Body Count Free Infantry Rules

[Daemion]

So, seeing the comment that some people wanted more abstraction for things like infantry, I decided to take a crack at it.  I'm the one that came up with the demolition rules for treating building hexes like the old BMR Woods hexes, after all.


Edit: Gussied up Rules PDF attached along with a sheet of blank squad cards.

Enjoy.

[Daemion]

These Infantry rules are designed for use with A Game of Armored Combat scale maps and combat units.  The goal is to streamline infantry use in how they take and track damage and deal it back.

When generating infantry for a game, aside from the obligatory skill values, there will be three things required at set-up:  Motive Type, Support Weapon Capacity and Type, and Protection Level.

Skills
Each squad still gets assigned a Gunnery and Anti-Mech skill value.  Mechanized Squads will require an additional Driving skill assigned to them at the start of the game.


Motive Types
The motive types haven’t changed.  They still follow the MP allotments and restrictions shown in Total Warfare.  Jump Platoons are still limited to 3 squads.  Mechanized Squads still have special defenses against small arms fire.


Support Weapons and Capacity
The important aspect for infantry when combating armored opponents is the support weapon.  At the start of a game, when choosing your infantry, each squad will get a number of support weapons based on what title they carry: Suppression, Tactical, Support.

Suppression Infantry are squads that have no anti-armor support weapons, though they may still be carrying one or two support weapons which are great at dealing with other infantry or unarmored units. They have no effect on armored units, but can still damage other infantry squads.

Tactical Infantry are squads with a single anti-armor capable support weapon.

Support Infantry are squads with two anti-armor capable support weapons.

Support Weapon Options
It’s easy enough to leave the support weapon choices to what you find in Total Warfare.  However, if you want a wider range of options, look to the Battle Armor Infantry Weapons list in Tech Manual. They have the static damage value you want as well as applicable ranges.

The stock support weapons from Total Warfare function as their counterparts of the same name on Mechs and Tanks and Battle Armor. The Machinegun has the same range bands of 1, 2, and 3 hexes for short, medium, and long ranges, and does two damage against armored units. The Laser Rifle is like a BA Small Laser, with a long range of 3 and doing 3 damage to armored units. An SRM goes out to nine hexes and does 2 damage. An LRM goes out to 21 hexes, has a hefty minimum range, and does only 1 damage.
You get the idea.

Note: I’ve tried looking for what the BA equivalent of a support rifle would be in Tech Manual, but nothing seemed to fit. So, for that one, treat it with the same range band values in TW, but it does 1 point.

When assigning weapons to a squad, it doesn’t have to share the same weapon as other squads in a platoon.  Support Squads don’t even have to match weapons, either.


Protection
There’s one more classification label you need to give your infantry: Light, Medium, or Heavy

Light Infantry have only protection against small arms fire.  On the armored battlefield, any attacks directed at Light Infantry ignore range band modifiers.

Standard Infantry have armor to protect them from small arms fire and give them some resistance to anti-armor weapon after effects.  These guys follow the standard rules described here.

Heavy Infantry have the same armor as Standard Infantry, but they also have something of a trade secret that puts them at the top - light exoskeletons hidden under the armor plate.  The weight capacity and support of the exoskeleton allows them to move and accurately fire their weapons at the same time.  In the game, Heavy Infantry may move and fire the same turn.

[Daemion]

Deployment
At the start of a game, players can choose to run squads individually, or as a platoon. 

Squads deployed individually function on their own, can be targeted as a single unit, and count as a full unit for stacking purposes.  Squads do not stop an enemy moving out of their hex if it moved into that hex in the same movement phase.

If using a platoon, all component squads are tracked on a single Battle Armor style sheet.  When attacked, the squad hit is rolled randomly. 

Regardless of deployment, skill values are assigned by squad.


Movement
Follow the movement rules for the different motive types described in Total Warfare.

Mechanized Infantry have a couple exceptions.  See the dedicated section below.

[Daemion]

Combat
Standard Total Warfare Rules apply with the following modifications:

Light and Standard Squads cannot fire their support weapons if they spent MP to move to a new hex in the movement phase.

Attacks from Infantry
When attacking armored units, each squad roles for each support weapon separately.  So, Support Squads will have to make two individual roles, with modifiers for range based on the weapon being rolled for.  A Standard Platoon would have four individual rolls.  A Support Platoon would be looking at up to eight.

