HONOR WAR (Mass Combat Rules)

HONOR WARS

Basics
Units are made up of roughly 1,000 Personnel.

All Units have Four Important Stats, Effective Fighting Force, Offense, Defense, and Movement. There is no initiative normally and all Unit Movement and Actions should be resolved as if happening simultaneously, All Rolls will have a Wild Die.


Example Unit
Bronzo Kaf’s Kaynar Battalion
Effective Fighting Force: 10
Offense: 6D
Durablity: 12
Movement: 4

Rounds will be roughly two hours of time passing, during that time most Units can Move and Engage the Enemy, Spend the Round Resting, or even Merging with another Unit.

It is assumed that most Units are both capable Ranged Units and Melee Combatants, the only exceptions being some Specialty Melee Only Units. Regardless though Units must be adjacent to the Enemy to engage them. This is because each Square on the Combat Map is roughly a Square Mile and the only thing on this battle field with a reach long enough to go farther then that is owned by the Artillery Units.

Effective Fighting Force represents a Unit’s ability to Fight and is ranked between 10 and 0. All Units start with a Fighting Force of 10 and as they suffer casualties fighting force will begin to plummet. When ever two units meet for battle, compare their Effective Fighting Force. Whoever has the Highest Effective Fighting Force can add the difference as pips to their Offense Roll.

For Example: Bronzo Kaf’s Kaynar Battalion is at full strength with an Effective Fighting Force of 10 when they meet Raylor Nozzu’s Titan Axe Battalion who has suffered some casualties from previous engagements and currently has a Effective Fighting Force of 7.

When Bronzo Kaf’s Kaynar Battalion rolls Offense against Raylor Nozzu’s Titan Axe Battalion, Bronzo and his boys will be rolling 6D+3 instead of just the normal 6D.

Offense is the Stat that represents the Unit’s Offense Capability and is normally modeled off of that Unit’s primary weapon system. All Units will have a variety of offense capability such as melee assaults, grenades, indirect fire weapons, power armor activated hydraulic enhanced brawling and a thousand other ways to brutally slaughter their enemy upon the fields of Honor. For simplicity sake though Offense is determined by looking at the Unit’s Primary Weapon System and basing the stat off that Weapon.

For Example: Bronzo Kaf’s Kaynar Battalion is an Infantry Battalion and their rank and file carry and use Plasma Rifles as their primary weapon so they have been given an Offense Stat of 6D.

Durability represents a Unit’s ability to withstand the horrific destructive capabilities of Plasma Cannons that are capable of destroying swaths of landscape in seconds, and reducing countless lives to memories in lest then the blink of an eye. Durablity is based off of the Unit’s predominate armor type, for most Units in the Honor Wars it will be based off Novacon Honor Armor of 4D, averaged out on the low side to end up being 12.

Durability is the target number that attackers want to beat when they roll Offense. Should an Attack roll end up being equal to or less then their target’s Durablity, the targeted Unit will sustain  only superficial losses and their will be no reduction in their Effective Fighting Force.

If an Attacker rolls Offense and gets a total higher then a Unit’s Durability the targeted Unit will suffer significant losses and their Effective Fighting Force will be lowered.

Movement represents how many squares across the battle map a Unit may move in their turn. Your normal Infantry Unit will be capable of moving 4 Squares a Turn. Terrain can and will be a factor, expect some rough terrain squares to cost double or more to cross.

NO INITIAVE?

All Units will have their opportunity to take their movement and actions, and all results will be applied simultaneously. In an effort to keep the chaos of so many Units, Movements, and Conflicts from Overwhelming us it is suggested that all Unit movements and actions be resolved from Left to Right across the Battle Map. Who’s Left to Right? Justin’s Left to Right.

The Battle Map will be a blur of moving parts this day and instead of Initiative GM Justin will work from Left to Right resolving Unit Movement and Conflicts in small manageable focus groups handling what needs to be done for each Unit until all Units upon the Map have had their opportunity to move and act.

CASUALTY REPORTS

When Units Clash Offense is Rolled and Compared to Durability to determine what losses if any are suffered. Here is the Chart that shows the results of such Rolls.

Offense Roll is Equal to or Lower then Durability = No Loss of Effective Fighting Force

Offense Roll beats Durability by 1-3 = -1 to Effective Fighting Force
Offense Roll beats Durability by 4-6 = -2 to Effective Fighting Force
Offense Roll beats Durability by 7-9 = -3 to Effective Fighting Force

Offense Roll beats Durability by 10-12 = -4 to Effective Fighting Force
Offense Roll beats Durability by 13-15 = -5 to Effective Fighting Force
Offense Roll beats Durability by 15-18 = -6 to Effective Fighting Force

Offense Roll beats Durability by 19-21 = -7 to Effective Fighting Force
Offense Roll beats Durability by 22-24 = -8 to Effective Fighting Force
Offense Roll beats Durability by 25-27 = -9 to Effective Fighting Force

Offense Roll beats Durability by 28-30 = -10 to Effective Fighting Force

Terrain

Terrain Advantages stack upon each other which makes things like a Mountain Fortress far better to occupy then a Fortress in the Grasslands.
Terrain movement Penalties also stack, which makes a Mountainside covered in Forest far hard to cross then a Forest upon flatland.

Roads allow a Units walking upon them to move 1 extra square.

Grasslands are treated as normal terrain, no bonus or penalty.

Forests subtract one from a Unit’s movement rate and add +2 to Durability.

Hills subtract two from a unit’s movement rate and add +2 to Durability.

Mountains are either impassable or cost double to move through and add +2 to Durability or +3 Durability if you have the High Ground.

Water is either impassable or cost double to cross.

