Actions

• Before you execute a single or group action you must declare the action and its designation.
• While one player is the active player the other player is the inactive player.

List of Actions for the Active Player

• move - move the model in a direct line to the designated point.
  • Before moving you can turn the model on the spot to face the direction of the movement.
  • You can move across a single terrain border.
  • A move action is stopped by fences, walls, hedges.
  • Crossing a fence, wall, hedge is a move action in itself.
  • group-access
• pivot - turn the model on the spot in any direction.
• direct fire - group-access
• indirect fire
• rally
• reload - remove a reload token
• prepare - a one-size-fits-all action, e.g. to tow an ATG, untow an ATG, to mount or unmount a vehicle

List of Actions for the Reactive Player

• reactive fire

Group Actions (for active player only)

Some units are eligible to combine their firepower or movement (indicated by group(x), where x is the amount of group actions for the unit). Applicable to actions with group-access.
Group actions are used to increase the chance of hitting enemy models, to move a unit to a certain spot at once or to engage in Close Combat with a unit.

• Only models from the same unit can execute a group action.
• All actions from a group action must be of the same action (all participating models must either move or shot).
• A group action can't be interrupted - reactive fire still can prevent or stop movement of single models.
• A group action is always initiated be a unit's leader.
  • Only those member of the unit can participate who have LoS to its unit leader (ref. to Line of Sight chapter).
  • For group actions all participating models maneuver as being lead (ref. to Maneuverability chapter).

Balancing the Counters

Assume player A starts the game.

• If both counters show the same number, player A can executed a single or group action (A is becoming the active player).
• If player B's counter is one less than player A's counter, player B can execute a single or group action (B is becoming the active player).
• If the difference of the counters is more than one, the player whose counter is lower can execute as many single actions
  • for player A: until A's counter is one more than B's
  • for player B: until both counters show the same number.
  • in both cases the other player can't interrupt the action sequence.
• Executing reactive fire counts towards balancing the counters.

  
  
  
  

Game Mechanics

TD is played in a "you go - I go"-style where players execute actions alternating. There's no rounds in the game. That means that in subsequent actions you can activate a model multiple time while other models haven't been activated at all.

A game ends when all actions are used or when one player achieved their scenario's goal.

Maneuverability

Maneuverability determines how models may move in regards to being lead or being autonomous.

Being Lead

A model of a lead unit must have LoS to its unit leader when it executes an action. For movement and direct fire its unit leader must have LoS to the units designation.

Being Semi-Lead

A model of a semi-lead unit must have LoS to its unit leader in order to execute an action.

Being Autonomous

Each model of an autonomous infantry unit can executed actions independently.

Direct Fire

• Direct fire needs Line of Sight (see below) from the firing model to its target.
• The target must be in the arc of fire of the firing model.

In a group action:

• Throw each model's dice separately.

Five models generating 3 dice each don't have a pool of 15 dice, but five times 3 dice.

Reactive Fire

When an active player's model moves or pivots within LoS and arc of fire of a reactive player's model eligible for direct fire, the reactive player's model may execute reactive fire actions. All rules for direct fire apply to reactive fire as well.

Reactive fire can be executed when the reactive player wishes so. That's why it's important that each action and its designation is announced before executing it. The reactive fire can be executed at any point of the active player's model's movement or pivot.

Failing to hit with reactive fire (ref. to chapter TBD) either jams the firing model's weapon or empties its magazine. Place a reload marker next to the model. This model can't execute any direct fire or reactive fire action until the reload marker is removed with a reload action.

A hit stops the moving model at the point where it was hit.

Decide/ test play:

• either balance the counter with reactive fire
• or exceed the balancing so that the active player then can balance the counter themselves.

Indirect Fire

Off table artillery always needs a spotter (or forward observer, or any other equivalent) to direct the fire missions. If the spotter is killed the off table artillery can't fire and its fire missions are lost.

	dice vs infantry	dice vs armour	smoke screen	fire missions
light	3, kill potential 1		10x2 cm, lasts x actions	10
medium	4, kill potential 2		15x3 cm, lasts x actions	7
heavy	5, kill potential 3		20x4 cm, lasts x actions	5

Tick off a fire mission for each indirect fire action.
Off table artillery can't execute reactive fire.
After an indirect fire mission place 2 reload markers next to the spotter.

Explosive Barrage

If a barrage inflicts 3 hits it suppresses a number of models within one standard base of the target, indicated by the kill potential.
The spotter can also aim for a spot instead of a model. The 3 hits won't remove a model but the kill potential is still applicable.

