So I've created a site called Ironshards as a resource for various wargaming projects I'm working on.
Right now I've only got sections up for Shattered Scepter and Stargrunt II, but I'm sure it will expand.
Right now the vast majority is still framework but I am making progress; both this blog and that site will expand rapidly as I start playing and experimenting.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Rules modifications.
In the normal rules for Stargrunt II, squad weapons-fire is resolved by rolling the Firepower die (whichever die type is closest to the combined FP score of the firing group (i.e. FP 5 would use a d6 while FP 9 uses a d10 etc.) and the Quality Die (based on range), plus a Support die if someone in the squad has a SAW/LMG they want to add to the salvo. Each individual die has to exceed the number on the Range die rolled by the defending player; the result is referred to as the Target Roll.
If even ONE of the attackers dice exceeds the Target result, the defender is either suppressed or suffers effective fire if at least TWO dice exceed this number.
Anyway, if the fire was effective, the attacker takes the combined total of his Firepower, Quality and Support (if applicable) dice and divides this number by the type of die used for the Range die (i.e if the Range die was a d6, the total is divided by 6.) This is the number of dice (type determined by weapon) the attacker gets to use when dicing off versus the defending squads armor dice (determined by armor type).
Any Impact die result higher than the corresponding Armor die result indicates a wound; if an Impact Die result is higher than (Armor Die)x2 the soldier is killed.
A wounded soldier that suffers another wound is killed.
This system is actually pretty easy once you know the various dice scores for the equipment and how to shift die type for things like range and morale¹, but the number of dice rolls can drag the game a bit.
There is a quick & dirty option in the rulebook (pages 36-37) that suggests dividing the FQ/Quality by the Armor Die type. This eliminates the need to dice off for impact-vs.-armor and speeds the process up at the expense of nullifying the point of having different small arms and emphasizes cover over distance to nullify incoming fire.
Allen Goodall of hyperbear.com proposes a different quick and dirty system that replaces Armor Dice with an Armor Rating as such:
Armor Die ________ Armor Rating ______ Example
N/A ___________________ 1 __________ Civilian
D4 ____________________ 2 __________ Basic Fatigues
D6 ____________________ 3 __________ Flak Armor
D8 ____________________ 4 __________ Combat Armor
D10 ___________________ 5 __________ Light Power Armor
D12 ___________________ 6 __________ Heavy Power Armor
(AR is modified by 1 for Soft Cover and 2 for Hard Cover; this number cannot exceed 6.)
Each Impact Die is rolled off against the AR instead of another die result. While this means that AR4 armor is impervious to archaic weapons (crossbows and muskets have an Impact of d4) and Power Armor is impervious to pistols (d6), this does make things flow a bit better.
Thus an assault rifle (d8) versus combat armor (AR 4) has a 50% chance of being ineffective, and a 50% chance of wounding. There is no chance of a kill unless another wound is scored.
Both of these optional rules cut down on the number of actual kills, which places emphasis on field medics.
What I might do is divide the combined total of the Attack Dice by the Target Roll, and treat any Impact die result equal to (AR)x2 or above as a kill.
Thus an assault rifle (d8) versus combat armor (AR 4) has a 50% chance of being ineffective, a 37.5% chance of wounding and a 12.5% chance of a kill.
I'll do some experimentation once the platoons I've ordered arrive, but I expect that this last example will speed things up and increase lethality a bit.
I'll post my findings here.
¹Jon Tuffley wrote rules for Stargrunt II and Dirtside II that are a lot easier to play than they are to explain. :)
If even ONE of the attackers dice exceeds the Target result, the defender is either suppressed or suffers effective fire if at least TWO dice exceed this number.
Anyway, if the fire was effective, the attacker takes the combined total of his Firepower, Quality and Support (if applicable) dice and divides this number by the type of die used for the Range die (i.e if the Range die was a d6, the total is divided by 6.) This is the number of dice (type determined by weapon) the attacker gets to use when dicing off versus the defending squads armor dice (determined by armor type).
Any Impact die result higher than the corresponding Armor die result indicates a wound; if an Impact Die result is higher than (Armor Die)x2 the soldier is killed.
A wounded soldier that suffers another wound is killed.
This system is actually pretty easy once you know the various dice scores for the equipment and how to shift die type for things like range and morale¹, but the number of dice rolls can drag the game a bit.
