S.A.B.O.T. Optional Units (Set #2)

Copyright 2004 by Mike Fischer
Last modified: 10/04/2004

Table of Contents

I.   Introduction
II.  Vehicles, Soldiers & Weapons
III. Game Tables
IV.  Designer's Notes
V.   Revision History

I. Introduction

My S.A.B.O.T. game of futuristic land warfare includes eighteen kinds of vehicles and soldiers. If that isn't enough, the optional-units set #1 adds fifteen more. And if you still need more variety, this second add-in set ought to do it. There are fifteen new unit types here. All are completely compatible with the "regular" units, so a player who doesn't want to use them is at no disadvantage against a player who does. Both players should agree to whether these expansion vehicles can be used. You don't have to use the vehicles from expansion set #1 to use these vehicles.

II. Vehicles, Soldiers & Weapons

Mortar Squads become part of an existing four-squad platoon of soldiers, replacing one of the other squads. Command vehicles are bought individually, and an army can have no more than one command vehicle for each 100 points. All other vehicles are bought in platoons of four of the same kind of vehicle.

The SaboXtrB counter sheet gives each player two Mortar Squads, one of each kind of command vehicle, and one platoon of each of the other new units. It also has markers for a new type of weapon, rocket pods.

Name:Assault Gun (ASG)
Type:Tracked vehicle
This is a tank chassis with a heavy gun mounted facing forward, and heavy armor. Its gun has the same limits on arcs of fire as the Hover-Tank Destroyer.

Name:Recon/Assault Tank (RST)
Type:Tracked vehicle
This versatile little tank carries a large-bore cannon and two AT missiles, adds +1 to its scouting rolls, and is air-droppable. Because it fires the missiles through the cannon, it can aim them in 360°.

Name:Heavy Armored Car (HAC)
Type:Wheeled vehicle
Take an armored car and replace its turret and missiles with a tank-sized cannon, and this is what you get. It loses its troop-carrying ability, since its ammo takes up a lot of room.

Name:Battlefield Utility Vehicle (BUV)
Type:Wheeled vehicle
These little fighting cars are the descendants of the Jeep and Humvee. Two of each platoon carry machine guns; the other two carry two AT missiles each, which must be fired one at a time.

Name:Hover AA Vehicle (HAA)
Type:Hover vehicle
This is a hovercraft version of the AA tank, which follows the same rules as that tank. It lets you protect your hover units from helicopter attack.

Name:Agrav Missile Tank (AMT)
Type:Anti-gravity vehicle
This anti-grav vehicle carries one AT missile and a machine gun. Unlike most vehicles, it carries infinite missile reloads. It makes a good complement to the other agrav vehicles.

Name:Agrav Support Tank (AST)
Type:Anti-gravity vehicle
If you want to protect your agrav's against soldiers and light vehicles, this unit is what you want. It carries two auto-cannons and a machine gun in three turrets. All can aim at different targets, or the machine-gun can shoot at the same target as one of the cannons.

Name:Mortar Squad (MOR)
Type:Foot soldiers
You can substitute one Mortar Squad for a Heavy-Weapons Squad in each infantry platoon. They can lob mortar shells over intervening terrain, and don't need a line-of-sight to shoot. Their shells scatter just like artillery shells. Mortars cannot shoot at adjacent units. Because they become part of an existing Infantry platoon, a Mortar Squad costs nothing in build points.

Name:Scout Combat Walker (SWK)
Type:Walking vehicle
The scout walker is a little faster than other walkers. It is armed with an auto-cannon, a small rocket pod, and a laser designator. It can fire both weapons in the same turn at the same target, and can use the laser in the same turn it attacks. It adds +1 to its scouting rolls. Once per game, it can begin flying at a rate of 4 hexes/turn; it can do this for 1-2 turns, and once it lands, it cannot fly again. It must fly straight ahead, without turning, and cannot attack while flying. It can be air-dropped, and will always land exactly where you want it (no scattering), but this counts as the walker's flying move for the game.

