FIGURE 11 V2

Introduction

Welcome to FIGURE 11 tactical small unit role playing and skirmish game. This set of rules depicts combat based around firearms from the first breech loaders of the 19th Century to near future weapons, with a liberal smattering of sword wielding stuff thrown in for those that want to be modern ninjas.

These rules were designed around using 20-28mm figures for combats, but work with most scales with adjustments, or no figures at all for RPG purists. These rules evolved over time from pure table top skirmish to RPG with each iteration and expansion to skills and traits. The technical information and variables have come from multiple sources such as HIS Janes as well as the personal experiences of those involved in late 20th early 21st Century combat, Counter Terrorism and trauma medicine. The rules stop short of full fledged simulation (although the word “simulate” is used liberally throughout!), but seek to offer a better - well, simulation – of modern combat than some existing RPG rule sets.

The System

The system does not use old fashioned Hit points like many of the more popular/available rules, but instead uses a more realistic hit location and damage method. This came about from earlier versions where players would charge into groups of enemies head on with a katana knowing they could survive with a couple of hit points left and then get “healed” after mopping up – not in the slightest bit realistic (just ask the widows of soldiers who won posthumous medals for that type of stuff).

The answer to this was a system first introduced to me by Mike Jones (veteran wargamer and multiple Derby micro modern world champion) back in the early/mid nineties. This uses a percentage dice to hit the target, followed by a D10 for the location (arms, body head etc) followed by a further D10 for the effect (flesh wound up to outright death). Off course, this system was quick and effective for skirmish games, but not so for RPG character progression! More on how that was addressed later within the rules.

The Rule Book

This rule set is divided up into the following sections:

Character generation – like all good RPG’s you need to roll that perfect start.

Skills and Traits – for customising your character so they are more than a grunt.Combat – the actual mechanics of the combat system.

Medical – the effects of the wounds players receive, how to heal them and deal with them and the effects of psychological trauma.

1

Movement – how fast and far you can move on foot, horse or vehicle.

Appendices – this contains various lists of equipment, weapon, ammo and generic enemies.

2

CORE RULES

GOLDEN RULE No1: The GM’s decision is FINAL!

GOLDEN RULE No2:Don’t be an arse – use common sense.

Having played a fair few RPG’s of differing types with different groups over the years the above rules need, in my experience, to be set in stone and abided by all players. A lot of the situations players will find themselves in will not be easily resolved with clear cut rules – common sense on the part of players and GM’s will be the only resolution. Rules Lawyers will not like this, but life is a grey area and rigid interpretation of what a player can and cannot do with the 5 second time frame of a tactical turn will result in frustration and a sense of unreality at the situation. This works both ways and Golden Rule No2 will affect the GM’s decisions far more than the players. Common sense and an ability to interpret the tactical situation and any limitations on players and NPC’s is absolutely essential with these rules as they act more as a set of guidelines rather than concrete rules of engagement.

Mini rant over – on with the rules.

3

CHARACTER GENERATION

For RPG play a player needs to generate a character taking into account several factors; what is the characters background? What will their role within the team be? What restrictions are there in the campaign world? How can I make my character über hard without annoying the GM too much? Some GM’s may elect to pre-generate characters for players instead.

Players should note that there are no “Classes” within this system – there is no benefit or penalty to designing a character to fulfil a niche role such as Medic (a Fantasy setting Priest or Healer) written into the rules. Any benefits or drawbacks of specialisation are purely down to the players’ choices of Skill and Traits and any limits placed on them by the GM or campaign setting.

No matter who generates the character (player or GM) the following steps should be adhered to:

Generate Primary Stats

Generate Derived Stats (Checks, Saves, Medical Stats, Combat Abilities, Skill Abilities)

Pick Skills in relevant Skill Sets and apply Skill Points

Pick Traits (optional according to GM)

Roll Luck Points (effectively re-rolls for whatever reason)

Roll or be assigned a Sequence (your activation order)

Purchase or receive equipment if any

4

Player Statistics

Like all good RPG’s players have a core number of primary statistics to consider at character generation that will go on to have a major affect on the player and their characters abilities and effectiveness. The base stats are:

Strength (ST) – physical strength for lifting, carrying or punchingPerception (PE) – all 5 senses and their use. The key stat for combat skillsIntelligence (IN) – how bright a character is, Albert Einstein or Hillbilly Redneck?Endurance (EN) – a characters energy level, stamina and physical hardinessMorale (MO) – how brave a character is - hero or coward?Character (CA) – handsome smooth talker or ugly bumbler?Reflex (RE) – how supple a character is and their reactions

All of these stats are used to derive skills, abilities, saves, checks and medical data. These stats DO NOT improve with level as other RPG systems do, a player is stuck with them unless a GM introduces a mechanic specific to a campaign or group (House Rules).

Character generation does not follow one set method. Many GM’s have their own favoured method for this that can result in either high powered super heroes, average Joes or weaklings that require a lot of attention and careful management. Whatever method is used the most versatile and enjoyable (not least to say survivable and useful) characters will have a majority of their stats at 13-20. There is no upper limit, but 20 is mathematically the best given the derived stats that follow and around 6 or 7 should really be the lowest so as not to bar a character from too many skills and traits. After all – the players are meant to be above average heroes, not riff raff. Below are some methods using random dice rolls, a points based system will be developed later.

Apply results in any order you wish or work along the line applying the result as they happen to each Stat.

Start with 10 + D10 points per primary Stat

Roll 2D10 per Stat

Roll 3D10 discard the lowest and add the remainder per Stat

Roll an 8th set as per one of the above and discard the least desirable applying the rest as you wish

Some GM’s may insist on at least 1 weak Stat, or allow rerolls if a character is too weak – that’s up to the GM, so basically do what your told!

Derived Statistics

5

Once the Primary Stats are resolved players must now do some simple arithmetic to get to the various principle derived stats used in the game. Some of these will again NOT change during a characters lifetime, but other will either improve by levelling, gaining Traits or even decrease due to game mechanics or GM evilness (Sanity being the main one for this!).

6

Checks

These are used when the player needs to make a check against a certain attribute, not a skill, or attempts to use a skill they are not trained in. These DO NOT increase per level, but CAN be improved with relevant Traits. The check name is followed by the Primary Stat(s) affecting them and the formula for the result. Apply standard arithmetic methods and do the stuff in brackets first.

Awareness PE x 5This is applied to situations when a player has to spot or locate something or someone such as a sneaking or concealed enemy or an object hidden among clutter.

Strength – ST x 5Applied when performing acts of brute strength such as lifting, carrying or smashing open a door.

Stamina – (4 x EN) + STApplied when a player is engaged in prolonged physical exertion, enduring elemental extremes or sprinting around the battlefield in full kit like a mad hare.

Initiative – (2 x RE) + PEThis is applied in a number of different situations such a acting out of sequence, preventing friendly fire or attempting to do something that is counter to natural instincts (such as pop out of cover when under suppressive fire).

Stealth – RE + PEThe ninja ghost ability.

Morale – 5 x MOA very important check that all players will have to do. Described in full later.

Enlightenment – 4 x INThis is applied when a player may need to know something or do some sort of intellectual task that is not covered by a Skill. It will also be used by players who lack a specific Mental Skill, but want to have a go anyway. It may also be used at the GM’s discretion to impart clues or advice to player who may lack the real life knowledge or experience to progress in a situation or they’re about to do something really stupid.

7

Saves

These are really quite important as they will often literally “save” a player from death or serious injury. These DO increase every level and can be further increased by selecting relevant Traits.

Resistance – 2 x ENThis is used when the player comes under internal physical attack from something such as poison, radiation or disease. It is not applied to external attacks, electric shock, fire or extremes of temperature.

Reflex – 2 x REThis Save is used when a player needs to dodge an attack or damage from explosions, collisions etc. Players will be required to/allowed to roll a Reflex Save under the following conditions with other instances described in the relevant later sections:

Dodge explosive fragments from the extreme limits of the blastTake cover from incoming barrage or suppressive fireThey set off a booby trapAvoid collision if drivingAvoid being run overWhen a timer initiated grenade lands close byTo avoid falling objectsTo pop out of cover when under suppressive fire (described later)Other situations where generous GM’s allow

Sanity – 2 x MOThis Save is applied under circumstances fully described later. This represents the players’ mental hardiness and ability to shrug off nerve shattering trauma or deal with horrific events and scenarios.

8

Medical Statistics

Each player has a character that is physically as well as mentally different from the next. Some may be able to soak up a lot of physical damage, but be mentally fragile or vice versa, others may be all round nails or weaklings. All bar one of the following Stats DO improved by levelling. The exception is Sanity – which will usually go down over the course of a campaign not up!

These stats are mostly lost on a temporary basis and are regained between encounters with rest and medical attention (see Medical Treatment later). Some can be regained during an encounter, such as stamina, simply by taking a breather. The exception is again Sanity, which is permanently lost.

Again apply the mathematical formula to get the correct number. Where no number is given it is simply 1 x the Primary Stat.

Flesh Wounds (FW) – ENThis represents the number of physical glancing hits, cuts, scrapes bumps and lumps a character can endure before succumbing to their accumulated wounds. It is kind of like Hit Points from other game systems, but works slightly differently. A Flesh Wound is the minimum damage result from standard combat and represents a bullet or fragment nicking the character and causing only superficial damage.

Once a player is reduced to 0 FW during a scenario or campaign they slip into unconsciousness and begin to die unless treated by a medic. Flesh Wounds are regained by resting and recovering between fights.

Flesh Wounds count against Morale checks, Combat Ability and some Skill Abilities. Flesh Wounds to the legs will effect movement.

Flesh Wounds may be treated in combat in which case the negative Morale effect will be removed, but other penalties will still apply.

Stun Points (SP) - ENThese represent the amount of punishment a character can take from non-lethal force such as punching or stun grenades as well as from blast damage or other situations in which the character has been “knocked about a bit”. Specific situations and weapons will have SP loss factored into their description and rules throughout the book. GM’s should use some common sense when applying this damage to characters in situations that warrant it.

Stun Points are regenerated at a rate of 1 per minute as long as the character is not being exerted or receiving further SP loss (in other words – sit quietly in the corner for a few minutes and get your senses back).

Unlike FW loss a character reduced to 0 SP will NOT start dying but will simply be unconscious until a random or preset period of time has passed (situation and cause dependant).

9

Stamina – (4 x EN) + STThis represents the amount of physical labour a character can perform or how much they can endure extreme elements. Full rules for Stamina is given in the Movement section.

Stamina is recovered at a rate of 1 per 10 minutes of rest or light activity.

Life Force (LF) – 2 x ENA very important Stat as this is the character count down to death! Life Force represents the overall physical (or even spiritual) energy of a character – their ability to hold on and not succumb to death from injury or disease. Life Force is drained whenever a player is rendered incapacitated through FW loss or receives a Major Wound AND remains untreated. It is also lost from life draining threats such as poison, disease or radiation.

In a battle situation Life Force will begin to count down toward 0 if a character is not treated successfully. Once the character reaches 0 they are dead and have only 12 turns (1 minute of time) to be revived with suitable equipment before they are permanently lost. Standard chest compression first aid will not suffice, only equipment such as that used by Paramedics and Doctors will do.

When subjected to disease, poison or radiation LF may be temporarily reduced (as with a virus such as the flu), gradually reduced (poison) or permanently removed (radiation poisoning – see Medical section).

Life force is recovered at different rates dependant on the situation that caused their loss:

1 per hour for disease or poison1 per 6 hours (4 per day) for wounds

Trauma Points (TP) – MOTrauma Points represent the amount of mental robustness a character has – how much horrific sights they can endure, how many times they can be blown up or shot before they eventually have enough and start to go a little mad or suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Trauma Points reflect the immediate situation, not the permanent long term effect (that’s Sanity, below) and are only temporarily lost.

The situations calling for TP loss will be described later either in relevant sections regarding the effects of weapons or in the Medical section.

Once a character is reduced to 0 TP they PERMANENTLY (sort of) loose 1 Sanity. Further loss of TP’s will result in the loss of 1 Sanity per 5 TP’s lost (so -3 Sanity if at -15 TP’s).

Trauma Points are recovered at a rate of 1 per hour if they retain more than 50% of their starting TP’s, or 1 per 2 hours if less than 50%.

10

Sanity – MOThis represents the long term mental robustness of a character – how much accumulated mental trauma or anguish they can sustain over a lifetime before they eventually have enough. Sanity is lost when a player is reduced to 0 TP’s as described above. GM’s may also directly apply Sanity loss if they believe it is warranted.

Sanity is regarded as being PERMANENTLY lost unless the player receives appropriate psychiatric help. Once a character reaches 0 Sanity they are retired – they have had enough and walk away, or do something drastic to themselves. Whatever the outcome it is effectively “game over” for that character – get rolling them dice for a new one!

Sanity may only be recovered by the help of a character or NPC with the Psychiatrist Skill. See Skills and the Medical section for the effectiveness.

11

Skill AbilitiesThese derived stats are used to get the baseline for non combat skills before applying Skill levels. They also represent the inherent ability of characters to perform Skills they are untrained in.

Physical (PH) – EN + STThis is used for physical or sporting activity related Skills such as climbing or swimming.

Perceptive (PE) – PE + REThis is used for Skills that use hand/eye coordination such as lock picking or sensory input such as tracking or driving.

Mental (ME) – 2 x INThis applies to Skills using mental ability or intelligence (most non combat or sporting Skills) such as science, technology or medical.

Character (CA) – 2 x CAThis applies to Skills that require interpersonal contact or a degree of charisma such as bartering, acting, singing or interrogation.

Combat AbilitiesThese are perhaps the most important of derived stats after medical conditions. This is a characters measure of effectiveness in combat from the use of guns and grenades to in your face knife fighting.

Ranged – 2 x PEThe use of weapons at a distance; from primitive bows and spears to modern firearms and futuristic ray guns. If it isn’t thrust into someone up close and personal it will be a ranged weapon.

Melee – PE + STUp close and personal. Whether with knifes, swords or a punch in the face. Full contact fighting!

Throw Distance – 2 x ST in metersThe distance a player may throw a weapon or small object such as a grenade, Molotov Cocktail or a knife. Distance greater than this can be achieved at a penalty of -1% per meter over this number to a maximum of 100m.

Melee Damage - +1 per complete 5 points of Strength (ST)This is applied to damage from melee weapons, NOT unarmed attacks.

12

Skill SetsFigure 11 breaks from most conventional RPG’s not just in its combat system, but also in its allocation of Skills to players. Many systems will present the player with a list of Skills they may choose and the player customises the character accordingly (including this system). However, some of these systems can result in characters that are a little one dimensional – all combat oriented or the weedy non combatant scientist that has to be carried by the team. That’s fine in some scenarios or for Hollywood style games, but doesn’t really represent reality too well. This system therefore has 3 distinct Skill Sets that each player will be allowed to choose Skills from. This still allows characters to be specialists as per other systems by applying higher numbers to relevant Primary Stats. But it means that they do not have to forgo useful combat skills for mental ones or vice versa. Skills are listed later.

There are 3 Skill Sets:

Combat Skills – shooting, stabbing, blowing up and combat associated skills such as Demolitions, booby Traps or Armourer.

Physical and Sporting Skills – swimming, climbing, parachuting or horse riding stuff. Skills that involve physical ability or sporting aptitude rather than mental ability (so Jock stuff to use an Americanism).

Other Skills – Everything else. Includes scientific, medical, driving, mechanical, technical and artistic Skills.

Starting SkillsWithin each Skill Set the player may choose a number of Skills.

Combat Skills – Half their Perception Primary Stat rounded upPhysical/Sporting – Half their Strength Primary Stat rounded upOthers – Their full Intelligence Stat.

Once Skills have been chosen then the player applies both the Skill or Combat Ability baseline and a number of Skill Points to the Skill. Skill Points are allocated as:

Combat Skills – Full Perception Primary StatPhysical/Sporting Skills – Full Strength Primary StatOthers – Full Intelligence Primary Stat

A MAXIMUM of 5% can be added per Skill.TraitsTraits represent a greater degree of customisation and can simulate improved capabilities, better training or greater affinity for certain Skills, Abilities or other derived stats. How many Traits a player can choose at start up is down to the GM. But both the GM and players must be aware that there are one or two Traits that

13

can ONLY be taken at start up unless the GM is happy to devise a local mechanic for a character to adopt them (such as Ambidexterity).

