SAGA Scenario - Capture the Relic

Having now played a fair few SAGA games I've been thinking about putting together a quick narrative campaign to give the games some structure. I was struggling to get a theme to help the games hang together until I struck upon the idea of having the side’s battle over a Holy Relic. As we are playing Frankish armies then having the relic being carried by Eastern Orthodox troops (Byzantines) fits the theme nicely.

Scenario 

A Holy Relic is being transported along the frontier of the lands controlled by the opposing Warlords. Both Warlords are eager to add a holy aura to the chapels they have recently commissioned in order to safeguard their souls in the next life. As this relic is being transported by Eastern Orthodox troops the Roman Church should not look upon its liberation to unkindly. Your Warlords aim is to liberate the relic and ensure it is enshrined in his own chapel.

Setup

The game will be played on a 48" * 48" table with a road running across the center of the table. The normal Cross & Crescent terrain setup rules apply with no terrain being allowed within M of the road. Once the terrain is setup the Byzantines traveling party is setup on one end of the road at the table’s edge.

Next each side roles a D6 with the players alternating placing units within M of their table edge, highest roller placing first. The player who placed first takes the first move.

The Byzantines 

The traveling party starts at one table edge and will travel straight across the table until it is either killed or escapes. The group consists of 1 non-combatant who carries the relic and three guards. At the start of every activation phase before the players can make any activations (so twice a turn) the group moves forward 4", if they move into contact with the troops of either player then they fight a combat. They may end their move within VS of other units even if they cannot make contact. The Byzantines do not generate fatigue at the end of combat and are not affected by fatigue generating abilities, basically they keep moving until killed or they contact an enemy unit or the opposite table edge.

The guards generate 1 attack dice per model and have armor 4/6 (Me/Ra), if one model is in combat then all count as in combat. 

Once all the guards are dead the relic carrier will remain still as he is too scared to continue, he cannot be killed but must be taken into protective 'care'. If the last guard(s) died in melee combat then he can be attached to a unit at no cost. if the last guard(s) died to shooting then a unit can move up and take control of him but it costs a movement activation to do so, so one activation to move up and then a second to seize control of him. Once captured the relic carrier moves at standard infantry rate and is considered to be part of the unit he has joined, he does not generate attack dice, cannot be killed and his presence can take the unit above the normal limit of twelve models.

Game Length

The game should last a maximum of seven turns or until a player can move the relic carrier off his own initial board edge or the relic moves off the table with its guards.

Victory Conditions

If the relic leaves the table still under the ownership of the Byzantines then both players lose.

If a player is in possession of the relic after seven turns or moves it off their own board edge then they are the victors.

Notes 

The movement rate is to ensure that if left un-hindered the Byzantines will cross the table in 6 turns, on a smaller table then they will need to have their movement reduced.

The high armor value against shooting is to encourage a players to get stuck in, as are the rules regarding taking control of the relic carrier.

The relic could easily be a pay chest or some other high value target and of course the guards could be represented by any available troops. 

The strength of the guards may need to be adjusted as they should not be a massive threat but should need to be treated with respect so perhaps they may need to generate two attack dice each.