DOKTRINE

Tank-to-Tank Combat in the 21st Century

INTRODUCTION
GENERAL
DOKTRINE is a fast and playable game of armoured warfare in the early to mid 21st century. One
unit of measurement represents one kilometre; one vehicle represents one armoured vehicle such as a Main
Battle Tank. Dice are used to resolve game effects. A standard six-sided is referred to as d6. A range of dice,
d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d16 and d20 are needed to play. The singular term for dice is correctly one die, but
the rules use the term dice to mean both a single die or multiple dice.
SCALE
The basic game-scale distance is kilometres. Players need to decide what real-life measurement is
used for 1km of game-scale. DOKTRIN was initially designed for a ground scale of 1 metre real-life
represents 1km game-scale. This scale is used when the whole house is the battlefield! Playing pieces are
any mixture of 1/35th and 1/72nd scale model tanks and VTOLs. Any miniatures can be used; the experienced
military modeller has an excuse to take his kits off the shelf and display them in action. Or, a bulk box of toy
tanks from a discount store gives an instant tactical group for only a few dollars.
If players want to use the table-top with 1:300 and/or 1:285 miniatures, 10cm per kilometre is
suitable for the ping-pong table. Paper & cardboard counters use a scale of 1 hex is 1km wide.
Time scale is 1 turn represents 4 minutes game time. Vertical (height) scale is 1:1 between the
models and terrain.
All horizontal measuring for movement, range, and Line-of-Sight is done from a mid-point on the
miniature, so the actual shape and size of the model is irrelevant.
TECHNOLOGY
DOKTRINE has some science fiction elements, but essentially it is not science fiction. Most of the
technologies used were already in use, prototypes in development, or being researched by the year 2000.
Many techno-thrillers novels feature near-future technological gadgets. Similarly, the DOKTRINE setting
makes modest extrapolations regarding military technology.
Armour is tougher. Cannons are more powerful. Propellent is more efficient allowing more and
better ammunition to be carried. Defensive systems capable of actively intercepting missiles are now a
standard fixture of land warfare. But these technologies are generally not externally visible. Sure, a tank
might have some extra boxy protruberances on the turret or hull, but an M1 still keeps the same appearance
as ever. Former-soviet tanks have never really changed their appearance! Players can field exotic new
science fiction models if they like. Or use existing modern vehicles. A British Challenger tank, for example,
might be used in the game to represent a Challenger-4 lurching down a highway in 2030. It would have
improved electronics, gun-launched guided missile ability, liquid-propellant hypervelocity cannon, and a
better engine. But it still looks the same; the beast only changes its spots a little. Old tanks dont die, they
just keep being upgraded, upgunned and uparmoured.
The biggest changes have nothing to do with hardware at all. Changes in military doctrine mean
that armoured vehicles, rather than infantry, control the battlefield. Conventional armies have adopted
ruthless strategies and tactics that have all but removed unprotected infantry (and civilians) from the
battlefield entirely. The term DOKTRINE refers to the military doctrines that apply to 21st century warfare.
It was never intended to be an acronym. But, while not actually correct, has been referred to as
DOKTRINE: Dedicated Over-Kill Tactical Response Intensive Negation and Extirpation. While this
acronym is unofficial, it does convey, in a suitably desensitising manner, the deadly nature of the
DOKTRINE battlefield. [or maybe I for Incendiary]

WEAPONRY
VEHICLE SIZE
In general, the bigger the tank, the more guns can be put on it. The terms tank, unit, and vehicle are
interchangeable. Size (S) roughly corresponds to the mass of the vehicle in tons. And as the weight increases,
the armour protection, weapons, and expense, also goes up. Players have a mixture of vehicles with sizes
anywhere from S1 up to S5. In most cases, the size is also equivalent to the cost, so a player could buy three
S1 tanks for the same price as one S3 tank.
Size 1: Small or Light
Size 2: Medium
Size 3: Large or Heavy
Size 4: Superheavy
Size 5: Oversized Superheavy
Size 1 (S1) vehicles are under 25,000kg. Small vehicles are cheap, usually fast, and often
amphibious. The tonnage equivalent is just a rough guide compared with real life. Game effects are only
concerned with the size, and therefore the cost, of the vehicle. Light tanks, recon vehicles, and APCs
(Armoured Personnel Carriers) are Size 1. For example, the Stryker 8-wheeled troop carrier in the movie
AVP2 Requiem, is Size 1.
Vehicles up to 45 tons are Size 2 (S2). Soviet era tanks such as the T-55, T-72 & T-80, are classed as
Size 2. Heavier units up to 65 tons are Size 3.
Late 20th Century tanks such as the M1 Abrams, British Challenger & Israeli Merkava, are all S3.
Size 4 MBTs (Main Battle Tanks) are possible. Prototypes have been built in the 20th century, but
they were practically immobile. World War II tanks such as the T-34 and Panther were Size 2. Cold War
NATO tanks increased the standard to Size 3. The M1 Abrams started out at 55 ton. Later versions have
increased to over 65 ton. The desire to add more armour, weapons and systems to a chassis is irresistible.
The difficulty has always been that too much weight resulted in underpowered tanks that could barely
move. In the DOKTRINE world, materials technology and improved propulsion systems, enable cost
effective S4, say 80 ton, tanks to be constructed. Even larger monsters, over 100 tons exist, but the balance
between weight and cost exceeds the point of diminishing returns.
S5 vehicles are termed Oversized Superheavies, or simply, monsters. They can mount more
weapons but dont gain an advantage in armour protection. Firepower has reached the point where it can
defeat any thickness of armour that a vehicle can reasonably carry.
DIRECT FIRE KINETIC CANNON
WEAPON CLASS: FKD
FKD: Firecontrol/Kinetic/Directrange
The standard direct fire weapon is the hypervelocity cannon. While a variety of ammunition types
can be fired, the main tank-killing weapon is the KLR: Kinetic Long Rod. This is an advancement of the 20 th
century anti-armour round, APFSDS (Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot), fired from high
velocity cannon. The penetration performance of cannons has also been increased through a combination of
better propellants, longer barrels, and improved penetrator materials (allowing higher Length/Diameter
ratio). Current APFSDS ammunition is called long-rod, in effect a metal arrow, that uses kinetic energy to
punch through armour. KLR is an ultra long-rod. It is fired from high and hypervelocity cannon and can
penetrate even the best tank armour.
Direct fire cannon have three attributes. The chance of hitting a target is defined by Firecontrol. The
ability to penetrate the target armour is defined by the Kinetic value. The maximum direct-fire range is
defined by the Directrange value. F & K values determine the base dice type used. D value is the range. Each
D factor, in game scale, represents 1km (kilometre). A cannon, for example, with a value of D5 has a
Directrange of 5km.
As distance to the target increases, F and K weapons have a reduced chance of hitting and
penetrating the target. The D attribute means that the firer must have a direct Line-of-Sight (LOS) to the
target. Most FKD weapons have a close range of 0.5km, short range of 1km, medium range of 2km, and long
range of 3km or more. Some lighter weapons have almost no armour piercing ability past a thousand metres.

INDIRECT GUIDED MISSILE

GM WEAPON CLASS: GBN
GBN: Guided/Blast/NLOSrange
Guided missiles (GM) are another important weapon class. Artillery is included in this weapon class
due to the type of munitions used. Guided missiles are similar to Surface-to-Surface anti-ship missiles used in
naval warfare, but small enough to be used by tanks rather than warships. These have sophisticated guidance
systems and do not need a direct LOS (Line-of-Sight) to the target. Tanks do not necessarily have a separate
missile launch system. Gun-barrel launched missiles are common. Indirect missiles are usually cruisemissiles. The flight path can curve around and over obstacles. Providing that the general location of the target
has been provided by another unit, to the firer, no LOS is necessary (NLOS). Once the missile gets closer to
the target it uses other methods such as Semi-Active Radar Homing for the terminal phase. This sort of
homing is sometimes known as Fire and Forget. Missiles do not rely on kinetic energy. The low velocity
warheads rely on chemical energy, explosive blast, to do the damage. Methods such as shaped charges or
explosively formed projectiles (Miznay Schardin Effect) are used to increase penetration. Other capabilities,
such as hundreds of submunition bomblets, are common.
Guided missiles (also called GMs) have the advantage of being able to seek the weakest parts of the
target. By flying around to the sides and rear, or popping up and attacking the weak top armour - the tanks
vulnerabilities are exploited. The disadvantage is that incoming missiles can be shot down, confused, and
jammed by a combination of ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) and active defences. In addition,
composite, spaced, and special defensive systems are more effective against blast weapons than kinetic
penetrators. Individual vehicles have their own last-ditch point defence systems for self-defence. And
dedicated Air-Defence vehicles provide wide area interception of air threats; missiles/artillery.
The value G is the dice type used to determine the chance of hitting the target. The To-Hit chance
reduces as the range increases. The value B is the same at any range. Unlike kinetic attacks that weaken over
distance, Blast warheads are just as powerful when they hit, no matter how far the missile travelled to get
there. The N attribute is the maximum NLOS range in kilometres the missile can travel. The flight path is
mostly in terrain following mode, typically skimming thirty metres above the ground.
In most cases, artillery is treated as GBN weapon class. Artillery does not fire barrages of simple,
dumb, shells for anti-vehicle purposes; tank defensive suites easily intercept such projectiles. Artillery is
only used in this manner when dealing wide-area destruction to helpless targets (civilians still in a region that
was declared a free fire zone). Instead, artillery either fires guided missiles, or uses self correcting seek and
destroy guided projectiles; which are effectively guided missiles anyway.
WIREGUIDED DIRECT FIRE MISSILES
ATGM WEAPON CLASS: WBD
WBD: Wireguided/Blast/Directrange
Wire guided anti-tank missiles (ATGM) are direct fire weapons. The terms Wire guided, and ATGM
are used interchangeably to describe WBD class weapons. These are similar to 20th century TOW, Milan, and
Sagger (Malyutka) missiles. Clarification: ATGM refers only to WBD class; Guided Missile/GM only ever
refers to GBD class; although both classes are in fact, guided.
The ATGM firer must have a direct LOS to the target. The target will be hit on the side facing the
firer - most tanks have frontal protection that is impervious to light ATGMs. And being slow speed, moving
only hundreds of metres per second, they can be intercepted or diverted by defence systems. With all these
limitations, it would seem that ATGMs should be obsolete. However, they do have some unique advantages
which keep them in use.
A no-frills ATGM is very cheap. The hit probability is the same up to its maximum range. And the
blast warhead has the same impact at any distance. The most inexpensive way to give a vehicle long distance
anti-armour ability is to arm it with an ATGM. Even KLR tanks often have an ATGM as a secondary weapon
because it is affordable. In some circumstances, such as longer range, the wire guided missile will have a
better chance to hit and penetrate than a cannon.
ATGMs are continuously guided to the target by the operator. An ATGM doesnt think for itself
when initially launched. It receives course correction signals sent via the wire from the firing vehicle.
Basically the same as playing a video game with a hand held controller. Some ATGMs, such as HIVE, rely on
an IR (infra-red) beam, or laser, instead of a wire, but direct LOS is still required. Game effects are the same.
More sophisticated ATGMs also have some terminal guidance ability, which lets the missile complete its
mission, even if the firing operator has been suppressed or destroyed.

