I got an idea during the weekend, so here's my latest take on suppression. Explanations are at the end of the rules, so please read the whole post before commenting.
Suppression vs. infantry and cavalry.
1) An attack causes suppression if the firing detachment has at least half as much attack dice as the target detachment has stands.
2) If the amount of attack dice is < the number of stands in the target, place one suppression marker. If the amount of attack dice is >= the number of stands in the target, place two suppression markers.
3) A unit receives one suppression marker for each template (yes, this includes any weapons with a template, barrage or teardrop) targeted at it if the said template covers at least one stand of the unit after a possible scatter.
4) Suppression markers remain in place until the unit is next activated. When the unit tries to move the player must roll > the number of suppression markers it has on a d6. If the roll fails, the unit may not move and gets a -1 to-hit modifier. After the roll is made, remove all suppression markers from that unit.
5) Tyranids and Chaos troops with their GD intact can move even if they fail the suppression roll, but lose one stand in the process, although creatures with rampage instinct and Khorne Juggernauts may fight one round of CC if they manage to reach their target unit this turn.
Suppression vs. vehicles
1) To cause suppression against vehicles an attack must have a saving throw modifier which would reduce the vehicle's saving throw to 5+.
2) Calculate suppression as in 2) and 3) above.
3) If the vehicle detachment fails its suppression roll, its movement is halved and it gets a -1 to-hit modifier.
The following troops are immune to suppression.
Daemons, Superheavies, praetorians, titans and flyers.
My excuses:
I felt that any suppression would have to be part of the actual firing process with as little added mechanics as possible. The suppression should also reflect the volume of fire directed at a unit and at the same time it shouldn't upset play balance too much by denying the player the use of his troops too often. Hence rule 1, even if it is not too realistic, and the suppression markers. Even if Weasel will probably want to kill me for the markers, I feel they do quite nicely the job they're intended for.
So far so good, but the problem of Chaos and Tyranids still remained; I let suppression affect Orks normally since even they have some rudimentary form of self-preservation. Obviously, GDs and the Hive Mind don't give a damn to self preservation. However, IMO play balance requires some sort of punishment to go with such a privilege. Since the troops fear their masters more than the incoming fire (or just don't care in the case of Tyranids), they don't hit the ground. They don't hit the ground -> they get more casualties. Hence rule 5.
IMO suppression has a bit different effect against vehicles, namely distracting their aim by forcing them to evade and also slowing them down due to the amount of movement spend zigzagging. Also, vehicles aren't scared by popguns. Hence vehicle rules 3 and 1 respectively.
Artillery is a great suppressor as is a flamethrower even against tanks, hence rule 3. If someone mentions halon extinguishers I'm likely to point out the obvious lack of stabilizers, rangefinders and ballistic computers in 40k vehicles.
As for the immunities, I don't think they need too much explaining. Fire away.
Jyrki Saari
-There is no such thing as free lunch because eating takes time and time is money.
Received on Mon Mar 04 2002 - 13:43:21 UTC
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