There are also some negative Traits listed should GM’s and/or players agree to include them or wish to use a points based system for selecting them.

For a decent starting character one to two Traits are generally useful at the start. More tends to make the characters a little overpowered, but it’s down to the group or the GM to decide. Traits are listed after the Skills.

14

Luck Points (LP)Due to the radically different approach to combat resolution in Figure 11 it is necessary to include a mechanic that prevents players loosing their characters on a regular basis or developing an overly cautious nature. After all this is a game and the players are meant to represent the great heroes who overcome adversity (or just become murdering thugs if that’s what they want). To represent this Hollywood Hero approach each player is given a random number of Luck Points.

What is a Luck Point? Effectively it is a reroll either for the player or the GM. Players may elect to use them to reroll the dice to succeed in hitting an enemy or passing a Skill Check that ordinarily they should have passed, but the dice gods deserted them. For example:

Tom needs to roll 85% or less to hit the big bad guy with the RPG-7 that’s about to blow up the teams vehicle. But he fails and rolls 90%, allowing the baddy to live and get a game changing shot off! He elects instead to use up a LP and reroll the dice and gets 35% - a hit. Everyone is happy as they are not now about to die in a horrendous explosion.

Players may also elect to force the GM to reroll a successful attack or damage roll to save themselves. For example:

Maggie has been shot by a little scrotebag with an AK-47 from long range in the dark. A shot that required the GM to roll 05% or less. Maggie is a bit miffed so forces the GM to reroll and he fails. Thus Maggie is not shot by the scrotebag.

Sometimes though it makes sense to allow the GM to actually score a hit. For instance the above scrotebag was only 20m away and needing 80% or less to hit. Maggie could use up all her luck points forcing reroll after reroll and still get hit. So instead she accepts it and waits to force a reroll on the result:

The GM rolls for the hit location as per the combat system and rolls a 0 – the Head! Poor Maggie has no head protection so is facing being hit with a +3 modifier to the damage in the face. She uses a LP and forces a reroll for a result of 2 – the Left Leg. Maggie knows she can’t be killed by this so she accepts it as the best result. Finally Maggie can also force a reroll if the actual damage result was high, hoping to reduce it to a FW – a mostly inconsequential result for her.

Once a player has elected to allow the GM to roll his dice for the next phase of combat resolution there is no going back. Players cannot force a To Hit reroll if the GM is rolling for the location, nor a location reroll if he is rolling for damage.

Once used a LP is permanently lost. There is no limit to how many LP’s a player may burn at any time, but once they reach 0 then they are “shit outta luck” and can’t use anymore.

15

Luck Points are gained on level up and can be accumulated from level to level.

At character generation players should roll 1D10 for their LP’s unless the GM is feeling generous and allows more. Characters with the Lucky Bastard Trait can generate the extra LPs at the start.

Sequence NumberThis represents the order in which players act. Whilst in reality things will be happening all at once, this can make gaming a messy and confusing affair for humans to keep track of. Therefore all players and NPC’s will have a Sequence Number randomly generated at the start and only improved on by a specific Trait.

Players should roll a D20 to get their sequence number.

Or

Roll a D10 as this will ensure all players act before the vast majority of likely adversaries.

Characters with the Fast Reactions Trait can skip this part as they have a Sequence of 1.

16

Experience and Levelling

ExperienceAs players progress they will accumulate experience points (XP) from successful missions, kills, Skill uses or other situations the GM may reward them for. Once a characters’ XP reaches a threshold then the player may level up the character.

For long term campaigns the following is recommended:

Level 2 1000 11 55,0003 3000 12 66,0004 6000 13 78,0005 10,000 14 91,0006 15,000 15 105,0007 21,000 16 120,0008 28,000 17 136,0009 36,000 18 153,00010 45,000 19 171,000

Then +20,000 per level there after.

For faster campaigns then a simple 1000 XP per level system would work well. Off course the GM and players are free to adopt their own system and levelling speed.

Generally it is best practice to calculate the accumulated XP from kills during a mission and divide evenly among the team. This prevents specialist such as medics from lagging behind or letting the sustained fire machine gunner sprint off ahead.

Players should be rewarded individual XP for successful Skill use or good RP’ing.

It is also recommended that the team be allocated a set number of XP for completion of missions and tasks.

17

LevelingWhatever method or speed is used characters should eventually proceed to the next level and apply the following:

Full Perception Primary Stat to Combat Skills at a maximum 5% per Skill

Full Strength Primary Stat to Physical/Sporting Skills at a maximum 5% per Skill

Full Intelligence Primary Stat to Other Skills at a maximum of 5% per Skill

Or

Spend 10 Skill points in the relevant Skill Set for a new Skill provided the GM agrees it is possible to do so (no learning to fly helicopters between missions set in a cave complex you haven’t left!). This Skill starts at 0, but can have the 5% added immediately

Roll 1D10 LP’s

Spend 3 points in any combination on Resistance, Reflex and Sanity Saves

Gain +1 to: Flesh Wounds, Stun Points, Stamina, Life Force and Trauma Points Medical Stats

Gain a new Trait if the agreed upon level is reached (recommended every level divisible by 3, but can be faster or slower)

18

ATTAINABLE SKILLS

Skills in Figure 11 are broken down into 3 Skill Sets that all players, regardless of any attempt at specialisation, have access to. Combat skills are mostly used within the combat system and are modified accordingly. Medical Skills have their own section dealing with their application in combat and non combat situations. All other Skills are dealt with using a Degree of Difficulty system described later.

The following is a list of all the Skills for Figure 11. It is as comprehensive as possible without making it a 200 page document listing everything possible by humans. If something is missing that is useful in a campaign setting, then go ahead and add it. Skills that are written in italics do not require a baseline and Skill Points adding – they are innate skills that can be learned and used without needing constant practice. Some Skills require a prerequisite in the form of another parent Skill or a character requirement such as a sufficient Morale or Strength Primary Stat.

Each Skill has an assigned Baseline Ability:

RA Ranged Combat AbilityML Melee Combat AbilityME Mental Skill AbilityPH Physical Skill AbilityPE Perceptive Skill AbilityCA Character Skill AbilityMO Morale Check required instead of Skill Check (for certain Physical and Sporting Skills that require an element of bravery)

A characters total Skill is a factor of both the Skill Ability assigned to it and the Skill Points spent per level. This total CANNOT exceed 100% for a character.

Acquiring new Skills can be done either by “buying” the Skill as per level up, or by having a suitably experienced player character teach it over a period of time. To teach a Skill to another player, the teacher must have a minimum Skill of 50% to start. The players must also have suitable conditions to begin instruction, such as not being in constant action, on the run or stuck up a mountain when trying to teach flying or driving Skills. There is no list as to how long it will take to teach – this will have to be agreed between players and the GM. Once conditions are met and a suitable period has passed the teacher must pass a modified Skill Check and the pupil must pass a modified Enlightenment Check to succeed. The pupil must also have the Skill requirements before training can begin (not having a high enough Intelligence may prevent someone learning Astrophysics!).

19

Combat Skills

Ranged

Pistol (RA)The use of short barrel weapons such as revolvers, semi-automatic pistols or small machine pistols like the Micro Uzi or Skorpion.

Long Barrel Weapon (RA)The use of fire arms such as rifles, sub machine guns and shotguns. This skill covers the majority of fire arms, but does not include sustained fire machine guns such us the PKM or Browning M2.

Sustained Fire Machine Guns (RA)SFMG’s are weapons designed to fire sustained bursts at area targets and are usually mounted on bipods, tripods or vehicle mounts. This includes weapons such as the Bren, MG42, M60, PKM or Browning M2. Long Barrel Weapons such as the H&K G36 assault rifle converted into a light support weapon would switch to this Skill.

Sniper Req: Character Level 3, Long Barrel Weapons 50%This Skill allows characters to perform deliberate aimed shots at specific parts of the body and use aimed shots in situations not normally allowed. Snipers may:

Aim at specific body parts (Head, Body, Arms, Legs)Aim at the Heart and cause instant death at -20% To HitSelect the part of a vehicle they wish to hit if visibleTarget visible crew members of a vehicleIgnore Morale Checks to perform Deliberate Aimed ShotsImprove the Target Profile of objects by +5 (see Target Profile later)

To engage targets as a Sniper the character must meet the following criteria:

No enemies with Point Blank RangeEngaging targets beyond Point Blank RangeBe using a weapon classed as Sniper, or have suitable opticsWeapon must be a Long Barrel Weapon or Pistol

Clearance Drills (RA)Req: Long Barrel Weapon OR Pistol 50%This Skill may only be utilised with the appropriate requirement Skill it was achieved with, or both if the character has both at 50%.This Skill emulates the tactics and drills carried out by SF or police units in hostage rescue or building clearances. These personnel are trained to move in a fashion that allows them to keep a weapon in an aiming position as they move through the building, giving them a greater degree of accuracy and faster responses to threats. Characters with this Skill may do the following under certain circumstances:

20

If moving at a walk they may Rough Aim without a Morale Check at any timeIf stationary they may Deliberately Aim provided they are not under fire unless they have passed a Morale Check

This Skill may only be utilised in a building or confined space. Only pistols, sub machine guns, shotguns, carbines and non sniper rifles may be used.

Grenade (RA)This covers hand held and thrown weapons such as Fragmentation Grenades, Molotovs and thrown satchel charges.

Grenade Launcher (RA)All forms of grenade launcher from rifle grenades, under slung M203 types to tripod mounted Automatic Grenade Launchers. Does NOT include weapons designated as Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG’s) – these are included as Rocket Launchers.

Rocket Launcher (RA)This includes a variety of weapons from old fashioned WW2 Bazookas to modern RPG-7 and Carl Gustav type weapons. These weapons are fire and forget unguided projectiles, generally anti vehicle or anti structure in nature.

Guided Weapons (RA)This is all forms of operator guided GROUND fired weaponry such as AT-3 SAGGER, Milan or TOW Anti Tank Guided Weapons and Man Portable Air Defence Weapons such as Stinger or SA-7. This also includes such weapons being fired from vehicles.

AFV Weapons (RA)Big shooty tank guns!! This Skill relates to unguided weaponry on armoured fighting vehicles such as 120mm tank guns and co-axial machineguns. It does NOT relate to SFMG’s or other weapons mounted on vehicle cupolas, hatches or other such mounts, nor to assault rifles fired from firing ports. Think “tank guns”.

Mortar (RA)The use of mortars from small Commando Mortars up to large 120mm or 160mm pieces. This does NOT include dedicated vehicle mounted weapons of any calibre such as Russian 2S20, but DOES include normal infantry weapons mounted in a vehicle firing out of an open hatch (like the M106) or on the flatbed of a soft skin vehicle.

AAA (RA)Anti Aircraft Artillery. This is for all manually aimed and operated systems such as the ZU-23, ZPU-4 or S-60. These systems are usually towed or mounted on the flatbed of a vehicle. Radar guided systems mounted on vehicles such the Gepard or ZSU-23-4 should use AFV Weapons Skill instead.

Field Artillery (RA)

21

BIG BOOOOM! This covers all field artillery pieces (guns, rockets and ballistic missiles) mounted on either carriages or vehicles. Dedicated vehicle mounted mortars will also use this Skill.

Air Launched Weapons (RA)This includes everything fired, dropped or launched from an aircraft with the exception of door mounted SFMG’s or troops shooting out.

Primitive Ranged (RA)All old fashioned pre gunpowder weaponry such as bows, javelins, slings and darts.

Flamethrower (RA)Burny burny stuff. All man portable flame projecting weapons of traditional ball of fire type. Some weapons characterised as flamethrowers are instead treated as rocket launchers as they use a thermobaric warhead on a projectile. Use common sense when interpreting the description and method of use for these weapons when applying the correct Skill.

Forward Observer (ME) Req: PE15+, Mortar OR Field Artillery 40%The ability to direct accurate artillery or mortar fire onto a target via communications to the firer/battery. When using a Forward Controller it is the FC’s Mortar or Field Artillery Skill that is applied To Hit, not the weapon handler. However, the weapon handler should roll a %D against their Skill with the weapon in case of idiotic failure (00)! GM’s should feel free to punish such failure with a breach explosion if they are in an evil mood!

Ground Controller (ME)Req: PE15+Very similar to the Forward Controller above, but used to guide air delivered weapons onto the target. Pilots need not roll a Skill check to drop the weapon because they are ACE!! And never get it wrong!

Melee

Knife Fighting (ML)This is the use of small bladed weapons from folding pen knifes through dedicated Fairbairn Sykes Fighting knifes to 6” Bowie knifes. Anything bigger is a sword. Crucially this also includes the use of bayonets when fitted to a weapon.

Primitive Melee (ML)This includes every up close and personal stick-‘em or hit-‘em type weapon used by classic knights, swashbucklers or dirty medieval peasants. All bladed weapons larger than 6” or described as a sword are counted as primitive melee weapons. This also includes modern weaponry such as riot batons, baseball bats or chainsaws! Also includes the use of shields whether old fashioned or modern riot shields.

Unarmed (ML)

22

Fisticuffs and Ninja Karate stuff. Can also include the use of knuckle dusters as these require the assailant to land a punch. Characters attempting to use Unarmed without having selected the Skill, DO NOT suffer the -50% untrained penalty.

Dual Weapons (ML)Req: Knife 40% OR Primitive Melee 40%The ability to wield suitable weapons in each hand (SUITABLE! Not 2 great big pikes or 2 chainsaws!). Weapons held in the off hand suffer a -25% penalty instead of -50%, unless coupled with the Ambidexterity Trait for no penalty.

Combat Support

Booby Traps (PE)This Skill covers the ability to set and disarm all forms of booby traps from springing branches and spike lined pits up to more modern Improvised Explosive Devices.

Explosive Ordinance Disposal (PE)Req: Morale 15+ AND PE15+Bomb disposal. All forms of explosive devices from unexploded ordnance through landmines to IED’s. Morale and Perception Primary Stats requirements are deliberately steep as these people have to be not only insanely brave but have very good hand eye coordination.

Demolitions (ME)The (careful) setting and triggering of explosives to destroy or damage a building or structure. Does NOT include attempts to do so with weaponry.

Armourer Modern (ME)The repair and maintenance of modern fire arms from pistols through assault rifles to SFMG’s. This includes most infantry man portable weaponry, but not mortars, guided weapons and rocket launchers.

Armourer Heavy Weapons (ME)Req: Armourer ModernThe repair and maintenance of support and heavy weapons such as mortars, rocket launchers, AAA guns and AFV mounted main weapons.

Armourer Guided (ME)Req: Armourer ModernThe maintenance of all sophisticated operator guided or fire and forget homing weapons.

Armourer Air Ordnance (ME)Req: Armourer ModernBombs and rockets from airyplanes. I’m not quite sure about the Mental Skill Ability given some of the RAF armourers I’ve met over the years though!

23

Armourer Primitive (PH)Old fashioned weapon maintenance. Includes all weapons listed as primitive melee or ranged as well as all forms of knifes. Modern chainsaws NOT included! You need a mechanic for them.

Swordsmith (PH)Req: Armourer Primitive AND Blacksmith 40%The ability to make swords and simple melee weapons such as halberds and axes. For simplicity can also include the manufacture of primitive ranged weaponry such as bows and javelins and fletching (arrow making). GM’s are free to separate ranged weapons into crafting Skills in their own right.

There is no comprehensive list of how difficult the manufacture of each type of weapon is as this could take up several pages and detracts from the principle thrust of the game – shooting stuff and blowing crap up! Hence the lack of requirement to put SP’s into this Skill.

Tactics (ME)The knowledge of small unit tactics as they relate to squad or troop level engagements. This Skill is really designed for GM’s to aid groups that may have little to no experience of real combat (most wargamers and RPGers then!) and prevent them from making silly mistakes that real soldiers would not commit which could cost them and/or the team dearly. For example:

George notices 3 enemies moving off to their left toward a wall that runs parallel to the group’s position. He declares he sees the enemy scarpering and thinks they have won the encounter. The GM tells George to roll a Tactics Skill Check (George has Tactics 70%) which he passes. The GM informs George that, no, they are not scarpering, they are flanking the team and are about to mow them down with the SFMG they are carrying!

