Against the clock, and barely, you manage to get on board the Stalker. Before you even get to fasten your seatbelts, the shuttle’s engines are ignited at full power for a sharp ascent. A large explosion shakes you one last time, as the death throes of a beast that’s being consumed by fire. You sigh with relief, and all you can think about is getting to the Defiance for a bit of rest and recuperation.”
Today we’ll go into further detail about the Campaign in Defiance, and what it is all about. In a previous article, we said that one of the main tasks of the Characters is acquiring components to upgrade the ship, but what else happens on the Defiance between missions?
Assigning the Crew
The panel of the Defiance features the main areas of the ship for the Characters: the Command Bridge, Sickbay and Laboratory, Workshop, Training Room, and Cabins. Each Character and Ally has a token that represents them that must be placed on an available space in an area of the Defiance during this step.
Both Allies and Characters have an Ally card with a profile on each face:
- One side features the Ally profile. It consists of a complete game profile with all the Attributes, Special Skills, and Equipment required to play as an Ally on the board (Allies are considered Characters and have their own Activation during the Round in Infinity Defiance).
- The other side features the Crew Member profile. An area of the Defiance is indicated (for example, in Rahman Rouhani’s case, the Sickbay and Workshop) and an associated Effect (During the Sickbay and Workshop step, Rahman can make a Medicine Roll with, value). This means that if the Character is assigned to the area indicated in their Crew Member profile, we may activate the associated Effect.
Sickbay and Workshop
Once everyone is at their posts, the Sickbay and Workshop step takes place. During this step, Characters with Consequences may attempt to treat them. To do so, the Character must be occupy a Cabin and be able to make a Medicine Roll for each Consequence. At the beginning of the Campaign, the Defiance doesn’t offer the possibility to make this roll, so it’s necessary that the Characters invest in a module to upgrade the ship’s equipment, or that they can count on the services of a Doctor class Character - such as Rahman Rouhani.
To treat a Remote’s Consequences, it’s required to make a Workshop Roll for each Consequence. To make the Workshop Roll available, it’s required to acquire the proper module or to enlist an Engineer class Character, like Trishala "Trisha" N33.
Medicine and Workshop Rolls are Simple Rolls in which obtaining at least one 2 is required to treat a Consequence (more 2 don’t heal more Consequences). Untreated Consequences remain face down on the Character or Ally cards, applying -1 to the T Wound Attribute.
Samples and Crafting
During missions, Characters may obtain the following types of samples: Technological, Biological, and Software. They represent alien artifacts, xenobiologic samples, or pieces of code that Characters may turn into consumables, or use to upgrade or write Software.
Again, upgrading the Defiance is paramount to allow the crafting of new items from these Samples. In fact, to store Biological or Technological Samples, the first investment should be a Cryopreservation Tank or a Samples Container respectively (otherwise they’ll be lost at the end of this step).
Crafting MediKits or ammunition of your own may not seem like much at the beginning of the Campaign, but being self-sufficient may be key for the mission’s success after you jump.
Spending Intel Packs
During this step, Characters may spend Intel Packs gathered so far to acquire new equipment or improving the Defiance’s systems and installations. In addition to this, Characters may freely exchange any Equipment or Software card between them and their Allies. Equipment may be stored on the Defiance and it can likewise be “sold” for half of its value (if it has a value).
Acquiring Specialties
During this step, each Character acquires one of their Specialty cards as long as the requirements of the card itself are met. These cards are personal and non-transferrable, and once acquired cannot be removed from the game or unbound from the Character.
During the Campaign, each Character may acquire as many as eight Specialty cards from the available thirteen. According to which mission has just been completed, the maximum level a new Specialty can have is as follows:
| Mission finished | Maximum level |
| 1 | I |
| 2 | I |
| 3 | II |
| 4 | II |
| 5 | III |
| 6 | III |
| 7 | IV |
| 8 | IV |
For example, when mission 3 is finished, each Character may acquire a level II Specialty or the third one from level I.
Other than the maximum level, the Character must have acquired the Specialties listed on the requirements of the new Specialty.
After the jump…
From the ninth mission on, Characters will no longer be able to acquire Equipment or Specialties, and they won’t be able to craft items or be treated. When the Defiance jumps to the other side, there won’t be any time left for improvement or second chances - only to accomplish the mission and attempt to return to the Human Sphere alive.
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