![[PBB WARS IMG]](pbbwars.png)
PBBWars
"A Fun Game To Play"
Designed by
E.O'Dell
& T.Ogrin
Manual written by T.Ogrin
All rights (whatever they may be) reserved.
Written March 16th & 17th, 1991
Anyway, we hope you think our efforts to make realistic wargaming a little more attainable were worthwhile. Thank you...
E.O'Dell
T.Ogrin
Section 1: Background
In the year AD 3500, humanity finally completed its quest
to leave its home solar system. Groups of soldiers and colonists
left for the nearest star systems, using the new invention of the
Really Fast Drive. Going their separate ways, fifty starships
left on their voyages to explore the universe.
These fifty groups of humans did not come in contact for approximately 11000 years. However, in AD 14746 they ran across each other in the star system of Arcturus VIII, and greeted each other with open arms, until they realized that both civilizations wanted the same planet for its valuable minerals, useful in the maintenance of the Really Fast Drives. A war broke out between the two groups of humans, sucking in the rest of the forty-eight original starship-civilizations which eventually were rediscovered during the course of the war across the galaxy.
To fight in this great war, the starship-civilizations were forced to design the most fearsome bio-genetically engineered soldiers humanity had ever seen. In 14989 the SpaceMen were born. Trained under the most gruelling conditions and forced to run the fitness trail at the local park at least *twice* a day, the SpaceMen became the most violent, murderous death dealers in all of human history. So violent, in fact, that they have been known to shoot themselves in a battle frenzy.
The war rages on to the present day, AD 15250, with no civilization gaining the upper hand on another. Wars and skirmishes are waged over planets, solar systems, even entire arms of galaxies, yet no civilization dominates for more than several hundred years.
Now the task of commanding one of these great armies of
SpaceMen is your mission. To quote 4th Aldonan Guard Commander,
"The enemy must die, for if he does not, then he won't be dead."
Section 2: The SpaceMan
SpaceMan. The name itself instills a feeling of terror
in all who hear it uttered. These proficient warriors of the
galaxy have been trained from birth to be nothing but machines
of terror and destruction.
When they are born, they are immediately fused to a suit of bio-mechanical machinery which alters their physiology to accept the rigors of SpaceMan Training Camp. At the age of three, the SpaceMan recruit enters the SMTC, and spends the next seventeen years in training. At the age of twenty, the freshly initiated SpaceMan is given his first suit of SpaceArmor, which will support him in practically any environment. The SpaceMan is now a full recruit and is eligible for SpaceMen's pensions and the like, when he retires at the age of 150 years (SpaceMen usually live about 200 years, due to their altered physiology).
SpaceMen can be assigned to a number of missions. These missions are usually objectives such as ground attacks, boarding parties, sabotage, Flyer strikes, and base protection. A SpaceMan is always loyal to his original civilization, and will never retreat or be routed.
"One who fails to advance upon the vile antagonist is less than a coward. He is not a good man."
--Al Rargh, 8th Brigade: Vegan Guard
In the game of PBBwars, SpaceMen have statistics that are very easy to remember. Their stats follow:
SpaceMan: Move: 5" HP: 5 Cost: 5 pts.
The system that we used for the description of characters, as well as vehicles (described later), is not too tough to compre- hend. First of all, is the name of the character for whom the stats are being given, in this case, "SpaceMan". Next, is the heading of "Move:". This refers to how far this model can move during one movement phase, in this case, 5" (if you use a PBB plate, such as the one with a crater in it, you can multiply the movement in inches by three, giving you the number of dots that the model can move). Next is "HP:", which refers to Hit Points, or the amount of damage that the model can take, in this case, 5. Finally is "Cost:", referring to the cost in points for one SpaceMan, in this case, again, is 5.
Points are used to be able to judge whether a battle is equally matched or not. If you assign a 500 pt. limit to your battle, you and your opponent can use up to 500 pts. of men and vehicles in that battle, and so on.
SpaceMen *never* retreat. Even if they are the only soldier left on the field, they will still fight until they are dead, unless their commanding officer has them fall back for strategic reasons, such as protecting a vital vehicle or installment. Any SpaceMan that retreats is considered scum, as the insightful quote by Al Rargh suggests.