Smoke Screens

A fire mission can be a smoke screen instead of an explosive barrage.
On a result of 3+ the smoke screen lands where the player intended. Otherwise it's off-table.

Firing Results vs Infantry

Execute each direct fire action separately, throwing all dice of the model at once. Even if the direct fire is combined in a group action, execute the action for each model separately.
A result of 5+ is a hit.

	1 Hit	2 Hits	3 Hits
no status	pinned	suppressed	out of action
pinned	pinned	suppressed	out of action
suppressed	suppressed	out of action	out of action

Pinned

A pinned model can't execute move, pivot or prepare actions. A pinned model can execute any fire action and can rally.

Suppressed

A suppressed model can only execute rally actions.

Out of Action

Remove the model from the battlefield.
If a unit leader is removed, any other unit member becomes the new unit leader with a rallying bonus of +0 (no bonus).

Anti-Vehicle Fire

Each model with armour piercing capabilities can execute a direct fire action against vehicles.
ToDo:

• define armour piercing value of different guns
• define armour value of different vehicles
• how to hit? roll die against x
• how to destroy? if hit, roll die against target armour, reduce armour by armour piercing value

Rallying

rally action	pinned	suppressed
green	5+	6+
regular	4+	5+
veteran	3+	4+

A unit leader standing roughly within 1 standard base of a pinned or suppressed model may help the model in rallying with its bonus.

Close Combat

Close Combat in TD is brutal. Once it's initiated only one side will get out alive. And this side most likely will be heavily affected by the Close Combat.

You have two dice pots:

1. the combat pool
2. the casualty pot

Every model in base contact at the end of a move action (including group movement) participates in close combat. Calculate the number of CC dice, Armour dice and armour piercing tokens generated by the participating models. Place the dice and tokens in the combat pool.

Variant 1

Both sides roll all the generated dice from the combat pool simultaneously. Then they line up the dice and tokens as follows from left to right. If one player has less dice or tokens the remaining line stays empty.

Variant 2

Both players roll their pool dice

• align CC dice
• alternating, starting with the defending player:
• place one armour die
• until no armour dice are left
• the place armour piercing tokens alternating (optional)
• armour piercing tokens may only be used once per CC

  
  

Comparing Dice Column by Column

• for each column
  • compare attack dice, the higher die wins
    • if losing player has no armour die
      • loser discards all dice and token from that column in the casualty pot
      • winner puts all dice and token from that column in the combat pool
    • if the losing player has an armour die, compare winner's attack die and loser's armour die
    • an armour piercing token reduces the other player's armour die by 1
    • the higher result wins
  • result is a draw
    • both players put their dice and tokens from the column in their combat pool

• If a column has no CC dice pair put all dice and tokens of that column back into the combat pool.
• If both sides have CC dice left in their combat pool, restart the procedure with the remaining dice and tokens.

• Pinned markers have no effect in CC.
• A suppressed model generates one die less.

End of CC - Determining Casualties

Once a player has no CC dice left in the combat pool they loose the Close Combat and remove all their participating models.

The winning player determines their casualties as follows:

1. Check the number of CC and armour dice in the casualty pot.
2. For each pair of CC and armour die reduce the armour value of a vehicle by 1. If by that the armour value of a vehicle is 0, remove the vehicle.
3. For the remaining CC dice, remove as many models which generate the amount of remaining CC dice.

   
   
   
   
   

Terrain

Terrain is always an area which covers a part of the battlefield and has certain attributes to it. There's no overlapping terrain. TD works with an abstraction layer to simplify the terrain. 

A patch of terrain should easily hold two infantry units.

A model can't be in two terrain patches at the same time.

The battlefield is a patchwork of terrain patches, roads, hedges.

A large forest consists of multiple forest patches

You could recreate the image with terrain patches. Each field is a rough terrain patch. The areas with cut down grass is open terrain. The street is open terrain as well.

Effects of Terrain

• no cover: open ground
• provides cover for direct fire: rough terrain (fields, patches of bombed out no-man's land); hedges, walls and fences if the model stands next to it.
• provides cover for direct and indirect fire: ruined buildings, patches of forest, depressions (e.g. trenches, bomb craters)

Cover Effects

• A target in covering terrain reduces the generated dice by 1.

Line of Sight (LoS)

• LoS is a straight line from the middle of a model's base to the middle of its target's base.
• LoS is blocked when it crosses two terrain borders (if they are at least one standard base apart).
• LoS is blocked by walls, fences, and hedges if both models are standing at least one standard base away from the wall, fence, or hedge. That means if one of the models is standing next to the wall, fence, or hedge LoS is not blocked.
• LoS is not blocked by depressions.

