From: Ground Zero Games <jon@g...>
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 1999 16:18:58 +0100
Subject: [OFFICIAL] FMA TEST MATERIAL - PART 1 (rules)
Well, all the responses so far seem positive, so I'm going to take a chance
and send this now..... <grin>
OK everyone, here we go: No, I haven't written all this in the last couple
of hours - it is cobbled together (rather hastily!) from half-a-dozen
different bits of draft material written over the last three years or so! So,
no apologies for it being a bit disjointed in places; if something isn't
covered, try using the relevant bits from Stargrunt II and let us know what
happens! If you are interested in this sort of game, please wade through it
and
give us some feedback - if not, then feel free to delete the whole lot
now!!
Jon (GZG)
Legal Bit: All material in this draft is copyright July 1999 by Jon Tuffley
and Ground Zero Games; all rights reserved; FMA is a trademark of Ground Zero
Games.
1) This material is for list members' eyes only at this stage; it must NOT be
put up on anyone's website, and while it may be used for test games with your
own immediate player groups it is NOT for distribution outside this in any
manner or form without prior permission; if anyone wants to use it for any
kind of public demo or participation game (eg: at shows, stores or other
gatherings) then this should be possible, but I'd appreciate you checking with
me by email first. IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY TO ABIDE BY THIS CONDITION, PLEASE
DELETE THIS EMAIL NOW!
2) Any ideas or supplementary material posted to the list as a result of the
discussions may get used in any final printed or published form of the rules
(as per the standard terms of the GZG list), and while I'll certainly be
giving credit to the list membership as a whole it will probably be impossible
to individually mention each person contributing ideas... it
will probably just have to be along the lines of a thank-you to the
whole list, with a "you know who you are" line!
3) Everything in this post is still fairly rough draft material, and should be
treated accordingly; the present version has seen a bit of in-house
testing (very successfully to date), but has not yet been tested in the heat
of battle in the hands of the List Grunts... <grin>
Don't be surprised to find contradictions and missing bits - we'd like
to know about these when you do find them. Regarding feedback to the list or
direct to us, PLEASE use a bit of discretion and common sense to avoid
swamping the list and upsetting the non-interested members - if it is a
minor error or inconsistancy that can simply be fixed, then it will be best
to email this direct to us - only use the list itself for points that
genuinely need major discussion.
---------------------
FMA PLAYTEST DRAFT, July 1999
This is a test version of the basic FMA core rules (Near Future/SF
version); to play, you will need a selection of counters/markers from
Stargrunt II (preferred) or Dirtside II. Rules copyright GZG 1999. FMA is a
trademark of GZG.
INTRODUCTION: FMA is a generic skirmish rules system to simulate individual
and
small-unit combat; this version of the system is set up for a
"Near-Future
Sci-Fi" environment, but the core rules will work just as well for
almost any SF, fantasy or historical setting from cavemen up to far future
enhanced humans! This adaptability is due to the way the FMA system
approaches small unit combat - that morale, leadership and control are
much more important than the hardware that your troops are carrying. That
isn't to say that FMA ignores the hardware - you'll find a wide
selection of weapons, armour and equipment of varying effects to outfit your
troops with, plus full rules on how to design your own if what we provide
isn't
enough - but don't expect to win just because you have the biggest guns;
the most wonderful weapon in the known universe is of very little use if the
trooper carrying it is too scared to poke his head out of cover and
fire it....
So, why is FMA different from other skirmish rules on the market? Well, it is
fast without ignoring important variables, and simple to play without being
simplistic. While some other systems sacrifice important factors in the search
for speed and playability (decent morale rules are usually the first to go!),
FMA provides a "realistic" system that actually works as a game while keeping
the feel of leading a small unit into battle.
Your figures are not all little telepathic, fearless superheroes - the
won't always do what you want them to, and if they think things are turning
nasty they may well not hang around to get killed! You need to lead them from
the front, push them hard where necessary and use all your command skills to
get the job done....
One of the great strengths of FMA is the ease of set-up, especially in
the basic game. At the simplest level, there is NO paperwork or written
records to keep, no troop rosters to complete (though that is an option later
on) and in fact no need to plan anything in advance.
Simply choose a half-dozen or so miniatures for each player, pick a few
Activation Markers (which indicate the quality and nerve of your troops) at
random and assign one to each figure, agree between yourselves what each
figure's weapons and armour represent (just to avoid arguments later!), then
put your troops out on the table and start playing!
SCENARIOS: Of course, it makes the game much more interesting if you have some
kind of scenario and objective rather than just advancing across the table and
shooting the opposition (not that there is anything wrong with this -
for
an introduction to the rules or a quick "no-brainer" game before going
down the pub, a "Kill everything on the board" scenario is just fine!).
Scenarios don't have to be complicated, or even written down in advance. They
can be as simple as "I'll take six troops and defend this command
post, you take a dozen and try to capture it" - voila, a scenario,
objective and victory conditions in one line! At the other end of the scale, a
scenario can be as complex and detailed as you want to make it, with
additional rules for special occurences,
alternative objectives, pre-prepared defences, off-table support and
anything else you want.
SIZE OF GAME: Because it focusses on individual figures rather than units of
troops, FMA
works best for low-level skirmishes with up to a dozen or so troops per
player. A game doesn't have to be big to be fun, and battles with just a
handful of figures can be as exciting (and often more tactically challenging)
as those with huge forces on the table. The system will quite happily handle
larger forces, though we'd recommend grouping the figures into small teams and
using the optional "units" rules
if you want to use a lot - turns may get quite long if each player has
to activate twenty or more figures individually. If you want to go a level up
and do actions with platoon or company sized forces, then we'd recommend you
try our STARGRUNT II rules which are specifically designed for this level of
game.
DICE:
One of the key elements of the FMA system is its use of five different types
of polyhedral dice to reflect different circumstances and chances of success.