In contrast, the sensors in a GBN class weapon are a self contained system mounted in the actual
missile, which does its own tracking and guidance.
A special class of ATGM is treated the same other wireguided missiles, except that it pops up just as
it reaches the target and explodes over the vehicles vulnerable top armour. Top Attack ATGMs are not as
common, the main reason being the huge expense. Otherwise, standard anti-tank missiles would have been
replaced by top attack missiles completely.
MAIN BATTLE TANK
The T-98 is a sample Main Battle Tank. The higher attribute value shown, the better.
Type: Tracked
Mobility Class: Tank. Slowed by rough terrain; difficulty in very rough and wooded terrain.
Movement: M3. Can move three kilometres per turn.
F3 K3 D3L: FKD cannon, main weapon. Moderate firecontrol, low penetration, and long range is 3km.
W2 B4 D3: WBD Anti-Tank Guided Missile, gun-barrel launched.
C1: Close combat ability. Is not well suited to very close ranged overrun combat.
A2b: Armour value is 2 overall. Front is A3(A4 versus missiles). Sides A1. Rear is A0(A1 versus missiles).
P3: Internal protection value means it must roll a 5 or 6 to survive penetration. Cramped & uncomfortable.
E2: Has some Electronic Counter Measures and last ditch anti missile defences.
Size: S2. Medium.
Cost: 2. Moderately priced.

VEHICLE TYPE & MOBILITY CLASS

VEHICLE TYPE: TRACKED
Vehicles with caterpillar tracks (also
called treads) are all TRACK movement/mobility
type. Different types of tanks are listed below.
Note: Size 1 TRACKED units handle
terrain as if they are ATV mobility subclass.
SLOW TRACKED (STRK). Also
known as crawlers. These are slowed tracked
vehicles that can carry any combat system. Some
STRK actually have massive run-flat tires, same
game effects. TRACK mobility subclass TNK.
TRACKED (TRK). Standard armoured
vehicle or tank able to have a balanced capabilities
of speed, armour and weaponry. TRACK mobility
subclass TNK.
FAST TRACKED (FTRK). Very fast
treaded vehicle, capable of movement M4. Often
used for smaller lighter recon units. Also possible
for Main Battle Tanks - at a significant cost.
TRACK mobility subclass TNK.
HEAVY TANK (HVYTNK). Expensive
heavy tank able to carry the largest gun and most
armour for its tonnage. Some very expensive and
advanced heavies have extra powerful engines,
giving them as much speed as a light tank.
HVYTRACK mobility subclass HVYTNK. Also
HP-HVYTNK: High Performance HVYTNK, M4.
SUPERHEAVY TRACKED
(SHVYTNK). Superheavy tanks with a mass of at
least 80 tons. TRACK mobility subclass SHVYTNK.
VEHICLE TYPE: GEV
Ground Effect Vehicles (GEVs) are also
called hovercraft. They ride upon a flexible air
cushion. The sides of the rubber skirt are strong,
but can never be as tough as the treads that provide
mobility for a conventional tank. In a stand up
fight, an equivalent sized tank will usually outclass
a hovercraft. A GEV, however, has superior
mobility in swamp and water terrain.
AIR CUSHION (AC). More expensive
and fragile than a treaded tank. But if there werent
any disadvantages, thered be nothing on the
battlefield except hovers!
HEAVY GEV (HGEV). Hover-truck or
Cargo-GEV. Massive air cushion with heavy lift
capacity.
FAST GEV (FGEV). Also called Fast Air
Cushions, skimmers, or Assault Hovers. Expensive
and prone to damage to the skirt. But when the
tactical requirement is for a fast ground vehicle,
nothing beats a high speed GEV.

VEHICLE TYPE: WHEEL

ROADWHEEL. Standard wheeled
vehicle; car; designed for use on-road. Subclass:
ROAD.
TRUCKWHEEL. Standard truck type
vehicle designed for use on-road. Mobility
subclass: ROAD.
MULTIWHEEL. Military vehicle.
Usually 6x6 or 8x8 wheels. Good off-road
performance. Automatically includes WADE
ability; free. Subclass: ATV (All Terrain Vehicle).
Also ATV-M: ATV capable of mounting a larger
weapon than usually seen on this chassis.
SCOUTWHEEL. High mobility all
terrain vehicle. Light armour. Includes WADE.
Subclass: ATV.
VEHICLE TYPE: VTOL
Vertical Take Off & Landing (VTOL).
Helicopters, jet-copters, tilt-rotors. Any vehicle that
can fly like a helicopter is considered VTOL
mobility class. While capable of high altitude
flight, most of the time is spent at low level.
Heavy VTOL/Helicopter (HVTOL).
Most VTOLs fit into this category, whether large or
small, propelled by jet thrusters, helicopter blades,
tilt-rotors, transports or helicopter gunships.
FAST VTOL (FVTOL). Fast assault
VTOLs. Very expensive. Fast & deadly.
VEHICLE TYPE: GRAV
GRAV vehicles appear to float just above
the ground and are popularly known as antigravity, or Grav vehicles. They are not, however,
any such thing. Gravity manipulation is still in the
realm of science fiction. In reality, anti-gravity
devices are not even seen as being theoretically
possible. The other nickname for Grav vehicles,
Skimmer, is more accurate. Gravs are actually
advanced GEVs that use ventrally mounted jet
thrusters, instead of an air cushion skirt. They
hover just above the ground using brute force from
vectored nozzle jets. The enormous power
requirements mean that Grav vehicles need special
technology such as nuclear power generation for
the engines. The technical expertise, maintenance
and expense required means that Grav vehicles are
rare. Often they are reserved for elite units.
GRAV vehicles are designed, for purposes
of the game, as if they are one of the TRACK
mobility types. When vehicle design is complete,
the tonnage remains the same, but the overall cost
is Size +2; S1 costs 3 units and so on.

GAME CONCEPTS
DICE AND COMBAT VALUES
Attribute values correspond to different dice. This represents the strength or quality of vehicle
abilities. Dice are used to resolve probabilities during the game. Two or more dice are referred to as, well,
dice. The singular word for dice is one die, but dont let it bother you! This fine distinction hasnt been
enforced, so dice in these is often used when technically the word die should have.
A standard six-sided die is called a d6. You will need four-sided, six, eight, ten, twelve, sixteen and
twenty sided dice. Respectively called d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d16 and d20. A lower-case d means that die
type, so d4, means roll a four sided die. The format #d#, such as 2d6, means roll two six sided dice. Multiple
rolls are not added together but are used as two separate results.
Modifications to the type of die rolled are listed with a plus or a minus sign. Going up a die level
means using the next highest dice type. Reducing the die type means going down a dice type. For example,d6
minus 1, means roll a d4 instead of a d6. And d6+1 means increase from d6 up to d8.
When the dice level exceeds d20, it has special game effects, such as automatic success. An armour
value of A8, for example, means the amour is impervious to harm from missiles. Special cases are listed in
the rules for each situation. When the dice level is reduced to less than d4, it means that instead of rolling
dice, the result is considered to be an automatic roll of exactly 1. Rolling a 1 fails in most situations.
Alternatively, a combat value of zero may mean an action is prohibited. The rules detail how to handle these
cases where values are above or below the dice sequence.
VALUE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

DICE
d4
d6
d8
d10
d12
d16
d20
Special

Example: A weapon with FKD attributes of F3 K4 D4 would use d8, for F3, when seeing if it hits a
target. Then, starting level of d10, for K4, to penetrate target armour. The Directrange of D4 means it could
fire at a target up to 4km away.
COMPARING DICE: CONTESTS
Constested rolls are where one player rolls dice versus the opponents dice. The turn sequence of
some wargames means that the non active player is just hanging around waiting until it is their turn. The
intent of the DOKTRINE game system is to keep both players on their toes at all times.
The player that initially fired a weapon is called the attacker. The target vehicle is the defender.
When players roll a dice contest, the attacker rolls dice first. Then the defender rolls dice, one roll versus each
separate attacker roll. Each individual defender die is rolled against one specific attacker die. If there are
several dice involved, they must be rolled one by one, clearly stating which attacker die is being contested.
The attacker might be able to throw down several dice simultaneously for the starting To-Hit rolls. But in
the following steps, the defender needs to clearly roll one at a time against one nominated attacker die at a
time. The order in which dice are rolled is important.
This is quite different to some other games. If players are used to some other games, they will need
to adjust to the particular methods of using dice in DOKTRINE. Players of RISK simply roll their dice in any
order and match up to the other guys in order of highest to lowest: do NOT use this method in DOKTRINE.
Players of games such as WH are used to hurling whole buckets of dice at the same time: this is NOT how it
is handled in DOKTRINE. And in everything from Monopoly to roleplaying games, 2d6 means roll twice and
add to give a number from 2 to 12: do NOT treat dice this way in DOKTRINE.
Multiple dice are never added to give a bigger number. The order in which dice are rolled is crucial.

ATTACKER WINS TIES

If both players roll an equal amount in a contest, the attacker wins!
The attacker is the player that made the initial To-Hit roll, regardless of what step of the combat
sequence is being resolved at the time of the roll.
MULTIPLE CONTESTS
During multiple contests, the rules will state when a player rolls fresh dice, or re-uses the same dice
that are already on the table. During missile interception attempts, the attacker keeps his original dice face up
as is, re-using the same results more than once; while the defender makes several fresh rolls against those
initial attack dice.

