[NetEpic ML] Warprats Flyers

From: warprat <warprat_at_...>
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 00:08:21 -0800

Hi All!


If anyone's interested, here's my playing groups new House Rules for
Flyers. It's a first draft, so there could be a couple holes.

There has been LOTS of debate on fylying rules in the past, and even
lately. These rules attempt to go back to the Games Workshop bacics,
while adding, what I consider, the best the of NetEpic ideas, and a
couple of my own. Hopefully these new rules will supply the ballance
and fun that has been missing, in my opinion, from the Air Rules.

It should be noted, that Thruster movement is a bit abstract. If
Thrusters acted as modern day jets, normal movement would take them off
the table. Modern day air power has never been a very cost effective,
or even a very powerfull force against battlefield targets, for the most
part. Epic Thruster units are very powerfull, compared to modern day,
and very cheap, compared to modern day. The abstract movement helps to
compensate for the Thrusters cheap cost, and powerfull abilities. It
also keeps the models on the board, adding to the enjoyment of the game.


Games Workshop rules were found in:

Titan Legions Codex Titanicus, page 40, Thunder Hawk Gunship.
page 81, Overlord Armoured Airship
page 87, Nightwing.
Titan Legions Rule Book, page 23, Special Rules.
NetEpic stuff was found in rules, and posts on egroups.



1) There are two types of flyers:

A) Floaters. Floater units move, fire and close combat like a ground
unit, but can fly at any elevation. Floaters may move in any direction
they wish, and can turn as much as they wish. Floaters may always fire
on First Fire, despite thier movement orders, unless the Floater
initiated Close Combat against another unit. They are considered
anti-air units whan firing.

Floaters may target/fire on any unit. Floaters may not Close Combat
Thrusters, but can Close Combat any other unit. Floaters may not be
pinned, but may be engaged in Close Combat by skimmers and jump pack
troops at low altitude.

B) Thrusters. Thruster units must move at least half thier maximum move
each turn. Thrusters may make no more than two turns each movement
phase. Each turn may be up to 45 degrees. The Thruster must move at
least 10cm between turns.

Thrusters may not target/fire against other Thrusters, they can only
Close Combat one another. Other units may not Close Combat Thrusters,
unless the Thruster is a landed transport. Thrusters can fire against
Floaters.



2) Flyers setup for the battle, in the following way:

A) Floaters are placed as any other unit. They are given an elevation
at the time of setup.

B) Thrusters may be placed on the table, and given an elevation, or held
off table, as desired. If held off the table, they may be brought on
during any future movement phase, but do so with 1/2 movement deducted
for that turns movement. They may enter anywhere along the starting
table edge. They must be given a movement order when they appear, and
an elevation.



3) Movement Orders:

A) Charge. a) Floaters may enter into Close Combat with any other unit,
except Thrusters. b) Thrusters may initiate Close Combat with other
Thrusters.

Grounded transports may also be given this order. In this case, they
may fire all weapons normally, except for rockets/bombs/missiles. The
flyer may not move this turn, it is still on the ground.


B) Advance. a) Floaters may move thier normal move, and fire in the
first fire phase. b) Thrusters must move between 1/2 and full. Thrusters
may fire one time, anywhere along thier move, with no Snap Fire penalty.
This is due to advanced fire control.

C) First Fire. a) The floater wishes to land or take off, it may fire
normally. b) Thrusters, capable of troop transport, will land/take off.
They do not need to move 1/2 to full, but may land/take off early/late,
so the troops can move farther. Landing/Take off, takes a lot of
concentration, so fire is made with a -1 to hit penalty. Once landed,
the Thruster may not fire rockets/bombs/missiles.

D) Fall Back. a) Floaters that fail thier morale roll, recieve this
order, and act as any other unit would. b) Thrusters act the same as
Floaters, except for landed Thrusters. Landed Thruster crews will stay
with thier aircraft, but not fire. Routed crews of landed Thrusters,
will run away from thier aircraft and not return.



4) Elevation:

Flyers may be in any of two different elevations during thier move. The
one elevation they started in, and a new one, later in the turn. Once
the elevation has changed, it may not be changed for the rest of the
turn.

Examples: high to ground, low to high, low to ground, and so forth.

A) Ground. Landing to drop off/pick up troops.

Any air unit capable of transporting troops may land at the end of its
turn of movement, or take off at the beginning of its move, but not both
in the same turn. Non transport Thrusters may not touch ground
voluntarily. Floaters may land on the ground voluntarily. Any air unit
which is forced to ground by an enemy unit is destroyed.

Flyer transports may land in open terrain, but not forrest, rough, water
buildings and soforth. While on the ground, landed flyers may not fire
rockets/bombs/missiles, but all other weapons may fire normally. Enemy
units may fire at grounded air units normally, with no penalties, in the
First Fire or Advance phase. Thrusters may not Spot for other units
while grounded, but Floaters can.

Troops may unload after the transport has landed. The proportion of the
transports move is deducted from the remaining move of the troop, just
like a ground transport. The proportion of the troops move is deducted
from the remaining move of the transport, when taking off. Transported
troops with Jump Packs may unload (but not load), without the transport
landing.

Flyers on the ground, may be engaged in Close Combat, by any unit,
except Thrusters.


B) Low. Thrusters fly nap of the earth to avoid ememy fire, but still
fire. Floaters and Thrusters can use ground cover.

