Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Heavy Type - Sologear

SOLOGEAR: Game of Armoured Solo Combat in Terra Nova
by Janne Kemppi

For the truly lonely. --GameThug

These rules have been created to depict fortunes of a single soldier in the never ending conflict raging in Terra Nova. These campaign rules are inspired by FGU's Bushido rules.



Table of Contents

I. Campaign Generation
II. Battle Generation
III. Campaign End
IV. Optional Rules


I. Campaign Generation

Player must first generate the campaign she is fighting. Think the time and forces of both sides that participate into campaign. Unit characteristics such as loyalty, experience should also be noted.

First the campaign sheet should be filled.



CAMPAIGN SHEET
Date of Campaign:               Campaign Area: 
Player Unit:                    Enemy Unit:    
Player Affiliation:             Enemy Affiliation:
Campaign Length: 
Campaign Odds:

PLAYER
Unit            Base    Unit    Unit    Unit
Name            Power   Skill   Loyalty Total

                                        TOTAL

ENEMY
Unit            Base    Unit    Unit    Unit
Name            Power   Skill   Loyalty Total

                                        TOTAL




For example:

Janne's regiment is defending a hill somewhere in Badlands in TN1932. Mission of the player is to keep the hill and mission of the attacker is to conquer it.

Regiment has HQ and 2 companies, all of which are qualified to do it and their morale is fairly normal. Her unit has average PV of 350.



PLAYER
Unit                    Base    Unit    Unit    Unit
Name                    Power   Skill   Loyalty Total
Janne's Regiment
1st Company             350     1       1       350
2nd Company             350     1       1       350
                        TOTAL COMBAT POWER      700



Evil attacker is Johnboy's Company. This Rabid Southern elite unit is fanatically loyal and quite skilled (veteran).



ENEMY
Unit                    Base    Unit    Unit    Unit
Name                    Power   Skill   Loyalty Total
Johnboy's Company       400     2.25    1.5     1350
                        TOTAL COMBAT POWER      1350



Campaign Length is then determined. Throw as many D6 as number of companies in side of least company sized unit (this is not necessarily side with lowest combat power).

Janne has 2 units and Johnboy 1. Thus length of campaign is 1D6 (number of units in smaller side times rolled D6 dice). Their sum is lenght of campaign. Here it is 1D6 and roll is 5. Battle is 5 turns long.

Odds: Divide players Combat power with enemy's Combat Power. Janne has 700 and Johnboy has 1350, their odds are 700/1350=0.519, which means that the side player is fights is equal (barely).



Table 1
Unit Base Combat Strength
        TV value of units in company divided by 20.

Table 2
Combat Strength Modifiers
        Experience
        *0.25   Rookie
        *1      Regular
        *2.25   Veteran
        *4      Elite
        *6.25+  Legenary

        Morale
        *0.75   Shaken
        *1      Reliable
        *1.5    Firm

Table 3
        Odds table      Actual odds
        Winning             -3.00
        Advantaged      2.99-2.00
        Equal           1.99-0.51
        Disadvantaged   0.50-0.34
        Losing          0.33-



Designer Notes:

Not every unit in battlefield is same. Numbers seldom tell the actual power of unit. These modifiers depict the importance of technology, skill and spirit of the unit. It must also be remembered that these strengths are averages. Few gears here and there do not mean much in campaign scale. If there are special reasons to add or reduce combat powers for reasons like outstanding commanders and other
factors, they should be added to Combat Strength calculations according to need.

[Back to Table of Contents]



II. Battle Generation

Each turn depicts a day of actual combat. The battle turns describe the climax of campaigning.

==============================BATTLE FORM==========================
Player Unit:            Campaign Date:
Player Affiliation:     Campaign Area:

Turn    Action  Enemy   Glory   Special
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
...

At the beginning of each turn player may choose one of following courses of action:

1. Decline the battle. Mark DEC on battle form. Start next turn.

2. Repairs. Mark REP on battle form. This may only be done if Gear has unrepaired damage or does not have its full ammunition allocation. At each turn player chooses Repairs she has 1D6-2 (at least 1) hours of time to do repairs.

Start next turn.

3. Fight the battle. Mark FIG(-X), where X is the posture chosen on battle form. Pilot may choose one of the 5 possible postures for this battle turn only.

-2      Cowardly
        -1      Holding back
         0      Average
        +1      Brave
        +2      Bold


Battlefield used is made of two maps with their longer sides together in any way player wish. Then determine at random where 6 bunkers (3 on each map) are plotted. Each Bunker has TV of 250 and has a tower with weaponry thought suitable to campaign setting.

