Top 100 Military Sci Fi novels

Nice list of the top 100 Military Sci Fi novels. I was please to see Dorsai near the top of the list. Who makes up these lists? That's what I want to know. (top 100 groups who come up with "top 100 lists"?). https://www.worldswithoutend.com/lists_baen_milsf.asp

Wargame Wednesdays - Gaming Bonanza, compliments USPS

So, in returning from a trip this past Monday, I was pleasantly surprised to see the post was STUFFED full of gaming packages that I had been waiting for.  All of them arrived over the weekend while I was gone.  This included:

30x Dungeon Doors (in 28mm) made from Resin, and recv'd from Naloomi's Workshop.All of the ones I received (ordered) are the model on the top right - with the metal reinforced wooden door.  Very useful for RPG games.

Bones Vampire Kickstarter from Reaper (over 200 figures), plus two Reaper paint sets (24 paints)

Death of 1st Panzer (from Lock N Load Games) this is an add on to World at War (I have the first game, Eisenbach Gap, and this one adds scenarios and units for West German forces)  This module (the West Germans) is going to be include din the upcoming Deluxe Eisenbach Gap boxed set.

Dawn's Early Light (from Lock N Load Games) set in the same "historical" setting as the World at War series (where WW3 started between NATO and the Warsaw Pact in 1985), this one is a higher level game about the push through Eisenbach Gap in Germany.

The Last Argument of Kings (from Warlord Games) this is a supplement to the Black Powder miniature rules and covers the warfare of the 18th century.  Being evaluated for several projects, my own Imaginations games as well as American War of Independence and French & Indian War.

Maurice (from Sam Mustafa's Honour game system) this is a new stand alone set of rules, which I ordered along with a full set of Card Decks to play it, for 18th century battles.  Same uses as Last Argument of Kings, but this one comes with a lot of built in support for Imaginations campaigning. Nice review here.

In Her Majesty's Name - A set of skirmish rules for doing late 19th century adventure games in a Victorian Science Fiction setting (I am not a fan of the term Steampunk).  The rules look pretty good, as do all the supporting materials, like a planned supplement, and really nice miniatures from North Star Figures.

As you can see, I have plenty of goodies to keep myself busy for the summer.  Between my online gaming activities, some in-town boardgaming, and the occasional miniatures project - as well as solo wargames, and some Euros played with the family and on vacation trips - I have more gaming hobby than I have time for this summer.

I am planning on doing some reviews of these, in the next few weeks, as I have time.  But expect, first, to see a review of In Her Majesty's Name...

Traveller Tuesday - System Details for the Nibok System (Ark/0302)

System Details - Nibok (Ark/0302)

Nibok      0302 C354888-B              110 Sx

UWP:	C354888-B	Location:	Crucis Margin/0302	System:	Nibok
Starport:	C	Routine Starport (Shipyard: None; Repair: Major; Fuel: Unrefined)
Planetary Size:	3	Small (e.g. Mercury) (4,000-5,599km)
Atmosphere:	5	Thin
Hydrosphere:	4	Wet World (35 - 44% water)
Population:	8	100,000,000
Government:	8	Civil Service Bureaucracy. (Government by agencies employing individuals selected for their expertise)
Law Level:	8	High Law (Blade Weapons Controlled)
Tech Level:	B	Average Interstellar Community
Base(s):		None
Zone:		Green: Unrestricted
# of Planetoid Belts:	1		# of Gas Giants:	0

Choden City, on the low gravity world of Nibok

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So the Nibok system is somewhat interesting, from a astrographical perspective, in that it has no gas giants, and only one asteroid belt.  Relying on the details from Mongoose, as well as the article posted here at Gaming with Chuck on detailing system contents, here are the results for the Nibok System.