The cost of one SpaceMan does not include weapons, described the next section.
SpaceMen are arranged into squads of five men.
Section 3: Man-Portable Weapons
The weapons of a SpaceMan are his most prized possession.
Without the weapons, the SpaceMan would be hindered, and without
the SpaceMan, the weapons are only hunks of metal and plastic.
For many hours a day, the SpaceMen devote time and rituals to
repair and clean their weapons.
"A SpaceMan must honor his weapon with his heart and soul. Without this understanding, his weapon will blow up in his hands, most likely taking off his head."
--Unknown SpaceMan, whose head was blown off by a weapon malfunction.
These weapons are carried by SpaceMen, or other humans,
for use against enemies, in the form of humans or vehicles. A
chart follows, giving the stats of each of the weapons. Pictures
of these weapons are available within the .GIF file (titled PBBWARS.GIF)
contained in this archive.
Ranges ToHit
Weapon Pts. S L S L MovePenalty Damage
------ --- - - - - ----------- ------
Gyro Pistol 1 6" 12" 4 5 0 2
Death Gun 5 12" 24" 4 5 -2" 8(4")
ForcePistol 2 4" 10" 4 5 0 5
EnergyStaff 3 1" 5" 3 6 -1" 6(C)
ElectroSword 1 1" 1" 4 4 0 3(C)
VibroPike 1 1" 6"* 4 7 0 2(C)
Power Axe 2 1" 1" 4 4 -1" 4(C)
Stun Axe 1 1" 1" 5 5 0 2(C)
Zap Lance 2 1" 3" 4 5 -2" 4(C)
Key: (C)-- Close Combat Weapon
* -- Thrown Weapon (Once thrown, the SpaceMan must retrieve
it to use it again.)
Next is a list of extra equipment a human model may carry.
Things included on this list are shields, armor, and jetpacks. A
description of the object's function is given, as well.
Object Pts. Function ------ ---- ----------------------------------------- Slug Accelerator 2 +2"SR, +5"LR, +2 damage to pistol or gun Centrifugal Stabilizer 2 -2 ToHit SR, -1 ToHit LR (pistols & guns) Shield 3 -1 to any damage inflicted Body Armor 5 -2 to any damage inflicted Jet Pack 10 Movement x2" CB 2 Allows squads to communicate
Since this is the section of the manual that gets kinda dull, we'll keep this short and sweet. Just follow the numbers, and you'll play the game correctly.
Step 1: You and your opponent should decide on an imagin- ary line behind which your forces should be deployed. When the lines are drawn, deploy your forces in any fashion you chose. You can put troops on buildings, behind buildings, anywhere, except obviously silly places, like on the end of a gun barrel of a turret.
Step 2: Roll for intiative. The player with the highest roll moves first. The loser of the roll moves first on the second turn, etcetera.
Step 3: Using the movement rates of the models, the winner of the intiative moves one squad or vehicle it alloted distance, and the two players alternate. In the case of flyers dropping bombs, damage from bomb hits is applied during the movement phase, right when the player announces it. Any collisions between vehicles and anything else are done in the following manner:
Assume a vehicle moved 12" and ran into a building. Multiply the number of inches the vehicle moved by two and subtract that number from the vehicle's structure points (-24 SPs). Then subtract the number of inches moved by the vehicle from the structure points of the building. If the vehicle hit a squad of men, consider the squad as a whole (35 HPs), and reverse the process described above. Therefore, the squad would take 24 pts. of damage and the vehicle would take 12.
Collisions with flyers are treated in the same mannner, only the flyer is always completely destroyed.
Step 4: The player that won the initiative fires the weapons of one vehicle or squad at the target he chooses, checking to make sure the target's in range. He then makes the appropriate ToHit roll as supplied by the weapon charts. If he hits, damage is subtracted. If not, nothing happens to the target. All weapons, except expendable rockets, are assumed to have unlimited ammo. Do not forget to take burst effects into account. The players alternate until everyone that wants to and can fire has done so. Also, if a target is within ridiculously close range to the attacker, such as a SpaceMan shooting at a wall from a dot away, the attacker will hit automatically.
