Saturday 30 October 2010

Rules: Basic Turn Structure

During the game you take command of your force.  Your opponent commands a rival force and your deadly opponents in the forthcoming conflict.
The units and scenery (the terrain) are set up on the tabletop/battlefield as appropriate for the mission you are playing.  Missions are covered later on in the rules under the “Running a Game” chapter.  There are many different types of missions, varying from the straightforward battle to a rescue mission, ambushes and daring raids.  Depending on the mission being played, you can set up your units in different ways, but all games are basically played in the same fashion.  Below shows how each game turn is structured.



Turn Order

Each turn is split up into eight phases.  Each player takes it in turn giving each of their units actions with each phase unless otherwise stated.  The first player must finish all their actions in that phase for a unit , if any, of the current phase before the second can start their actions for the same phase, and also the last the last player must finish the current phase before the first player can start the next phase.  These eight phases are:

1. Initiative Phase
                                Both players roll a D10 each and add their TCV to their dice roll.  TCV means Team Command Value and is covered later on in the “Extra Rules” chapter.  The player with the highest result may choose to be ever Player One or Player Two.  If there is more than two players then there will be more than just Player One or Two.  The next highest will choose from whatever is left, and so on until there are no more players.  If there is a draws, then it is determined by the players’ TCV.  If there is still a draw after that then the players must roll a D10 roll to determine who is higher.  Also all abilities and/or skills that state “at the beginning of a turn” takes place here but after the dice rolls.

2. First Movement Phase
During this phase units can make a move action, if they are able to do so.  Player One chooses one unit and moves it first.  If Player One has more units than Player Two, they may need to move more than one unit, as described in the Unequal Number of Units.  Then Player Two moves one unit.  If Player Two has more units than Player One, it may need to move more than one unit (again see table below).  Movement alternates between sides until all units that the players want to move has been moved.  The unit must make all its move actions for that Phase while being moved.

3. First Strike Phase
During this phase units can use any Quick Actions in this phase.  Also units that made a Charge Move Action that was unhindered by terrain and the unit did not make any turns it the move, they can make one standard melee attack ageist their target in this phase.  This is classed as a Quick Action.  Player One chooses one of their units that can make a Quick Action.  If Player One has more units that can make Quick Actions than Player Two, they may need to make Quick Actions on more than one unit, as described in table below.  Then Player Two does the same.  Movement alternates between sides until all units that the players want to make Quick Actions have acted.  A unit can only make one Quick Action a Turn. 

4. Shooting Phase
During this phase units can make any number of range attacks.  Player One makes their attacks first, then Player Two and so on.  Player One chooses a unit to declare fire first.  If Player One has more units than Player Two, they may need to declare range attacks for more than one unit as described in Unequal Number of Units.  After all the range attacks that unit is going to make, Player Two then chooses a unit to declare fire with.  Again if Player Two has more units than Player One, they may be required to declare range attacks for more than one unit (see Unequal Number of Units).  The act of declaring range attacks alternates between players until
all fire has been declared.

5. Second Movement Phase
During this phase units can make up to two move actions.  Remember Units cannot make more move actions than half (rounded up) their Output value during the whole turn.  This runs like the First Movement Phase.

6. Melee Phase
During this phase units can make any number of melee attacks or one ram attack.  This runs like the Shooting Phase, but its Melee Attack then range.

7. Support Phase
During this phase units can make one support action unless otherwise stated.  Support actions are only gained from skills, powers and special abilities.  Player One makes their actions first, then Player Two and so on.

8. End Phase
This is a clean up phase, where action counters are cleared, Courage tests are made and recovery attempts are made.  There is no real order in this phase, however if there is more than one



Unequal Number of Units


The Movement Phases, First Strike Phase, Shooting Phase and Melee Phase require each player to alternate moving or declaring attacks with his or her units.  When both sides have an equal number of units, each player simply takes a turn moving or declaring a single unit’s action, and then the other player declares movement or attack for one unit, and so on.  If the number of units on each side is not equal, however, this procedure must be altered.  If, prior to any pair of movement or attack declarations, one team has at least twice as many units left to declare for as the other team, the team with twice as many units declares for two units rather than one.  If one team has at least three times as many units, it declares for three each time, and so on.  See the table on the next page for an example for how to handle unequal number of units.  However if a player does not what to move or declare attacks any more during that phase they may declare so and then the other play may move or declare attacks with the rest of their forces if they wish.

