New Game System, mostly for War/Skirmish level combat, but flexible - WIP

[chrisrawr]

I've been posting around on a bunch of sites, totally neglecting the huge and awesome power of GitP's homebrew section! How could I have been so silly? While not strictly RPG, the system I'm hoping to create IS meant to be flexible enough to conceivably bend anywhere from Railroad Tycoons to Gladitorial Combat, and would greatly benefit from being slapped into D20 zone (though for now it's either diceless, or D6's).

The basic premise is Warhammer 40K (the base setting being used, as it has the most following and will be my main IRL use for it), with M:tG-inspired Timing, Resolution, and Base Mechanics (that is, way more flexible scalability and modularity), with 40K model/unit profiles and settings, HoMM3 Damage mechanics (Damage goes through attack/defense modifier goes to individual health, goes to unit size). The Round system is D&D inspired, with each player activating a single unit as their turn -though each player activates all of their units for the Phase, and each player finishes each Phase before the next one begins - completing a phase cycle begins the next Game Turn.

The Resolution Phase, stolen from MTG's End Phase/Cleanup Step, allows players to update their Units after each Activation, keeping things up to date, and allowing more specific Timing to come into effect. I've cleaned up 40K's close combat hangups with the help of D&D/MTG wording and turning things that Units do into Actions, similar to how 40K's Pancake Edition was going to do it.

Units are initially going to be themed and ported from 40K's factions, but the showcase will be a duel between a detatchment of space marines, and a Hero + army from Heroes of Might and Magic 3 - Simply to show off how players can play an army with dice, and without dice, in the same game.

The end product is going to hopefully be playable from 2-6 players with very little problem, with Activations taking roughly 1 minute and the Tactical and Close Combat phases lasting roughly 10 minutes each per player; 4 players should be able to get through a game in about 3 hours, and the sheer amount of action is going to far outpace a regular game of 40K, as no player is left hmming and hawwing for 45 minutes as his opponent moves each and every model.

To cut down on the effect of Multiple small unit spam, I've pretty much reduced the restriction that units have to fire at the same target - just be sure to declare who's shooting at what and checking everything's in range separately - it might slow the game down slightly, but the balancing factors it provides, in addition to morale (suppression effects applied by the firing player depending on damage and enemy morale grade, instead of a binary "run, or stick around", and removed each beginning phase based on morale grade, instead of a binary "oop I got better") and unit by unit activation should serve to really improve the overall balance of gameplay.

What I'm mostly looking for is collaborators and playtesters - the game can be played PBE with a grid system using tiles, or using Vassal40K - I mostly want help with pacing and how to streamline rules. You can PM me for a really crude .doc file of what I've got so far (Right now just using 40K's movement rules, modified by units' movement value but I'm working on my own). We'd be mostly using Guards (the example profile; they have a rifle that does 5 damage and has 0 Armor Penetration) and Knights (they have a Lance and a Sword with their own profiles, as well as being heavily armoured and mounted on a horse - I'm using something similar to 40K's chariot rules for mounts, without the ridiculous swoop attacks and such).

As always, have fun, and thanks for any feedback or comments!


What I have so far [spoiled]

Spoiler

Show

Each Model has its own Statistics profile, made up of 11 Stats. The easiest way to relate to these Statistics is by looking at those of a human – More specifically, a Guard.

Name: Guard
Mv:5 Cs:5 St:5 At:1 Rs:5 Ev:5 Ag:5 Du:5 Hp:1 Ar:5 Mr:A/N

The Guard represents a human after a strict training regime – he is strong, fast, and tough. He obeys orders. Further explaining these Statistics, the next few paragraphs will compare a Human to the various creatures and races present in WARGAME

MOVEMENT (Mv):When determining how far a creature can move in general, the Movement Statistic is consulted. The higher the Movement, the faster a creature or vehicle is. A Guard has Mv 5, meaning he can Move up to 5”. Something more faster, like a Horse, might have Mv 8, allowing it to rapidly out-pace and out-maneuver our ground-pounder. Different forms of movement, such as Flying or Teleporting, will be described in the Movement section.

COMBAT SKILL (Cs): Combat Skill defines how skilled and vicious a warrior is with his weapons in close combat. The higher the score, the more likely the warrior will land blows on an opponent in close combat – and the more likely it is to dodge! Our Guard has Cs 5, a product of constant practice and drilling, while a Barbarian with decades of battle and training behind him will have WS 8!

STRENGTH (St): Strength shows how physically strong a creature is. St is mostly used for special rolls, such as escaping traps or moving objectives. For some creatures, St even tells us how hard they can hit in close combat. Guards have St 5, which, while not worthy of any awards, will let them escape a wrecked vehicle or wedge an axe into a foe!

ATTACKS (At): In the short amount of time each Close Combat Phase represents, most Guards only have time to let off a desperate chop or stab with whatever's at hand, or perhaps they're able to fire a couple shots with their pistols, or stuff a grenade down something's throat. The Attack value is how many attacks a creature makes in Close Combat.

