Rules Discussion

[Dave Baughman]

All Clan players please read this:

It has been pointed out to the GM team that some Clans do not have National Capitals. Every faction, including Clans should have one National Capital for game mechanical purposes. Please see the special case ruling on this subject that we made recently in response to a player question:

If, at this point in the game, a Clan faction does not have a national capital it must obtain one for game purposes. If the Clan had at least one Regional Capital in the Inner Sphere at the begining of turn 44, that area may be designated as a National Capital free of charge. If the Clan did not have any RCW in the Inner Sphere at the start of turn 44, then they must designate a world in the Homeworlds upon which they control all zones as their National Capital. If the faction has neither an RCW in the Inner Sphere, nor an exclusive world in the Homeworlds, they need to contact the GM team so a case-specific solution can be administered.

Any faction that does not begin turn 45 with a National Capital, either by having one already or by acquiring one for free via this special one-time ruling, will have to buy one at the normal cost described in the rules.

[tassa_kay]

Unless a Clan has specifically changed its capital in the FGC (and I know quite a few have), it might be easy to default to a tiered system to determine capitals, for the sake of convenience.

1.) Whatever world in the FGC has been upgraded to Capital status (I'm sure the Dominion, for instance, has done this.).

2.) Canonically-listed capitals, even if they aren't necessarily exclusive (Ironhold for the Falcons, New Kent for the Vipers, etc.).  Warriors of Kerensky has each Clan's capital world listed under the blurb for each Clan.

3.) Barring either of these two being the case, using that Clan's enclave on Strana Mechty has also been the case for a few Clans in canon (Sharks and Wolves come to mind instantly here).

I hope that's helpful to someone.

[Marlin]

Question regarding this:

Would this Capital in the HW also be receiving an FP bonus like in the IS? 2 RP I think it is.

[Dave Baughman]

Question regarding this:

Would this Capital in the HW also be receiving an FP bonus like in the IS? 2 RP I think it is.

We're going to have to review this and get back to you, as currently the planets themselves aren't granting revenue, just the HWZs. However, I see what you are getting at and we'll look at possibly adjusting the rules.

[Dave Baughman]

Yay, writer's block overcome. Please review and comment. This is very rough draft material, so everything is tenative and subject to change.


Chemical Weapons

Chemical Weapons tokens (#) are produced at PFs or Capital Worlds and may be attached to any "line item" unit on the orders sheet, including Special Operations Teams. CW tokens are spent during the Special Scenarios phase. Unattached CW tokens may be stockpiled or moved using the same rules previously presented for nuclear tokens.

CW uses:

When used by ground forces or aerospace units...
# may be spent to launch a CW attack, which inflicts 1d6 FP of damage. On a "1," it instead inflicts 1d6 FP on friendly forces. Scatter orders may be used to defend against CW attacks.
# may be spent to force a single hex improvement to go offline for 1d6 turns.
# may be used to deliberately attack the biosphere of a planet. Roll 2d6, on a "12" the planet is downgraded on level of development.

When used by marines...
# may be spent (by marines) to gain a +1 on simple resolution during boarding actions or combat on space stations.
# may also be spent to attack hex improvements as described above, if the hex improvement is on a space station or is a yardship.

when used by special forces...
# may be spent to add a +1 bonus to the following operations: attack special forces team, sabotage hex element, assassination
# may be spent to add a +2 bonus to the following operations: terrorism

Each token costs 5 RP to construct.

No faction begins with CW stockpiles; the Clans destroyed their stockpiles long ago, and the IS's stockpiles have been buried on "graveyard worlds" in the outer periphery. Recovering these ancient and partially decayed weapons is not cost-effective.

non-token CW activities: CW tokens represent the large-scale use of lethal chemical agents. CW tokens are not required for routine non-lethal chemical warfare such as using smoke or tear gas munitions in MegaMek.


Biological Weapons

Bioweapons have a wide variety of properties that are unlocked through R&D. Each faction must track the "recipes" they know and assign as specific recipe to every ß biological warfare token they own.

The properties of BW agents are described with three statistics: duration, spread, and strength.

