=============== OGRE/GEV list, July 5th (Last: July 3rd) =============== ===== Garth Getgen's scenarios From: sj@io.com (Steve Jackson) ===== Advanced GEV Rules, part one of three. From: garth.getgen@genie.com ------------------------------ To: "Henry J. Cobb" From: sj@io.com (Steve Jackson) Subject: Garth Getgen's scenarios Hah. New scenarios. Cool. I'd like to hear from others who try these. They read well. If they are indeed balanced - and next time I play Ogre, I want to try them myself! - then I'd like to add them permanently to the web site. Is that okay with you, Garth? Steve Jackson - yes, of SJ Games - yes, we won the Secret Service case Learn Web or die - http://www.io.com/sjgames/ - dinosaurs, Lego, Kahlua! The heck with PGP keys; finger for Geek Code. Fnord. ------------------------------ From: garth.getgen@genie.com To: hcobb@io.com Subject: Advanced GEV Rules, part one of three. Sorry for the looooong post that follows, but I finally found the file I was looking for, hidden deep within some 25 megs of ZIP files from when I upgraded my hard drive last Christmas (is it too late for Spring Cleaning??). If you really like Ogres and Nukes, check out 4.13 for information about the dreaded Ogre Launch Cruise Missile (OLCM)!!! G.E.V. / OGRE ADVANCED RULES (By: Garth L. Getgen) 1.00 INTRODUCTION. These rules modify the current rule books for GEV /OGRE (by Steve Jackson Games ) to add more realism and complexity to the game for more experienced players. All of these rules are optional in nature, and the players should decide before the game begins as to whether or not they will be used. (NOTE: These were written back in 1988-1990, well before the Ogre Miniatures rules were published. In fact, I sent a copy of this to Steve Jackson Games about four-six months before they released that product -- they rejected these rules out of hand because (1) they were in the "wrong format" for their use and (2) they had done their own LOS rules for the new product and weren't interested in reviewing other option. Amazingly, I came up with something very simular to their's ... but there ARE some subtle differences.) 2.00 LINE-OF-SIGHT (LOS). 2.01 GENERAL. Concealing one's self in and behind available terrain is a basic premise of land warfare; but in the computer-knows-all-sees-all-kills-all world of GEV/OGRE, you can run but you can't hide. This set of rules fixes that by voiding the last two lines of GEV rule 6.04. Units may still fire at anything in range, but line-of-sight is now taken into consideration. Even with computer-controlled indirect fire; direct visual sighting/laser targeting is essential for an accurate salvo. Elevated terrain between the firing unit and the target blocks LOS and makes it harder to hit the target as effectively. 2.02 BLOCKING TERRAIN. The following terrain is elevated and will block LOS: forest, swamp, and town/city. These are only the terrain currently in use in the game, if new terrain is added (either by the publisher or homemade maps) they should be considered for inclusion into this list. The criterion is an average height of 10 meters (33 feet) or more. 2.03 BLOCKED LOS. To determine whether or not LOS is blocked, imagine a line drawn from the center of the hex of the firing unit to that of the targeted unit's hex. If need be, use a ruler or string to show this line. Check for blocking terrain in all hexes between the firing unit and its target along this line. If the line crosses ANY part of a hex, or runs along the side of a hex, containing blocking terrain: then the line-of-sight is blocked. A unit can sight into and/or out of, but not through, blocking terrain. If in doubt (it's too close to call) then LOS is blocked now and in all future cases involving those two hexes in question for the rest of the game. Note that adjacent hexes are always in LOS no matter what the terrain is. 2.031 EXAMPLE 1. A missile tank in G1516 firing a infantry in G1718 is in LOS. Even though the infantry is in a city, there is no blocking terrain BETWEEN them and their attacker. 2.032 EXAMPLE 2. A heavy tank in G1013 firing at a GEV in G0915 is in LOS. Even though the tank is in swamp, there is no blocking terrain BETWEEN it and its target. 2.033 EXAMPLE 3. A super-heavy tank in G0808 firing at a light tank in G1010 is in LOS. Even though both units are in forest, there is no blocking terrain BETWEEN them. 2.034 EXAMPLE 4. A mobile Howitzer in G1409 firing at a GEV-PC in G1614 is NOT in LOS because of the forest in hex G1613. 2.035 EXAMPLE 5. A GEV in G0405 firing at a light GEV in G0307 is NOT in LOS. Even though G0406 is a clear hex, G0306 is a forest hex and the sighting line runs down the side between these two. 2.036 EXAMPLE 6. Infantry in G0518 firing at infantry in G0417 are in LOS. Even though the firing unit is in city and the target is in forest, they are adjacent hexes. 2.037 EXAMPLE 7. A Howitzer in G1508 firing at a command post in G1715 is questionable and thus NOT is LOS. Because the sighting line runs very close to the corner of forest hex G1613, the players are not in agreement whether it actually touches; therefore the benefit of the doubt goes to the defender. (NOTE: If you check this case very accurately, you will find that LOS is indeed blocked.) 