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This third version incorporates all of the changes and modifications suggested by members of the Beamstrike Yahoo group. This third version follows some 18 months after the release of the first, and since then all of the Era supplements are now available, along with other play aids and material. Several gamers have now play-tested the rules and provided feedback. A revised set of vehicle rules are included. Several charts, including all of the weapon tables have been removed and are available as separate PDFs. Thanks to everyone who has continued to contribute to this project, and very happy gaming to you all. Thanks for choosing Beamstrike. SECTION 1- INTRODUCTION Beamstrike - The miniature game- is a set of fast paced, simple, science fiction war-game rules for tabletop battles using 15mm model miniature figures. A wide range of armoured vehicles can be fielded, from Tanks, to Walkers and Mecha. Rules for alien races, including generic ‘bugs’ and ‘greys’, add interest, and full rules allowing robots and androids complete the sci-fi repertoire. Beamstrike is not a strict war game as weapon ranges are compressed heavily to accommodate your army on a table of manageable size, comprehensive rules regarding chain of command and communications between various levels of command are largely ignored, and force organization and structure are fairly flexible. Beamstrike is best described as a fun, fast paced, science fiction ‘spaghetti western’ of a system, which will not take you 3 months to read and learn, and will not lead to bankruptcy by forcing you to purchase expensive miniatures which must be used in order to play the game according to the rules. Materials required to play To play Beamstrike, you will require a suitable selection of 15mm science fiction miniatures and vehicles, a copy of these rules, a tape measure, plain paper to record army statistics and four, six, ten, twelve and twenty sided dice. To further enhance play, a selection of 15mm scenery (such as buildings, hills, trees and other landscape features), notebooks, access to an internet connected computer ( to download extra rules and play aids), and even more miniatures are desirable. Optionally (but recommended), is the novel ‘Borrowed Time’ by Don Clarke (note this volume contains adult material). This offers greater insight into the Borrowed Time Era of the timeline presented here. It is possible, though a little difficult, to play Beamstrike on your own, taking turns to play each ‘Commander’. Far more interesting and challenging is to get one or more of your friends involved, lend them the rules to look over in advance, and provide some figures for their first game. The first games you play should be reasonably straight forward, ‘patrol’ type missions with relatively few figures per side (say 300 points each), for a game lasting a couple of hours. As you gain more confidence with the rule systems you can expand the points values fielded and the complexity of the mission scenario and victory conditions. Wargame conventions DICE ROLLS If you have already played war games or roleplaying games, the abbreviations used for dice rolls will make sense. For everyone else, please read on. The dice you are used to are 6 sided. This type of die (die is singular for dice) is called a ‘D6’, the ‘D’ stands for dice, and the 6, for 6 sided. Following on from this, D4, D10, D12 stand for 4, 10 and 12 sided dice respectively. Dice with a number of sides other than 6, are available from model/ hobby shops or online. Where d100 rolls are called for, roll 2 D10. One die represents the ‘tens’ and the other the ‘units’ (which dice is the tens is decided beforehand!- the dice are usually different colours). For example, 2D10 are rolled, a ‘6’ is rolled for the first dice, and an ‘8’ is rolled for the second. The percentile dice roll is thus ‘68’  A selection of Dice needed to play Beamstrike (from left to right): D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, D20. PLAYING PIECES If you have played board games before, you are probably familiar with the ‘playing piece’ for your team being represented with a metal or plastic token of some kind. You used this token to show where you were on the board, and in the case of some games like ‘Cluedo’, you may have chosen the figure to be like you or a character you liked or identified with. Wargames take this concept a step further, with lots of ‘playing pieces’, each representing a single trooper in your army. The army you assemble, paint and use will be unique and individual, and based on your likes and dislikes. Painting and choosing your army is a hobby in itself, with many modelers taking great pride in assembling and painting to a very high standard. The colour scheme you decide on will be your choice, commonly camouflage and dull shades of green are used, but this doesn’t have to be the case, you may paint your figures however you wish, and some pretty garish colour schemes often look the most striking on the battlefield. Suggested colour schemes for armies are found in the 4 Era supplements. OPEN SOURCE RULES These rules are ‘open source’, a term usually applied to computer software, which means you may freely use and copy these rules as wished, but any future rule sets you make which are mostly based on this set, must be free as well. POINTS VALUES AND ARMY LISTS The value of a points system in war-games is a hotly debated subject. Experienced players will probably wish to construct their own forces based around a suitable scenario, whilst others like the simplicity of assigning a certain number of points to each player and seeing what armies they come up with. The points values are suggestions, and it is entirely up to you whether you use them. Some points values assigned to vehicles/ items have not been thoroughly play tested, so bear in mind if points are used, you may have unequal rival forces still. REAL FUTURE WAR VERSES BEAMSTRIKE WAR Modern day and near future real war is increasingly likely to be more about stealth and high technology than lots of troops running around and slugging it out on a battlefield, like what happened in ancient times. Combat in the far future may well involve targeting of hostile forces from space/ low orbit and guided missiles or beam weapons surgically removing threats with minimal collateral damage. Enemy planets may even be ‘planet- busted’ with incredibly powerful bombs/ missiles. Use of sophisticated cloaking devices, guidance and imaging systems will mean battles are staged at longer and longer ranges, with less and less involvement of Human Soldiers on the ground. Robot and Android developments will mean that the ‘artificial soldier’ will be used more and more. Very distant-future War may even be so far removed from what we currently think of as ‘conflict’, as to be unrecognizable. Beamstrike advocates the use of nicely coloured figures in clunking suits of armour, using weapons with pitifully short ranges, getting up close and personal with their opponents, both on foot and in vehicles. The use of anthropomorphic mecha, hover tanks and walkers on spindly legs and guns like lasers, bolters and ‘Sun guns’ look great on the miniature war-game table, but realistically these weapon categories would probably be very inefficient and of doubtful battlefield use. Thus Beamstrike (and many of its contemporaries) may well be not very realistic or accurate, and is probably more akin to ‘World War 2 with laser guns’-but that is what the rules set out to do, take it or leave it, it is not a tactical simulation. Having said this, there will probably always be some need for close up combat involving individual troops, where the ‘enemy’ are located in an area of value (where nuking the site from orbit is not the best option), where hostages need keeping alive, in civilian riots (if you don’t like killing your own people indiscriminately) etc. It is entirely up to you how ‘realistic’ you want your scenarios to be. A final word would be that these rules are not intended as some sort of accurate prediction of how future war will be fought, and never will be. They will however give the players a few hours of fun, with nobody getting hurt (Your pride excluded perhaps!) CREDITS AND CONTRIBUTIONS A full list of credits and thanks appears at the end of this book, lots of people have been involved in creating this free rules set, and the Imperial Commander rules set by Tabletop games was a big inspiration . SECTION 2 -THE RULES Beamstrike is divided into 5 sections, you have just read section 1 which gives a basic introduction to the game, its setting and scope. Section 2 details all of the basic rules needed to play the game with troops on foot, providing examples where each new rule concept is introduced. Section 3 introduces vehicles, bigger weaponry, and energy shields. Section 4 discusses how to actually go about tabletop wargaming, with suggestions on the use of scenery and how this affects play and example scenarios for your first battles. Section 5 outlines the Beamstrike official background, including the Era based on Don Clarke’s novel ‘Borrowed Time’. Aliens are referenced in section 6 and finally section 7 details weapon notes, author credits, and gives play aids such as a quick reference sheet, counters and blast templates. Troops in Beamstrike The main ‘playing piece’ in a war game such as Beamstrike is the infantryman or trooper. This is your alter ego on the battlefield, and will be the most numerous of commodities. Troops are classified firstly by the level of protection