Each weapon from a Support Squad or Platoon may be targeted against different enemy units with no penalty.

Attacks at Infantry
When attacking infantry, all weapons* have a short/medium/long range band of 6/12/18 with no minimum range.  *Flamers are the sole exception. They retain their long range of 3.

(Why? Because of the interesting effect of group ECM in the squad combined with the relative fragility of the human body to high velocity impacts, even when protected by armor. A guy may not have been killed, but he’s definitely knocked down and has to get back up.)

There is no to-hit roll made with gunnery at infantry squads or platoons.  If targeting a platoon, randomly determine the squad the attack will hit first, like you would for a Battle Armor Squad.

Instead, the attack is checking to see if the squad loses its support weapons or is completely wiped out by a hit.  To do so, Roll 2d6 for the attack, and modify the result by subtracting range and terrain modifiers.  Compare the final result to the Determining Critical Hits chart for BattleMechs.  A single critical hit stuns the squad.  Two Critical hits stuns the squad and destroys the Support Weapon. (A Random one in the case of Support Squads).  Three critical hits completely wipe out the squad.



Anti-Infantry Attacks
Anti-Infantry Weapons get an additional bonus against infantry. They add an additional d6 when making the Determining Critical Hits roll.

Infantry Squads count as an anti-infantry weapon in addition to whatever support weapon(s) they carry. This attack may be combined with a support weapon or directed at an infantry target while the support weapon fires at a separate target. If combined, and the support is an anti-infantry weapon, add its damage value to the final roll result before checking the Determining Critical Hits chart.

Note that while attacking a building to hurt infantry, Anti-Infantry weapons lose their Anti-Infantry status.

Stunned Squads
A squad stunned in the Combat Phase cannot move or fire on the following turn. 
(Yes, this can chain. And don’t let the name fool you. The Squad is actually picking itself back up after being knocked down, losing a guy or two, applying quick triage, you name it.)

A platoon with one or more stunned squads may have another squad assist in moving a stunned squad.  Such a squad cannot make any attacks while doing so.  If there aren’t enough squads to cover each stunned squad in a platoon, then the Platoon cannot move.  Other squads not assisting a stunned squad may still make attacks per the movement restrictions based on type.

[Daemion]

Mechanized Infantry Exceptionalness

Movement
A Mechanized Platoon counts as two friendly units for stacking purposes.

A Mechanized Squad must roll a driving skill check to avoid getting stuck when entering or leaving a building hex in the same way Mechs or Tanks do to avoid damage. 

While inside a building, a driving skill is required to change elevations up or down.  Changing elevations forces a driving skill roll to avoid getting stuck in the same way as entering/leaving the building.

A Mechanized Squad may opt to use the Flanking Speed mode, calculated from the base speed value as described regarding MP value changes in Total Warfare. (1.5 x Base MP, rounding up.)  While using the flanking speed mode, the squad’s support weapon(s) receive the Flanking/Running Attacker Movement Modifier when attacking.  Also, the squad’s transport is subject to all the motive type rules for flanking, including on pavement.  A facing must be chosen at the start of such a move, and MP must be spent to change facing as for normal vehicles.

A Mechanized Squad may dismount its transport during any movement phase.  If it does, the player must declare whether the squad is taking the support weapon. (One or both if a Support Type).

The squad becomes a Foot Type while dismounted, and follows all the restrictions.  The transport needs a marker/mini left in the hex where the squad dismounted.

The transport can still function on its own.  If it does, it retains the skills of the squad.  If it has a support weapon, it can attack and move like a vehicle, including suffering Attacker Movement Modifiers.

Combat
While mounted in its transport, a Mechanized Squad gains some bonuses, but at some risk.

Attacks from Mechanized Squads
While the squad is mounted, they attack like a Heavy infantry squad, because of the stabilized nature of Support Weapon Mounts on the transport. So, they can move and shoot in the same turn.

Attacks at Mechanized Squads
While the squad is mounted, attacks at it are directed at its transport.  Follow standard to-hit procedures for attacking a vehicle.

Damage resolution, however, is a little different.  A successful attack rolls 1d6 for each hit and adds the damage value.  Resolve Cluster Weapon groupings as you would against armor, with each grouping getting a d6 roll added to its damage value. So, if an LRM 10 hits with a result of 6 missiles, add a d6 roll to the 5 point cluster and a d6 to the 1 point cluster, for example.

