Ground Combat Rules

Post Reply
Sionnach Glic
4 Star Admiral
4 Star Admiral
Posts: 26014
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 10:58 pm
Location: Poblacht na hÉireann, Baile Átha Cliath

Ground Combat Rules

Post by Sionnach Glic »

As recently worked out and tested in the Barfight thread.

The Turn

The turn is divided into two phases:
1)Movement phase
2)Attack phase

1) The Movement Phase is the phase in which all movement is done (duh). Things like moving your character, charging an enemy, vaulting over a wall, etc.

2) The Attack Phase is when all combat gets resolved. Hand to hand combat, firing weapons and resolving the various wounds and their effects take place here.

The Battlefield
For ease of refference, the battlefield is divided into squares that are 1 metre2 in size. Thus, for all intents and purposes, the term "metres" used in the following rules can be swapped with "squares".

Initiative
Before characters start moving, it first needs to be decided who moves first, as this may be vitaly important to the rest of the turn. He who moves first may be able to reach a weapon first, charge an enemy, etc before his enemy does, conferring upon him a major advantage.

To decide who moves first, roll a D6 for both characters and add their Reactions rating. The character with the highest result goes first. In the event of a tie, the character who moved last in the previous turn goes first.

Movement Phase

Moving
There are several different ways in which a character can move.

1) Creeping. The character moves forward just 1 metre, but other characters take a +1 To Hit bonus.
2) Walking. The character moves forward 3 metres.
3) Running. The character moves forward 5 metres. Other characters get a -1 To Hit penalty. The player's character also takes a -1 To Hit penalty.
4) Sprinting. The character moves forward 8 metres. Other characters get a -2 To Hit penalty. The player character may not fire ranged weapons.

Stances
There are also three different stances which a character may be in.

1) Prone. The character is lying on the ground, gaining a +3 To Hit bonus. Other characters take a -2 To Hit penalty. The player character may only Creep while Prone.
2) Crouched. The character kneels or crouches down, gaining a +2 To Hit bonus. Other characters take a -1 To Hit penalty. The player character may only Creep or Walk while crouched.
3) Standing. This is the default position, and thus carries no bonuses or penalties for any action. All movement ranges are available.

Changing your stance counts as a half-action. This means that if you change your stance, you can only move at half the speed (rounding fractions up) as you would normaly.

Obstacles
Certain obstacles, such as tables or walls, may block a character's path. Depending on the size of the object, he may attempt to climb or jump over them.

Jumping
If an obstacle is half the height of the character, the player may attempt to jump or vault over it. Roll a D6 on the table below.

1) Tripped. The character catches his foot and falls to the ground. The character becomes Prone for that turn, facing the obstacle in question.
2-3) Just Barely. The character scrambles over, but does nothing further.
4-6) Made It. The character hops over the obstacle with ease, any go on to complete any other available action the player may have specified.

Climbing
If an object is half to the full size of the character, the player may attempt climbing over it. Roll a D6 on the table below.

1) Fall. Just as the character reaches the top, he slips and falls. Place the character Prone for that turn, facing the obstacle in question. Also, roll a D6 on the Impact Damage table for one randomly chosen leg.
2-3) King of the Hill. The character scrambles up on top of the object, but goes no further. The character remains on top of the object, and counts as crouched.

4-6) Up and Over! The character scrambles up one side and hops neatly down the other, but may go no further.

Terrain
Terrain, obviously, plays a major part in simply moving about. Because of this, terrain counts as one of the following three types:

Stable ground: Starship decks, paved roads, building interiors, etc.

Unsteady ground: Gravel, sand, loose rocks, etc. If a character attempts to Run or Sprint, roll a D6 on the table below:

1) Slip. The character falls to the ground, counting as Prone and may go no further.
2-3) Wobble. The character has to watch where he puts his feet, thus moving at half speed (rounding fractions up) for this turn.
4-6) No Worries. The character completes his move with no difficulties.

Treacherous Ground: Water, mud, random piles of jelly, etc. If a character attempts to Run or Sprint, roll a D6 on the table below:

1-2) Slip. The character slips and falls to the ground. He counts as Prone and may go no further. If the character is in water, he is submerged beneath the surface and may not fire any ranged weapons.
3-5) Wobble. The character has to watch where he puts his feet, thus moving at half speed (rounding fractions up) for this turn.
6) No Worries. The character completes his move with no difficulties.