they have, or battlefield ‘survivability’, due to their armour and any shields worn, and secondly by the level of training they possess which governs their prowess with firearms, hand to hand combat weapons, and general competence on the battlefield. ARMOURAbbreviation used in these rulesDescription of armour levelUnarmouredUANo armour, only regular clothing. Often civilians, low-tech troops, freedom-fighters, or terrorists have no armour at all.Fast InfantryFIInfantry able to move and react quickly, but wearing only light ballistic armour. Scout troops and local law enforcement will be armoured in this way on many planets. Segregation Era troops will mostly be fast infantry.Light ArmouredLATroops wearing full suits of metallic or ballistic, reactive, composite armour with full helmets and integrated breathing apparatus. Regular battle infantry in the Imperial Era will be issued with this type of armour. Modified suits can be used in underwater and space settings.Power ArmouredPAHeavy armour with a powered exo-skeletal structure, allowing heightened close combat ability, battlefield survivability, and increased heavy weapon carrying allowance. Armour of this type replaces the need for light armoured vehicles in some systems, as few small arms found amongst the civilian population are effective against it.Assault DreadnoughtADThe heaviest armour level, a thick armour plated powered suit. Used in War situations, or where heavy firepower is needed in a situation/ location that is unsuitable for larger combat vehicles. A little slow, but AD wearing troops can pack a real punch on the battlefield. Immune to attacks from Low and standard power weapons. NOTE ON ARMOUR: Although Powered and Assault Dreadnought armour are both heavy and large in the Imperial Era of the future timeline, eventually these types are no more bulky than light armour in very advanced civilizations. The battlesuits used by the Sacred Band (circa UCH 500) are Assault Dreadnought class but much smaller and lighter (and with much higher movement capability) than the clunking Dreadnought suits of the Imperial era. Training level Troop training level impacts on small arms fire, hand to hand combat, weapon maintenance and many other sections of the rules. Most troops in organised armies will be in the ‘regular’ category. Higher training levels cost more points per figure. Training typeAbbreviation used in these rulesDescriptionCivilianCIVIndividuals with no combat trainingRegularREGAverage, trained troops but who have had limited battlefield experience.VeteranVETBattle-hardened, experienced, well trained troopsEliteELITroops which have been trained to a high level, including advanced weaponry and combat techniques.HeroHERSee below. HEROES Denotes a particularly capable individual with multiple skills and bonuses in combat, heroes are worth taking a little time over, to flesh out a background story with motivations and goals. Some examples are given in each of the Era supplements. Note that some particularly famous (infamous?) individuals may be present in a battle, after agreement of both players, but who if ‘killed’, will not be permanently dead, but just removed from the action for that battle. This is similar to the way in which well known heroes and villains from movies stay alive throughout a series of battles and keep ‘popping up’ to enhance a story line in a campaign. See the section on heroes for their bonuses and use in the Beamstrike game. Any number of heroes may be purchased and fielded, but bear in mind the high points cost and variable nature of skills and hit bonuses which are rolled for. Troop dice rolls At some points in the rules, a troop dice roll is made using 1d6. The chance of success is based on the general quality of the troops in question and is directly related to their training level. To pass the roll, a score equal or higher than that listed below is needed on 1d6. The direct results of passed or failed rolls will be described wherever such rolls are called for. Civilian: 6Veteran: 4Vehicles: 4Regular: 5Elite: 3Hero: 2 Troop skills There are several special skills/ attributes available for troops, allowing them enhanced battlefield capabilities. Each skill has a points cost, and there may be restrictions on the total numbers of troops which may be given that attribute. Keep track of which figures have been given special characteristics by means of special models, which can be painted with distinctive colours (rather than the standard troop colours). Snipers can be represented by models with rifles and camouflaged uniforms, medics can be given red/ white crosses on their uniforms, and sappers may be modeled with ‘suitcase’ type backpacks indicating demolition packs. Alternatively, ‘skilled’ troops can have counters placed next to them indicating their special attribute. NUMBER OF SKILLS ALLOWED. Civilian troops may not choose any skills/ characteristics from the list below, regular and veteran troops may have 1 skill, and elite troops may have 2 skills maximum. Heroes are allocated multiple skills according to the section on heroes. LEADERSHIP (8 points per figure) The leadership skill gives several bonuses throughout the rules, for example, units with a leader may engage targets other than the nearest, have a better chance of calling in off table fire support, may be rallied when an army’s morale breaks etc. Up to 1 figure per unit/ squad may be given this skill. Note a MINIMUM of one leader per army MUST be chosen. SNIPER (3 points) A trooper with sniper skill specializes in killing at long range with a high powered rifle, equipped with an advanced targeting scope. Snipers get enhanced fire/ concealment bonuses when deployed, and can ‘pick off’ enemy leaders and support troops. A maximum of 3 snipers per army are allowed. (See the section on snipers below) ONLY snipers may use the sniper laser and sniper rifles weapons from the weapons chart. SAPPER (2 points) A ‘sapper’, or military engineer is a skilled individual who basically ‘saps’ the enemy of its fortifications and structural strengths. Figures designated as sappers may use demolition charges (see demolition rules), may lay minefields, deactivate booby traps, and may deactivate/ destroy enemy defence systems (See section 3 of the rules). There is no maximum number of sappers allowed in an army, although many games have limited need for such individuals. GRENADIER (2 points) A trooper who is specially trained and equipped for throwing grenades. Grenadiers can also be employed as shock troops, specializing in close assault. Each grenadier gets a +2 bonus to hit with thrown grenades, gets a +1 bonus to the roll to see if troops in cover are injured by exploding hand grenades and gets a +1 bonus in hand to hand combat. Any number of grenadiers may be fielded in battle, usually organised into squads. MEDIC (3 points, includes medical equipment) A medic is a trooper who in addition to his normal weapons, also carries a medical kit and has been trained in battlefield medical techniques. Each medic may attempt to ‘heal’ one fallen comrade per turn, who would normally be removed as killed at the end of the fire phase. Up to 3 medics per army may be chosen. Note that in battles with human forces, general convention dictates that Medic figures should not be singled out and shot at if there are other members of the squad in range/ visible to the firer. If medics are shot at, they may make a ‘save’ roll (See the ‘picking off leaders’ rules). If a Medic is removed as killed, there is no reduction in moral strength. FANATIC (3 points) This characteristic is generally restricted to certain Rebel troops, some Aliens, and most classes of war droid/ robot. Fanatic troops generally do not retreat, even when an armies morale is broken, but can be difficult to control in combat, often advancing when common sense would dictate staying in cover. See the army lists for troop types classed as fanatic, and the leadership rules for more information on fanatic troops. GUNNER (1 point) This skill allows the trooper to fire tripod mounted light artillery and weapons from the heavy weapons list without penalty. (Unskilled troops may fire light artillery, but with a -2 hit penalty) This skill is NOT required to fire Squad support weapons. SCOUT (3 points) This skill includes extra training and experience in jet pack jumping, laser painting, and concealment and give bonuses in each of these areas. Up to 2 squads of scouts may be fielded per army. Scouts are particularly useful if used as jump-troops equipped with laser painters and long range rifles, in hit and run scenarios. SWORDSMAN (3 points) Individuals trained in the martial arts, especially in the use of advanced hand to hand combat weapons like force swords and power axes. Troops with this skill have 4 added to their 1d10 roll in hand to hand combat. Some melee weapons may ONLY be used by troops with swordsman skill. EQUIPPING TROOPS There are sensible logistic limits on how many weapons/ pieces of equipment each trooper may carry, and these limits MUST not be exceeded. The standard organised troop types listed in the Era supplements are provided to give an idea of the armaments and equipment generally carried by various forces. If custom troop types are being created, or you are not using the Beamstrike background information, abide by the following guidelines, which are based on the armour class of the trooper. Troop ArmourHand weaponPistolMain weaponNumber of pieces of equipmentUA1111FI1213LA1213PA1233AD1044 The numbers in the boxes are the MAXIMUM number of that type of item a single