RANGED SKILL (Rs): Ranged Skill shows how accurate a creature is with Ranged Attacks, such as bows, guns, or rockets. The higher this score is, the easier a creature finds it is to hit its target. The training provided to Guards with their Rifles grants Rs 5 – a deadly Elven Archer has much more of its training focused on accuracy, and much sharper eyesight – and so has BS 10.

EVASION (Ev): Evasion dictates the ability of a creature to avoid detection on the Battlefield – and their ability to dodge heavy zones of gunfire, incoming mortars, and other hazards from afar. Guards, with Ev 5, have a fair chance at dodging gunfire – especially once they've hit the dirt! However, Wraiths move throughout the Battlefield as dancers, drifting insubstantially through gunfire and flame with their obscene Ev 10.

AGILITY (Ag): A Model's Agility tells us both how agile and alert it is, and how quickly it reacts in the heat of battle. A Guard's AG 5 lets him be wary of many foes, at least enough to chuck a grenade and duck before a horde of Wolves (with I 8) are upon him! Ag dictates the order that Units are activated in, and the order Attacks are resolved at.

DURABILITY (Du): A creature's Durability tells us how much direct damage it can take before being injured. It's a combination of thick hide, stubborn willpower, and combat high – whether from adrenaline, or fouler substances. A Guard's Du 5 makes them great at protecting their Sergeant when present in numbers, as there's a lot of flesh to soak up any stray bullets that might happen his way! A Battle Tank might have Du 30, simply absorbing and ignoring most damage!

HEALTH POINTS (Hp): Simply put, when a creature runs out of Hp, it becomes a casualty. This doesn't always mean it's dead! It simply has no more fight left to give, and is removed from the Battlefield to reduce clutter. Some creatures, like Minotaurs, fight better when they've lost a number of Hp, their blood and pain spurring them onward – but our poor Guards have only 1 Hp to give.

MORALE (Mr): A Model's Morale shows us how well trained and resolute it is. The most complex Statistic, Mr has many modifiers that will alter how your Models and Units interact with the variety of situations to be found on the Battlefield. Following the trend, a Guard's Mr of A/N means he has an Average Morale, and reacts Normally when his Morale breaks. A feral Savage might have a Mr of F/P, which means he's Fearless, and breaking his Morale will only result in causing him to become even more Predatory!

ARMOUR (Ar): The best defense is to not be in the way of whatever's coming to kill you, but failing that, a sturdy suit of Full-Plate will do just fine! Unfortunately, Guards are equipped only with Leather Vests, and sent directly to the front line to protect the cavalry. Their Ar 5 means that only a small portion of Incoming Damage will be blocked before it rips into them – the mighty Ar 18 of a Knight Errant will block almost all incoming damage!

ZERO-LEVEL STATISTICS: Some models will have 0 for a Statistic; this means different things for different Statistics, and will be discussed later. Having 0 is different from having '-' for Statistics; a dash indicates that that Statistic is simply not used, such as Cs for a Bunker, or Mv for an outpost.

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER: The end product of a Model's Statistics is its Unit Profile. The Unit Profile lists how big that Unit can be, what types of Models it can be built with, or upgraded into, and what Wargears, Special Rules, and Unit Types it contains. Sample Profiles can be found later on when we discuss building your Army.

MODELING

Bases: Remember to mount your miniatures on an appropriate-sized circular base before playing; if you intend to use larger, smaller, or fancy Bases of some sort, make sure your opponent is alright with this! If a Model doesn't come with an appropriate Base, or any Base at all, it's best to look at a similar model for reference, and create a Base from there.

Body: Some rules refer to the Body of a Model or the Hull of a Vehicle. It is important to know exactly which parts of a Model are considered to be part of the body or hull. The Body includes the Torso, Head, Arms, and Legs of a Model, as well as any other majour body parts of particularly grotesque or monstrous creatures. As well, every part of the Model that horizontally juts out of the area defined by the Model’s Base is not part of the body.

Hull: The ‘Body’ of a Vehicle is called its Hull. The Hull includes any part of the vehicle that isn't listed here:
Gun Barrels (But not Sponsons or Mountings), Ammunition, Sails, Antenna, Spikes, and other decorative bits.

A Note on Modeling for Advantage: Many gaming circles have their own house rules regarding modeling for advantage: Simply put, Modeling for Advantage is any alteration of a model that's solely for taking advantage of the game's rules, such as putting eyes much higher or lower on a model to claim 'Line of Sight' from a different place. You have absolutely every right to refuse or quit gameplay with someone you feel is cheating you!

UNITS: In WARGAME, Warriors must fight together, or be eradicated – individuals are usually hunted down for sport, or manage to flee towards friendly lines. It's heartening having comrades with weapons on either side of you!

This is represented by Models being grouped together into Units – Models and Units are affected differently by different things, but often things that affect Models count as affecting Units – after all, if the guy beside you gets shot, you could be next!

