While playing this game, many ideas for potential improvements, changes, and other additions often rush into my head. These ideas range from both the strange and crazy, to the plain and even mundane. Follows is a description of a Expansion Mission idea intended to continue the tales of the Crimson Order begun with Operation Crimson Hammer. Taking knights through the heart of Gremlin logistics operations and over Gremlin supply trains, this mission is known as: Operation Crimson Express.

Themes: Construct - Gremlin - Shock (rare, but it's there)

Levels:
Stealthy Infiltration
Search and Rescue
Mucking Up the Works
Jacking a Ride
Trainwreck
Aftermath

Total Crown Payout: about 7800 cr, to provide adequate competition with FSC

Lore:
A thin winding train track has been discovered twisting its way around the Clockworks; closer investigation revealed that this track serves as the main line for Gremlin supply deliveries all over Cradle. Realizing the potential gains that could come of crushing Gremlin supply lines, Spiral Knight HQ had deployed Feron and his Recon Knights to locate and sabotage the tracks at their source.

The Recon Knights quickly tracked down the supply depot at the end of the tracks, filled with trains constantly going in and out. However, while infiltrating the depot, the knights were discovered and captured. Therefore, HQ has decided to send in a small team of their elite knights to rescue the captive Recon crew and finish their mission: to destroy the Gremlin supply center. Be wary though: the Recon Knights' last transmission warned of greater danger than was originally supposed. "Confirmed Crimson Order member Overseer Brando present! Repeat! Overseer Brando present at depot! We require assistance immed- (static)"

Levels:
Floor 1: Stealthy Infiltration
+ Stealth areas: This floor introduces a new level area type known as stealth areas. These portions of the level are generally corridors lightly patrolled by the occasional enemy, and they begin and end with party buttons. However, what makes these areas interesting are the search lights combing through these corridors; if a player wanders into one of these lights, an alarm will sound, and a relatively large number of enemy spawn pads will appear throughout the area, continually spawning a similarly large collection of dangerous, no-loot enemies. The players' goal is to reach the ending party button without being detected by the searchlights, thereby avoiding being overwhelmed by enemies; if the players are detected, they can still activate the party button to move onto the next area, but the newly-spawned enemies will continue to swarm them along the way. As a bonus, these areas will often contain branching paths that offer some loot boxes, but also greater risk at detection.

+ Story events: At the start of the level, before actually beginning the level proper, the players will find Feron.
Feron: "Thank goodness you made it here! My knights and I were suddenly surrounded by constructs of all sorts; we didn't stand a chance!"
"Though I guess I managed to somehow escape and make my way here, though I've taken some injuries along the way. I doubt I'd be able to finish my mission without your help."
"Oh, but be careful; up ahead they have some really nasty troop reserves. Try not to get spotted by their searchlights, and if you do get seen, just book it for the end. It's just not worth it to fend off these guys."
"Good luck, and please get my knights out of there safely!"

+ General Layout: This level contains 3 stealth sections and ends with a 3-wave battle room (the last wave introduces the new GUARD-N enemy).
+ Elevator Prizes: Near the elevator will be 12 boxes. If the players managed to make it past the stealth sections without being detected, 8 more boxes will be present.
+ Crown Payout: ~900 cr

Floor 2: Search and Rescue
+ This map takes place within the depot's warehouse.
+ Story events: Halfway through the level, the players will rescue 2 of the captive Recon Knights (they're just NPCs and not mecha-knight reskins). Each of them will have his own line.
Guy in hood: "*shiver* T-thanks for saving me! I c-can't wait until I get out of here!"
Guy in platehelm: "Hey, thanks for the save! Glad to hear that Feron got out. Another member of ours escaped just a short while ago, too, but she ran to the depot instead of getting out of here..."

+ General Layout: The level contains 2 stealth areas (1 at the start and 1 right before the battle room at the end; the second one will have players breaking crates looking for a pair of buttons to open the gate onwards) and a 4-wave battle room (last wave will contain 2 GUARD-Ns at once).
+ Elevator Prizes: Near the elevator will be 10 boxes (the level, as a warehouse, will have plenty of boxes in it elsewhere).
+ Crown Payout: ~1600 cr

Floor 3: Mucking Up the Works
+ This map takes place inside the supply depot itself.
+ Forklifts: This level features a new dynamic entity similar to the wheels in FSC. These large forklifts go back and forth, carrying crates (and sometimes prize boxes) between conveyor belts at the walls. The forklifts follow set paths, so they shouldn't be too hard to avoid one at a time, but many at once (and while fighting enemies) could be tougher. Running into the forklift will cause that knight to take a bit of damage, and forklifts can't be destroyed; however the crates (or prize boxes) they carry can be broken.
+ Story Events: Before the last battle room in the level, players will meet up with another Recon Knight, who is busy opening the gate to the battle room.
Giboni: "Oh hey, back up arrived, I see! Just in time, too; I managed to sneak my way here, but I really don't have the equipment to fight full-out, and it looks like that's what the next room will entail. I'll stay back here and hold down the fort while you guys clean out the residents! Oh yeah, and thanks."

