What is Zona Alfa?
Zona Alfa is a miniature agnostic skirmish game written by Patrick Todoroff, and published through Osprey Wargames. It is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland and centers around warbands of various factions heading into the dangerous “Zone” to salvage and scavenge for artefacts without getting picked off by an array of hostile enemies, monsters and even the weather. Players can compete head to head for the scarce resources or work co-operatively to complete missions. Zona Alfa draws on the aesthetic styling of the STALKER video games and the Metro 2033 franchise, creating a unique and fast-playing narrative tabletop game.
About This Project
Below you will find 9 scenarios linked into three separate story arcs. They are loosely based around the idea of a crew exploring the outer edges of a Zone, gaining a foothold but never striking into the center. These scenarios are my creation as a fan of this game and are in no way endorsed by the original author.
Each scenario describes the story intent, how to lay out the board, and any special rules I have come up with that may add more flavor, or dynamic action to a mission. A Threat Level for each scenario is indicated (TL1,TL2,or TL3) at the start of every briefing. Please adapt as you see fit.
A note on terrain: The terrain described in the scenario briefings is based on the collection I have access to which includes scatter terrain (such as tree stands, rocks, fences and barricades), small structures (such as shacks, sheds, and shipping containers), and larger structures (such as a multi-level factory, elevated pipelines, and cranes). Feel free to modify or adapt as needed to suit your playstyle and your own collection of terrain and miniatures.
The Scenarios
1. Something In The Water
That old water filtration plant was supposed to be state of the art. Rumor has it drilling into the aquifer released something evil – it’s supposedly abandoned but someone at camp has been out there and swears you can still hear the pumps running.
Scenario 1.1 (TL1)
Some former health department officials have been keeping tabs on contaminant levels in the water. They think something fishy is going on – someone or something has tampered with their monitoring wells. Looks like they’ll have to take those samples by hand.
Board Setup
- Each crew must escort a scientist across the board in a race to take a sample of the toxic waste pond.
- Create a decimated town with a pond and shed at the other end of the board surrounded by a fence. The pond is the main objective.
- Fences are climbable by living units following normal climb rules, or spend 1 action to cut a hole. Any model may pass through a hole so it must be defended.
- Place two other hotspots near the roads in the town.
- The maintenance shed by the pond yields 2 rolls on the basic equipment table.
- Crews are deployed on the same board edge separated loosely by some terrain and each have 1 scientist model deployed with them.
Special Rules
- Scientists will follow a crew member if they are within 2″.
- Scientist Stats:
- 5″ of movement
- Armor 5
- Will 5
- 2 actions
- Equipment: 1 handgun
- They will try to shoot at the nearest enemy but will avoid melee if they can.
Scenario 1.2 (TL1)
The water supply of the area is definitely contaminated – science confirms it. The only way to protect the public is to permanently cap the well, and to do that, you’ll need lots of explosives. The scientists have heard of an outpost farther down the pipeline that might have some, they also think its run by a Cultist named Zeke who peddles the poisoned water as some kind of cure-all-remedy. Your goal is to raid the compound and get as many explosives as you can…survivors optional.
Board Setup
- Place the shipping containers, fences, and sandbags, with enough room to maneuver around, forming a compound. Put a shed in the center, this is the main objective. Searching the objective yields the usual rolls for salvage and gives you the necessary explosives.
- Place the pipeline so they pass overhead on one side.
- Six cultists roam the compound, and the objective is considered activated.
- Place 2 other hotspots around the compound.
Scenario 1.3 (TL2)
You have the explosives, and Zeke’s brand of fanaticism has been dealt with (for now), all that’s left to do is follow the pipeline right to the source and turn the plant to rubble. Easy right?
Board Setup
- Place a factory in the centre of the board, with a perimeter fence and two gates on opposite sides.
- Place the pipeline so it exits the table and scatter soft cover and trees around, outside of the fence.
- The factory is the main objective but it will trigger two rolls on the hostile table. Roughly split the building on a diagonal so two faces become an activation zone.
- Place 4 hotspots around the board.
Special Rules
- The main objective is to demolish the factory. To do so crews must place a detonation charge at each corner (four in total). Teams gain 2 advances per charge detonated at the end of the game instead of the usual 5 for completing the objective. Meaning a total of 8 advances are up for grabs.