In the long run, though, this relative safety allows your Models the freedom and breathing room to follow your commands better than they would alone – It also helps them find cover, enemies, or treasure better – two sets of eyes are better than one, after all!

Units represent the range of places your Models can be, and not their exact locations. To represent this, Models in a Unit are allowed to spread out, to within 2” of each other, in order to better protect them from explosions and traps, as well as to give them better firing positions or set up path-blocking ambushes.

MEASURING DISTANCES: In WARGAME, distances are measured in Inches (“). You may measure any distance at any time, with any method considered accurate and unobtrusive by every player involved.

This allows you to see if you're in range before you Fire your Weapons, or Launch an Assault; after all, your Models are soldiers and experienced generals who can easily gauge such things in the heat of battle.

When measuring distances between two Models, or between a Model and a location, always use the closest points of the Models' Bases as your reference points.

For Models supplied without a base (like vehicles) use the Model’s Hull or Body instead. When measuring distances between two Units, use the closest Models in each unit as your reference points.

So, for example, if any part of the Base of any Model in one of your Units is within 6" of the Base of a Model in an enemy's Unit, your Unit is said to be within 6" of that enemy Unit.

Sometimes a Game Effect will call upon a Unit or Model to move “Directly Towards” something, be it a Table Edge or another Unit. In this case, draw an imaginary line from the rough center of the Unit or Model, and move it along the line in the direction indicated until it's met the request of the Game Effect (though you may have to go around some objects!).

DICE (D6): In WARGAME, you often need to roll dice to see how the actions of your Models turn out – how fast they get out of a trap, how effective their Armour is, and so on. Almost all of the dice rolls in WARGAME use standard six-sided dice (usually referred to as ‘D6’), but there are some exceptions as noted below.

ROLLING A D3: In rare circumstances you may be told to roll a D3. Since 3-sided dice are expensive, use this method for determining a score between 1 and 3: Roll a D6 and halve the score, rounding up. Thus, a result of 1 or 2 is 1. 3 and 4 are 2 and 5 and 6 are 3.

SCATTER DICE: Some weapons are fairly random in their accuracy and require you to roll a scatter dice to determine where their shots land. The scatter dice is marked with arrows and special ‘HIT’ symbols, and is usually used to determine random directions for BLAST weapons or teleporting.

DIVIDING RESULTS: Whenever you're called upon to divide ANY result by some number, such as in half or by quarters, always round resulting FRACTIONS up. So, for instance, a roll of 3 halved is 1.5, rounding up is 2. 10% of 21 models is 2.1, rounded up is 3.

MODIFYING DICE ROLLS: Sometimes, you may have to modify the result of the dice roll. This is noted as D6 plus or minus a number, such as D6+1 or D6-2. Roll the dice and add or subtract the number to or from the score to get the final result.

For example, D6+2 means roll a dice and add 2 to the score, giving a total of between 3 and 8.

You may also be told to roll a number of dice in one go, such as 2D6, 3D6, and so on. Roll the indicated number of dice and add the results together. So 2D6 would be rolled and added together, giving a result of 2-12.

Other methods may call for a number of D6 multiplied by another number – such as D6x5, which would result in a number between 5 and 30.

RE-ROLL: In some situations the rules allow you a ‘Re-Roll’ of the dice. This is exactly as it sounds – pick up the dice you wish to re-roll and roll them again. The second score counts, even if it means a worse result than the first, and no single die may be re-rolled more than once regardless of the source of the re-roll.

If you re-roll a 2D6 or 3D6 roll, you must re-roll all of the dice and not just some of them, unless the rule

ROLL-OFFS: If the rules require Players to roll-off, this simply means that each Player rolls 2D6 and the Player that scores the highest result wins the roll-off. If the Players roll the same result, both Players' dice must be rolled again until one Player is the winner – an exception to the regular rule for re-rolling dice.

RANDOMIZATION: Sometimes you'll be called upon to randomly select something – often a model, but sometimes an item or psychic power, etc. When this is the case, simply assign a D3 value to each of the things to be randomly selected, and roll a die to make your random choice. If you have more than 3 things to select from, simply use D6 values and a D6 instead.

If you have more than 6 items, simply divide the items as evenly as possible into groups of 3, randomize between the groups, and then randomize again on the selected group! You may scale this process up as necessary.

COCKED DICE: It's generally good form to allow Cocked Dice to be re-rolled (counting as having been re-rolled!). This includes dice that have landed in any manner that prevents them from being properly read by either player.

If you find that a lot of dice are being cocked due to your terrain or Battlefield setup, it may be best to begin rolling in a tray or shoe-box lid. Cocked Dice include any dice which have fallen on the floor, though some player prefer to simply count floor-bound dice as automatic failures!

BLAST MARKERS AND TEMPLATE WEAPONS:
Some weapons are so powerful, or affect such a wide area that they don't just target a single Model, but many Models, or sometimes entire Units! To better represent these weapons, WARGAME uses the following:

- A 3” “Small” Blast Marker
- A 5” “Large” Blast Marker
- An 8” Teardrop Template.

