Hello to everyone on Dakka! I've lurked the forum for quite a long time... never subscribed anyway, since any time I wish to said something on an argument, someone else made his/her point for me.
At least, until now.
I'm referring to this thread:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/710632.page
I basically agreed with any of the basic idea there, but I'd like to see a different and more radical approach to it.
I believe that it's not the "Core" rules the main reason for us to play. Those are the codex, their fluff and the wide opportunity to create different army list. So, any changes to the ruleset with add limitation or better define a rule will probably help a little, but cannot rejuvenate the game itself. Also, I think that when an house shaking at its cornerstone, you have to change the cornerstone, and not paint it with another color.
So, I create a number of alternative more radical changes to the game, that will trasform its gameplay, without totally invalidating fluff, army build, model accessibility and so on.
I'm testing it (in small games) with my friends: but we're half a dozen, and we can't possibily identify and think about any problem those reworking of the rules may arise.
So, I'm asking you to think about anything I may have missed in terms of emergent technicalities and problem that will arise from this (very different) viewpoint over the rules.
Introduction (you may skip this if you're not interested about how I came up with the idea)
But let’s start from beginning. Some time ago, we want to start a Kill Team Campaign. We found out the Herald of Ruins addendum, which was fun and well made for the biggest part… but we found it lacking. The need to rework point value was a big problem for us, that wanted to use (for instance) Harlequins or other armies not yet converted.
So, I created a simple ruleset that used exactly 7th ed point cost and rules, with only minor modification, and it worked pretty well.
Amusingly,
GW came out later with their own version of Kill Team… which was basically the same as my own version, with specialist abilities added to fix thing (where I integrate some old
GW games classic rules as the “face down”, climate condition and so on).
I know 8th is supposedly on the way. Nonetheless I’d like to write down some idea I think could improve the game. So I will eventually know exactly why and where any future 8th will be good or bad (doing that after the release… that’s for whiners. I wanna know that I could know how to improve thing before
GW shown their solutions).
So, this addendum is a small-but-big-fix to the standard
WH40K rules. Big challenge for me is to not change the profile (of unit and weapons)... as long as it’s possible. Any modification should came from a “core” rules perspective.
How this is possible? In fact, it’s an hack of the point system I suppose
GW isn’t aware of (it may seems boastful for me to say that… but I’m a game designer, with a degree in applied logic and statistic. So, I think I know a little but let’s see): they give point values based upon profile and weaponry. Then fixes those point with some practical consideration and a little play testing. That means: if we change the core rules, those impact ALL the unit in the game at the same level (considering we don’t give and improper advantage to, let’s say, infantry). So, as long as the proportion between type of unit stays the same, impact on the point to point costs will be less than expected.
Design Goals and Philosophy (because you have to know why you are doing something while doing it)
Here are the basilar ideas and principles I want to apply:
- It is gone the I-go-you-go system, which solves a lot of issues related to Interceptor, Overwatch and in general solve the problem raised by a too rigid turn sequence (for example, also Alpha Strikes is no more).
- Revised Unit Types, using an Action (slightly different from “activation”) system allows to simplify
USR.
- ]Vehicles are modified as opposed to Monstrous Creature: where those are 100% effective until 0 wound, not Vehicles may be destroyed piece by piece, but can’t glanced to death and need a roll on Vehicle Damage Table to be reduced of effectiveness in combat.
- Of course, a lot of rewriting will be needed to properly apply different rules to some faction and/or special rules or unit. Generally speaking, any
USR should be suppressed or included within unit type. Ideally, any small fix will be self-explaining. The basic idea is that anu armies got a specific
USR or special rules army-wide, and only specific (elite) or particular unit may have a single extra special rules (Alternatively, this could be applied by formations). So, in worst case scenario, you’ll have 1 army wide
USR + 1 formation
USR / unit
USR.
- Action resolution can be streamlined removing the
2D6 roll from either movement and Leadership (the latter be
D6+modifier).
- Rerolling dice (of any kind) should go away.[/list]
- Point cost of course need to be reworked, but from some preliminary test I found that, actually, unit will be more leveled towards a standard.
- Also, I’d like to make simpler the damage allocation (removing the “real” position rules that forces you to remove the nearest models) and avoid that a single characters may take the wound for the unit (it’s unfluffy, and in close combat where this effectively should happen, this is covered by challenges).
I also put the down exactly as they are here in a google drive: here, if you want to comment some specific point - it doesn’t require any registration or login:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GoX8LoaB1exqk84cD4RNP7pkquT3UyDZ4hR3od0b8OE/edit?usp=sharing
Revised Core Rules
Chain of command
Turn sequence is different and alternate with an activation system. First player go first. Any time an unit is activated, you can use a minimum of 1 up to the maximum Action available for the specific unit.
Note as described in “unit types”, any different unit will have a different number/kind of Action to be taken.
Once you act with a unit (from 1 to max Action available) it’s your opponent's turn. There is need of simple counter (colored dice works fine) to keep track of action still available to unit.
Since any action is resolved immediately, there is an immediate bargain and decision making to do between act as first, or wait longer and keep some action for the end of the turn.
Action
Turn sequence is completely removed, substituted by an action system. This is pretty much the core of modifications.
Any time an unit will take an action, select one of the following effect.