• Duration is the maximum number of turns an agent will remain active once released. This can be a value from 1/6 (one operational round) to 6 (6 full rounds) or it may be X (stays active until cured).
• Spread is the bonus the agent receives each turn when determining if it spreads to adjacent hexes. This value can range from -3 to +3. The difficulty to spread to a directly adjacent hex is 8, or 10 to spread to a hex that is two hexes away. In addition to the BW agent's bonus, there is a +1 bonus to spread to a hex with an RCW, +2 to spread to a hex with a NCW, and +3 to spread to a hex with HWZs in it. There is a -1 penalty to spread to hexes with only member worlds. Spread can be counteracted with the Quarantine project (described below).
• Strength is the bonus the agent receives each turn on its damaging effects. This can be a value from -3 to +3.

BW Effects
Each turn, each hex that has obtained a BW watermark must roll to determine what impact the BW agent has:

1d6
1-2: All military units in the hex (except blockading naval units that have not been exposed) roll on the interdiction table(minus positive strength bonuses, or plus negative strength penalties) and suffer damage equal to the percentage indicated. The BW agent also attacks any special forces teams in the hex per the Attack Special Forces Team operation, using its strength as a modifier on the roll.
3-4: All hex elements in the hex are forced offline for 1d6(+/- strength) turns as if they had been attacked with a CW agent. Additionally, the hex is terrorized for the next three turns (+/- the strength modifier)
5-6: Roll for biosphere destruction on a randomly-determined planet in the hex (+/- strength) as per the CW operation. The BW agent also attempts to assassinate any VIPs in the hex, applying its strength modifier to the roll.

By default, a BW agent only attacks once per turn, but certain advanced recipes may be allowed multiple attacks.

BW R&D Path

Tier 1: Basic Projects

Quarantine
Base Cost: N/A
Uses: 1 PF or special

The quarantine project adds a -3 penalty to spread rolls emanating from the target hex. If a blockade is present in the system, the PF requirement is waived.

If any unit (including special forces teams and other clandestine movers) that has been exposed to the infected biosphere leaves the hex, the project fails and the -3 penalty is lost.

Identify Agent
Base Cost: 1
Uses: 1 PF

Samples of a BW agent are taken from an infected hex your faction owns to a PF for analysis. On an 8+, the recipe for the agent is revealed. A natural 2 is a critical failure, resulting in the release of the agent in the PF's hex.

Develop Cure
Base Cost: 10 RP
Uses: 1 PF

This operation adds the "Cure" feature to an existing recipe, and makes the cure known to the faction undertaking the project (see the "Add Feature" advanced project for full details on Cure). The difficulty of this project may be increased if the BW agent has the "Mutation" feature.

2d6
2 (natural)     Critical failure - BW agent released in the hex where the project PF is located
3-8              Failure
9-10             Add Cure/2-4 to the BW agent
11-12           Add Cure/2-3 to the BW agent
13+              Add Cure/2 to the BW agent


Launch BW Program
Base Cost: 25 RP
Uses: 1 PF

Succeeds on a 12+. Success unlocks the Tier 2 BW projects. A natural 2 is a critical failure, resulting in the release of an X/0/0 agent in the PF's hex. When successful, the faction that ran the project gains one recipe, which is always X/0/0 with no rules or features.


Tier 2: Intermediate Projects

Manufacture BW Token
Base Cost: 25 RP
Uses: 1 PF

Always succeeds. This project creates one ß token keyed to a specific recipe. ß tokens are carried, stockpile, and moved using the same rules as CW # tokens.


Create New Recipe
Base Cost: 5 RP
Uses: 1 PF

Creates a new BW recipe. Difficulty is equal to...

Base: 8+
Duration other than X: +1
Spread other than 0: +1
Strength other than 0: +1
Each Rule: +1
Each Feature: +1

Critically fails on a natural 2, releasing the agent in the target hex. Recipes may only be attempted if the faction has unlocked the desire statistics, rules, and features.


Enhanced Duration
Base Cost: 5 RP
Uses: 1 PF

Succeeds on a 10+, each success unlocks the next tier on the Duration track (factions start with X)

X -> 6 -> 5 -> 4 -> 3 -> 2 -> 1 -> 3/6 -> 1/6

Critically fails on a natural 2, releasing one of the faction's recipes in the PF hex.