Then roll 2D6 at After this roll 2D6 on Combat Table using appropriate column (according to odds) and Change the roll according to posture you have chosen. For example when posture is Bold add +2 to your roll. If result indicated enemy hit the effect takes place immediately.

If result indicated enemy unit, it is placed at random on map. Determine its quality by rolling 1D6 and consulting Enemy Unit Quality Table. The quality of enemy depends on players own quality level. For example if player has 250TV unit and your roll is 4 the opponent unit is: 300TV.

Roll appropriate number of Glory markers according to roll at combat table. Distribute the markers at maps at random.

Roll on random from which map board side player may enter. Player then chooses her entering location as long as it is in appropriate map side.

Length of battle is 4D6 rounds. Player may leave the battlefield at any time she deems it necessary. The battlefield may not be re-entered anymore during the same turn.

During the battle the bunkers are immobile and fire player unit when possible. Enemy unit always moves towards the player at walking pace and tries to kill her. Enemy unit skill depends on enemy unit quality.

Object of the battle is to collect Glory markers by just moving through or ending their movement into hex containing them. Player may also destroy enemy bunkers and especially enemy units.

After battle turn is over mark collected Glory markers into Glory column, destroyed enemy units to Enemy column and bunkers to Special column in battle form.



COMBAT TABLE
Die                     Odds
Roll    Winning Advan.  Equal   Disadv. Losing
0       --      #       #       #       E,#
1       --      --      --      --      #
2       1G      1G      --      --      #
3       1G,*    1G,#    1G      --      #
4       1D6G,** 1D6,#   1G      1G      S
5       1D6G    1D6     1D6G,## 1G,*    #
6       2D6G    1D6     1D6G,#  1D6G,## *
7       2D6G,## 2D6,##  1D6G,#  1D6G,#  E,##
8       2D6G    2D6     1D6G    1D6G    E
9       3D6G    2D6     1D6G,*  1D6G,** E,##
10      3D6G,#  2D6,*   2D6G    1D6G,## **
11      4D6G    3D6,**  2D6G,## 2D6G,*  S
12      4D6G    3D6     2D6G,#  2D6G    #
13      6D6G    4D6     3D6G    2D6G,#  #
14      9D6G,#  4D6,#   3D6G,#  3D6G    E,#
G  = Number of Glory points distributed to
     battlefield.
*  = You meet enemy unit in battlefield. Throw
     its quality from Enemy Quality Table.
** = You meet enemy unit in battlefield. Throw
     its quality from Enemy Quality Table but
     add +1 to roll.
#  = Enemy fire hits you on your way into
     battlefield. Before entering combat your
     Gear suffers a Light critical (with -2 to
     roll, 0 or less means no damage).
## = Enemy fire hits you on your way into
     battlefield. As # but your Gear suffers a
     light critical.
S  = Enemy has surrounded you. You must surrender
     to enemy. Campaign has ended.
E  = Enemy forces have completely routed your
     army and you are forced to flee for your
     life without any prizes of war. Campaign has
     ended.


Enemy Unit Quality Table
 Own Quality Level
Die     -100    -200    -300    -400    -500    -600
Roll------------------------------------------------
1       50      100     200     200     300     400
2       50      100     200     300     300     400
3       100     200     200     300     400     400
4       100     200     300     300     400     500
5       100     200     300     400     400     500
6       200     300     400     400     500     500
7       200     300     400     400     500     600


Designer Notes:

These rules are provided to ensure variable missions to players. The distribution of Glory varies greatly according to ease of mission. This is because in victorious battles it is easier to do something flashy that gets you into superiors knowledge and the honorics are easier to get in victorious army than in beaten one.

The enemy level is very flexible offering wide variety of enemies. Player should use imagination and sense when determining what she might face in battlefield. It must be remembered that individual warrior tries her best to complete given missions, not just to kill anything that moves. This game attempts to make players fight battles according to plans and not just play another one-shot arcade game. Under time pressure players must carefully decide what they do.

[Back to Table of Contents]



III. Campaign End

Every campaign ends at its own time. Some take longer than others but finally even the longest and most bitterest campaign withers to end and it is time to look back what happened and who did what deed.

Campaign ends when game has gone through necessary number of battle turns or player is dead or captured.

At the end of the play player rolls once in Recognition Table if her actions in the campaign has been noticed. Use following modifiers:

DEC     +8 for each
        REP     +4 for each
        FIG(+X) +X per each
        Glory   +1 per each collected
        Bunkers +2 per each destroyed
        Units   +1 per TV100 of total adversaries destroyed.
If character has been noticed by her superiors, the next thing is what kind of impression her actions have given to them. Count next her Impression during the campaign:

DEC     -9 for each
        REP     -4 for each 
        FIG(-X) -X for each
        Glory   +1 for each
        Bunker  +2 for each
        Unit    *2 the value of each
If Impression is at least 0, roll on Rewards Table and add the modifier.