Any Action [generic] may be used to take any action of the following.
Specific Action (i.e. “Movement”) instead should be used for the appropriate Actions (Moving).
Moving Action
Run - move the unit up to 6” following standard rules.
Advance - move the unit up to 3” ignoring any movement rules (you may move into or out of combat, ignore movement through cover and so on). Only this action is considered as granting a “charge” bonus.
Shooting Action
Fire at Will - fire with ranged weapons following normal rules. Unit count as stationary.
Overwatch - until another action is taken, the unit may fire at any time (even during enemy turn, but not while resolving a single Action). Unit count as moving.
Fighting Action
Attack - unit attack as usual, with all normal rules
Defend - until another action is taken, the unit may use Cover save vs wound inflicted in close combat. The unit doesn’t apply any special rules for melee combat and/or weapon.
Unit Types
Unit types are listed here with the Action they have available. You will notice the a HUGE amount of
USR now are redundant (i.e. Relentless is obsolete into an Action system), but probably some particular fix is needed that I actually couldn’t see.
Infantry = 1 Action
Artillery = 1 Action
Beast | Chariots = 1 Moving Action + 1 Fighting Action
Bikes | Cavalry | Jetbikes = 1 Action + 2 Moving Action
Monstrous Creature | Flying Monstrous Creature | Gargantuan Creatures = 2 Action
Jetpack | Jump = 1 Action + 1 Moving Action
Heavy Vehicles | Super-heavy Vehicles = 1 Moving Action + 2 Shooting Actions
Fast Vehicles = 2 Moving Actions + 1 Shooting Action
Walker | Super-heavy Walkers = 1 Moving Action + 1 Shooting Action + 1 Fighting Action
Flyers | Super-heavy Flyers = 3 Moving Actions + 1 Shooting Action
Movement
Difficult terrain forces you to advance instead of running. That’s it. Difficult terrain could go, becoming Impassable for specific unit types.
Shooting
Remains the same. The Action system impact widely the opportunity for shooting, since, differently from the “Igoygo”, you could actually move unit more efficiently to avoid incoming fire (right now, you opponent could simply move, position his/her entire armies and then shoot. With action, this will happen on unit-to-unit basis).
Psychic Phase
I don’t like how it is now, I think that using psychic power as equipment will be a better idea. Anyway, I haven’t solve this issues right now.
Close Combat
The same as it is actually. Only a minor change to make it equivalent to shooting.
AC stat is converted into a fix “to hit” roll:
AC=1,2 → 5+ to Hit
AC=3,4 → 4+ to Hit
AC=5,6 → 3+ to Hit
Taking Damage
I play
40K since 3° edition, and to be honest, I’d like the fact that you use and unmodified roll to hit, and any cover is embedded in a defensive roll. I think that the elegance of a system with only 1 defensive rolle (either Armour, Cover, Invulnerable) is pretty good.
I’d like to find a workaround to ban any reroll on these rolls, and also remove
FNP (eventually having the Necron with Reanimation Protocol as special army-wide rules to be the only ones who can do that).
But, right now, since shooting and attacking stays the same, so should be those rules.
Leadership
Any Leadership test is solved as
D6 + Modifier vs Leadership value (a tie or below is a success, above is a failure). So a combat will be as
D6+combat result, a pinning test as
D6+casualties and so on.
The math, despite using different bases, doesn’t change so much. It makes “standard” armies without buffs to their
Ld sligthly better, but since a wide arrays of armies completely ignore
Ld or have 9-10 as standard, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Vehicles
Vehicles will no longer be disabled when reach 0 Hull Point. Vehicles will be disabled only with specific roll on Vehicle Damage Table.
AV penetration system works as usual, but:
Glancing hit - any glancing hit add +1 Damage on further Vehicles Damage Table.
Penetrating hit - add 1 Damage and roll on the Vehicle Damage Table with D3 + Damage suffered. Ordnance, Primary Weapons and/or AP1 weapons roll
D6 instead of D3.
Any superheavy and/or bigger tank than usual (Land Raider) may be converted shifting this table +1/+X point up
Open topped vehicles as usual add +1 to the Vehicle Damage Table.
I'm not quite sure this table could work with Flyer, anyway. They are though to hit, and I believe without the glancing to death chance they could be quite indestructible.
Vehicle Damage Table
0-3 No effect
4-6 Crew shaken
7 Crew stunned
8 Weapon destroyed
9 Immobilized
10 Explodes
Monstrous Creature
Exactly the same. I don’t like the
AoS solution with progressive weakening. It’s illogic: a creature, more is wounded, more will fight till the end. That’s the difference with vehicles and machines.
“Inappropriate” Creature
I think any mechanical costruct with umanoid form (currently using creature rules) shnould be uniformed as vehicles. They could kkep their current profile, but instead of Wound any wound suffered should be treated like a Penetrating Hit. Eventually they could have a table as above, with little less levels. Anyway, I’m not so aquainted with big mechanical monster, so probably I’m missing something here.
USR
With only the modification above, a lot of
USR that could go away because simply they doesn’t make sense.
Any
USR related to Movement may go (for Eldar, eventually, you can have a army-wide rule to change their infantry “Advance” move to 6”)
Any
USR related to Overwatch or that enables you to do things during enemy turn may go.