Step 5: Destroyed vehicles are ripped apart as soon as they are destroyed. Scatter the pieces over the area that it was destroyed in and remove half of the pieces from the playing area, leaving realistic debris behind. When a squad of men is destroyed, simply sprinkle their bodies over the area they died in.
This series of steps is repeated for the duration of the game,
until one of the players is totally wiped out. Fun, ain't it?
Section 5: Vehicles and Vehicle Weapons
The vehicles of the SpaceMen are driven by dedicated and
violent men known as the SpaceDrivers. They have only one goal
in their lives, and that is to destroy as much enemy property as
possible while not getting their own vehicle shot out from under
them. They are fiercely devoted to their vehicles, often naming
them endearing terms, such as "The Spreader of Sanguinity" or
"LifeSnatcher". As with the SpaceMen and their weapons, the
SpaceDrivers spend hours a day performing rituals dedicated to
their vehicles.
"Attempt to prolong the life of your vehicle, for you are in it, and if it is destroyed, a few effects of death may be observed."
--Xereve Grungt, SpaceDriver Elite, Hesperan Guard
Vehicles are classified by the size of their chassis, or the base plate on which they built. This refers to the plate that the designer of the vehicle started to build with. The following chart classifies all of the most popular sizes of chassis:
Class Size(in dots) Pts. Speed Structure Points
----- ------------- ---- ----- ----------------
Small Small- 6x6 50 14" 25
Medium 6x7 - 8x10 75 12" 35
Large 9x10 - 12x24 100 10" 45
Flyer 8x16 maximum 85 20" 30*
* -- Mk 2 weapons are the biggest a Flyer can carry.
Flyers can only have three weapons maximum.
Flyers cannot mount any Ballistic weapons.
There are a number of simple rules for vehicle contruction.
First of all, there must be some sort of propulsion device somewhere
on the model of the vehicle. Propulsion devices include wheels and
treads for land vehicles, and propellers or jets for Flyers.
Secondly, vehicles must be at least three-fourths of the length of any barrel or missle mounted on it. For example, a Mk 5 Missle could not be mounted upon the chassis of a small vehicle.
Collisions between vehicles and other objects is discussed in "Game Play and Combat".
Armor is available for all vehicles, adding ten SPs to the stats of the vehicle, up to 30 extra points. Armor comes in sections of ten points. There is a -1" movement penalty per section of armor. Each section of armor costs fifty points. No modifications are made to the actual model that represents the armored vehicle; there are no external visual effects of armor, but you should tell your opponent beforehand which vehicles are armored, as he will do the same.
Flyers are represented on the playing area as a small vehicle with wings, propellers, etc., which is supported about six inches from the table by a stand, constructed of a flat 1x8 stuck into a base. The base does not represent anything on the table except the shadow of the Flyer, which has no effect on the game. However, due to Flyers' speed and due to the fact that they fly above the table, there is a -1 modifier ToHit, since it's harder to target.
Vehicle weapons are described on the following table:
Ranges ToHit
Weapon Pts. S L S L -Move Damage Size
------ ---- - - - - ----- ------ ----
Missles
Mk1 10 10" 20" 1 2 -1" 5 4
Mk2 20 12" 25" 2 3 -1" 7 6
Mk3 40 15" 30" 3 4 -1" 10 10
Mk4 80 17" 35" 4 5 -2" 12 13
Mk5 160 20" 40" 5 6 -3" 15 16
Lasers
Mk1 20 10" 20" 2 3 -1" 5 1LasPiece
Mk2 40 15" 30" 3 4 -1" 10 2LasPiece
Mk3 80 20" 40" 4 5 -1" 15 3Laspiece
Ballistic
Mk1 10 12" 24" 3 5 -1" 10 12
Mk2 40 8" 16" 1 2 -1" 5 6
Mk3 40 30" 60" 4 5 -3" 5 24
Mk4 80 12" 24" 4 5 -2" 15 18
Bombs
Mk1 15 -- -- 4 (Target -1" 8 2
Mk2 25 -- -- 45 below) -2" 10 4
When equipping vehicles with numerous weapons of death and
destruction, please keep the rules that follow in mind.
"-Move" refers to the number of inches per turn that get taken off of the speed designated by the chassis size chart. Please note that these values are per weapon, so two Mark 5 MIssles would take 6" off of your movement rate. However, if those missles are fired, your vehicle would regain all of its previous speed.
