StarMarines |
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Copyright 2003 by Mike Fischer |
"Norx!" he muttered. "I hate Norx." He sighted down the barrel of his autogun, picking out a target even though the aliens were still far out of range. Just behind him, he heard the whine of a laser cannon, followed by the "whoosh" of two missiles as the heavy-weapons squad opened fire. One rocket followed the laser beam straight into the nearest halftrack, which blew up spectacularly. The other missile failed to lock onto its target and slammed into the ground, well behind the onrushing Norx.
More aliens were emerging from the trees, accompanied by some battle trikes and a clanking combat walker. The walker stopped, aimed its heavy cannon at the StarMarine heavy-weapons squad, and fired. And missed. Like most Norx, it couldn't hit a bull in the butt with a bass fiddle. But they were bound to get lucky if they kept shooting, the Marines were now outnumbered, and they could expect no reinforcements.
"'Hold your positions,' the lieutenant said." Menkovich tried to relax his grip on the autogun. "Where's that @#$!! lieutenant now? Maybe he could do something useful, like be a human shield for me."
The aliens were getting closer. He could see the sun glinting off their edged weapons, hear their inhuman battle roars. "Right, that's close enough," he muttered, and squeezed his trigger. The autogun bucked slightly as a stream of high-velocity projectiles lanced into the Norx line. Three of them were hit, but only one went down. The others just kept coming. The other Marines opened fire, knocking down a few more aliens, and then the Norx were upon them.
Two of the monsters singled out Menkovich. He poured a burst into one of them, but all he seemed to do was make it mad. It roared and swung a huge axe at him; he didn't have time to duck. Amazingly, his battle armor stopped the blow, although the impact nearly knocked him off his feet. He fired another burst, and watched the towering alien stumble and fall backwards. Its friend pointed some kind of pistol at him, fired, and missed -- and suddenly lurched sideways as the Marine laser cannon nearly sawed it in half at point-blank range. A moment later, the laser-cannon gunner was just as dead, blown to bits by the gun in the surviving halftrack. Menkovich turned and levelled his autogun at a Norx who seemed to be the leader. His bullets bounced off the alien's armor. This was going to be one very long day.
There's a company whose name rhymes with "Dames Nerkslop." They make a wargame about futuristic
battles among humans and other races in the far-distant future. They also make miniature figures
to play this game with. It looks like a lot of fun. But, man! Buying enough figures for a decent
war can hammer your budget, and then you have to spend 40,000 hours painting your figures.
And when game time comes, the rules are so detailed that it can take hours to play only
a few turns. Plus, all the pseudo-religious stuff about "codexes" and "inquisitors" and gods of
this and that, gives me the creeps. Some people like it that way; the company in question
is doing well. But I like things cheap, quick, and simple. Thus, StarMarines.
This game is obviously inspired by that other game. But it uses free, downloadable counters
instead of figures; if you want a bigger army, or more of a certain kind of weapon, just print
another sheet of counters. Instead of hand-making enough map terrain to fill a large table,
it uses my M8 Map System to quickly create any map you might want. It gives up free-form
inch-based movement in favor of hex-based movement that might not be as realistic, but plays a
lot faster. But you still get multiple races, different kinds of troops, different weapons to
arm them with, and a variety of tanks and other vehicles in support. In short, StarMarines
keeps the variety of that other game, and gives up visual detail in favor of simplicity.
This is a complete game, with counters and maps. All you provide is a few 6-sided dice,
and pencils and paper for recording a very few administrative details.
The human race has colonized most of the habitable worlds in what we call the Alpha Sector,
and has planted colonies in five other sectors. We have military alliances with a few alien
races, and trade treaties with many others. We also have enemies. Some are conquerors,
some are annihilators, and some serve unknown motives. Battle may come at any time; it may be
offensive or defensive. It isn't just Us versus Them, either; the other races are prone to
fighting each other when they see fit. Sometimes a race will temporarily set old hostilities
aside to fight a more dangerous foe, even fighting side-by-side with forces who were their
enemies last week, and will probably be their enemies again when the common foe has been beaten.