Graphical presentation of Nibok System

 Following the method there were 8 planetary orbits generated, including the one for Nibok itself.  Detailing those, we get the following:

1. Moray Belt - Asteroid field (inside the Inner Zone) (inside the Jump Shadow)
2. Gunnel I - Planetoid (size 0) (inside the Inner Zone) (inside the Jump Shadow)
3. Nibok - Main World (size 3) (inside the Habitable Zone)
4. Turbot - Ice World (size 5)  (inside the Outer Zone) One moon, Kelpie
5. Fringehead - Ice World (size 7) (inside the Outer Zone)
6. Little Sole - Rock World (size 2) (inside the Outer Zone) One moon, Flounder
7. Gunnel II - Planetoid (size 0) (inside the Outer Zone)
8. Halfmoon - Ice World (size 6) (inside the Outer Zone) One moon, Gemstone

There are a number of very interesting facilities to be found in this system.  Here they are, working out from the Moray Belt.

Moray Belt has some experimental mining operations going on, but the heavy radiation and heat from the system's primary mean that it is largely robotic.

Gunnel I has an orbiting facility operated by a science team from Etzina, operating a nature preserve for various species of Luminovores.

Nibok, other than being home to 100 million people (extremely crowded for a size three planet), also has two very large orbital science facilities, and an orbital recreation facility.

• The first science facility is operated by the Sphere Fenix government, and is a secret biology lab.  
• The second science facility is operated by Larson Metals - a subsector sized corporation, researching microgravity materials construction. 
• The recreation facility is a large, dispersed, Skiff racing course.  Skiffs are very high performance spaceships (no jump drive), sort of like a Yacht in the 50-100 ton range.  The wealthy will own or sponsor one, and they participate in races - the facilities are observation platforms, casinos, and Skiff maintenance facilities.

Turbot has a very large (7,000 persons) manufacturing facility in orbit.  Heavy industrial power generators and ship reactors are made there, by a workforce heavily augmented by robotics.

Fringehead is off limits, under interdiction by the Nibok Planetary Government.  It is suspected that some very interesting find has been located on the surface.

The moon Flounder, of Little Sole, has a monastic retreat on it, dedicated to Ren Toptio, a mystic tradition that involves body control and martial arts.  There are perhaps 50 monks, and as many as 100-200 students there at any time.

Halfmoon has been determined to be a captive planet, not originally formed form the primary that gave birth to the other bodies in the system.  The surface is incredibly rich in minerals, and was once home to a very diverse biosphere.  It is too far out, too cold, and too airless to be habitable now, however there is a huge industry of orbital food production facilities, housing 400,000 workers and support staff and family members, in a dispersed platform structure orbiting the planet.  The moon, Gemstone, has the headquarters located on the surface, of the "Halfmoon Resource Company" that runs the operation.

---

Nibok itself is a small world, the surface is reasonably divers, with spread out mountains following the edges of the planet plates.  There are three major seas, and the population (100 million) is located mostly in the cities surrounding the seas.  The three seas are the Calmly Sea, the Serene Sea, and finally the Placid Sea.  The various cities are all controlled by a centrally controlled bureaucracy.  Appointments are by technical examination, and the senior organizing council are chosen by retired workers by bi-annual lot.  The main city, Choden (population 30 million), is home to the organizing council.  The main starport is an island in the middle of the Serene Sea, and is connected to a number of the surrounding population centers by a network of public high-speed tube trains.  The various cities are all also so connected.

Spearpoint 1943 - how to video

I have been working on doing a photo report on some of my fantasy armies, as well as my completed (hooray) 19th century Imaginations fleets.  However, this has been a busy week, so instead I'll just post a quick nod to my friend Byron's card based WW2 combat game, Spearpoint 1943.

At Origins, he taped a new "how to" video, and it is pretty nice.  Here it is.

Traveller Tuesdays - Planets of the Etzina Passage

Following after the writeup on Etzina (Ark/0401), the next few planets to be written up in Sphere Fenix, include Nibok (Ark/0302), the frontier world (with its scout base and Marlan Primate embassy) at Baiti (Ark/0202), the farming world of Uaboe (Ark/0601), and airless mining moon of Ewa (Ark/0701).

Here is a map of the space within 6 parsecs of Etzina.  This map has been generated by the Traveller Map website located here.

