I've had several people ask me about the ruleset that my local group uses. Rather than send long cut/pastes via message, I'm just going to post the ruleset here and message the thread address. Much easier.

I encourage everyone to input to their hearts content about this ruleset. We've been using it for quite some time locally and we think it makes the game much more enjoyable. Try a few games with it and see if you dont agree. If not, hey, no worries, do as thou will.

There are many ways to fix the problems in this game. I acknowledge this and admit freely that there are other options that work just as well. We just find that we like these best.

Yes, I know this ruleset neuters the hell out of artillery and tankdrop. Good and double-good! Artillery has a stranglehold on the game and needs to become the support weapon it was intended to be. Tankdrop is just stupid and lame. Some of you don't agree with that, more power to you. At this point I doubt I'll ever change your opinion, or that you'll ever change mine. Hence I'd rather this thread didnt degenerate into yet another flamewar about the need for fixes at all. Would it be okay to limit ourselves to discussing the pros and cons of this ruleset in this particular thread?

Anyway, here you go. Enjoy.




---Artillery: Major Issue---

Artillery as currently with the following changes:

Artillery gets +2 attack for clear line of sight, not +4.

When each pog is placed, declare “flak” or “standard” (units with more than one pog may declare separately for each pog). “Flak” blasts only damage cruising VTOLs. “Standard” artillery damages everything except cruising VTOLs.

After rolling to resolve drift, add the total of the dice roll to the attack value of the artillery unit. Add +2 more if the line of sight is clear. Compare the resulting number to the defense value of each unit in the artillery blast radius. If the resulting number is not equal to (or higher than) the defense value of a particular unit, no damage is scored on that unit.

The following do apply to the defense value:

Point Defense
+1 defense for a unit whose centerpoint is in hindering terrain.

The following do not apply:

Evade
Camouflage
+1 defense for units on elevated terrain.
+1 defense for cruising VTOLs.

---Tankdrop: Major Issue---

As currently but with the following changes:

The act of being loaded does not cause a towed unit to clear its order tokens. Movement while being towed does not count as an action for the towed unit, therefore it might clear normally.

Vehicles being towed are towed “on-board“. They are visible, take up battlefield space, can be targeted by enemy attacks, can be damaged by artillery, can be based, etc.

Towed units follow the normal rules for basing and breaking. If, for example, a unit bases both the transport and the towed unit, both must pass their break roll, although the attempt only costs the transporting unit one order.

The towed vehicle uses the speed value for the towing unit but both must obey terrain limitations (for example, a hovercraft transport cannot tow a wheeled tank across water terrain since the wheeled tank cannot enter water terrain).

A vehicle unloaded by a transport may not be issued an order in the same turn.

---Armor Piercing vs. Decoy: Minor Issue---

AP does not ignore Decoy.

---Captured Units: Minor Issue---
Captured units can be damaged but not targeted.

---ECM: Minor Issue---

ECM negates indirect fire, Streak Missiles, and Improved Targeting

---Hand to Hand Weapon: Minor Issue---

HTH weapons ignore Agility.

---Minimum Range Tanks: Minor Issue---

A vehicle may always make a ranged combat attack against a unit basing it, even if the vehicle has a minimum range. The vehicle must still be able to trace a line of fire through its front arc.



That is pretty much it. I encourage you to share your thoughts on the ruleset, although I also encourage you to sit down, design armies for this ruleset, and play 5-10 games first to see how it actually plays before judging it.

I think you'll be pleasantly suprised if you do.

Enjoy.

Is this ruleset being used in Wizkids sponsored head-to-heads and sealed booster events?

Does this men that my HL Long Tom really IS driven by a blind guy and his dog?

*drools*

I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want.

Nice ruleset, but whats the reasoning behind ignoring the following?

Evade
Camouflage
+1 defense for units on elevated terrain.
+1 defense for cruising VTOLs.

Other than that I like this. Emc make more sense, there is now a reason beyond desperation to use HtH weapons, Decoy would rule all, and AntiP may very well kill your own captured unit.

:cheeky:

@ John26...

Evade: Being nimble and heat efficient doesnt help one dodge raining splodies.

Camouflage: Who cares if they cant see you too good, artillery just blasts the whole area anyway.

+1 defense for units on elevated terrain: Being on a hill doesnt help you save yourself from raining splodies.

+1 defense for cruising VTOLs: How does being nimble in the air help you when flak shells explode flinging shrapnel around in a large area?

I thought about putting a note about the reasoning for all of the things in the rulset, but decided it was best to keep it brief and elaborate on any reasoning afterward if anyone asked.