All weapons except lasers have a "blast effect". This simulates a fiery cloud of fire as the weapons shell impacts with its target. The blast effect is only effective against squads of men. This system involves the firer to designate a target SpaceMan in a squad of men. If the firer hits with the weapon, the damage listed on the chart is first applied to the target soldier. If any additional damage remains, the player being attacked "spreads it around" to the remaining men of the unit. The target player could opt to kill off two of his men, or simply injure three. For example, the attacker designates the CommOp of a squad as the primary target of a Mk5 Missle. The attacker hits, effectively decimating the CommOp in a ball of flaming something-or-other. Ten points of damage still remain for the defender to distribute to the rest of the men of the target squad.
The size column of the chart designates how long a weapon should be. These values are given in dots, so it may be handy to make a "key" of sizes out of PBBs, so you can quickly measure the sizes of various weapons, without having to always count the dots.
Lasers have a different approach to sizes. Instead of using barrel sizes, we decided to use the pieces that look like this:
|| ||
||-------||
|| () () ||
+---------+
...for each individual laser. For example, a vehicle
with one Mk 3 Laser on it would have to have three of the above
pieces ("LasPiece") placed somewhere on the vehicle, and all
facing in the *same* direction and, if on a turret, all on the
*same* turret, and *same* direction.
When weapons are placed on a vehicle, with no turret or hinges, that weapon can only fire in the direction that it is facing. In other words, it is fixed in one postion, and must be aimed by moving the vehicle. With no hinge on the weapon, it can only fire to its short range, the exception being lasers and bombs, which go straight, and don't need to be arced.
In other words, if you want to be able to achieve your long range, a hinge is required. If you want to be able to aim wherever you want, even if the vehicle is facing a different direction, you need a turret. Turrets cost 45 points, and hinges cost 45 points.
Bombs have no range. When a player announces that he is dropping a bomb during the movement phase, the bombs jets are fired, propelling the bomb straight downward at about 1500 meters per second, and hits are resolved immediately. If the player misses his ToHit roll, the bomb is considered a dud and drills itself into the ground, not harming any surrounding targets.
A vehicles minimum movement after all additions must be at least 1". Vehicles of 0" movement are not allowed.
Only Flyers may be equipped with bombs, for obvious reasons. SpaceDrivers are goofy, but not *that* goofy.
All vehicles must be equipped with controls, which can be either computers, steering wheels, or anything else that the players agree on as being worthy of being controls. Vehicles with no controls can only move straight. Vehicles without drivers are stupid things to make, so don't do it. While SpaceMen outside a vehicle need oxygen equipment, SpaceDrivers do not, because their vehicles have atmosphere within them already, and are pressurized.
Vehicles may also carry up to ten SpaceMen, provided they
can fit on or in the vehicle. Only medium and large vehicles
may carry extra men. Troop transports are possible. For every
five extra SpaceMen carried, a -1" movement penalty is applied.
Once the men get off, the 1" speed is regained. For ease of play,
the men do not actually have to be inside of the vehicle. You can
hold them outside, and place them on the board when they are
deployed by the vehicle. However, the men you say are being carried
by the vehicle must be able to fit in it. Your opponent may, if
he wants to, challenge you into showing him that they all actually
do fit in the vehicle. If the men do not, all of the men claimed
to be in the vehicle are striken by a rare disintegrative disease
and are immediately removed from play. Oops...
Section 6: Bases & Buildings
There are numerous emplacements of troops from all fifty
of the starship-civilizations, which are usually housed within
giant bases. Many are several levels high, and many more levels
deep. Within these bases are the facilities for vehicle mainten-
ance, weapon reparations, and dorms for the SpaceMen. The bases
are usually armed with heavy weaponry; weapons such as Mk 4 Missles
are not uncommon. The walls are made of fortified FerroPlast, and
are capable of standing up to an incredible amount of punishment
from those that would do it ill. The base is the SpaceMan's home,
which he is willing to protect at all costs, and to which his
life is dedicated.
"Our base is our home. We live there. It's nice."
-- A rousing excerpt from Commander Hallen's (17th LeCroix Corps) speech to his troops on the event of the base being attacked by elements of the Aldonan Guard.