ATTRIBUTES SUMMARY
T: Type. Mobility Class. Type of vehicle.
M: Movement value.
F: Fire-control system. Determines To-Hit chance.
K: Kinetic weapon damage strength.
D: Directrange. Maximum direct-fire weapon range.
G: Guided missile weapon class. Ability to hit target.
B: Blast. Indirect weapon damage strength.
N: Non-Line of Sight, indirect range, NLOS.
W: Wire guided missile.
C: Close combat ability.
A: Armour. Passive defence value of armour.
P: Protection value. Internal protection systems.
E: Ecm. Electronic Counter Measures & Point Defence.
Z: Zone air defence (Zad). Anti-Air cannon.
V: hiVe. high Velocity Missile Air Defence.
FKD: Direct-fire kinetic weapon.
GBN: NLOS Guided missile which does blast damage.
WBD: Wire guided system (ATGM), direct fire; blast.
ZFKD: Gun Air Defence system.
VWBD: Missile Air Defence system
Each attribute, also called, combat value, is identified by a single letter. Attributes can be combined,
such as for weapons. FKD, GBN & WBD describe the combination of three attributes to form one system.
Players need to note whether upper-case letters are referring to attributes, or are an abbreviation. For example:
G is the Guidence value for GBN class. But GEV is the abbreviation for Ground Effect Vehicle mobility type.
OTHER TERMS
The following terms are simply acronymns and abbreviations. They are not combinations of attributes.
Missile: refers to any missile type (which can be intercepted).
Indirect: Indirect non line of sight missiles are also described as GBNs, Guided Missiles, GMs, indirect
missiles, and cruise missiles.
ATGM: Anti-Tank Guided Missile. Direct-fire WBD class Wire-guided missiles. This term is used to clearly
distinguish them from indirect non LOS missiles (GBN).
AD: Air Defence. Regardless of whether Z or V type, AD has the ability to intercept missiles.
VTOL: Vertical Take Off & Landing. Aircraft that can fly similar to helicopters.
LOS: Line of Sight. Straight-line unobstructed line from one vehicle to another.
Attributes use single upper case letters. Weapon systems, such as FKD, are made up of combinations
of attributes, where each letter is a particular value. Players need to take note of when a string of letters is
referring to a weapon system, where every single letter is a distinct attribute; or are simply being used as a
term or acronym. The term VTOL is merely an abbreviation for aircraft, where v is not an attribute. In
contrast, the V in HIVE, is the anti-missile value V.

TURN SEQUENCE
Players take it in turns to complete their player-turn. The particular set-up decides which player goes
first; they stay as first-player all game. The first player moves, then attacks. Then the second player moves
and attacks. The non-moving player can interrupt the moving-player with special overwatch attacks. After
both have completed their player-turn each, that game-turn is finished.
TURN SEQUENCE
a) First player moves.
Second player interrupts with overwatch reaction attacks.
Close combat resolved as it occurs during movement.
Second player pivots units up to 90, after all moves completed.
b) First player, after all moves, attacks.
First player places overwatch markers.
Then players swap roles:
c) Second player moves.
First player overwatch.
Close combat.
First player pivots.
d) Second player, after all moves, attacks.
Second player overwatch markers.
End of turn.

COMBAT
COMBAT OVERVIEW
There are different types of weapons and combat situations.
Direct-fire against vehicles using kinetic FKD type weapons. A clear Line of Sight (LOS) must exist
between the firer and the target. Standard tank cannon use direct fire. Penetration of armour is increased at
shorter range. Kinetic energy is used to smash through the target armour. Chance of hitting the target is
reduced as the range increases. Smaller rapid-fire autocannon have shorter ranges and lower penetration.
ATGM direct-fire using wire-guided WBD type weapons. Needs LOS. The chance of hitting the
target and penetrating armour is the same at any range. ATGMs are relatively slow and can be shot down by
air defence systems and missile interception systems. Composite armour and similar is better at thwarting the
chemical explosion warheads of missiles compared with kinetic penetrators. ATGMs are also known as
Optically Targetted Wire-guided missiles (TOW), possibly the most tortured acronym ever invented.
Indirect-fire. Artillery and cruise missiles. GBN type weapons. The firer does not need LOS. No
distinction is made, for rules purposes, between artillery such as 155mm howitzers, and Non-LOS missiles;
all are treated as GBN type. GBNs include laser guided projectiles, tomahawk style cruise missiles and a
variety of anti-armour submunitions. Indirect range is limited by the ability of sensors and guidance systems
to distinguish targets through electronic counter measures and jamming. Artillery is capable of throwing a
projectile at least 50km, and cruise missiles can physically travel hundred of kilometres; actual effective
ranges are in fact about 10km or less. Anti-air systems and vehicle defensive suites are able to intercept these
relatively slow GBNs.
Air Defense. Rapid-fire Autocannon Zone Air Defence, ZAD, are able to shoot down ATGMs and
GBNs. In desperate situations these can also be used against ground targets. High velocity missile air defence
systems, HIVE, are able to intercept missiles at longer ranges.
VTOLs. Vertical Take-Off & Landing vehicles, such as helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft, act as very
fast, lightly armoured, flying tanks. Ground attack direct-fire weapons cannot intercept missiles, but do have
some ability versus VTOLs. Air Defence systems can swat down VTOLs quite effectively.
Close Combat. Combat at ranges of less than half a kilometre is called Close Combat, or Overrun
combat. Missiles of any sort are useless at this range, except for ATGMs which might get one last shot before
suffering minimum range restriction. Kinetic weapons are very effective at close range.
SEEING THE OPPONENT

Nothing is hidden. The rough location of all enemy units is known. It is assumed that all sides have a
multitude of reconnaissance drones, seismic sensors, satellites and other high tech devices to detect enemy
units. This is represented by the fact that each player can see the other guys tanks. This is not enough to
actually fire at a target though; real-time data is needed to more precisely target an opposing unit with fire.
To fire at an enemy unit, the target must be spotted. If any unit has a LOS to an enemy unit, that
target is spotted and can be fired upon. The spotting unit providing the LOS does not need to be the firing
unit. It does not matter if the spotting unit is destroyed during the turn. Once it has spotted an enemy, the
enemy remains spotted for the remainder of the turn. High tech command systems, intelligent computers and
expendable surveillance devices communicate this data to all friendly vehicles. In addition, whenever a unit
fires, it reveals itself; it is immediately spotted by the opponent for the remainder of the turn - it has
pinpointed itself by firing. This is particularly important for counterbattery fire against indirect weapons.
Indirect weapons cannot fire at an unspotted target. Either a friendly unit has spotted it by achieving
LOS, or the target reveals itself by firing. Direct fire weapons must, or course, always have direct LOS to
their target. Indirect weapons can fire at any spotted unit, regardless of how it was revealed. At the end of the
game turn, all units revert back to unspotted status providing they are out of LOS.
COVER & LOS
Line of Sight (LOS) is either blocked or unblocked between one unit and another. LOS determines
whether the unit can spot and be spotted. In addition, units can get a protective cover save if they did not
move all that turn; detailed in the COVER rules. A vehicle must touch the edge of cover to be able to fire out
of the cover, and enemy units to be able to fire in. Players must clearly state whether a vehicle is concealed
out of line of sight inside/behind cover, or is on the edge. If on the edge, then the unit can still get a cover
save, fire out, and be targetted by the enemy.
If a vehicle is on the edge of cover it only has LOS though the unobstructed direction that is not
blocked by the cover; this is always considered to be at least the forward 180 arc. It can be more than 180
if common sense suggests that it would be even greater; the minimum field of vision is simply to reduce the
amount of time players have to spend measuring angles. This cuts both ways: If a player has LOS out, the
enemy has LOS in. This rule works well, and is easy to implement, when the cover is a linear obstacle such as
a ridge or treeline.
If the cover is geographically small in size, the location of the edge can be ambiguous. For this
purpose, the actual size of the miniature in relation to the area of cover is used as a guide. If the cover
occupies a small area, such as smaller than the actual miniature, then the player has a choice. The player can
declare that the unit is only exposing its front edge with the front 180 arc; alternatively the player can declare
that the unit has a full 360 field of fire, through which it can see, fire, and be spotted to. Of course, the
player can also state the unit is not on the edge at all, but blocked and out of LOS behind the cover.
These edge of cover rules are a bit messy, but necessary. The shape of most terrain features will
automatically dictate where the edge is. The choice of 360, 180; or no LOS at all; is necessary when the
cover feature is small or irregularly shaped; such as a single building, or isolated stand of trees. The edge
rules are needed because of the disparity between ground scale and model scale. A typical 1/35th scale tank
would be 200 metres in length according to the ground scale; so abstraction is required!
MINATURES
The size and shape of the miniatures used for playing pieces is usually irrelevant. Cardboard
counters and hex maps could be used; easier to measure, but lack the visual appeal of beautifully crafted
miniatures. The units exact location is the mid-point of the actual model; mid point of the turret; or some
other clearly defined point on the model that makes sense. Measuring is not done from gun barrels, so long
barrelled guns do not give players a range advantage! Measuring is treated as if players were using coloured
map pins to represent vehicles. Indeed, if it is difficult to position models in the just the right position on
uneven terrain, players can use a marker to represent the actual location of the miniature.
NUMBER OF ATTACKS
Size determines how many attacks and also the maximum number of targets. The larger the tank, the
greater the capability of the crew and firecontrol systems to allocate weapons to available targets. A Size 1
unit only fires once. Size 2 and above can fire more than once; these can be allocated at the same target or
spread among separate targets.

Multi-weapon vehicles do not get extra shots just because they have more weapon mounts. The
number of shots is entirely related to vehicle size. All attacks by a vehicle in a turn must be the same range
type, either all direct, or all indirect. FKD and WBD may be combined and fired in the same turn by a unit
because they are both direct range weapons. GBN cannot be combined with FKD/WBD.
Size 1
1 Attack
Size 2 or Size 3
2 Attacks
Size 4 to Size 6
3 Attacks
Size 7 to Size 10
4 Attacks
Size 11 or more
5 Attacks
Note: One shot or attack does not necessarily mean just one missile or cannon round. Most
weapons are capable of rapid fire. One attack typically consists of a burst of several rounds, or a salvo of
missiles. Also note that although the number of shots table shows that a unit can have up to five shots, such
large vehicles are very unusual. Typical medium and heavy tanks are Size 2 or Size 3.
COMBAT MODES
Most combat is Ground Mode, tank versus tank; ground weapons against targets on the ground.
When a weapon is being used against a target that is on the ground, the firer is in GROUND mode. When the
target is in the air, the firer is is AIR mode. Firing versus VTOLs is ANTI-VTOL mode; the procedure has
some features in common with both ground and air mode, and has its own special rules.
Weapons are usually best at one mode of combat, and have reduced or no ability, in other modes.