If just a few other worlds are added - the rich world of Anetan (Ark/0204); the mystic ruins of Nauru (Ark/0206), the famous gardens of Gali (Ark/0306), the naval base at Buada (Ark/0505), and the waterworld of Abricot (Ark/0704) - then the whole Etzina Passage (the nickname for the highly travelled circular shipping round that passes through all of the above listed worlds) would be included.

Nibok      0302 C354888-B              110 Sx

UWP:	C354888-B	Location:	Crucis Margin/0302	System:	Nibok
Starport:	C	Routine Starport (Shipyard: None; Repair: Major; Fuel: Unrefined)
Planetary Size:	3	Small (e.g. Mercury) (4,000-5,599km)
Atmosphere:	5	Thin
Hydrosphere:	4	Wet World (35 - 44% water)
Population:	8	100,000,000
Government:	8	Civil Service Bureaucracy. (Government by agencies employing individuals selected for their expertise)
Law Level:	8	High Law (Blade Weapons Controlled)
Tech Level:	B	Average Interstellar Community
Base(s):		None
Zone:		Green: Unrestricted
# of Planetoid Belts:	1		# of Gas Giants:	0

Choden City, on the low gravity world of Nibok

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Baiti      0202 B475436-C  S Ni        620 Sx

UWP:	B475436-C	Location:	Crucis Margin/0202	System:	Baiti
Starport:	B	Good Starport (Shipyard: Spacecraft; Repair: Overhaul; Fuel: Refined)
Planetary Size:	4	Small (e.g. Mars) (5,600-7,199km)
Atmosphere:	7	Standard (tainted)
Hydrosphere:	5	Wet World (45 - 54% water)
Population:	4	60,000
Government:	3	Self-Perpetuatlng Oligarchy. (Government by a restricted minority, with little or no input from the masses)
Law Level:	6	Moderate Law (All firearms except Shotguns)
Tech Level:	C	Average Interstellar Community
Base(s):		None
Zone:		Green: Unrestricted
# of Planetoid Belts:	2		# of Gas Giants:	0

Marlan Primate Embassy, Kreft Outpost in the distance, on planet Baiti

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Uaboe      0601 C965669-A    Ag        110 Sx

UWP:	A965669-A	Location:	Crucis Margin/0601	System:	Uaboe
Starport:	A	Excellent Starport (Shipyard: Starships; Repair: Overhaul; Fuel: Refined)
Planetary Size:	9	Large (13,600-15,199km)
Atmosphere:	6	Standard
Hydrosphere:	5	Wet World (45 - 54% water)
Population:	6	1,000,000
Government:	6	Captive Government/Colony. (Government by a leadership answerable to an outside group, a colony or conquered area.)
Law Level:	9	High Law (No weapons outside home)
Tech Level:	A	Early Interstellar Community
Base(s):		None
Zone:		Green: Unrestricted
# of Planetoid Belts:	1		# of Gas Giants:	0

Troga City - Home of the Ewa Administrators who run Uaboe as a productive agricultural colony

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Ewa        0702 A200789-D    Va                 103 Sx

UWP:	A200689-D	Location:	Crucis Margin/0702	System:	Ewa
Starport:	A	Excellent Starport (Shipyard: Starships; Repair: Overhaul; Fuel: Refined)
Planetary Size:	2	Small (e.g. Luna) (2,400-3,999km)
Atmosphere:	0	Vacuum
Hydrosphere:	0	Desert World (0 - 4% water)
Population:	6	8,000,000
Government:	8	Civil Service Bureaucracy. (Government by agencies employing individuals selected for their expertise)
Law Level:	9	High Law (No weapons outside home)
Tech Level:	D	Above Average Interstellar Community
Base(s):		None
Zone:		Green: Unrestricted
# of Planetoid Belts:	0		# of Gas Giants:	3

Korium Mines on the airless desert world of Ewa

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Anetan     0204 C663759-B    Ri        603 Sx