Bases are great objects to center a scenario around. It's great fun to have one player design a base and protect it, while the other player designs his forces to effectively take the base.
There are a number of simple rules to follow as guidelines for the constructions of bases and buildings. First of all, is the size of the building. To get the basic cost for the building, imagine if all the walls of the building had been extended to make a perfect rectangle, with no indentions. You will have two imaginary points where the corners of the imaginary walls would be. Measure across the base with a ruler and get the number of inches. Multiply this length by 25 points for the cost, and times 30 for the number of structure points of the building. If this is confusing, please see the below diagram:
****** --------A
****** |
****************
| *************
| *************
| *************
B--*************
This is a diagram of a base, where the asterisks represent
the actual base (the base walls and interior of the base). The
dotted lines are imaginary extensions of the outer walls of the
base, which intersect at points A and B. The dotted lines are not
walls themselves, but where the base would be if all of the walls
were extended. To get the base value, measure from point A to B
and take that value in inches and do the above calculations on this
value. This is similar to measuring the size of a TV screen, from
corner to corner.
Now that the Structure Points (Hit Points for a structure) and Cost Points have been determined, we'll get on with building the rest of the base. When a base is built, there is one regular, free door, placed wherever the player wants it, the base is one level high, and the walls are one dot thick. Extra doors cost 25 points, while unique doors are classified under Outstanding Architechtural Features (see below).
A player can thicken the walls to two or three dots, thus giving more protection to the building, but at a cost. Double dot walls cost 10 points per dot along the wall. An entire wall must be made double thickness, or the extra width is ineffective. For example, a wal of length 20 dots is to be made double thickness. This process would add 200 points to the value of the base. Use this process with triple strength walls as well, except triple dot walls cost 25 points per dot of the wall. Whenever a double dot wall is hit by incoming fire, three points are taken off of the damage inflicted. Triple strength walls take six points off of damage inflicted in the same manner.
Extra levels may be added to the base at a cost of 75 points per level. Levels are basically extra rooms above the main building. These extra levels can be as large as the player desires, since he already payed for the size of the building in the initial stage. Upper levels may be armored (thickened) at the cost of 5 points per dot to double thickness. Triple thickness upper walls are not allowed. If a third level is created, it can only have a one dot thick wall, as well as the fourth and higher levels. When a base is fired on, the firer must designate which level he is firing at, at a -1 per level. Thus there is no penalty for shoot at the ground level, -1 penalty at level two, -2 at level three, etc. Guns may be placed on the base, as described under Section 7: Gun Emplacements, Tripods, & Bunkers, Although anything mounted above the first level of the building must be Mark three or less.
Computers should be located somewhere in the base. These are free, but there should be some in the base somewhere.
Vehicles may be housed in the bases, as long as they can get in and out of the doors.
There is no ToHit bonus for firing down from an upper level of a building.
There are such things as Outstanding Architechtural
Features (mentioned to hereforth as OAFs) which increase the
value of a base. OAFs are things such as sliding doors, roll
up doors, launch pads, elevators, and other things along
the same lines. All OAFs are 100 points, and should be
discussed by both players to see if they agree on whether
something is or isn't an OAF.
Section 7: Gun Emplacements, Tripods, & Bunkers
Gun emplacements can be found anywhere in the PBBWARS
universe; they can be in the mountains, in the fields, behind
cows, underground, *anywhere* (except obviously silly places,
like being carried by a squad of men). The men that are
stationned in a gun emplacement rarely see any action, because
they're basically token guards. So when a battle comes their way,
they fire like mad. These men are incredibly devoted to the
upkeep and maintenance of their prize weapon. When the SpaceMen
get bored of their garrison duty, they blow away a couple of rocks
or other features of the landscape. Thus, the terrain within the
range of a gun emplacement tends to be very barren, with few
trees and rocks.
"One hundred bottles of beer on the wall, one hundred bottles of beer, take one down, pass it around! Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall..."
-- Excerpt from an ancient chant which garrison officers sing when bored.