Off course if George failed, then the GM can leave the team blissfully unaware of impending doom!

Tactics can also be used to cover non military specific situations such as police riot control or even older style combat such as that used by Romans.

24

Physical and Sporting Skills

Skills listed as having (MO) instead of a Skill Ability do not require Skill Checks, but do require a successful Morale Check. This is primarily for things such as parachuting which require a higher degree of bravery than normal to do, but little in the way of physical or mental prowess. The Morale check should not receive negative modifiers unless a character has a Negative Trait applied to them.

Swimming (PH)Swimming –what else?

Scuba Diving (PH)Going underwater with air on your back to look at pretty fish and sunken ships. This is standard Sports Diver stuff using normal compressed air up to a depth of 50m.

Advanced Diver (PH)Req: Scuba Diving 50%A bit more advanced than normal diving, this includes the use of exotic mixtures and rebreathers and diving to a depth of 100m.

Commercial Diver (PH)Req: Advanced Diver MO10+Going down deeeeeep. Using commercial diving equipment to any depth, including liquid breathing systems and hard shell suits.

Rock Climbing (PH)Req: ST8+Spiderman stuff up cliff faces and tall buildings.

Abseiling (MO)Req: MO8+Getting down from high places quickly using a rope system. Does not need to be taken for characters to fast rope from a helicopter.

Parachuting (MO)Req: MO11+Jumping from a perfectly good aircraft into the sky and relying on a piece of silk or canvas preventing you from smacking into the ground in a terminally painful way. Idiocy. This only includes static line drops of the type used by Paratroopers. Can be used by characters to bail out of a stricken aircraft.

Freefall Parachuting (MO)Req: Parachuting, MO13+Jump out of an aircraft, fall a fair way, then open your parachute. Complete idiocy.

HALO (MO)Req: Freefall Parachuting, MO15+

25

NOT the console game. This is High Altitude Low Opening parachuting used by Special Forces, Pathfinders and seriously insane sportsmen. Jump from an aircraft that is REALY high (30,000’ and up!), fall a seriously loooooooong way down before eventually opening you parachute. Words fail me. Used for covert insertion from high flying aircraft as nobody would believe anyone could jump from that height willingly.

Skiing (PH)Req: EN8+Strap 2 pieces of wood to your feet and glide along the snow. Great fun! Covers downhill and Nordic types of skiing.

Skateboarding/Snowboarding (PE)Well DUH! Dude.

Surfboarding (PH)Annoying California beach bum accent optional.

Rollerblading (PH)Ice skating without ice.

Ice Skating (PH)Can be ice hockey style, speed skating or poncy dancing. Who cares as nobody will take this as a serious Skill anyway. Except ice dancing assassins.

Hanglider (PE)Req: RE12+Flying a flimsy unmotorised triangular piece of cloth. Can also include Microlites once a character reaches 50%

Horse Riding (PE)Horse. Riding.

Kayaking (PH)Operating small paddle boats from glass fibre kayaks to big Polynesian War Canoes.

Racquet Sports (PH)Bat and ball games like tennis or squash.

Waggoner/Charioteer (PH)Operating horse or other animal drawn conveyances, whether a cowboy style wagon, stagecoach, Roman chariot or competition pony and trap. Can be quite useful in settings with no or little access to motorised vehicles. Includes dog sledding. But not dolphin pulled canoes as that’s stupid.

Cycling (PH)Riding a bike.

26

Parkour (PH)Req: EN 10+ AND RE10+The sport of running and jumping around the urban environment and inside big industrial buildings when being chased by the Hero. Like in newer Bond movies.

Athletics (PH)Req: ST10+ AND EN10+Field and track stuff from sprinting to discuss and hurdling. Can be useful in the battlefield if a character wants to jump an obstacle cleanly whilst spitting lead from their Uzi 9 Milimeetaah.

27

Other Skills

These Skills cover a very wide range and are broken down into rough areas. Should a Skill not be represented that a player or GM wishes to include in a campaign – make it up.

Medical Skills

For a full run down on how and when to apply these Skills, see the Medical Section later. These Skills concentrate primarily on those that would be used or required in combat settings. A couple more are added for campaign flavour but many, such as Nurse, Anaesthetist and Dentist are left out as the list could become quite extensive. GM’s and players should reach mutual agreement on inclusion and use of any medical Skill not listed.

First Aid (ME)Dressing wounds and saving lives. This is entry level First Aid of the type taught for the workplace among civilians or basic annual training given to military personnel.

Doctor (ME)Req: In15+Baseline Skill for those who graduate medical school and go on to become doctors, whether general practitioners or specialists. Within the concept of this game it refers to a GP. Characters can become other forms of specialist, but must agree the form and use with the GM.

Paramedic (ME)Req: First Aid 50% AND IN10+As First Aid, but a lot more involved and capable. This covers the civilian Paramedics that respond to emergency calls, the level of training for Fire and Rescue personnel and that given to military Team Medics and Regimental Medics.

Trauma Specialist (ME)Req: Paramedic AND DoctorA Paramedic on steroids. The type who spends most of their time treating body trauma instead of heart attacks, strokes etc.

Field Surgeon (ME)Req: Doctor 60%These are the highly qualified and worshipped doctors that will patch you up in a field hospital or the back of a helicopter on your way out of the battlefield. Gods of Trauma Medicine.

Paediatrician (ME)Req: DoctorPregnant women, babies and small children.

Neurologist (ME)Req: Doctor AND RE16+ AND PE16+

28

Brain surgeons.

Vet (ME)Req: IN15+Horse doctor.

Psychiatrist (ME)Req: IN15+Shrinks, analysts and quacks. These are the mental health people once dismissed by the military as irrelevant, but actually extremely useful and up there with the people who patch up your physical body as Gods of Healing.

Psychiatrists are used within the game system to treat mental trauma and PTSD. This may prevent the character from going wibble and extending their game life.

29

Scientific and Academical

Chemist (ME)Req: IN12+Bunsen burners and mixing potions that go bang. Useful for making illegal narcotics and dodgy substances.

Physics (ME)Req: In14+The study of the universe and what makes it tick. Einstein and Newton.

Quantum Physics (ME)Req: Physics 30% AND IN16+More involved brain bursting physics stuff like quarks and Higgs Boson thingies.

High Energy/Particle Physics (ME)Req: Physics 40% AND IN16+Or maybe this is the Higgs Boson stuff? I don’t know I is thick innit! In the game this is useful for energy weapons (lasers) if they are included. A character with 50% in this Skill may design and build energy weapons, but must also have, or work with someone who has, Armourer Energy Weapons.

Astrophysics (ME)Req: Physics 30% AND IN14+Stars and planets and navigating between them. Includes Astronomy, but NOT astrology – that’s different.

Biology (ME)Req IN12+The study of living stuff. Although it’s usually dead by the time biologists start poking and prodding and cutting bits off.

Genetics (ME)Req: Biology 40% AND IN14+The study and understanding of the genetic codes of all living things. Character with Genetics may do the following if the GM and game setting allow:

50% may begin to synthesis some genetic sequences80% may begin to start cloning things (Attack!)100%may design radically new beings from scratch (Flying Monkeys!!)

Virology (ME)The study of viruses and diseases. Characters with 75% may begin to create synthetic viruses (Zombie Plague Virus!!!!) if allowed.

Xenobiology (ME)The study of non earth life forms (Martians).

Geology (ME)

30

The study of rocks and volcanoes etc.

Environmental Sciences (ME)Pollution, ecology, biospheres etc. Greenpeace climate change hippy crap that every real person knows doesn’t exist – now where did I park my kayak?

Zoology (ME)The study of animals and animal behaviour. David Attenborough stuff, not vets.

Cryptozoology (ME)The study of non existent, mythological or folk tale creatures such as Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster or a decent politician.

Marine Biology (ME)Fish. Favourite fake profession of 90’s military personnel trying to chat up pretty women in Suffolk pubs (or was that just me and my mates?).

Historian (ME)A knowledge of history – that which has come to pass.

Archaeology (ME)Req: A trowel and paint brushDigging up broken pots and old bones. Or the Ark of the Covenant under the noses of Nazi thugs. Fedora and bullwhip not included.

Geography (ME)Req: A tweed jacketThe study and understanding of terrain, human and natural landscapes, weather patterns, demographics etc.

Cartography (PE)Drawing maps and charts. NOT map reading – that’s Navigation.

Knowledge (ME)Req: Narrowed down to specific topicThis is a catch all Skill that should be narrowed down to a specific campaign or campaign world topic that is not already covered elsewhere. Examples:

Knowledge – Religion (covering real world or fantasy pantheons and cults)Knowledge – Local HeraldryKnowledge – Gangs (covering the campaign gangs, their leaders and modus

operandi)Knowledge – Local Entertainment (Pubs, restaurants, strip clubs etc)

Engineering and Technical

Structural Engineering (ME)

31

The understanding of how buildings and bridges etc are built and stay built until someone decides they shouldn’t. This skill when coupled with Demolitions should result in a greater chance of success in demolishing something.

Communications (ME)The use and maintenance of modern communications equipment including all forms of radio, landlines, mobile networks, laser comms and sat comms. Does NOT include computers and internet stuff – that’s Information Technology.

Information Technology (ME)The use, maintenance and construction of IT equipment from desk top PC’s to tablets and laptops. This skill is NOT required to use basic functionality like most ordinary people. It is intended to represent the level of skill and knowledge the IT experts have, whether the Help Desk types or evil hacker geniuses.

Electronics (ME)The building and repair of electronic equipment other than comms or IT. Mostly relevant to 20th century technology like CRT TV’s, video recorders, remote control devices etc. Can provide useful to those with Booby Traps when building IED’s.

Robotics (ME)Designing and constructing robotic devices from simple toys, through modern counter IED equipment to futuristic T-1000 death machines. Character with Robotics are limited to:

20 - 49% - simple autonomous units50 – 74% - Sophisticated autonomous units that may mimic humans or

animals75%+ - Full on human appearance androids

Artificial Intelligence (ME)Req: IN15+The design of computer programs with the ability to think for themselves and possibly adapt the way humans do. Characters with this Skill may:

20 – 49% - Design limited programs capable of beating a chess grand master, holding a conversation with an unsuspecting human or discriminating potential targets if hooked up to an autonomous weapon system50 – 74% - Design programs that can carry out unsupervised the multi tasking capabilities of low IQ humans such as politicians75%+ - Design programs of the Lt Cdr DATA or SKYNET variety

Electrician (ME)Domestic electrical systems like in your house.

Builder (ME)Catch all skill that covers everything from brick laying to plastering and roofing.

Handyman (PH)

32

Putting up shelves. Badly.

Craft (PE or ME or PH)Req: Narrowed down t a specific craftLike Knowledge this is a catch all Skill for those that are not specifically covered. Examples are:

Draper – CurtainsMilner – HatsFletcher – ArrowsTailor – Suits you sir!

33

Transportation

Driver (PE)Basic driving of cars and 4 wheel drive vehicles.

Driver Heavy (PE)Req: DriverDriving trucks and buses. Can also include wheeled AFV’s such as the BTR-80.

Driver Tracked (PE)Req: DriverAnything with caterpillar tracks from diggers to tanks.

Motorcyclist (PE)Motorbikes, trikes and quads.

Air Cushioned Vehicles (PE)Hovercraft.

Pilot Glider (PE)Un-motorised aircraft. Can cover sport gliders or airborne assault gliders.

Pilot Light Aircraft (PE)The flying of light single or twin prop engine aircraft from the Sopwith Camel, through Spitfires to Cessna utility aircraft. Must be propeller driven.

Pilot Multi Engine (PE)Req: Pilot LightAs above but with more than one engine and a little heavier. This can include business jets of the Gulfstream variety or propeller aircraft such as the Douglas Dakota.

Pilot Heavy Lift (PE)Req: Pilot Multi EngineHeavy passenger aircraft such as Airbus or Boeing jets and heavy military combat aircraft such as the B-52 or Lancaster bomber.

Pilot Fast Jet (PE)Req: Pilot Light IN15+ AND RE18+Piloting fast combat aircraft such as F-16 and Tornado. This does NOT include heavy bomber aircraft such as the B-52 or BLACKJACK.

Pilot VTOL (PE)Req: Pilot Fast Jet 60%+Piloting Vertical Take Off and Landing combat jets such as the Harrier or F-35. This may also include futuristic aircraft capable of VTOL. Does NOT include helicopters and aircraft such as the V-22 Osprey.

Pilot Rotary Wing (PE)

34

Req: Pilot Light 30% RE16+Flying helicopters of all shapes and sizes. Includes tilt rotor aircraft such as the V-22 Osprey.

Pilot Remotely Piloted Air Systems (PE)Flying remote control robots of death like the Reaper and Predator drones. Does NOT require full Pilot Light Skill to start.

Pilot Spacecraft (PE)Craft that fly in space. The GM should look at the campaign setting and whether space pilots would require any of the previously listed Pilot Skills before getting this. For example a 20th century NASA shuttle pilot would be Pilot Fast Jet and/or Pilot Multi Engine, but far future pilots may never have flown in atmosphere.

Small Boats (PE)Operating small engine or oar powered boats such as rubber dingy, skiffs or ships launches and competition speedboats. Can also include jet skis.

Helmsman (PE)The steering of large engine powered boats and ships from luxury yachts to supertankers and aircraft carriers.

Planesman (PE)Controlling submersibles, whether small one man, remotely piloted vehicles or huge nuclear attack boats.

Yachtsman (PE)All wind powered boats and ships from one man dinghies to three mast schooners. Can include those funky wheeled land yachts people zip around the beach on.

Mechanic (ME)Maintaining and repairing all forms of ground vehicle engines. May attempt to fix air or marine engines, but will have a penalty for sophisticated systems unless they specialise.

Marine Engineer (ME)Req: Mechanic 40%+Ship and boat engines. Uses base Mechanic Skill, but without penalty for marine engines.

Aircraft Engineer (ME)Req: Mechanic 40% AND IN12+Looking after aircraft engines, airframes, rigging and hydraulics. Uses base Mechanic Skill but without penalty for aircraft.

Avionics (ME)Req: IN14+The maintenance and repair of aircraft electronic equipment such as radars, fly by wire systems and electronic counter measures.

35

Intelligence Support

Intelligence Operator (ME)Req: IN15+The understanding and practice of intelligence collation and analysis from a military perspective. Characters may use this Skill to draw hints and clues from the GM, or simply to understand captured enemy documents, maps etc.

Imagery Analyst (ME)Req: Intelligence OperatorThe analysis of all forms of imagery for intelligence purposes, whether old fashioned tactical recce, hand held or UAV video footage. Uses Intelligence Operator base Skill for checks.

Digital Manipulation (ME)Mucking around with photographs to reveal hidden information or provide a false truth (like airbrushing haggard old Hollywood actresses to make them look 18 again).

Spycraft (ME)The understanding of the type of tactics and procedures a spy utilises such as dead drops, surveillance and counter surveillance.

Interrogation (CA)Getting information out of the prisoner either by beating the crap out if him, using electric shock or waterboarding etc.

Advanced Interrogation (CA)Req: PE14+ AND Interrogation 40%A bit more subtle and advanced than just beating information out of people. This also includes the ability to tell if someone is lying or evading just by observing facial reactions, behaviour and biometrics.

Cryptology (ME)Req: IN18+Code breaking and code making. Big brained mathematical or Times Crossword stuff.

Linguist (ME)Req: Specified language or languagesSpeaking a non native foreign tongue. Lower Skill levels would be the equivalent of tourist level (shouting loudly and slowly in English with “o”s tacked on for Spanish). Medium Skill level would be conversational and higher Skill level would be full on native speaker with regional accent ability.

Criminal, Police and Judicial

Illegal Entry (PE)

36

This covers lock picking, safecracking, car theft and other bank job/jewel heist activity. This does NOT cover laser grids, IR detectors or CCTV systems, that is Security Systems.

Security Systems (ME)This covers the knowledge and practicalities of modern security systems such as cameras, detectors, laser trip wires, motion sensors and funky biometric locking systems. Does NOT cover old fashioned mechanical locks.