trooper in that category may carry, he may (and usually does) carry much less. Note that a main weapon slot may be used to carry a pistol or hand weapon instead. Hand weapon: is any hand to hand melee weapon, for example a sword. (Note heroes may carry 2 hand weapons) Pistol: is any pistol weapon (inc. Palm flamer) or grenade pack from the infantry weapon list. Main weapon: is any weapon carried by troops in the Infantry weapon list or squad support weapon list (including pistols and grenade packs) Equipment: Digimedics, targeters, laser painters etc.. CIVILIANS Civilian grade figures, may not usually carry a main weapon, so hand to hand, pistols, long rifle weapons only. Note that this does depend on the Era your games are set in and the Governmental restrictions which may be in place on certain planets or in regional Empires. Civilians may not be equipped with Power or Dreadnought armour, as a certain training level is needed to operate powered armour effectively. TARGETERS The targeter bonus is only applied to the figures MAIN carried weapon (unless otherwise stated), so if a trooper has a gyrobolt rifle and a pistol, he would get the targeter bonus on the rifle only. The support targeter functions as a normal targeter when it is not deployed in the support role. Note that it is allowed to have more than one targeter per figure. Targetters cannot be fitted to weapons on the tank gun list, as these use the vehicular targeting system and the ‘to hit’ figures for these weapons already include this. POWERED/ ASSAULT DREADNOUGHT ARMOUR WEAPON PACKS PA and AD armoured troops may either be given one main weapon as other troop classes, or have weapons installed in large arm ‘packs’. Weapons are usually carried in 2 packs, one on each arm. A maximum of 3 infantry weapons or 2 squad support weapons can be fitted in a single pack (or the figure would tip over!) Any targeters fitted must state which weapon pack they are attached to, and give a hit bonus to all weapons in that pack only. Total weapons carried must not exceed limits in table above. SPECIAL ITEMS Agreed before the game begins, these could be nuclear bombs which need placing, suitcases containing important documents, or anything which a figure can carry which is pivotal to a mission outcome. SEQUENCE OF PLAY The sequence of play in Beamstrike is determined in an ordered manner according to the chart below. The battle is divided into a number of GAME TURNS, each consisting of 2 PLAYER TURNS. Within each PLAYER TURN are several PHASES. Note with this system there are two ‘movement’ phases per player turn and a firing phase in which BOTH players may fire, casualties only being removed from play after both players have fired with all eligible figures. The morale status of each army is monitored twice per turn. There are ‘turn sequence monitor’ sheets available to help commanders keep track of the battles progress, by placing a mark in the boxes as each turn phase is reached. Turn monitor sheets can be downloaded from the Yahoo group page. Player A will usually be the attacker in games/ scenarios which call for an attacker and a defender, otherwise both players roll 1d10, the highest scorer chooses to be either player A or B. If more than 2 players are present with their own opposed armies, player C, D etc would follow on after player B, with the same sequence of game PHASES. PLAY SEQUENCE CHART PLAYERGAME PHASEDESCRIPTION/ NOTESAFirst MOVEPlayer A may move any or all of his figures as outlined in the movement rules.A and BFIREBoth players may use ranged fire with all eligible figures and vehicles- see the firing rules. Firing is treated as simultaneous, so casualties are not removed until the end of the fire phase (Unless Concealed units get the special FIRST SHOT)A and BMorale checksBoth players check morale strengths of their armiesASecond MOVEPlayer A may again move with any or all figures and vehicles, even if they moved during the first movement phase.AClose CombatPlayer A makes troop rolls for all squads within 5cm of an enemy, successful troops may make a close combat action, as detailed in the close combat rules.BFirst MOVEAs per player A descriptions, player Bs turn follows the same sequence of events but with player B moving and making close combat troop rolls.A and BFIREA and BMorale checksBSecond MOVEBClose CombatBOTHEND OF TURNAny turn related events are rolled for (such as weather conditions), and the turn comes to an end. Another turn starting with player A is then commenced. MOVEMENT RATES OF TROOPS AND VEHICLES This section of the rules details movement rates for each of the troop and vehicle types and allowed actions. Note that in Beamstrike an element may move OR perform an action in each move phase but not both. In each of the two movement phases of his player turn, the player may either move his figures and vehicles anything up to the distances given in the movement table, OR figures may perform any one of the actions detailed on the Action table. MOVEMENT NOTES: Hover-powered vehicles may pass over scenery up to 1 inch high and treat this as ‘Road’, (Scenery such as small boulders, bushes, low walls). Anti- grav vehicles may cruise up to 3 inches in height to clear obstacles such as high walls, small buildings, trees etc and treat as ‘open ground’ Any scenery placed on the battlefield should be classified BEFORE play as to how it will affect movement. Where troops or vehicles cross more than one type of terrain in a single move, they move at the rate of: Terrain type1 + terrain type 2 divided by 2. Example: A UCH wheeled armoured personnel carrier is traveling on road, then wants to turns off to move over open ground. It moves (12+8)/2= 10 inches that move phase. This simplistic yet reasonably fair system avoids complicated mathematics for calculating proportionate movement. TROOP AND VEHICLE MOVEMENT TABLE Movement Rate (In Inches) per movement phaseTroop/ Vehicle typeRoadOpen ground grassland, scrub.Light woods, boggy ground, bush land, Slopes, desert sandDifficult Medium woods, boulders, light ruins and rubble, steep slopesVery Difficult Heavy woods, jungle, rubble strewn ruins, etcUA54321FI/ LA54332PA43221AD32211Fast Wheeled (FW)1410662Wheeled (W)12864Not allowedFast tracked (FT)109862Tracked (T)88862Heavy tracked (HT)66641Anti-grav (G)1210883Hover (H)101088Not allowedFast grav/ Fast hover/Jetcycle (FG)141412104Legged (L)1010864Heavy legged (HL)55432Limbs (L)1211864Heavy Limbs (HL)86543 ACTIONS TABLE Figure may perform ANY ONE of the following actions per movement phase INSTEAD of moving. ACTIONDESCRIPTIONEnter or leave a vehicle May leave a stationary vehicle, figure must be placed within 1 inch of that vehicle, entering is the reverse. The vehicle itself mat not move at all during this movement phase.Enter or leave a buildingTrooper may move from any point inside of a building to outside the building within 1 inch of any exit. Entering (assuming building is not locked) is the reverse process.Call off table fire supportSee off table support for details, note: call may also be made in firing phase*Beam up or downBe beamed to or from a teleport bay to/ from anywhere on the table.Set explosive (sapper)Set a demolition pack (See demolition rules)*Deploy a support weaponDeploy a support or heavy weapon for effective use (See deployment rules)*Where these actions are performed in a move phase, the effect is delayed until the next fire phase. NOTES ON FOOT TROOP GROUND MOVEMENT Figures moving on foot may move any distance up to the maximum for that terrain type/ troop class as given on movement table. Certain terrain features will restrict movement for some troop types (See section 4 of these rules). In addition, walls over 1 inch will prevent movement across them unless a section is destroyed first. Figures which move off of the game tables agreed boundaries are considered to have left the battle and are considered lost as far as morale and victory conditions are concerned. SQUADS In Beamstrike , your troops are usually organised into groups of between 3 and 8 troops, called squads or units. This is the basic unit of troop formation, all members of a squad usually staying fairly close to each other to allow communication and fire support of each other and close enough to receive orders from any leader present. UNIT/ SQUAD COHERENCY AND FORMATION All ground squad members of a unit must stay within 3 inches of at least one other squad member of the same unit, this ensures squad coherency. Distance is measured from any part of one base to any part of another. If the squad moves further apart than this, either from movement choice, or from loss of members during the combat phase, the squad is ‘split’ and must regroup before it may advance towards an enemy. If the squad is defending a fortification, or does not intend to move forward, then this rule does not apply, although the instant the squad wishes to advance, it MUST regroup first. GANG COHERENCE Some units (Detailed in Era supplements) will have gang coherence. All members of the unit must remain within 3 inches of ALL other members of the unit. Penalty for breaking coherence is as above. Civilians without a leader MUST move in this way. INDEPENDENT UNITS Note some figures, ALL HEROES, and all vehicles may act independently, although bear in mind they may not be rallied if too far from a Leader when morale breaks! Independent units are listed at various sections in the rules and in army lists. GROUND VEHICLE MANOEUVRES Simple rules follow for turning and manoeuvering vehicles in Beamstrike games, they are intentionally simplistic to