Copies of these Markers and Templates can be found both online, and at the end of this document. They are used whenever you need to determine how many Models have been affected by a Blast or Template weapon.

When an Attack or Ranged Attack uses a Blast Marker or Template Weapon, the description of that attack will state how to properly position the Blast Marker or Teardrop Template, as well as how to alter its position due to Scattering or other movement that might occur.

To determine how many models are affected, simply hold the Blast Marker or Teardrop Template in place as immobile as possible, and count the number of Models underneath it (including Models only partially underneath!) This number is used for whatever Game Effect the Blast Marker or Teardrop Template was used for, be it Mortar, Flamethrower, or Battle Blessing.

SCATTER: Sometimes a Game Effect will call for an object to Scatter – this object can be anything from a Blast Marker, to a Model, to an entire Unit! When this occurs, follow this procedure:

1) Follow the Effect's instructions for how to place the Object.

2) Roll the Scatter Die, and the number of D6 indicated by the Effect, to determine the direction and distance that your object must Scatter.

3) If a Hit! is rolled, normally the object is placed right where you've put it! Some Special Rules may interfere with this luck, however.

4) If an arrow is rolled, the object Scatters; it moves the indicated distance, ignoring intervening objects (unless otherwise stated).

5) Once the object has Scattered to its final position, resolve any additional Effects as a result of this Scatter.

VEHICLE PROFILES: WARGAME is home to all sorts of contraptions, ballistae, and other combat vehicles from every faction. To reflect the differences between creatures of flesh and blood and constructs, vehicles have many special rules that belong to them alone, which can be found in the Vehicles Section.

STATISTICS TESTS: During a battle, a Model might have to test one of its Statistics, normally its Strength, Durability, or Agility. For example, it might have to tests its Ag to avoid being crushed in a Vehicle Wreck.

Situations that require Statistics Tests will have a number associated with them called a Target Score - In order to take the test, roll a number of D6s specified by the test, and add the relevant Statistic. To succeed, your combined result must meet or beat the Target Score.

One thing to remember for Statistics Tests is that when a Model with a Statistic of 0 (or -) is called to make a Test on that Statistic, it always fails! Some Statstics Tests will have other Effects, which will be described by the Special Rules calling for them.

When an Effect calls for a Statistics Test to be made against an entire Unit, always use the highest value for that Statistic in the unit. It's assumed that the most suited for each task is there to lend a hand when needed!

MODELS WITH MULTIPLE PROFILES: When a Model has multiple values for a Statistic, it always takes Statistic Tests on the Highest value.

MODIFYING STATISTICS: Sometimes, Special Rules or Wargear will alter a Model's Statistics. One example is the Gauntlet of Power, which doubles its the Strength of a model who wields it – another is the Special Rule, Reckless Fury, which provides a set bonus to a Model's Strength, at the expense of its Combat Skill. Finally, there are Battle Powers, like Weaken, which set a Model's Strength directly to 1!

When applying modifiers to Statistics, or indeed, in general, follow the following rules:

1) Multiply first! Any Effects which Multiply a value are always applied immediately. Always round up unless a Rule specifies not to.

2) Add and Subtract! When multiple Effects grant positive and negative modifiers, they cancel each other out; only the remains of the largest modifier are left.

3) Finally, apply any Set Value modifiers, such as Weaken. Sometimes, there will be more than one Set Value wishing to apply to a Unit.

This is where Timing comes in – Once you've determined which Effects apply to each of the 3 steps above, The modifier applied Most Recently has priority in that step – it will be applied after all the others, and this will be the Effect we see used.

If two Effects are applied at the same time, the Active Player decides which Effect ultimately prevails. If, for some reason, this still doesn't resolve an issue, the modifier which is most beneficial to the affected Unit is applied.

If there's STILL any doubt as to which modifier is being used, simply Randomize between them.

Tests on Morale: Tests made on or against the Morale of a Model or Unit have many different names, as there are different ways to test a creature's resolve. These tests are explained in greater detail in the Morale section.

GENERAL VS. SPECIFIC: WARGAME is a game of allowance. The Rules enable your Models and Units to do things during the course of the game, such as Move and Shoot and Capture Objectives.

As such, there will occasionally be overlaps in the Rules, where it seems that a Model can or can't do something that might seem odd, or counter-intuitive.

When this is the case, remember that Specific Trumps General – If a Rule states that “Boys get Cake,” then all of your Boys will get Cake!

However, if the Rule states that “Good Boys get Cake”, then only the Boys you have that are Good get Cake – the rest are not entitled to any Cake because they do not meet the requirements for it.

Another, more counter-intuitive example of this is Shooting: Some Weapons may be able to Shoot Units their firers they can't see directly - Since the General rule is, “Units can't Damage Units they can't see,” even though there's a rule allowing these Weapons to Shoot them, they still won't Damage them without another supporting rule saying that they can.