The dice are D4, D6, D8, D10 and D12, and as a bare minimum you will need one
of each to play the game. However, as there are many times
when you and/or your opponent will need to roll more than one of the
same kind of dice at the same time, having only one set will mean you have to
remember your earlier score while you roll again - it is much better, in
practice, to have at least two or three sets of the five dice handy so you can
roll all the necessary ones simultaneously. Though most experienced gamers
will already have a good collection of dice, we strongly recommend going out
and buying a few especially for this game,
in the correct colours. This really isn't a very large outlay - two or
three full sets of good quality solid-colour dice (leave those fancy
pearl and sparkly ones to the roleplayers!) will not set you back much more
than the cost of a couple of figures, and they will really pay dividends in
ease of play. So, what do we mean by the "correct colours"? Well, because a
lot of rolls
in the game are related to each figure/character's "QUALITY RATING",
which is denoted by the COLOUR of the activation marker by the figure, if you
have the relevant die handy in the same colour as the marker then picking up
the right die becomes much more intuitive. So, an ELITE character, who
has a RED marker, has a D12 Quality Die - thus you use RED D12s.
Similarly D10s are ORANGE (Veteran quality), D8s are BLUE (Regulars), D6s
GREEN (Greens) and finally D4s are YELLOW for the lowly Untrained characters.
Need to make a roll that requires the Quality die? Just grab a die of the same
colour as the figure's marker! It may seem an obvious and pretty basic point,
but believe us, in the heat of battle it really does make things much easier.
SCALES AND DEFINITIONS:
GROUNDSCALE: For most games, in whatever setting, we strongly recommend a
groundscale of
1" on the table represents 2 YARDS* - all distances in the rules are
given in inches assuming this scale. If you are using 25mm scale figures, this
groundscale is near enough the same as the figure scale that you can assume
everything on the tabletop is "in proportion" to the figures; thus a building,
vehicle or anything else actually takes up the same space as its model does.
If this sounds a bit obvious, remember that many wargame
systems use a distorted groundscale/figure scale relationship in order
to accommodate larger combats and ranges, so in such games a single building
model can indicate a whole group of structures, vehicles are "really" much
smaller than the models used to represent them and so on; in FMA,
everything is as it appears to be on the table - if you can hide your
figure behind something, he is hidden - if not, then he isn't!
* If you prefer to use metric units, you can take the groundscale as 25mm (ie:
approximately 1") on the table is equivalent to 2 METRES of real
distance - wherever a distance in inches is specified in the rules,
count this as units of 25mm, eg: 4" = 100mm, 6" = 150mm and so on.
CHARACTERS: Each miniature figure used in the game represents an individual
"Character". In the Core system each such character is graded in his/her
ability by a single factor known as EXPERIENCE. The five possible levels of
Experience are UNTRAINED, GREEN, REGULAR, VETERAN and ELITE, and the level
attained by a particular character is denoted by the COLOUR of its activation
marker (see later). Note that the terms used for the different Experience
levels are actually quite loose, as the level does not refer solely to the
degree of Combat
experience - it also reflects the amount of formal or informal training
the character has received, their general level of competence, skill with
weapons, coolness under fire and many other factors. In broad terms, the
different levels are defined thus:
UNTRAINED characters are just that; they are ordinary civilians,
non-military personnel and so on, with virtually no training or
experience of combat situations. This level should be used for noncombatants
forced to take up arms by circumstances (eg: citizens protecting their homes
and property), as well as for unarmed "innocent bystanders". An Untrained
character will just about be able to point and fire a weapon if given one,
but in general will be more of a liabilty to his/her own side. The
QUALITY DIE of an UNTRAINED character is a D4.
GREEN characters are those who have had at least a little relevant combat
training (either in Military terms or through life on the streets), but have
seldom if ever had to fire a shot in anger. Such characters would be new
recruits to either Military or Security forces, or perhaps the
less-experienced members of street gangs and the like. They can fight,
but are by no means very good at it. This Experience level could also apply to
members of Militia and National Guard type forces, who have received some
formal training but have little real knowledge of combat. The QUALITY DIE for
GREEN characters is a D6.
REGULAR characters are "average" in terms of combat training and experience;
they will form the bulk of most Military units, and also the more experienced
core of gangs and other such groups. In general terms it
will be unusual for non-Military/Security characters to rise above
REGULAR,
except for the occasional "hero/heroine" or charismatic gang boss.
Characters of REGULAR status normally have at least some experience of being
under fire, know how to react in combat conditions, and are reasonably
competent with weaponry. The QUALITY DIE for REGULARS is a D8.
VETERAN characters are particularly well-trained and experienced in
combat; they will be either professional soldiers with a good few years of
service, or else those that are just naturally good fighters. VETERANS know
what it is like to be shot at, and to shoot people in return. They know how to
follow a good leader, but it should be remembered that they probably survived
this long by knowing when NOT to follow a bad leader..... Most professional
Mercenaries, Bounty Hunters and the like will be of VETERAN
status, as may some long-service Security and Police characters.
The QUALITY DIE for a VETERAN is a D10.
ELITE characters are the deadliest and most effective fighters around. Few
characters will aspire to this level unless they are combat-enhanced in
some way. Combat Cyborgs, "wired" characters and BeeCees will usually be
classed as ELITE, as will the occasional real hero or heroine. Even
"Special Forces" personnel are not automatically ELITE - usually it will
only be a few special individuals in such a unit that will warrant this
highest level. Combat Bots (of the SmartBot variety) are rated as ELITE simply
because they are DESIGNED to be very, very good! The QUALITY DIE of an ELITE
character is a D12.
As mentioned above, the level of EXPERIENCE a character has is denoted during
the game by the COLOUR of the activation marker placed by the figure, as
follows: UNTRAINED = YELLOW marker GREEN = GREEN marker REGULAR = BLUE marker
VETERAN = ORANGE marker ELITE = RED marker.
Each Activation marker (so-called because one of its uses is to be
flipped over to indicate when a figure has used its Activation for that turn)
also carries a number, which represents the character's MOTIVATION LEVEL. This
Motivation Level is a measure of the state of the character's morale, "nerve",
coolness under fire and general will to fight; it strongly affects
the probability that he/she will actually be able to do something
constructive as opposed to hiding in a quivering lump behind the dumpster!