Forgery (ME)Making false documents and records. Can cover fake money, but NOT art works unless coupled with an Artistic Skill.

Forensics (ME)Req: IN15+The gathering and understanding of evidence from crime scenes in order to catch a culprit or solve a mystery. There may be a need to couple this Skill with a suitable science Skill such as Genetics for DNA evidence or Chemistry for bomb chemical signatures.

Law Practice (ME)Req: In15+ AND CA12+The knowledge and practice of law in the courts system. A character with 80% Skill may become a judge.

Law Knowledge (ME)The level of knowledge and understanding of a nations or regions laws that a police officer or similar law enforcer has. Knowing what is legal and what is not, without having to argue the point in court.

Interpersonal

Intimidation (CA OR PH)This is the ability to bully or coerce someone into doing something against their will. This is achieved by THREATNING the victim in some way. If sweet talking is preferred, then use the Persuasion Skill instead.

Persuasion (CA)Being able to sweet talk or bribe someone into doing your bidding. Would be non threatening.

Diplomacy (CA)The smarmy charm of international diplomats and statesmen. Also includes the understanding of when a veiled or naked threat should be issued instead of arse kissing. A little bit of tact and diplomacy is relevant in all levels of society.

Barter (CA)

37

Whether it is haggling over cash discounts in a tourist market or swapping recovered 9mm pistols and rounds for a semi new AK-47, this covers it. This is the default economic Skill for Figure 11.

Machiavelli (CA)This Skill covers the ability to lie and cheat without being noticed or caught out. It should really have been called Politician, but hey.

Artistic

Artist (PE)This Skill covers all forms of visual art from cave paintings, through the Old Masters to modern Turner Prize incomprehensible crap. No need to take this to do colouring books. Must be used in conjunction with Forgery to make fake art or historic items.

Sculptor (PE)A three dimensional artist.

Writer (ME)NOT how to write your name, but the ability to write fiction or near fiction. Dickens, Austin or Dan Brown stuff. Can include plays and movie scripts.

Dancer (PH)All forms of dancing from Tangos and Disco to pretentious interpretive rubbish. Can include native or traditional folkloric stuff like Morris Dancers or Whirling Dervishes. I’ve really no idea why anyone would take this other than for covert spy cover, but it’s in here just in case.

Musician (ME)Catch all that covers the playing of all musical instruments. GM’s should feel free to narrow it down to one or two specifics if they want.

Singer (CA)Choir, opera or X-Factor. Sing for your supper bitch!

Actor (CA)Whether it’s on stage or in blockbuster movies this covers it. This Skill can actually prove to be very useful. Actors are adept at pretending they are someone or something they are not and persuading audiences to believe it. Characters with the Actor Skill can attempt to use it to convince enemies (or friends) that they are someone else, for example one of them bringing in a new prisoner, or a senior officer on an inspection.

Photography/VideographyTaking pictures or making movies.

Outdoors, Survival and Agricultural

38

Animal Husbandry (ME)Sheep farming. Looking after livestock the way a farmer does. It can also be used by zoo keepers.

Horticulture (ME)Gardening. Mostly relevant to edible crops and plants, but also covers pretty flowers.

Butcher (ME)Cutting up dead animals for cooking and eating.

Cooking (ME)Normal field cooking, not Michelin Stars poncy stuff. If characters attempt to eat a hot meal prepared without the cooking skill, they run a 10% of food poisoning for land animals and 20% for fish and shellfish.

Tracker (PE)Following prey across country, whether animal, human or mechanical.

Outdoorsman (PE)Knowing all about the outdoors and how to survive in it Ray Mears style. This covers the identification of edible wild plants, animal dens, trap setting, predator signs and approaching weather systems. Everything you need to survive in the wilds not covered by other Skills.

Boy Scout (ME)Tying knots, pitching tents and singing annoying songs around a campfire. The tying knots bit is probably the most useful aspect.

Navigate (PE)Map reading and getting from A to B without using a SatNav. Land based only.

Air Navigation (PE)Getting to where you are going in an aircraft, whilst flying.

Marine Navigation (ME)Getting your ship or boat to its destination without hitting an iceberg or going the wrong way around the world. This one differs from the other Navigate Skills in being more Mental than Perceptive (not much land marks to see in the ocean).

Scavenger (PE)Bucket Racker! You know valuable (s)crap when you see it. Scavenger allows players to find random or specific “loot” when in a zone suitable to having such things (towns, farms old mines etc). Players roll their Skill to succeed and then for every full 20% the player gets 1 roll on the random loot chart. Looking for a specific item should be a single roll modified for difficulty as per a normal Skill.

39

TRAITS

Traits are extra abilities and competencies that characters can develop over time. Unlike Skills they are rarely used directly, but instead confer some sort of bonus to Stats, dice rolling or an ability that ignores or bends the rules slightly. Like Skills some Traits will have a prerequisite before they can be selected.

Personal

AmbidextrousReq: Level 1 ONLYThe player can use either hand to perform tasks, although one still remains dominant. The non dominant hand has a -25% penalty instead of the usual -50%. When coupled with other Traits this may eliminate off hand penalties altogether. Players MUST still choose a dominant hand/eye.

AthleteYou are fast and physically strong. You may add 15m to your sprint distance and 10m to your throw distance.

SpidermanReq: Rock Climbing 50%You are very good at clinging to walls. You may climb 5m vertically per round when climbing rock faces or other sheer terrain such as building facades (not ladders or drainpipes).

HardyYou have a good strong immune system and don’t succumb to illness, poison or radiation sickness as easily as others. You gain a 50% bonus to Resistance Saves and poison and radiation do half normal damage.

Lucky Bastard!You are a bit of a jammy get (like Mike Jones) aren’t you! You gain 1 extra D10 Luck Points per level on level up. Luck Points may NOT be used to reroll the extra Luck Points!!!

Better HealingYou can recover from injury quicker than most. Your recovery time is improved to that of a Doctor with the next highest level if one is present, or a Doctor 20% if none are in the group.

Heartless Bastard!Req: Level 1 ONLYYou wake up surrounded by the mutilated corpses of your family – and shrug your shoulders and get on with making breakfast. Very little upsets you and your mental wellbeing. You gain +10 Sanity and +10% to Sanity Saves.

Skill Related

40

Fast LearnerReq: Narrowed to one Skill SetYou are a good student of a particular Skill Set (Combat, Physical and Sporting or Other Skills). You gain D10 extra Skill Points per level up for that Skill set. The 5% maximum per level from normal levelling still applies. This Trait can be taken multiple times but must be applied to a separate Skill Set. Luck Points can be used to reroll the D10.

Good TeacherYou are one of those inspirational teachers the press and politicians go on about, but no one has ever had. The time taken to teach a Skill to another player is reduced by 25% and both parties receive a +10% bonus to their Checks for success.

BullshitterReq: IN15+ AND CA14+ AND 20% in any Science SkillYou know a little bit of science and a lot of big words and fancy phrases. You may attempt to pass yourself off as a scientific expert in any field of science when in conversation, whether with normal people or scientific geniuses.

Oscar WinnerReq: Actor 50%Your Hamlet was amazing! And as for your appearance in Corrie! Brilliant!!! You are a dam good actor and can lessen the DoD for Actor Skill checks by -10% per 25% Actor Skill. You also get a golden naked man statuette.

Bullet MakerReq: Armourer 50%Provided you have some peace and quiet and a suitable workspace (i.e. not in the back of an APC racing across country) you may attempt to make rounds from raw materials. Specify the calibre or round type and roll 2D20 for every hour for the number of rounds created. More complex rounds such as incendiaries may require a higher degree of armourer skill. It is assumed you have the raw materials to hand unless the GM is being evil.

Miracle WorkerReq: Mechanic 50% AND Electronics 50%You have the engineering skill of Scotty himself. All attempts to repair systems using mechanical or electrical skills are at a DoD 10% less than normal and you can complete all basic repairs of a DoD of 10% or less automatically.

CowboyReq: Horse Riding 50% OR Motorcycle 50%You are Yule Brinner reincarnated! You can even shave your head if you want. You may fire a weapon from horseback or whilst riding a bike and not suffer the moving penalty.

Knight of the Realm

41

Req: Horse Riding 40% OR Motorcycle 40% OR Cyclist AND Primitive Melee 40%Lancelot move over! Like the knights of old you are adept at charging into combat mounted on a suitable conveyance and sticking a big stick into someone’s chest. You may conduct a single ride by attack with no penalty for moving and the target gets no reply. This is only allowable ONCE per target (they will be prepared for you the second time) and you must be able to move past the intended victim.

Bond BaddyReq: Skiing or Snowboarding 40%Just like the bad guys in old Bond movies you have practiced firing a weapon whilst skiing or boarding downhill – except you can actually hit the target. You may fire a weapon whilst skiing or boarding with no moving penalty. Orange boiler suit optional.

Pink PantherReq: Illegal Entry 50%You sneaky thief you! You are quite good at getting into places you shouldn’t. All Illegal Entry Skill checks are at a DoD 10% less than normal and any check of 10% or less is automatically passed.

Checks and Saves

Fast ReactionsYou are quick thinking and a little bit cat-like in your reactions. Your Sequence number is set at one. If more than one character in a group has this Trait, then highest initiative goes first.

Creeping JesusYou walk very quietly, almost as if you are not there. You gain a +25% permanent bonus to Stealth.

GhostReq: Stealth 50%You can move around in the dark completely unseen. No Stealth check is required in the dark as long as no potential enemy has direct line of sight to you and you are not making any obvious noise. You also gain a +25% permanent bonus to Stealth.

Jedi KnightIt’s almost as if the Force guides your hand young Padawan. You gain a permanent +30% bonus to Reflex Saves.

Cool HeadReq: Morale Check 70%Whilst in a fire fight you keep a cool head about you. You need not take a Morale Check to fire any type of Aimed Shot. All other conditions still apply.

Cool Customer

42

Req: Morale Check 80%You are the T1000! You may ignore your first failed morale check during combat.

Inspiring CharacterReq: Morale Check 80% AND Level 9You are an inspiring character to others in combat, provided you have not run away yourself. Others may ignore their failed Morale Checks if in sight of you, whilst you are NOT Morale Shaken or worse. However, if you are running away all other friendly characters in sight of you suffer an extra -30% to Morale Checks.

Hardened VeteranReq: Level 12Been there, seen it, done it. You have survived many a battle and are most definitely counted as a grizzled old sweat. Your Morale is never modified unless the GM specifies, but you still take Morale Checks at the appropriate times.

Combat

GunslingerReq: Pistol 45%Like the Hollywood cowboys you can use a pistol in each hand. You gain 1 extra attack with the extra weapon, but NOT a Deliberate Aim. Attacks with the off-hand weapon are at -25% instead of -50%, unless coupled with the Ambidextrous Trait for no penalty. Attacks can be at separate targets within arc of view. The extra attack is added to your total and all attacks can be split among legitimate targets as you desire.

UZI NINE MILIMETAA!Req: Long Barrel Weapon 50% AND ST14+You can handle a sub machine gun like Arnie himself! You may fire a SMG or bullpup design assault rifle in each hand AND at separate targets within the same field of view if you wish. You gain one extra attack with the extra weapon, but NOT a Deliberate Aim. The extra attack is added to your total and all attacks can be split among legitimate targets as you desire. Attacks with the off-hand weapon are at -25% instead of -50%, unless coupled with the Ambidextrous Trait for no penalty.

Tight GroupReq: Pistol 55% AND Long Barrel Weapon 55%You keep a tight grip on your weapon and can place a 3 round burst into an area the size of a tea cup. When firing a 3 round burst or 3 rounds Rapid Snap Shot all rounds will hit the same location if successful.

Hollywood ShotReq: Long Barrel Weapons 60%Like the action heroes you can fire off a large weapon such as an assault rifle or light machine gun in one hand. You may fire a long barrel weapon single handed with only a -25% penalty.

43

Machine GunnerReq: SFMG 50%You are very good with support machine guns. You may reroll the dice when determining the number of hits and accept the higher of the two.

Multi TargetingReq: PE15+You can rapidly track and engage multiple targets. When you have the ability to fire multiple shots (i.e. Snap Shots or Rough Aim) you may fire each shot at a separate target provided they are within 10m of each other and in the same arc of view.

Target TrackingReq: PE15+You can rapidly track moving targets. Your penalty for shooting at moving targets is reduced to-1 per 2m moved at short or longer range and no penalty at point blank.

Fire on the MoveReq: PE18+You have practiced hitting the target whilst running around like a lunatic. Your penalty for firing whilst moving is reduced to -1 per 2m moved. If used with the Clearance Drills Skill you may jog and benefit from the Skill. However, the penalty still applies to running and other forms of moving.

BEF BoyLike the soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force in 1914 you are trained to rapidly engage targets with Deliberate Aimed shots. You may fire 2 Deliberate Aimed shots per turn with any non sniper long barrel weapon or a pistol and at separate targets within 10m of each other. The Sniper Skill will NOT apply to this Trait – snipers focus on single targets through a long range scope, this Trait is intended for normal fire fights.

Sweet SpotReq Level 3You know where to hit to cause maximum damage. Your Critical Hit chance is doubled when taking Deliberate Aimed shots (standard 10%) and you add +1 to the roll determining critical effect.

Night FighterReq: PE16+You have been eating your carrots as a youngster! You have exceptionally good night vision. Your penalty for firing in less than optimal light conditions are:

Low Light NoneDark Half

Tank GirlReq: AFV Weapons 50%

44

You are a bit of a deadeye with a tank gun. You ignore the First Shot penalty and always apply the 2nd Shot positive modifier when using any single shot AFV mounted weapon of 20mm or larger.

Bazooka JoeReq: Rocket Launcher 60% OR Anti Tank Guided Weapon 60%You are pretty handy with the old RPG and can place your shot well. You may elect to aim at a specific part of the vehicle regardless of range, except the Systems and Ammo/Fuel. Any hits will also have an additional +1 Damage Modifier.

Robin HoodReq: Primitive Ranged 50%You have just come from Sherwood Forest where you enjoyed the company of merry men! You may gain the benefits of the Sniper Skill when using a bow or crossbow. You also get a free pair of green tights and a feathered cap.

Underwater CombatReq: Scuba Diving AND Knife 40% OR Primitive Melee 40%You are practiced at combat underwater and may fight without penalty for being there. Characters without this trait suffer an additional -50% for being underwater.

BladesReq: Knife 50%You are very good with a knife or bayonet and cause 2 wounds per hit.

Vulcan Nerve PinchReq: Unarmed 50% AND NOT having Berserker TraitYou may attempt to disable an opponent with an unarmed attack. This will only work on human or human like enemies.

BerserkerReq: Unarmed 50% AND NOT Vulcan Nerve Pinch TraitYou go a bit mental in hand to hand combat gaining 1 extra attack, which MUST be an attack, not a parry. You also double the stun points dealt with a hit and ignore all morale checks whilst engaged in hand to hand.

Sentry KillerReq: Stealth Check 50% AND Knife 40%You are adept at creeping up behind sentries and sticking a knife between their ribs (or cutting their throats if you prefer). You have an 80% chance to kill a sentry outright and silently provided you got to them unseen. Failure will result in standard hand to hand combat being fought.

Karate KidReq: Unarmed 50%You gain 1 extra attack or parry in hand to hand whether unarmed or armed. Wax on wax off.

Blood Curdling Scream

45

You have a really nerve shattering battle cry when you charge into hand to hand. When you charge into combat an opponent must pass a Morale Check or loose 2 attacks for the first turn of combat.

Babe RuthReq: PE15+You are a pretty good baseball player and can hit home runs most times. You may attempt to bat away an incoming timed grenade thrown at you even if you have already acted in the sequence order. It must be a standard military grenade as other weapons such a Molotovs will simply burst open. Impact grenades will explode when hit! Roll a D10 and on a 3+ it will go of in a random(ish) direction to your front for D20 metres. If you roll a 10, then it goes right back to the pitcher who does not get a Reflex Save to avoid! You need a suitable bat such as a long barrel weapon or a melee weapon (a baseball bat would be ideal).

Mike TysonReq: Unarmed 40% AND ST16+You punch like a heavy weight champ! If you successfully hit someone roll a D10 and on a 3+ you have knocked them out. Only works on enemies with less than 20 Stun Points.

