'Geddon on it (4.4) - Parley

In just a few hours the draw for the Heroes of Armageddon Charity Project takes place. If you want to donate and enter the raffle, put off reading this and head over there right away.

This is the fourth homebrew development of the series of stories I ran in May. I've already posted two possible unit types, citizens and wasteland settlers, and the option of making units survivors.

Today it's those who dared to negotiate, from Days 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25. Here they're represented not by any single unit but by what could be used as a universal special rule.

Parley

Persuasive are words of reason and passion, powerful the hand extended in friendship, no stronger than in a dark hour of trial and doubt. Many a terrible battle has been avoided or cut short by an accord, by insight, the courage to engage and compromise, and recognition of a shared interest.

At the beginning of its shooting phase, instead of making an attack, a unit with this ability may force any one non-vehicle unit within 12" to take a Leadership test. If the test is failed, the unit has its Ld characteristic reduced by 1 for the rest of the game, though it may not be reduced to zero. However, if the result on the dice is more than double current Ld, the unit is removed as lost. If the result is triple current Ld, the enemy unit comes under the control of the player whose unit forced the test for the rest of the game, regaining its full Ld and gaining the Parley ability too.

No idea of a points value for this, but thoughts on this or anything else are welcome.

Conceptually I love the idea. Think of the epic, overblown oratory. Think too of the ripples down the line as word spreads. It's an introduction into gameplay of what surely goes on somewhere on all those fronts. It fits the background of some factions, the Tau most obviously, even if it doesn't sit so well with that grimness Coopdevil complained about.

In mechanics terms it's hindered by the fact Ld is nowadays used for various things, not all of which seem linked to questioned loyalties. I'd suggest imagining a confusion is planted, a distraction which as they work through it leaves affected units vulnerable.

Remember: today's the final day for donating to Heroes of Armageddon, the final chance to win a big prize. Head across, especially if you haven't seen the armies yet.

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'Geddon on it (4.3) - Survivors

It's not often in a wargame we see units starting the game already injured or otherwise affected by fighting. Why not? This is a quick, simple and maybe balanced way it could be done in 40K.

It's also part of the series tied to the Heroes of Armageddon Charity Project, now only a day or two away from the draw for the four armies.

As with the citizens and wasteland settlers I've already posted, it draws on the series of stories from May, specifically Days 20 and 25.

Survivors

Rarely does a force pass unscathed through a warzone or have the luxury of entering battle untested. Failures of equipment, broken supply lines, forced marches and friendly fire all take their toll, as do extremes of landscape, wildlife and weather. When battle lines are drawn, hunger, thirst, fatigue and losses may all have sapped resolve. Yet these trials can tap deep reserves, hone the most base skills and inflame passions.

Any non-vehicle unit may be made Survivors. Each member of the unit has each characteristic reduced by 1 point, though none may be reduced to zero. In addition, the unit becomes subject to three of the following, one chosen by the controlling player, two by an opponent: Fearless; Feel No Pain; Furious Charge; Move Through Cover; Preferred Enemy; Stealth.

Quick and simple yes, but that balance may well be out; all feedback welcome. There's no specific element of mutiny, but the loss of stats could be reflecting that indirectly and is serious enough. Outright mutiny would fit a different set of characters from the stories. Tomorrow I'll put up a homebrew approach to something else 40K doesn't cover directly.

Don't forget Heroes of Armageddon! You can see the prizes and enter at the website. And Mike at Santa Cruz Warhammer reminds us of the cause behind the project here.

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'Geddon on it (4.2) - Wasteland Settlers

More homebrew for the Heroes of Armageddon Charity Project, now in its final week. The draw for the four armies is this coming Sunday.

Last were the concerned citizens, adapted from the series of 31-word stories I ran through May. They were statted up for Warhammer 40,000.

Today it's the shrewd wasteland settlers, who acted to devastating effect on Days 10 and 17.

Again, I've tried to work their nature into the rules. The unit is designed to be used in an unusual landscape represented by a table in the format used for the ash waste events. There's a statline for them and for a new weapon - the strung - plus the special rule.

TROOPS

Wasteland Settlers

Cost: 6 per Wasteland Settler (?)