2.04 EFFECTS OF BLOCKED LOS. Even if LOS is blocked, the attacker may still fire on the target; but the defending unit gets a plus one (+1) temporarily added to its defensive strength. This is added in BEFORE terrain defense multiplier is calculated. Thus, a 2/1 infantry in a town and also out of LOS would have a defense of 2 plus 1 for on LOS equals 3, then times 3 for terrain gives it a total of 9 for defense. 2.05 EFFECTS ON STACKED UNITS. When the target unit is stacked with other units, the spillover fire is conducted in the normal manner. That is to say, even if the target gets a defense bonus for LOS, the other units in that hex do not get it for spillover fire. This is because the main attack is trying to center on one unit and the whole area is getting sprayed, whether it is in LOS or not (See GEV rule 6.08). 2.06 COMBINING ATTACKS. If a number of units combine fire into a single attack on a target, check LOS for each attacker. If ANY attacker has LOS, the defender does NOT get the +1 LOS bonus. The attacker that has LOS is assumed to be directing fire for those that don't. This tends to give Infantry a new job in life -- forward observers for Howitzers. (See GEV rule 6.06) 2.07 MULTIPLE ATTACKS. In multiple attacks on a single target, an attacker with LOS may only direct fire for those units it is COMBINING fire with; but NOT for other units making successive attacks either before or after it. (See GEV rule 6.07) 2.08 INFANTRY UNDER CONCEALMENT. An infantry unit that is in a hex containing terrain that blocks LOS and did not moved on its last turn is considered to be "concealed" and is out of LOS unless the firing unit is in an adjacent hex. Command Posts may or may not also fall into this category, as directed by special scenario rules. 2.09 EFFECTS ON OGRES. Because Ogres are so huge, it is not necessary to check LOS when firing at them. Likewise, because of the electro-optic sensors mounted atop their 30 meter tall mast, Ogres do not need to check for LOS when they fire. However, Ogres may not combine fire with conventional units (this is an exception to GEV rule 6.06); but they may combine fire with other Ogres (why would they need to?). Moral: you don't tell an Ogre he's firing in the wrong place! And on the other hand, why would he tell you that you're missing the target when he expects this from a mere human? 3.00 REACTION FIRE. 3.01 GENERAL. One would not expect any good solder to just watch a light tank roll up at over 60KPH and blast away without at least trying to take a pot shot at it. These rules provide a way for him to do so, but add immensely to the records keeping and complexity of what was a rather simple game. 3.02 LINE-OF-SIGHT REQUIREMENTS. In order to take reaction fire, the defender must have clear LOS on the attacker. Read and understand rules 2.02 through 2.037 above before continuing. Rules 2.04 through 2.08 need not be used, but are recommended. 3.03 CHANGES TO THE BASIC GAME. Use of reaction fire adds to the basic sequence of the game. During the phasing players movement phase, the non-phasing player may fire defensive reaction fire. Reaction fire is voluntary at the discretion of the non-phasing player. Any unit disabled at this time will recover at the start of the phasing players next turn. 3.04 UNITS THAT MAY FIRE REACTION FIRE. Any conventional unit (NOT Ogre, laser, or cruise missile) that is not disabled may fire reaction fire once per turn. Ogres, being cybernetic-computer controlled, are not subject to panic; thus do not fire on impulse as mere humans are so fond of doing. Lasers need time to charge their systems, and cruise missile crawlers need to program coordinates beforehand; therefore both are incapable of reaction fire. 3.041 COMBINED REACTION FIRE. Units may not combine attack strength during reaction fire. Infantry stacked together may combine up to three (3) squads in attack strength. 3.042 MULTIPLE REACTION FIRE. Any number of units may take reaction fire on a single enemy unit in succession during the turn, provided each unit only fires once, until the enemy has been hit. These successive reaction attacks may be taken while the enemy is in the same hex or after it moves into a new hex. 3.05 WHEN MAY UNITS BE FIRED UPON. There are three requirements that must be met by an enemy unit before reaction fire may be taken on that unit. 3.051 RANGE REQUIREMENT. The target unit must, of course, be in range of the unit firing at it at the time reaction fire is taken. 3.052 MOVEMENT REQUIREMENT. The unit must be moving. This includes the hex it stops in, whether because of it chooses to stop or has no more movement points left. Once disabled, it is no longer considered to be moving and cannot be reaction fired upon again this turn. A unit that does not move will be taking advantage of available cover and would not call attention to itself. 3.053 LINE-OF-SIGHT REQUIREMENT. The unit must be in LOS for at least TWO consecutive hexes. If a unit starts its movement in LOS and moves to an adjacent hex also in LOS, it may be fired upon. If a unit starts it movement out of LOS, or moves out of LOS, it may not be fired upon until it moves into the second consecutive hex in LOS. Note that the first hex in LOS need not be in range, but the second hex (where it's fired at) must be in range. (NOTE: You may choose not to use any of the LOS rules, but they add a lot to the flair of the game.) 3.054 EXCEPTION FOR GEVS. GEVs and other units with double movement may not be fired at during their second movement phase, even if they did not move in the first. 