Note that the Motivation Level is also used as the "Leadership" value for any
figure that has been designated as a Leader, as troops or other subordinates
are much more likely to take notice of a leader who has his act together than
one who is cowering in cover....
EXAMPLE: FORMING A UNIT OF CHARACTERS: To give a practical example of how a
small group of characters might be formed for a typical game, we will create a
team of five Police troopers
-
nothing special, just a typical squad of street cops. Choosing five miniatures
to represent the team, we name them and designate the team leader: one female
figure is a particularly dynamic miniature, so we decide she will be the squad
leader, Lt. Morgan. A male trooper is picked as the
second-in-command, Sgt. Lewis. The remaining three figures are all
ordinary officers: Holloway (female), Parnell and Krapski (both male).
Now, we pick activation markers for each figure from a random face-down
assortment. As they are all supposed to be pretty average types, we leave out
any ELITE markers (no heroes!) and UNTRAINED markers (all are assumed to be
trained officers), so the mix contains some GREEN, some VETERAN and a
predominance of REGULAR counters. At least two counters in the mix per figure
in the group is a good rule of thumb.
For Lt. Morgan, we pick a GREEN "1" counter - motivated and gutsy, but
inexperienced; Sgt. Lewis gets a VETERAN "2" - a long-service
professional who knows what he is doing, but wants to live long enough to
collect his pension...
Officer Holloway gets a REGULAR "2" - a good all-round average, while
Parnell and Krapski get REGULAR "3" and VETERAN "3" respectively - both
OK on experience, but relatively unmotivated.
So, we have our basic stats for the five characters - not a lot of
detail, but by applying a bit of imagination we can already see how the group
fits together: Morgan is probably young, not long out of the academy and has
reached her present rank quickly through confidence, nerve and intelligence.
She has not seen enough action to raise her rating above "green", but her
leadership is well respected by her unit. Lewis is a
long-term Sergeant, a career cop with a reliable but unremarkable
service
record - he will probably act as a steadying infuence on Morgan's
impetuousness. Holloway is a fairly experienced officer with several years'
service, but may well be new to this squad. Parnell and Krapski are the
"Laurel and Hardy" of the unit - a pair of old-timers who are quite good
at their jobs but not likely to put themselves in danger if they can help
it -
they will need good leadership and firm motivation if they are to contribute
much to the action.
Five 25mm metal miniatures have thus, with only two "game stats" each plus the
addition of a little storytelling and artistic interpretation, become five
quite different "characters". If we are playing a simple combat game
rather than a role-playing session, this is all we really need - already
you can see that one of them getting shot during the game is going to be a
serious matter, and not just another metal figure taken off the table!
RATING WEAPONS:
Almost any weapon type you can think of can be integrated into the FMA system
by allocating it suitable weapon stats. A weapon type is described by three
RANGE BANDS (Close, Medium and Long ranges), each range band having a die type
for the weapon's FIREPOWER at that range, and an IMPACT die type that
represents the weapon's potential to damage a target once a hit is achieved.
The RANGE BANDS of a weapon determine how far it may be ACCURATELY fired in
typical snap-fire conditions; taking time to AIM the weapon more
carefully will double the length of each range band. In general, the accuracy
of a weapon will degrade as the range increases, so the FIREPOWER DIE for each
range band will be smaller than the previous band - most weapons will
drop one die type per range band, but some whose accuracy drops off sharply
(eg:
Machine Pistols, which output a large volume of fire but with little regard
for accuracy) may drop TWO die types per range band. In general terms, the
Medium range band will usually be twice the Close band, and the Long band
three times Close.
For example, a typical Military Assault Rifle might have a Close range band of
up to 12", Medium band of 24" and Long band of 36"; its Firepower die types
for these ranges are set at D10, D8 and D6 respectively. A Machine Pistol, on
the other hand, might have Range bands of as little as 4", 8"
and 12", but might have Firepower dice of D12, D8 and D4 - the MP is
more
likely to hit than the rifle at point-blank range due to its very high
rate of fire, but its effectiveness drops off very sharply with increasing
distance.
The IMPACT die type of the weapon is a combined measure of its
armour-penetration capability and its actual lethality - these are
definitely not the same thing, but for simplicity of play they are averaged
into the single Impact factor. In the above examples, the Assault Rifle might
have an Impact die of D10 for its reasonably powerful rifle rounds,
while the Machine Pistol gets a D8 to represent its lighter pistol-type
ammunition.
To write up the game stats for each weapon, we suggest the following notation:
ASSAULT RIFLE: 12" (D10), 24" (D8), 36" (D6); Impact D10.
MACHINE PISTOL: 4" (D12), 8" (D8), 12" (D4); Impact D8.
ACTIONS AND ACTIVATIONS:
One of the key parts of FMA is the INTEGRATED TURN SEQUENCE. Basically, each
player takes it in turn to ACTIVATE ANY ONE of his figures and make that
figure perform actions (2 actions per activation in most cases). Once that
figure has completed its activation, it may not normally perform any further
actions in that game turn; the opposing player now activates one of his
figures, and so on. Unlike many skirmish rules, we do not use any kind of
"initiative" system to decide when certain figures may (or must) be
activated - each player has a free choice of activating ANY one of his
as-yet-unactivated figures when it is his turn to do so. This removes
any lengthy procedures of rolling dice, drawing cards or allocating chits to
determine order of play; while it gives the players more freedom to TRY and do
what they want, it also means they have to be making constant value
judgements about what order to do things in - remember, with freedom
goes responsibility! We have found that this method gives a simpler game, with
much more fun than being forced to move a particular figure when the dice tell
you to.
Of course, there are a few instances where the rules and the situation limit
the choice the player has as to which figure to activate when; there are also
some cases where more than one figure may activate simultaneously, or may even
be activated twice in one game turn. Where such special cases arise, however,
they are clearly identified and explained.