avoid detailed record keeping. More examples of terrain and how it affects movement are given in section 4 of this book. TURNING: Vehicles may change direction by up to 90o in one move phase with no move distance penalty. SHARP TURNS: If a turn over 90o is made in one turn phase, halve movement distance for that phase. REVERSING: Vehicles may move backwards at half forward move speed, exceptions are jet cycles which cannot reverse and legged vehicles which reverse at quarter move speed, round any fractions down. Vehicles which leave the game tables agreed boundaries are assumed to have left the battle and are considered lost as far as morale and victory conditions apply. AIRCRAFT In Beamstrike games, small support/ Ground attack aircraft are permitted to be fielded. Larger fixed wing aircraft and low orbit spacecraft are outside the scope of the game, but are instead represented by the Off table fire support rules. Aircraft apply to small aircraft with hover/ Grav / VTOL ability (See the vehicle lists and classifications for lists of flying vehicles) Aircraft have relatively high acceleration rates and maximum speeds. Instead of a fixed movement allowance, in each of the players move phases they are permitted to perform ONE of the following actions: AIRCRAFT MANOEUVERDESCRIPTIONTake OffVehicle is considered airborne and above the take off point at ‘ground attack’ altitude.LandAircraft moves from any altitude/ position on the battlefield to a stationary, landed position on the ground.Move and/ or change height bandAircraft may move to anywhere on the game table. The height band may be changed as wished in addition to movement.HoverAircraft is hovering at any height band above a single point on the battlefield AIRCRAFT ALTITUDE CHOICES Aircraft can choose to fly at either ‘high altitude’, ‘Low’ or ‘ground attack’. If the aircraft is at high altitude it cannot be attacked, nor can attack, BUT is airborne and considered in close proximity to the battlefield (model is placed beside the battlefield but is not considered lost). Aircraft at ‘Low’ altitude can see over, and be seen over any hills, buildings or woods etc. Figures and vehicles firing at aircraft at low altitude must add 20 inches to the range. If the vehicle is in ground attack mode, it is assumed to be no more than 2 inches above the ground and woods and buildings will completely block the line of sight for firing purposes, no modification is made to the range. EXAMPLES OF DISALLOWED TROOP/ VEHICLE MOVE/ FIRE COMBINATIONS Troop/ Vehicle typeFirst Move phaseFire phaseSecond Move phaseExplanatory NotesAircraftland-moveMust have taken off first to be able to moveInfantryMoveFireEnter vehicle which has itself moved this phaseVehicle must be stationary in order to embark troopsGround vehicleReload / repair weapon then move-MoveCan either repair weapon OR move in one move phase, not bothInfantryMove off tablefireMove back on tableUnits which leave the battlefield may not re- enter or fire.AircraftLand and accept troopsfiremoveVehicle must be stationary in the same phase that troops embark/ disembarkSupport weaponmoveFire with bonusmove1 move phase is used to ‘deploy’ a support/ heavy weapon before its bonus is applied JET PACKS Jet packs are self powered backpacks strapped securely to the figure, allowing troops to make short airborne ‘leaps’ over obstacles and into battle. A jet pack move may be made in either or both of the player’s movement phases. A single powered leap of anything up to the distance given on the following chart below may be made. Note that unarmoured troops and civilians may not use jet packs. Troop typeJump distance in inchesTroop typeJump distance in inchesLA infantry10Light Mecha20Fast infantry16Medium Mecha14PA infantry8Heavy Mecha8AD infantry6Trooper has ‘scout’ skill: +3 inches to jumpJet pack troops may jump over scenery/ vehicles or other troops. A powered jump is usually considered to be half as high as it is long, so a trooper jumping 16 inches may clear an obstacle up to 8 inches in height at the jumps middle point. Higher jumps may be made, but for each 1 inch extra height jumped, 2 inches in jump length is lost. For example an PA trooper wishes to jump over a building 5 inches in height. His total jump distance is reduced to 6 inches. Jet packs do have limitations, and there are some dangers associated with their use. Jump troops may not jump into or out of light, medium or heavy wooded areas, or jump from moving vehicles or from building windows. Stationary or hovering vehicles with open tops may be jumped from if at ground attack altitude or landed/ ground based. Troops on building roofs may jump to another building roof and troops on a building roof may jump to the ground, as long as the building height is less than the jump distance. If troops jump to somewhere they cannot see from the jump start position (i.e. line of sight is blocked to the intended landing point), or jump off a building taller than their jump distance, there is a risk of a jet pack accident. For each figure jumping, roll 2d6 and consult the chart below. If the 2d6 score is equal to or higher than the accident score then that figure has had a jump injury/ mishap and is removed from play (counts as killed for morale and victory purposes) JET PACK ACCIDENTS (Roll 2D6) Troop typeAccident scoreFast Infantry12Light Armoured Infantry11Power armoured Infantry10Assault Dreadnought Armour/ Mecha9NOTE: Troops with ‘scout’ skill deduct 1 from the 2d6 accident roll. Q-TRAVEL PODS Q-Travel pods are quantum teleportation devices, the receive/ transmit pod sent to the battlefield is an armour plated platform with a powerful energy source, narrow beam transmitter and giga- storage device. The mind bogglingly huge amount of data which needs to be communicated to teleport living beings (around 1037 bits of information, enough to fit on a cubic kilometer of contemporary CD- ROMS), is only available on the computers of the far future. Each Q-travel pod can transport up to 5 figures of any troop class or a light vehicle (vehicles up to hull class 2), in each movement phase. The high points cost of Q- travel pods includes the orbital craft support and control mechanisms. A Q-travel pod is destroyed on any ‘KILL’ result from ranged fire, and counts as a stationary assault dreadnought armoured troop for armour purposes. Glancing hit results have no effect. Q- travel pods may be inactivated by any trooper in base to base contact armed with a power or a force weapon. Q- travel platforms must be placed on the battlefield before play commences. POD USE: Q- travel pods are used to deploy forces, move existing forces to another Q-pod, add reinforcements and evacuate troops from a battlefield, see reinforcement rules. Example: A Sacred Band squad moves into a Q-travel pod in its first move phase, fires in the fire phase, then moves to a second Q- travel pod in the second move phase. Note that as troops must move into or out of a Q- travel pod, the bay can only in fact be used in one move phase per player turn so it spends the other waiting for troops to enter or clear the pod. BASIC RANGED COMBAT This includes all ranged small arms fire, vehicular weapon fire, fire support, deployed support/ heavy weapon fire. CAN YOU FIRE AT THE TARGET? To fire at a target, the target must be within the firers arc of fire, a line of sight to the target must exist (unless indirect support weapon being used, see below) and the target must be within the maximum range of the weapon used. We will look at each in turn. ARCS OF FIRE Troops may only fire at targets which are within 90o of either side of their facing direction as depicted in the diagram below: To determine which direction to figure is facing, you can paint a small mark on the base, and this is the forward centre line. Alternatively just assume the figure is facing in the direction it is looking/ pointing its weapon.   FIGURE ARC OF FIRE STRAIGHT AHEAD Fixed weapons attached to vehicles may only fire straight ahead in their direction of mounting as depicted in the diagram below (you may use weapon template number 3 to get the angles of fire correct)   ARC OF FIRE (TEMPLATE 3) STRAIGHT AHEAD Turreted weapons and AI-cannon type weapon pods have a full 360 degree arc of fire and may even fire at targets directly behind them without penalty. LINE OF SIGHT FOR DIRECT FIRE For a figure to fire at another figure it needs a ‘line of sight’ to the target. This means you must be able to see the main body or head of the target (or main vehicle body) before you can shoot it. If all you can see is the end of a gun barrel or vehicle aerial etc… line of sight is blocked. If figures are used in kneeling or prone poses, and line of sight is blocked because of this, both players should agree there and then whether these figures are totally hidden (and therefore line of sight is blocked for both players, or they are in fact visible and both players may fire with them)- these sorts of determinations may add unnecessary complications to the flow of the game however. An enemy unit which is directly behind a closer enemy unit MAY NOT be selected as a target, line of sight is assumed blocked (A deployed sniper may ignore this rule). A figure may not fire through a friendly figure unless using an indirect fire weapon. If a cover element obscures any part of the targets base from the firers view, then the relevant cover can be claimed by the target. WHICH TARGET MAY BE CHOSEN? Normally all the weapons a figure fires must be aimed at the SAME target. The exceptions are: Heroes with ambidexterity skill. Multiple