ATTACK STEPS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

TARGET/WEAPON allocation
TO HIT roll
HIVE air defence. Contested
ZAD air defence. Contested
POINT DEFENCE. Contested
COVER Save
PENETRATION. Contested
DAMAGE. Protection roll

1. TARGET/WEAPON ALLOCATION
A vehicle can only make one type attack per turn, either direct-fire or NLOS indirect; not both.
Direct fire and indirect fire may never be combined, as part of the same multi unit attack. A vehicle, that has
several weapon systems, can only choose to use either Directrange types, or NLOS range types in one turn.
Direct-fire weapons. The firer declares an attack against a target and resolves it. This may be done
shot by shot. The firer is allowed to see the effect of the attack and then declares the next shot. There is no
need to make simultaneous shots by the same vehicle, and no advantage to combining attacks from multiple
vehicles. If, however, there are no other eligible targets, the firer is allowed to roll several To-Hit dice at the
same time; but there is no compulsion to do so. Directrange weapons include FKD, WBD, WBDTop Attack and
RBD weapon classes.
Indirect attacks are not as flexible. An individual target may only be attacked once per turn by
NLOSrange type weapons. There is no limit to how many shots and/or vehicles are in this single wave. This
means that all indirect shots, and all vehicles involved (firers and targets), must be declared in advance. All
shots in this salvo are resolved simultaneously. NLOS barrages sometimes result in wasted shots; due to the
target being already destroyed, and excess shots having no further effect. Indirect weapons include GBN and
RBN weapon classes. It is not prohibited to combine cruise missiles with rockets, but neither is their any
particular advantage; so it is common to use rockets in unrelated barrages.
For ease of play it is recommended that all attacks from a particular vehicle are resolved as much as
possible before proceding to the next. However, players are not forced to, and may declare and resolve attacks
in a manner most advantageous to them. Players can use markers to record who has fired what shots, so the
situation is clear.
2. TO-HIT ROLLS

If the To-Hit roll is EQUAL TO, or HIGHER than the To-Hit number, a hit is achieved.
Weapons use the fire-control/guidance system attribute appropriate to that type. Cannon use (F); direct fire
anti-tank missiles (W); indirect missiles (G); rockets (R). Example: A main tank gun with sophisticated
firecontrol system F5 would roll To-Hit with d12.
Keep the attack dice on the table, displaying the successful hit results. If they represent incoming
missiles, the defender makes interception attempts by rolling their own fresh dice, versus those attack dice.
Most FKD attacks will be done one shot at a time. Missiles, to thwart interception, will often be done in
batches of multiple dice.
Also note that while the term To-Hit is used, a successful roll does not necessarily mean the target
has actually been hit. It is more accurate to say that a successful roll is on-target - proceed to the next step in
the attack process.
To-Hit: FKD RFAC
RFACs are small FKD weapons which have penetration values of either K1 or K2. Firecontrol (F)
determines the dice used by the attacker for the To-Hit roll. F1 uses d4, F2 rolls d6, through to F7 uses d20.
RFACs always hit on a roll of 4+, ie, 4 or more. RFACs have almost no penetration ability beyond 1km, so
are rarely used at ranges over a kilometre, except for anti-air fire.
To-Hit: FKD Cannon
Cannon weapons are larger guns with penetration values of K3 to K7. Cannon have three range
bands; short, medium, and long. Firecontrol (F) determines the dice used for the To-Hit roll. The attack hits
on a roll of 2+ at short range, 4+ medium, 8+ long. If there is insufficient firecontrol to achieve the required
To-Hit number, then the cannon cannot attempt the attack; for example, an F2 cannon is unable to fire at long
range, as d6 is not able to achieve a result of 8+.
To-Hit: WBD ATGM
ATGMs, attributes WBD and WBDTop-Attack use (W) value for the To-Hit roll. ATGMs need 2+ at any
range up to maximum. ATGMs can be intercepted by air defence and point-defence in the next step.
To-Hit: GBN
Indirect NLOS weapons need 4+ To-Hit up to their maximum range. NLOS weapons still use 4+ to
hit, even if there is a direct line of sight to the target. Guided missiles can be intercepted by air defence and
point-defence systems in the next combat step.
To-Hit: RBD
Direct fire rockets always hit the target. No To-Hit roll is needed. Rockets cannot be intercepted.
To-Hit: ZAD Ground Mode
Zone Air Defence, ZFKD weapons can be used in AIR mode, and GROUND mode. In Ground
Mode, ZAD can fire at ground targets using (F) value. Treat hit procedure the same as if they are RFACs; or
as FKD cannon (if K3). ZAD often have low F values, such as F1 (rolls d4); combined with low penetration
K values means that ZAD are usually poor versus ground targets. ZAD firing in ground mode use more
ammunition than usual and suffer low/out ammunition results.
In Air Mode, ZAD conduct missile intereption, and anti-helicopter fire, using (Z).
To-Hit: HIVE Ground Mode
VWBD, missile air defence weapons can be used in GROUND mode, instead of the far more
effective AIR mode. Use (W) value. Maximum range is halved. To-Hit is 4+. If (W) value is zero, then the
HIVE has no Ground mode ability at all. HIVE are always subject to low/out ammunition effects.
In Air mode, HIVE conduct GBN interception, and anti-VTOL fire, using (V).
3. HIVE Missile Interception
VWBD attempt anti-GBN missile fire using (V) attribute. One HIVE dice is rolled for each
missile attack: one HIVE roll per missile shot. The attackers dice that did not automatically miss remain on
the table. One-by-one, a nominated HIVE vehicle rolls one dice against an attacker dice. This is called a dice
contest. Re-use the same attacker To-Hit dice result for HIVE interception dice contests.

If the HIVE roll is HIGHER than the attacking dice the missile is successfully intercepted. The
attacker removes any dice that were less than the (V) rolls. The attacker (incoming missile) wins ties.
If the HIVE rolls an exact 1, the HIVE receives a low ammunition marker. If it was already low, it
is out of ammo. Low/Out ammo effects take effect at the end of the game turn, so HIVE will always have at
least two turns of firing, regardless of how many 1s are rolled in the same turn.
VWBD are designed for long range surface to air defence. They are less effective at intercepting low
altitude shorter ranged ATGMs. When HIVE attempts to interecpt WBD weapons, not GBN, it is treated
differently. HIVE uses (W) attribute versus WBD missiles; and the maxiumum range is half normal.
4. ZAD Missile Interception
ZFKD shoot down missiles using (Z) attribute. ZAD is equally effective versus GBN or WBD
missile types. One ZAD dice is rolled for each missile attack: one ZAD roll per missile shot. The attackers
dice, after removing misses, and removing HIVE shoot-downs, are still on the table. Re-use the same attack
To-Hit result. One-by-one, a nominated ZAD vehicle rolls a dice contest against an attack dice.
If the ZAD roll is HIGHER than the attacking missile dice the intercept is successful. The
attacker removes any dice that were exceeded by the (Z) result.
5. ECM Point Defence
Last ditch missile defence comes from close-in weapons systems. These only protect the actual
target of the attack. The vehicle that is under attack uses (E) attribute. Roll a dice contest using the same
attacker To-Hit result, same as done for any HIVE and ZAD.All military units have a minimum of E1, so
always get to roll at least d4 for point defence. ECM can never be used to shield a different unit.
If the ECM roll is HIGHER than the attacking missile result the intercept is successful. The
attacker removes any dice that were less than the (E) result. Incoming missiles win tied rolls.
If an exact 1 is rolled during a contested roll, ECM suffers a low/out result. Effects do not take
place until the end of the turn; no matter how many 1s are rolled in the same turn, the vehicle can only
receive one Low ammo marker. On the next, or later turn, another 1 means (E) is out at the end of that
subsequent turn. Vehicles that are Out of ECM still have a minimum of E1 for rest of game.
6. Cover Save
SOFT cover 6+ save. HARD cover 4+ save. The defender now rolls one separate cover dice for
each incoming on-target non-intercepted attack. This is not contested; do not compare with the attack results.
If the cover save is EQUAL TO OR HIGHER THAN the cover number the save is successful. Units are
only eligible for a save if they are in cover AND did not move at all; or used decoys versus NLOS attacks.
7. Penetration
A contested roll is now made between any remaining attacks. This is a fresh dice contest; both
players roll new dice. The attacker gets one dice for each incoming attack. The strength is according to the
kinetic (K) or blast (B) value. The target uses armour (A) against that weapon type and facing. The
ARMOUR VALUES section describes procedures for variation of armour depending on facing, particularly
strong, or very weak, armour/protection.
If the attackers penetration roll (K or B) is less than the armour (A) roll, the target is
unaffected. If the penetration roll is equal to, or higher than the armour roll, the target is penetrated, and
must roll to see if protection systems enable it survive the damage. If the penetration roll is four or more
higher than the armour roll, the target is automatically and catastrophically destroyed; including
superheavies.
8. Damage
The target has a protection value based on (P) attribute. This is not a contested roll. Make one
survival roll for each penetrating hit. P1 units are automatically destroyed. Small vehicles are limited to P1,
so are always destroyed by penetrating hits. A unit that achieves its protection roll survives; the hit has no
effect. A failed protection roll means the unit is destroyed. Superheavies have special damage rules which
allow them to keep going despite failing the protection roll.

