Or Crunchzap. I had the desire in the past week to get rules writing again, and to go for something crunchier than I normally do. While I’ve got several hundred versions of Deathzap they always seem to play like a WW2 game with add ons. I’ve always gone for the fastest and leanest approach to the rules. I’ve never gone crunchy, I’ve never throughly examined the weaponry and tactics of my own universe on the table.
Taking inspiration from several sources I got writing:
Here’s some excerpts so far:
TURN SEQUENCE
The game is divided into turns, at the start of each turn roll a D20 for each squad including those on board starships. Adjust the value rolled by the following depending on the squad’s training:
Untrained -2, Basic -1, Regular +0, Veteran +1, Elite +2.
And by any of the following applicable modifiers:
Pinned -2, Squad leader killed -2.
If a squad’s roll would be reduced to below 1 or increased above 20 it sticks at 1 or 20.
When two friendly squads are within 6” of each other their dice can be swapped provided at least one squad still contains its squad leader.
Squads then activate in order from highest to lowest.
Where multiple squads activate at the same time, roll for those squads again adding their modifiers, and activate them in sequence before moving on.
I doubt there will be much in here that’s particularly innovative, but that can develop over time, as I switch out various stolen parts for other bits I’ve come up with myself:
MORALE CHECKS
When a squad suffers wounds, is hit by a Psych grenade, or a vehicle’s armour fails to protect it from a hit, they take a morale check.
Roll 2d10 adding the following modifiers:
Untrained -2, Basic -1, Regular +0, Veteran +1, Elite +2, Pinned -2, -1 per wounded or killed squad member, -2 if squad leader wounded or killed.
Result:
4 or less – Routed. Remove the squad from play, they take no further part in the game.
5-10 – Pinned. If the squad was already pinned they are routed.
11-15 – Fine. The test has no effect on the squad.
16-19 – Motivated. If the squad was pinned they are no longer pinned.
20+ – Enraged. The squad may immediately activate even if they have already this turn, and if they have not activated yet they still will later in the turn.
I’ve decided to have the majority of rolls be 2d10, I like that with a 2d10 your outside chances (2s or 20s) are 1 in 100. You really can have things be extremely difficult to pull off, but not so difficult they’ll never happen. In my test game I had an extremely lucky shot, cause a squad to lose its nerve in morale and run off the board. It was a brilliantly cinematic moment.
Instead of moving a unit there’s a decent list of additional actions they can carry out:
Additional Actions
Or instead of moving the squad can perform one of the actions below:
- Teleport up to a starship and be removed from play, ending their activation immediately. Only one squad can be on board the starship at a time.
- While on a starship – teleport down to anywhere in play at least 6” away from any enemy models.
- Cool all overheated weapons in the squad.
- Heal all wounded squad members.
- Reset any fried shields within the squad.
- Rally the squad so that it is no longer pinned, this will immediately end their activation.
- Aim the squad’s weapons.
- Move into a vehicle within 3” of the squad’s leader.
- Move up to 3” out of a vehicle the squad is already inside of.
I’ll post more as things develop, I’m looking to draw up a list of decently alien and advanced weaponry along with a good long list of grenade types.
Deathzap 