@ coyote...

Even the HL Long Tom's 7 attack can consistently hit infantry. With the +2 for clear LOS, the Tom has a 9 attack which is nothing to sneer at on a unit that can blast from 48" away.

Decoy doesnt become that overbalanced we've found. Melee, high attack values, and formation attacks still negate it.

AnP and artillery should damage captured units. Explosive munitions cannot differentiate between an enemy unit and a POW.

@ wonderbread...

I dont know anything about any Wizkids sponsored rulesets. This is just the ruleset we've developed locally.

Warflail> Do you use these rules when running Wizkids sponsored events i.e. head-to-head tournaments and sealed booster events with Wizkids prize support?

It was a clearly worded question in my first post. This is the second time I'm asking.

@ wonderbread...

Oh, no, of course not. Hell, the nearest venue to where I live is over 2 hours. House rules arent allowed in sanctioned events anyway, as we both well know. I'm not even a battlemaster anymore.

Not sure if you intended that to sound snotty, but it did. ;)

Snotty? heh.

Ah. Just checkin'. Would hate to think that anyone would dare run house rules in a h2h or allow play with retired pieces. ~cough cough~

Warflail: He's trying to get you with the "You can't use house rules in sanctioned events" zinger.

It's a house rules thread.

We're all well aware that they are not allowed in sanctioned events.

NickName> Oh my. I didn't want to offend anyone by being so obvious in my question. It's not like I already have a very low opinion of the intelligence of 99 percent of the posters on this board. Present company excluded, of couuurse.

And as far as being "aware", that does not stop people from running house rules in their events. I'm sure more than a few of you have run across that in tournaments you've played in. And since Warflail seems like one of the biggest critics of everything and anything concerning the MW game, I thought my question was relevent.

Now my 2 cents (of Euro)

---Artillery: Major Issue---
>When each pog is placed, declare ?flak? or ?standard?
this is pretty useless, just adds some flavour.

Arty has bigger problems that are not solved here.
I would just make SE available only for direct fire. Some units would still be quite playable (note that a lot of big mechs haven't even grey armor. Eg: Bounty Hunter) while all those non-AP artilleries would become playable again.

---Tankdrop: Major Issue---
>The towed vehicle idea
more flavour here, one may like it or not

>may not be issued an order in the same turn.
too big limitation. IMHO tank drop should stay, but at higher price: unloading is a single order that gives a token to both trasporting unit and all disembarking ones. The just-dropped figs can take an action but this will make them push. This not only damages the unit, but leaves it with 2 tokens on the field.
If you take away tank drop completely, 90% of tanks will disappear from the game due to poor playability.

---Armor Piercing vs. Decoy: Minor Issue---
>AP does not ignore Decoy.
well said

---Captured Units: Minor Issue---
>Captured units can be damaged but not targeted.
good

---ECM: Minor Issue---
>ECM negates indirect fire, Streak Missiles, and >Improved Targeting
I'd say it will negate above SEs in a radius equal to current movement value.

---Hand to Hand Weapon: Minor Issue---
>HTH weapons ignore Agility.
this is crazy! the almighty Bannson's Forestry Mech B will become even more powerful! A mech with HTH AND Agility will become unstoppable!

---Minimum Range Tanks: Minor Issue---
>A vehicle may always make a ranged combat attack
>against a unit basing it, even if the vehicle has a >minimum range.

so what'd be the point in minimum range?
give it at least a -3 to hit and all other indirect fire rules! otherwise basing would become a clear suicide!

I'd add that, for short, since Charge needs Fixing, as ranged weapons VS movement does (to me), running should be brought back to 1,5xspeed. This will limit charge, make ranged attack more an interesting oprtion and "enlarge" the small battlefield we have to play on. Finally, i'd add a +1 to target defence.

Heh. Looks like Wonderbread saw a change to score points by reporting a venue which didn't use the rules as they are supposed to be used. Lovely attitude, eh?

I like Warflail's ruleset, only I'm surprised there aren't any additional/changed rules concerning the heat scale of 'Mechs.

Nanhold> Score points? Who am I scoring points with? I'm not here to score points. I'm a BM and I run my events correctly, as I agreed to run them when I signed the volunteer contract and sent it in. I am enraged with the idea that others would violate the contract because it 1. Jeopardizes Approved Play, 2. Discredits BM's who do a good job, 3. Complicates matters at the nationals and world levels.

Since deviations from the contract affect me, I would have reported him. It has nothing to do with "scoring points". It has to do with keeping Approved Play operating in a manner which will sustain it.