 A Campaign for Star Wars Miniatures
"The Hunt Within: Valance's Tale" presents a series of connected scenarios for the Star Wars Miniatures Game set in the weeks after Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. To play these scenarios, you should have the Star Wars Miniatures: Rebel Storm Starter Set, Ultimate Missions: Rebel Storm and possibly one or more Rebel Storm Booster Packs.
These missions recreate the quest of the bounty hunter Valance to discover the identity of the Rebel operative who destroyed the Death Star. Valance's pursuit of Luke Skywalker has nothing to do with galactic politics. Rather, he hates Luke's friendship with the two faithful droids, C-3PO and R2-D2 -- a sin Valance deems punishable by death.
Behind Valance's obsession is a secret: He was horribly wounded as a young stormtrooper officer, and half his body was replaced with cybernetic parts. As Valance learns more about Luke Skywalker, he struggles with his own past and finds himself reconsidering his place in the galaxy.
Mission 5: Showdown on Junction
The raid on Ultaar netted Valance no new information and a new enemy. Darth Vader discovered the Rebel outpost just days after Valance's raid, and learned of the cyborg hunter from a dying Rebel soldier.
Frustrated in his search, Valance traced Rebel supply lines and learned of the Imperial blockade of Yavin. He set up operations on the shadowport of Junction and waited there, biding his time by collecting bounties on the likes of Marko Tyne, a Zygerrian slaver wanted on Thesme for depredations in nine of the sector's systems.
After five weeks, Valance's patience finally paid off: Luke Skywalker and C-3PO arrived on Junction seeking parts to repair a damaged R2-D2. When Valance arrived at Skinker's salvage yard, Luke dove inside the office, pushing C-3PO in front of him, then hustled the droid out the back door. After Valance burned his way in, the stage was set for his confrontation with Luke. But the encounter didn't go quite as Valance had imagined it.
"Showdown on Junction" recreates Valance's encounter with Luke and C-3PO. Use the Security Sector portion of the Death Star map to represent Skinker's office.
Fringe Setup
The Fringe force consists entirely of Valance. The Fringe player begins with Valance in either of the two squares just inside the western door. 
Fringe Victory Conditions
The Fringe player wins by accomplishing the following goal:
Die, Droid-Loving Hypocrite!: The Fringe player wins if Luke and C-3PO are defeated.
Rebel Setup
The Rebel force consists of Luke Skywalker, Rebel (initially) for a total of 17 points (or 23 points once C-3PO is added). Luke begins the scenario in the northernmost of the two control booths in the eastern part of the office.  | Luke Skywalker, Rebel |
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Rebel Victory Conditions
The Rebel player wins by accomplishing the following goal:
No Bounty Today: The Rebels must defeat Valance. If Valance is left weaponless, he is considered defeated.
Special Scenario Rules
The follow special rules are in effect for this mission:
Droid Hater +4: Valance gets +4 Attack against Droid enemies.
A Fair Fight: Valance's explosive entrance damaged Luke's blaster, leaving him dependent on his novice skills with a lightsaber. Luke's Attack and Damage stats remain the same, but he can attack only adjacent enemies.
Lightsaber Shield: Luke isn't the skilled Jedi he'll one day become, but he isn't totally helpless. Instead of attacking in a given round, he may expend a Force point to deflect a single blaster attack. If that attack hits, it is reversed: The attacker makes a new attack roll against Defense 10 and takes half damage if struck. Luke must declare whether he is using this special ability (and expend the Force point) before he knows the results of the attack roll. (If this special ability is used against Valance's Hidden Blaster ability, only Valance is affected by the back blast.)
Lightsaber Disarm: Instead of attacking in a given round, Luke may expend a Force point to attempt to disarm an adjacent opponent, who must make a save of 15 or see a single weapon (Luke's choice) rendered useless. (Valance's hidden blaster cannot be damaged by this special ability.)
Hidden Blaster: Valance's cybernetic arm conceals a heavy blaster. If he chooses to fire it, instead of his normal attack he selects a 2-square-by-2-square area and rolls an attack against Defense 10. If he hits, any character in one of those four squares must make a save of 15 or suffer 20 points of damage. In this scenario, Valance has already fired his hidden blaster once and can only do so twice more.
