After, ahem, some time I have been considering rules updates and moving the game into the erm future.
We are going to address the Bugs and also some Basic rules.
Starting the game. There are five classes of pilots but we will only use four of them: Rookies, Standard, Experienced, Veterans, and the legends.
Each will have their own attack die. Rookies ® = d4, S = d6, E =d8, V = d10, (and L = d12).
Most gamers are now used to seeing their stats as X and that reads what ever. Unhooking the 10 scale of SDTM.
Order of Fire will now look like this:
Veterans will fire first. Experienced > Standard >Rookies.
Pilots will invert their 'dice' for Piloting: R d10, S D8, E D6, V D4 (Legends will use a D3)
Missile Fire
R can only fire 5 missiles on a 6+
S Can fire as normal on a 7+
E Can fire as normal on a 8+
V Can fire as normal on a 9+ or empty the ML with a -1 for 5 additional missiles.
L Can empty the ML with no modfiers.
Torpedoes - Only Pilots can fire Torpedoes!
Points costs.
Float your boat - it's BPV before any torp adjustments.
For each skill a R level get a 10% refund.
S level has no additional cost.
E Level cost increase by 10%
V Level cost increases by 20%
and an option of playing a Legend increases by 30%
Then add on Torp costs. The Maximum reduction is 80% cost of BPV, the cost of the crew and Torps cannot reduce it to less than 80% of its BPV.
Turn Sequence
Locks on etc... get rolling/scribbling.
Initiative
Move and resolve lock ons.
Cannon Shooting.
Missile resolution
Drift
DC.
Options
The boat is naffed. Choose not to move to use DC immediately but you are the sitting quack.
Stealing the Initiative (Gunboats only), a Pilot that is using their boat to command the fleet (the guy with the highest Pilot) will steal the Initiative by going first - meaning his fleet will get to move the last ship. If Both forces want to Steal the Initiative then both will have to 'dice for it' and both will have to move their ships first.
Point Defence can be spread across phases on the provision they still have the remaining shots left.
Cannon Shooting as described above. A change I would like to suggest but keeping to the corish rules is Why would you use a Plasma Cannon over an Ion Cannon. So I came up with this:
Plasma Cannons always fire first in their phase. Any triple can be fixed by a DC roll.
All Damage Weapons will apply their modifiers to hit to their damage result.
Stop Shooting if the boat has not locked on or launched, they can forgo all shooting and get on the DC to fix it now! Must be announced at beginning of shooting phase.
Advanced shooting:
Hit it Hard -3 to hit penalty increase the ADB by the next sized dice up.
Hit it Harder must have taken Hit it Hard first but a further -2 can increase the ADB by the next size up, you may use this rule multiple times but the ADB size can only be raised to a D12.
Drift - seriously this is the funny bit, especially as the end of the turn.
Bug Stuff:
In another thread I floated the idea of Bug Buffs. Trying to keep it simple with a balance of some nuanced plays... hard call.
Bugs cost the same as above.
The Regen Rating we will keep and the Bug Buff Radio can only work if the Bugs involved are not in ink!
Bug Buff Radio
Using their 'Radios' or Regen rating Bugs can buff each other if they are both in range of each other's Regen. A Regen of 2 has a two hex range. Any Bug within a 2 Hex range of each other can both add +1 to their hit dice. If the Regen is higher, eg a 6 any Regen 2 Bug 3 or more hexes away from it cannot help each other. If their are a group of Regen 6 bugs within each others range then they can help...now who is thinking I can surround Big Bugs with lots of little bugs and get Big Buffs. Now what are you thinking
Big shake up for Warhounds.
Been thinking about about mass attacks vs Warhounds, Seriously who wants to be splatted first?
So I cam up with this cracking idea. All Crewed Weapons that target non Warhound Class targets must double the DV of their target to score a hit! Note this does not apply to torp rooms.
