Letters from Home: A mail pod catches up with the 3:16th, containing letters and recorded messages from home. Who would write to the PCs? What family or friends do they have back home? Are the letters from home censored? What’s life like back on Terra? Do the PCs send replies back?
The Unit: If a PC reaches Lieutenant, give him a short list of names (the list on page 90 is ideal). Whenever the aliens succeed in an AA check, mark a name off the list. Don’t be surprised if players get attached to these disposable NPCs – a character who starts off as just a random name on a list can become a memorable part of the supporting cast if he survives three or four missions.
Credits per Kill: PCs earn credits for each kill – one $ per kill. Credits can be gambled, spent on the ship for luxuries like better food or extra ammo, or hoarded for retirement.
Embedded Reporters: A reporter visits the 3:16th. The PCs have a chance to speak candidly about their experiences. Maybe the reporter even goes with them on their next mission, in which case they’ll have to keep him alive.
Left Behind: For tactical reasons, the Expeditionary Force has to depart, leaving the PCs to fend for themselves. The characters are stuck on this planet for at least one more mission. They may heal their wounds and repair armour if they find a suitable base.
Reload! (new rule): If a PC rolls exactly equal to his FA, he runs out of ammo at the end of his turn. He may switch to a different weapon, or make an NFA roll to reload. The weapon cannot be used unless reloaded. If he reloads, he scores double the normal amount of kills when he next uses that weapon in this encounter. Grenades and hand-to-hand weapons are exempt from this rule.
Stalker (new equipment): The Stalker is a four-metre tall suit of power armour. It may be taken instead of an APC. A character wearing the Stalker suit has the following bonuses:
- He may change range at the start of his turn if he makes a successful FA check that is higher than that of his opponent
- All his attacks have their damage upgraded by one step. This stacks with upgrades from Development rolls or automatic improvements, but a weapon’s damage at each range can still only be upgraded twice. Therefore, a weapon that has been upgraded twice by development rolls cannot benefit from this bonus.
- The Stalker suit provides a second Armour box. However, if this Armour box is used, the Stalker suit is destroyed and a new one must be obtained with a Development roll
- A character wearing a Stalker suit cannot ambush aliens by winning Dominance. The PCs can only Ambush using drop pods if any of them have suits.
Source: http://thatsnotmysquid.com/blog/