+ General Layout: The level begins near a locked gate to the north, meaning the players will have to brave the depot's main area to find the key, passing through a 3-wave battle room along the way. They'll also have to back track to the gate after finding the key, though new enemies will have spawned in the areas. Through the locked gate, the players will need to brave a stealth section filled with forklifts, after which they will meet with the Giboni story event before the last battle room (inside the facility's control room). After the battle room, the players will pass through a throne room, where a monitor will inform the players that Overseer Brando just fled to a train about to depart.
+ Elevator Prizes: Near the elevator will be 6 boxes.
+ Crown Payout: ~1900 cr

Floor 4: Jacking a Ride
+ This map takes place on a moving train, though the fact that it's moving is only an aesthetic difference as seen in the background.
+ Story Events: The level won't really have any major story events, though one of the monitors in the Battlepod room will scream "Why are we slowing down!? Step on the gas!"
+ General Layout: This level is primarily combat oriented, with a 3-wave battle room and a 4-wave battle room separated by an enemy-filled forklift area (the second battle room actually takes place in a forklift area). The level then wraps up with a fight against a Battlepod (along with plenty of support) in what appears to be the engine room.
+ Elevator Prizes: Near the elevator will be 10 boxes.
+ Crown Payout: ~2200 cr

Floor 5: Trainwreck
+ This map also takes place on the train, specifically the front car (which contains the Bridge).
+ General Layout: The level begins with a fight in a long, posh (it has a red plush carpet running through it and has good wallpaper, especially compared to the rest of the train) corridor through the enemies' last defense. After this posh hall, the players will enter a throne room/bridge, where they will face Overseer Brando himself. After the battle, the players will take the elevator down to the control room to stop the train (done offscreen of course).
+ Elevator Prizes: Near the elevator will be no boxes.
+ Crown Payout: ~600 cr

Floor 6: Aftermath
+ This map takes place back at the depot, with the players beginning on the train's front (where they can pick up the mission's special mat) andde then crossing a bridge over to the depot's throne room, where Feron and his knights will be waiting to congratulate the players.
Feron: "Good work knights! You singlehandedly closed the railway, decommissioned the distribution center, and defeated even Overseer Brando himself! You should be proud of these accomplishments; I'm sure HQ and I certainly are! Heheh, and sorry for not being much help around here, but I'll once again be good as new in no time at all, thanks to all your help."
Guy with hood: "T-thanks again for the help guys! I thought I was a goner for sure there!"
Guy with platehelm (at a control panel): "Oh hey guys! While you were out saving the day and stuff, Giboni and I were here trying to figure out what sort of useful information is here. Sadly, it seems a good portion of it was destroyed during the fight here; you guys should try to be a bit more careful!"
Giboni: "Hmmm... how were we discovered so easily... It's almost like Brando knew we were here... Oh, hi! I was just thinking a bit, but I guess I should say thanks for the save back there. We really couldn't have shut this place down without your help; just uh, next time, try to leave some of the data panels intact, yeah?"

Prizes:
+ Bastion Shard (material) (awarded in Aftermath)
> Used to craft Brando's Bastion

+ Brando's Bastion (shield) (crafting using Bastion Shards)
> Normal and elemental defense
> Bomb CTR or bomb DMG med (not sure which one)
> A smaller reconstruction of the massive shield carried by Overseer Brando himself. Various unknown mechanisms somehow boost the powers of explosive weaponry.
> A bomber's shield, like the Barbarous Thorn Shield is for sword-users.

+ Beam Blender (bomb) (acquired upon completion)
> Elemental attack
> Ever wary of his Crimson Order counterparts' mechanical firepower, Brando seems to have devised this monstrous bomb to tear Constructs to shreds.
> An elemental DPS bomb. Functions similarly to the Dark Retribution, in that it has two spinning lasers that cut up all enemies in range for a short time after detonation.
= Initial explosion:
~ No knockback
~ 50 dmg
= Spinning lasers:
~ No knockback
~ 30 dmg per hit
~ Spins fast enough to hit 1.5 times per second
~ Hits non-moving targets 11 times, including first hit

+ Wave-Motion Marauder (gun) (acquire upon completion)
> Normal attack
> VS Gremlin med
> Considering how this weapon could easily wipe out entire hordes of Gremlin forces, one wonders just where Overseer Brando's loyalties regarding his Gremlin brethren lied.
> A crowd-clearing gun that fires a single bolt that pierces through enemies. The charge attack fires a wider bolt. While the player can't move while firing, he can move at almost full speed
while reloading. Generally less useful against single targets, but better for groups and large, unshielded enemies (might hit multiple times); also great for attacking enemies hiding behind other
enemies, like Menders and the new GUARD-N.
= Normal attack:
~ Not sure on damage, but comparable to Polaris
~ 1 shot per clip
~ No knockback
~ Shots travel at alchemer speed
~ Can't move while firing
~ Can move at 98% speed while reloading
= Charge attack:
~ Small knockback
~ 1.5x wider shot
~ 1 shot