UWP:	C663759-9	Location:	Crucis Margin/0204	System:	Anetan
Starport:	C	Routine Starport (Shipyard: None; Repair: Major; Fuel: Unrefined)
Planetary Size:	6	Medium (8,800-10,399km)
Atmosphere:	6	Standard
Hydrosphere:	3	Wet World (25 - 34% water)
Population:	7	90,000,000
Government:	5	Feudal Technocracy. (Government by specific individuals for those who agree to be ruled Relationships are based on the performance of technical activities which are mutually beneficial)
Law Level:	9	High Law (No weapons outside home)
Tech Level:	B	Average Interstellar
Base(s):		None
Zone:		Green: Unrestricted
# of Planetoid Belts:	0		# of Gas Giants:	3

Harbor of Light, on the rich moon of Anetan

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Nauru      0206 C499454-A    Ni        200 Sx

UWP:	C499454-A	Location:	Crucis Margin/0206	System:	Nauru
Starport:	C	Routine Starport (Shipyard: None; Repair: Major; Fuel: Unrefined)
Planetary Size:	4	Small (e.g. Mars) (5,600-7,199km)
Atmosphere:	9	Dense (tainted)
Hydrosphere:	9	Wet World (85 - 94% water)
Population:	4	50,000
Government:	5	Feudal Technocracy. (Government by specific individuals for those who agree to be ruled Relationships are based on the performance of technical activities which are mutually beneficial)
Law Level:	4	Moderate Law (Light Assault Weapons)
Tech Level:	A	Early Interstellar Community
Base(s):		None
Zone:		Green: Unrestricted
# of Planetoid Belts:	0		# of Gas Giants:	0

Alien ruins of Vosht - in the Folder Jungle on Nauru

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Gali       0306 D797543-9    Ag        703 Sx

UWP:	D797587-9	Location:	Crucis Margin/0306	System:	Gali
Starport:	D	Poor Starport (Shipyard: None; Repair: Minor; Fuel: Unrefined)
Planetary Size:	7	Medium (10,400-11,999km)
Atmosphere:	9	Dense (tainted)
Hydrosphere:	7	Wet World (65 - 74% water)
Population:	5	600,000
Government:	8	Civil Service Bureaucracy. (Government by agencies employing individuals selected for their expertise)
Law Level:	7	Moderate Law (Shotguns)
Tech Level:	9	circa 2100+ AD
Base(s):		None
Zone:		Green: Unrestricted
# of Planetoid Belts:	0		# of Gas Giants:	3

Incredibly lush grain fields on the moon of Gali

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Buada      0505 B232411-E  N Ni Po     110 Sx

UWP:	B232411-B	Location:	Crucis Margin/0505	System:	Buada
Starport:	B	Good Starport (Shipyard: Spacecraft; Repair: Overhaul; Fuel: Refined)
Planetary Size:	2	Small (e.g. Luna) (2,400-3,999km)
Atmosphere:	3	Vacuum (very thin)
Hydrosphere:	2	Dry World (15 - 24% water)
Population:	4	10,000
Government:	1	Company/Corporation. (Government by a company managerial elite, citizens are company employees)
Law Level:	1	Low Law (Body Pistols, Explosives, poision gas)
Tech Level:	B	Average Interstellar Community
Base(s):	N	Naval Base (Sphere Fenix)
Zone:		Green: Unrestricted
# of Planetoid Belts:	1		# of Gas Giants:	0

Handai Naval Base downport, on the moon Buada, operated for the Sphere Navy by Red Flag Corporation

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Abricot    0704 A97A899-E    Wa        700 Sx

UWP:	A97A899-C	Location:	Crucis Margin/0704	System:	Abricot
Starport:	A	Excellent Starport (Shipyard: Starships; Repair: Overhaul; Fuel: Refined)
Planetary Size:	9	Large (13,600-15,199km)
Atmosphere:	7	Standard (tainted)
Hydrosphere:	A	Water World (95 - 100% water)
Population:	8	700,000,000
Government:	9	Impersonal Bureaucracy. (Government by agencies which are insulated from the governed)
Law Level:	9	High Law (No weapons outside home)
Tech Level:	C	Average Interstellar Community
Base(s):		None
Zone:		Green: Unrestricted
# of Planetoid Belts:	0		# of Gas Giants:	0

Sondor City - Underwater capitol of Abricot

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Special thanks to Joffre Horlor and his UWP decoder, for the tables of UWP data above. His tool is located here.