To be fair, most of these Weapons will have such rules, but others might require Spotters and the like.

MAJOURITY STATISTICS: In some cases the majority of a certain Statistic in a Unit is used. If every Model in the Unit has the same value, the majority value is easy to determine – it's that value!

However, if the Unit consists of Models with different Statistics, an alternative must be used

- If at least half of the Unit’s Models have an equal or better value than the worst value in the Unit, this value can be used as the majority value of the Unit. If there are several such values, the Player controlling that Unit can choose any of them.

For Example: An Elven Unit consists of three Treants, with Du 15 and one Tree Singer, with Du 4. All Models have Du 4 or better, and 3 out of 4 have Du 15 or better. Both Du values would be eligible to be the Majority value of the Unit. The controlling Player chooses Durability 15, as it makes the Unit much more resilient.

UNIT TYPES: The abilities of a Model are not only described by its profile but also by its Unit Type. Most notably the Unit Type of a Model tells you in which ways the Model is able to move. In addition, it assigns a number of special rules to the Model. The Unit Types are described in detail later.

LINE OF SIGHT: Line of Sight is primarily determined by your Model; Non-Vehicle Models are assumed to be agile enough to get a good view around them at all times, and as such can see in any direction, any time.

The easiest way to determine roughly what they can see is to close in on the Battlefield for a Model's-Eye view; using a camera phone or even simply poking your head close to the angle of the Model to get an idea of what's blocking your Model's sight.

This Line of Sight is used to determine what Units can claim Cover from Battlefield debris and obscuring ruins, as well as other intervening Models and Units. Note, however, that a Model's own Unit never counts as obstructing its Line of Sight in any way – treat them as if they were invisible for this purpose!

A Model is Obscured if at least 25% of its Body or Hull can't be seen due to anything in the way. A Unit is Obscured if at least 25% of the Models in that Unit are Obscured.

GAME TURNS AND ACTIONS: Everything a Model does on the Battlefield is part of an Action. Actions are split up between the four Phases – Beginning, Tactical, Combat, and Resolution. This cycle is called a Game Turn, and as you might have guessed, starts at the Beginning. Phases will be described in this section, along with the main Actions that can be performed in them.

At the start of the each Game Turn is the Beginning Phase, and at the start of the Beginning Phase, you determine the Active Player, who proceeds to interact with the game in a process called Activation.

Activation passes Clockwise from the Active Player – In games with many players, canny Players will often place themselves later in the queue of Active Players, in order to gain tactical information at the cost of their Units' well-being.

During Activation, the Active Player chooses one of their Units that hasn't been Activated yet in the current Phase, and performs any available Actions with it. Each Phase has a number of available Actions to choose from, and any Actions not listed here will have a Phase associated with them for clarity. Once a Unit has no more available actions, the next Player becomes Active Player.

In the Beginning Phase, there are very few Actions available to most Units; Units in Reserve can attempt to come in from Reserve, and Units on the field can Wait, or End their Activation. A list of Actions that Units can perform each Phase will follow this summary of each of the Phases.

In the Tactical Phase, the Active Player may Move, Run, Shoot, and perform actions that are variations of these, such as Ramming or Diving for Cover.

In the Combat Phase, the Active Player can declare an Assault, or fall back, or even resolve special attacks or abilities – like Overwatch or Bracing.

The Resolution Phase is special – it happens after each Activation, right in the middle of the other Phases. It lets Players keep their Units up to date as the Turn goes by. After each Activation, a Resolution Phase allows players to assess any Effects applied to their Units, such as from casualties or Special Rules. No Actions are taken in the Resolution Phases – each Player simply applies any effects that happen “Upon Resolution” in Activation order, and then the next Activation begins!

Exceptions: Sometimes a Player may wish for a slower Unit to Activate before their Units with higher Initiative; in this case, the slower Unit makes an Initiative Test with a Target Score equal to the Initiative of their fastest Unit.

Alternatively, any Unit may perform a Wait action. Units that Wait are Activated dead last – as if their Initiative was 0.

Phase Timing: There are a many things which can happen over the course of each Phase, and certain Actions, Rules, or Effects will refer to things happening at specific times – such as the Beginning, the Start, the End, etc. For our purposes, the Beginning and Start of a Phase are considered to be the same thing.

If various Effects, Rules, or Actions would happen in the same timing, the Active Player resolves them in this order:

1) Static Unit Abilities or Effects which are not Psychic*

2) Blessings and Maledictions

3) Other Psychic Powers

4) Units entering the Battlefield from Reserves

5) All other Actions

If there are multiple Actions, Rules, or Effects which fall under the same category, the Active Player dictates which one happens first.

*A Static Ability is something that happens autoamtically, all the time – things like Characteristics Profiles and Special Rules that provide bonuses all the time are Static Abilities and Effects.