The only certainties are death and taxes. The combatants in this confused interstellar war
don't even fret over taxes anymore.
The typical StarMarine battle plan involves methodically closing the range with the enemy,
keeping him under fire at all times, until the opposing forces meet. They count on their
armored battlesuits to protect them from harm, while their wide range of weaponry punches holes
in the enemy formations, which the Marines then exploit in hand-to-hand combat.
A Norx attack is a tidal wave of violence that engulfs everything it touches.
The typical Norx foot soldier is big, musclebound, lightly armored, and so battle-crazed
that he doesn't even feel the pain of most wounds. Their weapons appear primitive,
but are as deadly as anyone else's, especially at point-blank range.
Long-ranged weapons are uncommon, since a Norx gains no glory without hand-to-hand mayhem.
Because their numbers are small and their bodies weak, Pelgari dislike risking themselves
in hand-to-hand combat. Instead, they use long-range weapons and high-tech gadgets to
whittle down their opponents' numbers, then finish off the survivors. They use little armor,
but most units have deflector shields that give equal protection.
Victors love to hide behind thick armor. Both vehicles and foot soldiers are as
well-protected as Victor science can make them, and they also carry very hard-hitting weapons.
They like their vehicles big, their formations compact, and their tactics slow-moving but sure.
Their Battle Trains are the biggest vehicles in existence.
The highly-stratified Dran society affects their battle tactics. They prefer to kill the enemy
leaders first if they can. Foot soldiers must be led by example, so Dran commanders must be
in the front lines at all times, trusting their special armored suits to protect them.
Vehicles are made for fire support or end-around raiding, not head-on assaults.
Their technology is good, better than ours in some ways.
Ghouls do not fight to conquer. They fight for food, and they prefer their victims to be
intelligent and alive. The battlefield after a Ghoul victory is too grisly to describe;
suffice it to say that most sentient beings would much rather die than be captured by Ghouls.
Their weapons are designed to wound and damage, rather than to kill and destroy.
Their very presence causes an unexplainable dread to fall on their foes.
The only good news is that their morale is generally poor.
An N'kakk robot formation advances on tracks, legs, and anti-grav,
bringing mechanical precision and heartless destruction to the battlefield.
They move slowly and fight without imagination,
but their armor is thick, and robots never fail their morale checks.
Zrute armies use no vehicles; all their forces are foot soldiers, equipped with a dizzying
variety of battlesuits -- the "Zrute suits," as the StarMarines call them.
This limits their mobility, but gives them unparalleled tactical flexibility.
Their technical level is about the same as the StarMarines, but has gone in different directions.
A Saur attack is centered around the big plant-eaters, who can take unbelieveable amounts
of damage as they plod forward, stomping on all opposition. Large carnivores bite and claw
their way through enemy armies; armored Saurs charge into tanks with their explosive-tipped horns;
fast raptor-type Saurs run rampant in the enemy rear, while pterodactyl-like Saurs drop
grenades from the sky. The smallest Saurs use weapons they have adapted from other races.
The only good news is that there are no Saur vehicles, but with their biggest soldiers
tipping the scales at almost 50 tons, does it matter?
They attack by (big surprize!) swarming, with expendable creatures in the lead and more
powerful monsters close behind, supporting and guiding them. They are all naturally well-armored,
terrifyingly fast, and utterly fearless. The only way to stop them, short of total eradication,
is to pick off the leader creatures, leaving the lesser members of the Swarm essentially brainless.
Because Colonial soldiers' armor is less effective at long range, a Colonial attack is a rush
to close combat, supported by their vehicles. There is no subtlety to their tactics; since most
of their battles are in defense of their home world, their goal is eradication of their enemy.
But some planets have sent their Colonials to wipe out pirates or evict rival factions within
their own solar systems, so it would be a mistake to believe that the Colonials are purely
a defensive force.
Each army has a separate rule-book that describes the units and weapons in that army.
You will need the rule book for the army you're commanding, and you will probably want to
familiarize yourself with the army you are fighting. In all cases, a rule in a race's
rule book takes precedence over a rule in the main rule book.
An army is built out of progressively larger formations.