weapons in PA/ AD arm packs must be fired at the same target. Vehicles Vehicle multiple weapons (except those in the same turret/ AI turret) may be fired at different targets as wished. The troop training class of the firer governs which enemies may be targeted: TROOP TRAINING CLASSELIGIBLE TARGETSCIVILIANThe closest enemy target only.REGULARThe closest enemy troops OR any vehicle/ building visible.VETERANChoice of any of the 2 closest targets, or any vehicles/ buildingsELITE/ HEROChoice of any of the 3 closest targets, or any vehicles/ buildings If a leader or Hero with leadership skill is present in the troops squad, its members may fire upon targets not normally available to them on a successful troop dice roll (roll for each figure firing in such a manner). The rules regarding line of sight/ arcs of fire etc must still be obeyed. Note if the troop dice roll fails, that trooper may not fire in that phase. A sniper may fire upon any (except medic) figure on the battlefield without penalty or a troop roll being taken (line of sight etc must still exist) Vehicles may fire upon any target within range, regardless of crew troop level, as long as line of sight/ arc of fire are OK. This simulates the benefits of the superior targeting systems, avionics and computerized acquisition available in future vehicles. PICKING OFF LEADERS/ SQUAD SUPPORT WEAPONS/ MEDICS A controversial issue this, some other contemporary rule sets not allowing individuals to be selectively picked off as leaders may well look just the same as other troops they command, and squad support weapons will be picked up by other members of the squad if the individual carrying them is killed. In Beamstrike, if a figure with leadership skill, a medic or a squad support weapon carrying individual is targeted by an enemy troop, the leader/ medic/ support weapon soldier may make a troop dice roll (this simulates the leader staying low, keeping back slightly, and not drawing attention to themselves etc). A successful roll means the leader/ medic/ support weapon troop cannot be targeted, so the firer must choose a different target instead. If the leader/ medic/ support weapon individual is the only member of the unit visible or in range, or is under sniper attack or the only one left (!), this evasion cannot be used. In history, leaders (where identified) and support weapons have been selectively targeted to cause maximum damage to the enemy and Beamstrike follows this way of thinking. ALTERNATIVE RULE: Where prior agreement between players exists, you may wish to ban the selective targeting of individuals, with hits on a squad being assigned randomly or from the figures nearest to the firer, or allow the owner of the targeted figures to select which are removed from play (As is done in Warhammer 40K) MEASURING RANGE/ TARGETS WITHIN TEMPLATES ETC Assuming all of your figures are on standard bases, just measure from the base edge of the firer to the base edge of the target figure. Measure vehicle ranges from the edge of the main body of the vehicle, as it may or may not be mounted on a base. When you use template weapons, you may find a figure/ vehicle is just inside/ outside and open to debate. The figure/ vehicle is within the template/ cone and subject to being hit if any part of its base, or any part of a vehicle main body is covered by the template. For really equivocal situations throw 1d6. 1-3 inside template and is attacked. 4-6 outside template cannot be hit. BASIC HIT PROCEDURE Proceed to the Weapon lists and find the section for the specific weapon being fired. Measure the range to the target (from the edge of the firing figures base to the edge of the targets base) in inches and find out the score needed for a hit with that weapon at the measured range. Apply any modifiers to your dice roll from the hit modifier table. If the range is above the weapon ‘maximum range’, the shot cannot be taken, as it will miss automatically. If the modified dice roll is lower than that needed to hit, the shot has missed. If the score is equal to or higher than that needed to hit, a hit is scored on the target. If a natural 12 is rolled (two sixes), a critical hit is scored (see critical hits, below) For each hit, roll1d6 on the Damage chart for the hits effect, the dice roll for damage is modified by any factors on the Damage Modifier chart, such as targets armour and weapon power. HIT MODIFIER TABLE Apply the following hit modifiers to the 2d6 dice roll to hit. FIRERS TROOP RATINGSUPPRESSION/ MORALEVEHICLE TARGETSElite+3Firer is suppressed-2Vehicle bike/ trike/ skimmer+1Veteran+2Firing at suppressed troops-1Vehicle APC /Tank+2Regular+0Air target-3Civilian-2Firer is ‘shaken’ or ‘broken’-1Vehicle is Walker+3HeroVaries(+3 base)Vehicle is Mecha/ battlesuit+4OTHERTank is ‘hull down’No vehicle hit bonusCOVERTarget is AD trooper+1Target soft cover-1Target hard cover-2Firing on building itself+4Grenadier throwing grenades+2Target reinforced cover-4Through smoke-1AI-turret+1TARGETERUndeployed squad support weapon-2At 0-8 inches+1Target stealth cloaked-3At 8 inches ++2Firer is doper-2WEAPON USE Figures may only fire one weapon in any given fire phase. Exceptions are: Heroes may fire a pistol (including Palm Flamers) in each hand at the same target. Heroes with ambidexterity skill may fire each pistol at a different target. If the Hero has both constitution and ambidexterity skills, he/she may fire any Infantry table weapon (Not Heavy support weapons) from each hand at different targets. Multiple weapon packs on PA or AD armoured troops (Several weapons are strapped to the same arm- you can fire all weapons on ONE arm only) Exception-Heroes with ambidexterity can fire any two weapon packs. Vehicle weapons- All of a vehicles weapons may fire independently. Weapons with the same facing in fixed or pintle mounts, or in the same turret or AI-turret, must fire at the same target. Palm flamers-a weapon that does not really need to be aimed so may be fired wrong handedly- may be fired along with a weapon in the troops other hand. In all cases throw to hit for each weapon individually. Infantry Damage table (See QR sheet pack) The Infantry damage table determines the effect of a hit on a single troop figure. Use the modifier which corresponds to the damage type of the weapon (See weapon lists for this information). The dice roll for damage is modified by any shields etc the target may have. Modified rolls less than 1 are considered to be 1, modified scores above 6, count as 6. NE= No effect. The shot was deflected by the targets armour, or was just a minor flesh wound. The figure is not affected and may continue as normal. (Multiple hits of no effect still count as no effect) STUN= Stunned. A stunned figure cannot move or attack for 3 turns (use a suitable marker), unless he can roll a ‘6’ on a D6. (One try per turn following the stun hit). Subsequent stun hits reset the number of turns stunned to 3, never more. A stunned figure may not defend in a hand to hand combat attack, being automatically slain. GH= Glancing hit. The target was wounded, but not seriously enough to kill or disable, the figures armour absorbed much of the damage, the individual is shaken momentarily and may have fallen over or been knocked back. The target may not move or fire until after the next fire phase. He may defend himself in hand-to-hand combat if attacked. Use a glancing hit marker/ counter provided placed next to the figure. Take the marker away at the end of the next fire phase. If a figure suffers multiple ‘glancing hits’ in one combat phase, it still just counts as one glancing hit, they’re just really lucky! Kill= Killed/ dead. The figure received either a fatal hit, or a wound serious enough to prevent him from further participation in the battle. The figure is removed from play at the end of the fire phase, unless medical aid is given or victim has a digimedic. Damage table modifiers Add the following modifiers to the Damage Table 1d6 dice roll as appropriate: FI (Segregation. era)-1Alien targetVaries, see Alien supplementCritical hit+2Target is hero with constitution skill-2 SHIELD DAMAGE TABLE MODIFIERS Energy shield against lasers, conversion beamers, and auto blasters-3Projectile shield- against explosives, pistols, ramjets, CPP/ bolt guns-3  MISCELANEOUS COMBAT RULES NOTES ON CASUALTIES During a fire phase firing is simultaneous, so casualties on both sides are only removed at the very end of the fire phase when both players have had a chance to fire ALL eligible figures (Exception is the ‘first shot’ rule for concealed troops, see page 30) To help keep track, any figures killed (but who haven’t fired yet) are placed on their sides, so you know they still get their return shot before being removed. Any heavy weapons figures are carrying are destroyed when they are killed. MEDICAL AID/ DIGIMEDIC If a squad has a medic, one of the casualties in that squad, or any other friendly figure within 6 inches of the medic figure may be healed on the roll of a 4 or above on a 1d6. At the end of the fire phase, the player nominates one figure to receive medical aid per medic available. The nominated figure remains on its side on the battlefield. In the next friendly movement phase, the medic must move to the injured figure and spend the rest of that movement phase with him, at which point the roll is made. A failed roll means the figure is removed as dead, a passed roll means the figure is unharmed and ready to fight. Note that heroes may also have medical aid skill, as listed in the heroes’ skills table. A figure may carry a Digimedic (some armour