Collateral Damage 40k: Beta release! (house rules)

Introduction & Disclaimer

After three days of nighmares, I've managed to finish the initial set of cards. I haved some troubles with the card sizes and the pdf's, so sorry, but no pdf yet.

Anyways, I uploaded the whole set of cards that you can download here.

There are 8 mission cards, 12 order cards, 15 event cards (there are very few, I need to make more of them) and 20 assets cards. Each set with his own "back card".

INSTRUCTIONS

-How to...
-Special rules
-Optional rules
-Starting the battle

HOW TO...


·Play: Initialy you have 4 decks of cards, as stated above. You must shuffle the cards of the same type, and then face them down.

·Use the Order cards: You can only play one Order card each turn. Once a card is played, is discarded except if the card specify the contrary. The card explain in what phase of the turn you can use it and what benefits grants to your unit/s.

Also, one unit only can recieve one order per turn. And yes, I'm looking to you Guard players!

·Use the Strategic Assets cards: The Strategic Assets cards are played in the same way that the Order cards, except the fact that some of them can be played before the game. Just read the card and follow the instructions!

·Use the Event cards: Many factors can vary the flow of war. Temporary tactical advantages, weather conditions, unexpected reinforcements, bobby traps, secondary objectives...

All of those things (and some others!) will be represented in the Event cards. 

At the start of every player turn, the current player must roll a dice before any other action, like reserve rolls, scout moves, and so on. If a "1" is rolled, then draw a Event card from the event pile. Alternatively, if you want to see more Events in your games just draw a Event card from the pile at the beginning of each your turns

This card is showed to you opponen and applied to the game immediately.

SPECIAL RULES

Here are some extra special rules, most of them are in the cards.

·Burning: If a piece of terrain is burning immediately becomes dangerous & difficult terrain. If there are models in the burning area, must take a dangerous terrain test every turn until the models abandon the burning area. The fire also causes pinning tests if there are any model casualties. A pinned  unit must leave the burning area moving D6" immediately.

·Air support gun run: If the card allow an Air support gun run, you can pick an enemy unit in LOS with the unit that called the Air support and apply the roll results.

·Obstacles: There are three types of obstacles in the Strategic Assets cards:

-Barbed wire: Is considered dangerous & difficult terrain for all models but the vehicles. The vehicles can go through barbed wire obstacles without penalties.

-Barricades: Are considered difficult terrain for the infantry and the non skimmer vehicles. If any non skimmer vehicles go thorugh a barricade is removed of the table. Barricades can be made of sandbags, debris and whatnot. The barricades also grant a 4+ cover save.

-Tank traps: Are impassable terrain to all non skimmer vehicles. This does not affect the movement of any non vehicle unit, and provide to those non vehicle units a 5+ cover save.

·POW (Prisoner of War) & POI (Person of Interest): Some missions and events allow to you to capture POW. This can be made by defeating the POI in close combat. Once is defeated, is not removed from play, as is now a new objective marker. Sometimes you can (or must) escort a POW. A unit escorting a POW only can move up to 6" and is not allowed to run or assault. Some POWs can be escorted into a vehicle using the normal rules for embarking vehicles (ie, no POW terminators in rhinos or chimeras and so on).

·Reinforcements: Sometimes you can get reiforcements from events or assets. You must pick a unit of your army that is already completely destroyed. That unit is now at full strenght and enter the game following the normal reserve rules. If there are no destroyed unit, you can keep the card and use it later. If there are only one destroyed unit you must take that unit as reinforcements immediately.

·Smoke bombardment: Smoke bombardment is only allowed to Ordnance weapons. If you want to issue that order, that would be did before any other normal shoot.

The smoke is fired like any other blast shoot and is required place the blast in an enemy unit. All smoke blasts are Large Blasts regardless of the weapons profile. The smoke  have the following profile:

S- AP- Large Blast. Weapon special rules like Twin-Linked still.

Any smoke shot scatters as normal and the Blast markers remains in game until your next game turn. The smoke block LOS and any unit inside a smoke marker gains a 5+ cover save (if that unit is currently in cover, that bonus does not stack). Also, the units inside a smoke marker must use the Night Fight rules (but with the distance halved) if they want fire.

·Sharing the deployment zome: Is possible to share part of the deployment zone due the deployment rules of the Mission Cards but not the table edge. If two players share a table edge, the player who goes first try the table edge, then the other player must take the opposite. If two deployment zones overlaping but not using the same table edge, the player who goes first deploy normally, the other player must deploy his units at least at 12" of the enemy units. This can result in a very awfull deployment for the second player, but war is not fair!

OPTIONAL RULES


·Terrain set up: Instead of placing the terrain as normal, you can try this, but consider yourself warned: This can be a hard way to play.

First of all, divide the table into 6 sectors of 48" per side, like in the picture:

Then, per turns, roll 1D6 per each square, on a roll of 2+ the square have a rocky hill (at least 12" across). Then roll another dice for each square and consult the table below:

1- Ridge. A high hill (at least 12" across). Remove the rocky hill if present. The edged of the ridge are impassable terrain but one side what is difficult terrain and one that is difficult & dangerous terrain.

2- Local flora: Scatter two to eight patches of jungle, woods, giant mushrooms and whatnot.