Many actions that characters may perform can be assumed to be automatically
successful, if they are something that a normal person could do without
difficulty or any significant chance of failure (eg: we assume that most
characters are able to walk and chew gum at the same time without falling over
or choking....). Whenever a character wishes to attempt something that may or
may not succeed, however, then an opposed roll is made between the character's
skill die type and a Task Difficulty die type that should be assigned by the
Umpire (or by agreement between the players if no umpire is present). If the
character rolls higher than the task difficulty die score, then the character
succeeds in the attempted action; if the character's roll is less than or
equal to the difficulty die score then the attempt fails.
[Option: if the character rolls a ONE, then this may be considered a
CRITICAL FAILURE, and something goes nastily wrong.]
Example: a character with COMPETENT weapons skill manages to jam his rifle;
unjamming it is judged to be an AVERAGE task, so the character rolls his D8
against another D8 rolled either by the umpire or opponent. If the character
rolls better than the difficulty roll, the weapon is unjammed and
may be fired again; if he rolls equal or less, then it is still jammed -
he
may re-attempt the clearing in his next action. If the character rolls a
ONE, then he has actually made the jam worse and the rifle is probably out of
action for the rest of the game.
SKILL DIE TYPES: MASTER: D12 EXPERT: D10 COMPETENT: D8 POOR: D6 HOPELESS: D4
TASK DIFFICULTY DIE TYPES: VERY DIFFICULT: D12 DIFFICULT: D10 AVERAGE: D8
EASY: D6 VERY EASY: D4
DEFINITIONS:
GROUNDSCALE: 1" on table = 2 yards/metres.
TIMESCALE: Flexible. One action (such as firing a shot, or moving a few
metres) may occupy only a few seconds, while another (say, treating a
casualty) may take considerably longer and is assumed to be going on while
other things are happening around it. ACTIVATION: The process of choosing a
figure and taking one or more actions with it. ACTION: A single function
performed by a figure during its Activation, such as moving or firing a
weapon; most figures may make up to TWO actions each time they are activated.
ACTIVATION MARKER: The coloured marker placed by a figure and flipped over to
indicate when the figure has been activated; COLOUR of marker denotes figure's
QUALITY grade, and NUMBER on marker is figure's MOTIVATION LEVEL.
QUALITY GRADES: NOVICE: YELLOW marker; QUALITY NUMBER 4 (QUALITY DIE
D4).
GREEN: GREEN marker; QUALITY NUMBER 6 (QUALITY DIE D6). REGULAR: BLUE marker;
QUALITY NUMBER 8 (QUALITY DIE D8). VETERAN: ORANGE marker; QUALITY NUMBER 10
(QUALITY DIE
D10).
ELITE: RED marker; QUALITY NUMBER 12 (QUALITY DIE D12).
MOTIVATION LEVEL: Number on marker shows figure's nerve, coolness in combat
etc: 1 = HIGH motivation, very gutsy and confident. 2 = AVERAGE motivation,
typical normal level. 3 = LOW motivation, nervous and easily shaken.
ACTIONS AND ACTIVATIONS: Each player takes it in turn to ACTIVATE ANY ONE of
his figures and make that figure perform actions. Once that figure has
completed its activation, it may not normally perform any further actions in
that game turn; the opposing player now activates one of his figures, and so
on. Each player
has a free choice of activating ANY one of his as-yet-unactivated
figures when it is his turn to do so.
When a figure is ACTIVATED, it may normally perform up to TWO ACTIONS. The
most common actions are listed here, but players should feel free to use other
more specialised actions in specific circumstances IF their opponents
and/or the umpire agree.
Basic Actions: MOVE: figure may move up to allowed distance.
FIRE: figure fires once at any target in range and line-of-sight
AIM: if used immediately before a FIRE action (in the same activation), DOUBLE
each range band of the weapon fired.
ENGAGE IN CLOSE COMBAT: figure may fight hand-to-hand if in direct
contact with an enemy figure. COMMUNICATE (by voice or radio) TRANSFER
ACTIVATION TO ANOTHER FRIENDLY FIGURE ("Leader" characters only)
REACTION TESTS: The REACTION TEST is one of the most important mechanisms in
FMA, but is also one of the simplest. Reaction tests are taken whenever
something nasty happens (or threatens to happen) to a figure, or when the
figure tries to
do something that has an element of skill or luck involved - it is a
simple die roll to see whether the action is successful, or how the figure
reacts to the threat. to do this, the player rolls the character's QUALITY DIE
with the aim of scoring MORE than the total of the character's MOTIVATION (the
number on
his/her marker). If the die roll is GREATER than the motivation number,
then the character has PASSED the test successfully; if, however, the roll is
equal to or less than the required number then the test is FAILED. In some
circumstances there may be modifiers that increase the needed
number to pass the test - these are added to the figure's Motivation to
give the total target number for the test. This is noted as, for example,
"Reaction Test +1" - in this case, add 1 to the figure's Motivation
number for the purpose of this test only.
Examples: if a REGULAR trooper with a Motivation of 2 (hence a Blue/2
marker) is required to make a Reaction Test, roll a D8 - a roll of 1 or
2 is a failed test, 3 or more is a success. If the circumstances required a
"+1" reaction test, then add 1 to the Motivation to give a target
number
of 3 - so a 4 or better would be needed to succeed in the test.
MOVEMENT: A figure may move any distance up to its BASE MOVEMENT VALUE for
each MOVE
action it takes - thus if a figure uses BOTH actions for movement it may
move up to double the base distance.
BASE MOVEMENT VALUES: Heavily encumbered character (eg: carrying wounded
comrade): 4" (D4) Encumbered character (eg: carrying heavy weapon, or wearing
heavy unpowered armour): 6" (D6) Typical normal character, or "Slow" power
suited character: 8" (D8) Very lightly equipped or very agile character, or
"Medium" power suited character: 10" (D10) "Fast" power suited character or
typical Combat Cyborg etc.: 12" (D12)
Heavily encumbered character (eg: carrying wounded comrade) Encumbered
character (eg: carrying heavy weapon, or wearing heavy unpowered armour)
Typical normal character, or "Slow" power suited character Very lightly
equipped or very agile character, or "Medium" power suited character "Fast"
power suited character or typical Combat Cyborg etc.