Name:Heavy Combat Walker (HWK)
Type:Walking vehicle
This is the big guy, the walker that knocks trees over rather than going around them. It carries a tank-sized cannon, two auto-cannons, and two heavy rocket pods, as well as a laser designator, which it can use in the same attack as its weapons. The auto-cannons follow the same rules as the guns of an AA tank, except that the walker can't move and make overwatch attacks in the same turn. It can fire its weapons at the same target, or at two separate targets. It can't fly and is not air-droppable. It cannot enter swamp hexes and gets no benefit from being in a prepared position. It is able to move through forest at a rate of 1 hex/turn, however.

Name:Assault Combat Walker (AWK)
Type:Walking vehicle
Even bigger than the heavy walker, the assault walker lumbers forward on four legs. It carries two cannons that must fire into the front three hexes and at the same target, two auto-cannons (one into the left two hexes, one into the right two), plus four AT missiles, and up to two squads of soldiers. It treats rivers and shallow water as clear terrain. It cannot enter swamp hexes and gets no benefit from being in a prepared position.

Name:Tracked Command Vehicle (TCV)
Type:Tracked vehicle
This unit has almost no combat ability. But any friendly unit within 4 hexes of it can add 1 to its attack and defense rolls.

Name:Wheeled Command Vehicle (WCV)
Type:Tracked vehicle
This wheeled vehicle follows the same special rules as the tracked command vehicle.

Name:Hover Command Vehicle (HCV)
Type:Tracked vehicle
This hover vehicle follows the same special rules as the tracked command vehicle.

Name:Agrav Command Vehicle (ACV)
Type:Tracked vehicle
This anti-grav vehicle follows the same special rules as the tracked command vehicle.

Name:Rocket Pod
Type:Weapon
A rocket pod is a single-shot, non-reloadable weapon. It doesn't do a lot of damage, but its rockets attack the target hex and all six surrounding hexes, so if you can catch the enemy bunched up in a small space, you can do a lot of damage. Use the same markers for rockets and for heavy rockets. Heavy rocket pods can make two attacks on each hex.

Extra rocket-pod markers are provided because, under these new rules, rotary-wing vehicles can swap one pair of AT missiles for a pair of rocket pods if desired.

III. Game Tables

Vehicles & Soldiers Table
SymbolUnit CostType MoveToughRangeDamageSpecial
HAGHeavy Assault Gun 25Tracked 35 6 5Limited arc of fire
RSTRecon/Assault Tank 25Tracked 42 3 42 AT missiles
HACHeavy Armored Car 20Wheeled 42 5 4-
BUVBattlefield Utility Vehicle10Wheeled 40 2 2see text
AMTAgrav Missile Tank 40Anti-grav43 2 21 AT missile
ASTAgrav Support Tank 35Anti-grav43 3 32 shots; 2/2/2 MG
MORMortar Squad - Soldiers 21 2-6 3see text
SWKScout Combat Walker 25Walker 31 2 31 rocket pod; laser; flight
HWKHeavy Combat Walker 35Walker 25 6
3 x2
4
3 x2
2 heavy rocket pods; laser
AWKAssault Combat Walker 40Walker 26 5
4
3 x2
4
5
3 x2
4 AT missiles; carry 2 squads
TCVTracked Cmd Vehicle 5 Tracked 32 2 2Command bonus
WCVWheeled Cmd Vehicle 5 Wheeled 42 2 2Command bonus
HCVHover Cmd Vehicle 5 Hover 51 2 2Command bonus
ACVAgrav Cmd Vehicle 5 Anti-grav42 2 2Command bonus
-Rocket Pod - Weapon -- 3 2hit 7 hexes
-Heavy Rocket Pod - Weapon -- 4 2hit 7 hexes twice each

IV. Designer's Notes

How many vehicle types does a game need? In this game's case, I guess the answer is "more." I could go on mixing and matching body types with weapon types forever, but only a few combinations are really worth doing. For instance, is there any benefit to anti-grav artillery? None that I can think of. But most of these designs kind of leaped off the drawing board at me, demanding a place on the battlefield, and since they're all bigger or better-armed than I am, I gave in. If 48 different kinds of combat vehicle doesn't satisfy your itch for armor, then send me your suggestions and maybe I'll make a third supplement.

V. Revision History

10/04/2004: combat simplified.
05/17/2004: first release.