Type: Infantry

Size: 5-15 Wasteland Settlers

Wasteland Settler   3  3  3  3  1  4  1   8   -

Weapons: Grip, Strung

Special rules: Ken, Hit & Run, Move Through Cover, Scouts, Stealth

Grip

Grips are basic close combat weapons, generally a rough blade or an improvised mace.

Strung

Strungs are ranged weapons fashioned from salvaged or liberated scrap and materials naturally occurring in the wasteland, most often making use of tension and momentum.

Strung    6”   2   -  Pistol

Ken

The player controlling this unit may modify each player's result on the events table by 1 point while the unit is on the table. This modifier is cumulative where multiple units in a force confer it. If an opposing force has such units, compare the total modifiers of the sides; the player controlling the force with the higher may modify the result by the difference. In addition, this unit may never be the initial unit affected by a table result.

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As before, feedback is welcome, not least on points cost. It's based on the ash waste events and may well need to be modified if the table is adapted to other landscapes.

Check out the Heroes of Armageddon project at the website too. Just a few days left.
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'Geddon on it (3) - 31 Days

Here's the complete run of fiction for the Heroes of Armageddon Charity Project, originally posted more or less daily throughout May.

If you haven't been following it, HoA is a plan to raise money for the charity Doctors Without Borders by painting and raffling miniatures. You can donate, enter and get inspired at the site.

It makes sense to have all of the instalments in one place and in order, as with the 26 A-Z Challenge entries. This should make it easier to read of course, but also easier to refer to with the statting of protagonists I plan to do. The first set of stats is already up, for the civilians depicted on Days 3, 11-15 and 27.

There are 31 stories in all, each with 31 words. Together they form a larger narrative, which could be linked to the Armageddon setting if that's how you choose to read it.

'Geddon on it (4.1) - Citizens

This post has two parts linked by theme. First some short flash fiction then stats for gaming.

The flash fiction is for Jennie's fun Expansion Joints. Anyone can join in. The idea is to tell as much of a story as possible in 15 words, but using a word Jennie provides, this week lines.

Lines drawn. They meet at barricades. 

In front. Behind. 

And those lines run through hearts.

The link is that torn loyalty, the many difficulties in standing free. Now for the gaming.

It's been a while since I did anything ruleswise re the Heroes of Armageddon Charity Project, a plan to raise money for charity Doctors Without Borders through gaming. Last was the homebrew approach to playing 40K inside hives and very close terrain.

Today I'm going to build on the series of linked 31-word stories I ran through May, which could be tied in to the Armageddon setting if that's how you choose to read them. I want to see if the protagonists can be statted up for 40K, to have them playable in games.

First up are the people of the City. If you don't remember, you might want to read Day 3 for a beginning, Days 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 for battle, and Day 27 for a result.

I've tried to work the story into the rules. The unit is designed to be used with the hive interior approach, as the residents of a given urban area. There's a statline for the model, and below that one for a new weapon - the improv - plus a special rule. Range isn't needed in the interiors of course. Citizens may not look much, but they can dig deep.

TROOPS

Citizens

Cost: 3 points per Citizen (?)   Type: Infantry   Size: 10-30 Citizens

   Citizen    2  2  2  2  1  2  1   6   -

Weapons: Improv   Special rules: Fabric of Society, The Idea Lives On

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Improv: Improvs are firearms fashioned from everyday items, production machinery and other material salvaged as the opportunity arises, as well as antique, ceremonial or recreational devices adapted for use in combat.

   Improv    (6”)   2   -   Assault 1 

Fabric of Society: Units of Citizens command a range of skills. Before each game, roll a D6 once on the following table for each in the force.

1.  Schematics  The player controlling this unit may modify the rolls for movement of all friendly units, including reserves, by an additional 1 point.
2.  Barricades  This unit and all friendly units in its initial location are assumed to be in cover with a 5+ save, each until it moves for any reason.
3.  Control  The player controlling this unit may each turn force any opposing player to reroll one reserves roll and reroll one of his or her own.
4.  Access  This Improvs this unit carries become S3 for the entire game.
5.  Expertise  This unit gains 1 point of WS, BS, I or Ld for the entire game, the characterisic chosen now by the player controlling the unit.
6.  Sacrifice  For every full five models this unit loses for whatever reason it is able to ignore up to 1 wound in each subsequent turn of the game.