Mark of ZorroReq: Primitive Melee 50%You are an expert swordsman, but do not have to be Mexican. When using a weapon classed as a sword you gain +1 attack that is made first and cannot be answered or parried by the opponent. You also get to wear a spiffing black outfit and mask!

Hard as NailsReq: EN18+You are one tough cookie! All hits against you on the standard combat tables for humans are at -3 to the Damage Modifier, inclusive of round damage (i.e -1 total for a 5.56mm) and accumulative with body armour or cover. You still suffer a Flesh Wound as a minimum result. Weapons that cause Stun Point damage cause half normal, with a minimum of 1.

Charmed LifeLike the main characters in a movie you just don’t seem to get hit despite the million rounds coming your way. Your Base Target Profile is improved to -15%

46

Non Combat Skill Usage

This section covers, mostly, the Other Skills that are used either in non combat situations or do not involve directly hurting the enemy. Medical Skills are covered in the Medical section and some Physical and Sporting Skills will be covered in Movement.

Degree of Difficulty

Each time a player attempts to use a Skill there may be an element of difficulty – known as the Degree of Difficulty (DoD). This represents an element of sophistication to the task that may require higher Skill levels. Some Skills as already mentioned do not require Skill Checks to utilise, such as Cooking and Cycling as this game only covers the basic elements of these Skills and simply having the Skill results in success. Others are continuations of a particular Skill that utilise the base main Skill, such as Driver Heavy using Driver.

There is no hard and fast list of how difficult something is within these basic rules, though some actions are laid down in later sections. With open world play the reliance is on the GM’s evilness. The DoD should be done in increments of either 5 or 10 percentage points as a negative modifier to the Skill. The table below is a guide:

Routine 00 fails, everything else passesVery Easy +20Fairly Easy +10Easy No ModifierModerate -10Hard -20Very Hard -40Stupidly Hard -60Impossibly Hard -90Jedi Master Hard -99

For Example:

George has a Illegal Entry Skill of 58% and is attempting to open a simple convenience store safe, which has a DoD of 10% as it is not too sophisticated. His target score is therefore 48%.

George later attempts to open the vault at a high tech safety deposit bank which is very hard to do – a DoD of -40%, for a target of 18%. He might want to consider some Luck Point use.

If George had the Pink Panther Trait he would automatically pass the first scenario and have a DoD of -30% on the second.

The DoD can also be further modified to take into account circumstances other than the complexity of the task. For example:

47

George is attempting to break into the convenience store safe as above. Except this time he is under sustained fire from a heavy machine gun whilst his buddy is screaming in pain from a gut shot. All rather distracting. The DoD in this case would probably be increased quite dramatically to around 50% and may even incur a Morale Check (I would because I’m evil!).

Some Skills may require an element of time to complete – such as opening the bank vault. This can either incur only one check that takes a few minutes of time or multiple checks at periodic intervals that can delay the result. GM discretion is required, however, whenever players have no time pressure, one check is recommended.

When attempting to use a Skill, even one that normally does not require a check, players should still roll the %D in case of abject and humiliating failure. A roll of 00 is always a fail – you fall off your bike, burn dinner or break your lock picks. Consequences of failure should be applied in a case by case basis by the GM, but should be at least a moderate bit humiliating

48

The Tactical Turn

Under certain situations the players may find themselves using the Tactical Turn System, such as when in a fire fight, or when attempting to do something under time pressure (George from above opening the bank vault before the guard comes). Whilst actions in the turn are meant to be roughly simultaneous, this is quite hard to replicate on the table top or with pen and paper. Therefore players and NPC’s have a Sequence number that is followed as closely as possible to make things smoother. Players may elect to act out of Sequence as covered later.

The Tactical Turn is meant to represent a time period of 5 – 6 seconds. This sounds quite short, but in the context of modern fire fights it can be a long time. Modern British Army soldiers are trained to fire 1 Deliberate Aimed Shot every 6 seconds and modern assault rifles can spit out an entire 30 round magazine in roughly that time. Whilst many modern fire fights can last some time, this is mainly either due to poor training on the participants, lack of aggressiveness or one side being in good defensive positions weathering the storm of lead.

As a general guide both players and NPC’s should be able to do one or more of the following within a Tactical Turn:

Move up to the maximum distance allowed for the movement methodFire a weapon at the permitted rate of fireFight in hand to handPrepare a hand grenade and throw itReload a non detachable magazine weaponUse an objectStart rendering First Aid

To add to realism players should also be allowed to do multiple simultaneous or consecutive short duration tasks such as:

Fire on the moveReload and fire a detachable magazine fed weapon (loosing a number of

shots)Fire a one handed weapon whilst moving and pulling a grenade out of a

pouch

GM’s should again use a dollop of common sense and assess whether what the player wants to do is realistically feasible within the time frame and tactical situation. Players for their part should refrain from being a bit silly in their actions for that turn.

49

Sequence

As mentioned, players and NPC’s have a Sequence number that is followed in ascending order. This allows for smoother gameplay even if it does cut down on the realism a bit. Players can attempt to act out of sequence for a variety of reasons such as Overwatch or attempting to prevent fratricide. Players attempting to do so other than for Overwatch must first pass an Initiative Check to act. For example:

Fred is first and decides to lob a grenade into a room during a hostage rescue. George is a bit more switched on and realises this could be potentially catastrophic if the hostage is inside. George rolls an Initiative Check (which may be modified) to act first and prevent Fred from throwing the grenade. If he passes he may do so, although Fred still has the option to ignore him and carry on. If he fails, then Fred throws the grenade.

In the above situation the GM should take the tactical situation into consideration and either prevent the attempt or modify it. If George’s character is physically unaware of the impending grenade throw, even if the player is, then the attempt to intervene could be ruled out. If George is aware through comms, but physically remote from the action, then a 10% or 20% penalty could apply.

Coordinated EffortWhen professional soldiers engage an enemy in a fire fight they most often tend to do so in a coordinated manner complementing or supplementing each others efforts. This is the role of the Fire Team or Section. Characters can combine their efforts acting on the sequence number of the designated lead when attempting to act in a coordinated fashion. For example:

When providing suppressive fire on an enemy emplacementWhen moving forward in an assault or backward in a withdrawalWhen engaging an advancing enemy group

Overwatch

Overwatch is when a character is remaining static or moving cautiously and watching out for appearing targets of opportunity to engage. Players may declare their character is in Overwatch if they have not carried out any other combat, movement or task that would take up the entire Tactical Turn. Characters effectively act outside their Sequence at a time of their choosing.

During Overwatch players are restricted in their ability to engage. They:

May NOT fire Deliberate AimMay only fire a maximum of 1 Rough Aim at targets that remain visibleMay only fire a maximum of 3 single or 2 3 round burst Snap Shots at appearing/disappearing targetsMay only fire a maximum of 10 rounds from a sustained fire weapon

50

For example:

Wilma is Sequence 5 and declares she is Overwatching a gap between two buildings. The enemies later move at Sequence 15 and attempt to run between the buildings. Wilma engages the targets as they move with 2 Snap Shots. Had the enemies instead come out to fight she would have got the first shots off before they could return fire or fire on their intended target and she could have Rough Aimed at one target.

51

Combat

Combat within Figure 11 falls into two broad categories; ranged and hand to hand. Ranged covers all forms of projectiles from sling shots through assault rifles to grenade launchers and tank guns. Hand to hand covers all forms of personal in-your-face stabby-smacky fighting from kung fu to two headed axes of death. Ranged combat is further broken down in the rules for clarity.

Normal ConditionsThis term is used throughout the rules when describing combat situations. So what are Normal Conditions? Within the framework of Figure 11 Normal Conditions are situations involving ranged combat such as fire fights between opposing groups in the open, assaults on buildings, ambushes etc using weapons such as pistols and assault rifles. Essentially all combats are Normal Conditions unless a specified rule applies, such as using a belt fed sustained fire machine gun or when an unusual situation occurs (shooting the cable holding a suspended chemical weapon above a bad guys head).

Standard Ranged

This part deals with common across the board factors for person to person ranged combat. Vehicles are treated separately. Ranged combat is intended to be the principle form of combat for games of Figure 11 – other rule systems handle old fashioned sword fighting a lot better than this one, but conversely tend to handle assault rifles rather poorly.

Shooting and damaging/killing enemies is done differently within Figure 11 to the normal Hit Point system. Once a target is hit the firer then rolls for the location of the hit (under normal circumstances) then the damage result, which will range from a slight Flesh Wound up to Dead.

52

SpottingTo fire at a target the firer generally has to see it, but some forms of indirect fire may be used (mostly mortars and grenade launchers). Targets in the open should be easy to spot and should not incur an Awareness Check to locate. However, targets behind cover, out of arc or stealthy would require the player to spot first. Players should roll an Awareness Check with any suitable modifiers for hard to see targets as follows:

Target Profile -X where X = Target ProfileTarget in full cover -50Target in partial cover -25Low light -25Night/no light -50Target fired at night +50Target making loud noise +25Target using Stealth -X where X = Target Stealth CheckTarget indicated +25 per indicatorMedical condition See Medical Section

A target that is spotted but considered to be in cover from view (hiding in a bush or using a cammo net) or engaged in less than optimal lighting conditions will have further penalties factored into shooting. The cover the target is in may also provide protection in the form of walls or sandbags which is covered (!) later.

Target ProfileAll targets that are being engaged with ranged fire have a Target Profile – essentially how big and easy or small and difficult it is to hit. The following is a list of Target Profiles with examples:

+10 A building, Boeing 747, Brontosaurus+5 The proverbial Barn Door, tank, T-Rex+/-0 A medium vehicle such as a Transit Van, elephants-5 A standard saloon car, horses-10 Humans or human sized creatures-15 A large dog, windows, a spot on the ground for grenades-20 A cat or small dog, laptops-25 A squirrel, small items such as cameras or sensors

This list is not exhaustive, so feel free to add others that are easy or hard.

This Target Profile is factored into the To Hit Formula that follows, mostly as a negative, but sometimes as a positive.Hitting the TargetOnce a target is spotted it can be shot at using the following formula:

(Skill +/- Mods – Target Profile) divided by visibility (if less than optimal)

Skill – The total Skill ability of the person with the relevant weapon (i.e Long Barrel Weapon for an assault rifle)

53

Mods – The modifications to the score for a variety of reasons listed belowTarget Profile – As given aboveVisibility – the final number from the first three is then divided by 2 or 4 for poor light

For a positive number to hit, a roll of 01-05 will always hit and be a critical

A roll of 00 is always a miss and a jam on semi/auto weapons resulting in an immediate cessation of firing until the jam is clear, no further targets can be hit with SFMG’s. Jams take an entire Tactical turn to clear

Negative to hit scores of -1 to -10 will hit on 01-05, but NOT cause a critical

Negative to hit scores of -11 to -20 will hit on a 01-03 but NOT cause a critical

Negative to hit score lower than -20 are impossible – get some practice in or get a better weapon!

54

Weapon Range BracketsDifferent weapons have different effective and maximum ranges – a pistol is a close in weapon, whereas a Barret Light Fifty is a long distance killer. As there are a myriad of different weapons with different manufacturing standards, barrel length, muzzle velocity etc etc, this can get quite messy. Ranges in Figure 11 are therefore simplified and grouped under generic weapon type such as pistols and carbines. If GM’s and players want to get into the nitty gritty of how an M16A2 has a slightly differing range to a G36 then feel free.

The following simplified table is sufficient for normal people to get by in Figure 11. Note there is no Medium or Effective rage bracket as this varies depending on weapon, individual or group fire and level of training (you could argue that ANY hit is effective fire). Ranges are given in metres (because that’s how most of the worlds militaries work) and take into account individual fire rather than effective squad fire:

Type Point Short Long Extreme Pistol 00-05 06-10 11-25 26-50SMG 00-05 06-20 21-50 51-100Shotgun 00-05 06-15 16-25 26-50Carbine 00-10 11-75 76-200 201-500Rifle 00-10 11-100 101-300 301-600SFMG 00-20 21-150 151-500 501-800Sniper 10-50 51-300 301-1000 1001-1600LV Grenade 10-20 21-50 51-100 101-150HV Grenade 10-20 21-75 76-150 151-300AGL 10-20 21-150 151-500 501-1000

Weapons that operate with differing ranges and primitive ranged weapons such as crossbows will have their abilities listed with them in an appropriate armoury section. Sniper weapons have a minimum range of 10m to take into account the scope and the tunnel vision of the sniper looking down a scope. Characters may still engage with the weapon at less than 10m, but will have to use any fall back iron sights or fire From The Hip. Some weapon attachments and/or modifications may alter the above table.

55

Rates of FireModern firearms tend to be able to fire more than one round in the 5 seconds of a Tactical Turn, some can even spit out a couple of hundred (miniguns). As this rule set is mostly concerned about breech loading weapons the following table leaves out old fashioned muzzle loading muskets. Again this is generic for simplification. Under normal conditions the following applies to:

Single shot no magazine (such as hunting rifles, target rifles or really old rifles):

1 Deliberate Aim OR 1 Rough Aim OR 1 Snap Shot

Double barrel fired individually:

1 Deliberate Aim OR 2 Rough Aim OR 2 Snap Shots

Single shot magazine fed (bolt action, single action revolvers, pump action, lever action):

1 Deliberate Aim OR 2 Rough Aim OR 3 Snap Shots

Semi Automatic (also includes double action revolvers):

1 Deliberate Aim OR 3 Rough Aim OR 5 Snap Shots (6 allowed if it is a six-shooter type revolver weapon)

Automatic

1 Deliberate Aim (single or 3 round burst) OR 3 Rough Aim (single or 3 round burst) OR 5 Snap Shots OR 4 3 round burst Snap Shots OR 30 rounds sustained fire

These rates of fire also include various grenade launcher weapons. Automatic Grenade Launchers will have further rules in their individual entries.

Some automatic weapons have an ability to fire 3 round bursts with one trigger pull and release rather than keeping it pulled and counting. These weapons gain To Hit bonuses, but still fire at the same rate as someone else counting the rounds out.

56

To Hit ModifiersTarget

Partial Cover -10Heavy Cover -25Full Cover -50Prone -20Moving -2/m

RangePoint Blank +30Short +10Long -10Extreme -30

FirerProne +10Kneeling 0Standing -10Moving -2/mFrom The Hip -50SFMG from Hip -30Morale Shaken -10Wearing Respirator -10Off Hand SBW -50Off Hand LBW -30LBW Single Hand -50Unzeroed Weapon -50Weapon Rested/Bipod +20Very Tired -25Exhausted -50Burst, 4th and Subsequent -5 per roundPer FW on Arms -2Per Minor Wound to arm -10

Aim TypeDeliberate Aim Center of Mass +25Deliberate Aim at Head -25Deliberate Aim at Limb -15Rough Aim +15Snap Shot -15Militia Aim -60

Light ConditionsLow Light/Poor Light /2Dark/Night/No Light /4

Partial Cover – When up to half the target is obscured from view.Heavy Cover – When over half of the target is obscured from view, but something is still visible.Full Cover – When the entirety of the target is obscured from viewProne – When either the target or the firer are lying down.Kneeling – When kneeling the sight picture wavers slightly, but not too much. Also includes sitting and squatting.