ACTIONS: Actions describe most of the activity your Units will be performing – whether they're Shooting or Falling Back. Actions are presented in the following format:

ACTION NAME
Phase: Which Phases this Action is available in. Members: Determines whether individual Models, or entire Units perform this Action.
Restrictions: All Members wishing to perform this action must not be affected by these restrictions.
Details: The rest of the Action's Details are described.
(Note, the Actions are all in boxes in the .doc/.pdf)

THE BEGINNING PHASE: The first thing Players do each Beginning Phase is Roll-Off. The victor of this Roll-Off chooses who will be the first Active Player during this Game Turn. The Beginning Phase provides the following Actions: End, Regroup, Reserves, Wait. Certain Special Rules and Unit Types will grant other Actions during the Beginning Phase.

END
Phase: Any Members: Entire Unit
Restrictions: None

Details: The Unit finishes its current Activation, and may perform no more Voluntary Actions this Phase

REGROUP
Phase: Beginning Members: Entire Unit
Restrictions: If Unit Morale is Broken, at least 25% of the Unit's original size must still be alive.

Details: The Unit immediately takes a Morale Check to remove Suppression.

RESERVES
Phase: Beginning Members: Entire Unit
Restrictions: Must be a Unit in Reserves

Details: The Unit enters the Battlefield according to its Reserves Type. It counts as having already Moved in the proceeding Phases.

WAIT
Phase: Any Members: Entire Unit
Restrictions: The Unit must not be Falling Back, Pinned, or have taken any other Actions yet this Phase

Details: The Unit takes the rest of its Actions at Initiative 0 this Phase

Explaining the Terms: Some of the terms above are new. Morale Checks, Reserves, Suppression Modifiers, Voluntary Actions – these have yet to be explained. After each Phase's description and Actions, we'll explain any new terms, or tell you where to find them.

Some of these terms have many of their own Rules and Effects, or are more appropriately explained elsewhere. If this is the case, a short summary of the term will be provided here, along with a Hyperlink to where you can learn more.

Morale Checks: The Unit taking a Morale Check rolls 3D6 plus its Morale Grade to determine how many points of Suppression it may remove. If a Unit fails to remove any Suppression, its Morale becomes Broken – Units with Broken Morale suffer serious negative Effects, determined by their Morale Modifier.

-Currently working on: Defining the rest of the terms for each Phase.

[chrisrawr]

-Post Reserved for future additions

[The Zoat]

Seems like a freeform 40k to me.

[chrisrawr]

Definitely the opposite of freeform; Working on background rules for the actions, but I wanted to define the actions and the terms used in them first. After the Phases section, I'm going into Movement, Shooting, and Close Combat just like the 40K books do, only using actual terminology like M:tG does instead of just assuming everyone is going to read English the same way.

If anything, there's going to be MORE rules than 40K, simply because there's going to be MORE you're able to do.

I'd say less freeform than I would say... strategic? There will hopefully be more open to strategical planning than making your army list and deploying counter to your opponents' - as that's all there is in 40K.

It's definitely going to flow better and feel less confining, that's for sure - even initial playtesting with a few guardsmen and no special weapons has players in the action a lot more than they'd normally be, splitting fire and using Actions other than "move" until they're in range and "shoot" once they are :3

[chrisrawr]

Finishing up Close Combat Actions, one that stood out as a great example for the amount of terms it holds, and the amount of interactivity I'd like to display -

OVERWATCH
Phase: Combat Members: Each Model
Restrictions: A Unit may declare Overwatch only when another Unit Declares a Charge against it

Details: After all Charges are Declared, but before Waiting Units are Activated, the Unit may Shoot at any single Unit that is Charging it

The Evasion of the Unit being Shot is increased by that Unit's Combat Skill against this Shooting, and the Firing Unit uses its Weapon's Close-Range Modifiers for this Shooting, regardless of the Range to the Target Unit

A Unit that performs Overwatch against a Charging Unit only gains Defensive Bonuses, like from Bracing or Wargear, against the Target of its Overwatch



We can immediately see that the Action is called Overwatch. We know it's used in the Close Combat Phase, and can see that Each Model in the Unit has the choice of performing it or not. It tells us that the Unit as a whole can only Overwatch when another Unit Declares a Charge against it (Capitalization implies it's an Action, or Game Term - these are bolded in the document as well for emphasis).

The Details of the Action tell us that it makes the Unit we choose to use it against harder to Shoot - it tells us how it does this, and it also tells us that we use a Specific Case of Rules for a Weapon, overriding the General Rules (a great example of Specific Trumps General, a game rule that deals with Rule Priority).

It then tells us that using Overwatch leaves the Unit vulnerable to other Attackers - again by removing defenses with Specific Trumps General (Because a unit that uses overwatch getting charged is more specific than a unit getting charged!).

To recap, the action provides details on how and when it's used, on who uses it, an when it cant be used, and what precisely it does in game terms.