Evrey inch moved through any DIFFICULT TERRAIN counts as two inches of normal
movement. Crossing a linear obstacle (eg: a wall) takes half of the available
movement of that action.
"COME AND SEE THE VIOLENCE INHERENT IN THE SYSTEM - HELP, HELP, I'M
BEING SUPPRESSED..."
SUPPRESSION MARKERS: A figure which receives a SUPPRESSION result when fired
at is given a SUPPRESSION MARKER. Any figure may only have ONE Suppression
Marker at any
one time - if it already has one, then any further suppression results
on it are ignored. Suppression Markers have the effect of reducing the
figure's abilities by forcing the expenditure of actions to attempt to remove
the suppression. When it has a Suppression Marker, a figure may not make ANY
action except for an attempt to remove the suppression (exception: see
"Suppressed Figures in the Open", below)
REMOVING SUPPRESSION MARKERS:
A figure may use an action to attempt to remove a suppression marker -
roll the Quality die, and if the score exceeds the figure's Motivation level
then the suppression marker may be removed. If the roll fails to remove the
supporession marker, then a second attempt may be made with the figure's other
action if the player desires (this will usually be the case, since otherwise
the second action is wasted anyway, as the figure can do nothing else with it
while still suppressed).
SUPPRESSED FIGURES IN THE OPEN: If a figure becomes suppressed while it is in
the open, he is very unlikely to simply "freeze" on the spot, exposed to
further fire. When the figure is next activated and tests for removal of the
suppression, if the roll FAILS then the figure must immediately roll a COMBAT
MOVE die. If there is any cover of any sort (hard or soft) within the rolled
move distance of the figure, even if it is towards an enemy figure, then the
suppressed figure immediately sprints to the cover, taking with him any
suppression marker(s), which remain in force until successfully removed. If
the combat move roll is too short to reach any available cover, then the
figure must instead RETREAT directly away from the nearest visible enemy, by
the distance rolled. If the roll is sufficient to reach more than one area of
cover, the figure will move to whichever cover is nearest. Once the figure
is in cover, he may use his second action to re-attempt removal of the
suppression as normal.
SUPPRESSION LIMITATIONS ON HEAVILY ARMOURED TARGETS: Any target that is
sufficiently heavily protected that its armour rating is expressed as a
MULTIPLIER rather than a straight die type will not suffer suppression effects
when fired on by light weapons. If the Armour multiplier is LARGER than the
Impact Multiplier of the weapon, then the target will not be suppressed (note
that it CAN still be damaged or destroyed by a lucky shot from the same
weapon). Example: a trooper in Heavy Powered Armour has an armour rating of
D12x2 (ie: a multiplier of 2). A Gauss Rifle (Impact D12) will NOT be able to
suppress the PA trooper, because he will not feel sufficiently vulnerable to
its effect (even though it could actually kill him with a good hit!). If fired
on by a 20mm Cannon (Impact D12x2) then a suppression WOULD be effective, as
the PA wearer would be shaken by coming under fire of such a heavy weapon.
FIRE COMBAT SYSTEM: There are two optional versions of the fire combat
procedure; version
(1),
the "QUICK AND DIRTY" option, is very quick to resolve, relying on only one
opposed dice roll to determine the complete results of the shot (hits and hit
effects). If you want a very fast game with fairly large forces we recommend
using this option. Option (2), the "DETAILED" option, adds a second opposed
roll to determine
the effect of a hit and thus takes just a little longer to resolve - it
does, however, allow more variation in weapon effects as well as taking into
account the target figure's quality rating (which means that
better-trained troopers will be harder to hit, as they know how to move
around the battlefield without making themselves obvious targets!). Feel free
to use whichever version best suits the forces you have available, the time
you have to play the game in, and the sort of flavour you like your battles to
have!
1) The QUICK AND DIRTY OPTION:
FIRER rolls QUALITY + FIREPOWER dice.
TARGET rolls ARMOUR die. If IN COVER, also rolls extra D6 (for Soft Cover) or
D10 (for Hard Cover), and counts highest roll only.
Target beats or equals both of Firer's dice = NO EFFECT Firer beats target
with 1 die = SUPPRESSION (1 suppression chit) Firer beats target with both
dice = HIT
Figures which are HIT are "down", and unable to take further part in the
battle; they may be wounded and in shock, unconscious, or actually dead
-
whatever the case, they are out of action for the duration of the game.
[Note that very minor wounds that do not impair combat effectiveness are
assumed to be covered by the "suppression" result.]
2) The DETAILED EFFECT OPTION:
FIRER rolls QUALITY + FIREPOWER dice.
TARGET rolls QUALITY die.
Target beats or equals both of Firer's dice = NO EFFECT Firer beats target
with 1 die = SUPPRESSION (1 suppression chit) Firer beats target with both
dice = HIT
If HIT scored, make second roll of Firer's IMPACT die (for weapon type)
against Target's ARMOUR die. If IN COVER, target also rolls extra die for
cover value (eg: D6 for bushes/hedges, D10 for solid walls etc.), and
counts highest roll only. Target beats or equals Firer's score = SUPPRESSION
ONLY Firer beats target's score = WOUND Firer's score is MORE THAN DOUBLE
target's score = KILL
Typical weapon examples:
WEAPON CLOSE RANGE MEDIUM RANGE LONG RANGE
IMPACT DIE
Light Pistol 4" D8 8" D6 12" D4 D6 Heavy Pistol 6" D8 12" D6 18" D4 D10
Machine Pistol 4" D12 8" D8 12" D4 D8
Shotgun 3" D10 6" D8 9" D6 D6
Combat Rifle 12" D10 24" D8 36" D6 D10
Gauss Assault Rifle 18" D10 36" D8 54" D6
D12
20mm Auto Cannon 24" D8 48" D6 72" D4
D12x2
ARMOUR VALUES: Each figure needs an ARMOUR VALUE, which is a measure of the
protection they are wearing combined with their inherent "toughness". Most
non-combatants and lowly cannon-fodder figures will usually be given a
default (fixed) armour value of 1, so almost any successful hit will take them
out. For character figures the armour value is expressed as a die type, and is
thus referred to as the Armour Die; each figure should be assigned a suitable
die type depending on their level of protection:
Non-combatant (unarmoured): 1 (fixed
value) Character figures: Minimal or no armour: figures in normal clothing (or
less!): D4 Light armour: flak jackets, partial body armour: D6 Medium armour:
full suit body armour: D8 Heavy armour: Powered hardsuit: D10 Very heavy
armour: Heavy PA suits: D12
If running a "heroic" style game, then characters that are deemed to be
significantly "tougher" than normal persons may have their armour ratings
increased by one (or in extreme cases two or more) die types; this represents
their ability to shrug off or ignore lighter wounds, and allows them to have a
suitably cinematic chance of survival in combat without being burdened by lots
of heavy armour plating. TOUGH characters gain a one die increase, VERY TOUGH
characters go up two die types, and INCREDIBLY TOUGH ones up three. Thus an
Incredibly Tough character would have a D10
armour die even if they were walking around the battlefield in his/her
underwear. Note, however, that no figure may have its armour die raised above
a D12 by this method, so the same character in a heavy PA suit would still
have a D12 armour die like anyone else in a similar suit.