Image sources:
Choden City 
Kreft Outpost
Gali grain fields
Korium Mines
Harbor of Light
Troga City
Handai Naval Base
Sondor City

Traveller Tuesdays - T5 has arrived

I ordered a copy of Traveller 5th Edition (T5) through the Kickstarter campaign that Marc Miller started up to get this latest (and impressive) version of the game going. The finished product is fantastic. It is a bulky hardcover, weighing in at over 600 pages, chocked full of Traveller goodness. Here is a copy of the table of contents (note: no index):

Introductions Absent Friends 10 Traveller Is About... 11 Traveller is a Role-Playing Game 12 The Galaxy 14 A Brief History of the Universe 15 Foundations of the Universe 18 Basic Information Dice 22 Ehex 34 The Ton 35 Range and Distance 36 Benchmarks 48 Costs 52 Values 53 Size 54 Hot and Cold 55 Money 56 Humanity 57

Characters and Life Characteristics 58 Characters 68 Careers 78 Craftsman 83 Scholar 84 Entertainer 85 Citizen 86 Scout 87 Merchant 88 Spacer 89 Soldier 90 Agent 91 Rogue 92 Noble 93 Marine 94 Functionary 95 Life Pursuits and Experience 110 Genetics 112 Clones 118 Chimeras 122 Androids and Synthetics 124 Tasks 128 Skills 142 Personals 184 QREBS 190 The Senses 197   Combat Personal Combat 210 The Armory 236 GunMaker 240 ArmorMaker 261 VehicleMaker 280

Starports and Starships Starports 304 Starship Design 312 ShipSheets 352 Adventure Class Ships 358 Fuel Benchmarks 360 How Starships Work Maneuver 363 Jump 366 Power Systems 376 Sensors 379 Weapons 386 Defenses 394 Starship Combat 404 Stars and Worlds Sectors and Subsectors 418 Charting The Stars 420 Star Systems and Worlds 426 Mapping Worlds 444 Trade and Commerce 477 Technology 497 Computers and Consoles 514 Personalities and Brains 522 Adventures Psionics 527 Sophonts 537 Robots 560 BeastMaker 574 BeastMaker Events 586 The Beastiary 588 ThingMaker 596 ThingMaker Equipment 608 Adventures 631 EPIC Adventures 635 The Travellers’ Guide To Starships 641

It is quite an impressive offering.

picture of the book, from the Kickstarter site

I have not played this edition of the game yet, but I have created some characters.  It feels very nice, close to original 1977/1981 Traveller, but with some improvements.

I do like the new skill resolution method, but I don't know if I like it better than the original version of the game.

The original version of the game had skill resolution based on rolling 2d6.  If you got 8+ you had a success.  The GM would apply modifiers based on the difficulty of the situation, and you got to add in your skill levels for the appropriate skill, plus (sometimes) modifiers for extraordinary (either good or bad) stats.

The new version has the GM assign a difficulty to the task at hand, which determines how many dice the player is to roll.  Note that (appropriately, given the history of the game - other than that horrid New Era version) all dice are D6 dice.  So a reasonably easy skill will have the player rolling 2d6. Slightly harder might result in 3d6 or 4d6.  Very hard will result in 6 or 8 d6 and so on.  There is a formula for determining this, but I suspect a good GM will be able to eyeball it.  Now, the target number for your roll is your appropriate Characteristic number (such as Dexterity or Intelligence) plus your Skill level (such as Piloting, or Stealth).  If your total dice roll is below the sum of these two numbers (Stat plus Skill) then there is success.  Most of the skill descriptions in the book give a basic roll for common situations.  For instance, under the skill Acting, it reports that performing a role in a play is based on Acting skill, and requires a 3d6 roll, trying to get below the sum of (Education + Actor).

There are some special dice consideration (open ended dice, meaning those that you get to roll again if you get a certain result), and also some special results considerations - such as spectacular success and spectacular failure.