Each Action uses pre-defined Terms, or bases its own terms on pre-defined actions, building off of what's already been presented to players. Each of the Actions has its own terms described in the space following the Phase Description, and all of those Terms pull their rules from a specific ruleset (such as the section describing movement, or describing shooting, which they'll hyperlink to in the pdf) - letting players quickly reference and reinforce game knowledge.

[The Zoat]

Definitely the opposite of freeform;

And now I feel like an idiot for misusing "freeform".

I've seen a system like this before. It was called "Aetherverse' and the rules were as complicated as they come. I mean REALLY complicated, you ought to check it out.

[chrisrawr]

No no, besides, I can definitely see from looking over what I'd posted how it would seem a bit freeform.


Reading over Aetherverse, I see he and I went the same way in a lot of directions. In another post, I'll sort of go over why I feel differently about things with him on certain parts, and give my impressions on what I can learn from it :D

[chrisrawr]

Representing your Army List will most likely be done with a Unit Card (or printout sheet, or Phone App) for each unit, detailing its points cost, its WARGAME TLI (theoretical lethality index), its wargears and special rules, and Stat Lines.

[The Zoat]

Representing your Army List will most likely be done with a Unit Card (or printout sheet, or Phone App) for each unit, detailing its points cost, its WARGAME TLI (theoretical lethality index), its wargears and special rules, and Stat Lines.

You'd write that up yourself right?

[chrisrawr]

When I go through and port armies, or create my own to 'ship' with the system, I intend to do it with .pdf's - each .pdf would include a pre-built 'card' for each unit, allowing the players to print off the ones they need and fill them in with the relevant information.

There's also (if it comes to it) the papercraft route, where the assembly instructions for each unit are paired with the card for that unit.

Finally, if this makes it to any sort of phase where I'm ordering models, I'd include a number of laminated cards for the models I'm shipping.

I'm really not looking to make any money off of this, and I'm a student, so not much to go out of pocket, but if I got a kickstarter up I'd roll with the business until my personal limits with entrepreneurship ended me broke and bankrupt again :P

[chrisrawr]

New approach to this: It's zoomed in 200% for some reason, hit zoom out a couple times for your eyes' sake.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?s7f75i15cl59h87

Please let me know if things are hard to follow or seem unnecessary.

[chrisrawr]

I think I've got the basics of the Suppression System down:

Whenever a Soldier in a Squadron loses at least 1 Health Point from a single Source, that Squadron immediately gains a Suppression Counter, and must test against Suppression during the Resolution Step.

To test against Suppression, both the Player whose Squadron is testing against Suppression, and the Player whose Damage caused Suppression, Roll-Off on 3D6 (instead of 2D6).

The Player whose Squadron is testing against Suppression (The Defending Player) modifies his Roll based on the Squadron's Morale:
+4 for Cowardly +14 for Good
+7 for Poor +18 for Excellent
+11 for Average +21 for Fearless.

The Player whose Damage caused Suppression (The Attacking Player) modifies his Roll based on the Damage which caused the Suppression test:
+1 for every 100 Total Damage against the Squadron testing against Suppression since the last Resolution Step
+1 for every Health Point lost by the Squadron testing against Suppression since the last Resolution Step
+2 is Squad Leader was a Casualty from any Damage since the last Resolution Step
+3 if Squadron was reduced to Half Strength or lower since the last Resolution Step
+4 if Squadron was reduced to Quarter Strength or lower (This is on top of the +3 for Half Strength) since the last Resolution Step.

If the Attacking Player Ties Defending Player, the Damaged Squadron receives 1 Suppression Counter. If the Attacking Player wins by at least 1, the Damaged Squadron receives an additional Suppression Counter.

If the Attacking Player wins by at least 5, the Damaged Squadron instead receives 2 additional Suppression Counters. For every step of 5 the Attacking Player wins by (10, 15, 20, etc.), the Damaged Squadron instead receives an additional 2 Suppression Counters (4 for 10, 6 for 15, 8 for 20, etc.).

If the Defending Player wins, no Suppression Counters are added.

What it basically amounts to is that if someone does enough damage to you to kill half your buddies (about 10-11 people) you're probably not going to stick around and shoot them back - or you'll be shaking so badly that your aim will suffer because of it.

Each Beginning Phase, Squadrons with Suppression Counters may Activate to Rally. To Rally his Squadron, the Active Player Rolls 3D6, and modifies his Roll based on the Squadron's Morale:
+4 for Cowardly +14 for Good
+7 for Poor +18 for Excellent
+11 for Average +21 for Fearless

And then subtracts 1 for each Suppression Counter on the Squadron

On a roll of 12+, the Squadron may remove 1 Suppression Counter. For every step of 3 beyond 15 (18, 21, 24, etc.), the Squadron may remove 1 additional Suppression Counter (2 at 18, 3 at 21, 4 at 24, etc).

If a Squadron fails to remove ANY suppression Counters, its Morale Breaks - Broken Morale, and the effects of Suppression Counters, are different for each Morale Modifier.