Towns cost Double to Pass through unless there is a road, and add +4 Durability for any Unit occupying them.

Forts cost double to move through but add +6 Durability for any Occupying Force.

Industrial Complex cost Double to Pass through and adds +5 to the Durability of any Unit occupying them

Mines cost Double to move through but add +6 Durability to the Occupying Force, Make them immune to Artillery Fire, and they take a -1D penalty to their Offense. Though GM Justin may decide that after enough Artillery Attacks the Mine may collapse either killing or trapping most of the Unit within. Some Units such as Artillery are simply to large to move into and occupy a Mine, their personal may do so if they are willing to abandon their Mobile Artillery Platforms.

Overwhelming Force and Flanking

Overwhelming Force
When Multiple Units Gang up on a single Unit, pick a primary Offensive Unit to roll Offense, and add Half the Effective Fighting Force of the Assisting Units as a bonus.

Flanking
When Multiple Units have single Unit Flanked, pick a primary Offensive Unit to roll Offense, and add the full Effective Fighting Force of the Assisting Units as a bonus.

NOTE
Any damage the overwhelmed or flanked Unit manages to dish out should be divided up into near equal shares and spread out across all the Units involved in the battle.

BREAKING ALL THE RULES

All of the Novacons are hard line middle distance 1000 yard stare cyber eyed combat killers, but Player Characters and some NPC’s are just so very damn special that they break the rules.

Player Characters and Some Non-Player Characters are Champions and will add some bonus to any Battalion they are Fighting beside, Commanding, or Lending their Aid to. These Bonuses can stack upon each other, a Unit with Multiple Champions can wreck havoc upon the Enemy.

If a Champion who is Not Stern Whal is Fighting as part of a Battalion add extra wild die to that Unit’s Offense. Treat this Wild Die like a spent Character Point as in if it  hit’s a six it explodes like normal, if this Die rolls a 1 nothing bad comes of it. If a Unit has Multiple Champions within it, keep the Dice Color Coded so everyone knows if it was the Black Knight’s Die that exploded or Aiden Macer. The Honor Wars are after all about the rule of cool and bragging rights, so lets keep track of who gets all heroic.

If Stern Whal is Fighting in a Novacon Battalion he adds Two Wild Dice because he is the Champion.

If your Character is not Fighting within a Battalion but actively aiding them with Medical Prowess, Psionic Healing, or Repairing damaged Artillery then add one Wild Die to that Unit’s Durability for the Round to represent wounded Warriors or damaged equipment being quickly returned to the fight.

Commanders

A Commander may not Fight within his or her unit while Commanding because they are busy Commanding said Unit. That being said Commanders can do far more for a Unit as it’s Commander then they could as one of the fighting force, if they are capable Commanders that is.

Capable Commanders should have both the Tactics Skill and the Command Skill.

Add the Character’s Command Skill and Tactics together and whatever that total is will be turned into Command Points.

Command Points can be spent to add an extra Wild Die to any Offensive Roll the Unit makes, or to add a Wild Die to the Unit’s Durability.

Command Points can also be spent to act out of order so that Your Unit’s Attack is resolved before the Target gets a chance to fight back.

Command Points can be spent so your Unit can move one extra square this round once per round.

Command Points can be Spent to recover 1 point of Effective Fighting Force once a Day.

Command Points are replenished with each resting action a Unit takes.

Resting

Once a Day a Unit may dedicate it’s self to licking wounds, making repairs, recharging their equipment and themselves. Only entire Rounds spent Resting count towards acquiring Rest Bonuses. If your Unit Moves that round, you are not resting, if your unit is engaged with the enemy, your unit is not resting. The only exceptions to this are Unit's that are occupying a Town, Fort, or Upon a Vessel. Unit's inside a Town or Fort can be Engaged and still count the round towards resting, while Units on a Vessel maybe moved about by the Vessel and still count the round towards Resting.

NOTE: Resting Units are vulnerable they take a -4 penalty to Durability while Resting.

If a Unit Rest for one round it can recharge it’s Charges such as Aerial Unit’s Jet Packs, or Artillery Charges.

If a Unit Rests for two rounds it recharges it’s Charges, regains 1 point of Effective Fighting Force, and Commanders get replenished Command Points.

Merge

Eventually Units will lose Effective Fighting Force through Casualties and when multiple dwindled Units come together it maybe in their best interest to Merge what remains of their ranks to create One Effective Unit.

To Merge Two or More Units together they must spend the Entire Round Adjacent to each other and take no other actions except their Merging together to form a New Unit.

A New Unit’s Effective Fighting Force can not be higher then 10. Any excess Fighting Force remains it’s own Unit.

Not all Units are equals and often when a Unit with a Special Ability Merges with another Unit the Special Ability is lost because now not everyone in that Unit can climb cliffs or has Jet Packs to Pilot or Exoskeleton suits to wreck havoc with. The exception to this is Artillery Units can accept most other Units into their Ranks can continue to operate as Artillery Units.

Merging Units is more alchemy then it is science, there is some eyeballing involved and Merging Units may have some unexpected results. As a base line though New Units now have the Movement rate of their slowest Members, Offense and Defense lands on the Middle Ground between the two merged Units.

The Honor Wars are the stone the Novacon's use to sharpen themselves. It is through this trial by combat they insure their Warrior Caste is made of those who Know War, have Faced Death, and Survived to serve the Novacon better through the insights and experience the life and death conflict has inflicted upon them.

While all Novacons who have served in an Honor War are better for the experience, some become Legends spoken of for Generations....some Legends are greatly revered as exemplars of what Novacons should aspire to become, while other Legends are shared as warnings of failure.