Check the result against the Determining Critical Hits Chart for BattleMechs.

One Critical Hit forces a motive roll based on the vehicle’s type.
Two Critical Hits eliminates a support weapon, and the crew is stunned.
Three Critical Hits takes out the vehicle.  The fate of the squad is outside the scope of a single game, but is treated as a mission kill, removing it from combat.

[Daemion]

If you guys haven't figured out how to do Towed Guns from this rule-set, here you go:



Advanced Rule Options - Towed Guns

One thing infantry formations are good at are manning fortifications and weapons emplacements.  This is represented by Towed Guns in the field.

Limitations: A towed gun can only be part of a mechanized or motorized squad.  Regardless of size of weapon, crit or tonnage, there can only be one such weapon per squad. 

Rules:  The gun can only be operated while the squad is deployed from its transport.

-Movement-
It cannot be fired if its controlling squad spent MP during the movement phase.

While the squad is deployed, the gun is given a hex facing, and has a front arc into which it can fire.  The squad may change the guns facing, but must do so during the movement phase, spending an MP per facing.  The squad may use the transport’s base MP value to do this.

-Attacks from the Towed Gun-
The Gun functions as an anti- armor support weapon, using its stats in the Total Warfare weapons tables.  So, a towed AC/5 fires out to ranges of an AC/5, spends a point of ammo, and does 5 damage when it hits. 

When firing at other infantry squads, it functions like a standard weapon from an armored unit, only applying anti-infantry bonuses if it is an anti-infantry weapon, or is using dedicated anti-infantry munitions.

-Attacks at the Towed Gun-
Any unit may target the gun or the squad operating it (or their transport, if they wish).

While the squad is in the same hex as the Towed Gun, the built-in ECM among the troopers gives the gun certain benefits.  It is not treated as immobile even though it’s in a fixed position.  The gun is treated like the Mechanized Squad transport for targeting and damage purposes as long as it’s in the same hex as a friendly infantry squad.

When it’s on its own, the weapon can be targeted and ‘destroyed’ by any unit that can draw line of sight to the gun.  Actually, the damage may not demolish the gun entirely, but it will be enough that it cannot be taken over by any other squad that moves into the hex without lengthy repairs.

[Daemion]

Oh, and Gun Emplacements

Advanced Rule Options - Gun Emplacements

Towed guns aren’t the only guns that infantry can operate.  There are old-school gun emplacements in buildings or a pre-built fortification on the field. These don’t require vehicles to operate, but still require man-power due to being cheaply designed.

Limitations: Emplacement guns are limited to one per squad, and must occupy a building hex or fortification hex, designated at the start of the game. 

Whether the gun has a fixed facing or is on a turret should also be established for each emplacement at the start of the game.

The infantry squad may have motorized or a mechanized transport assigned to it, in the building’s garage, no less, but to operate the gun, the squad must be deployed in the building and on the Gun’s elevation level. 

Rules: Other than the rules above, Gun emplacements follow all the standard rules for Towed Guns, as above.  They just happen to be inside a building, and will receive building protection per the standard building rules for armored units, and the modified Mechanized Infantry rules.

Turret emplacements have a full 360 firing arc.  Line of sight from the hex to the target is still an issue, but the design of the emplacement means the gun is able to turn to face any single target as needed, much like a tank during the weapons declaration part of the Weapon’s Fire Phase.

[Daemion]

Finally, some minor alteration suggestions:

1) Range Bands
I was toying with how to do the range bands, and wanted to emulate Aerospace range bands, so that's why I chose what I did.

However, if we want the SRM to be the go-to support weapon, we could tweak the bands to 3/6/9 for attacks against infantry squads.

2) Attacks Against Infantry - Revisited
The current set-up may be a little complicated or unsatisfactory for some people. (Wouldn't know since I have received no feedback from anyone here.) So, something a little more direct:

All attacks against infantry get to add their anti-infantry damage to the crit-check roll. This damage is determined by the Anti-Infantry Damage tables in Total Warfare.

Since most infantry rifles are going to be ballistic in nature and rapid-fire, I suggest that Infantry Squads versus other infantry squads get 1d6. Add the support weapon's AnI damage, if it's fired in conjunction with the squad at the same infantry target. Otherwise, the support weapon uses its own AnI damage if fired at a separate target squad.