One page of counters and markers gives you enough units to form a level-3 formation.
If you want more of a certain unit, or a bigger formation than level-3,
just print more counters.
To keep track of which soldiers have how much experience, use these rules:
Some large ground vehicles are designated supertanks.
These vehicles are unusually hard to destroy.
If hit, they subtract 1 from the damage level. They are also get a weapons immunity --
they cannot be harmed by any weapon with an AP of 1 or less.
Other ground vehicles are designated walkers. Such vehicles may be able to enter
some types of terrain that are normally off-limits to vehicles.
They also have a weapons immunity due to their simple, rugged construction.
Small walkers cannot be harmed by any weapon with an AP of 1 or less.
Large walkers are immune to weapons with an AP of 2 or less.
Unless a unit's rules say otherwise, a soldier or vehicle that can carry a
medium or heavy weapon can substitute a smaller weapon.
Unless a unit's description says otherwise, a soldier can fire only one weapon
each turn, no matter how many weapons he carries.
Vehicles can fire all their weapons, at the same or at different targets,
unless told otherwise. Use your head when dealing with weapons; for instance,
a battle-axe can never misfire, but you can't mount it in a turret, either.
Most types of soldiers have a default weapon -- a weapon that most soldiers of that type
carry. This weapon is shown in [brackets] in the Soldiers Table for each race. You are never
required to use this weapon type for the soldiers in question, unless the race's rules require
it.
The reason for using a default weapon is that you don't need to stack a weapon marker
with that soldier's counter,
which can simplify setting up dozens of soldiers and moving them across the map.
A soldier who has no weapon, due to a weapons fumble or any other reason, gets a "Disarmed"
marker stacked with him. Some soldiers without weapons can make bare-handed attacks, which are
defined in each race's weapons table, or they can pick up a weapon from a wounded comrade
(see the section on "Swapping Weapons").
All weapons have the following attributes:
See the Map Terrain Tables for information on how each type of terrain affects movement and
combat.
Lay out the maps to create the battlefield you want to fight over, and the kind of game
you want to play. Choose from one of the following scenarios, fleshing out the details to
make it come alive:
A unit can move only in the direction it is facing. Alternately, it can back up in the exact
opposite direction it is facing, but this costs double the movement points.
Skimmer vehicles cannot move backwards.
For each hex a unit can move in a turn, it can turn one hex face, whether it actually moves
that many hexes or not. A unit can trade moves for turns; that is, if a unit can move two
hexes, it could normally turn two hex faces, but if it moves only one hex, it can turn three
hex faces.
Exceptions to this rule:
You do not have to reveal to your opponent which units are in Overwatch, until you want to shoot during your
opponent's move phase. Stack an "Overwatch" marker with each counter that is in Overwatch.
A unit stays in Overwatch until it moves, or until its player removes the Overwatch marker.
A unit cannot be in Overwatch if it is next to an enemy unit.
If a unit in Overwatch is going to shoot during the enemy move phase, you must watch its target's movement.
Before your opponent begins moving another unit, and preferably while he is still moving the target unit,
you must say "Overwatch attack," or something else to signify your intent to attack.
Move the target unit back along its move path to the hex it occupied when you wanted to shoot at it.
Resolve the attack according to normal combat rules.
More than one Overwatch unit can fire at the same target, in the same or in different hexes in its move path.
To move a soldier into a vehicle, the soldier must be next to the vehicle, the vehicle must be
in a hex the soldier can enter, and the soldier must have at least one move unit left.
When the soldier enters the vehicle, that ends his move for the current turn.
He now goes wherever the vehicle goes, until he dismounts.
Because soldiers travel with multiple weapons markers, it can get cumbersome
to stack more than one or two soldier counters with the vehicle they're riding.
Keep the soldiers with their vehicle, but set the weapons markers aside,
and match them up with their owners when the soldiers dismount.
For a soldier to dismount from a vehicle, just move him from the vehicle hex into an adjacent
hex he is capable of entering; this takes 1 move unit, regardless of terrain.
He can now move and attack normally. A soldier cannot mount and dismount in the same turn.
A soldier in a vehicle cannot attack from inside it,
unless the rules for the vehicle specifically allow it.