types can have them built in), which if the figure receives a hit, he may roll 1d6. On a roll of 5-6 a kill result is downgraded to a ‘glancing hit’, similarly a ‘glancing hit’ is downgraded to a ‘no effect’. EXAMPLE OF RANGED COMBAT An elite Interventionist trooper is firing her gyrobolt rifle with targeter at a light armoured Continuationist who is 11 inches away with no cover. The hit score needed with a Gyrobolt rifle at 5-20 inches range is 8. The following hit modifiers are applied to the firers 2d6 roll to hit: Elite firer +3 Targeter at 8 inches+ +2 ----------------------------------------- TOTAL: +5 The player throws the 2 dice and scores 5. With the +5 bonus this is a total of 10, a hit is scored. A gyrobolt rifle has a ‘high’ damage factor; so a +1 modifier is used on the damage table. The target only has light armour which will be another +1 modifier to the 1d6 roll. 1d6 is rolled and a 5 scored, for a modified total of 7 (considered 6), which is a kill against light armour. The figure killed is placed on its side as it will still be able to return fire (if it hasn’t fired this phase yet), before being removed. TEMPLATE WEAPONS The fire from some weapons spreads out to affect an area, examples are flames from a flamethrower, automatic fire from CPP weapons and the immense chemical energy burst from a sun gun. The fire from these weapons is simulated by the use of a template. The weapon lists indicate which weapons may or must use templates. Place the thin edge of the indicated template marker against the edge of the base of the firing figure, with the cone pointing in any direction within the figures arc of fire. Anything within the cone is a target (including friendly units). Throw separately for each target to hit, in the normal way. Note indiscriminate use of template weapons can result in friendly fire incidents, both embarrassing and detrimental to your chances of winning, use with caution! WEAPON DEPLOYMENT Infantry Weapons: Are not deployed Squad support weapons and indirect fire weapons: A squad support weapon that is fired before deployment suffers a -2 penalty to the hit dice roll. Heavy weapons and Tripod mounted vehicle weapons: MUST be deployed before being fired. One move phase is taken to deploy the weapon. When a weapon is deployed, place a deployment counter next to it. Note vehicle mounted heavy weapons do not need to be deployed before use, considered already ‘deployed’. It takes no time at all to pick up a deployed weapon, but then it must be deployed again at its new location for full effect. SNIPER DEPLOYMENT Snipers may take 1 move phase to ‘deploy’ as per machinegun, use an appropriate marker for this. Once deployed however, they may claim cover at one band higher than they actually have. So, no cover becomes soft, soft becomes hard, and hard becomes reinforced. This represents the sniper digging in, using camouflaged clothing, setting up sights etc. The maximum level of cover allowed is ‘reinforced’. A deployed sniper also gains bonuses within the ‘which target may be chosen’ section, and benefits from the follow on fire rules below. An undeployed sniper does not get any bonuses and can only act as a normal trooper with a rifle. Weapons that snipers use are silenced, may use subsonic (quiet) ammunition, use laser beams outside the normal visible spectrum etc, and may have enhanced sighting systems including night/ poor weather capability. Because of this, deployed snipers ignore smoke, and are only ‘exposed’ after firing from cover on a failed troop roll. Example: Vladd, the Imperial Veteran sniper has deployed on a hill overlooking a Rebel firebase. His initial observations of the enemies fortifications leads him to decide to take out the gunner on a laser cannon mounted near the entrance to the base, to allow his troops unhampered access. If he fires his sniper laser, in his fire phase, he will only be EXPOSED on a failed veteran troop roll (if he rolls 1-3 on a d6). Otherwise he is still concealed and cannot be fired upon. For more on concealment and exposing troops see the Cover rules later. OPTIONAL RULE: CRITICAL HITS This rule may optionally be used, but may result in unexpectedly damaging hits from poor weapons. If a natural 12 (i.e. two sixes) is rolled when throwing the 2d6 to hit, this represents a particularly good or accurate shot. This is termed a ‘critical hit’ and 2 is added to the 1d6 throw on the Damage chart for assessing damage to figures. If a vehicle was hit, add 2 to the roll on the armour penetration table, and add 2 when throwing the 1d10 on the vehicle effect of hit chart. Note if a 12 was needed just to hit, it is NOT also a critical hit. SQUAD SUPRESSION When a deployed support or heavy weapon, a deployed sniper, a weapon from the tank gun chart, is fired at an enemy foot squad (UA,FI,LA,PA, and AD troops), whether or not a hit is achieved, suppression of that squad may be achieved. The squad under fire must make a troop roll at the end of the fire phase (use the troop type of the majority of the figures in the squad), modified as below. A failed roll means the whole squad is ‘Suppressed’ (place suppressed counter next to squad) and remains so until a troop roll is made (one roll can be made per squad at the start of each subsequent fire phase), or the suppressing attacker is destroyed by another friendly unit. MODIFIERS TO TROOP ROLL FOR SUPRESSION/ REMOVAL OF SUPRESSIONLeader in squad +2Squad less than ˝ strength -1 Beam or flame/ sun weapon -1Leader within 12 inches +1PA troops +1Target squad in heavy cover +1Total2 or 3 weapon -2AD troops +2Target squad reinforced cover +2 EFFECT OF SUPRESSION: A suppressed squad MUST move to the NEAREST cover of at least 1 level higher than it currently has unless already in hard/ reinforced cover in the next movement phase. The suppressed squad may not move toward suppressing attacker, unless by doing so it finds better cover in one movement phase. Once in cover, squad may only now move if it is to the nearest better level of cover, and any weapons fire by the suppressed squad is at a -2 hit penalty until the suppression is removed. As suppressed troops generally have their heads down, or gone prone in open ground, fire now directed at them is at a -1 penalty to hit. The careful use of suppressive fire and squad support weapons can give a significant advantage to the players army. Note that a squad suppressed by a particular weapon, may again be suppressed by the same weapon later in the game. WEAPON LISTS (See QR sheet pack) The Beamstrike weapon tables present a selection of small arms, support and heavy weapons for infantry units. Extra weapons can be inserted as required to fit the science fiction background you are using. For ease of play squads are usually equipped with the same weapon, with perhaps 1 member of the unit having a squad support weapon. Extra weapons may be found in existing or future ‘Era’ supplements. WEAPON: The weapon name along with the abbreviation used in Beamstrike CODE: The abbreviation used for this weapon in the rules TO HIT SCORE NEEDED: The number you need to roll equal to or higher on 2d6 to score a hit. Note that modifiers will apply to the dice roll. RANGE BANDS: The score needed to hit gets higher with an increase in range. Note that all weapons have a maximum range, beyond which fire is ineffective and cannot cause significant casualties. Ranges are measured in inches: 0-4 inches is point blank range 4-20 inches is close range 21-40 inches is medium range. 41-80 inches is long range Over 80 inches is considered Extreme range. MAX range. Fire over the maximum range of the weapon is not permitted and has no chance of achieving hits. DAMAGE TYPE: The damage type is a measure of weapon power and is applied as a positive or negative modifier on the damage table. FIRE TEMPLATE: Lists the template the weapon may or must use. POINTS COST: The points cost to ‘purchase’ one weapon of that type for a trooper. REMARKS: The remarks column lists any further relevant information or notes. * This weapon is capable of causing squad suppression ** 1pt infantry grenades, 2pts support grenades, 3pts specialised grenades + Throw 1d6 for damage type: 1=low,2= standard, 3-4=High, 5=Power, 6=Total GRENADES AND INDIRECT FIRE Troops equipped with grenades may throw them instead of using their normal ranged combat attack. A figure, vehicle or building must be nominated as the ‘target’. Roll to hit as normal with 2d6. If the grenade misses, assume the throw was way off the mark and has no effect. If a hit is scored, place the indicated template on the battlefield, with its centre laying over the target. All troops/ vehicles whose bases fall wholly or partially under the blast template are potential targets, their chance of being injured depending on their cover level: No cover, in open: Automatically hit Soft cover: Throw a 1d6 per figure, 1-2 miss, 3-6 hit. Hard cover: Throw a 1d6 per figure, 1-4 miss, 5-6 hit Reinforced cover: Throw a 1d6 per figure, 1-5 miss, 6 hit. High wall/ building/ large vehicle in way: Cannot be hit If grenade was thrown by a figure with ‘grenadier’ skill, 1 is added to the 1d6 roll above. Note that a figures cover level is determined by checking what cover is directly in a line between the centre of the blast (ground zero), and the figure. Troops out in the open will be cut down by well placed grenade/ missile hits, whilst those in cover are much less likely to be affected. The type of grenade thrown depends on what grenade ‘pack’ the figure is carrying. A figure may carry only one type of pack. There are three ‘packs’, the