AIR DEFENCE PROCEDURE

Summary: HIVE, then ZAD, then ECM get one free reaction-fire shot at each incoming missile.
ZAD is Zone Air Defence: ZFKD anti-air cannon.
HIVE are high velocity anti-missile-missiles: VWBD systems.
Air Defence systems, abbreviated to AD, include both ZAD and HIVE. Rules which refer to AD
apply equally to both ZAD & HIVE. Rules which apply exclusively to only one type of interception system
are specifically referred to as just for ZAD/ZFKD; or alternatively, as just for HIVE/VWBD. AD can defend
itself, or any unit within range.
AD Overwatch Reaction-Fire
Air Defence is a special form of reaction-fire. To be eligible, the AD unit must have an
OVERWATCH marker. The overwatch is held in readiness for either ground mode, or air mode. The unit does
not decide in advance which mode the overwatch marker is for. An AD unit intended for the missile
interception role that encounters ground units, could instead be used to shoot at tanks. However, once
reaction-fire is done for either mode, it can only do one type in the same turn: Ground mode, or anti-air mode;
not both per turn.
Ground uses F or W attribute, and number of shots is limited as normal by vehicle size; all rules and
procedures as for normal ground combat.
Air mode uses Z or V attibutes; no limit to the number of contests as AD reaction-fire is free
opportunity fire. Air mode follows the AD rules and procedures.
Air Defence LOS
To protect another unit the AD simply needs LOS to the target being shielded. The AD unit must, of
course, be in range of that intercept point. HIVE also have a minimum range of 1km
In addition, the AD does not necessarily need LOS to the unit being protected, if the missile flight
path passes an AD unit, on the way to the target. The missile firing unit traces the flight path of the missile to
the target. The AD unit chosen to do the intercept is eligible if there is a LOS to a point somewhere along that
flight path. It doesnt need to have LOS or be in range of the actual target, only to the incoming missile. It
must be able to track the missile path for an uninterrupted distance of at least 1km. This is to avoid abuse of
this rule, preventing intercept of missiles that are only in view between obstacles for a split second.
Missile Path
In most cases, it is enough to assume a straight line path from the firer to the target. However, there
are times when players may wish to steer missiles around obstacles, or avoid air defences.
WBDs always fly in a straight line from the firer to the target and require direct LOS, both to hit a
target, and also to be intercepted.
GBNs have two movement modes: Ballistic and Cruise.
In Ballistic mode the GBN flight path is a curved line from the firer to target; if fired from the
ground, the maximum altitude is the mid point between the launch vehicle and the target. Viewed from the
side, the profile is an arc; viewed from directly above, the profile is a straight line.
Cruise mode is also known as terrain-following, NOE (Nap-Of-the-Earth), or ground/sea skimming.
In cruise mode, the GBN missile flies at an altitude of 100 metres or less, from launch to target. For game
purposes, treat the cruise missile as if it is at a vertical height of 30 metres above the underlying terrain.
Cruise missiles fly over obstacles; such as over tree tops; not in between the trunks! On the horizontal plane,
ie, as viewed from overhead, cruise missiles can change course on the way to the target. The missile can
change its direction of travel by an amount up to 90 each one kilometre of travel. Smooth out the turning
radius, like a supersonic aircraft executing a turn; missiles do not abruptly pivot in place.
Whenever a GBN is fired, the player can choose one mode of cruise or ballistic profile for the entire
flight; cruise is usually the default mode. Rockets weapons are always Ballistic. Rocket pods fired from
VTOLs are also ballistic, except that the curved line of the arc starts its highest point at the same altitude as
the firing VTOL, and drops toward the target (half the arc, compared with a ground rocket launching
system).

Multiple Air Defence

Only one HIVE can attempt to intercept a particular missile. Only one ZAD can intercept a
particular missile. If there are several different AD units, no advantage or extra interception shots are allowed.
The defender can nominate no more than one VWBD and/or one ZFKD to perform air defence for each dice
contest. This means that each missile faces a maximum of three intercepts, once by HIVE, once by ZAD, then
once by ECM.
It does not matter which eligible AD units perform the intercept rolls. Vehicle size, and amount of
AD units, has no effect at all on the number of intercept contests. When units do air defence with (Z) and/or
(V) they have an unlimited number of free shots to ensure that one HIVE dice contest, and one ZAD
contest, is made per incoming missile.
AD Allocation Example
A player has three AD units; three ZSU ZAD units, two Arrow HIVE units, and one Tunguska
combined ZAD/HIVE unit. The attacker has combined five medium launchers for a total of 10 missiles in one
missile wave. It does not matter whether these missiles are all aimed at one target, single shot versus ten
targets, or a mixture at several targets; only that all the AD units are eligible to make the intercept, ready to
fire, in range and have LOS.
The defender could choose to do the entire missile defence with the Tunguska: 10 HIVE rolls,
followed by up to 10 ZAD rolls (if two out of ten were shot down by the HIVE, the ZAD would make eight
intercept attempts).
Example 2: One of the Arrows makes all 10 HIVE rolls; shooting down 4 missiles, leaving 6
incoming. The three ZSUs could do two intercepts each, but the player decides to nominate a single ZSU,
which makes all six intercept attemps.
Example 3: The defender chooses not to use the Arrow or Tunguska, and skips HIVE rolls altogether
- this is an ammunition saving decision. All 10 ZAD intercept dice contests are done by the ZSU; One ZSU is
chosen to make five attempts, the second ZSU makes the other five, while the third ZSU stays silent. It doesnt
matter much which ZADs are used, in terms of ammunition.
Do Not Engage!
Players are never obligated to do air defence, and can always withold fire by a particular AD unit.
Usually range, LOS and fire eligibility will make the choice of whether to intercept, with what, an obvious
decision. However, situations such as the following, are examples of why it might be useful to hold back.
Conserve ammunition. Long range anti air missiles, HIVE, always suffer from limited ammuniton,
so players may choose to hold fire to avoid risking a low/out roll.
Hiding. It may also be advantageous for a concealed vehicle to skip an intercept opportunity, as it
reveals itself when it opens fire. Defending AD units do not need LOS to the enemy launch vehicle, only to
the target of that attack; which means it is quite possible for the AD vehicle to be safely hidden until it fires.
Indeed most AD units, usually thinly armoured, will try very hard to stay out of sight.
Missile Destruction
Missiles are unarmoured; also called soft-skinned. Any successful intercept roll destroys the
missile. While most AD weapons have poor penetration strength against tanks, they are powerful enough to
knock out missiles. This is why RFACs will just bounce off armour plating at 2 kilometres, yet be very
effective against missiles at such relatively long range. Successful shoot-downs represent not only physically
destroying the incoming missile, causing the warhead to explode or hit the ground; but also includes missiles
that are deflected off course, confused, lured away, fail to explode, or hit but fail to inflict significant damage.
Some weapons jam or fry the electronic brains of missile guidance systems rather than physically swatting
them out of the sky.
ECM Notes
E1 represents basic Electronic Counter Measures, distracting the launcher with suppressive fire, and
sheer luck that a missile will miss. E2 represents advanced ECM, stealth coatings, masked heat signature, and
other passive measures to defeat missile guidance systems. E3 and higher values represent not only ECM, but
also sophisticated active systems that will physically stop incoming missiles; including gatling-guns, lasers,
explosive charges and other expensive systems. Regardless of the actual method, all are classed as (E)
attribute.

MOVEMENT
Movement (M) is the distance in kilometres that the unit may move per turn in open terrain. In all
cases, a unit is allowed to move less than the maximum possible. Vehicle TYPE describes what the vehicle is;
Mobility Class determines how that type of unit handles terrain.
NORMAL: Unit can move up its full movement value. An M3 tank, for example, can move 3km.
POOR: Maximum movement is 2km per turn.
DIFFICULT: Movement is limited to 1km per turn.
DANGEROUS: This is actually Difficult/Dangerous terrain. Maximum move 1km per turn.
Treated as DIFFICULT terrain in all ways; in addition, the unit also is at risk of being destroyed. Roll d6
whenever a unit moves in DANGEROUS terrain; vehicle is destroyed on a result of 1 or 2.
EASY: Allows a unit to move rapidly. The unit must spend its entire turn travelling in/along EASY
terrain.. TRACK & ATV gain M+1; this is an on-road bonus; an M3 heavy tank could move 4km if it stayed
on a road all turn. ROADWHEEL & TRUCKWHEEL gain M+2 for being on-road. GEVs treat road and
water as easy and gain M+2. VTOLs at HIGH altitude double their speed; a FVTOL with M10 could travel
20km in a turn! VTOLs at high altitude are not able to make ground attacks.
ROUNDING UP. Units will often want to limit their movement to half or less of their movement
value. For the purpose of determining overwatch eligibility, treat half as the next whole number; round
fractions up to the nearest whole number. Half of M1 is 0.5, round up to M1. Half of M3 is 1.5, round up to
M2. Unless otherwise stated, any unit with M1 or higher, can always move a minimum of 1km per turn.
MULTIPLE TERRAIN. When a unit moves though more than one type of terrain in a turn, the
most hindering type takes precedence. It doesnt matter if the obstructive terrain is linear, a portion of a
kilometre, or covers the entire distance; the unit moves at the slowest pace for the most difficult terrain.

TERRAIN TYPE AND EFFECTS

Terrain effects on each mobility subclass are described as:
EASY
NORMAL
POOR
DIFFICULT
DANGEOUS
PROHIBITED.
Most terrain types fall into the following categories.
ROAD, CLEAR, ROUGH, WOODS, STREAMS, VERY ROUGH, FOREST, SWAMP, RIVER, WATER,
URBAN, FARMLAND.
No complicated measuring or messy calculations required. Terrain effects generally reduce movement to one
or two kilometres regardless of what variety of terrain inhibits movement.
TNK
EASY = Road
NORMAL = Clear
POOR = Rough
DIFFICULT = Very Rough, Woods, Streams
DANGEROUS = Forest, Swamp
PROHIBITED = Water
(Unless Amphibious, Wade, Deep Wade)
SHVYTNK & HTNK
EASY = Road
NORMAL = Clear
POOR = Rough, Woods, Streams
DIFFICULT = Very Rough
DANGEROUS = Forest, Swamp
PROHIBITED = Water

(Unless Amphibious, Wade, Deep Wade)

GEV
EASY = Road, Water
NORMAL = Clear, Open/Lightly wooded Swamp
POOR = Moderately wooded Swamp
DIFFICULT = Rough, Streams, Densely wooded Swamp
DANGEROUS = Woods, Very Rough
PROHIBITED = Forest
GRAV
EASY = Road, Clear, Streams, Water (move over water)
NORMAL = Rough, Open/Lightly wooded Swamp
POOR = Very Rough, Moderately wooded Swamp
DIFFICULT = Densely Wooded Swamp
DANGEROUS = Woods, Water
PROHIBITED = Forest, Water (cannot end turn in water)
ROAD
EASY = Road
NORMAL
POOR = Clear
DIFFICULT = Urban
DANGEROUS = Farmland, Streams (if very shallow ford)
PROHIBITED = Water (unless Amphibious), Streams, Swamp, Woods, Forest, Rough, Very Rough
ATV and SIZE 1 TRACKED
EASY = Roads
NORMAL = Clear
POOR = Urban, Farmland
DIFFICULT = Rough, Streams
DANGEROUS = Very Rough, Swamp
PROHIBITED = Woods, Forest, Water (unless Amphibious)