57

Standing – When standing the sight picture can waver quite a bit, especially if a physically weak person is trying to aim a large and heavy weapon.Moving – When either the target or the firer are moving during the attack.From Hip – Attempting to fire a weapon without coming into the aim is highly inaccurate unless at point blank range.SFMG From Hip – SFMGs are intended to be fired in bursts and many come with a grip to aid firing from a standing or kneeling position when the bipod cannot be used.Morale Shaken – When someone is a bit shaken up in combat they are less accurate as they tend to hurry their shots.Wearing Respirator – Really annoying to do and can mess up your sight picture.Using Off Hand – You’re a lot less accurate with the opposite hand, especially so with single handed weapons. Using a Bipod or Resting will negate this penalty.Firing LBW Single Handed – Despite what Hollywood portrays it is really difficult to hit anything beyond point blank when firing a large two handed weapon in one hand. This does NOT apply to rested or mounted weapons.Unzeroed Weapon – Long barrel weapons need to have their sights aligned with the firers eyes (called Zeroing) to allow for accurate fire. Hitting a target with an unzeroed weapon is very difficult with observing the fall of shot for several rounds before adjusting and aiming off. Does not apply at Point Blank.Weapon Rested/Bipod – When a firer can rest the barrel of the weapon on something such as a wall or sandbag, or deploy a bipod in the prone position, it can greatly aid accuracy as the weapon is not wavering so much.Very Tired – When a firer is a bit knackered they might not be able to hold the sight picture for long enough for a truly accurate shot.Exhausted – If a firer is completely knackered they may not be able to keep the weapon up or their eyes open for more than a second or two.Burst – This only applies to long and short barrel weapons capable of full auto fire that are not classed as, or set up for, sustained fire. These weapons tend to “ride up” after a round or two until eventually you are firing over the targets head. The ride is not generally a significant factor for the first 2-3 rounds, many weapons have a selector that fires a 3 round burst, but the 4th onwards will start going higher and wilder.Per FW on Arm – All those minor scrapes, cuts and nicks add up and sap strength and endurance when constantly trying to keep a weapon up.Deliberate Aim at Center of Mass – When taught to fire aimed shots at a target, the majority of the world’s militaries train their troops to aim at the center of mass or the torso. This is the largest part of a target and a miss could still result in a hit to a limb or even the head. A hit will still require a random hit location roll. Deliberate Aims are restricted during combat to anyone who is not a Sniper, however the opening shots of an engagement can be Deliberate Aims from anyone provided they are part of the initiating side (i.e. ambushing the NPC’s or initiating an assault). The following conditions apply when allowing Deliberate Aims for non Snipers during ongoing combat:

A modified Morale Check is passedThere are no enemies within Point Blank range except the target (see Point Blank Shots)

58

The firer is not under accurate or suppressive fireThe firer is not under bombardment or other explosive attackThe firer is stationary

Certain Traits such as Cool Head may remove the Morale Check, but all other conditions must still be met.Other circumstances may present themselves allowing a realistic chance of a Deliberate Aim for players during combat. This must be sensible to both the player and the GM for it to be permissible.Deliberate Aim at Head – Aiming for a persons head may result in the best damage to them, but it is actually harder to do than computer gamers think. This may only be done by Snipers at Short or longer ranges or under the Helpless victim rules. A hit will result in a hit to the head.Deliberate Aim at Limbs – Despite the desires of left wing press and news outlets it is not actually optimal to try and shoot a persons arms to make them drop a gun. This may only be done by Snipers at Short and longer ranges or under the Helpless victim rules. A hit will hit the designated limb.Rough Aim – This is probably more common in a modern fire fight and evidence suggests it was the most common type of firing in WW2 for the Western democratic armies. In this instance the character simply points the weapon in the direction of the enemy lining up a shot but not taking the time to make certain, breath and squeeze as they would for a deliberate aim. This allows for faster, but less accurate aimed fire. Rough Aims may only be attempted by characters that remain stationary and have had potential targets in view for the entirety of the Tactical Turn.Snap Shot – This represents a hasty shot at a target. Generally used for targets that suddenly present themselves, appear and disappear during Overwatch or for when multiple shots are put down range in a hurry. Less well trained firers may use this form of shooting as it puts a lot of lead downrange quickly if less effectively.Militia Aim – This is the classic style of fighting by poorly trained militias usually involved in civil wars in less developed nations - the type seen by Liberian or Somali fighters on news footage. In this case the firer takes cover and points the weapon round a corner or over his head and fires of some rounds in the rough direction of the enemy. Very inaccurate but can keep poorly trained or unmotivated enemies heads down for little to no risk to the firer.Low Light – This would apply to periods when the light is fading or not quite full. Pre-dawn, late dusk, bright moonlight, well lit urban environments and dimly lit interiors are some examples.Dark/No Light – This would apply in conditions of complete darkness. Moonless nights, dark tunnels and unlit building interiors are some examples.

Weaponry

Pistols to RiflesThis covers all forms of normal modern fire arms that are classed as pistols, machine pistols, sub machine guns, rifles, carbines and assault rifles, as well as dealing with support weaponry such as light and sustained fire machine guns when fired from the hip or in single shot mode. Shotguns and support weapons are dealt with separately.

59

Some weapons may be equipped with telescopic zoom sights for use by snipers and thus become classed as Sniper weapons allowing the Sniper Skill to be utilised. Sniper weapons can still be used by non Sniper Skilled characters, they just get treated the same as a normal weapon with a better chance to hit with an Aimed shot.

The weapons in this section utilise the full rules above under normal conditions. When a weapon capable of full automatic fire is used in that mode to empty a magazine then the Sustained Fire Machine Guns rules are used. Ordinarily this can only be done at Point Blank and be effective. When used at longer ranges it becomes Suppressive Fire and uses the rules for that.

Examples of standard combat with these types of weapons are:

Mike has a Long Barrel weapon Skill of 65% and wishes to engage a target at short range from a prone position with an M16 equipped with 1.5 optical sights (bonus of 5% when aiming for that particular sight) and is resting the weapon on his patrol bergan. Lighting conditions are optimal and the target is stationary and he is unaware of Mike. As this is the first shot of the engagement Mike opts to do a Deliberate Aim at the Center of Mass with a single shot. Mikes calculations are:

Skill – TP + Range + Prone + Deliberate Aim at Center of Mass + Optics + Rested

So

65 – 10 + 10 + 10 + 25 + 5 + 20 = 125%

This means Mike will only fail on a 00 (he forgot to cock the weapon!), which is quite realistic for a trained combat soldier under those conditions.

Mike later engages another target with the same weapon, but this time is standing, Rough Aiming at a target at long range after being a wee bit shaken up from a nearby grenade explosion. Mikes new calculations are:

Skill – TP – Range – Standing – Morale Shaken + Rough Aim + Optics

So

65 – 10 – 20 – 10 – 10 + 10 + 5 = 30%

A harder shot than before due to adverse conditions mounting up.

If both examples had taken place in poor light and Mike had no optics to compensate then the final desired results would have been halved (rounded up) to 63% and 15%.

Shotguns

60

Shotguns are also called scatter guns – because they spray a load of buckshot at the target increasing the chances of a hit at the expense of range and penetration. Shotguns follow all the standard rules for ranged combat above but with the following extras:

+20 To Hit at Point Blank range+10 To Hit at Short range+10 to Hit if a second barrel fired simultaneously with the first+1 Wounding Roll (they cause 2 wounds per hit)+1 Further Wound if second barrel fired (for 3 wounds per hit)Victims are immediately knocked down from the force of the blast at Point

Blank

At Long and Extreme range an area 1m wide is sprayed by pellets as per SFMG rules below causing 1 wound to each target hit. Multiple rounds follow the sustained Fire rules, but DO NOT half the potential hits, essentially giving 1 potential hit per round due to the mass of shot.

61

Sustained Fire Machine GunsThis category includes all forms of light man portable MG’s such as the Minimi, M60, L86 Light Support Weapon, MG42, PKM and Bren guns. It can also include any assault rifle or similar weapons that are modified to act as LMG’s with the addition of bipods and high capacity magazines such as the H&K G36. These weapons rarely engage single point targets with single shot or short bursts, although many can and will. When doing so utilise the normal rules for assault rifles above.The normal mode of engagement however, is to spray an area with bullets either to kill or suppress a group of enemies. To represent this, the following applies:

For light bipod mounted weapons an area 5m across is designated as the beaten zone and for simplicity extends from the firer to the desired area of effect (it should be a cone and GM’s should feel free to modify to make it so).

For tripod or vehicle mounted belt fed weapons such as the GPMG, MG42 or M60 then the area is increased to 5 or 10m.

When firing any type of SFMG from the hip then an area 5m is designated, or the confines of room or similar enclosed space.

Declare the amount of rounds being fired, preferably in groups’ equivalent to available dice when halved, or the entirety of a magazine if the contents are within the cyclic rate of fire for that weapon in 5 seconds. Magazine fed weapons are limited to the contents of the magazine OR 30 rounds. Belt fed weapons are limited to 50 rounds. Certain other weapons may have higher rates of fire (an XM214 Minigun for example).

Half of the number of rounds fired (rounded up) have a chance to hit targets, representing the fact that many rounds are wasted during this process.

Targets within the zone get a Reflex Save to take cover. If hard cover is available it will count as extra Protection Factor against incoming rounds. If no cover is available then the target goes prone and counts as such for To Hit modifiers. Targets that have taken cover behind something such as a wall, but remain standing or kneeling, do NOT count the cover negative modifier as this is an indiscriminate attack against an area target.

Roll to Hit the targets within the zone using the relevant Skill and normal modifiers, ignoring the Burst modifier and only applying Rough Aim modifier if permitted (they are meant to burst and don’t really get aimed all that well).

If any targets are hit it is still only potential hits at this point. Roll a dice for the number of rounds that could hit the targets and evenly distribute the hits as per normal random hits, with excess going to the closest target or the one with least cover.

62

Whilst firing sustained a weapon that is designed to do so will jam on a 98-00 unless stated in its relevant data entry. Weapons not designed for this type of fire will jam on 95-00 unless otherwise stated.

Example:

Matt has an SFMG Skill of 40% and engages a group of 4 advancing enemies at short range from a prone position. He is using an old fashioned Bren which only has standard iron sights, a bipod and 30 round magazine. Lighting conditions are optimal. He elects to fire a 10 round burst. Matt’s calculations are:

Skill – TP + Range + Bipod + Rough Aim + Prone – Movement (6m moved per person)

So

40 – 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 – 12 = 58% per target in the zone.

None of the targets pass a Reflex Save.

Matt rolls the dice and hits 3 out of the 4. He then rolls for half the burst rounded up (so a D6) and gets 4 hits. He apportions 2 to the closest and one each to 2 others.

Had Matt only rolled a 2 on the D6 then only 2 enemies would have taken 1 wound each, the other lucking in. Had any passed the Reflex Save and gone prone then that target would also accrue the additional -10 penalty for a prone target.

63

Suppressive FireSometimes during an engagement a group needs to force their enemies to take cover, whether to prevent them advancing whilst their friends escape, or to keep them from engaging an assault team working its way forward. This is called suppressive fire and the desired result is more to keep heads down than actually hit anything (if they do – bonus!).

When coming under or giving suppressive fire the normal rules for sustained fire are followed with regards to beaten zone and number of rounds fired.

Individuals with assault rifles or single shot weapons can give suppressive fire by firing rapid Snap Shots or bursts at the target zone. Likewise a Fire Team of 2 or more characters can combine their fire into one beaten zone.

When under suppressive fire targets are entitled to a Reflex Save at double the normal to take cover.

Should any target not wish to take cover for whatever insane reason, they must first pass a Morale Check to ensure their bravery. Those that don’t take cover will run the risk of being hit as per normal.

Should any target wish to break cover they must first pass a modified Morale check to do so. Those that do run the risk of being hit as per sustained Fire above, but do NOT get a reflex save for being too brave/stupid.

64

Point Blank ShotsThere are times when a character will be engaging an enemy who is only 2 or 3 metres away, called Point Blank Range. When engaging a target at this range it is almost impossible to miss a target that is static and not dodging out of the way. It is also more likely that a firer will aim either at the torso or the head and actually hit it. To represent this, the following rules apply to engaging targets under normal conditions at Point Blank with ranged attacks:

No Deliberate Aimed shots allowedRough Aims permitted after a Morale CheckFailed Morale Checks will still permit Snap ShotsPlayers may elect to aim at a specific part of the body for no penalty, but only getting the Rough Aim bonusShots aimed as above will hit that part of the body and not be randomised

Helpless VictimHow many times have you had your character, in other systems, sneak up behind the sleeping Big Bad Boss (or lowly Goblin), launch a surprise attack – only to fail because you didn’t roll over 10 on a D20, then the Big Bad Boss turn round and smack you senseless!

There will be occasions when characters will be in a position to deal a surprise attack against a target at Point Blank range, which should realistically NOT MISS! This is called Helpless Victim in this system and only a critical fail (00 on %D) will fail (it was a dud round or your knife thrust was poor). To qualify for a Helpless Victim attack the following conditions must be met:

Target is at Point Blank range for the weaponTarget is unaware of impending attack OR…Target is incapable of avoiding attack (badly wounded or tied to a chair)

Should an attack be successful, the attacker can choose the outcome! This can be instant death, knock out or a major wound to the leg – whatever the attacker’s desired outcome was.

Dual WeaponsSome characters may want to or be able to use a weapon in each hand like the cowboys of the Wild West. Dual weapons allow an extra amount of lead to be put downrange but usually at the same target. Some Traits will allow multi targeting, but characters must have those Traits to gain the benefit.

For other attacks with dual weapons the following applies:

No Deliberate Aimed Shots are allowed.

Rough Aims, Snap Shots and Sustained Fire are permitted.

65

No extra attacks are added to the total permitted within the Tactical Turn, but double the dice are rolled (i.e you only get 3 Rough Aims, but roll 6 attacks – 3 with main hand and 3 with the off hand).

Roll each hand separate to allow for off hand penalties.

The following is an example of a dual wielded pistol attack:

Cal has 2 9mm semi automatic pistols, is right hand/eye dominant but is neither ambidextrous nor has the Gunslinger Trait and has a Pistol Skill of 60%. He fires 3 Rough Aimed shots at an enemy at short range, whilst standing at a stationary target in optimal light.

So

Dominant Hand

Skill – TP – Standing + Range + Rough Aim

60 – 10 – 10 + 10 + 15 = 65%

Off Hand

Skill – TP – Standing + Range + Rough Aim – Off Hand Penalty SBW

60 – 10 – 10 + 10 + 15 – 50 = 15%

He rolls each attack in succession requiring 65% with one and 15% with the other. All hits will be randomised as per normal, so the off hand could hit a separate part of the body to the main hand.

Had Cal selected the Ambidextrous Trait his off hand penalty would only be -25%. Had he further selected the Gunslinger Trait he would have no penalty and could engage an adjacent target with a single extra Rough Aim, splitting his shots as he desired.

66

GrenadesGrenades range from the normal hand thrown explosive types, petrol bombs and other IED’s to the ammunition fired by weapons such as M203 underslung launchers. Thrown grenades and fired grenades are dealt with differently to hit with, but are later clumped together for damage.

Grenades fired from weapons follow all the normal rules for shooting, but firers must be aware of minimum arming distances and of course the blast radius of an explosion.

To throw a grenade the process below is followed:

Take the entirety of one turn to take out a grenade, pull the pin and throw it.Timer activated grenades will then explode at Sequence 10 on the following

turn.Impact grenades will explode immediately.

Pick an impact point and apply modifiers as normal, except for firer posture (it is better to be stood up).

If the grenade misses, roll a scatter dice and D6 for distance.The grenade lands at this point, but may bounce of walls etc – use common

sense.

Targets aware of the grenade get an immediate Initiative Check to take cover regardless of Sequence if it is a timed grenade. Those that have already activated get their Check at the start of the next Tactical Turn on Sequence 1. Impact grenades explode immediately so there is no chance to take cover.

The following is an example of a character throwing a fragmentation grenade:

On Tactical Turn 5 Portia decides to frag the asses of the enemy group giving her trouble. She remains stationary and pulls a fragmentation grenade from her pouch, pulls the pin and throws at point she selected to get most enemies into the lethal zone. She has a maximum throw distance of 25m and the spot is 18m away – within distance – and light levels are optimal. Her Grenade Skill is 50% so in order to get it to hit the spot the calculations are:

Skill – TP (there are no other modifications)

So

50 – 10 = 40%

She rolls the required number and the grenade lands at the desired location. There are 3 enemies in the group who all now get a Initiative Check to take cover or move as far out the way as possible (one may even elect to be brave and throw it back!). One passes and dives behind a wall, the others fail

67

and will be caught (they have a Sequence of 15 and can’t move away in time). The grenade will explode at Sequence 10 on Tactical Turn 6.

Had Portia failed then the grenade would have scattered D6m in a random direction – possibly even landing short and catching her in the blast! If she had critically failed the GM could have had the grenade go off prematurely (EVIL) or she forgot to pull the pin and the enemy now have her grenade (not so evil).

The damage for grenade attacks is given the Damage Location and Effect Section.

