[SG2] Heroic SG

SG is a squad based game, and the leaders are perhaps not as colourful and
important as they could be. What could Heroes do that would set them apart
from the normal squad sergeant?

1. Treat them as individual figures
2. Add a die as a sniper-firing-as-support-weapon
3. How to handle them in melee? As PA, or does anyone have a better idea? 4.
Anything else?

A good thing might be to allow a hero to force a reroll on the damage
allocation rolls: "Oh you're going to shoot me are you? I need a redshirt
stat!" Treat heroes as one man squads: confidence & quality and rate their
weapons using standard d4-d12xN.  Unless the hero has a special ability
or special weapon their fire only affects a single enemy model. If a hero goes
down hard it should force morale checks for friendly
units near him/her.
All kinds of good stuff can be added.

I see heroes as having varying abilities. Perhaps making a list of special
abilities to choose 1 or 2 from could add some individuality to you're
particular character.

Some possibilities:

Sharp shooter Tough guy Enhanced leadership skills Martial Arts Tactical
genious

This is certainly one way to work it.

Another, similar, would be to put abilities on cards - kind of like the
Carnage Con Queso "cheese" cards that we've used at GZG-ECC a few times
-
but without the silliness.

You could give the hero some "generic, use all the time" abilities (1 or
2)
to create, as outlined below, a tough guy or a shooter or whatever, and then
give them a few "specific, one time use" special event cards that allow for
something really "heroic" to happen, but only once (to avoid
unbalancing the game or making it silly or turning it into a one-model
show or whatever).

Also, with one-time use cards, you could incorporate things that don't
fall within the normal rules, and not have to worry about constantly figuring
out the effects of that special ability in terms of how it interacts or
balances with other rules, etc. You put all the details on the card, and for
the one action that the card takes place, it supercedes other rules that might
conflict. But only ONCE, thereby not driving the other players
crazy...

-Adrian

> I see heroes as having varying abilities. Perhaps making a list of

***************************************

Being a vacc-head, I'm only aware roughly how SGII actions work. How
about giving some transfer actions to heroic sarges to allow a squad to split
activites without waiting for commands from above?

Also, can't you make 'em colorful by having the players 'issuing sarge's
orders' (action transfers) using colorful language? I've seen plenty of cases
of games that have livened via the vocal participation of players.
Role-playing don't HAVE to be dirty words. ;->=

The_Beast

Games Workshop's Lord of the Rings (no, no don't turn away in disgust, bear
with me...) gives the heroes in the game a number of points with which they
can affect events in the game by modifying dice rolls in their favour. One
point of Might (as it is called) can add or subtract
one point from a roll (which are all d6) and is a finite resource - once

it's gone, it's gone for good (with one or two special exceptions). A hero can
use as many points as he wants (up to his maximum) on a single roll if it is
important enough. This gives the heroes distinct advantages without making
them all powerful and does work very well IMHO. Characters typically have
between one and three points.

They also have special abilities which are handy but again not overly powerful
(Legolas can fire three arrows in one turn, Aragorn regenerates

one point of Might every turn, Rohirrim are less likely to fall off their
horses).

> Adrian Johnson wrote:

> This is certainly one way to work it.

> Games Workshop's Lord of the Rings (no, no don't turn away in disgust,

I had this very bad feeling that my RPG-style playing suggestion might
turn to 'look out, sir!'... *shudder*

Please note that certain items herein described may be the property of an Evil
Empire (tm) and no challenge to that ownership should be construed...
*shudder* x 2

The_Beast

> I see heroes as having varying abilities. Perhaps making a list of

> Some possibilities:

I can see two approaches:

1) Give them more than one action (Mecha carniage gives heros 1+D4
actions).

2) Don't do it, it is a bit munchkin and a lot Evil Empire (IMNSHO this is the
only sane option...)