standard infantry pack is suitable for most troops most of the time, whilst the support pack includes more powerful variants suitable for anti-vehicular use or heavily armoured troops. The specialized pack contains a wide selection of munitions and counts as a figures ‘main weapon’ choice. This pack includes the anti-vehicular grenade for armour attacks and the stun grenade, useful for subduing civilians in riot situations. Grenade ammunition is considered unlimited. A trooper may select any one of the grenades from the carried pack, and throw one per fire phase. GRENADE AND LAUNCHER AMMO Assume for each grenade ‘pack’ unlimited grenades of each type are available, for most games only a few will probably be used per figure anyway. Note that many indirect weapons fire ‘grenades’ and although the cost is the same per ‘pack’, the actual munitions will be tailored to the weapon. E.g.: A hand grenade cannot be fired in a grenade launcher and vice- versa. As the damage and bust areas are similar for all these weapons, they are listed as firing ‘grenades’. SMOKE GRENADE A smoke grenade’s impact counts as ‘soft cover’ for those within the circle of burst, but the -1 firing penalty counts for those firing into or out of or through the area of smoke. A tuft of cotton wool denotes smoke nicely on the battlefield. The exposed troops and cover rules all still apply for figures in smoke, it just counts as the equivalent of soft cover. Note: If the troops are already in cover and smoke is discharged on top of this, count the cover as being 1 level higher than it is. No cover can be counted higher than ‘reinforced, though. It is permissible for a figure to discharge a smoke round in his own hand to give his firing position some cover. Vehicles do this with smoke canisters. The area of smoke lasts the duration of the game. INFANTRY GRENADES Grenade typeEffectBlast template High explosive (HE)Standard damage type- effective against lightly armoured troops2Smoke (SMK)Blocks vision (See below)2 SUPPORT GRENADES Grenade typeEffectBlast template Armour Piercing (AP)High damage type- small blast area, but better at taking out PA/ AD troops1Anti vehicular (AV), armour piercerPower damage against vehicles, low damage for any figures in burst area. Bonus of only -1 penalty against AM shields, rather than -3.1 SPECIALISED GRENADES Grenade typeEffectBlast template Fragmentation HE (FHE)Standard damage type-large burst area, effective against lightly armoured troops3Smoke (SMK)Blocks vision (See below)2Limpet (LPT) Self tracking once thrown/ fired, this grenade houses a shaped charge, affecting only one figure. +2 hit bonus, Power damage type1 figure onlyArmour Piercing (AP)High damage type- small blast area, but better at taking out PA/ AD troops1Stun (STU)Stun damage type.2Anti vehicular (AV), armour piercerPower damage type against vehicles, low damage type for any figures in burst area. Bonus of only -1 penalty against PS shields, rather than -3.1 CARTRIDGE PISTOL, RIOT GUN, GRENADE LAUNCHER, BAZOOKA These weapons function in the same way as hand thrown grenades, but have much longer ranges. All types fire munitions equivalent to any specialised grenade. These weapons can be used indirectly in conjunction with a support Targetter. You must pay points for the launcher AND ALSO one type of grenade pack (usually specialised). MISSILE LAUNCHERS The missile launcher fires an unguided rocket propelled shell to long distances (up to 60 inches), the burst area of the shell is larger than that of hand grenades or grenade launchers. There are several versions available including vehicle mounted and automatic weapons. MISSILE ROUNDS Missile typeEffectBlast template Anti-personnel (AP)Large blast area anti- personnel shell. Standard damage type.4Anti –tank (AT)Tank busting high penetration round. Total damage type against vehicles, standard damage type for any figures in burst area. Bonus of only -1 penalty against PS shields, rather than -3.1Note: Missile launcher variants may alternatively fire any type of specialised grenade (blast radius identical to grenade being used), but the trooper must have paid points for a specialist grenade pack as well. ATGW LAUNCHERS Anti-tank guided weapons fire advanced guided missiles with powerful warheads. ‘To- hit’ figures are low to represent the guided nature of the munitions. Expensive and powerful. Man- portable and vehicle mounted versions available. SUPPORT TARGETER AND INDIRECT FIRE A figure who has an indirect fire weapon (see list below), may take one move phase to ‘deploy’ a support targeter equipped weapon. The deployed support targeter then allows the battlefield to be viewed from the targeter of another comrade within 40 inches. Indirect fire may be given as follows: Support targeter must be deployed (takes 1 move phase) Support firer (figure A) announces which (targeter equipped) figure he is supporting (figure B). Figure B must be within 40 inches of figure A. The target (figure C) must be within range of the weapons of figures A and B, and B must have line of sight to the target (figure C) Support firer (A) can fire at C (even if he can’t see the target), with an additional -2 firing penalty. This support firing counts as figure A’s attack in that fire phase. Figure B may fire his own weapon normally at the same target (figure C). As you can see the support targeter allows figures with indirect fire weapons like missile and grenade launchers to hang back and give fire support to troops closer in the action, a bit like off table fire support.  INDIRECT FIRE WEAPONS ARE: Thrown grenades, grenade launcher, riot gun, cartridge pistol, bazooka and missile launcher, (Vehicles may also give indirect fire support if they mount any of the weapons above, or a missile salvo, as long as the firing vehicle has a sensor array, or there is a friendly command array equipped vehicle somewhere on the battlefield) NOTE: An undeployed support targeter equipped indirect weapon CANNOT be fired indirectly but may still be fired at targets where a line of sight exists DEMOLITIONS Any weapon may be used in fire against buildings, doors etc, although some are more effective than others. The effect of fire is determined by taking into consideration the power of the weapon and the strength of the target structure: If using these rules where large buildings are in play, sketch simple internal floor plans for each. Whenever such targets are hit, throw 1d10 and consult the following chart: Note figures with ‘sapper’ skill add 2 to their dice roll as they will selectively target ‘weak’ points of the structure. Explosive weapons (All grenades and missiles) use the column to the right of their actual power level (note that total damage type is the highest damage category) For example a HE grenade (standard power) actually uses the high power chart for demolition effect. TARGETWEAPON DAMAGE CLASS (1d10 roll)LOW (Melee class1)STANDARD (Melee class 2)HIGH (Melee class 3)POWER (Melee class 4)TOTAL Light door84321Heavy door108631Armoured door1010953 Standard roomNE11751Reinforced bunker roomNENE1297Length of heavy wallNE9875Fortress wallNENE1097 The number in the boxes is that required to demolish the item in question, throw equal to or higher than the number listed. See the effects of demolishing structures, below. NE: No effect on the structure, no matter how many attacks are made. For Total 2 weapons, add 1 to the d10 roll, for Total 3 weapons, add 3. EFFECT OF DEMOLITION A demolished door falls inwards, allowing access. Rooms or bunkers which are demolished collapse, destroyed. Collapsing rooms have the same effect on occupants as ‘standard’ hits. Any troops surviving a collapsing room are placed within 1 inch of the nearest outside room wall. In buildings with multiple rooms, the collapse of one room may weaken the structure sufficiently for others to collapse in a chain reaction. In such buildings, every time a room collapses, throw a 1d6. Roll for EACH adjoining room on that level and the level above (if present). On a roll of 1-2 the next room also collapses and any rooms adjoining that one will now need to be diced for. These rules could result in a building completely being destroyed by the ‘domino’ effect, after only one room initially being destroyed. Where the target is a wall of some kind, a demolition causes the wall to collapse 1 inch in each direction from the point of attack. Any figures on top of the wall at the time of collapse get an automatic hit at ‘standard’ damage type. Survivors are placed within 1 inch of the demolished wall section. Demolition pack Must be carried to the site of the demolition, then 1 move phase is taken to set it up, during which time the figure (must have ‘sapper’ skill) may do nothing else. The sapper may also set up the charge during a fire phase, but if he is hit by a firearm during set up, throw 1d6. 1-4 hits the figure, dice for damage as usual. 5- Demolition pack damaged, unusable. 