Resolve combat as follows:
Example: a soldier attacks another soldier.
Rear-Shot Modifier: if the attack hits the target through one of its three rear
hexes (more than halfway through the left-rear or right-rear), then the attack roll is at
+1 because most units have weaker armor in back.
Supertank Modifier: if the target is a supertank-type vehicle, it is exceptionally
resistant to destruction.
Reduce the damage level on the Vehicle Casualty Chart by 1 (never less than 1).
Vehicle damage falls into three levels. Level 1 is Stunned; it cannot move or fight,
but can be fully repaired by a Fixer-type unit who does a level-1 repair on it.
Such a vehicle's counter is turned upside-down on the map.
If the damage also includes losing a weapon, the vehicle's owner chooses which weapon was
knocked out; this weapon cannot be repaired.
Alternately, a large Stunned vehicle can un-stun itself if it rolls a die and gets a 6 during the repair phase.
Level 2 is Disarmed or Crippled. A Disarmed vehicle can move normally, but not attack;
a Crippled vehicle can attack normally, but not move. Both can be fully repaired by a Fixer-type
unit who does a level-2 repair on it; if the vehicle suffers both kinds of damage, it is destroyed.
Level-2 damage should be marked by a marker of the appropriate type, placed on the vehicle's counter.
Level 3 is destroyed. If a vehicle carrying other units is destroyed,
roll a die for each carried unit.
An even roll means that unit is also destroyed.
If the roll is odd, the unit lives, but must immediately dismount into an adjacent empty
hex it is allowed to enter. If there is no such hex, the unit is destroyed.
Otherwise, soldiers riding in a vehicle are unharmed by damage to that vehicle.
If a skimmer-type vehicle suffers Crippled damage while in a land hex,
roll a die; if an odd number comes up, the vehicle is destroyed by hitting the ground.
If a skimmer suffers any damage other than Disarmed while in a River or Water hex,
that vehicle will sink underwater and be destroyed.
When attacking a unit in light cover, you must make your attack roll at -1.
This does not apply to frag-type weapons.
When attacking a unit in thick cover, you must make your attack roll at -2,
and any aim bonuses from weapons are negated.
Attack penalties from weapons are still in force,
as are the unit's own aim modifier (if any), and frag-type weapons hit normally.
A shot that passes through more than one thick-cover hex cannot hit, frag or otherwise,
unless it is from a weapon that can ignore line-of-sight restrictions.
To make a morale check, roll a die. If the roll is greater than the unit's adjusted Morale,
then the unit fails its morale check and becomes Broken. It immediately turns toward the map edge
where it started, no matter how many hex faces that might involve, and cannot attack this turn
if it hasn't done so already. See the section on "Broken Units" in the Movement section to see
what a Broken unit can and can't do. Units in the leadership range of a friendly, unbroken,
unwounded Leader unit never have to make separation checks.
Once a unit has passed a morale check, it does not have to make any more morale checks in the same turn.
A soldier's arc of fire is into the front three hexes.
Every weapon on a vehicle has an arc of fire that is described in the individual rule-books for
the various races. The arcs are:
If a large ground vehicle enters the same hex as an enemy soldier, the soldier must roll a die.
If his race has a modifier for dicing for initiative, add or subtract that modifier.
If the result is 3 or higher, the soldier got out of the way successfully.
If 2 or less, he got run over and suffers an attack which has an armor-pierce
rating of 3 and does 5 points of damage.
If the soldier was wounded before the overrun, he automatically gets killed; don't bother rolling.
This takes place during the movement phase.
The vehicle can use its weapons normally in the combat phase in addition to the overrun attack,
and if its speed is greater than 1, it can try multiple overrun attacks in the same turn.
II. The Background Story (in brief)
As humanity spread through the galaxy in the 22nd and 23rd centuries,
we encountered a surprising number of intelligent races.
Some welcomed our contact, some wanted to be left alone, and a few thought the
insignias on our spaceships were some kind of target. Our intentions in space were peaceful,
but humanity's skill at war soon became necessary as our colony worlds came under attack.