Normal Morale Modifier

At 1 Suppression Counter, and every step of 2 after (3, 5, 7, etc.), apply the following penalties:
-1 to Movement, -1 to Suppression Tests

At 2 Suppression Counters, and every step of 2 after (4, 6, 8, etc.), apply the following penalties:
-1 to Combat Skill, Ranged Skill, Reaction.


When a Normal Morale Squadron's Morale Breaks, it begins Falling Back toward the nearest Friendly Squadron without any Suppression Counters. If none are available, it begins Falling Back toward the nearest Table Edge.

Falling Back is unaffected by any Movement Penalties from Suppression Counters, and is a Hustle Action done in the Movement Phase. Falling Back is done using the shortest route possible. Squadrons that are Falling Back can perform no Voluntary Actions, and never gain Evasion Benefits from Terrain (though their movement is still slowed by it).

If a Squadron that is Falling Back reaches a Friendly Squadron without Suppression Counters, it may attempt to Rally immediately, ignoring Rally penalties from Suppression Counters. It may act normally for the rest of the Turn if it manages to remove at least 1 Suppression Counter.

If a Squadron that is Falling Back reaches a Table Edge, it is placed into Reserves. Leave a token or suitable marker where it left the Battlefield - it re-enters the Battlefield from that spot. For each Turn it remains in Reserves, remove a Suppression Counter from it, and attempt to Rally. When it Rallies, it may attempt to enter the Battlefield from Reserves as normal, except that it must Hustle onto the Battlefield.

If a Squadron that is Falling Back is the target of a Charge, it cannot attempt Overwatch. Instead, once the Charge has finished, it immediately attempts to Rally: If this Rally fails, the Squadron is removed as casualties, and the Charging Squadron counts its destruction toward its Close Combat Results. If the Rally is successful, it participates in the Close Combat normally.

[chrisrawr]

300. Movement

300.1
For each Soldier / Vehicle in a Moving Squadron, determine if it will Move or Remain Stationary.

300.2
Soldiers / Vehicles choosing to Remain Stationary do not move with the rest of the Soldiers / Vehicles in the Squadron, and do not count as having moved.

300.3
Of the Soldiers that have decided to move, choose a Soldier / Vehicle to be moved. This Soldier / Vehicle is the Moving Soldier / Vehicle

300.3a
Choose how the Moving Soldier will move, if it has more than one means of movement.

300.3b
Draw an imaginary line on the Battlefield, the width of the Ground Profile of the Moving Soldier / Vehicle, starting at a point on the Ground Profile of the Moving Soldier / Vehicle.

300.3c
The imaginary line on the Battlefield is called the Movement Path, and the chosen point on the Ground Profile is called the Starting Point.

300.3d
The Movement Path must be at least 0" long, but may be as long, from the Starting Point, as the Value of the Movement Stat of the Moving Soldier / Vehicle in Inches. The Starting Point is the size of the period at the end of this sentence.

300.4
Measuring from the Starting Point, you may pick up the Moving Soldier / Vehicle, and place it so that it's centered along the Movement Path, and so its Starting Point is within the Movement Path.

300.4a
This placement is called the Final Position.

300.4b
The Movement Path, and the Final Position of the Moving Soldier / Vehicle, must not overlap any Impassable Objects.

300.5
Choose another Soldier / Vehicle that has decided to move to become the Moving Soldier. Repeat steps 300.3a to step 300.5 with it.

300.6
The Final Position for each Soldier / Vehicle is not permanent until each other Soldier / Vehicle in the Squadron that has decided to move is finished its Movement, and until the Squadron Ends its Activation.

300.6a
Until the Squadron Ends its Activation, any Soldier / Vehicle that was a Moving Soldier / Vehicle may be placed back at its Starting Point, and moved in a different direction.

Spoiler

Show

Movement

For each Soldier / Vehicle in a Moving Squadron, determine if it will Move or Remain Stationary. If a Soldier / Vehicle intends to Move, now is when you determine what form of Movement it will use, if it has more than one.

Soldiers / Vehicles choosing to Remain Stationary do not do the following, while those that choose to Move do so with the following steps:

- Draw an imaginary line on the Battlefield, the width of the Ground Profile of the moving Soldier / Vehicle, starting at a point on the Ground Profile of the moving Soldier / Vehicle. The line on the Battlefield is called the Movement Path, and the point on the Ground Profile is called the Starting Point.

- The Movement Path must be at least 0" long, but may be as long, from the Starting Point, as the Value of the Movement Stat of the moving Soldier / Vehicle in Inches.

- The Movement Path, and the Final Position of the moving Soldier / Vehicle, must not overlap any Impassable Objects.

- Measuring from the Starting Point, you may pick up the moving Soldier / Vehicle, and place it so that it's centered along the Movement Path, and so its Starting Point is within the Movement Path.

- This placement is called the Final Position. The Final Position is not permanent until the Squadron is finished its Movement, and Ends its Activation - until then, the moving Soldier / Vehicle may be placed back at its Starting Point, and moved in a different direction.