Quote:[font="Droid Sans", sans-serif]Bugs have a 'crew' and the number of crew equals their pilot and gunnery skills. Ergo, killing or destroying weapons downgrades their effectiveness.[/font]
[font="Droid Sans", sans-serif]Remember playtest remit was to get the bugs to swarm.[/font]
[font="Droid Sans", sans-serif]I had floated that the 'Regen' rating could be used to add buffs to other bugs in forms of pluses to hit.[/font]
[font="Droid Sans", sans-serif]What if we say the bug ships in range of the regen rating gives the Bugs bonuses not just to hit but also improves their pilot and gunnery ratings.[/font]
[font="Droid Sans", sans-serif]A 4 group of bugs with a standard rating of 4, would lift their gunnery rating up to 7, the original bug from the help from its buddies and also gets a +3 to hit.[/font]
[font="Droid Sans", sans-serif]Drawback:[/font]
[font="Droid Sans", sans-serif]If the bugs has been screened and or is in Ink it cannot help other bugs and other bugs cannot help it.[/font]
[font="Droid Sans", sans-serif]Note: The pilot does not fire a weapon and therefore the minimum skill will always be 2 for a weapon.[/font]
[font="Droid Sans", sans-serif]Regen can be used x times = to its rating. Either DC x hits up to y times, or grow back ammo x times, grow back weapons, J pods, and drones etc in any mix that is not greater than the Regen Rating...[/font]
We are going to address the Bugs and also some Basic rules.
Starting the game. There are five classes of pilots but we will only use four of them: Rookies, Standard, Experienced, Veterans, and the legends.
Each will have their own attack die. Rookies ® = d4, S = d6, E =d8, V = d10, (and L = d12).
Most gamers are now used to seeing their stats as X and that reads what ever. Unhooking the 10 scale of SDTM.
Order of Fire will now look like this:
Veterans will fire first. Experienced > Standard >Rookies.
Pilots will invert their 'dice' for Piloting: R d10, S D8, E D6, V D4 (Legends will use a D3)
Missile Fire
R can only fire 5 missiles on a 6+
S Can fire as normal on a 7+
E Can fire as normal on a 8+
V Can fire as normal on a 9+ or empty the ML with a -1 for 5 additional missiles.
L Can empty the ML with no modfiers.
Torpedoes - Only Pilots can fire Torpedoes!
Points costs.
Float your boat - it's BPV before any torp adjustments.
For each skill a R level get a 10% refund.
S level has no additional cost.
E Level cost increase by 10%
V Level cost increases by 20%
and an option of playing a Legend increases by 30%
Then add on Torp costs. The Maximum reduction is 80% cost of BPV, the cost of the crew and Torps cannot reduce it to less than 80% of its BPV.
Turn Sequence
Locks on etc... get rolling/scribbling.
Initiative
Move and resolve lock ons.
Cannon Shooting.
Missile resolution
Drift
DC.
Options
The boat is naffed. Choose not to move to use DC immediately but you are the sitting quack.
Stealing the Initiative (Gunboats only), a Pilot that is using their boat to command the fleet (the guy with the highest Pilot) will steal the Initiative by going first - meaning his fleet will get to move the last ship. If Both forces want to Steal the Initiative then both will have to 'dice for it' and both will have to move their ships first.
Point Defence can be spread across phases on the provision they still have the remaining shots left.
Cannon Shooting as described above. A change I would like to suggest but keeping to the corish rules is Why would you use a Plasma Cannon over an Ion Cannon. So I came up with this:
Plasma Cannons always fire first in their phase. Any triple can be fixed by a DC roll.
All Damage Weapons will apply their modifiers to hit to their damage result.
Stop Shooting if the boat has not locked on or launched, they can forgo all shooting and get on the DC to fix it now! Must be announced at beginning of shooting phase.
Advanced shooting:
Hit it Hard -3 to hit penalty increase the ADB by the next sized dice up.
Hit it Harder must have taken Hit it Hard first but a further -2 can increase the ADB by the next size up, you may use this rule multiple times but the ADB size can only be raised to a D12.
Drift - seriously this is the funny bit, especially as the end of the turn.
Bug Stuff:
In another thread I floated the idea of Bug Buffs. Trying to keep it simple with a balance of some nuanced plays... hard call.
Bugs cost the same as above.
The Regen Rating we will keep and the Bug Buff Radio can only work if the Bugs involved are not in ink!
Bug Buff Radio
Using their 'Radios' or Regen rating Bugs can buff each other if they are both in range of each other's Regen. A Regen of 2 has a two hex range. Any Bug within a 2 Hex range of each other can both add +1 to their hit dice. If the Regen is higher, eg a 6 any Regen 2 Bug 3 or more hexes away from it cannot help each other. If their are a group of Regen 6 bugs within each others range then they can help...now who is thinking I can surround Big Bugs with lots of little bugs and get Big Buffs. Now what are you thinking
Big shake up for Warhounds.
Been thinking about about mass attacks vs Warhounds, Seriously who wants to be splatted first?
So I cam up with this cracking idea. All Crewed Weapons that target non Warhound Class targets must double the DV of their target to score a hit! Note this does not apply to torp rooms.