close combat weapons
...Weapons come in myriad shapes and sizes and capabilities, but in the end, they all more or less average out the same (it also makes the rules much easier to work with :-)
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| A 2 troop squad with pistols and close combat weapons |
...Each troop in a unit can have one of three types of equipment.
...If a troop is not otherwise marked, he is assumed to be carrying a basic rifle.
...When it comes time for a squad to fire, all the pistols fire together, then Close Combat Weapons and/or fists, then the rifles, then the heavy weapons. Each squad's combat is resolved before moving on.
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| Heavy Weapons squad |
...To fire a weapon, the player has to answer simple questions:
...As the player determines how many dice he needs to roll, each easy result doubles the dice in the dice pool, while each hard halves the dice pool (round down). Extremely hard results halve the dice pool, then halve it again. Normal or medium results have no effect on the dice pool.
...Always apply all hard results first (rounding down each time). It is possible that the player may run out of dice in the pool. If he does, the weapon has no effect.
...Pistols have a base of 1 die.
...Close Combat Weapons have a base of 1 die.
...Bare Fists have a base of 1 dice.
...Rifles have a base of 2 dice.
...Heavy weapons have a base of 4 dice.
...Add up the number of troops firing to determine the initial dice pool.
...Multiple squads can fire at the same target, but all the troops in each squad must fire together. If multiple squads fire together, they combine their base dice pools if they have the same weapons.
...Units do not have facings. Turn the unit to face the direction of fire before firing it.
...If a unit is in base contact with an enemy unit, it must fight with close combat weapons and pistols or just fists and must target the unit it is in contact with.
...Skilled troops can think that firing weapons is easy. While raw recruits may think using the weapon is hard. Unit skill levels are determined before the game.
...If the squad stood still that turn, firing is easy on them. If the squad stood still this turn and the previous turn, it is considered braced and gains an additional easy result.
...If the squad moved at all that turn, heavy weapons fire is extremely hard.
...If the squad ran that turn, rifle fire is hard and heavy weapons fire is impossible and is not allowed.
...Enemy units that stood still and fired their weapons their previous turn are easy to hit since they had to stand relatively still to fire and would be less able to seek cover.
...Enemy units closer than 5" are easy to hit. Rifles and Heavy Weapons cannot be used for units less than 2" away since they are too close to track with the more cumbersome weapons. Pistols can be fired at enemy units even during close combat, however if the unit is engaged in close combat, the less than 5" easy result does not apply.
...Units more than 12" away are hard to hit. Pistols can not hit targets more than 18" away. Rifles and Heavy Weapons can hit more distant targets, but each additional 6" beyond 12" gains an additional hard result.
...Close Combat Weapons and fists can only hit enemy units that are in base to base contact with the firing unit, however, they do not gain the easy result normally given to a target unit less than 5" away.
...Enemy units behind light cover (one plate high or light foliage or in an open vehicle) are hard to hit. Enemy units behind hard cover (in heavy foliage, inside buildings, inside an enclosed vehicle) are extremely hard to hit. If the enemy unit stood still the previous turn and did not fire and they are in at least light cover, they are harder to hit since they can take better advantage of the cover.
...Bigger things will be easier to hit than normal sized (man sized things, 1-2 bricks tall, 1 stud wide) things. Very small things (2 plates tall or less) are hard to hit.
...Heavy weapons can be fired at buildings in order to try and damage the units inside or at the ground in order to try and catch more units in the explosion. No matter how big the building or how much open ground is available, only one easy result is added to the pool, since the player is trying to hit a specific area to cause damage and is not firing at the larger area in general.
...Of course, rules can't cover everything, so improvise. Just decide if the conditions will make it easier or harder for the squad to hit its target and adjust the dice pool. Sometimes, the adjustments may not warrant a doubling or halving of the pool, feel free to add one or more dice or take one or more away if the conditions are appropriate.