TERRAIN DESCRIPTIONS
ROAD. Solid roads and highways; includes firm unsealed roads in good condition.
CLEAR. Good firm ground with few obstacles and not too uneven. Includes grasslands, plains, flat
desert. Also called Open terrain. Might have some light scrub, the occasional tree or rock, can be dotted with
a few bushes. If a civilian car could cross it most of the time then terrain is Clear/Open. Some steppe and
tundra regions would be classified as Open, more uneven areas as Rough.
CLEAR PATHS. A track or secondary unpaved road which goes through other rougher terrain,
while not providing an on-road bonus, would be considered Open terrain for vehicles as long as they stay on
that track.
ROUGH. Rough is a general category for any terrain that needs at least a 4-wheel drive to cross it.
Rougher grassland, rocks, gullies, thick scrub and broken ground that makes it more difficult for vehicles.
This broad type of terrain coves most surface conditions and/or moderate vegetation that inhibits movement
more than clear terrain but doesnt hinder as much as woodland. Meadows with a moderate amount of
obstacles. Uneven ground. Sandy ground such as beaches. Urban and cultivated are treated as rough; only
wheeled vehicles treat these differently.
WOODS. Woodland with well spaced trees and reasonably clear undergrowth. Sparse forest.
Difficult for medium tracked vehicles to move through, although heavy tanks can smash their way through
with more ease.
STREAMS. Narrow waterways that are not wide enough to be navigable by watercraft. Streams and
small rivers are usually an obstacle, not due to water depth, but due to steep banks.
VERY ROUGH. Very broken ground and/or steep slopes. May include impassable ravines. Includes
all the same sort of terrain as rough but even more obstructed. Moderate slopes, rocky fields and hilly terrain
would be rough; steeper slopes, boulder fields, and close to mountains would be very rough.

FOREST. Very thick vegetation. Dense forest. Including jungle with a lot of undergrowth. Trees are
closely packed together and gaps are mostly narrower than vehicles. Very bad for going for vehicles.
Particularly heavy forest should be classed as fully prohibited terrain.
SWAMP. Soft, marshy area. Ground is wet or boggy. Almost impassable to vehicles. Tanks easily
get stuck in swamp. If the swamp has vegetation it will provide cover protection; the more dense the
vegetation the harder it is for GEVs to traverse. Thick snow, while not swamp, effects same; soft sand; salt
pans with breakable crusts.
RIVER. Wide watercourse, too deep to be crossed by most vehicles, unless amphibious or waders.
FORD. To be fordable relies on being shallow enough depth; gentle riverbanks; firm river floor.
Fords vary in Depth. Very Shallow fords; cross as if Stream. Shallow ford requires Wade ability. Deep ford
requires Deep Wade. Fords are either safe or hazardous. Amphibious/Swimmers can cross immediately. Safe
can be crossed after one turn of preparation, assuming can handle that depth. Hazardous require two full turns
of preparation; unit destroyed on roll of 1 on d6. Deep Wading Superheavies attempting to move underwater,
along a river/sea bed, rather than just crossing a ford/getting to the beach, treat the river floor as swamp;
unless the river floor is declared to be prohibited.
WATER. Open water terrain. Wide rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal waters in calm sea-state.
Ability to cross rivers is determined by how a vehicle handles water.
URBAN. Built-up zones, urban areas, small settlements and villages.
FARMLAND. Cultivated land, fields divided by hedges, ditches and walls. Very open woods,
orchards, paddyfields (treat as swamp if flooded) and plantations.

Cover
COVER SAVE
A vehicle that does not move in a turn can receive a cover saving roll. SIZE of the vehicle
determines what dice to use for its cover save. Remember, only a unit that skipped its movement, is eligible to
roll a cover save. If the cover roll is equal to or higher than the save number, the attack has no effect. This is
not a contested roll. One save is rolled for every incoming attack, but it is not compared with the attackers
rolls; cover is not a contested roll. Each cover save is either sucessful or not depending on whether it is 4+ or
6+ as needed. Any cover save that fails means that attack hits.
SOFT cover 6+ save.
HARD cover 4+ save.
COVER DICE
Size 1
Size 2
Size 3
Size 4
Size 5+

d12
d10
d8
d6
d4

Size 5 or larger monsters do not gain any benefit from soft cover, as d4 does not allow rolling a 6.
These behemoths are so large, and broadcasting so much heat, electronic and audible noise, that they are
almost impossible to hide.
COVER DEFINITIONS
Soft cover is anything that provides some concealment. It is as much to do with confusing sensors
with ground clutter as it is to do with physical protection from projectiles. Light and heavy woods are soft
cover. Towns, buildings, and dense forest are hard cover. A hull down (only turret visible) unit behind a
ridgeline or other solid barrier (including earth) is in hard cover. River/stream banks allow hull-down
positioning.
Players should be quite free with allowing targets to get soft cover saves. Dont get into technical
discussions about whether there is enough overhead cover or concealment. Players do not need to carefully
position miniatures or need laser pointers to place a tank in just the right place. Some forms of cover such as a
wall or ridge would seem to only protect from a particular direction; it doesnt matter! If there is any decision
about whether a tank might be concealed, partially behind an object, shielded from observation, or in any way
harder to spot or hit, then the answer is yes: its gets a soft cover save.
DECOYS
A unit that is not normally eligible for a cover save, can gain a cover save by using decoys. This is
only versus a NLOS attack, when the opponent firing unit does not have a direct line of sight to the target. It
is irrelevant how many enemy units have LOS to the target; if the firing unit is using indirect fire, decoys can
be used. This is not a bonus roll. It replaces the normal cover dice. One type of decoy, smoke or jammer can
be used. Alternatively, both can be used simultaneously for multiscreen effect. Decoys allow a cover save
even if the unit moved.
SMOKE. Cheap Decoys allow a soft cover save
JAMMERS. Allow a hard cover save. Automatically low/out.
MULTISCREEN. Allows hard cover save INCREASED by one dice level. Both smoke and jammer
decoys are automatically low/out. Attempts maximum spectrum smoke/jam screen cloaking of target.
Smoke Decoys are affected by low/out ammo use rules. Jammers are automatically low/out as if
the low/out roll always fails. When both are used for maximum obscuration, smoke decoys are also
automatically low/out. The effects of decoys lasts for the remainder of that game turn, same as other
ammunition rules.

AMMO LIMITS
LOW/OUT ROLLS OF 1
Most weapons are considered to have a reasonable supply of ammunition and reloads. Weapons with
a very high rate of fire, ROF, throw out so much metal that they are quickly depleted. Alternatively, some
systems are simply not stocked in large numbers to start with. In certain situations, listed below, weapons that
fire will suffer a LOW or OUT result.
When the circumstances apply, a low/out result occurs when the To-Hit roll is exactly 1. The first
time this happens that weapon receives a LOW AMMO marker. The unit may continue to fire normally for
the remainder of that player turn. The next time that weapon rolls a To-Hit result of 1 the weapon receives
an OUT marker; it continues any remaining shots for the rest of the turn, but next turn it is out of use for the
rest of the game.
HIGH AMMO USE SITUATIONS
FKD firing at VTOLs.
FKD in CLOSE COMBAT.
ZFKD (ZAD) firing in GROUND mode.
VWBD (HIVE) whenever it fires, any mode.
ATGM (WBD) Gun-Launched, whenever firedGLM
DAMAGED weapon systems, whenever fired.
In most situations, players do not have to keep track of ammunition. Cannon and ATGMs only risk
running out of ammo when firing at aircraft, or during close combat. This represents higher rate of fire than
usual. ZAD is usually poor in ground mode; it suffers low/out results against ground targets, using F value
rather than Z, regardless of the range. Long range Air Defence HIVE missiles are usually quite large, with a
limited number of reloads.
Top Attack ATGMs are automatically LOW ammo after the first turn of use; automatically OUT
after the second turn of use. This means that ATGMTop Attack only ever get two turns of firing.
Multiple Weapon Mounts. If a vehicle has several weapons, the low/out ammo result only applies
to the particular weapon that was being fired. Units in close combat with a choice of weapons can choose
which to use to avoid the risk of running out of ammo.
Close Combat Weapons. Close combat weapons are normally assumed to have ammunition and do
not suffer from ammunition limits. A unit might choose to use these in preference to ammo using weapons.
Damaged Close Combat weapons are an exception and do suffer low/out effects.
GL Note: This assumes that the tank has a full load of cannon rounds for the main gun; and only a
handful of missiles. An alternate load is to have a large supply of gun-launch missiles, by reducing the ammo
supply of the gun; there is only so much storage space. If the larger missile payload is chosen, then disregard
ATGM as high ammo use; instead the KLR suffers the ammo limits; KLR is low/our whenever fired; not
ATGM(Gun-Launched). Choice of load cannon/missile is built into the design, listed on vehicle data sheet,
prior to starting game. Denote extra missiles as GLM.
Damaged weapon systems. If a unit, or weapon system, is damaged, treat as if it is a high ammo
situation whenever the weapon fires. In addition, units damaged due to environment/maintenance start with
LOW ammo.
CLOSE COMBAT AMMO ROLLS
As weapons automatically hit during overruns, no To-Hit rolls are made. So a separate roll must be
made to determine ammunition useage effects.
At the end of close combat, surviving vehicles make one single roll with d6 for each weapon type
fired; irrespective of firecontrol (F) (G) or (R) value. An unmodified roll of exactly 1 means that it suffers a
low/out ammo result.
Close Combat weapons do not roll, unless damaged.

PROTECTION
INTERNAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS
A damaged vehicle makes a protection roll using its P value. Small vehicles S1 are automatically
destroyed by a damage result; they never make a protection roll. Roll d6 to determine if the unit survives.
This is not a contested roll; no modifiers.
P
P1
P2
P3
P4
P5
P6

Survival d6
Destroyed
6+
5+
4+
3+
2+

EQUAL TO OR HIGHER: No Effect.