III. The Races
There are many races in the galaxy, but most of them are either friendly or isolationist.
The races in this game are the ones most likely to get into a fight.
The StarMarines
StarMarines are the finest fighters humanity can produce. They are trained with a combination
of samurai zeal, Prussian aggressiveness, British tenacity, and American resourcefulness, and
are equipped with the best weapons we can devise. Far from being dim-witted "jarheads,"
StarMarines have to be intelligent in order to operate their sophisticated weapons systems.
There are many divisions of StarMarines among our worlds, and some colonies have raised their
own StarMarine units.
The Norx
The Norx, or "green goons" as they are known among the StarMarines, are probably the most
belligerent race in the galaxy. They live to fight and fight to live; they are ruled by the
biggest and the strongest, and they are always looking for a chance to advance at someone
else's expense. This used to keep their numbers small, but since they stole the secrets of
space flight, they have vented their aggressions on other races, and are rapidly spreading
their empire to every world that can't fight them off.
The Pelgari
The Pelgari are a mystery in every way. Their spaceships travel by an unknown warp
technology, so they arrive with no warning and depart with no way of tracing them.
Sometimes they come to trade, or to exchange information; sometimes they attack without
warning; sometimes they just watch us for a while and then leave. They resemble us physically,
except for their three-fingered hands, pupilless eyes, and total lack of hair.
The Victors
We can't pronounce the Victors' own name for themselves. Our name for them comes from VCTR,
an abbreviation for "Vertically Challenged Tripedal Race,"
which is what the initial scout ship called them in its report.
They are superficially human in appearance, but are adapted to a high-gravity homeworld;
they stand about a meter high and walk on three legs, although they have only two arms.
They are not aggressive like the Norx, but their obscure code of honor makes it likely
that, sooner or later, someone will offend them. When that happens, war usually follows.
The Dran
The ancient Dran Star Empire is limited to parts of the Alpha and Beta Sectors.
They once covered a much wider expanse of the galaxy, but their civilization has been in slow
decline for centuries. They were initially eager to ally themselves with humanity,
once they saw us as a partner in their ongoing wars against the Norx.
But they have decided we are too warlike, and have cancelled our alliance. Physically,
they look something like five-foot-tall beer bottles with four slender arms and four short legs.
The Ghouls
These horrors from the far reaches of the Delta Sector aren't as aggressive as the Norx,
but not by much. They call themselves the Gra-hool, but "Ghoul" is close enough, and accurate.
They look like emaciated, gray-skinned humans with claws
on the ends of their fingers; their eyes glow in the dark.
The N'Kakk Robots
The N'Kakk race have embraced a religion of peace, which might have been good news for
the galaxy. But their new faith does not forbid warfare by proxy, and the N'Kakk have built
an army of battle robots to continue their aggressive ways.
The Zrutes
The armies of the Zrute Alliance have recently appeared on the outskirts of known space,
selectively conquering lightly-populated, high-tech worlds. They are salamander-like in appearance,
with tentacles for arms and large eyes, and are always hungry for new science and technology;
their curiosity has been their downfall on several occasions.
The Saurs
The Saurs are every boy's dream, turned into a nightmare. They are a race of reptilian
aliens, similar to Earth dinosaurs, but most of them are a lot more intelligent.
They live in the remote reaches of the Beta sector; their empire probably extends toward the
galactic core. They are generally a peaceful race, but they react with savage fury
if they perceive a threat to their borders or to their occasional plans for expansion.
The Swarm
There has never been any communication with the Swarm; they don't communicate by
any method we can recognize. They appeared in the Gamma Sector several decades ago, destroying
everything they encountered and leaving a trail of blackened, lifeless worlds as they swept on.
They are not a homogeneous race, but are made of many species, each of which is adapted for a
particular task, from melee combat to living spaceships.
The Colonials
For planets that want to defend themselves, but can't afford a detachment of StarMarines, the
Colonial Militia is a less-expensive but effective option. Colonials' armor is lighter than
their better-equipped brethren, and they aren't as well trained. But their weapons are the
same, and their lower expense means they can afford more vehicles, including halftrack-motorcycles
and the Guderian tank, probably the most versatile vehicle in existence.