From: "Richard Kirke"
> 2) Don't do it, it is a bit munchkin and a lot Evil Empire (IMNSHO

Just because the Evil Empire uses an idea, that doesn't mean that they
originated it, or that it's inherently a bad idea. (OTOH, if nobody *except*
them uses it....) However, I wasn't thinking of
"munchkinish"-- more "cinematic".  This is considered a strength of,
say, GASLIGHT or The Sword and the Flame, and may be a reason why CineGrunt is
consistently popular at ECC (or maybe it's Stuart's gleeful malice).

In any event, given that I'm thinking about FMA Sheep, "sane" is not a
necessary or desirable design characteristic.

Well.... okay here's some ideas to consider.....

1. Search the list arcives for the FMA Skermish rules that got posted... I
seem to recall that there is something there about characters with "skills".
Incorporate that... but only with these "heroic" characters... their "skills"
beig what makes them heroic.

2. Heroes have special abilities, be it rerolls, confidence/reaction
effects, activations, excetera..... however, in order to use those
abilities.... they have to be under "heroic" circumstances in order to use
those abilities... Using abilities would require a kind of...
reversed reaction/confidence roll. ie. the calmer, less desparate the
situation.... the more penalties against using the abilities.... the more
desparate the situation... the fewer penalties or more bonuses towards being
able to use the abilities.....

Personally I like the second... for the most part it pretty much manages to
use the systems already in place... and the only real hard part is creating a
penalty table for trying to use the heroic abilites during
non-"heroic" moments....

However, I wasn't thinking of
"munchkinish"-- more "cinematic".  This is considered a strength of,
say, GASLIGHT or The Sword and the Flame:

Gaslight was what I was thinking of when I suggested a list of special
abilities for heroes. In my opinion, it adds a little bit of variety to the
game without creating overly powerful munchkin characters like most of the GW
games.

may be a reason why CineGrunt is consistently popular at ECC (or maybe it's
Stuart's gleeful malice).

I am looking forward to experiencing Cinegrunt come February. I have heard a
great deal about Stuart's machinations.

Regards,

> Just because the Evil Empire uses an idea, that doesn't mean that they
Well this is true... For my SG games I try and seek a realistic feel (as

real as Gauss Rifles and PA can be). Heros would instantly cartoonise the feel
of the game IMHO.

I would go no further than the Mecha Carniage extra actions myself.

But if you want guys in big trench-coats and giant claws to stand up to
your
Robo-sheep then why not, sounds cool. I'll be intreagued to see what
else people think up...

One of the many things that the baby has caused me to put on hold is my plans
for FMAM: Full Metal Action Movies.

Using, of course, a variant of the FMA Skirimish system.

You've got two kinds of figures on the board: 1) Goons. aka Mooks, Henchmen,
Grunts, or Imperial Stormtroopers.
  ...and....
2) Action Heroes. Ahnold, Bruce Willis, Sigourney Weaver, Mark Hamil, and so
forth.

Goons are treated like normal FMA troopers. Heroes? Ah, heroes are SPECIAL.
Each hero gets a unique special ability. Examples?

"I don't have time to bleed." May remove one Wound counter once per game.

"I'll be back." When this hero is killed, roll 1d4 and return him to play that
many turns later.

"Yippie-ki-yay, motherf***er!"  Once per game, this Hero may make
something blow up. Spend one action, treat as a grenade explotion centered at
the

point of the player's choosing. The player is, however, obliged to explain
exactly what it is that's blowing up....

...and, my personal favorite:

"Just one day left 'til retirement!" Should this character get killed, all
of his allies -- filled with moral outrage -- increase their motivation
level by one.

You all get the idea, I'm sure.  Very tongue-in-cheek, obviously, and
just
as unfinished as my Urban Legends skirmish rules and my Post-Cthulhoid
Apocalypse DSII rules. Infants, I've become convinced, are time vampires.

John Criminal said:

> You've got two kinds of figures on the board:

This is more or less what I had in mind.  1 Hero or 2-4 Extras on a
single base--that way the hero can plough through a horde of thugs