Gun emplacement range from simple tripods to full- fledged bunkers. The rules for gun emplacements are as follows: A gun emplacement mounts any weapons that a vehicle
can carry up to Mk 3. Mk 4 and Mk 5 weapons are not allowed to be mounted, unless the emplacement is on the ground level of a base. For points cost, simply take the weapon to be mounted, and use its points value.
Then, to determine the basic cost of the equipment on which to mount the weapon, look up the movement point penalty of the weapon and use it on the following chart:
Penalty Structure Pts. of Emplacement Pts. Cost ------- ----------------------------- --------- -1" 10 50 -2" 20 60 -3" 30 70If the emplacement is to be a bunker (gun with a cover of one dot thickness) multiply the cost and structure points by two, and build the bunker around the weapon. Be sure that there is room for at least one operator.
All rules for hinges (45 pts.) and turrets (45 pts.) apply to gun emplacements.
All firing arcs, for vehicles as well, are 90 degrees from
the base of the weapon being fired.
Section 8: Androids
Androids are human shaped and sized robots which can fight
along side a regular SpaceMan. The android can wield weapons just
as can a human. The members of the squad to which the android
belongs constantly repair and urgrade their comrade, and treat it
as if it were a real man. Androids have a limited consciousness,
but are capable of running programs that allow it to perform as
well as, or better than a normal human. Due to the fact that the
android is not human, and made from synthetic materials, it is
more durable and can move faster than can a normal SpaceMan.
There is one drawback to the android, however, and that is if all
humans in its squad die, then it must report back to its commander
for further orders. Even though there is this one drawback, the
android is a fierce and deadly soldier.
"AAAARRRRGGGGHGHHH!!"
--Tauran SpaceMan's last words as Android 182A of the Hesperan Guard blasted his face off.
Androids are basically human SpaceMan pieces, but with an odd mechanical feature or two. These features can range from having a maneuver jet for a head, to having wheels instead of legs. However, the heads of androids cannot be the normal human face, and must be some other piece (Androids aren't technologically advanced enough to support human features, yet).
An android must be in a squad, vehicle, or base with at least one human SpaceMan in it. If all of the humans in the android's squad die, then the `droid will return to the nearest squad or base to recieve new orders, at which time he can join a new squad. It is possible to have a squad of four androids and one human, if you really want to. The stats for an Android follow:
Android: Move: 7" HPs: 6 Cost: 10 pts.
Androids are also equipped with a built in CB radio, which
it can use like a normal CommOp, but if the android is using its
CB, it can only move once every other turn (the `droids CPU isn't
fast enough to follow his squad and receive orders over the radio).
`Droids do not have to be used as a CB, but can be if the squad's
CommOp dies, or something equally tragic.
Section 9: Mechanix
Mechanix are members of the elite order that repairs and
maintains the vehicles, bases, and installments of the SpaceMen.
When a potential Mechanic is identified in the SMTC, he is
immediately given an aptitude test to determine whether or not
he would make a skilled Mechanic. SpaceMen who are trained as
Mechanix spend an extra 20 years in training at the Citadel of
Mechanix. In the Citadel, the Mechanic trainee is trained how
to design, test, and finalize designs of machinery *in his head*.
The skilled Mechanic can design a new vehicle from the wreckage
of another in about ten minutes, the fastest Mechanix can do it
in five minutes. Mechanix require tools with which to work, and
many of the sets of tools that the Mechanix use have been in
circulation for thousands of years, handed down from generation
to generation.
"Then one must lift the flux inverter to the sun, while repeating the Chant of the Matrix to himself. When the Chant is complete, one must sprinkle the inverter with the sacred motor oil...Mechanix are incredibly handy to have in one's army. Not only can they repair damage done to vehicles, but they can salvage parts from wreckage and create new devices in the midst of battle. A Mechanic must be equipped with a least one wrench, hammer, hose tool, or a robot arm (we use this piece as a tool). If a Mechanic is in an army, he can have either his own recovery vehicle (small- medium vehicle, carrying up to ten spare parts at a -1" movement penalty) or a base workshop (can hold up to fifteen spare parts in a parts bin). If the Mechanic is working from a workshop, he'll get a +1 bonus to all rolls having to do with mechanix, not Tohit rolls and such.