Move No.
Player One’s Units left to move
Player Two’s Units left to move
Player One’s Moves
Player Two’s Move
1
5
8
1
1
2
4
7
1
1
3
3
6
1
2
4
2
4
1
2
5
1
2
1
2



Action Costs and Counters

Before we move on to the next chapter Movement, it is best that we cover Action Costs and Action Counters.  Each time a unit makes an action, that action has a cost of call Action Cost.  Before the unit makes an action, the player must places a number of Action Counters equal to the action’s Action Cost onto the unit.  The unit cannot be given more Action Counters than its Action Value.

Wednesday 27 October 2010

Update 27th of October, The Mobius Empire Strikes Back

Ok, what have I been doing all this time on MS Wars. Well the first thing I did when I got back onto working on the game was to fix the problems I had with the game during the last test. These were ramming, firing over friendly units, carrying and ?. I will leave explain the rule changes to these rules until the next Updates post as I still have some major rules changes to do. The major rules chage is going to be on movement. The movemant chances has been already inpermented on the database, I just need to do the changes the changes to the rule. The major change is that you use to be able to make any number on move action up to half rounded up of the units Output and up to two move actions a movement phase. Now you can only do two move actions a turn and only one move action durring each move phase. This will led to some other changes to movement but you will have to wait to read the rule. Now with the chat about the rule changes are done, I will move on to the database.

Front side of a Character Card
Now if you have been following my 'Neoscream's Life' post on my Neoscream's Log blog you may have notice I have been doing a lot of work on the database for the unit. The first thing I decided to do was to do some rebuilding. After that I started on a new idea to combine units and characters with per set weapon kits and pilot skills. This is what I call character units and the card (Report) version is called Character Cards. These are not normally named characters; just pre set units with a random pilot. Not all the skills have been used so the player can do a bit of customising. I am still working on the Character Cards however the front side which holds all the main gaming data is pretty much done, just the odd twig here and them. But I still how a lot of work to do on the other side. One of the things I need to do is find a way to build a damage tally based on the unit’s DC. Now with the chat about the changes to the database and units is done, I will move on to the modelling and unit drawings.

Back side of a Character Card at the moment
Ummm, sadly I have done none. However I have brought some guns from Heresy Multi Part Miniatures before the price increase. I plan on doing some more unit drawings soon and I will try to get back to modelling after I have gotten the changes to the rules done. Now with the chat about modelling and drawings done, I will move on to the last bit of this update, the world of Empire of Mobius.

I am currently working on back stuff about the Mobius Empire which I will try to post some of it up sometime next week. However I like to let people know that I have added a new minor race known as the Dread. You will have to wait until next week from information about the Dread, but I will tell you this, they are based a little on undead.

Well that is it for this update the next MS Wars post (Saturday) should be a rules post on Turn Structure and the one after that (Tuesday) will be ever a rules post on Movement or a Units post on the Amago Standard Type Small SRACU. Until next time, enjoy.

Sunday 24 October 2010

The BIG announcement

Here is the big announcement a day earlier than planned. MS Wars Update posts are coming back at last. Ok, ok, it has been ages since I did an update post for my MS Wars game. Sadly I have been busy with other things and suffering from computer problem, but things are slowly getting back into place. I will try to do things a little differently from now on. There will try to do a post every 3 days instead of one large post every two weeks. There will be four deferent types of posts which I will be doing, an update post, a rules post, a unit spot light post and background and story post.

No a picture of a unit from the game
The update post will keep you up to date with the progress of the game like rule changes, model making and buy as well as test game reviews and comments. This will be posted up on both of my blog, Neoscream's Log and MS Wars and there will be a new post about ever two to three weeks.

The rule post will be where I will be posting the game rules. Sadly I will be starting again from Turn Structure to have the rules on their own posts than mixed with other thing. The earlier stuff like Technology and states will be re-posted at a later date, most likely when the main rules have been posted. These posts will be on the MS Wars blog only.

The Units post with be where I post information on each of the deferent units and between three to five character cards. Later on I will do update posts on units that have done with five to ten Character Cards. These posts will be on the MS Wars blog only.

The background and story post will be where I will be posting background stuff for the world of the Mobius Empire and parts of a story I am planning to write.These posts will be on the MS Wars blog and might be posted on Neoscream's Log too.

I will be doing a proper update post on Wednesday on both blogs and then a rules post on Saturday on my MS Wars blog. Until next time, enjoy.