The Idea Lives On: If a unit of Citizens drops below five models, it may be removed by the controlling player in one of its movement phases with no gain to an opponent in kill or victory points.

Any feedback is welcome on this of course, especially on points cost. To allow for the variation in unit size I've made sure the random benefits favour large units and small. The Idea Lives On may seem powerful, but it shouldn't be for the victory conditions used with the interior approach. Have a read if you haven't yet as it's a different kind of game.

Check out the Heroes of Armageddon project at the website too and consider chipping in, even have a think about what you could do to draw attention to this or other causes, the LiveStrong Wargaming Project for example. Everything makes a difference.
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Beyond A to Z

For most of us the A to Z Blogging Challenge is now over, or the last few entries are being polished and posted. A time for reflection. How did it go here?

In terms of numbers, not too badly. As far as I can recall without checking, 22 of the 26 were posted on the intended day, and of the four that were not, two were around a day late, one half a day or so, and one just a few minutes. Close enough. I'll take that.

In terms of content, I'm relatively happy. It began as planned, as one side of a dialogue dealing each day with an aspect of the ravelling yarns setting, whether an aspect seen previously or one entirely new. Then things got a little out of hand, and the narrator was killed and resurrected, running the narrative off onto another set of rails.

'Geddon on it (2) - Hive interior battles

The second in a series set off by a guest post at davetaylorminatures, by Ron of From the Warp.

It covered the Heroes of Armageddon Project, which will see four Warhammer 40,000 armies painted up and raffled off. Check out the site.

I suggested all interested blogs could run tie-in features themed around the Armageddon setting, maybe fiction, stats or new troop types, even modelling and painting, to draw attention to the project, be useful and hopefully inspire.

My first was a homebrew ash waste events table. Here's my second then, and it's big.

Hive interior battles

The spires of the hives of Armageddon do not dream, but rather sleep restlessly beneath the polluted sky from which their nightmares come. Homes and workplaces to billions, they loom above the haunted jungles and desolate ash wastes, but are barely safer than either, whether in peace or war. In the three great conflagrations to strike the world thus far they were battlefields too, and remain so, infested in their dark spaces by all the vices of humanity, the corruption of both the dark gods of Chaos and the alien Tyranid vanguard, and the ineradicable menace of the ever-flourishing Orkosystem.

The deep domes, halls and corridors, the ducts and access tunnels, the machine rooms and sumps, all are potential havens and potential conflict zones, and what the local security forces of the watchmen and adeptus arbites are unable to quell becomes a task for the elites of the planetary defence force and regiments of Imperial guard garrisoned here from across this region of space; and what they are unable to deal with may require in turn a deployment of the mighty adeptus astartes themselves, striking deep into the cankerous hearts of complexes to break the danger at source.

Conflict in-hive is a challenge even for the greatest professionals of war. Vehicles will only carry an invasion force so far, until the width of the passageways, density of gantries and endless intricacies of device choke off access. Defenders flit from shadow to shadow and launch vicious counterstrikes from the unmapped darkness. Chases end in disorientation, blind alleys, sealings off, and the disappearances of whole squads, platoons, companies. Gunfire and screams echo along metal avenues, and over the spoil heaps and dripping accumulations of the lowest wastes.

The horror of war here is less visible, but no less black.

What follows is an unofficial homebrew system for battles in the hives of Armageddon, but is just as relevant to hives throughout the galaxy, as well as built complexes of all kinds, whether administrative structures, industrial facilities or military outposts.

'Geddon on it (1) - Ash waste events

Yesterday davetaylorminatures had a guest post by Ron of From the Warp, on charity work.

It covered the Heroes of Armageddon Project, which will see four Warhammer 40,000 armies painted up and raffled off. Check out the site.

In the discussion I suggested anyone wanting to spread the word could run tie-in features themed around the Armageddon setting, writing fiction, statting up characters or new troop types, or even modelling and painting auxiliaries.

Every post would draw the attention, as well as being a useful resource for players, and maybe even inspire developments in other games.

Here's my first offering.

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