Reinforcements: At the beginning of each round after the first, the Rebel player can decide whether or not to bring in C-3PO. C-3PO appears in the lefthand square in front of the southern door.
Charm Offensive: If C-3PO uses his Draw Fire ability to force Valance to target him instead of Luke, the bounty hunter is flummoxed by the droid's sacrifice and must make an additional save of 12 or automatically take the damage the attack would have caused. If reduced to 0 hit points this way, the hunter is not killed, but he is defeated nonetheless.
Campaign Play
If you are playing this mission as part of the Valance the Hunter campaign, each player gets 1 Victory Point for winning the scenario (by fulfilling one of the Victory Conditions).
Mission 6: Centares Endgame
C-3PO's willingness to sacrifice himself for his master awakened something in Valance the hunter had thought long gone: hope. Namely, the hope that the galaxy could be a better place where cyborgs aren't ostracized. But the hunter realized he was racing against Darth Vader for the identity of the Death Star's destroyer -- a secret Valance now determined to protect at all costs.
Valance's new quest led him to Tyler Lucian, a deserter who'd fled the Rebel base on Yavin 4 as the Death Star approached and was now hiding in a tower above the deadly acid waters of Centares' Rubyflame Lake. But Vader arrived just minutes after Valance, distracting the hunter long enough for Lucian to lock himself in the tower. There, the deserter watched an epic battle between the bounty hunter and the Lord of the Sith.
"Centares Endgame" recreates Valance's decisive battle with Vader. Use the Death Star map to represent Rubyflame Lake and Lucian's tower. For this scenario, ignore everything on the map except the Turbolift in the lower right, which represents Lucian's tower. From the western doorway of the tower, extend a walkway one square wide all the way to the left edge of the map. (You can use the Shaft tile to represent portions of the walkway as needed, or improvise.) Every other part of the map is the acid waters of the lake.
Fringe Setup
The Fringe force consists entirely of Valance. Valance begins on the walkway in front of the tower door.
Fringe Victory Conditions
The Fringe player wins by accomplishing either of the following goals:
Defeat the Dark Lord: If Vader is defeated, the Fringe player wins.
A Coward's Courage: If Lucian jumps into Rubyflame Lake (see Special Scenario Rules below), the Fringe player wins.
Imperial Setup
The Imperial force consists entirely of Darth Vader, Dark Jedi. Vader begins on the leftmost square of the walkway.  | Darth Vader, Dark Jedi |
55 |
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Imperial Victory Conditions
The Imperial player wins by accomplishing the following goal:
Rival Eliminated: Vader must defeat Valance to win the scenario. However, if Lucian jumps, the Imperial player loses the scenario.
Special Scenario Rules
The follow special rules are in effect for this mission:
Hidden Blaster: Valance's cybernetic arm conceals a heavy blaster. If he chooses to fire it, instead of his normal attack he selects a 2-square-by-2-square area and rolls an attack against Defense 10. If he hits, any character in one of those four squares must make a save of 15 or suffer 20 points of damage. In this scenario, Valance has already fired his hidden blaster once and can only do so twice more.
Time, Force Master: As Valance and Vader duel, the Sith Lord alternately threatens the bounty hunter and seeks his service, intrigued by his defiance. Valance replies by talking of Luke's importance to the galaxy -- a moving speech overheard by a riveted, terrified Lucian. When either combatant takes damage, Lucian must make a save of 10 or take double the amount of damage himself. If Lucian takes 90 points of "damage," he finds the courage to serve the Rebel cause the only way he still can, leaping to his death and forcing Vader to seek elsewhere for the name of the Death Star's destroyer. Note that Lucian can jump after Valance is defeated, giving the Fringe player a posthumous victory, but one of great importance to the galaxy.
Campaign Play
If you are playing this mission as part of the Valance the Hunter campaign, each player gets 1 Victory Point for winning the scenario (by fulfilling one of the Victory Conditions).
