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Mantic SciFi News and Rumour Roundup

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Author Topic: Mantic SciFi News and Rumour Roundup  (Read 4516 times)
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Llew
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« Reply #30 on: June 28, 2011, 03:02:30 am »

Now, see, if I were Mantic, you know what I'd do about BFG'S?  Separate mini-tray or square base.  And when you bought one, you wouldn't replace a model, you'd just add that base to your unit.  It'd serve two purposes: first, it's easy to pick it out and establish it's firing arc.  (BFG's do have a firing arc in Warpath.)  Second, it's a few more minis per unit.  Wink  Granted, you could let people swap if they like, but it'd be cool if you had these BFG teams scattered through your formation.

Oh, well.  We'll see what they do.


For amusement's sake, I've placed below one of my initial posts about things I'd change:

Okay…there are a few things that have been mentioned as feeling not quite right. What I’m putting forth here is a synthesis of my ideas, other people’s ideas and so on and so forth seeing if there is something that can make Warpath feel a bit different — not just KoW with lasers. I have four over-riding goals.

1) Make it “feel” more Sci-Fi.
2) Make a difference in Shooting and Melee.
3) Make leaders matter, while avoiding the feel that it’s just ranked-up units.
4) Keep it fast to move around.

I’ll probably have to post this in chunks, so I’ll address unit bases, LOS, unit formations and movement in this post.

UNIT BASES

First, I’d recommend organizing all units in bases. There would be several different types and sizes.

All units would be built from Teams. A Team is the smallest unit. A Section equals 2 Teams. A Platoon equals 2 Sections or 4 Teams. We’re assuming 5 models per team, but this is an aesthetic choice, and some teams might be smaller. (This could be good for Command Units.)

The first team of any unit (Team, Section, Platoon) would be the Command Team and would be mounted on a Command Base. Assuming 25mm round bases, the basic size would be 60mm wide by 80mm long. Two of the corners on the same end of the base, but on opposite long edges would be clipped (imagine a 45° cut based on a 20mm square) to establish the “front” of the unit. The Leader model would be front and center on this. This would make a blunt “point” of sorts. It would help distinguish the Command Team on the field.

Additional teams would be either Shooting or Assault teams, and this would be based on the unit type. So we’d have to class units by those terms. A Shooting Team would be on a 140mm wide by 30mm high base. An Assault Team would be on a 90mm by 50 mm base, with two corners (two ends of the same long edge) clipped to establish the back of the base. (Or it could be the front, depending on what feels better.)

BFG’s would be handled on 50mm by 50mm squares, or 40mm by 40mm. It could even go smaller — whatever is comfortable. But it should be a standard size. When a BFG is purchased, don’t replace a trooper on a Team, but add a BFG base to the Unit.

LOS

No Team may draw LOS through other units, friendly or enemy.

A Command Team has a 360° LOS, and can draw through other teams in its unit.

A Shooting Team has a 90° front LOS, and can draw through other teams in its unit. If a Shooting Team’s front edge touches the back edge of another Shooting Team in it’s unit, it’s LOS is drawn based on the unit in front of it.

An Assault Team has a 90° front LOS, but drawn from the back corners. (Remember those clips? Those establish the angle.) It cannot draw LOS through other teams in its unit.

A BFG has a 90° LOS to the front, and cannot draw LOS through other teams in it’s unit.

UNIT FORMATION

A Unit may be set up in any formation so long as all Teams in the unit have bases touching. The Command Team can be at one end of the line, in the middle, at the back of a formation pushing across the field. Wherever. The only limitation is that all Teams in a Unit be touching.

MOVEMENT

Move the Command Team and pick it’s facing. Move all the remaining teams and set them down according to the Unit Formation rules above. You may pick whatever facing you like. You may have a Team that was behind the Command Team move all the way out front. You can do crazy things to gain a momentary advantage. This is intentional. (You will often pay for it next turn.)

A Team can be placed in any valid position as long as it would not have to have come within 1″ of any enemy unit to get to it’s final position. For this reason, it may be best to slide the units into position if you’re attempting to snake through an enemy line. If this can’t be done, the team immediately stops and the Command Team is moved back into contact with the blocked team.

CHARGES

All Charges are measured from the Leader model, and can be made at any unit that is within the Command Team’s LOS and within range of the Leader. (Currently 12″. Two times Speed if that comes back into the game.)

The Command Team moves into contact with the Enemy Command Team, then other units are moved into contact accordingly. (This will need more expansion later.)

Any Assault Team can charge the unit chosen by the Command Team, as long as the target was in range of the Command Team.

SHOOTING

All Shooting is measured from the closest point on the Shooting Team to the closest point on the target. If a Shooting Team cannot draw LOS to the target designated by the Command Team, it cannot fire that turn and the unit’s Fire will be reduced accordingly.

BFG’s can pick targets separate from their Unit.

WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THIS?

If we go with a system like this it does several things.

First, it makes a game of Warpath instantly visually distinct from other Sci-Fi games.

Second, it keeps movement of units very quick.

Third, it requires the commander to make tactical decisions about firing arcs.

Fourth, the bases tell you very quickly what sort of opponent you’re facing, and how he is set up in his attack or defense. You know where his leaders are, and where his shooty units are and where his assault units are.

Fifth, be letting the commander “game” his formation, he can gain a 1 round advantage, allowing for some gambits. Other changes to be discussed later will make him pay for doing odd things if the gambit doesn’t pay off.
« Last Edit: June 28, 2011, 03:09:03 am by Llew » Report Spam   Logged

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