Rats! Rats Everywhere! Firefight Volt Chasers are here!

Volt Chasers have long been one our favourite additions to the Veer-Myn range - first introduced via the Star Saga boardgame, and now with the help of the Vault they're in Firefight too.

I will hand over to our Rules Committee for a chance to learn more...

The Voltaic Rising

[CLASSIFIED – DELTA CLEARANCE REQUIRED]

… processing bio-authentication… 

… bio-authentication acknowledged… 

… message as follows… 

From: Senior Analyst, Bio Research Division, attached to ETCU 

To: Directorate Oversight Committee, ███████ Corp. (Redacted) 

Subject: Initial Findings – Emergent Volt Chaser Threat Patterns 

Esteemed Directors, 

I submit the following preliminary report under secure channel, relating to incident file #V-73/VC-Gamma. While Veer-Myn infestations have long been categorised as persistent parasitic incursions, recent field recoveries and autopsies compel me to note a troubling deviation. 

Multiple nests—even whole colonies—are now exhibiting non-standard leadership structures. A variant of Maligni and Progenitor, which we are designating Technorati, displays limited interest in pure bio-mutation; instead, they specialise in bionic augmentation and electro-weaponisation. 

The members of such colonies, colloquially identified by frontline marines as “Volt chasers”, manifest as heavily cybernetically-enhanced warriors, each markedly more formidable than the foot soldiers of traditional nests. Reports from Sigma 9 Gamma, Jarvinn, Blackstar Station, and most recently the Magnetar Containment Event, confirm this trend is not an isolated aberration but a rapidly proliferating phenomenon. 

This development warrants immediate, coordinated investigation. 

Hi everyone, it’s your friendly neighbourhood Firefight RC back again to tell you about Firefight’s latest project: the Volt Chasers! A long-standing feature of both Star Saga and Deadzone, as well as denizens of the Mantic Vault, the Veer-Myn sub faction known as the Volt Chasers has been missing from Firefight — until now.

This week, that all changes. As a larger release than the previous Marauder Scrappers and Plague Stage 3 drops, we thought you might be interested in both an explanation of who these new troops are and the process we went through designing them.

The Crone Mother 

An ancient and formidable Brood Mother, the Crone Mother outlived countless threats to her nest and was venerated by her offspring as both matriarch and warlord. Sustained through grotesque regenics and crude bio-augmentations, she embodied the relentless will of the brood. Her very presence drove her children into a frenzy, spurring them to fight on even at the cost of their own bodies. 

[Designer Notes] 

The Crone Mother was one of the first Volt Chaser characters we met back in Star Saga: Retake the Blackstar Station. She also has a particularly awesome model. In the lore, that particular Brood Mother eventually met her end, but for Firefight we wanted players to have the option to field not only the infamous Mother of the Blackstar Nest, but also any of the other Brood Mothers that might preside over Volt Chaser nests across the Spheres. 

Her profile builds on the core Brood Mother unit, with tweaks to her keywords and order to reflect the way she interacts with Volt Chaser forces. Her new order is designed to drive her minions forward into battle and can safely be given to Volt Chaser units. However, if it is issued to traditional units, a few members may perish from exhaustion. 

Technorati Engineer 

A Technoratus is a Malignus twisted by obsession with machinery rather than flesh. It is these crazed engineers who determine whether a nest will remain traditional Veer-myn, or transition to become Volt Chasers. Where others pursue genetic horrors, the Technorati turn to circuitry, bionics, and energy weaponry. Within their workshops, scavenged corporate technology is repurposed into volatile weapons and unstable cybernetics, elevating their nests into dreaded Volt Chaser enclaves. 

[Designer Notes] 

Occupying a role similar to a Progenitor in traditional Veer-myn armies, we’ve only ever been introduced to two named Technorati before: Thorn and his successor, Rake of the Blackstar nest (if you haven’t already, you really need to go read the narrative in the new Epic Warpath rulebook!). While the suggested miniature here is Thorn, you can just as easily use this profile to represent any of your own mad techno-rat creations. 

As the leader of a cyborg warband, some of you might recognise his order: More Machine Than Rat…

Volt Stalkers 

Volt Stalkers are bred and built for the press of close combat. Unlike the frenzied speed of traditional Stalkers, these Volt Chaser shock troops advance with deliberate menace, their reinforced frames and armour allowing them to absorb punishment that would scatter lesser Veer-myn. Armed with vicious assault weapons powered by unstable voltaics, they can tear through light vehicles and even cripple robotic constructs, making them a constant danger to mechanised foes. 