Picking Stuff Up
To pick an object up, you must end your move within 1 metre of it.

You're In My Personal Space
On certain occasions, characters may end up wanting to occupy the same space as each other. If this happens, then the character which moved last (IE, the one who was barging in on top of the other guy) counts as Charging (see below).

Charging
A character may charge another to engage him in hand-to-hand combat.
If an enemy is within 5 metres, the player may charge him if he (the player) is standing or crouched. He counts as the attacker in the resulting HTH combat.
If a character is charged, he may take no action in this Movement Phase.

Attack Phase

In the Attack Phase, characters may fire weapons, throw objects or attack their opponent in hand to hand combat.

Firing Guns
To fire at an oponent, a character must have a line of sight to the target and be aware of his presence.

To hit, a character must score 8 or better on 2D6, adding the character's Weapons Skill. Various penalties or bonuses may be applied depending on both characters' stance and any previous movement taken. Needless to say, standing still and taking aim is going to result in a greater level of success than if you're shooting while running. Additionaly, the type of gun itself may impose bonuses or penalties on firing.

If a character is using his off-hand to fire (IE, character is right-handed but firing with his left hand), then a -1 To Hit penalty will be applied.
For every 5 metres of distance between the attacker and the target, a further -1 To Hit penalty will be applied (note, the maximum penalty for this is -3, regardless of any further distance).

If a character has not moved in the turn's Movement Phase, he gets a +1 To Hit bonus.

If a character is behind cover, any attacker gets a -2 To Hit penalty.

If you wish to hit a specific part of the target (Eg, head or arm), then a -1 To Hit penalty will be conferred upon the attacker.
If no area is specified, roll a D6 on the table below to see what area of the body the attack hits.

1) Legs (roll a further D6, 1-3 Left Leg, 4-6 Right Leg)
2) Groin
3-4) Body
5) Arms (roll a further D6, 1-3 Left Arm, 4-6 Right Arm)
6) Head

Thrown Weapons
Same as above, but the range is limited to 5 metres.

Hand to Hand Combat
HTH combat consists of an attacker and a defender. One is trying to hurt the other, while the other is trying to prevent that from happening.

In HTH combat, the attacker declares an area of the defender's body (Head, Chest, Left/Right Arm, Groin, Left/Right Leg) that he wishes to attack.
The defender can attempt to block this attack by attempting to guess which part of the body the attacker will aim at.
If the defender correctly guesses where the attacker is aiming for, he successfuly blocks the attack.
If the defender guesses a completely wrong area (EG, guessed Head when the attacker was actualy aiming for the Groin), then the attack hits.

If the defender guesses an area of the body that's next to the attacker's target (EG, guessed Left Leg when the attacker was aiming for the Groin), then both the attacker and defender roll 2D6 and add their Strength rating.
If the attacker rolls higher, it's a hit.
If the defender rolls higher, or it's a draw, then it's blocked.

At the end of HTH combat, regardless of the outcome, both characters move (or fall, depending on the condition they're in) back 1 metre directly away from their opponent.

Wounding
A succssful attack will (obviously) wound an opponent. The amount of wounds dealt will depend on the weapon used.
If the character is wearing armour or some form of protective clothing, subtract the Armour Value from the number of wounds dealt, to a minimum of 1 Wound.

Critical Hits
Fighting can be rather dangerous. It's quite likely that anyone foolish enough to let themselves get wounded may end up with something more serious than just a bloody nose.
If while during a successful attack the attacker rolls a double (ie, a man firing with a phaser rolls a five on one dice and a five on the other, allowing him to hit the target), then the attack deals a Critical Hit to the victim. This can cause serious harm to the victim in question. Roll 2D6 on the table below, and add the number of Wounds the attack dealt and apply the result.

