Rules: The Action Phase (Ver. 0.5)

Well, it took an almost complete re-write. But here's the updated Action Phase rules. Which also cover suppression, fall-back moves, and Officer orders.
 

Unlike other games, that divide the moving and shooting activities of your units into discrete phases, WarStrike allows you to move and shoot your units all at once. This happens in a combined Action Phase.

Action Phase Sequence

1.             Select A Unit

2.             Roll For Suppression

3.             Select A Unit Action

4.             Perform The Action

5.              Select The Next Unit

The basic sequence is this: First, you will select a unit. One which has not yet moved or shot during this turn’s Action Phase.

If the unit is Suppressed, you will have to pass a Ld check to perform an action. Otherwise they will have to Fall Back.

Assuming that the unit passes its Ld check, you will then select an action for the unit to perform. Either moving, shooting at the enemy, or even both at once. Depending on the particular action that you have chosen.

After the first unit has performed its action, you will move on to the next unit and repeat this process until every one of your units has either performed an action, or fallen back.

Suppression

The primary method of reducing an enemy unit's freedom to move and fire is to Suppress it. Usually with a few volleys of shooting that force the models in that unit to keep their heads down instead of whatever they’d rather be doing.

The precise details of how a shooting or close combat attack can result in Suppression, will be left to the Shooting section of the rules. But the goal of any suppressing attack will be to add Suppression Markers to a unit. The number of Suppression Markers a unit has will determine the likelihood that it will be able to perform the action you want it to perform when it’s under fire.

Rolling For Suppression

If a unit has no suppression markers, then it will always perform the action the player has selected for it automatically. There is no need to roll a Ld check first.

If a unit has a single Suppression Marker, then it will have to pass a standard Ld check in order to perform the action selected by the player.

Units with 2 or more Suppression Markers must also roll a Ld check to perform an action. However they also deduct one point from their Nerve (Nv) characteristic for every marker after the first. Thus a unit with 3 suppression markers would roll a Ld check, deducting 2 points from its Nv before doing so.

Note that no unit may have more Suppression Markers than its starting Nv. If the number of markers exceeds the unit’s starting Nv, simply discard the extras.

 A suppressed unit that passes its Ld check may remove one Suppression Marker before performing its selected action.

A suppressed unit that fails its Leadership check will Fall Back instead of performing an action.

Falling Back

When the enemy is pummeling your position with everything they have, sometimes it’s best to retreat a bit and regain your bearings.

To determine what a unit does when it’s forced to Fall Back, count the number of surviving models in the unit and compare it to the unit’s starting strength.

If a unit still has more than 50% of its starting models, then it has a choice. It may either fire Snap Shots at the enemy without moving, or it may make a Fallback Move.

Units which still have less than 50%, but at least 25%, of their starting models must perform a Fallback Move.

Units which have less than 25% of their starting models are considered destroyed. Remove the unit’s models from the table.

All units which complete a Fallback Move may remove one suppression marker.

Fall Back Moves

When a unit Falls Back, it will normally seek a safer position around which to regroup.

The leader of Falling Back unit must move at least as far as its base Mv, and no further than twice its base Mv, towards the nearest Hidden, Concealed, or Obscured position that is closer to the Falling Back unit than it is to an enemy unit. The other models in the unit must then move at least as far as their base Mv, and no further than twice their base Mv, while remaining in coherency with either the leader, or another model in the unit which has already finished its move.

Rout Moves

If there is no obviously safer position around which to regroup, then a Falling Back unit will simply run away as fast as it can!

If no Hidden,  Concealed, or Obscured position is closer to the unit’s leader than to the enemy, then the normal Fall Back Move becomes a Rout Move. In a Rout Move, each model in the unit must move at least twice its base Mv directly away from all enemy models that it can see.

No model from the unit may end its move closer to a visible enemy model than it was before it moved. Models which cannot do this, are forced off of a table edge, or which cannot end their  movement in coherency with a model that has already moved, is considered destroyed and removed from the table as a casualty.