Cover Dice: Soft cover (bushes etc.) D6 Hard cover (walls etc.) D10
FIRING AT CIVILIANS AND BYSTANDERS:
In any scenario that includes non-combatants (eg: civilians, technicians
and the like), there will inevitably be times when these figures are shot
at, either deliberately or by being caught in crossfire. Non-combatant
figures do not have an Activation Marker, and may not be voluntarily activated
by either player (unless they are special characters with a role in the
scenario, in which case they count as part of one player's figures).
When fired on, non-combatants always use a default D4 to avoid hits, and
will almost always use a fixed Armour Value of 1 in place of an armour die
type - thus any roll of 2 or better on the impact die will be a success
result; if they receive any kind of wound or kill result, they are out of
play. If a non-combatant receives a SUPPRESSION result, then if in cover
they will cower and hide, or if in the open they will automatically PANIC,
running D8" in a completely random direction determined by a D12 "clockface"
roll.
CLOSE COMBAT: When a figure is moved into base contact with an opposing
figure, it may
initiate CLOSE COMBAT (hand-to-hand fighting). The figure that is
currently activating is termed the ATTACKER, and the other the DEFENDER.
Both figures roll their QUALITY dice - highest roll scores a WOUND on
opponent, if score is MORE THAN TWICE opponent's then hit is a KILL.
If a figure is using a specialised close-combat weapon, or is in Power
Armour, DOUBLE their score. This is cumulative, so a PA trooper with a
close-combat weapon will actually QUADRUPLE his roll.
Example: a PA trooper (Vet 2) with a Power Blade (close-combat special
weapon) attacks a Reg 2 figure equipped only with a rifle; the PA figure rolls
a D10 and multiplies result by 4, opponent rolls a D8 with no modifier. PA
trooper scores 3, x 4 = 12; opponent rolls 5. PA trooper's score is more than
twice the opponent's, so the opponent is killed.
REACTION FIRE is when a character wishes to take an opportunity-fire
shot
at an opposing character that it in the middle of his/her activation.
This may only be performed by a character that has NOT yet been activated in
this turn; it allows them to immediately take one fire action, using the
normal fire rules, at the character who is currently being activated; the
firing character then has their marker flipped, and their activation is
counted as used up for that turn. Reaction fire takes place between the
activating figure's first and second actions, and results are resolved and
applied immediately.
OVERWATCH FIRE is similar to Reaction Fire, in that it allows an immediate
shot against a target that is currently being activated. However, Overwatch
Fire may ONLY be performed by a character who currently has a OVERWATCH
marker, which must have been placed by the character as an action during their
last activation. The presence of an Overwatch marker allows the character to
make one Fire Action using DOUBLED range bands for their weapon, just as if
they had spent an AIM action prior to firing.
Immediately after the shot, the Overwatch marker is removed - a fresh
one may be placed if desired in the character's next activation. Note: an
OVERWATCH marker takes one action to place; it may NOT be placed on a
character who has made a MOVE with their other action in that activation.
ISOLATION: Any figure that is more than its own Quality Die type in inches
away from the nearest friendly figure in line of sight is said to be ISOLATED.
Thus a Green trooper will be isolated if he does not have another friendly
figure in sight within 6" of him, and a Veteran will be isolated if more than
10" from any visible friendly figure. If a figure is ISOLATED at the time it
is activated, then before it can do
anything the figure must make a REACTION TEST - if the test is passed
then the figure may act normally, if it is failed then the figure may perform
NO actions that turn (but is still counted as having activated).
COMMAND RADIUS: Any LEADER figure may attempt to transfer actions to other
friendly figures, provided certain criteria are met. A Leader may attempt an
action transfer to any friendly figure that is within the Leader's COMMAND
RADIUS and is also within line of sight. The COMMAND RADIUS of a Leader figure
is equal to its Quality Die type in
inches - thus an ELITE leader has a Command radius of 12", but a REGULAR
leader only 8". To attempt transfer of an action, the Leader rolls his Quality
Die, and must exceed the SUM of his own Motivation Level plus that of the
figure he is trying to activate. Example: a VET 1 leader is trying to activate
a GREEN 3 trooper who is
7"
away from the leader. This is within the leader's Command radius (10", as he
is a Veteran); the leader will roll a D10, and must beat the sum of his
own ML and the trooper's ML, which is 1 + 3 = 4; he thus needs to roll a
5 or better to succeed. If he does so, the trooper may immediately make one
action (eg: move, or fire a weapon); if he fails to get a 5 or better, then
the action transfer attempt fails and the leader has wasted that action.