Head
2-3) No further harm done.
4-6) The attack leaves the victim stunned for the next turn, placing a -2 penalty to all actions taken in the next turn.
7-9) The attack gouges/blasts/burns an eye out of the victim's head. Permanently apply a -2 penalty to all To Hit rolls, and a -2 penalty on all action in the next turn. If a character loses both eyes then it counts as an automatic loss of the match.
10-12) KO. The victim is knocked unconcious for the next D3 turns. He counts as Prone, and may take no actions until he wakes up again. Any HTH combat results in an automatic win for the attacker.
13+) The victim's head is crushed/decapitated/blown off/whatever. He is fairly dead.

Body
2-4) No further harm done.
5-7) Rib Broken. The character moves one metre less than he normaly would (to a minimum of 1 meter).
8-10) Bleeding Wound. The character loses 1 Wound per turn from the next turn onwards.
11-12) Disembowled. The character loses 2 Wounds per turn, and may not use two-handed weapons (he's busy using his other hand to hold his guts in).
13+) Chest crushed. The character dies as fragments of his own ribs shred his vital organs.

Arm
2-4) No further harm done.
5-6) The character drops anything he's holding in that hand.
7-9) Finger lost. -1 to penalty to any action inolving that hand.
10-12) Arm Broken. This arm may not be used for anything any more.
13+) Arm severed. The arm may not be used anymore (no shit), and the character loses 1 Wound per turn due to blood loss.

Leg
2-4) No further harm done.
5-6) The leg goes out from under the character, making him count as Crouched.
7-9) The character's movement is permanently reduced by 2 metres due to injury (to a minimum of 1 metre).
10-12) Leg Broken. The character may not sprint or run from this point on.
13+) Leg Severed. The character permanently counts as Prone, and may move in no other way than Creeping. Additionaly, the character loses 1 Wound per turn due to blood loss.

Groin
2-3) No further harm done.
4-5) The character is in serious pain from the blow, giving a -1 penalty to all actions in the next turn.
6-8) The character's movement is halved (to a minimum of 1 metre) for the next turn. Additionaly, the character may not change stance for the next turn.
9-12) The attack blows off/crushes/severs a testicle, causing the victim to drop to the ground and begin screaming like a little girl. Character counts as unconcious for the next D3 turns.
13+) Emasculated. THe attack blows off the "family jewels". As above, but additionaly the character loses 1 wound per turn due to blood loss.

Weapons Malfunctions
Weapons aren't perfect. Particularly not when they're improvised weapons.
If a player rolls a double when attempting to attack an enemy, but fails to hit (IE, a guy firing a phaser rolls a three and a three, too low to hit. Or a guy with a sword rolls a three and a three but his opponents rolls a higher HTH score) then the weapon malfunctions.

If the weapon is a ranged weapon, such as a phaser, disruptor, shotgun, etc, then the weapon can be fixed. To fix it, the player must score a 3+ on 1D6. While attempting to fix it, however, the character cannot move. He may change stance, though. The weapon cannot be fired until fixed (obviously).

If the weapon is a HTH weapon, such as a sword or bar-stool, the weapon breaks under the stress, and may no longer be used.

Weapon Stats
The following is an example of a typical weapon and an explaination of its stats.

M-16 Rifle (Two-handed [requires two hand to use...obviously])
Damage (amount of wounds per hit): 5/1 (first number is in ranged combat, second is in HTH combat)
ROF (rate of fire): 3 (may fire three times per turn, all at the same target)
Accuracy: +3 (confers a +3 To Hit bonus when firing)
Range: 3 (mulitply this number by the user's Weapon Skill to get the distance in metres it may be fire from)
Magazine: 4 (may fire for 4 turns before being reloaded. This need not have any bearing on the actual magazine size of the weapon in question)
Reload: 1 (takes 1 turn to reload)
Cost: $500 (Obvious)

Character Stats
The following is an example of a typical person and the explaination of the various stats.

Human Soldier
Initiatve: 3 (helps determine who goes first, check the top of this rule list for a full explaination)
Weapon Skill: 3 (how good and accurate the character is with guns)
Strength: 5 (how strong the character is)
Wounds: 10 (how much damage he can take before dying)

Misc
Characters may hold as many objects as they have hands, unless the object is two-handed and thus requires both hands to use.

If you have pockets, a bag, backpack, or anything else that can carry equipment, you may hold stuff in it. Taking stuff out reduces your movement by half.

Orders are to be PMed to the GM.