Selecting A Unit Action

Assuming a unit passes its Suppression Check, there are 4 possible unit actions that it may perform:

1.             Open Fire!

2.             Advance!

3.             At The Double!

4.             Get Down!

Action: Open Fire!

An Open Fire action is quite simple. Your unit doesn’t move, but simply points its guns at the enemy and shoots!

A unit performing an Open Fire action may not move. But may fire any of its weapons using their normal Awareness (Aw) and their weapons’ full Rate of Fire (RoF).

Since they’re not moving, the unit may also be able to observe enemy activity that would normally go unnoticed. But they’ll have to take the time to look before firing!

As an alternative, any models in the unit may choose to Snap Fire their weapons instead of firing them normally; in exchange for doubling their Awareness (Aw). This doubling of their Aw is only for targeting purposes, and will not affect their normal Aw range after their current action is over.

Action: Advance!

Your units can’t just sit around shooting up the enemy all day. Eventually they will have to go somewhere. Usually, this will be done using an Advance action.

Units performing an Advance action may move their models up to their normal Movement (Mv) value. Either before or after  firing their weapons at the enemy.

Note that the entire unit must fire at once. It is not permitted for some models in the unit to fire  before the unit moves, and others to do so after they move.

All weapons fired by an Advancing unit will use the Snap Fire rules.

Snap Fire

When a unit is standing still, it’s easy for them to carefully pop off shot after shot at the enemy. But moving troops have to spend some of their time... well, moving! So their RoF will necessarily suffer.

A unit may also be required to Snap Fire for other reasons. Such as being flanked by an enemy, or in Defensive Fire against assaulting troops. Where there simply isn’t enough time for them to carefully level their weapons, and then fire at full effect.

A unit which is Snap-Firing at the enemy may only do so at half of its weapons’ normal Rate of Fire (RoF), rounded down.

Action: At The Double!

If a unit needs to get somewhere fast, it has to run. Which is represented by the At The Double action.

A unit performing an At The Double action may move their models up to double the unit’s normal Mv value. However, the unit may not fire its weapons.

Action: Get Down!

Sometimes, it makes less sense to shoot at an enemy, than it does to hug some dirt and stay safe. Either because you can’t do much with your shooting, or because your unit’s morale is shaky, and you need a breather to rally the troops a bit.

A unit performing a Get Down action may not move or fire. But will be considered to be Gone To Ground (GtG) until the beginning of its following Action Phase.

In addition, if the unit chooses a Get Down action after passing it’s Ld check, it may remove one Suppression Marker for each die of the Ld check that rolled equal to, or under, its Nv.

Officers

Officers aren’t just there to look cool. They’re also expected to... gulp... lead the troops! Especially when they’re being disobedient. They do this by issuing Orders.

Officers & Orders

If your squad’s morale is a bit shaky, then ignoring the orders of your sergeant to get up and move towards the enemy is one thing. But when your Lieutenant, or (even worse, the Colonel) starts barking at you, then you’d best sit up & listen!

Once per Action Phase, an Officer model may issue a single order to any friendly unit, within 6” of its position, which has not yet performed an action. That unit may then use the Officer’s Ld for their suppression test instead of its own.

Issuing an order in this way does not prevent the Officer from performing an action. Either before or after the order has been given.

Special Rule: Inspiring

If an Officer or Hero has the Inspiring special rule, then they may be able to bolster the morale of all nearby troops by giving a rousing speech or battle cry!

Instead of choosing a normal action, an Officer or Hero with the Inspiring special rule may instead choose to perform an ‘Inspiration’ action. This action will Inspire all friendly units within 6” of the Officer or Hero’s position until the end of the current Action Phase.

When rolling a suppression test, an inspired unit may use the current (suppression modified) Nerve (Nv) of the Officer or Hero instead of its own base Nv.

(end rules)

Thoughts?