Optional Rules

Hello,

A link to some optional rules I am testing...

http://home.swbell.net/grog1/sg_mod.htm

Feedback welcome,

My my my, don't you have a lot of stuff cooking in there! I think the rules
for cavalry are an important "missing link' between SGII and DSII since I have
plans for BIG cavalry formations in the latter and no good way to represent
such in the former. And
elephants! Elephants in a sci-fi
wargame! How grand! I love elephants! The idea of aliens getting thier own
threat Index chart is good, but could we please get an example or two? And it
looks like most major fantasy races have got some brief conversion notes,
which is nice for those of us who do not need a full WH40K rewrite. Thanks for
the additons.
> --- Scott Clinton <grumbling_grognard@hotmail.com> wrote:

From: "Scott Clinton" <grumbling_grognard@hotmail.com>
> http://home.swbell.net/grog1/sg_mod.htm

Hello Scott,

I’ve been looking over your page and I like a lot of the content. The cavalry
rules look very interesting and your take on some alien races appears well
thought out. I’m currently trying to hash out some rules for space marines
and orks for a friend I’m trying to convert from GW, so we'll try
incorporating some of your ideas.

I totally agree with you that the armor vs. impact roll should be
open-ended, and according to the errata at
http://home.att.net/~agoodall/sg2/sg2-errata.html, St. Jon’s official
ruling
is that the roll is open-ended.

I especially like the tunable DASER. I’m going to work that into an upcoming
game for some alien or the other.

Now, there are a few things I disagree with.

1. Combat movement for vehicles. I believe getting rid of combat movement for
vehicles is a bad idea. I’ve been a automotive journalist for more than
five years, and I’ve driven every commercially available off-road
vehicle you can imagine, from Hummers and Land Rovers to Suzuki Samurais and
Toyota RAV4s. There’s a big difference between carefully making your way
across a field or a slope (12” movement) and going balls to the wall to see
how far you can get in the least amount of time (combat movement). Sometimes
you get lucky and you miss all the hidden tree stumps and holes Â
sometimes you don’t. :-)

2. Combat movement/close assault for infantry. I like the book rule for
close assaults and combat movement. If you take away the element of
uncertainty, close assault loses some of its mystique. In one of the last
games we played, a unit of close assault specialists came piling out of the
back of a pickup truck to close assault a unit of infantry. The only way

they would fail to get in contact was if they rolled a 1, which they promptly
did. To me, that accurately models the frenzied activity that leads up to an
assault. It’s risky, and sometimes a guy’s axe gets caught on the truck’s
roll bars.

Regards,

On Thu, 06 Mar 2003 11:15:58 -0600, "Scott Clinton"
> <grumbling_grognard@hotmail.com> wrote:

> A link to some optional rules I am testing...

Interesting rules.

I like the open shift, particularly for PA. I have heard that some people want
it closed (did Jon actually say shifts versus armour are closed, because the
rules strongly imply they are open) but never liked it.

The cavalry rules are not too dissimilar to the cavalry rules I have in my
_Hardtack Plug-in_ (SG2 rules for the American Civil War). However, my
rules handle what to do with units that become dismounted with regard to unit
integrity. For instance, what happens to the soldiers that are dismounted in a
charge due to their mounts being shot out from under them. You might want to
add some rules for this. Also, the ratio of "mount holders" to dismounted
troops is a little low compared to what was used historically, though it's
workable.

Your dwarf movement rules are really similar to the ones I used once upon a
time! Great minds think alike? *L*

On Thu,  6 Mar 2003 13:18:53 -0600, "Kevin Balentine"
> <kevinbalentine@mail.ev1.net> wrote:

> I totally agree with you that the armor vs. impact roll should be

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

I have not seen the errata for some time and I was unaware that the "official
ruling" had been to make these shifts open. I was just going by the rule book
that expisvily states they are closed. Glad to here they are now open.

Threat tables: Sorry guys! I thought I had posted the alien threat tables!
Oops! I have them done for all the races I have in my optional rules.
 I
will see if I can get them posted this evening and post on the list when

they are up.

Kevin: As for your points about combat movement I can understand how you like
it the way it is. It adds a certain random element. However, I find it very
frustrating and impossible to rationalize that on a consistant basis my units
will move slower during a charge than they do during a normal move.

That is the sole reason I use my optional rule. Sure, somebody may trip and
fall (or whatever) or the truck may hit a stump and be "stuck" for a few

seconds but IMHO it is too often that a charging unit moves slower than it
could have moved if it did not charge.

With my rule, there is still a random element. You simply KNOW that your unit
will move at LEAST as far as they normally do. You just do not know exactly
how far they will go (it may be 1" or it may be double their normal move).
Also, my rule does not add anything to the maximum possible move

(important for balance IMHO).

---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Scott Clinton" <grumbling_grognard@hotmail.com>

> Kevin:

> units will move slower during a charge than they do during a normal

I hear you brother! My opponents always get a certain smug look whenever

I announce "I'm going to try a combat move." That's a sure prelude to a
1.
Well, "I'm firing at this unit" is also a sure prelude to a 1. "This green 1
unit will try to remove its panic." 1.

I think the best answer would be loaded dice :-)