender deploys within 12" of center. Aggressor may then redeploy d3 models.

Threats

Round 4: Roll Hostile faction table (Swarm tier). Spawn on random edge.

"Dying in public space incurs a cleanup fee charged to your estate."
Public Safety Notice

The Vault

The Roots are the deepest level of the Complex. Ancient infrastructure from before the Tethering. Most of it is sealed, flooded, or worse. The Monks say the Founders built the Complex on the bones of something older. They don't say what. They don't know. The sealed archives might, but no Monk has ever opened them. The Untethered have.

This vault held something the Founders wanted forgotten. A corrupted data-core. A pre-Tethering transmitter. Something that burns to touch and whispers when you're alone. The Defender guards it. The Aggressor brought overwhelming force. The hostiles are drawn to the relic's signal.

Terrain

The Roots. Ancient vault. Central pedestal, radiating corridors, wave-corrupted growths.

Loot

1 Relic in center. 1 Loot Marker at each cardinal edge (12" from center).

Coworkers

Roll Coworkers (Swarm tier). Place within 3" of any Loot Marker.

Deployment

Defender within 9" of center. Aggressor on any edge, 6" deep.

Threats

Rounds 3, 5: Roll Hostile faction table (Normal tier). Spawn on random edge.

Special

Hostiles ignore Defender unless Defender has the Relic or until Round 4. At game end, Relic holder gains +3 Evidence.

"Cable Spirit, accept this offering of flux and current."
Maintenance Rite

Debt Leverage

In the Complex, debts are inherited. Children are born subscribed. When you can't pay, your contract gets sold. Sometimes to collection agencies. Sometimes to people who want you dead. The Subscription Crisis made this legal. The Departments made it profitable.

Someone leveraged the Defender's debt. Resource Allocation bought the contract and resold it to their enemies. Now their Boss has a price on their head equal to three generations of compound interest. The Aggressor committed everything to this kill. The Substrate civilians know the rules: hellish heat, chemical smell, stay out of the way, pretend you saw nothing, hope your own debts stay buried.

Terrain

The Substrate. Industrial warren. Multiple levels, tight corridors, nowhere to truly hide.

Loot

Aggressor places 2 Loot Markers anywhere (3"+ from board edges).

Coworkers

Roll Coworkers (Normal tier). Place anywhere (3"+ from board edges).

Deployment

Defender within 18" of center. Aggressor on any edge, 6" deep.

Threats

Rounds 2, 4, 6: Roll Hostile faction table (Elite tier). Spawn on random edge.

Special

Defender's Boss gets +1 DT Defense. Hostiles target Aggressor models. If Boss survives to game end, Defender gains +1 Evidence.

"Subscription to Life: Terminated. No refunds."
Final Notice

Post-Game Sequence

Log Merits
Exploration phase
Out of Action models roll Injury
Check Merit thresholds for Promotion rolls
Buy/sell equipment at Trading Post
Dismiss models (optional)
Replace dead models (free)
Move items between models or to Lockers
All models restore full Health
Performance Review: models that fled take d6 damage

Merit Sources

Source	Merits
Per enemy `Out of Action`	1
Per enemy `Boss` `Out of Action`	1
Per successful Search/Interrogate	1

"Your achievements are company property. Your debts are personal."
Merit Accounting Bureau

Exploration

Each surviving model rolls Wits. Sum all dice totals.

Total	Result	Subs
1-5	Marginal Returns	0
6-10	Standard Haul	+5
11-15	Fair Extraction	+10
16-25	Acceptable Yield	+15
26-40	Above Quota	+20
41-60	Surplus Discovery	+25
61+	Windfall Dividend	+30

Injuries

2d6	Result	Effect
3 or less	Terminated	Remove from squad
4	Degraded	-1 max `Health`
5	Scrambled	`-1 DT` `Wits`
6	Exposed	`-1 DT` `Defense`
7	Scarred	No effect
8	Diminished	`-1 DT` `Combat`
9	Hobbled	-1" `Move`
10	Sidelined	Miss next game
11	Glitch	+1 Merit
12	Reviewed	Free Promotion roll

Promotion Thresholds

Roll Promotion at: 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28 Merits (gap increases by 1 each time)

"Work harder. Owe less. Every merit survived is a merit toward freedom. Every debt paid is a chain removed. The system rewards persistence. The system punishes everything else."
Labor Motivation Bureau

Attribute Limits

Attributes cannot go below 2d4 or above 2d12. Max Health at 0 or below: remove from squad.

Promotion

2d6	Result	Effect
2	Demotion	`-1 DT` to lowest attribute
3	Bonus	+1 max `Health`
4	Transfer	+1" `Move`
5	Clearance	`+1 DT` `Combat` (or new Power for `Broadcaster`)
6	Coverage	`+1 DT` `Defense`
7	Promotion	Pick: `+1 DT` (any attribute), +1" `Move`, +1 `Health`, or new Power (`Broadcaster` only)
8	Training	`+1 DT` `Wits`
9	Raise	`+1 DT` `Combat` (or new Power for `Broadcaster`)
10	Benefits	+2 max `Health`
11	Relocation	+2" `Move`
12	Fast-track	`+1 DT` to two different attributes

Recruitment

Squads always have 5 models. Replace dead models for free. New Resources start with base attributes and no equipment. Models that miss a game stay home: play with fewer models.

Dismiss

Remove any model from your squad. Equipment goes to Lockers.

Boss Succession

If Boss dies, promote a Resource. They keep their contract type but become the Boss for morale. Pick one:

Gain Both weapon access
Gain +1 max armor (Light → Medium → Heavy)

Trading Post

Buy equipment at listed price. Sell at half price.

Locker Room

Store equipment between games. No limits. Choose what each model carries before each game.

Campaign Victory

First squad to collect 10 unique Evidence types wins.

"Information is property. Unregistered information is theft. Your evidence collection has been noted. A licensing representative will contact you shortly."
Data Compliance Bureau