1. model A anywhere in forest - open ground - model B anywhere in ruined building => no LoS
2. model A anywhere in open ground - model B anywhere in forest => LoS
3. model A at fence on open ground side - rough ground - model B in open ground => no LoS
4. model A at fence on open ground side - model B anywhere in rough ground => LoS
5. model A anywhere in open ground - trench - model anywhere in rough terrain => LoS

 

 

 

Creating your warband

Depending on the size of the game you want to play determine the allowance for each side. Either both players have the same allowance or the scenario played determines the allowance for each side.

TD is created with 28mm (or 32mm) miniatures in mind. But as there's no range restrictions you can play in whatever scale you want. For inspiration check out my TD blog posts.

A standard base is 25mm.

Costs

	fire	base	arc of fire	CC dice	dir. fire dice	experience	costs	type	comment
Infantry Unit	direct fire	25mm	360°	2	3	see Infantry Units below	2 pts	infantry	see Infantry Units below
Heavy Machine Gun (HMG)	direct fire	40-50mm	90°	1	4	regular/ autonomous	1 pt	infantry
Off table Artillery	indirect fire	25-32mm	360°	1	0	regular/ autonomous	2 pts	infantry	represented by a single spotter on the battlefield
Anti Tank Gun (ATG)	direct fire	40-50mm	90°	1		regular/ autonomous	1 pt	infantry	reload(2)
Tank	direct fire		see comment	ref. Vehicle chapter	ref. Vehicle chapter		4 pts	vehicle	light: 90° heavy: 180° (TBC)
Mech	direct fire		90°	ref. Vehicle chapter	ref. Vehicle chapter		4 pts	vehicle

The CC and direct fire dice values is the amount of generated dice per model.
A unit leader with rallying +1 generates one more CC die.

Infantry Units

The number of models indicates the group(x) value. If the unit has 4 models it has group(4).

	green	regular - Unit (0)(1)	veteran - (0)
lead	6 models	5 models	4 models
semi-lead	5 models	4 models	3 models - (2)
autonomous	8 models - (3)(4)	3 models - (2)	3 models - (5)

(0) - has a Unit Leader with +1 to rally
(1) - swap one non unit leader model with an armour piercing weapon, this model can't use direct fire against infantry
(2) - attach an HMG model to the unit; increase group(x) by 1, HMG has same maneuverability and experience as the unit
(3) - has group(4) for movement, but each action moves two models
(4) - only Close Combat - no direct fire actions
(5) - make the unit fast and large (for example as cavalry)

• fast: a fast unit can't be pinned
• large: a large unit doesn't benefit from cover 

HMG

A Heavy Machine Gun is either a regular, autonomous model which can execute single actions.
Or it is attached to an eligible infantry unit having the same experience and maneuverability like the unit has. The unit increases its group(x) value by 1.

ATG

Anti Tank Guns, or any model representing an armour piercing gun that is not capable of moving on its own. A, ATG has to be set up in order to execute direct fire actions.
An ATG starts a game towed or untowed and with x reload markers.

Vehicles

Vehicles is a placeholder for anything big and armoured which is capable of moving on its own and firing a big gun.

	armour	gun	CC dice	comment
light mech	3	HMG	6	large, fast
light tank	4	light gun	3	fast
heavy mech	4	light gun	5	large
heavy tank	6	heavy gun	4	large	has additional HMG

• a fast vehicle can make two movement actions counting as one

Chapter for Guns

describe each gun. in the former sections only write which gun is mounted on which model

• e.g. light mech has HMG
• e.g. ATG has same gun as light tank

	dir. fire dice (2)	kill potential (3)	armour penetration (4)	gun reload (1)
hand held gun
light gun
heavy gun

(1) - vehicles start the game with the number of reload tokens given in this column. After a direct fire action place the given amount of reload tokens on the vehicle.
(2) - generated dice when executing direct fire against infantry.
(3) - ref. to Kill Potential chapter in Artillery
(4) - tbd

Anti Vehicle Fire

Only guns with an armour penetration value can be fired against vehicles.
If the gun is loaded roll two dice, one for hitting, one for armour penetration.

• A roll of 4+ is a hit
  • reduce to 5+ if vehicle is in cover
• If hit, the armour penetration roll plus the gun's armour penetration value must be higher than the vehicle's armour
  • Example: vehicle has armour 5, gun has armour penetration value 2 => armour penetration roll must be 4 or higher.
• If a vehicle is hit and the armour penetration was successful the vehicle is destroyed.