IV. Creating an Army
IV-a. Basics
Almost everything in this game is definable. Each player chooses which units to use, and which
weapons each unit will carry. You do this by spending build points, which are given in groups of
twenty-five. A 25-point game might pit one squad against another and take less than an hour to set
up and play, while a 250-point game could involve huge armies and take all night.
IV-b. Counters
There are two basic types of units, soldiers and vehicles. Each has the following features:
Vehicle counters are slightly larger than soldier counters.
IV-c. Unit Attributes
Every unit has the following attributes, which are defined in the races' rule books.
IV-d. Unit Experience
Every unit has an experience level which shows how accustomed they are to battle.
There are four levels of experience: Green, Average, Veteran, and Elite.
Green troops suffer a penalty on their morale, while
higher experience levels give the unit a bonus on morale and/or marksmanship.
When you buy experience for units that are bought in groups,
all units in that group get the experience.
You can buy experience for your units, or they can earn it in a campaign game (to be described later).
IV-e. Soldier Attributes
Not all soldiers are created equal. Each race has a few special attributes that you can buy for
individual soldiers. Use attribute markers, stacked with each soldier, to keep track of who has
them. All attributes have a point cost of 1/2 -- you get two for one point.
An individual soldier can have only one attribute.
IV-f. Special Unit Types
There are special kinds of soldier units, which can be found in the armies of almost all the races. These are:
IV-g. Vehicle Types
All vehicles can be defined by their size (Small or Large) and by their motion type (Ground or Skimmer).
If weapons are set up in right/left pairs (like the medium weapons
on the StarMarines' Mauler), both must be the same kind of weapon.
IV-h. Weapons
All weapons fall into six categories:
Some weapons are described as armor-piercing; this just means they are better at
punching through armor than other types.
Other weapons are frag-type; these are weak at piercing armor, but they can
hit multiple units in the target hex, and sometimes in multiple hexes.
A "close-combat" weapon is one with a maximum range of 1.
V. Maps and Terrain
This game uses the M8 Map System to create battlefield maps. You can use either the open-field
maps, the much smaller urban map set, or the special StarMarine maps, which can be turned into
a true 3-D battlefield. The larger the map you create, the more
important speed and mobility are. On a small map, maneuver takes a back seat to sheer firepower.
VI. Setting Up the Game
Agree on the size of the game, in build-points. Each player buys his army and equipment.
Allow double the number of turns if one or both of the races have basic soldiers with a maximum
move of 1.
VII. Playing the Game
Each game turn goes through the following phases:
VIII. Movement
VIII-A. Basic Movement
A unit can move all, some, or none of its movement allotment, where each unit of movement equals one hex.
Units can move in any order, subject to the limits in the "Order of Movement" section.
You cannot partially move a unit, move something else, and then finish the first unit's move.
Units can pass through friendly units as they move without violating the rules for stacking.
VIII-B. Facing
When the writing on a counter is right-side up, that is the direction that the unit is facing.
This will usually be head-up for soldiers and front-up for vehicles, but it isn't always easy
to tell what's the head or front on some of the alien races, so go by the writing.
VIII-C. Stacking
Normally, only one unit can occupy one hex. Exceptions are:
VIII-D. Zones of Control
All units exercise a zone of control in the hexes immediately next to themselves.
This means that, if a unit enters a hex adjacent to an enemy, that unit must stop moving for the current turn.
Also, a unit that starts its movement phase in an enemy's zone of control cannot move from there straight into
another hex in the same enemy's zone of control. It can, however, move out of the zone and then re-enter.
VIII-E. Overwatch
At the start of your movement phase, you can designate some of your units as being in Overwatch.
A unit in Overwatch cannot move during the current turn. Such a unit can shoot at an enemy unit in the middle of
that enemy's move, without having to wait for the combat phase.
This can be useful if enemy units are dashing from one location of cover to the next, giving you no open targets
in the combat phase; a unit in Overwatch can snap off a shot while the enemy is moving in the open.
A unit that shoots in Overwatch cannot shoot during the combat phase, but if a unit in Overwatch doesn't shoot
during the enemy move phase, it can attack normally.