Further Sources Valance is a classic character created by the late Archie Goodwin for Marvel's Star Wars comic book series. The tale of Valance's showdown with Darth Vader on Centares is (in this author's opinion) one of the best stories of the Marvel years. The cyborg bounty hunter first appeared in Star Wars #16 back in October 1978. Vader discovers the aftermath of Valance's raid on Ultaar in Star Wars #21; "the Hunter" clashes with Luke and C-3PO in Star Wars #27 before confronting Darth Vader in Star Wars #29. The Valance issues have been collected in Doomworld and Dark Encounters, the first two volumes of Dark Horse's A Long Time Ago… collections of Marvel issues.
For more on Centares, see Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Roleplaying Game adventure "Triplet Threat."
Endnotes
Boudolayz: site of Imperial archives (Spectre of the Past, p. 150).
Picutorion: site of battle between Empire and Rebellion, as noted in Imperial Sourcebook, p. 95. Placement in Outer Rim is new, as is its placement in Kwymar Sector.
Kwymar: Established as a sector and site of fierce Imperial/Rebel fighting in Star Wars Miniature Battles, p. 82. The Kwymar Suppressions are author's invention.
Protazk: Site of Imperial/Rebel fighting, as noted in Imperial Sourcebook, p. 95. Placement in Kwymar Sector is new.
Doniphon: New world, and a tip of the cap to the classic John Ford western "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," which is (in this author's opinion) doubtlessly where Goodwin took the name Valance. (Tom Doniphon is a key character in the movie.)
Kestos Minor: Site of Imperial/Rebel fighting, as noted in Star Wars Adventure Journal #9, p. 113. Placement in Kwymar Sector is new.
Telos: Established world from Marvel comics, Jedi Apprentice books and "Knights of the Old Republic." It's never established that the Marvel world is the same as the Jedi Apprentice planet, but the author sees no reason they shouldn't be the same and have written accordingly. Placement in Kwymar Sector is new.
Beilert Valance: His first name is the author's invention. It's a scrambling of Liberte, in another nod to the John Ford movie.
Shinbone: New planet, and last tip of the cap to the Ford western. (Shinbone is the town where Liberty Valance lives.) The rest of Valance's biography is the author's invention.
Hardan plague: Mentioned in Creatures of the Galaxy, p. 15.
Sirpar: From Star Wars Adventure Journal #2, p. 96. It's hinted that this planet is in the Arkanis Sector of the Outer Rim, but the formal establishment of that placement is new.
Nembus Sector: Established as a sector and site of fierce Imperial/Rebel fighting in Imperial Sourcebook, p. 83. Its Outer Rim placement and proximity to Kwymar Sector are both new.
Praadost: Site of Imperial/Rebel battles, as established in Heroes and Rogues, p. 128. Its placement in Nembus Sector is new.
Sikurd: Reference to a Sikurdian battle ax is from Marvel Comics #7, p. 22. Alabar Double Ax is a new character.
Kill Switch: This is the author's invention -- Valance's ship is never named.
Donadus: Reference to Donadi stain-painting is from Before the Storm, p. 213. The Chorran shipjackers and placement of Donadus in Bamula Sector of the Inner Rim are new.
Bamula Sector: Established, with no other detail, in Star Wars Adventure Journal #8, p. 132.
Thraisai: New planet.
Anglebay Station: Name of the author's invention for medical station seen in Marvel #16.
Slssk/Hutlar: Slssk the Hutlarian is from Marvel #16. His background and details of Hutlar are my the author’s invention.
Loovria: Established as gladiator world in Platt's Starport Guide, p. 85 and Star Wars Gamer #7, p. 100.
Senex/Juvex: Sectors and their lords are established, most notably in Cloak of Deception, p. 161.
Jaxxon/Amaiza: Jaxxon's ambush by Valance's men is from Marvel #16. Additional info on the ambush, Jaxxon, Amaiza and Jimm from Star Wars Gamer #4.
Junction: Planet stats are new. Its exact location and most detail is from "Zygerrian Takedown," a July 2003 Wizards website feature. Its placement in Thesme Sector is new, as is description of Thesme. Formal name of Feriae Junction is new.
Marko Tyne: Introduced (and shot) in Marvel #27. Details of his biography are new.
About the Author
Jason Fry is one of the authors of Coruscant and the Core Worlds and Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds. He has also written for Star Wars Gamer and Star Wars Insider. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., with his wife, son, and too much Star Wars stuff.
Thoughts or comments? Visit the message board thread for this article here.
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