Enhanced Spread
Base Cost: 5 RP
Uses: 1 PF

Succeeds on a 10+, each success unlocks the next tier on the selected track (factions start with 0)

Bonus Track: 0 -> +1 -> +2 -> +3
Penalty Track: 0 -> -1 -> -2 -> -3


Enhanced Strength
Base Cost: 5 RP
Uses: 1 PF

Succeeds on a 10+, each success unlocks the next tier on the selected track (factions start with 0)

Bonus Track: 0 -> +1 -> +2 -> +3
Penalty Track: 0 -> -1 -> -2 -> -3


Tier 3: Advanced Projects
General Prerequisite: A faction cannot complete more Tier 3 projects than it has completed Tier 2 projects (excluding the 'manufacture BW token' project, which does not contribute to this limit).


Develop Rule
Base Cost: 10 RP
Uses: 1 PF

Succeeds on a 11+, each success unlocks a rule of choice. Some rules have prerequisites, noted in parenthesis. Critically fails on a natural 2, releasing a BW agent in the PF's hex.

Rules
Reroll first result of "1-2"
Reroll first result of "3-4"
Reroll first result of "5-6"
Reroll until a new result is obtained (prereq: any "Reroll first result")
Spread every other turn
Spread every three turns (prereq: "Spread every other turn")
Do not attack biosphere
Do not attack infrastructure
Do not attack VIPs (prereq: "do not attack biosphere")
Roll of "1" always indicates no effect


Develop Feature
Base Cost: 10 RP
Uses: 1 PF

Unlocks special features that may be added to recipes. Prerequisites are listed in parenthesis. Critically fails on a 2, releasing the agent in PF hex.

Cure/2-4: Developer has a 'silver bullet' cure that instantly removes the BW agent from any hex on a 5+ on 2d6
Cure/2-3 (prereq: Cure/2-4): As Cure/2-4, but succeeds on a 4+
Cure/2 (prereq: Cure/2-3): As Cure/2-4, but succeeds on a 3+
Mutation I: +1 penalty to Develop Cure projects
Mutation II (prereq: Mutation I): +2 penalty to Develop Cure projects
Mutation III (prereq: Mutation II): +3 penalty to Develop Cure projects
Long Incubation: Does not appear on map until two turns after it is deployed.
Delayed Symptoms (prereq: Long Incubation): As Long Incubation, except Spread rolls are made starting the turn the agent is deployed. When it appears, it appears in all hexes it has spread to.
Very Deadly: Receives a bonus to Assassinate and Attack Special Forces Team rolls as if it was a CW # token deployed by a special operations team.
Rapid Spread: Each infected hex rerolls its first failed spread check.
Horrific Symptoms: Regardless of roll, always terrorizes the affected hex as if a 3-4 was rolled. If a 3-4 is actually rolled, double the terror time.
Rapid Onset I: Attacks twice each turn
Rapid Onset II (prereq: Rapid Onset I): Attacks three times per turn
Rapid Onset III (prereq: Rapid Onset II): Attacks four times per turn

[Marlin]

Chemical Weapons seem (too) cheap. (5 RP for up to 6 damage)

BioWar however looks like a bookkeeping nightmare. Bleh. But it seems it takes an eternity to get advanced stuff.. gotta save my Nukes then for that time..

[DisGruntled]

What happened to working on the basics before adding new rules?

Granted working on communication or movement rules aren't as much fun as bio weapons.

[Fatebringer]

Wow, this is even more complex then the nuke rules. Looks like there will be billions more dead now.

[Daemonknight]

you say that like its a bad thing.

[NVA]

Complex, yes.  Bad.

Dead billions, well, I think that is an overestimate of the Grand Council clans warrior population.  Though, one could consider them already biological mutations. 

[Daemonknight]

I was thinking more along the lines of everything on the map with a certin brownish tinge to it. And that weird color that surrounds Terra, just for fun.

[Fatebringer]

Complex, yes.  Bad.

Dead billions, well, I think that is an overestimate of the Grand Council clans warrior population.  Though, one could consider them already biological mutations. 

And since when have Biological weapons every discrimated between warriors and civilians? There's a reason there's a spread chart

[Dave Baughman]

What happened to working on the basics before adding new rules?

Granted working on communication or movement rules aren't as much fun as bio weapons.

This all kind of came to me in a sudden flash of (evil?) inspiration, so I figured I had better commit it to paper before it left me ;-)

Comms, Movement, R&D, and the like are also being worked on. I'm hoping to do a major rules update over the 3-week december break.

[Marlin]

The Special forces rules could need a clarification: what happens to Teams in training when the PF number falls?

Can they train on or are they wasted money?

[Daemonknight]

Techniclly the unit is built in the first turn, and after that it's just training. I would think they can finish their training.