New Enemies/Bosses:
GUARD-N:
+ A mechanical pillbug (aka roly-poly) that projects a shield to defend other enemies within its range (4 tile radius).
+ Attempts to move to the center of large groups of other enemies.
+ Enemies within its shields take significantly reduced damage and knockback, but the shield take the extra damage; after sustaining too much damage, the shield will break temporarily (about 10 seconds), exposing all enemies to full damage.
+ GUARD-Ns are not protected by shields, either their own or the shields of other GUARD-Ns.

Overseer Brando:
+ An obese Gremlin who clawed his way into the Crimson order, not by sheer power, but through higher intelligence; he is the brains behind the Gremlins' expansive logistics operations, ensuring that every Tenderfoot, Ironclaw, and Darkfang is well-equipped for the dangers of their jobs in the Clockworks. However, he himself is anything but a pushover.
+ When the players first enter the battle room, Brando is sitting in his throne facing them. Upon activating the party button, the throne will transform into a power suit and the battle will begin.
+ The battle has two main phases: one in which the players destroy the powersuit, and one in which the players can damage Brando himself; both phases will likely be encountered multiple times in one encounter, always at least two times in each phase.

+ Phase 1 - Destroy the Powersuit
= In this phase, the powersuit will slowly march towards the aggro player, continuously firing its primary attack and occasionally stopping to use one of its other attacks. To proceed to the
second phase, players must destroy the powersuit's main body; the other parts are not required to be destroyed, but do reduce the boss's combat capabilities.

= Attacks:
> Primary: The powersuit does not stop to use this attack, but can continue moving. In the center of the powersuit's chest is a spinning portion with 4 guns mounted on it; these four guns
will continually spray bullets like a sprinkler. The direction in which this spinning portion turns can change at any time. After a while, these guns will overheat and cease firing for
about 10 seconds (this timer will be shown); this gives sword and bomb users a chance to rush in and do some damage (the powersuit itself will also overheat and do nothing during this
time.
> Laser: The powersuit will stop moving (and the spinning portion of the chest will also stop firing and spinning) 2 seconds before firing this attack to charge it. It will then fire

giant lasers (e.g. Roarmulus Lasers) from two of its four guns used in the primary attack; after about 3-5 seconds after this, the spinning portions will start to spin again, the lasers
rotating as well. After 10 seconds of this, the lasers will stop and the powersuit will resume its normal attack pattern. Note that when Brando himself has low HP, all four guns will
fire lasers.
> Railgun: The powersuit will stop to charge this attack for 2 seconds. Then it will fire a spreading volley of Wave Motion Marauder type shots in the direction of the aggro player; these
shots deal huge amounts of knockback and have a very good chance of causing shock. This attack is disabled if the railgun has been destroyed.
> Repair: Every 10 seconds, the powersuit's parts will all recover 250 HP, and Brando himself will recover 25 HP. This move is disable if the backpack part has been destroyed.
= Parts:
> Body: This is the main body of the powersuit, housing the rotating guns and Brando himself. When this is destroyed, the battle will enter the second phase. Attacks to the body's front
will deal about 1.5 times more damage than attacks anywhere else, to provide some incentive to destroying the shield.
> Railgun arm: This part carries (and is) the railgun used in the Railgun attack. While destroying this part is not necessary, it will disable the Railgun attack.
> Shield arm: This part carries (and is) a giant shield which the powersuit will hold to protect its front (even while overheating). The shield itself will repel all damage; to destroy
this part, the players must target the arm. While destroying this part is not necessary, doing so exposes the body's weakpoint.
> Backpack: This just a large pack affixed to the powersuit's back. While destroying this part is not necessary, it will disable the Repair action.
= Once the player's destroy the powersuit's main body, the powersuit will collapse to the ground, and the battle will proceed to Phase 2.

+ Phase 2 - Catch the Overseer
= Having had his powersuit knocked down, Brando will leap out and run around the room, away form the players. At this time, the players must corner him and attack directly.
= After taking about 60% damage or after about 2 minutes, Brando will run back to his powersuit, which will stand up and reassemble, returning to Phase 1 (with all parts back to full HP, but
Brando's HP unchanged; note that Brando does slowly recover HP in Phase 1, so be sure to speed through that phase as quickly as possible).

+ During both phases, gun puppies will occasionally spawn from spawn pads in the four corners of the room.

+ To end the fight, the players must bring Brando himself to zero HP. At this point, he will collapse and the powersuit will explode.

Feel free to add any suggestions, comments, or hatemail that you'd like.