Any air unit may fly at low altitude. Low flying units fly at skimmer
height above the battlefield. Low flying units may (at the flyers
option,) make use of cover by staying behind buildings, woods, and
hills, just like a skimmer can.

Thrusters, at low level, have a maximum weapon range of 25cm. Thrusters
firing at low elevation recieve a -1 penalty to hit, because of the
short reaction time needed to target and fire. Thrusters may not Spot
for other units, but Floaters can.

Any other unit at ground/low altitude may target/fire at a low flying
Thruster, if within 25cm. The firing unit must have First Fire orders.
Again, because of the short reaction time, units firing at a low flying
Thrusters recieve a -1 penalty to hit. This includes anti-air units.
High flying Floaters may ignore any penalties, and target normally.

Physical Psychic powers used at ground/low altitude take the 25cm range,
-1 penalty to hit Thrusters, as well. Non Physical Psychic powers,
however, do not take a penalty to hit, as the power is instantly used,
and has no travel time. Units using Non Physical Psychic powers, must
be within 25cm, however.

Low flying Floaters target/fire at low altitude without the 25cm range,
or -1 to hit penalty that is given to Thrusters, because Floaters move
slowly. Attacks against floaters are made without any range, or -1 hit
penalty, also. Units attacking Floaters may have Advance, or First Fire
orders.

Attacks that redirect flyer movement work normally. Attacks which move
the flyer to the ground, destroy the flyer. Those that immobilize,
without moving flyers into the ground, do not affect flyers.

Examples:

a) A Warlocks Edritch Storm hits a flyer, the flyer is randomly
directed, but movement continues.

b) A Warlock uses Psychic Lock (within 25cm) to affect a low Thruster,
the flyer is crashed into the ground. There is no range limitation
against Floaters

c) A Doom Diver Magna-Kannon takes a -1 to hit penalty against low
flying Thrusters (must be within 25cm), no ngative against Floaters (can
use full range), and will crash any flyer into the ground.
  
d) A Wierdboy takes a -1 to hit penalty against low flying Thrusters
(must be within 25cm), no negative penalties against Floaters (can use
full range).

e) A Librarian using Mind Blast recieves no penalties.

f) A wave from a Wave Serpent hits a low flying flyer, the flyer is not
affected.



C) High. Flyers can spot and use offensive weapons at maximum, and
without penalty. They are harder to target because of the height.

Flying units may fly at high altitude. This is measured at 30cm
directly above the battlefield, for line of sight. High flyers may not
use any sort of cover.

Flyers at high altitude can target any unit easily. There are no
penalties to hit. All flyer weapons can fire at thier normal ranges.

Units wishing to target flyers at high altitude must subtract 25cm from
the range. They must be on First Fire. This effects all attacks,
including non-physical psychic, that rely on sight. Any non-physical
psychic attacks, that don't rely on sight, do not need to subtract 25cm.

Just as at low altitude, attacks that redirect flyer movement work
normally. Attacks which move the flyer to the ground, destroy the
flyer. Those that immobilize, without moving flyers into the ground, do
not affect flyers.



5) Flyer Targeting Restrictions:

A) Anti-Aircraft units/weapons may Snap Fire at Flyers, without the Snap
Fire penalty, if they are on First Fire. If Titan mounted, they may
each be fired separately, once per AA Gun, throughout the turn,
independent of the other Titan weapons.

B) Any unit on First Fire, may fire at flyers in the First Fire or
Advance phase.

C) Infantry, on First Fire, may Snap Fire at Flyers with the usual -1
penalty to hit.

D) Units on Advance, may only fire at Floaters, or grounded Thrusters.



6) Flyer Close Combat

A) Floaters may initiate Close Combat with any unit as a Skimmer would.
Floaters may not be pinned. Units may Close Combat Floaters as follows:

a) Ground. Any ground unit, skimmer, jump pack, or Floater.
b) Low. Any Skimmer, jump pack, or Floater.
c) High. Any Floater.


B) Only Thrusters may initiate Close Combat with other Thrusters. The
one exception being Grounded Transports, which may be engaged in Close
Combat by any unit, except Thrusters.

a) Flying Thrusters, may Close Combat other flying Thrusters, if they
have Charge Orders. Don't worry about moving 1/2 to a full move. Once,
one Thruster engages another, all movement for both Thrusters stops.

b) A round of Close Combat is fought in the Close Combat phase. If a
Thruster has Charge orders, it may add 1d6 to its die roll. Roll 1d6
for each extra attacker, as usual.

c) If the Close Combat result is a draw, the attacker(s) must move
first, before the defender in the following turn.



7) The Shokk Attack Gun:

A) Floaters may be targeted by the Shokk Attack Gun:

a) Overlord Armoured Airship. Only a direct hit on the scatter dice will
hit, and any hit on an Overlord Airship must roll on the table. Only a
Gondola hit will be effective, all others ineffective. If the gondola
is hit, resolve a Close Combat if not doubles, doubles and a hit mean
destruction of the airship.

b) Silver Towers. Due to the warp bending power of Tzeentch, only a
hit plus doubles will affect a Silver Tower, and destroy it.

c) Warp Palace of Tzeench. Towers. Due to the warp bending power of
Tzeentch, only a hit plus doubles will affect a Warp Palace, and destroy
it. The Warp Palace may use Chaos Cards as other Greater Daemons to save
itself.

d) Thrusters move too fast to be targeted by Shokk Attack Guns.




OK, that's all there is. Comments?

Warprat ;)
Received on Tue Dec 19 2000 - 08:08:21 UTC