3- Nothing at all. Remove the rocky hill. This area is entirely flat.

4- Crater. Two to four craters each 6"-12" across. Craters are difficult terrain and grants a 5+ cover save.

5- Artificial features, remove the rocky hill if present. Roll again:

• 1- Bunker. One bunker, as per normal rules and 2 to 4 obstales (barbed wire, barricades or tank traps).
• 2 to 3- Buildings, Airfield or Supply Dump. Scatter 3 to 5 buildings, destroyed skimmers, or stack of boxes and and fuel cans. Or 4 to 8 road section of 6" across the table.
• 4 to 6- Wreckage. Scatter 3 to 6 burned out tanks, walkers or vehicles of any type (If you want a super-heavy wreck, place only one).

6- That damn weather... Roll again:

• 1- Meteorite storm. Hell yeah. The sky is alight with streaking meteorites from some celestial disturbance. The havoc these random hunks of fused space rock cancause on the battlefield is tremendous. Randomly etermine the placement of D6 meteorites at the start of each game turn using the terrain squares. Place one Large Blast in the centre of the square and then scatter it 2D6". Any model under the small circle takes an S10 AP 1 hit. Other models suffer an S6 AP 3 hit. If you can, try representing each meteor hit with an impact crater on the tabletop.
• 2- Windstorm. Can be a sandstorm, dust, ash... Whatever you like!  High winds and dust fluctuating wind speeds and driving rain make navigating the sky nearly impossible… and dangerous! All skimmers and jump pack troops may only move a maximum of 10". In addition to this, scatter the model D6 inches in a random direction after moving (use the Scatter die). This wayward movement does not affect how many weapons a skimmer can fire, only its movement. Jump pack troops may elect to not use their packs if they want to play it safe and just walk. Keep in mind the difficult/impassible terrain effects when scattering skimmers and jump pack troops. Apply the Night Fight rules.
• 3- Mud: All roads count as open terrain, the open terrain count as difficult terrain and the difficult terrain count as difficult & dangerous terrain.
• 4- Intense heat: When fighting in such an environment, all vehicle, biker, skimmer, jump pack, and walker movement is halved (rounding down). If you decide to move further, roll a D6 after the extended movement is complete. A roll of 5+ indicates the vehicle overheats and stalls. This means death for skimmers. However, all other vehicles cannot move (or use their jump pack) next turn and may only fire one weapon despite their stationary situation. Models do not gain an extra Attack during assaults because the heat is just too draining. All laser and Melta weapons now suffer from the Gets Hot special rule.
• 5- Frigid Cold: Troops do not fight effectively, crevasses appear, and skimmers freeze up. Charging models do not gain an extra Attack during assaults because the cold is just too debilitating. Intake valves tend to freeze up on skimmers in these conditions. Roll a D6 before moving a skimmer. If a 1 is rolled, the valve clogs and the skimmer drops from the sky. Consider it destroyed.
• 6-Tremors!: Due to irregular ground movements, tracking targets is difficult. All firing from troops within vehicles, vehicles themselves, and non-vehicle Heavy Weapons (footslogger troopers, platforms, and batteries) suffer -1 to hit in addition to any other modifiers present. Skimmers may ignore these penalties.

·That damn weather... How to use it. Roll 1D6 at the start of the battle. On a roll of 1 the 'damn weather' begins. On any other roll, nothing happens, but you must roll a dice at the start of each player turn, after the Events are rolled but before any reserve roll. On a 1, it starts. That turn and those following are played under the 'That damn weather' rules stated above. Players continue to roll at the start of their turn, again after the events rolls but before the reserve roll. On a 5+ the 'damn weather' stops as quickly as it started and the rest of the game uses the normal rules.

Only one type of weather is allowed per battle, if there are more 'damn weather' results ignore ir and re-roll on the terrain chart.

·Defensive fire: Who can? When a unit is assaulted (that includes multi-assault rules) the target unit/s can open fire to the assaulter unit/s. When a unit is making defensive fire, count as if they not moved in the movement phase for pourposes of shooting. Pinned units can't make deffensive fire.

STARTING THE BATTLE

-You must make an army list before you take a Mission Card and show it to your opponent.

-Set up the terrain as normal or try the hardcore mode explained in the Optional rules.


-Pick a random Mission Card from the face down card pile and keep this mission for yourself, your opponent does the same.

-Roll 1D6 both you and your opponent to see who goes first. The player who go first must select a table edge, following the instructions of the Mission Card.

-Divide the table in two halves. Each player deploy 2 objective markers in their table half. The objectives are placed following the normal rules as per WH40K rulebook.

-Before deploying the forces each player can pick Order cards. Each player can pick one Order card for every 500 points in his army (starting with the player who goes first) and one Strategic Asset card for every 1000 points in his army (also starting with the player who goes first). Use any Strategic Assets card you have that may be used before the game starts.

-Deploy the armies as stated in the Mission Card, starting with the player who goes first. Start playing ;-)

Alternatively you can pick the missions of the rulebook, or other official/fanmade supplements and then use the rules presented here that you like!

Bear in mind that english is notmy first language, and can be some typos & erratas. Have fun!

~Aiwass.

You can download the instructions plus all the cards here!

Any feedback. ideas, criticism or suggestion are very welcome. Cheers.