I like it (the skill system).  Much better (to me) than the old Task System from the Digest Group, that got rolled into Mega Traveller.  And also better than the Traveller: The New Era version of the game (which was based on D10, and honestly always felt like I was playing Twilight:2000 in space - probably because it was the same system!).

I will probably try my hand at some of the creation sequences in upcoming installments of Traveller Tuesdays.  I'll report back on each section of the rules as I try them out.

My version of the game came with a wonderful set of embossed Traveller dice (which I ordered as an add-on through the kickstarter campaign), as well as some really nice 25cr coins from the Third Imperium Traveller universe.  I also got a really nice Patent of Nobility id card with the name of a made-up nobel from the same universe, that was created just for me (neato!).

First glance: Lots of very good information, even if you don't play this version, it will give a GM loads of info for their Traveller games.  I give it a Gaming with Chuck thumbs up!

Fighting over the Shreds of a Fallen World - Cthulhu Wars

The staff here at Gaming with Chuck are long time fans of the horror stories written by and inspired by H.P. Lovecraft.  So it should be no surprise that one of the more recent Kickstarter games being backed is none other than "Cthulhu Wars".

Sandy Peterson (in suspenders, quite proper for an elder statesman of gaming) demoing the game at an H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival

The Kickstarter campaign is here.  Go check it out, even if you don't become a backer, you'll become impressed with the work they have done.

This is a board game, heavily influenced by Sandy Peterson.  His company Green Eye Games is producing the game, and out of the box (with no add-ons) it includes 60 (sixty!) 28mm miniatures.  The sculpts look good, from the promotional videos and pictures on the Kickstarter site, and at Board Game Geek.  See a nice picture of some of the figures here.

Sculpt prototype, from Boardgamegeek.com

The board game is about a number of different factions, each composed of the cultists and creatures aligned to a specific Old One.  It seems that the end of the world is nigh, and the Old Ones have returned to consume what is left of the shattered world.  So the four factions (possibly more, after add-ons or expansions of the game are added in) fight with each other to control the planet.  Sort of an Eldritch Risk kind of game.

One side of a two sided board, also shown on Boardgamegeek.com

 There was another game, an older game.  A game out of space and out of time, penned by a pair of cursed hands belonging to two damned souls descended from an ancient, and corrupted race (John Tynes and Jeff Barber).  That game was called "Creatures and Cultists" and it was from a publisher of Call of Cthulhu adventures and magazines, called Pagan Publishing.

The game eventually ended up in the hands of another company, called EOS Press, and got a facelift from that vile sorcerer from the Plateau of Leng -  John Kovalic.  The game, of course, is a lot of fun, and is also based on the idea of a number of different factions (each serving their own great old one) fighting with each other for the privilege of summoning their own big baddy and destroying the world (devouring human kind in the process).  Loads of fun, but for some reason, I had a lot more fun playing the original, than the EOS version.  Not sure why, maybe there is a rules difference?  Or maybe we have come to expect a different (faster?) experience from our card and board gaming experience, than we did back in 1993.

Wargame Wednesdays - Russian Civil War Rules

These rules represent some quick and simple rules for doing basic engagements in the Russian Civil War. Rules for Aircraft and Tchankas have been developed, and even playtested, but are not included here because these rules are specifically being published to support an upcoming game, and only units in that scenario are being presented here. There is also a more complex version of these rules that have been run at conventions a number of times. Those (including about a dozen scenarios, and simple campaign rules) will be published here later on, or perhaps published through an online pdf publisher.  The Spanish-American War rules published here back in 2012 were based on an earlier version of these rules.