- Placing a charge takes an action. Wiring the charge is initiated by a CR 2 Will check followed by two actions spent.
- Once all charges are placed teams need to get outside of the perimeter fence before the end of the last round or risk being caught in the blast.
- Models caught in the blast suffer a Damage 2 attack.
2. Night Terrors
The zone is always dangerous but something has been taking people in the night from outside the boundary. Even the military is scared. We at the Mutant Hunter Guild will reward you handsomely to investigate and eliminate the threat – whatever it may be.
- This set of missions is played with no “breaks” in-between, meaning no chance to hit the stalls after a mission. There will be chances to resupply some items during the mission however. The intention is your team has gone into the zone but is too far out to get back in one day and needs to spend the night.
- The Guild will grant each crew an additional advance point for every mutant killed.
Scenario 2.1 (TL1)
The evidence leads you back to the Chernya woods where you find a seemingly deserted farmstead…Maybe the owner has some information for you.
Board Setup
- Each team will search the property for any clues.
- Place a shack near the center of the board with a shed out back. The shack is the “farmhouse” and main objective.
- Scatter trees across the board leaving a clearing around the “farmhouse”.
- Make another clearing to represent an abandoned crop field.
- Choose 2 other areas on the property to be hotspots.
Special Rules
- When the objective is triggered instead of rolling on the hostile table, place a single hardened level mutant.
- When searching the main objective, in addition to the usual salvage rolls, you also find a grisly den of half eaten corpses, and a number of identity tags from the Ishikov hospital.
Scenario 2.2 (TL2)
Your crew reaches the outskirts of Ishikov with the hulking mass of the hospital visible in the distance. However, night is falling, and you can’t get out or make your goal before darkness sets in. Looks like you’re spending the night comrade. You will need to set up a base and try to sneak around the ruined town collecting any supplies you might need.
Board Setup
- Set up a ruined city board with 3 packs of roaming zombies (6x)
- Designate a spot near the centre of the board to be a large supply cache; this could be a vehicle or building or pile of objects. This is the main objective.
- Place 4 other hotspots around the board.
Special Rules
- Play with the sudden darkness rules, visibility of 12″.
- As crews move through the city they are not visible to the zombies as long as they stay at least 12″ away.
- Zombies will react to sound. Every gunshot or grenade blast will give all zombies on the board a free move in that direction unless otherwise engaged in melee.
- Normal hostile targeting rules apply if player units are visible.
- The main objective yields 2x med kits in addition to the normal salvage. All other hotspots give 1x additional med-kits plus normal salvage rolls.
Scenario 2.3 (TL3)
Ishikov Central hospital, this is the place where nightmares are born. A crumbling concrete behemoth of patient wings and furnace towers. The authorities hastily barricaded the property but it looks like it wasn’t enough to stop whatever was inside from getting out…
Board Setup
- Place a large building at the centre of the board, and build a perimeter barricade around it. We want most of the game to happen on hospital property so place these items near the edge of the board leaving a few inches to deploy your crew.
- Fill the property with scatter terrain, cars, tanks and barriers etc.
- The main objective is “inside” the main building. Place 1 large mutant and 2 mutants (or 4) around the hospital – this objective is considered triggered when the game starts.
- Evenly distribute 6 hotspots over the rest of the board.
Special Rules
- Mutants will not roam farther than 12″ from the building edges and will always try to make the best use of cover.
- Mutants can climb freely over buildings and obstacles – move distances are 1:1 regardless of surface orientation.
- Kill the mutants to get bonus points from the Guild and get access to search the mutant nest.
3. Arms Race
The Zone is a hotspot, and not just the kind that spawns ghouls, salvage teams and mercenaries are flocking to this irradiated wasteland to make their mark – and the black market arms business has never been hotter. Though Kronos will never admit it out loud, with all the people buying guns and equipment, resupply has been sparse and his stock is running low. What he needs is a big score to restock the shelves – and he thinks he knows just the place; even if it is a legend.
Scenario 3.1 (TL1)
“Back before the Zone was birthed from the horrors of The Incident, scrappy dictators fought it out on these lands with the blood of innocents. No one could prove it but, many of us suspected one of them was getting funded by those rich dogs who call themselves “Military Entrepreneurs.” They would have brought in a big shipment of guns just before it all went to hell. I know a guy who knows a guy who might have a lead…but be warned he’s a little, let’s say, on edge.” – Kronos, Arms Dealer
Board Setup
- Set up a board of scatter terrain with a shed in the middle surrounded by sandbags and fortifications. The shed is the main objective.