MortarsMortars are essentially longer ranged ballistic grenade throwers or miniature artillery piece, depending on size. They were originally used to fire high trajectory rounds over intervening terrain, obstacle and troops before the advent of indirect fire artillery. During WW1 Trench Mortars were an effective form of short range artillery for infantry support.

To use a mortar characters choose an impact point in a way similar to grenades, but with a Target Profile of -15 at best, worsening for harder to see impact points. Deviation for misses is D20m for trained users (firer and/or observer) and 3D20 for untrained users. However, the weapon firer does not need to have line of sight to the impact point. As long as someone has plotted the target and passed the impact point to the firer they may engage the target. When firing indirect in this way it is the skill of the observer calling in the rounds that is used, not the character handling the weapon.

Mortars have no range brackets as they operate in a ballistic fashion between a minimum and maximum range. For simplicities sake all mortars of 54mm or greater have a minimum range of 500m, smaller weapons have a minimum range of 200m. Maximum ranges will be listed with the weapon system.

Subsequent shots ranging onto the target increase the probability of a hit, therefore gain +5% bonus to hit per subsequent round fired at the same point. Once an impact point has been ranged and “fire for effect” has been called, multiple rounds will deviate ½ D20m from the impact point per round. More than one mortar firing is a barrage, just like artillery fire and this affects a zone rather than a point. These rules are not meant to simulate large battles with lots of artillery undergoing different types of fire mission, so for simplicity again the beaten zone for a mortar barrage is considered to be 50mx50m.

Close Combat

Sometimes you just have to get in there and stick a bayonet into someone the old fashioned way! This is called by a variety of terms such as hand-to-hand fighting, close combat or melee. Within Figure 11 all forms of non ranged combat are included under the descriptor “Melee” and utilise the Melee Combat Ability scores.

Fighting in Melee

68

When characters enter melee combat a separate process to ranged combat is followed. Each protagonist gets 3 attacks or parries under normal conditions. Each attack or parry uses the relevant Skill for weapons used, if any; Unarmed for fists and feet, Knife Fighting for knifes and bayonets, Primitive Melee for swords and halberds. The Skill used is individual to the character; it is possible for one to use Unarmed whilst another is using Primitive Melee.

Each protagonist chooses whether they are going to launch an attack or hold off for a parry attempt against a potential incoming attack. Each player takes a dice (size does not matter) and secretly select odd numbers for an attack, even for a parry (or use a coin – heads attack, tails parry) and reveal their selections simultaneously.

If an attack is launched and unanswered with a parry, then roll to hit as normal. If one side parries, they get a chance to negate any potential hit with a successful parry roll using the relevant Melee Skill. If both sides parry, then nothing happens as they are warily gauging each other waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Hitting in melee combat is far simpler than ranged – there are only modifiers from the Medical Section applied to wounded protagonists.

The following is an example of melee combat:

Timothy launches a bayonet attack against an enemy who is similarly equipped. Both sides therefore utilise the Knife Fighting Skill.

Round 1 sees Timothy launch an attack as he wants to get in quick and finish it. His opponent seeing the incoming screaming Timothy elects to parry the expected attack. Timothy rolls to hit and succeeds on his unmodified Skill of 48%. His opponent is of poorer quality, but succeeds in parrying the attack.

Round 2 and both sides elect to parry – Timothy expects a counter attack, the opponent expects Timothy to continue the ferocious attack. Nothing happens.

Round 3 and both decide to attack – Timothy wants it over with and the opponent has been emboldened by Timothy’s previous hesitancy. Both sides roll an attack. Timothy succeeds again, so gets a hit on his opponent, who had failed his roll (had he passed he too would have got a hit). Timothy now rolls the location and applies the damage (see Damage Location and Effect) killing the opponent with a bayonet to the chest.

At times a character may be able to get an attack in before the opponent has an opportunity to ready their defences or counter attack. In that event the target does not get an opportunity to parry. The Helpless Victim rule above may also apply to situations such as these.

Dual Wielding

69

Characters that have the Dual Wielding Skill gain a re-roll to the dice to determine whether their parry was successful and gain an extra roll when attacking – effectively rolling 2 sets of dice for each attack and scoring separate hits if they are successful.

70

Damage Location and Effect

Once a target has been hit with a successful attack, the location of the hit and the effect on the target have to be worked out. Unless a situation involved hitting a specific part of the body (i.e. Deliberate Aim at Head), then a roll against one of the random charts is required , followed by the level of damage if a predetermined level has not been agreed upon (i.e. Instant Death from a shot to the face).

LocationThe following three tables are used for the most common situations found in skirmish fighting.

Open Cover Prone1 Right Leg Right Arm Right Arm2 Left Leg Right Arm Right Arm3 Right Arm Right Arm Right Leg4 Left Arm Left Arm Left Arm5 Body Left Arm Left Arm6 Body Left Arm Left Leg7 Body Body Body8 Body Body Body9 Body Body Head0 Head Head Head

Open – This is when the target is stood, kneeling or walking out in the open with no intervening cover.

Cover – This is when only the upper part of the target is visible due to being in cover such as behind sandbags or in the cupola of an armoured vehicle.

Prone – This is when the target is lying down, generally facing toward the firer thus obscuring the legs and with a higher chance of having the head hit. For prone targets shot from behind the arms and legs could be swapped around, or simply use the Open table.

Sometimes situations will invariably present themselves when only the lower half or one side of a person is visible – use common sense in locating hits, but always remember that a hit, if scored, should be applied somewhere (no “oops it hit the wall” crap).

71

DamageThe damage inflicted by weapons is consistent for round type in Figure 11 regardless of whether it was fired from an M16A1 or M16A2. As this uses a D10 it is generic for round size, type and velocity (i.e .303/7.62mm/7.92mm etc). However, cover and body armour may modify the end result. Before rolling on the Damage chart the eventual modifier needs to be calculated:

Round Modifier – Body Armour Modifier – Hard Cover Modifier + Critical (if scored)

Round Modifier – every type of round will have a number ranging form 0 to +10 for hits against living organisms (vehicles use a separate chart).

Body Armour – If a target is wearing a piece of protective clothing this could provide a negative modifier. If:

The Armour Penetration (AP) beats the Protection Factor (PF) of armour then full damage is caused (no modifier).

The AP is equal to the PF, then a -3 modifier to the round is applied (a 7.62mm becomes 0).

The AP is less than the PF, no damage is caused, apply Stun Points for that round, double for hits to the head.

Critical – If a firer scores a critical hit, consult the Critical Hit table and apply the modifier as a positive. A roll of 9 or 0 on the Critical Hit table will result in Instant Death and nor further rolls need be made.

72

Once an eventual number is reached then roll a D10 on the following chart with the modifier:

Arms/Legs Body Head1 Flesh Wound Flesh Wound Flesh Wound2 Flesh Wound Flesh Wound Minor3 Flesh Wound Minor Major4 Flesh Wound Minor Major Agony5 Minor Major Major Unconscious6 Minor Major Agony Death7 Minor Major Agony Death8 Major Major Unconscious Death9 Major Agony Death Death0 Major Agony Death Death

Once a result has been achieved apply the damage. For the immediate effects of a wound see below and for treatment and the longer term effects for survivors see the Medical Section. For movement penalties see the Movement Section.

Flesh Wound – This is when the bullet nicks the flesh causing mostly superficial damage of the type that can be ignored in combat. However accumulative Flesh Wounds could render someone combat ineffective.

Player must pass an immediate Sanity Check or loose 1 Trauma Point

Each FW over 5 will incur a Morale penalty and To Hit penalty on the sufferer.

FW on the legs will accumulate a penalty to movement.

Once a limb reaches 5 FW it is crippled and has Major Wound penalties applied.

Minor Wound – This is a little more serious, but still only affecting the fleshy parts of the body with no serious damage to internal organs, bones or muscles.

A character immediately suffers D3 Trauma points.

A Minor Wound counts as 3 Flesh Wounds and has a higher Morale Check Penalty.

Victims must make an immediate Morale Check to carry on or they will seek the nearest cover.

Minor Wounds to the legs will incur a penalty to movement.

Minor Wounds to the head will incur a -30% modifier to shooting, spotting and any Mental Skill check.

Minor Wounds to the arm will incur a 10% penalty to shooting and hand to hand.

73

Major Wound – something important has been hit. Some people when taking a major wound will suffer in relative quiet with groaning but no screaming out loud.

Victims will immediately seek cover and either attempt self aid or seek aid from others.

Character will immediately loose 4 +D6 Trauma Points.

Characters will receive the Morale Shaken and Morale Previous Failure penalties for the rest of the encounter.

A character with a Major Wound may defend themselves, but will NOT attempt to continue with aggressive action unless agreed with the GM.

If a Major Wound is NOT treated within 2 Tactical Turns the victim will start dying (see below).

Major wounds to the legs head and body will incur a sever movement penalty. Major Wounds to the arm will render that arm useless.

Major Wounds to the head will incur a -70% penalty to shooting, spotting, Awareness or any Mental Skill.

Major Agony – This major wound does cause the victim to scream out loud due to the severe pain. Whilst medically there is no difference to a Major wound, this will have an effect on the Morale of nearby friendly characters. Instinct and training usually kicks in for soldiers confronted by a screaming comrade and rendering aid becomes a priority.

All conditions for Major Wound apply plus/except the following:

Characters immediately loose 10 Trauma Points.

If a friendly character is suffering a Major Agony Wound then apply the following to friendly character in sight/sound of the victim:

Must pass an immediate Morale Check to carry on.

Must render immediate First Aid OR pass an Initiative Check to ignore the casualty.

Major Unconscious – Like Major Wounds above, but the victim has gone immediately unconscious. Unconscious victims will only effect nearby friendly characters if they are in sight. Unconscious characters are so for the rest of the encounter and will only regain consciousness with the relevant treatment. They do not loos Trauma Points as they are unconscious.

Death – Dead. End of.

Dying Characters

74

Any character that suffers a Major Wound or reaches their last Flesh Wound will immediately start dying. At this point they will begin to loose Life Force unless successfully treated with First Aid. Characters will loose 1 LF per turn unless stabilised. Once a character reaches 0 they are effectively dead and can only be revived with the correct equipment within 1 minute (12 Tactical Turns) or they are permanently dead.

75

Round DamageThe table below is given for the most common forms and calibres of ammunition. Any exotic rounds or hand crafted rounds should be agreed with the GM. This table is generic due to the D10 nature of achieving results. Gun nuts should feel free to modify it for D100 and get complicated if they wish.

AP – Armour PenetrationDM – Damage ModifierSP – Stun Points for non penetrative hits

Round AP DM SP.357/.38 0 0 1.357 Magnum 10 2 2.45/9mm 5 1 29mm Hollow Points 0 5 29mm Jacketed Hollow Points 5 5 210mm 5 1 2.44 Magnum 15 3 3.44 Magnum HP 10 6 3.44 JHP 15 6 3.223/5.56mm/5.45mm/5.7mm 10 2 4.30/.338/7.62mm/7.92mm 20 3 67.62mm Armour Piercing 25 3 6.50 /.50 Action Express/12.7mm 30 5 8.50 AP/12.7mm AP 35 5 814.5mm AP 35 6 1020mm 40 8 10 +D1020mm APHE 40 10 Forget it – your out cold!12 Gauge Shot 0 3 4 Point Blank Only12 Gauge Solid Shot 5 3 8 Point Blank Only12 Gauge AP* 15 4 4 Point Blank Only12 Gauge Non Lethal^ 0 No Roll 10 +D20

* - 12 Gauge AP has a 20% Critical Chance and a maximum range of 25m^ - 12 Gauge Non Lethal does not roll on Damage table, apply Stun Points only

76

Critical HitsOccasionally a dice roll will result in a spectacular success granting a Critical Hit causing extra damage modifiers or Instant Death. Roll against the following table:

1 +1 DM2 +1 DM3 +1 DM4 +1 DM5 +2 DM6 +2 DM7 +3 DM8 +3 DM9 Instant Death/Catastrophic Explosion10 Instant Death/Catastrophic Explosion

Protection FactorMost troops and police officers in developed countries from the late 20th century onwards are equipped with body armour and/or a helmet made from something like KEVLAR or old fashioned steel. This acts much like the ancient armour worn by warriors from Hoplites to Knights affording the soldier a degree of protection from either incoming rounds or explosive fragmentation. Protection can also be afforded by hard cover such as walls, sandbags or vehicle armour.

The table below is based on the US National Institute of Justice NIJ 0101 06 standard for ballistic weave vests and ceramic plate inserts:

Level I .38 PF5Level IIA .40 S&W, 9mm FMJ PF10Level II .357 Magnum, High Velocity 9mm FMJ PF15Level IIIA .44 Magnum FMJ PF20Level III 7.62mm NATO PF25Level IV .30/7.62mm Armour Piercing PF30

As this is a game and not a complex simulation there is no factoring in multiple hits and deteriorating armour etc.

This table is adequate for most campaign settings that use real world equipment. Campaigns set in more exotic times and locations could incorporate better vests or complete suits, but GM’s should be careful not to allow players complete immunity – there needs to be some form of risk. Also older forms of armour may be available such as chain or plate mail where a common agreement to their effectiveness will have to be reached.

Protective cover is also a way to mitigate round damage. The following table is only some of the most common forms of protective cover encountered by skirmishing soldiers:

Plaster wall PF0 No real protection herePlywood/softwood PF5 it takes 1.5m of soft timber to resist 5.56mm

77

Brick Wall PF15 45cm of bricks will resist 5.56mmSandbags PF10 75cm of compacted sand will resist 5.56mmEmpty metal drum PF5 slight protection from the metalConcrete filled drum PF25 25cm of concrete will resist 5.56mm

Any round that travels through hard cover will have its DM reduced by 1 and AP reduced by 5 for every factor of 5PF it travels through. For example:

5.56mm firing through a single sandbag would be reduced to DM 0 AP 0

7.62mm AP firing through the same single sandbag would be DM 1 AP 15

Explosive DamageExplosive damage is dealt with slightly differently than round damage in that it can be instantly lethal for victims close to the explosion, lessening the further away. The size of the explosion will have an effect, but Figure 11 being a skirmish game the rules are limited to grenade, mortar and light artillery explosions and again are generalised.

Grenades and mortar rounds up to 54mm:

0 – 3m Instant Death3.1 – 6m D10 Random Hits AP5 DM1 and 6 Stun points6.1 – 15m 1 Random Hit AP0 DM0, Reflex Save ignores and 3 Stun Points (not ignored)

Mortar rounds over 54mm, less than 120mm and artillery up to 105mm:

0 – 5m Instant Death5.1 – 15m D10 Random Hits AP10 DM2 and 10 Stun Points15.1 – 30m 1 Random Hit AP5 DM1 Reflex Save ignores and 6 Stun Points (not ignored)

Mortars 120mm and above and Artillery over 105mm

0 – 5m Instant Death5.1 – 15m D10 Random Hits AP10 DM3 and 10 +D10 Stun Points15.1m – 50m 1 Random Hit AP5 DM2 Reflex Save ignores and 10 Stun Points (not ignored)

Characters caught in explosions will loose Trauma Points depending on the size of the explosion. These points are lost even if a Reflex Save was passed to avoid damage.

Grenades and Mortars up to 54mm 3 TP’sMortars over 54mm but under 120mm and artillery up to 105mm 6 TP’sMortars 120mm and over and artillery over 105mm 10 TP’s

Mines and Improvised Explosive Devices

78

These weapons vary in yield and intended result (quite a lot with IED’s) and will be listed individually as to their effect, blast radius and consequences. As a rule of thumb, most manufactured anti personnel devices only affect the individual and have a limited effect on others nearby. Some devices are however, designed to spray an area of effect (claymores for instance) and will effect an area similar to either a grenade or small mortar round.

As IED’s vary quite wildly depending on the theatre, bomb maker and desired result, GM’s should design their own and apply either the effects listed for a particular type of manufactured mine or that of an artillery round of the desired size.

Smoke Grenades and Smoke EffectsWhen it comes to the effects of concealing smoke it gets quite complicated and variable due to the different products available; not to mention the changes in technology over the last 100+ years. So once again we are going to simplify and generalise. As these rules are really only intended for fire team or section level we will only deal with grenades, pots and small individual mortar bombs – full smoke screens from mortar or artillery batteries would cover most of a table at standard 28mm scale.