CASUALTIES: (For use with Quick-and-dirty or reduced-lethality combat
options only) If another friendly figure is moved into contact with them and
spends an
action to examine the casualty figure, roll a D6 - on a 1 or 2 the
casualty
is lightly wounded and/or knocked out, and may possibly be able to
return to combat after field treatment; on a 3 or 4, he is seriously wounded
and requires immediate treatment to survive, and on a 5 or 6 is already dead.
CHANGING OR PREPARING WEAPONS: A figure is assumed to be carrying it's "main"
weapon ready for immediate use (eg: in an infantryman's case, his rifle). If a
figure is carrying an
alternative or additional weapon, eg: a back-up pistol, then an action
must be taken to change weapons before the alternative one may be used. In the
case of any weapon that fires an explosive projectile (rocket and
missile launchers, and including grenade launchers and hand-grenades),
one action must be spent to "prepare" the weapon for firing whether or not it
is the figure's main weapon. This represents drawing and priming a grenade
ready for throwing, powering-up the guidance package on a missile
launcher and getting a target lock, extending and readying a disposable rocket
launcher and so on.
CREW-SERVED WEAPONS:
Weapons such as Support Machineguns, Rocket/Missile launchers and so on
are usually designed to be operated by a crew of two (sometimes more); one man
acts as the gunner for the weapon, while the other(s) serve as ammunition
porters and loaders. When a second crew member is present to load the weapon,
he may transfer his actions to the firer in terms of "extra shots" for the
weapon team, in a similar way to the transferral of actions by a Leader: the
loader dices
when he is activated, using his basic die - if he rolls OVER his
motivation then the weapon may be fired using the loader's action(s), but
still using the GUNNER'S die type for the shots (the loader is not firing the
weapon
-
he is simply assisting the gunner in maintaining a high rate of fire). If
the loader rolls equal or under his motivation, he has "fumbled it" -
broken a link in the ammo belt, jammed the feed, or something - and his
actions are lost while he tries to fix things.
Both/all members of the weapon crew must be in actual base-to-base
contact in order to function in this way, and neither figure can have moved
during that turn.
EXAMPLE: In one turn, a player activates the GUNNER of a two-man
machinegun team to move into a suitable location to set up a firing position;
later in the same turn he activates the LOADER of the team to move also, to
join the gunner. In the following turn, the gunner uses his activation (both
actions are required) to set up the gun on its mount, ready for sustained
fire; when the loader is activated in that turn, he can roll to transfer his
actions to the gunner in order that the team can fire. During the third turn,
if
the team stay in position then the weapon can be fired twice - once in
the gunner's activation and once (provided he doesn't foul up on the die roll)
in the loader's. (Note: there is nothing to stop the player activating the
loader before the gunner at any time, and they do not have to be treated as
consecutive activations unless the player so wishes.)
VEHICLES: All vehicles (unless robotically controlled) require at least one
crewman (the driver or pilot), and may also have a number of other crew
fulfilling the positions of commander, gunner(s) and other roles. Each crewman
is treated as a separate "figure", and each has his own activation marker
(which may be placed on or by the vehicle model, or kept
off-table on a record sheet if preferred). Individual crewmen are
activated just as any other figures in the normal turn sequence, allowing the
vehicle
to perform whatever actions that crewman is controlling - eg: to MOVE
the vehicle, the DRIVER must be activated, to fire a weapon the GUNNER
responsible for that weapon must be activated, and so on. If the vehicle has a
COMMANDER (as in most military combat vehicles), then
he acts as a LEADER figure for the rest of the vehicle crew - he may
make communications actions, fire a weapon (if he is controlling one), or may
transfer actions to re-activate any other crew member (including the
driver, thus allowing the vehicle to move extra distance).
GRENADES (and other nasty things that go BANG)
Notes on use of grenades and other area-destructive weaponry:
Grenades (whether launched or thrown), rockets, missiles and suchlike are very
effective weapons, and this is reflected in their lethality under the
rules - throw a grenade down an alley and most of the people in the way
are
quite likely to end up dead or messily wounded. The down-side of such
weapons is that they are very unselective; if you are trying to get one
terrorist/criminal in amongst a large crowd of innocent civilians,
lobbing something explosive into the middle of them is probably NOT the best
way
of going about it - you may get your man, but think of the paperwork
from the Police Complaints Commission....
The point is that the use of area-effect weapons (and indeed all
hardware
heavier than ordinary small-arms) really needs to be controlled by the
"rules of engagement" in force in any given scenario or situation. For
example, if you are playing a house-clearing scenario in a war zone then
obviously most weapon types are quite justifiable; if, on the other hand, you
are doing a Police patrol of a heavily populated area then it is most unlikely
that your men will have access to explosive weaponry, let alone be permitted
to use it. The "bad guys" may be affected in similar ways, though
often for different reasons - while a street gang might have less
scruples about blowing up a few bystanders, they will not find it easy to get
access to explosive weaponry (they have to make, steal or buy stuff, not just
go down to the armoury with a requisition chit...) and will thus be more
careful about "wasting" such valuable equipment when a burst of
cheap-and-available bullets would do the same job.
Bear in mind also that explosive devices don't just make a mess of people,
but property as well - blowing out a Mega-Corporation's front office
while in pursuit of a criminal is not likely to make you many friends in the
places that matter! Under these rules, explosive weaponry doesn't just
disappear into thin air if it misses its intended target - an
anti-vehicle
missile will simply carry on until it impacts with whatever is in the way
("Honest, Sarge, if I'd realised that the hospital was right behind the enemy
APC I wouldn't have fired at it...."). Of course, gamers being who they are
they won't hold back just because of the risk of a little collateral damage,
will they? Well, they will if they stand to lose Victory Points for it....
FIRING GRENADES AND ROCKETS: Explosive weapons such as grenades (whether
thrown or launched) and
man-portable rockets are fired using different rules from normal guns,
because we not only need to know if they hit their intended target but also
where they go if they don't! Each such weapon type has a fixed Range Band that
does NOT depend on the
skill of the firer - his ability (or lack thereof) is used to determine
how accurately he can aim the shot. THE MAXIMUM EFFECTIVE RANGE OF SUCH A
LAUNCHED WEAPON IS TEN TIMES ITS RANGE BAND.