LOWER: Destroyed; SHVYTNK Damaged.
Players can refer to this table, but a memory aid is that 8 minus P equals d6 survival number.
SUPERHEAVY DAMAGE
Superheavy Tanks, Size 4 or 5, which fail a protection roll are treated differently. Instead of being
destroyed, SUPERHEAVY TANKS are damaged, and receive a DAMAGE marker. GRAV Superheavies are
included in this special damage category. Every damage result inflicts one point of damage to the superheavy
as listed. Start at the first point, then deal successive damage points in order as shown.
a) Firecontrol. All ranges treated as if one further away. No long range at all.
b) Mobility. Maximum M2.
c) Defensive Suite. Maximum E1.
d) Mobility. Maximum M1.
e) Weapon Wrecked. Attackers choice.
f) Protection reduced to P1.
When Firecontrol is damaged, weapons with F value, treat Short range as Medium; Medium as
Long; Long range impossible. To-Hit number becomes harder, and penetration at medium range is reduced to
the long range value. Close combat weapons reduced by one dice level to d4, rather than d6.
Mobility results are taken one after the other. If the unit was already at M2 or M1, there is no further
effect; that damage point is still soaked up; next damage result moves one more point down the list.
Defensive Suite damage reduces point defence to E1. No further effect if already E1. Any air
defence, Z or V, is also destroyed; it loses all intercept and last ditch capability except for a single d4 roll.
Wrecked weapon. The firer chooses a combat system. If FKD is chosen, one FKD is destroyed;
this also wrecks any gun-launch ability linked to that kinetic weapon. If a missile system is chosen, every
single weapon of that class is destroyed; every WBD, for example, would be wrecked if WBD chosen.
Protection is reduced to P1. The unit will be destroyed by the next damage result, as the superheavy
will automatically fail the roll.
Damage can be recorded with marker, or by simply using a d6. Superheavies can be very resilient. It
is usually easier to destroy them with a single high penetration hit, than attempt to slowly batter them down.
The damage point sequence is rigidly fixed as listed, so very little record keeping is required; which weapon
is wrecked is usually an obvious choice and easy to remember.

CLOSE COMBAT [DRAFT]

Initiating Close Combat. At range of 0.5km or less. Attacker, moving player, stops when moves
into close combat range. Must move by straight line direct route to move into close combat. Must stay in
same facing of the defender as it was when starting movement; only exception is where terrain absolutely
prevents such movement.
Close Combat Rounds. Divided into Close Combat Rounds. Round one, defender (non-mover),
fires first. Any surviving attackers, fire second. No To-Hit rolls, all close combat attacks automatically hit.
Normal facing rules, for armour purposes, apply in round one.
Defender eligible for cover saves round one; attacker does not get cover saves (cant anyway, as
they moved).
Vehicle size determines number of shots. Close Combat attribute (C) determines the maximum
number of targets. Most units have C1; only vehicles specifically enhanced for close combat have C2, C3,
C4 or C5. This differs from normal procedure where size determines shots and targets. So, a size 2 tank with
C1, could fire two shots at the same target. A Size 2 tank with C2, could fire twice at the same target; or
alternatively, once at two different target.
Weapons: units can use any weapon class that is eligible to fire. However, instead of using the main
weapon such as FKD, the unit can substitute a Close Combat weapon instead; uses d6; superheavies with
damaged firecontrol use d4. The advantage is that CC weapons do not suffer from ammunition limits. Some
units, such as a missile launcher soley armed with GBN, has no choice, and has to use CC weapons.
Extended close combat. Round two onwards. If opposing units survive the first round, extended
close combat occurs. All facing is considered to be SIDE for armour purposes for this and any further rounds.
No cover saves.
Winning close combat. Combat rounds continue until units of only one side survive. If two
complete consecutive rounds occur, without either side destroying (or damaging a superheavy) anything, then
the attackers retreats; move attacking units away, so they they are over 0.5km from any defending unit; try to
retreat them in direction they came from, or is logical; intent is that retreat path does not give attacking units
an unfair advantage. CHECK THIS - PERHAPS THIS CONDITION IS NOT NECESSARY. OR CHANGE
TO JUST LOCKING THE UNITS.
Movement after Close Combat. If the close assault only lasted for one round, then the attacking
units may continue their movement. If the close combat went into round two, or beyond, then there is no
further movement; all stop. Except VTOLs, which can continue with up to half their Move value. Multiple
CCs can cascade together, but all up a single unit can never move more than its full movement value with all
bonus movement combined. The intent is that a very large tank could plough through a multitude of small
units without even noticing them, or a VTOL could blast a path through multiple dispersed light units.
HMMM
FOCAL POINT: Draft. The first defending unit with which cc is initiated is the focal point of that
CC. All CC within 0.5km of that defending unit is considered to be part of that same CC. In effect this
creates a 1km diameter circle of CC. This rule avoids complications of which units are in CC with what and
allows the attacker to move multiple units into the same CC.

SHORT RULES [DRAFT]

Include
FKD, WBD and ZAD.
Leave out
HIVE and VTOLs. CC or massive simplification.
Extreme Climate. Superheavies and damage. Command. All vehicles size 2 or 3.
Simplify
RFACs to range 1km only. Simplify Movement rules, Track only. Maybe fast track and ATV.

EXTREME CLIMATE
Vehicles need to be adapted to cope with extreme weather. Extreme heat, Desert modification, enables coping with very hot,
dry, dusty desert conditions. Extreme Cold modification adapts the vehicle for freezing temperatures well below zero, minus 20 celsius
or worse; colder than just a bit of snow; arctic conditions. Vehicles cannot be fitted out for hot and cold simultaneously. The vehicle
needs to have the capacity for such adapations, but it will only be equipped one way or the other at a particular time. The data sheet for
the vehicle states whether the capacity to equip the tank for an extreme climate type exists. Scenarios can be created with extreme
climates, where some vehicles are crippled.
The same game effects can also be used, irrespective of weather, to simulate the effects of poor maintenance and readiness.
If, for example, the crews are disassembling and selling parts; or drinking alcohol contained in components; apply the same detrimental
effects to the vehicles. Also, if a vehicle has paid for either extreme, Desert/Cold in the design process, it is automatically considered to
be adaptable to a third extrene climate Tropical (Humid/Wet ); free of charge.

UNSUITED VEHICLES.
Special, scenario specific rules can be written for a particular mission. The standard rules, for vehicles that lack the
appropriate extreme weather ability are as follows:
a) All missiles start with LOW ammo. In addition, all weapons - all classes - firing at any time or mode, are LOW/ OUT of
ammo on rolls of 1. This represents both less available ammunition due to supply difficuly and/or the weapon doesnt function.
b) Unadapted vehicles with FKD have Firecontrol damage. All cannon ranges treated as if one further away; To-Hit rolls are
harder for FKD cannons; 4+ short; 8+ medium; long range is not possible at all. RFACs are limited to 1km range but still hit on 4+
between 0.5km and 1km. Missile To-Hit, range, and penetration is unaffected (but are automatically low on missile reloads).
c) Also ground units maximum mobility M2; VTOLs are grounded, not available at all.
In effect all vehicles start with the equivalent of two damage points similar to superheavies. SHVY tanks actually do start with two
damage points. The next damage point on a superheavy is applied to the defensive suite; going straight to the third damage point. ALL
weapons suffer an ammunition LOW/OUT result, regardless of weapon type, mode, or type of attack, on a roll of 1. This is in addition
to missiles already starting as LOW.

WHOS RESPONSIBLE?
How can it happen? Why would tanks
designed for a temperate environment
be sent somewhere so cold that the
engine freezes up? Or so hot that the
crew pass out from heat exhaustion in
less than an hour? This section is for
interest and to help design scenarios,
but it is not a set of rules. In most
cases the local commanders and crew
are not stupid; they are perfectly aware
of the limitations of their equipment.
Mostly. The problem is usually caused
by decisions made by people who are
nowhere near the battlefield. The
following is a list of various factors
leading to unpreparedness. These
factors are historical, and have all
occurred in various combinations.
Unexpected Weather
The only explanation that might be
even slightly excusable. High command
knew that winter was coming, but
temperatures dropped sooner than
expected and it is much colder than
usual. Or the summer heat is more
ferocious than usual, duststorms more
frequent, water supplies that that are
normally permanent have dried up.
Unrealistic Assumptions
Pride. Arrogance. Itll all be over by
Christmas, or attitudes of superiority
to supposedly inferior enemies,
Theyre beaten. Why havent they
surrendered ? Other times equipment
just fails due to different environmental
conditions to that encountered during
testing. Military equipment is so
expensive that adequate testing is rarely
done, particularly testing to destruction.

Hasty Deployment
Sent into battle sooner than expected,
prematurely, or to a battlezone that was
never envisaged.
Delayed Conversion
Parts didnt arrive yet. An embargo or
blockade prevented the conversion.
Supplies were interdicted. Or sheer
logistical difficulty. Dont worry, well
modify em once your over there.
Poor Leadership
Perhaps simply hapless and
incompetent leaders, whether political
or military. More commonly, poor
leadership is intimately linked with
corruption. Mix in a few layers of
bureaucracy to increase inertia.
Prestige
The army is just for show. Excellent for
intimidating local civilians, and looking
menacing in parades; but never actually
used to fight someone who fights back.
It seems irresistable for some countries
to keep buying more shiny new
hardware, rather than putting the
required effort into the training and
maintenance budget.
Low Budget
The cheaper gear might be all that
could be afforded. Or the cheap version
is all thats available. It is common for
exporting countries to deliberately only
sell less capable vehicles, so their own
technological lead is kept. Sometimes
cost is the only consideration and the
buyer will take any old cast offs as
better than nothing. Remember, T-34

tanks are still in use, over fifty years

after World War II finished!
Politics
This covers practically anything. The
only consistent point is that for all the
factors that are involved in the decision
making process, the actually welfare of
the troops, and efficiency of the fighting
force, is way down the list of priorities.
An isolationist faction, for example,
might deliberately veto the funds that
would have enabled upgrades
to desert conditions, for political gain at
home; later the tanks got sent overseas
anyway without the right equipment.
Another example, might be where a
country chose not equip its vehicles for
cold weather, to reassure a neighbour
that it wont ever launch a winter
offensive.
Cultural
Catch-all phrase for humans in general.
People and belief systems are not
logical. It might be, for example, that
men in a particular culture consider
cleaning to be unmanly; this attitude
could extend to chores such as cleaning
the dust filters on vehicles; for want of
a little maintenance a brigade of tanks
might be reduced to expensive junk!
Disclaimer: just an extreme example;
this no way reflects the writers views!
But yes, this is a real life example.
Whereas most of the reasons for illequipped vehicles are to do with
external factors, cultural reasons mainly
lie with the individuals on the spot.