If Impression is below 0, roll on Punishments Table and add the modifier.



RECOGNITION
Total           Recognition
Recognition     Roll(1D6,1D6)
Factor  
1-5             No chance
6-10            11-12
11-15           11-14
16-20           11-16
21-25           11-22
26-30           11-24
31-35           11-26
36-40           11-32
41-45           11-34
46-50           11-36


REWARDS TABLE (2D6)
0-8     Double pay, a considerable cash payment is given to you. You
        also receive recognition of your actions.
9-16    New Gear. You may have either new, one class better Gear of
        your own side or take one of enemy units you have slain as
        your new one.
17-25   You are given promotion and receive bonus pay rest of your
        life for your efforts.
26-49   Army gives you your very own gear. You may choose it from one
        of those you have slayed in battlefield. Future career as
        Duelist is ensured.
50+     Character gets promotion and their future move to the highest
        positions in the military is a path of roses. A video series
        is made of your efforts.


PUNISHMENTS TABLE (2D6)
0-4     All loot, pay and honour gained are lost.
-5-7    Courtmartial. Character has lost her status.
-8-10   Disgraced. Character is publicly humiliated.
-11-12  Character is punished and fined.
-13-14  Character is heavily fined.
-15-16  Character is forced to retire into a monastery or exile.
-17-20  Character is declared a coward and must face a challenge into
        a duel by her former comrades in arms. If she wins the unit
        might pursue a blood feud. As you guessed, you're out of army.
-21-30  Character is either moved into penalty battalion where she will 
        either suffer and perish or given a chance to redeem herself by 
        taking extremely dangerous mission. Failure means execution.
-31-40  Character is offered chance to commit suicide or face swift 
        military execution.
-40-    Character is executed dishonourably and her death is terrible
        slow agony and her body is dishonoured and finally dogs eat
        her bones dry.


Designer Notes:

After the battle has ended armies usually look backwards trying to evaluate what went right and what went wrong. These rules try to depict that learning process. The rich rewards and harsh penalties depict the savage world of Terra Nova in 1932. There are only winners and losers, nothing between.

And always it must be remembered that perhaps you are not noticed by your superiors no matter how cowardly or brave you are. Errare Humanum est.

[Back to Table of Contents]



IV. Optional Rules

Ferocious battles, Fanatical units, and Surrendering

Some units are fanatical or present factions where surrendering is not considered viable option. It is also possible that campaign is so ferocious and bitter that both sides do not take prisoners. Such characters need not to surrender but may choose to fight her way out.

This forms itself a mini-game:

  • All rolls are on Losing column
  • She must always fight Bold.
  • When roll indicates a enemy unit, there is extra +1 on enemy level.
  • No repairs or declines may be done.
  • All Glory collected during this mini-game is doubled.

Battle will continue until roll of 12-14 is made. indicating that player has managed to break through enemy lines back to her own forces.

Variable Rewards and Punishments

Not all factions follow the harsh punishments and generous rewards system given in basic game. Rewards and punishments depend much on command culture, politics and national character. The following line depicts alternative system with less hard edged results from your actions.



REWARDS TABLE (2D6)
0-8     Promotion. You receive a recognition of your actions.
9-16    New Gear. You may have either new, one class better Gear of
        your own side or take one of enemy units you have slain as
        your new one.
17-25   You are given promotion and receive bonus pay rest of your
        life for your efforts.
26-49   Army gives you your very own Gear. You may choose it from one
        of those you have slain in battlefield. You are the new unit
        Duelist. Your memoirs sell well.
50+     Character gets rich rewards: ranks and medals rain on you and
        future prospects include high command. Continuous soap opera
        series is made of your heroic tales. DP9 includes you to next
        character compendium.


PUNISHMENTS TABLE (2D6)
 0-4    All loot and pay is lost.
-5-10   Courtmartial. Character has lost her status.
-11-16  Courtmartial. Character is forced to change unit into one 
        with lesser status.
-17-30  Courtmartial. Character is declared a coward and is moved to 
        prison or penalty battalion. Officer is cashiered from service.
-31-40  Courtmartial. Character goes to prison or penalty battalion. 
        High ranking officers are forced to retire. After suitably
        long time they will be released and fired from the service. 
-41-    Character is executed by military. Some militaries change this 
        to exile or prison for rest of the life.
[Back to Table of Contents]

[Janne Kemppi] [Heavy Type]


The above article was archived from Heavy Type: A Heavy Gear Fan Fiction Website as part of the Hermes 72 Archive Project. It has been edited from its original form and is used without permission.



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