There is a quick & dirty option in the rulebook (pages 36-37) that suggests dividing the FQ/Quality by the Armor Die type. This eliminates the need to dice off for impact-vs.-armor and speeds the process up at the expense of nullifying the point of having different small arms and emphasizes cover over distance to nullify incoming fire.
Allen Goodall of hyperbear.com proposes a different quick and dirty system that replaces Armor Dice with an Armor Rating as such:
Armor Die ________ Armor Rating ______ Example
N/A ___________________ 1 __________ Civilian
D4 ____________________ 2 __________ Basic Fatigues
D6 ____________________ 3 __________ Flak Armor
D8 ____________________ 4 __________ Combat Armor
D10 ___________________ 5 __________ Light Power Armor
D12 ___________________ 6 __________ Heavy Power Armor
(AR is modified by 1 for Soft Cover and 2 for Hard Cover; this number cannot exceed 6.)
Each Impact Die is rolled off against the AR instead of another die result. While this means that AR4 armor is impervious to archaic weapons (crossbows and muskets have an Impact of d4) and Power Armor is impervious to pistols (d6), this does make things flow a bit better.
Thus an assault rifle (d8) versus combat armor (AR 4) has a 50% chance of being ineffective, and a 50% chance of wounding. There is no chance of a kill unless another wound is scored.
Both of these optional rules cut down on the number of actual kills, which places emphasis on field medics.
What I might do is divide the combined total of the Attack Dice by the Target Roll, and treat any Impact die result equal to (AR)x2 or above as a kill.
Thus an assault rifle (d8) versus combat armor (AR 4) has a 50% chance of being ineffective, a 37.5% chance of wounding and a 12.5% chance of a kill.
I'll do some experimentation once the platoons I've ordered arrive, but I expect that this last example will speed things up and increase lethality a bit.
I'll post my findings here.
¹Jon Tuffley wrote rules for Stargrunt II and Dirtside II that are a lot easier to play than they are to explain. :)
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Grab your rifle, soldier.
I've been reading up on Stargrunt II (Ground Zero Games) lately, and decided that I'll give it a shot whenever I can meet up with my usual gaming group to play.
The rules favor leadership, morale and tactics over suicidal heroism and science-fantasy elements of say, WH40K. Not that I don't enjoy a good game of Warhammer, but a solid; open-ended "hard Sci-Fi" wargame provides a nice alternative. Especially if I can tinker, modify rules and make up my own armies.
By default Stargrunt II does not use a points system. The game is centered around using scenarios which are not usually balanced on a man-per-man basis. Players commanding under-gunned forces will definitely have to make use of tactical maneuvers, terrain and whatever assets they might have to survive, let alone succeed.
If players really want a points system, they can write one, or use one of the several that have been posted to the Internet. I might do this myself, just to experiment.
Between Stargrunt II and Crater (whenever I get round to that last revision) I'll even get some practical use out of the copy of "Scenarios For Wargames" (Charles Stewart Grant) I've been reading through.
While the game as written focuses on squad-to-platoon-level engagements it is possible to expand the elements used on the table. You can, for instance, play at battalion- or regiment-strength if you wish (as long as you have the table space and patience!), and it looks like it doesn't take too much extra work with the rules for it.
I've decided to start a collection of 15mm figures to help with this. Sure, I've got orks and space marines up to my ankles, but I'm not really willing to play an Apocalypse scale game at Games Workshops "28mm" scale. With 15mm, I've got a very wide selection of companies and miniature ranges to choose from (GZG alone has some great miniatures); I can field a battalion with the same table space a 40K platoon (equivalent) would take up and collecting 15mm is dirt cheap by comparison.
So I've got some work cut out for me, however, as that will still require a lot of painting, experimenting with rules and of course playing with TO&E lists for each of the armies.
Oh, and let's not forget about the battle reports once I get a few games in! Personally writing after-action reports and TO&E lists are two of my favorite aspects of wargaming.
So I'll keep posting about my progress here on /.moonfire, and let you know what I'm doing if I decide to use any alternate or house rules.
Until next time!
- Seamus
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Marauder: 2107 Revised.
So I've created this website as a resource for the rewrite of this old, forgotten RPG.
I'm omitting the Breeder/genome-project-gone-horribly-wrong/horror aspect and sort of reshaping it into a "not-Appleseed" worldsetting, with a few unique elements included.
So there's a quick update. Have a look!
I'm omitting the Breeder/genome-project-gone-horribly-wrong/horror aspect and sort of reshaping it into a "not-Appleseed" worldsetting, with a few unique elements included.
So there's a quick update. Have a look!
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