Figures and Battlefield

1. 15mm figures
2. Units are Infantry, Cavalry, Machinegun teams (MGs), Artillery, Tanks, and Armored Cars (A/C).
3. Infantry stands are 25mm square (or whatever is convenient).
4. MG and Artillery stands are 30-40mm square (or whatever is convenient).
5. Tanks and A/C units should be based on bases appropriate for the model.
6. Units should be organized by stands.
   • An infantry unit should have between 4 and 6 stands.
   • A cavalry unit should have between 4 and 6 stands
   • A Machine Gun unit should have 1 stand
   • An Artillery unit should have 1 stand
   • A Tank unit should have 1 stand
   • An A/C unit should have 1 stand
7. Each stand should have several figures mounted on it
   • An Infantry stand should have 3 figures
   • A Cavalry stand hould have 2 figures
   • A Machine Gun stand should have 1 MG and 2 crew members
   • An Artillery stand should have 1 gun and 2 crew members
   • A Tank stand should have 1 model
   • An A/C stand should have 1 model
8. The table top should be prepared before the battle.
   • The fighting space should have ample areas of cover (patches of trees; windbreaks; farmland walls; road escarpments), especially at the edge of the battlefield.
   • There should be several small built up areas, on a road network, in the central part of the battlefield.
   • Roads have no effect in the game, unless they pass through forest, then they permit full speed movement, and also artillery movement
   • Hills should not be so steep that they affect movement, only line of sight.

Game Setup

1. Each side should have 3 or more commands of troops.
2. Each command should have a handful of units.
3. Players dice for set up, high roller has the option of either setting up first, or of setting up second.
4. First player sets out one whole command, all units should be within six inches of another unit in the same command (this is only enforced at setup).
5. Second player follows with a command. This alternates until all brigades are set up.

Turn Sequence

1. Each side rolls 2d6 for initiative. High roller has the option of moving first or second.
2. If either side (or both sides) roll doubles, then they can nominate one unit on the other side that may not move, this turn. That unit may still fire, and test morale, etc, and may have to route - but it may not move voluntarily.
3. If the dice are a tie, roll again. If the dice are a tie, and both sides rolled doubles, than for that turn no units at all may move, but all units may fire.
4. The first player elects a command of his that may move. All units in that command that are not in the process of Routing may move. Players then alternate moving commands.
5. Infantry, MGs and Artillery move 6 inches per turn.
6. Tanks and A/Cs may choose to move up to 5d6 worth of inches. If three of a kind are rolled on any of the dice (three 5s; three 3s; etc) then the unit may not move at all that turn (mechanical problems).
7. Artillery, Cavalry, Tanks and A/Cs may not enter rough terrain (swamp, forest, etc). Infantry and MG units move half in rough terrain.
8. If an Artillery unit or MG unit move, they may not shoot.
9. An Infantry or Cavalry unit may charge the enemy.If this is the case, the unit gets +1d6 inches added to their basic move.
10. See charges and responses (below) to determine what happens during a charge, and how a unit may respond to being charged.
11. After all commands have moved then all artillery, tank, A/C and MG fire takes place, simultaneously.
12. After all artillery and MG fire is done, then all infantry fire takes place, simultaneously. Units charged may fire; charging units may not.
13. After all firing takes place, then fight hand to hand combat (see charges and responses, below).
14. Begin next turn.

Firing Sequence

1. Firing Ranges
   • Infantry may fire 12 inches
   • Cavalry may fire 6 inches
   • A/C may fire 18 inches
   • MG may fire 24 inches
   • Tank may fire 36 inches
   • Artillery may fire 48 inches
2. Infantry fire is done by rolling 1d6 per stand firing, and scores a hit on a 5 or 6.
3. Cavlry fire is done by rolling 1d6 per stand firing, and scores a hit on a 6 only.
4. MG fire is done by rolling 3d6 per crewman (there are 2 crewman per MG stand, initially), and score a hit on a 5 or 6.
5. A/C fire as an MG stand (but with shorter range) with 1 crewman (total of 3d6), but may fire at two separate target units (or twice at the same unit). They score a hit for each 5 or 6.
6. Artillery fire is done by first picking a target point, then rolling a drift dice and 1d6 (2d6 if over half range). If the drift dice indicates a hit, then good, otherwise drift the target point the amount rolled on the dice.Roll 1d6, and any unit within 1 inch of the landing point takes that many hits. It is possible for an artillery barrage to "drift" past the maximum range of the weapon.
7. Tank fire is as an MG stand (but with longer range), rolling a total of 6d6.
8. Infantry units under cover may be fired at, but receive a save of 4,5,6 per hit scored.
9. Units under cover may fire out of cover, if they are at he edge of that cover.
10. Hit Results
    • Infantry and Cavalry units that lose a stand must test morale. See below for procedure.
    • Tanks may roll a save vs. every hit they take. Roll 1d6, on a 4,5,6 the hit does not count.
    • A/C units may roll a save vs. every hit Except for Tank fire and Artillery fire. Roll 1d6, on a 4,5,6 the hit does not count.
    • For vehicles (Tank and A/C), on every turn the vehicle is hit it must test to see if it is destroyed. Roll 1d6, if the roll is less than or equal to the TOTAL number of hits the unit has suffered in the game so far, it is destroyed. Roll only once per turn, but count all hits suffered, from previous turns, and all the hits from this turn.
    • Each infantry stand can suffer three hits before being removed.
    • Each cavalry stand can suffer two hits before being removed.
    • Each MG stand can suffer two hits before being removed. After 1 hit, it can only move half speed.
    • Each Artillery stand can suffer two hits before being removed. After 1 hit, it cannot move, but may still pivot to fire.