VIII-F. Charge
A soldier can choose to charge. If he does so, he gets +1 on his movement for the
turn, and gets to attack as soon as his move is done, instead of waiting for the combat phase.
A soldier can charge only if he will be adjacent to an enemy unit at the end of the charge.
He will be at -1 on his aim with any weapon except close-combat weaopns.
Vehicles cannot charge.
VIII-G. Loading and Unloading
Some vehicles can carry soldiers inside them. Such vehicles are described in the races' rule books.
VIII-H. Broken Units
A unit that has failed a morale check is considered "broken." Such a unit gets a "Broken" marker
stacked with it, and must move at its full
speed back toward the edge of the map where it started, and then off the map and out of the game.
It must move as straight as possible, but can swerve around friendly units that are in the way.
The only things that can stop the retreat of a broken unit are:
A Broken unit that becomes Wounded is automatically un-broken.
VIII-I. Swapping Weapons
When a soldier is killed, it is assumed that his weapon is also destroyed.
But a wounded soldier's weapon markers stay with him on the map.
Another soldier in his army can move next to that soldier and spend 1 move unit swapping his
weapons for the wounded soldier's weapons, assuming the first soldier can use them.
This can be useful if the fallen soldier has a better weapon.
Soldiers cannot use weapons from other armies.
Vehicles cannot swap weapons, and soldiers can't take weapons from vehicles.
IX. Combat
IX-A. Basic Combat
The following rules apply to all combat, unless a specific unit or army has an exception:
If the attacker is on higher ground than the target, he always has clear line of sight, unless the units blocking his view
are on the same level of ground as he is (rules 1 & 2) or unless the covering terrain is thick (rule 3).
Steady-Aim Modifier: if the attacker does not move during the current turn,
he gets a +1 on his attack roll. This does not apply to units firing in Overwatch, but an
Overwatch unit that has no targets during the movement phase gets the +1 bonus if he fires
in the combat phase.
IX-B. Wounds and Vehicle Damage
A soldier who is wounded cannot move or fight, but can be brought back into the battle by a Doctor-type unit.
A wounded soldier whose armor is pierced again is dead, regardless of his Toughness.
Wounded soldiers should have their counters turned upside-down on the map.
IX-C. Cover
Cover is provided by certain kinds of terrain, like forest.
There are two types of cover, light and thick.
IX-D. Morale Checks
Any time something unpleasant happens on the battlefield, the soldiers' morale may be shaken to
the point where they break and run away. The chances of this happening depend on the race and
unit type. A soldier must make a morale check under the following circumstances:
Morale is at +1 if the soldier making the check is adjacent to at least two friendly soldiers
which are not broken. If the soldier is adjacent to a friendly Hero,
morale is at +2. Note that all modifiers are to the unit's morale, not to the die roll.
Heroes and vehicles never need to make morale checks.
IX-E. Arcs of Fire
Every soldier and vehicle has limits on the directions it can point and aim its weapons.
These are called the arcs of fire, and they depend on which way a counter is facing.
These arcs can be combined; for example an arc of "Left/ahead" can fire into the arcs of an
Ahead facing or a Left facing.
IX-F. Vehicle Overruns
Large ground vehicles can run right over foot soldiers if the soldiers don't get out of the way.
Most soldiers can move faster than such vehicles, but sometimes a soldier will be trapped against
other units, and some races will run over their enemy's wounded before they can get healed.
Small vehicles can't do enough damage to harm a typical soldier, and skimmers do no harm at all.
IX-G. Shooting Down Airborne Soldiers
Some soldiers are "airborne;" they can fly across the battlefield, land at will, and then
fight like ordinary soldiers.
To shoot at such a soldier while he is flying, the attacking unit must be in Overwatch, and
must attack during the other player's movement phase, like any other Overwatch attack.
Such attacks are at -1 to hit, because a flying target is not an easy target.
If the attack successfully gets past the armor-pierce phase, the airborne soldier has been
shot down; he falls to the ground where he was hit, and cannot fly again for the rest of the game.
Finish resolving the attack for toughness and damage.