--Excerpt from the Book of the Matrix, one of the Mechanix' Fifteen Holy Boox
A Mechanic can repair 1d6 structure points (on a vehicle or a base) with a roll of 5 or higher on a 1d6(One try per turn).
Tools are required by the Mechanic at a cost of 5 points a piece.
Repair bays in bases cost an extra 30 points, added to the cost of the base.
A Mechanic can repair Androids (1d6 SPs) on an inital roll of 6 on a 1d6.
Vehicles driven as recovery vehicles cost an extra 20 points and can hold up to 10 spare parts.
A Mechanic costs 10 points, and there can only be one Mechanic for every five men in the army.
When a vehicle is destroyed, it is ripped apart by the players, and half of the debris is discarded, while the other half is left on the board. Mechanix have the chance of building a new vehicle or weapon platform from the remaining wreckage and can use any spare parts he is carrying with him, or has with him in his repair bay at the base.
First, the Mechanic must roll a 1d6 to see if it is possible to create a new device. If he rolls a four or over, he can do it. If the previous roll was successful, the Mechanic must roll another 1d6. If the he rolled a 1 or 2, he has thirty seconds to create a new device, a 3 or 4 and he has one minute, and a 5 or 6 and he has one minute and thirty seconds. All silliness for these rules applies. For example, say a small vehicle got blasted by a Mk 5 missle (yikes!), and the vehicle was ripped up, and half of the pieces were discarded. The pieces left are a 2x6 chassis plate, one set of wheels, and fenders. The Mechanic could make a car with only two wheels and fenders; however, the new car doesn't have a steering wheel, so if the driver wants to turn, he has to stop the car, get out, lift it up and turn it, get back in, and go on his way (this process takes one turn). Any recreated vehicles move 7", and all weapon movement penalties are counted.
When recreating a vehicle, spare parts are taken out of
the repair bay or recovery vehicle as they are needed, not before
the actual construction time limit begins.
Section 10: Vehicle Critical Hits [Optional]
If a vehicle takes ten or more points of damage in one
turn, there's a chance for the weapons striking the vehicle to
cause more serious internal damage. Critical hits are scored
on a five or over on a 1d6. For every ten points of damage
inflicted over ten points, there is an additional +1 bonus
added to the critical hit die roll (i.e., 30 points of damage
in one turn would be an automatic critcal hit).
To determine what is damaged when a vehicle gets a
critical hit, follow this list: First, missles are destroyed;
second, the ballistics go; third, lasers are mutilated; fourth,
is the steering system of the vehicle; and finally is the Power
Plant, and thus the vehicle can't move anymore.
Section 11: Communications
CommOps are the members in a squad of SpaceMen that operate
the communications equipment, in order to keep in contact with the
commander of the army. If the CommOp is lost, the squad can only
move once every other movement phase, but can still fire every
attack phase. This rule simulates what happens if a unit has to
make decisions on its own, without the guidance of a leader and his
computer and advisors.
CBs cost 2 points, and must be carried in the hand of the CommOp in order to use it properly.
Vehicles and Flyers all have built in CBs.
Android CBs were discussed in Section 8: Androids.
A squad can use an Android instead of or in conjunction
with a unit with a CommOp in it (i.e., the android has a back
up CB in case the CommOp dies).
Section 12: Epilogue
Well, that's about it for the rules that we've made so far.
The game should run fairly smoothly if you follow all of the rules,
but don't be afraid to drop the ones you don't like, or make up new
ones for things we didn't discuss. There are a number of topics
we're planning to work out, and decide if we'll include them in a
future edition of updated rules, such as:
T.Ogrin
E.O'Dell
PS --> Any complaints, compliments, or ideas can be relayed to us by leaving a message to Todd Ogrin on the Waukegan Public Library BBS, at (708)623-2226.
Thanx go to the PBB Bricks Company for making PBBs for the past several years. Without you, this file would be about using fish and other aquatic wildlife for miniature scale warfare. Or something like that. I think...
NOTES: This file was originally distributed as a ZIP file over some local BBSes in the Lake County Illinois area. Thus, there are references to a GIF file which contained representations of the weapons. This file is not absolutley necessary to play, as long as the players agree as to which piece represents which weapon.
Also, any comments or suggestions can be sent via e-mail to xero@camelot.bradley.edu. Thanks much!