Charge and Response

1. When a unit wishes to charge, before measuring the distance to the charger, roll 1d6 and add that many inches to the unit’s move.
2. If the unit has enough move to contact the enemy, then the charge is a success.
3. If the unit does not have enough move to contact the enemy, then it stops after moving as far as it can.
4. The charged unit may shoot during the Firing sequence part of the turn, but only at the charging unit.
5. The charging unit may not fire, even if it did not contact the enemy.
6. If the charging unit loses a stand, and then tests morale, it may fail (see below). If it does fail the morale test, then it does not make contact (but may be shot at by the charged unit).
7. If the charged unit gets to move after being contacted, and wants to evade, it moves away 1d6 inches. If the charging unit has enough remaining movement to catch it, then it is removed from the game. An evading unit may not fire or charge another unit.
8. If the charging unit makes contact, then both sides roll 1d6. The higher modified roll wins, the loser taking the difference in hits. The winning unit automatically takes 1 hit. The losing unit automatically routes (see below)The following modifiers affect the dice toss.
   • Charging unit gets +1 (not vs. MG, Tank, or A/C)
   • Cavalry unit gets +1
   • Larger unit gets +1
   • Unit defending earth works or in a building gets +1
   • Vehicles fighting Infantry get +1
   • Elite units get +1

Morale and Results

1. When a unit has to roll a morale test, roll 1d6, if it is Less than the number of stands remaining it passes.
2. If a unit fails morale, it has two choices, it can route, or take 1 full stand as casualties.
3. If a unit routes, move it 2d6" away from the enemy. It is marked as routing.
4. When a routing unit's command is activated in the turn sequence, then roll a morale test for the routing unit, if it passes, it recovers from routing, and may turn to face the enemy. If it fails, it continues routing (2d6").
5. Certain units may have Elite status, if so, add one to the number of stands they have before testing for morale.

Frontline General: Spearpoint 1943 Eastfront - Kickstarter

Byron Collins - a good friend of mine - has a kickstarter campaign going for the next game from his board game company (Collins Epic Wargames).  Spearpoint 1943 Eastern Front (the original, which takes place in Italy, is a fantastic game, and was nominated for an Origins award).  This is a WW2 card game based on deck construction, but the game is not just a generic deck builder, it also features some very interesting scenarios, as well as dice based combat.  As the game unfolds, it has a great tactical feel to it, and the battle feels like it is moving through stages (first contact; focus forces; and finally decisive engagement).  All in about 30 minutes.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cewargames/frontline-general-spearpoint-1943-eastern-front

Old School game set in Greyhawk

So, I have been DMing a Labyrinth Lord (Advanced) game for a number of weeks now (about two months), every Wednesday when we can all get together (the game is online, using google hangouts).  It has been a great game so far, set in the World of Greyhawk.  It has generated enough demand for online document reference (maps, info, character sheets, etc) that I am going to start another blog dedicated to that game, called Sword & Potion.

It has really brought back to me how much a simple dungeon crawl game can really satisfy.