Range Band examples: Thrown Grenade: 2"* Launched Grenade: 6"
Rocket Launcher (shoulder-fired) 10"
* for characters with STRENGTH ratings above normal human levels (eg: some
'borgs), increase range band of thrown grenades (or any other thrown
projectile) by 1" for every die type above human norm (D6) - thus a
Combat 'Borg with a strength of D10 would have a range band of 4" for thrown
weapons.
The firing player places an IMPACT counter where he wishes to aim the
projectile, and then measures the range from firer to intended impact point.
If the range is up to ONE range band, then the Target Number for an accurate
shot is 1; if the range is up to TWO range band multiples, then the Target
Number is 2 and so on. The firing player now rolls the firer's SKILL die. If
the die score EXCEEDS the target number, then the shot hits the intended point
of aim; if it is EQUAL OR LESS than the target number then the shot DEVIATES
from the intended aim point, by a distance equal to the ACTUAL DIE SCORE
ROLLED in inches. The DIRECTION of the impact's deviation from the intended
aim point is determined by rolling a D12 and using the usual "clockface"
method.
Example: An EXPERT firer is using a Grenade Launcher (Range Band 6"), and
designates as his intended target a point 26" away. This range is into the
FIFTH multiple of the Launcher's range band, so his Target Number is 5.
Rolling his skill die (a D10), the firer needs a 6 or more to hit the
designated point; if he rolls 5 or less the grenade will deviate according
to his rolled score - on a 2 it will deviate 2", on a 5 it will deviate
5".
A D12 roll determines the direction of deviation, so a roll of 6 would be
"short", 12 an "over" and so on.
IMPORTANT: if the Target Number is actually equal to or higher than the
firer's skill die type (eg: if a GREEN firer (skill die D6) were to try a shot
with a target number of 6 or more) then the shot AUTOMATICALLY DEVIATES; in
such cases roll the skill die, SHIFTING UP ONE DIE TYPE for
every additional Range Band - thus in this example the GREEN firer will
roll a D6 at up to six range bands, but a D8 at seven RB, D10 at 8 RB and D12
at 9 RB. The number rolled on the die is the deviation distance in inches, so
in the worst case the shot may deviate by as much as 12"! Shots
at ranges that would shift the die above a D12 are not allowed - we
assume that even the most inexperienced firer is bright enough to know that
his chances of a hit are too small at such distances.
"BLIND" SHOTS: It is possible for a firer to try and "lob" a shot over an
obstacle to hit an area he cannot actually see; this is a very dodgy business,
however, and not to be recommended where there are innocent civilians about!
If someone wishes to try this, then the impact counter is placed as normal but
the shot automatically deviates a distance according to a D12 roll, regardless
of range or firer skill.
BOUNCING ROUNDS: If deviation causes a projectile to hit a solid object, for
example the side of a building (quite likely if something is fired or thown
down a narrow street are alleyway) then one of two things will happen: if the
weapon is contact-fused (eg: a rocket or launched grenade) then it will
detonate at the point that it hits the wall or other obstruction, with
normal effects. If it is a time-fused weapon such as a hand-grenade,
then it will bounce back from the obstruction by a distance equal to any
unused deviation distance; eg: the impact resolution roll says that a grenade
deviates 4" to the left of its intended target point, but the target point is
actually only 3" away from a solid wall to the left. The grenade hits the wall
(deviating 3") and bounces back the unused portion of its full deviation (ie:
1"), so it ends up only 2" from the intended impact point after all. If the
deviation direction means that it hits the wall at something other than a 90
degree angle, then it bounces off at an opposite angle (just like
bouncing something off a wall in real life - God, this is so obvious but
if we don't write it down SOMEONE is going to argue about it....).
SMOKE ROUNDS: Grenades (hand and launched), rockets and mortar rounds are all
available in smoke rather than explosive variants. The firing procedure for a
smoke
round is exactly the same as for any other area-effect projectile, with
accuracy and deviation rolled for as normal. Once the final point of impact is
determined, place a SMOKE marker at that point. For visual effect you may
surround the smoke marker with some cotton wool "smoke" if you wish, but for
game purposes all effects are measured from the actual marker. Any smoke round
(regardless of type of delivery system) creates an obscured area 6" diameter
centred on the marker, which blocks line of sight and line
of fire until the smoke dissipates - thus no LOS or LOF may be traced if
it passes within 3" of a smoke marker at any point. Figures moving through (or
caught in) smoke clouds (ie: the come within
3"
of a smoke marker) must roll a REACTION TEST immediately - if they fail
to beat their motivation level then they receive a SUPPRESSION marker due to
disorientation and other effects of the smoke. (Note: figures in fully sealed
environments (eg: PA troopers) may be deemed to be immune to smoke effects).
At the end of each full game turn, roll a D6 for every smoke marker on the
table (even those that were only placed in the current turn) - on a roll
of 5 or 6, the smoke dissipates and the marker is removed, but on a 4 or less
it remains effective throughout the next turn, at the end of which it is
rolled for again. OPTIONAL: WIND EFFECTS: If players desire to simulate the
effects of wind
in the game, any smoke marker that survives the end-of-turn check should
be moved downwind, either a fixed distance (maybe 3") or a random D6 inches.
Wind direction should either be determined before the game, or the first time
it is needed, in either case by a D12 "clockface" roll.
GAS ROUNDS:
If the scenario permits, gas rounds (lethal or non-lethal) may be
employed using the same rules as for smoke rounds. The procedures for
accuracy, area of effect, dissipation and wind effects are exactly as for
smoke. Note that
while non-lethal gas agents may be quite readily available in urban
situations (eg: riot-control gases used by police units), lethal nerve
gases and the like should be VERY strictly controlled! Any figure caught in a
gas cloud (ie: within 3" of a gas marker) must roll their quality die
immediately. Figures in sealed environment suits are unaffected by gas attacks
unless they roll a 1, which indicates that some
small amount of gas has got into their filtration systems - in this
case, they are given a SUPPRESSION marker to represent them having to sort the
problem out.