[Designer Notes] 

The Volt Stalker, like its Runner brethren, has been in the range for a while — but with only a single pose each, building full Firefight units was always going to be tricky. With this month’s release, Mantic have fixed that by breaking them into two bodies and five head options, plus extra arms and the ability to mirror for even more variety. Add in the Shocker leader and Trapper upgrade, and your Volt Chaser units can now look far more diverse on the table. 

The Trapper was especially fun to design. These sneaky upgrades let Volt Chaser units lay mines ahead of them — a nasty surprise for anyone thinking of charging what is normally a unit without a reaction. Suddenly, the hunters get to set the trap. 

Volt Runners 

Where traditional Crawlers hurl themselves forward in a disposable tide, Volt Runners advance with heavier armour, stronger augmetics, and chem-rifles assembled from the best parts of corporate stockpiles. They may not match a Crawler’s frantic speed, but overcharge nodes built into their implants can flood their bodies with energy, driving them into sudden bursts of acceleration when needed. This balance of protection and controlled aggression makes Volt Runners far more dependable shock troops, able to press an assault and survive long enough for the swarm to follow. 

[Designer Notes] 

Volt Runners gave us another great opportunity. Veer-myn are, by design, a horde faction — they rely on swarms of lower-quality troops to support their more powerful specialists, from Nightmare and Night Terror shock troops to mighty Tunneller vehicles. It’s a very effective strategy, especially when it comes to overwhelming objectives, but some players have asked for infantry that feel a little less… disposable. 

Now, Veer-myn infantry will never be on par with an Enforcer or a Stormrage Veteran, but the Volt Chasers gave us room to explore something new: a unit that sits neatly between a standard Marine squad and a Ranger team, giving Veer-myn players a tougher, more versatile troop choice without losing that swarm identity.

Thralls 

Most Veer-myn warlords use thralls only sparingly, their broken slaves too weak or unreliable for battle. The Volt Chasers, however, have weaponised them. Outwardly the same ragged wretches seen in other nests, these captives conceal a grim secret: crude voltaic implants rammed into their spines by the Technorati. At the flicker of hesitation, the device delivers a convulsive surge that drives them forward—or kills them outright. With this brutal innovation, the Volt Chasers can unleash thralls in vast numbers, hurling them into combat as secure in the knowledge that even the most treacherous captive will fight—or die—exactly where the cult demands. 

[Designer Notes] 

The Veer-myn Thrall has been a familiar face in Deadzone for some time, and with four classic minis now available through the Vault, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to bring them into Firefight. As the lowest-quality troops in an already horde-based army, Thralls are totally expendable — exactly what you’d expect from Veer-myn cannon fodder. 

Of course, they’ll fit right in alongside traditional Veer-myn forces, but to “Volt Chaser them up” we’ve added a little twist. In a Volt Chaser army, crude implants (or just old-fashioned brutal discipline in a standard nest) mean that when the unit would normally break and be destroyed, a sudden “dose of motivation” can keep the rest of them fighting… even if it costs a few Thralls along the way. 

Brood Sister and Overchargers  

Veer-myn society is fiercely matriarchal, with warriors willing to die for their Brood Mother in situations where they would abandon a Progenitor without hesitation. Yet not every rare female pup rises to become a Mother. Some are slain by rivals, but others are hidden by the Maligni or pressed into service as surrogates and attendants. 

When these sisters march to war, they still inspire loyalty from the nest’s warriors — a loyalty rooted in blood and instinct. In Volt Chaser enclaves, they are most often seen alongside hulking Overchargers: Veer-myn whose flesh has been stripped away and replaced with industrial cybernetics and unstable power nodes. These living engines of destruction embody the Volt Chasers’ creed of “more machine than rat,” and when unleashed beside a Brood Sister, the combination of matriarchal presence and raw cybernetic muscle is enough to drive entire broods into a frenzy. 

[Designer Notes] 

This entry was a tricky one. With only a single sculpt for the Overcharger, fielding a whole unit of them wouldn’t have looked great on the table. On the other hand, introducing the Crone Sister (or Brood Sister as we’ve termed her for lore consistency) as another full HQ choice would have left the update feeling a little unbalanced. 