Small grenade: deployed as per normal grenades, covers an area 5m in diameter and will last for 1 minute (10-12 turns for a 5-6 second tactical turn) giving full cover from view to those behind and partial cover to those inside. Thermal imagers will negate the cover effects against normal smoke, but specialist smoke may still defeat them.

Large grenade, mortar round or pot: As per small grenade but with an 8m diameter and lasting up to 2 minutes.

79

Morale

After the ability to shoot, morale is probably the most important factor in a battle. Many fire fights have been over rather quickly as one side with fragile resilience has run off after a few shots and one or two casualties. Likewise, some fire fights have become long drawn out affairs as neither side has been prepared to give ground and resolved to fight to the last.

In figure 11 characters will be required to take Morale Checks at either predetermined times due to actions or events (being hit in combat or aiming a shot) or for unusual circumstances according to the whim of the GM. In order to prevent absurdities caused by poor dice rolling (i.e. suddenly running away when winning a fire fight), Morale Checks to stay in a fight should be limited to circumstances that warrant them and not taken every so many Tactical Turns (i.e. half the squad has gone down and the enemy are winning the engagement).

To pass a Morale Check simply roll %D and score equal or under with the following modifiers:

Upper hand in engagement +30Enemy under sustained or effective sniper fire +20Enemy running or withdrawing +50Each supporting friendly in sight or comms +10Friendly character major wounded/unconscious in sight -10Friendly character major wounded screaming in agony in sight/sound -30Friendly player dead in sight -50Each received Flesh Wound over 5 -5Each Minor wound -10Previous failure -10Under sustained or effective sniper fire -10Under bombardment -15Surrounded/cut off -15Each friendly player running/withdrawing -5

Other variables can be applied by the GM to suit the circumstances such as negatives for fighting against terrifying opponents such as monsters, large wild animals or cannibal cultists.

Characters that were required to take a Morale Check in order to perform a specific action, such as Deliberate Aimed Shots or coming out of cover whilst under suppressive fire, simply fail to do the action and do not receive any penalty.

If a character took and failed a Morale Check for reasons of staying in the fight (most squad mates down, being attacked by a giant man eating mutated tiger etc), take the numerical difference between the desired result and the actual roll then consult the table below for the effect:

80

01 – 10 Character has Morale Shaken penalty, restricted to half movement (they are hesitant), cannot charge or initiate hand to hand combat and loose 2 Trauma Points.

11 – 40 Character will take cover if available, go prone if not. They may not move toward the enemy, but can move away subsequently. They receive the Morale Shaken penalty. They may render aid to nearby friendly wounded even if this violates the no move forward condition. They loose 5 Trauma Points.

41 – 80 Character will take cover immediately, seeking the nearest hard cover or deepest hole they can find. They will remain in cover for 10 Tactical Turns checking their Morale every turn in case of worse failure (they will remain in cover for the full 10 turns regardless of subsequent success in order to get themselves sorted). May only render First aid to themselves. They loose 10 Trauma Points.

81+ Character will run away screaming in fear and not come out of hiding or stop running for the rest of the engagement. Characters that are surrounded or cut off from escape will surrender if possible. They loose 1 Sanity Point.

81

Medical

Sanity and Mental TraumaCombat, whether trench warfare WW1 style or quick counter insurgency skirmishes is a mentally traumatic experience for the majority of participants. Sure there will always be those who revel in it and seem unfazed, but time and constant exposure to the violence, spectacle and uncertainty will eventually ware even the mentally toughest soldier down. For most even a single fire fight or IED explosion will linger in their minds for years causing what we currently term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Figure 11 is intended as a game, albeit one with a more realistic and accurate portrayal of modern combat, therefore characters are regarded as being of the more mentally robust type than normal everyday civilians from cosy Western democracies. The following rules therefore are by no means intended to be an accurate and realistic measure of a soldier’s ability to weather mental trauma over the period of time a typical characters career will run.

The Character Generation, Traits and Combat sections have already dealt with Trauma Points and Sanity and given some instances when and how they are lost. On top of the effects of being shot at and blown up there are other occasions that characters may find themselves facing the loss of Trauma Points or Sanity. These situations will be scenario dependant and therefore completely within the purview of the GM. The following are just some examples:

The characters come across the site of a brutal massacre with desecrated corpses including young children.

A character is attacked or confronted with a campaign monster such as demons, flesh eating aliens or mutant fishmen.

A character is being subjected to torture for information or entertainment.

A character has been hit by a moving vehicle or involved in a crash.

A character has had to bail out of a crashing aircraft or abandon a sinking ship.

The list of instances could go on and on. Players and GM’s should take a realistic view of the situation and apply Sanity Checks and TP/Sanity loss in a balanced way.

82

First Aid TreatmentDuring combat, First Aid is the Skill that saves lives and limbs among casualties. Doctors may be present, but the aid they give is broadly similar in nature to that of a Combat Medic or Paramedic, perhaps with a degree of more sophistication and knowledge and maybe even an element of field surgery in the back of a helicopter en-route to the primary hospital facility. However, what they are not doing is acting like a local GP and simply diagnosing a cold and handing out a prescription. To depict this in games of Figure 11, First Aid and associated trauma medicine skills are used for battlefield casualties whilst Doctor is relegated to GP stuff and aiding in casualties’ subsequent recovery.

Giving AidThe table below give the Degree of Difficulty to treat wounds:

Wound First Aid Paramedic Trauma Spec Field SurgeonFlesh Wound 5 Auto Auto AutoMinor to Limbs 10 5 Auto AutoMinor to Body 15 10 5 AutoMinor Head 20 15 10 5Major Limbs 15 10 5 AutoMajor Body 20 15 10 5Major Head 25 20 15 10Superficial Burn 5 Auto Auto AutoMinor Burn 10 5 Auto AutoMajor Burn 20 15 10 5Severe Burn 40 20 15 10

This table is a guide. If there is a situation where a character has suffered horrendous wounds, then the DoD should be increased accordingly, for instance multiple amputations from an explosion.

The table is for the DoD under OK to perfect conditions and should be modified if the situation warrants it, such as under bombardment or accurate enemy fire.

Non Combat InjuriesSome characters may get injured through events other than getting shot or blown up, such as falling off a ladder, stumbling drunk over a manhole cover in the dark and breaking their right scaphoid (me!) or being knocked over whilst playing goal in a field hockey match (me again!). These sprains and breaks should be treated with the same classification as above (minor to major), given the same penalties and treated accordingly.

83

Burns and Fire DamageWhilst most combat injuries in Figure 11 will be gunshot, stabbing or explosive, there are weapons and occasions that will result in characters catching fire. Burns can be caused by a variety of weapon types and can range from flash burns right up to full on immolation from a flamethrower and can start with a small fire and rapidly escalate or begin as a raging inferno and quickly lead to death. To represent this any weapon that causes burns will have; an Area Rating, Minimum Wound and Extinguish DoD.

Area Rating – This rating is the surface area first covered by the fire and the amount it increases by per Tactical Turn if left unchecked. For example 25/5%, where a quarter of the body is covered and it will increase to 30% the next turn, 35% after and so on.

Minimum Wound – This is the minimum wound on the chart that can be suffered. Some weapons may only cause a Superficial Burn (equivalent of Flesh Wound) if quickly dealt with, whilst others may start at a Major 3rd degree burn.

Extinguish DoD – This is the measure of how difficult it would be to extinguish the fire. Some fires, such as burning clothing from igniting petrol may be relatively simple. Others such as white phosphorus or flamethrower fuel may be a bit more difficult. Full immersion in water will cause all fires to extinguish unless a specific rule applies.

Burns Damage ChartThe chart below should be used instead of the main Damage Charts.

1 Superficial2 Superficial3 Minor4 Minor5 Major -5LF per Tactical Turn6 Major -5LF per Tactical Turn7 Major -5LF per Tactical Turn8 Severe -10LF per Tactical Turn9 Severe -10LF per Tactical Turn0 Severe -10LF per Tactical Turn

Superficial Burns count as Flesh Wounds for penalties and are treated as such.Minor Burns count as Minor Wounds for penalties and are treated as such.Major Burns cause Agony and are treated as Major Agony Wounds with the addition of loosing 5LF per Tactical Turn unless extinguished and stabilized.Sever Burns cause Unconsciousness and are treated as Major Unconscious Wounds with the addition of loosing 10LF per Tactical Turn unless extinguished and stabilized.Fire generally does not kill outright the way a bullet or explosion does, but over a period of time – sometimes long, sometimes mercifully short.

84

All Major and Severe Burns will cause the victim to loose additional LF per day unless they are treated in an appropriate medical facility or by a Doctor with a minimum 50% Skill as below;

Major 1LFSevere 2LF

Flash BurnsFlash Burns are caused when something explodes or rapidly ignites in close proximity to someone such as an old CRT computer monitor or a large amount of petrol. These are Superficial Burns that only effect exposed areas of skin such as the hands or face. Some equipment is designed to prevent this such as the Anti-Flash gear worn by sailors on modern combat vessels. The flash that caused the burn will also cause temporary blindness in unprotected victims. Unless specified a character will be blinded for D3 turns.

Stun PointsWhenever a player suffers Stun Damage they loose a predetermined or random number of Stun Points. Once a player reaches 0 SP’s they are rendered unconscious. Unlike being rendered unconscious from excessive wounds and bleeding, the character does not start dying - they simply lie there and have a little snooze. The length of unconsciousness may vary due to the reason for it. Some weapons will have a minimum time (i.e. Tazers or knock out darts) before the character may regain consciousness. Otherwise use the chart below as a guide:

Punched Out D3Rifle Butted/Blunt Trauma 3D10 Explosion D10Too many non penetrative hits D6

Poison and DiseaseCharacter may find themselves under attack from within as well as externally – especially if they don’t have a cook and keep botching the venison roast. Poison is an internal attack on the body whether from malicious intent such as being fed arsenic or cyanide, bitten by a creature such as a Black Widow spider or accidental from undercooked shellfish. Disease is like poison but will come from a virus or other type of bug.

Each instance of poisoning will have a rating associated with it, such as the aforementioned Black Widow or can be an arbitrary number assigned by the GM (that was some REALLY poor cooking!). It will also be listed or assigned as either lethal or nonlethal and a duration and may have other penalties associated with it. For example:

Black Widow Spider, Poison 3 per 5 Tactical Turns, Lethal

Piss Poor Cooking, Poison 6, Nonlethal 24 hours, 50% Stamina, 50% Morale penalty

85

In the case of the Black Widow the victim will loose 3 Life Force every 5 Tactical Turns until they die if they are not treated appropriately with anti venom or movie style sucking the poison out of their arses.

With the food poisoning the victim will simply loose 6 LF for a period of 24 hours, rendering them more vulnerable if they take damage in combat. They will also be listless with a lack of energy and a little bit mentally fragile.

Disease is a bit more difficult to quantify as some people can shrug of the severest of Man Flu (most housewives), whilst others are bedded down with sore throat and a slight sniffle. Disease is not really a common factor in skirmish warfare, but is included for the Role Playing element. GM’s should do their own research and design penalties and restrictions accordingly if they wish to introduce disease to a game.

Radiation PoisoningThis will probably be more common for campaigns set in the aftermath of a nuclear Armageddon. Radiation is dealt with similar to lethal poison with a per Tactical Turn or time period effect on Life Force depending on strength of dose and also reduces Strength and Endurance Primary Stats as well. Radiation poisoning damage to Strength and Endurance is PERMANENT unless there is some form of treatment. Once all 3 stats are reduced to 0 the character is dead and is permanently lost with no chance of resuscitation.

86

Recovery TimeCharacters taking part in ongoing campaigns that are injured will have an opportunity to recover from those injuries with sufficient rest and/or professional medical treatment. In reality the time taken to recover depends greatly on the person injured and the quality of their care. As Figure 11 is a game we will use the following table as a generic simplified recovery time:

Days per 20% Doctor SkillInjury 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%Flesh Wound 21 12 11 10 9

8Minor Wound 60 30 25 20 15 10Major Wound 200 80 70 60 50 40

All wounds received heal at the same time – there is no consecutive healing period for multiple Flesh Wounds and a Minor Wound.

Major Wounds may be so severe that they can never be recovered from. If a character has suffered a major wound to limbs from an explosion then there is a good chance that the limb is gone – literally. The decision to do this should be taken by the GM and weighed carefully. Whilst it may be the fluffy thing to allow a character to recover, having 2 major wounds from being just outside the instant death zone of an explosion or having your legs crushed by a tank, will be a realistic case for amputation/crippling. Players are free to continue with the character, but may wish to start a fresh one.

Major and Severe Burns are also an instance that can result in permanent damage to a character that can never be recovered. Any character that suffers a Severe Burn is effectively retired – GAME OVER, start rolling a new one unless the campaign has some futuristic high tech medical facilities.

Temporary Stat Loss Recovery TimeSome of the Medical Stats for characters are only lost temporarily during an engagement/game and can be recovered in between encounters or even during one. The following are recovered at the designated rate under normal conditions:

Trauma Points 1 per hour if over 50% remain, 1 per 2 hours if less than 50%Stun Points 1 per minute of complete restStamina 1 per 10 minutes of light activity or 1 per 5 minutes of complete restLife Force 1 1 per hour for disease or poison recovery after cureLife Force 2 1 per 6 hours for Wound recovery

87

SanitySanity can only ever be recovered by successful psychiatric help from proper professionals. Whilst many combat veterans will attest to using their comrades as their help this is not reflected within Figure 11 as this can only go so far to help and is very hard to quantify.

Psychiatrists (or insert another name) can aid characters in recovering Sanity, but it takes time. Psychiatrists attempting to treat a patient roll a Skill Check with a DoD of -5 per Sanity lost by the patient. A success will result in one Sanity Point being restored. Only ONE attempt can be made per 7 day period and the psychiatrist AND the subject must have a suitably calm period – no trying half way through a protracted 10 day siege defence battle or 2 days into an underground clearance mission.

Death, Insanity and RetirementSometimes a Player Character may find themselves removed from the game, either through death, injury, going wibble or because the player is fed up with the character and wants a new one (retirement).

New characters will be rolled as per the method agreed with the GM and should start at Level One. It may seem a little harsh to include a newbie Level One in with a bunch of Level 15’s and would be unthinkable in some other established rule sets. However, this does mirror reality.

A group has been fighting together a while, but one day a member runs out of luck and is killed or severely wounded to the extent of being permanently combat ineffective. They recruit a newbie (or Rookie) to take the missing persons place. That new recruit will have to be integrated, mentored and watched out for until they too are capable of holding their own. Just like in real life. Besides, the Combat System can have a Level 20 Player Character shot and killed by a Level 1 NPC and vice versa, unlike other systems that don’t realistically threaten higher levels characters with lower ones.

88

Movement

This section deals with only the most common forms of movement that players will encounter during a normal land based game of Figure 11.

Foot MovementThis part is simplified to take into consideration only the most common forms of movement during combat. Movement on a strategic scale between encounters should take into account terrain, load and whether the characters are in a hurry or not.

Normal Light Heavy With CasualtyWalk 8m 8m 4m 4mJog 12m 15m 6m 5mRun 18m 20m 9m 8mSprint 25m 30m NP 12mFast Crawl 6m 6m 4m 4mBelly Crawl 4m 5m 2m 2m

Normal – This is a soldier in normal combat equipment of webbing, helmet, body armour, weapon, wearing boots and carrying sufficient ammunition, food and water to fight with. Also called Fighting Order.

Light – This is the equivalent of sports gear or civilian clothing and can include carrying a small arm such as a pistol, SMG or assault rifle.

Heavy – This is a soldier in full fighting order as Normal, but with the addition of extra load carrying equipment such as a full Bergan or carrying part of a heavy crew served weapon. This is essentially Marching Order.

With Casualty – This is when a soldier in fighting order is attempting to get a casualty under cover. They tend to remove any extra kit such as Bergans to get their buddy to safety.

Fast Crawl – The type of movement sometimes called Monkey Crawl, where a soldier is bent over and moving low and as fast as they can.

Belly Crawl – Also called a leopard crawl, this is when the soldier is on their belly moving slowly hugging the ground.

89