- Place 2 Hotspots somewhere in the perimeter of the shed’s defenses.
- Your crews deploy on opposite sides of the board.
Special Rules
- Automated Sentry Gun – Make a will check for each model within 12” of the main objective centre point to see if they trip the automatic defenses. If the Sentry Gun is activated it remains so until destroyed.
- When activated the sentry gun is considered “on top” of the shed, giving 360 degree targeting and is considered elevated for the purposes of attacking your crew. Mark it’s placement with a token or appropriate model.
- The sentry gun is a Heavy Machine Gun, it shoots once the first time it is activated at whichever model tripped it, then it activates at the end of the turn order targeting the closest model.
- The sentry gun has improvised armour (3) in “hard” cover. It has one wound and no Will stat.
- Searching the shed gives all the normal rolls plus a conversation with “Honest Earl”
Scenario 3.2 (TL2)
“So Earl thinks they were using the old port at Valdok to bring in weapons eh? I bet they’re stashed in a seacan – you’ll need to get an old crane running if we have any hope of getting enough weapons out. I know just the place to get any part you could ever need!“
Board Setup
- Set up a board of scatter terrain representing a massive junkyard, leaving lots of side alleys and ways to navigate. There should be no direct line of travel to the centre.
- Place something in the centre to represent the main objective
- Distribute 4 hotspots
- Place 2 packs of 2x junkyard dogs/mutants on the board.
- Crews start on opposite sides of the junkyard.
Special Rules
- In order to repair the cranes in the final mission crews will need to recover 2 spare parts. This can be done together or in competition.
- Searching the main objective guarantees finding 1 part, in addition to the usual rolls.
- Searching a hotspot for a part must be done after all other rolls have happened – if there is an anomaly, this hotspot will not have a part as the energy from the anomaly consumes it.
- This additional search roll is a free action, and is a Will check at -2. A successful roll reveals a spare part. This additional roll does not affect the rule that hotspots can only be searched once.
Scenario 3.3 (TL3)
With the necessary parts in hand your crew descends on the decaying former industrial docks of Valdok. Rusty cranes point like crooked fingers to the sky, and the sunken wreck of the tanker heaves as the dark water rattles the rusted ship’s bones.
“Get one of those old cranes running and lift a container of guns onto my barge. Don’t forget to ping me your location, and look out for the locals, yeah?” – Kronos, Arms Dealer
Board Setup
- Create a line towards one side of the board which will be the edge of the docks. This could be straight or have wharfs with bridges – you decide!
- Place the crane in the middle and near the edge of the dock, this is the main objective.
- Place scatter terrain and shipping containers evenly across the rest of the board.
- Place something in the water to represent the Turk’s barge, and optionally something to represent a shipwreck for fun.
- Put 6 hotspots on 6 of the containers within range of the crane – one of these will be revealed as the secret weapon delivery.
- Each crew starts in a far corner opposite the crane.
Special Rules
- To get the crane running crews must perform 2 mechanical skill checks: one at the base of the crane and one at the top. Each skill check starts with the skill initiation roll and costs 2 actions.
- To determine if the container is the target, roll a D6 after that hotspot’s hostiles have been killed and the normal salvage rolled for etc. On a roll of 1 this container is revealed as the stash. If not, for every container checked afterwards in this way increase the roll needed by 1 – for example the stash is now revealed on a 2 or less, then 3 or less and so on. Once the correct container is identified the crane operator can spend the actions needed to lift it onto the waiting barge.
- The crane operator spends 2 actions: 1 to pick up and lift the container and 1 to lower it.
- Unending Hoards: Once a hotspot is cleared and salvage found there is a chance more hostiles will spawn. Each round, roll a D10 for each cleared hotspot. Your target roll is 10 minus the number of rounds remaining. This increases the likelihood of additional hostiles as the game progresses. If a hotspot (or multiple) is “Re-triggered” in this way, roll a D6 on the hostile table and determine their position as normal. These “new” hotspots do not have more salvage – they were already looted.