KINETIC WEAPONS (FKD)

RFAC: Rapid-Fire Autocannon
RFACs have normal penetration values at ranges of 1km or less.
K
D
Name
Long Range
Description
K1
D2L
20mm RFAC
2kmL
Rapid-Fire Auto Cannon 20-23mm
K1
D3L
25mm RFAC
3kmL
Rapid-Fire Auto Cannon
K2
D2L
30mm RFAC
2kmL
Rapid-Fire Auto Cannon
K2
D3L
35mm RFAC
3kmL
Rapid-Fire Autocannon up to 50mm
Simplification: RFACs have a range of 1km, same penetration value and 4+ To-Hit up to 1km.
RFACs are small calibre rapid firing cannon weapons with penetration values of K1 or K2 at range
up to 1km; including close combat. RFAC To-Hit roll is 4+ at any distance from 0.5km up to the maximum
long range. Damaged units, such as Superheavies with damage, or environmentally unsuited units, have
maximum RFAC range of 1km, but the To-Hit remains 4+.
RFAC penetration is reduced at any distance over 1km. At ranges over 1km RFAC pentration is
reduced to exactly 1. This does not mean rolling a d4; it means the penetration dice roll is as if a 1 is
always rolled if the target is over 1km distant. This is denoted by an L, such as D2L or 2km L.
This means that RFACs are excellent, and cheap, close combat weapons. RFACs also make effective
air defence weapons, as the low penetration value is still good versus missiles.

TANK GUNS: Cannon

Cannons all have Short Range 1km, Medium Range 2km.
K
D
Name
Long Range
Description
K3
D3L
LV Cannon
3kmL
Low Velocity Cannon; 55-60mm
K3
D3
76mm HVC
3km
Light; 70-88mm High Velocity Cannon
K4
D3
90mm HVC
3km
Medium; 90mm High Velocity Cannon
K4
D4
105mm HVC
4km
Medium; 105mm High Velocity Cannon
K5
D3
120mm HVC
3km
Heavy; 120-130mm High Velocity Cannon
K5
D4
120mm KLR
4km
Heavy; 120-130mm Kinetic Long Rod Cannon
K6
D3
150mm HVC
3km
Superheavy; 150-160mm High Velocity
K6
D4
150mm KLR
4km
Superheavy; 150-160mm Kinetic Long Rod
K6
D5
150mm Hyperkinetic
5km
Superheavy; 150mm Hyperkinetic Cannon
K7
D4
200mm HVC
4km
Mega High Velocity Cannon
K7
D5
200mm KLR
5km
Mega Kinetic Long Rod Cannon
K7
D6
200mm Hyperkinetic
6km
Mega Hyperkinetic Cannon
All cannon have SHORT range of 1km and MEDIUM range of 2km. Maximum LONG range is determined
by the (D) Direct-range attribute. To-Hit at short range is 2+; Medium range 4+; Long range 8+.
Low Velocity (LV) Cannon, K3 D3L, has a penetration value of K3 at a range 1km or less. If firing
over 1km, it has a penetration result of exactly 1, similar to RFACs. Typical weapon 57mm cannon.
HVC: High Velocity Cannon. HVCs penetration at close combat range (less than 0.5km) is
enhanced; during close combat HVCs penetration is always the highest possible result. Do not roll the dice,
the result is assumed to be the maximum possible. HVC with K5, for example, achieves an automatic roll of
12; instead of rolling d12 in close combat. Long range penetration value is K-1d.
KLR are high velocity cannon with improved Kinetic Long Rod ammunition. KLR penetration in
close combat (less than 0.5km) always achieves the highest possible result. Do not roll the dice for
penetration during close combat. KLR with K6, for example, achieves an automatic roll of 16; instead of
rolling d16. At short and medium range (up to 2km) KLRs are allowed to RE-ROLL a penetration result.
Player may look at the result and choose to try again. However, once the re-roll is done, they must stick with
the new result, even if it is worse. Long range penetration is K-1d; no re-roll allowed.
Hyperkinetic weapons are the ultimate development of kinetic long rod cannon that fire at hypervelocity. Penetration is the highest possible result at close range (less than 0.5km), same as KLR weapons. At
short and medium range (up to 2km) Hyperkinetic cannon are allowed to RE-ROLL a penetration result.
Player may look at the result and choose to try again. However, once the re-roll is done, they must stick with
the new result, even if it is worse. Hyperkinetic weapons, however, do not suffer a reduction in long range
penetration; nor can they re-roll at long range.

WEAPON CAPABILITIES SUMMARY

Type
FKD
WBD
ZAD
HIVE
GBN
RBD

Overwatch
Eligibility
Yes, M
Yes, M, -1dice
Yes, M
Yes, M, -1dice
Never
Never

Ground
Mode
F, S/M/L; Rfac4+
W, ToHit2+
F*, S/M/L; Rfac4+
W*, D,ToHit4+
G, ToHit4+
R, Always Hits

Missile Interception:
vs GBN vs ATGM
Never
Never
Never
Never
Yes, Z
Yes, Z
Yes, V* Yes, W*, D
Never
Never
Never
Never

VTOL
Low
F*, 3km or DL,Hit8+
W*, 3km or D,ToHit4+
Z, 2D
V*
G,ToHit8+
Treat as Ground

VTOL
High
Never
Never
Never
V*,2D
Never
Never

Minimum
Range
Close*
0.5kmCC lastshot
Close*
1km
0.5km
0.5km

Explanations
M: Eligible for Overwatch reaction-fire marker if moved half (M) value or less, rounding fractional
amounts moved down to lower whole number. An M3 unit that moves 2km is not eligible for overwatch. An
M3 units that moves 1.9km, is treated as if it has moved 1km (1.9km rounded down), so can do overwatch.
Minus 1 dice: -1dice. Reduce the To-Hit dice by one level. Missiles not well suited to reaction-attacks.
Never: This weapon type can never do overwatch; never fire at this target type.
F, W, Z, V, G, R: Attribute used for the To-Hit roll in this situation.
*: An asterisk means this weapon suffers low/out ammunition limits in this situation.
S/M/L: Short/Medium/Long range determines the required To-Hit roll for cannon FKD weapons. In most
cases To-Hit is Short 2+; Medium 4+; Long 8+.
Rfac4+: RFAC are FKDs with K1 or K2; To-Hit is 4+ to long range.
3km or DLor D: Maximum range non-ZAD FKDs & non-HIVE WBDs can fire at low VTOLs is 3km, DL , or
D (whichever is the lesser range).
D: Range is limited to maximum of half range (round fractions up; D3 halves to 1.5, round up to 2km).
2D: HIVE range is doubled to twice long range. RFACD: long range.
Close: No minimum range. FKD and ZFKD (ZAD) can be used in close combat without restriction.
0.5km Minimum Range: Cannot be used in Close Combat at all.
CC Last-Shot: ATGMs can fire once only at start of overruns, then cannot fire due to minimum 0.5km range.
This represents one last shot as units move into close range with each other.
ZAD: ZFKD attributes; distinct from FKD cannon and rapid-fire autocannon.
HIVE: VWBD attributes; distinct from WBD ATGMs.
VTOL high: VTOLs cannot make attacks if they are at High altitude, but can be attacked by HIVE.

ARMOUR VALUES
Vehicles have a base armour value (A). Actual armour varies on Front, Side, and Rear/Top. These
are the only armour distributions available on military units, except some are even thinner on top/rear.
A
A1
A1b
A2
A2b
A3
A3f
A4
A4f
A4b
A5
A5b
A6

Front
A1
A1(A2)
A3
A3(A4)
A4
A5
A5
A7
A7(A8)
A6(A8)
A7(A8)
A7(A8)

Side
A1
A0(A1)
A1
A1
A2
A1(A2)
A3
A2
A1(A2)
A3
A2(A3)
A4

Top/Rear
A0
A0(A1)
A1
A0(A1)
A1
A1
A1
A1
A1(A2)
A2
A2(A3)
A2(A3)

Composite armour (b)

Armour values which are particularly effective against blast warheads are noted with a b and have
a second value in brackets; such as A1(A2). This higher value is used against blast weapons such as GBN and
WBD, with blast (B) penetration type. This represents advanced armour such as composites, explosive
reactive armour, spaced armour, and other techniques which reduce the effect of non-kinetic weapons.
Front Optimised Armour
Some tanks are designed to maximise frontal armour even more than usual, such as A3f and A4f.
Cost and weight of the armour is the same, just distributed differently.
Immune to Blast A8
(A8) is immune to Blast attacks. Weapons such as ATGMs simply have no effect on the toughest
tank frontal armour; automatically no effect, no penetration contest.
Thin Armour A0
Armour value listed as A0 is not treated as zero; it provides a marginal armour effect. A0 (zero) is
treated as a roll result of 1; A0 is very thin armour offering some resistance to low calibre bullets and
shrapnel. Thin armour will always lose the penetration roll; even if the attacker rolls a 1, this still beats the
armour as the attacker wins ties. However, whether the target gets a protection roll for survival, is determined
by whether the penetration roll is four or more higher.
Soft/Unarmoured Vehicles
Even lower than A0 is SOFT-skinned; soft targets are completely unarmoured and are penetrated by
any attack catastrophically. Unarmoured vehicles do not have an (A) attribute; listed as SOFT instead. This
will usually only apply to civilian vehicles included in special scenario rules.
VTOL Armour
VTOLs have evenly spread armour, either A1 or A2. A helicopter with A1, has an armour value of
A1, d4, on all sides. A VTOL with A2, has armour A2, d6, in all directions.
Thin Top/Rear Disadvantage
Some vehicles have particularly weak Top/Rear amour. This is denoted with a t next to the base
armour rating, and provides a cost saving. The Top/Rear armour value is reduced one level. A1 becomes A0.
A0 becomes SOFT, either unarmoured or open-topped (crew in separate compartments or wearing protective
suits and filtered air supply!). The unit must have a base armour value of A1b or higher during the design
process. Base armour A1bt, for example, has A1(A2)/A0(A1)/SOFT(A0). Base armour A2t is A3/A1/A0.