3.055 EXCEPTION FOR INFANTRY. In order to be reaction fired at, infantry (not riding on a vehicle) must either be in a hex without terrain defense bonus (clear hex) or be using a road (declaring road bonus) at the time they are fired upon. The defender must declare whether infantry stacked together are one unit (2 or 3 squads per unit) or separate squad- sized units. If they are riding on a vehicle (but not IN a vehicle such as a Truck or a Hovertruck), they have the option of "bailing out" after reaction fire is declared -- thus ending their movement; otherwise resolve as in GEV rule 5.11. Infantry make very good use of cover, but must give up this advantage to use the speed of road marching. 3.056 REACTION FIRE AND OVERRUN ATTACKS. Units that are in an overrun attack may not be reaction fired upon. If the phasing player "holds" the overrun to bring in more units (see GEV rule 6.136), the non-phasing player may reaction fire on these additional units BEFORE they reach the overrun with units from outside the overrun. Units that are getting overrun or have just been overrun may NOT reaction fire. If the phasing player wins the overrun, the surviving units are still subject to reaction fire if they leave the overrun hex. 3.06 PROCEDURE AND TIMING. As the phasing player moves each unit, the non-phasing player watches for reaction fire opportunities along the way. The non-phasing player may halt movement at any time to check LOS, but may not "back-up" a unit to a more advantageous hex after the phasing player is allowed to continued. Also, if the non-phasing player declines fire and the unit stops movement in that hex; the player may not change his mind and fire anyway. In the same vain, the phasing player should not move so fast as to make watching for reaction fire overly difficult. Each hex a unit moves through should be clearly defined. The phasing player may move his units in any order he so desires, one at a time or stack by stack. Units may drop out of a stack to end their movement as the stack continues, but once a unit has stopped it may not move again this movement phase. 3.07 RESOLVING REACTION FIRE. Reaction fire is resolved much like spillover fire, but only the target unit is affected and not other units that may be stacked with it (exception: infantry that stay on their vehicle). That is, the firing units attack strength is halved (exception: infantry is at full strength) and when consulting the Combat Results Table, read "D" as "NE" and "X" as "D". Note that reaction fire at Ogres is a futile gesture. If the result is a miss, the target may be fired at again by other units either before and/or after it leaves the hex as long as it meets the requirements listed above. Once a unit is disabled, it may NOT be reaction fired upon again this turn (however, the non-phasing player may use normal combat on that disabled unit during his turn). The on-board computer will seek immediate cover and surviving infantry will "hit-the-dirt". 3.08 REVISED GAME SEQUENCE. The order of events of a game turn as changed to include reaction fire are: (1) Roll a die for each unit disabled last turn by swamp or forest to see if they recover. (2) All units disabled BEFORE the previous turn by regular combat recover automatically. (3) All units disabled DURING the previous turn's movement phase by reaction fire recover automatically. (4) Movement phase. Any or all non-disabled units may move up to their full movement allowance. Move one at a time or a stack together, allowing the non-phasing player to watch for reaction fire opportunities. Turn units sideways or otherwise denote that they have already moved so as to not move them twice the same turn. (a) Roll for armor unit entering swamp (and forest for GEVs) to see whether it is disabled. Units so disabled are NOT subject to reaction fire. (b) Resolve any reaction fire as per the rules above BEFORE moving any more units. Turn units sideways or otherwise denote that they have already reaction fired so as to not reaction fire them twice the same turn. (c) Resolve overrun attacks BEFORE moving any more units. The phasing player may declare that the overrun is "held" to bring in more units. Any units so moved MUST be moved to the overrun hex, and are subject to reaction fire enroute. They may not create another overrun situation enroute. (5) Fire phase. All units which are NOT disabled may fire. Movement, overruns, and reaction fire do not prevent normal combat fire. (6) Second move for GEVs. Move any or all GEVs except those that are disabled or entered swamp, forest, or town during first movement phase. Check for disabling if entering swamp or forest. Resolve overruns. Do NOT fire reaction fire at GEVs on the second movement phase, even if they didn't move on the first. (7) It is now the other players turn. Repeat steps 1 through 7, but now the non-phasing player becomes the phasing player; and vice versa. (Designer's note: If you examine it closely, the SuperHeavyTank can absolutely cream a bunch of Light-GEV's under these rules!!! Let me know if you think this is too unbalanced. My initial thoughts are that to react on a fast unit such as a GEV would give you a minus one (-1) on the die roll.) Garth L. Getgen SSgt USAF ----- [I had to break this one up into three pieces to fit under the limits of a certain widely marketed "mail" program. -HJC] Henry J. Cobb hcobb@io.com http://www.io.com/~hcobb All OGRE-related items Copyright (c) 1996, by Steve Jackson Games.