--------------------

And them's the rules. You may now begin arguing over them. :P
"You've all been selected for this mission because you each have a special skill. Professor Hawking, John Leslie, Phil Neville, the Wu-Tang Clan, Usher, the Sugar Puffs Monster and Daniel Day-Lewis! Welcome to Operation MindFuck!"
Nickswitz
Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Posts: 6748
Joined: Sun May 25, 2008 5:34 pm
Location: Home
Contact:

Re: Ground Combat Rules

Post by Nickswitz »

How do we have money Rochey?
The world ended

"Insanity -- a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world" - R.D.Lang
Sionnach Glic
4 Star Admiral
4 Star Admiral
Posts: 26014
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 10:58 pm
Location: Poblacht na hÉireann, Baile Átha Cliath

Re: Ground Combat Rules

Post by Sionnach Glic »

Depending on the scenario, weapons may either be available to purchase (with each character given a certain amount of money to spend) or be assigned to the characters (thus cost becomes irrelevant).
"You've all been selected for this mission because you each have a special skill. Professor Hawking, John Leslie, Phil Neville, the Wu-Tang Clan, Usher, the Sugar Puffs Monster and Daniel Day-Lewis! Welcome to Operation MindFuck!"
Nickswitz
Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Posts: 6748
Joined: Sun May 25, 2008 5:34 pm
Location: Home
Contact:

Re: Ground Combat Rules

Post by Nickswitz »

Ok, fair enough...
The world ended

"Insanity -- a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world" - R.D.Lang
Tsukiyumi
4 Star Admiral
4 Star Admiral
Posts: 21747
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 2:38 pm
Location: Forward Torpedo Tube Twenty. Help!
Contact:

Re: Ground Combat Rules

Post by Tsukiyumi »

12 round M-16 magazine, eh? :lol:
There is only one way of avoiding the war – that is the overthrow of this society. However, as we are too weak for this task, the war is inevitable. -L. Trotsky, 1939
Sionnach Glic
4 Star Admiral
4 Star Admiral
Posts: 26014
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 10:58 pm
Location: Poblacht na hÉireann, Baile Átha Cliath

Re: Ground Combat Rules

Post by Sionnach Glic »

Yes. :P
"You've all been selected for this mission because you each have a special skill. Professor Hawking, John Leslie, Phil Neville, the Wu-Tang Clan, Usher, the Sugar Puffs Monster and Daniel Day-Lewis! Welcome to Operation MindFuck!"
Mark
4 Star Admiral
4 Star Admiral
Posts: 17671
Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:49 am
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

Re: Ground Combat Rules

Post by Mark »

Tsukiyumi wrote:12 round M-16 magazine, eh? :lol:

Reminds me of FTXs where we didn't have enough blanks, and could only partially load our mags :mrgreen:
They say that in the Army,
the women are mighty fine.
They look like Phyllis Diller,
and walk like Frankenstein.
User avatar
sunnyside
Captain
Captain
Posts: 2711
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 5:35 pm

Re: Ground Combat Rules

Post by sunnyside »

I might be interested in doing something with this.

First, a couple suggested tweaks.

I don't like that the odds of a weapon malfuction depend on how far away the target is, or if the target is running at the moment. Also they're going to be pretty frequent, with a weapon failing/breaking ~10% of the time.

Could I suggest that if you roll snake eyes than something bad happens, as determined by another roll?

Maybe
1-2 small problem/bumble weapon may not be used next turn
3-4 Weapon dropped
5-6 weapon breaks/malfuctions

While hit points by any name are simple and straightforward. I'm increasingly finding effects are more fun. How would you feel about each successful attack being a crit with a modifier for weapon damage capability.

I.e. instead of being at 5/10 wounds after a couple attacks you'd have a broken rib and a disabled arm.

Armor would subtract from the weapon damage. So attacking an armored foe with a weak attack would tend to generate lots of knock down/stunned results, while shooting an unarmored foe in the head with a shotgun would frequently be instantly fatal.

Also would you consider changing the rules on range. Specifically I don't think that range modifiers should stop insteasing after a given distance. Shots should get harder and harder to make.

Finally what is your take on what would be proper for phaser/disrupter type weapons at different energy levels?
Post Reply