As a combined Specialist unit, though, it makes a lot more sense. The Sister (represented by the Gnaw model) brings many of the hallmarks of a commander — Inspiring, a black Command die — but her direct authority is limited to her own retinue, rather than the whole nest. That keeps her distinct from the Brood Mother while still giving her a defined battlefield role. And since Overchargers are already established in the lore as effective bodyguards, pairing the two together with their 40mm bases created a great thematic and mechanical combo.

Overcharger Shockgun Weapon Platfrom 

Strapped to the back of a rampaging Overcharger, the Volt Chaser's Shockgun is as unstable as the beast that carries it. Hurling arcs of voltaic energy that leap chaotically from one armoured target to the next, these living gun platforms embody the Technorati’s brutal ingenuity. Few enemies can withstand both the crushing bulk of the Overcharger and the storm of crackling energy unleashed by its deranged rider. 

[Designer Notes] 

Now this is a fun one — a whole new model for the range! A lightning-spewing cannon, wielded by a deranged Volt Chaser perched on the back of a hulking Overcharger, sounded almost too good to be true… but it also gave us an interesting design opportunity. 

Player feedback has often asked for another ranged anti-tank option in a list that usually relies on giant drills to crack armour. This is exactly that — but because it’s a Volt Chaser unit, we also had the chance to add a bit of extra flavour. The classic exploding 8s mechanic from Deadzone and DreadBall might feel too swingy for Firefight as a whole, but here? With arcs of lightning leaping from one unlucky target to the next… well, it just had to be done.

Scurrier Light Tunneller 

At first glance, the Scurrier Light Tunneller looks identical to a standard Veer-myn machine — scorched plating, howling drill-maw — but beneath the hull it’s a very different beast. Stripped of armour, guns, and stabilisers, it’s a hollowed-out transport built for speed and shock. Developed by Volt Chaser sects in the underhabs of Varn-7, the Scurrier crams up to fifteen Veer-myn into its rattling shell, unleashing them in a sudden eruption of teeth and blades. Faster but far less durable than its heavier cousin, the Scurrier thrives on infiltration and surprise. Some are even wired with unstable overcharge capacitors, surging voltaic energy through the drills as they surface. 

[Designer Notes] 

One thing that became clear when we were surveying troop transports during the recent Alignment Protocols update was just how tricky it could be for Veer-myn players to fit transports into their lists. As one of only two factions without access to a transport in their Troop or Specialist sections, Veer-myn commanders had to rely on the existing Tunneller variants. The problem is that those aren’t just transports — they double as tanks, artillery, and specialist support vehicles — and so had to be confined to the Support section. 

With the Scurrier, we’ve taken the classic Tunneller model we all know and love and given it a lighter, more focused profile that finally allows Veer-myn players to include a true transport option safely in the Specialist section.

The Piper 

Sleeker and more cunning than most of his kind, the Veer-myn known as the Piper strides into battle with eerie confidence. At his command, swarms of vermin pour from vents and ducts, overwhelming troopers in a tide of claws and teeth. These creatures cling to him like a living shield, absorbing blows and gunfire before surging forward to tear into his attackers. Sighted across conflicts separated by thousands of light years, the Piper’s appearances suggest that Veer-myn nests may share knowledge — or even coordinate — over vast distances. To the GCPS, his name is drawn from an Old Earth legend, but on the battlefield, his tale is all too real. 

[Designer Notes] 

This last one isn’t strictly a Volt Chaser — in fact, he’s not one at all — but when Mantic announced he was part of the Vault release, we could hardly leave him out. In this case we were able to draw inspiration directly from his lore and Deadzone stats. Since he’s known to work with (and be equally distrusted by) Veer-myn of all nests, there’s every chance he might fight alongside his voltaic cousins from time to time.

 That’s everything for the Volt Chasers! We hope you have a blast fielding them on the tabletop — or facing the terror of their lightning-charged hordes across it. They bring a very different flavour to Veer-myn armies and should shake up plenty of games in all the best ways. 

And who knows? The galaxy is a big place, and there are plenty more threats lurking in the shadows. Keep your eyes on the Vault… you never know which faction might scuttle, march, or crash into Firefight next. RC out!