X. Game Tables
| Terrain Effects Table -- Open-Field Maps | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Color | Terrain | Effect on Movement | Effect on Combat |
| Green | Grassland | none | none |
| Yellow | Desert/Beach | none | none |
| Green w/ trees | Forest | 2 move units to enter | Thick cover |
| Green w/ dark-green lines | Depression | 2 move units to enter | Light cover |
| Beige w/ unconnected lines | Slope | 2 move units to enter | Unblocked line-of-sight over lower ground |
| Beige w/ connected lines | Hilltop | 2 move units to enter | Unblocked line-of-sight over other ground |
| Aqua w/ weeds | Swamp | 2 move units for non-skimmers to enter | Light cover; damaged skimmers are destroyed |
| Aqua w/ waves | Shallow Water | Only skimmers can enter | Damaged skimmers are destroyed |
| Blue w/ waves | Deep water | Only skimmers can enter | Damaged skimmers are destroyed |
| Blue w/ ripples | River | Only skimmers can enter | Damaged skimmers are destroyed |
| Gray w/ yellow lines | Road | 1/2 move unit to enter from another road hex | none |
| Tan w/ boxes | Town | same as Road | Thick cover |
| Brown box w/ straight lines | Bridge | Same as road, but units cannot pass through each other | none |
| Terrain Effects Table -- Urban Maps | |||
| Green | Grassland | none | none |
| Gray boxes | Buildings | Only foot soldiers can enter | Thick cover; blocks line of sight |
| Gray w/ yellow lines | Road | 1/2 move unit to enter from another road hex | none |
| Aqua w/ waves | Shallow Water | Only skimmers can enter | Damaged skimmers are destroyed |
| Blue w/ ripples | River | Only skimmers can enter | Damaged skimmers are destroyed |
| Terrain Effects Table -- Tech-Facility Maps | |||
| Green | Ground level | none | none |
| White | Concrete slab | Treat as road | none |
| Details w/ red | Equipment | Cannot enter | Light cover |
| Gray w/ 1 border | 1-story building | Enter only through ladder hex | same as Slope |
| Gray w/ 2 borders | 2-story building | Enter only through ladder hex | same as Hilltop |
| Aqua | Storage tank | Enter only through ladder hex or catwalk | same as Hilltop |
| Hatched | Catwalk | none | Range +1 if attacker is on ground |
| Soldier Experience Table | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Cost | Soldier Effect | Leader Benefit |
| Green | 0 per team or individual | -1 on morale | n/a |
| Average | 1 per team or individual | none | none |
| Veteran | 2 per team or individual | +1 morale | +1 leadership range |
| Elite | 3 per team or individual | +1 attack rolls, +1 morale | +2 leadership range |
| Soldier Wounding Table | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Die Roll | StarMarine | Norx | Pelgari | Victors | Dran | Ghouls | Zrutes | Saurs | Swarm | |
| -1- | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | |
| -2- | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | |
| -3- | Wounded | Wounded | Dead | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | Wounded | Dead | |
| -4- | Dead | Wounded | Dead | Wounded | Dead | Wounded | Dead | Wounded | Dead | |
| -5- | Dead | Dead | Dead | Dead | Dead | Wounded | Dead | Dead | Dead | |
| -6- | Dead | Dead | Dead | Dead | Dead | Dead | Dead | Dead | Dead | |
| Vehicle Damage Table | ||
|---|---|---|
| Die Roll | Result | |
| -1- | Stunned -- can't move or shoot. Level-1 repair. | |
| -2- | Stunned -- as above. Lose 1 weapon (owner's choice) | |
| -3- | Disarmed -- can't shoot. Level-2 repair. | |
| -4- | Crippled -- can't move. Level-2 repair. | |
| -5- | Destroyed | |
| -6- | Destroyed | |
| Scatter Diagram |
|---|
Facing
>---<
/ \
>---< 1 >---<
/ \ / \
< 6 >---< 2 >
\ / \ / \ /
>---< --O-- >---<
/ \ / \ / \
< 5 >---< 3 >
\ / \ /
>---< 4 >---<
\ /
>---<
|