6- Demolition pack detonates, blast template 1, total damage type. When set up, the demolition may be triggered by the sapper in any subsequent fire phase. Note that a dead sapper cannot detonate the charge. Use the ‘Total’ damage column of effect on the demolition for effect on structures. OFF TABLE FIRE SUPPORT/ LASER PAINTERS Beamstrike is a squad based infantry combat game and individual pieces of artillery (other than the very lightest), larger spacecraft, sea based warships and attack aircraft are outside the scope of the rules. These fire elements are collectively known as off table fire support, and are represented in the game as ‘support modules’ costing 15 points each. Each module of fire support may be called on once per player turn. Any figures on the table equipped with a ‘Laser painter’ may designate any target they have line of sight to, within 40 inches. Laser painting counts as an action, and is done in any fire phase (so firer may designate or fire but not both). Laser painting does not expose concealed troops as firing would, as the designation instrument is silent and simply ‘paints’ the target for lock-on of the advanced artillery/ vehicular/ starship targeting systems. The designator may call upon as many fire support modules as wished (up to the maximum number available), throw a 1d6 for each: Designating trooper part of a squad without a leader figure: 6 needed for a successful strike. Designating trooper has leader/ scout in squad: 5-6 needed for strike. Designating figure IS a leader/ hero/scout: 4-6 needed for a strike. Command vehicle is in play on table: 3-6 needed for a strike. Successful fire support strikes allow the placing of any grenade or missile blast template on the painted target immediately. A failure to call support still ‘uses’ up one module, but means the message was not received properly, or the painting signal was not locked, or the support modules were busy elsewhere. Note that support requests from leaders or heroes, or where a leader is near, are more likely to be granted. Example: An Isolate scout laser paints an enemy troop convoy. There are 5 modules of off table fire support available to the army, but another figure has already unsuccessfully tried to call on 3 of them. The scout is within 40 inches of the target, has line of sight, and instead of firing small arms , designates (he is equipped with a laser painter device) The scout needs to throw 4- 6 to successfully call a strike. He throws a 2 and a 6, meaning 1 module is successfully called, and one fails. He decides the call was for an anti-personnel missile and places the template over the figure which was designated. Note: ANY figure, vehicle or building may be designated for off table fire support, the size of the target is irrelevant, it is the pinpointed location on the surface of the planet that is communicated by the painting instrument, and the rank/ communication ability of the individual which determines the success of the strike. Note also that off table fire support cannot be destroyed as such, but by removing any figures with laser painters, you remove the threat of off table fire support. ON TABLE FIRE SUPPORT On table fire support is divided into 4 categories, squad support weapons, indirect fire support weapons, light standing turrets and light artillery. Squad support weapons are listed on the Squad Support Weapon list. They function in the same way as other weapons table direct fire weapons and need no further explanation here. Indirect fire weapons are the hand grenade, grenade and missile launcher, riot gun, bazooka and cartridge pistol and again have already been dealt with. LIGHT STANDING TURRET WEAPONS (Stationary AI-turrets) Standing turrets can be used to defend positions, guard valuable objects, or boost firepower at critical points. Standing turret weapons have several common features: They stand around 10 foot tall, cannot be moved during combat (are positioned by the owner before the battle starts), count as a stationary power armoured individual for damage purposes. They have 360o arc of fire, are computer controlled (bonus to use is as if troop using targeter), ‘regular’ troop category. They are basically computer controlled, immobile artificial intelligence turrets. Basic points cost per turret is: 20 plus the point cost of weapon installed. (Up to 3 infantry, squad support, or heavy weapons may be installed in each. See the weapons section for a couple of examples) When hit, an NE or Glancing Hit result has no effect, a Kill result destroys the turret. Note turrets are placed in position before play begins and may not be moved once placed.  LIGHT ARTILLERY Light artillery can be turret mounted, robo- mounted or stand alone (typically grav-lifter mounted). Light artillery may be any weapon listed in the tank armament chart. Turret mounted guns may mount any size 3 gun or less, and are computer controlled, having 360o arc of fire. They are identical to the light turret weapons listed above, but count as assault dreadnought armoured troops for hit purposes. Basic cost of a turret is 25 plus the cost of the tank weapon installed. Robo- mounted guns are attached to a heavy combat robot, removing the fragile ‘human’ element, and allowing some degree of mobility. Robo- artillery may mount either up to 4 linked forward firing heavy weapons (chosen from heavy weapon list), or any gun from the tank gun chart up to size 3. The Robo- artillery unit must not move the phase before it fires any tank gun. Firing heavy weapons may be done while moving. Robo- artillerists are assumed to have ‘gunner’ skill as part of their programming. Note that a lighter version of this robot, the robo- support is available, see robot section. Tripod mounted guns may be any size 3 or less tank gun, and require 2 troops, one gunner to aim and fire the weapon, and one as a spotter/ loader. Tripod mounted guns count as light armoured infantry for target purposes, any kill result destroys the gun, a miss or glancing hit has no effect. Tripod mounted guns may be moved as follows: It takes one move phase to ‘pack up’ the gun (by its two crew). In the next move phase, the crew (carrying the gun and ammo, usually with the help of anti-grav propulsers) may move as per power armoured infantry (even though they are fast infantry) At the new set up position, it takes one movement phase to deploy the artillery (it may not fire unless deployed first). Basic cost of tripod mounted artillery is 5 plus the cost of the tank weapon installed, plus the cost of two regular fast infantry gunners with laser pistols (which is 8 points each). When tripod weapons are fired upon, either the gun itself (counts as light armoured infantry), or the gunners may be chosen as a target. If the weapons crew is killed, the gun remains until either captured by the enemy, or friendly troops get to it. Non- gunner troops operating light artillery may do so at a -2 penalty to hit. COVER AND CONCEALMENT Leaving your troops out in the open with no cover is very foolish and your army will quickly be whittled down. Wise commanders make use of every possible piece of cover available and consider squad movements in relation to lines of sight of enemy troops, and the foot movement/ jump capability of their troops. See section 4 of the rules, especially obstacles and scenery. There are 5 levels of cover in a Beamstrike game as follows: COVER AND CONCEALMENT CHART Type of coverExamplesHit penaltyConcealment Range- figuresConcealment Range- VehiclesNONEDesert, road, large flat featureless terrainNone40 inches (30)As far as line of sight existsSOFTScrub, bush land, light woods, crops, foliage-110 inches (7)18 inchesHARDBuildings, low walls, heavy woods/ jungle, in crater, in trench, sandbags, behind vehicle-26 inches (4)8 inchesREINFORCEDBunkers, in armoured vehicles-44 inches (3)6 inchesABSOLUTENo line of sight, behind high wall etcCannot fire upon2 inches4 inchesNOTE: Concealment ranges in brackets are if the concealed troops have ‘scout’ skill. HIT PENALTY This is the penalty enemy troops have to their dice roll to hit if they fire on your element hidden by the various types of cover. CONCEALED TROOPS Troops or vehicles which are in at least soft cover and did not move in the last movement phase are considered concealed. Place a conceal marker next to the squad or vehicle. (Note by not moving in the previous move phase, troops may become concealed and deployed in the same phase). Concealed troops may not be fired at by their opponent unless they expose themselves by firing, moving, or are picked up by biological energy sensors. FIRST SHOTS Before each fire phase, both players announce which of their concealed units are going to fire. Such troops get a special ‘first shot’. This means that when they fire, the casualties they cause are removed from play immediately and have no chance of return fire. If important, the order of ‘first shots’ is as follows: All phasing players forces fire first, then the other players forces may fire, in order of troop training level. Once all first shots are dealt with, remove the concealed counter from those units and the fire phase goes on as usual. The troops who were concealed, but have now fired become eligible targets for other enemy units in a position to fire on them. First shots do not necessarily give away your position permanently- if you choose not to fire an immobile unit in the next fire phase, that unit is concealed again and cannot be fired upon (place a ‘conceal’ counter back with the unit). CONCEALED TROOPS IN BUILDINGS If troops are within buildings, although the enemy army cannot fire on the troops individually, it is permissible to target the building they are in with any weapon including off table fire support, with the aim of causing casualties by demolition of the building. This is to simulate the situation where troops were seen entering hard cover/ buildings and area/ suppressive fire is being poured into that area. This is NOT allowed if the troops were concealed from the start of the game and never moved or fired (as the enemy just doesn’t know they are there!) CONCEALMENT RANGE Battlefield troops are usually equipped with various sorts of biological energy sensors, including infra-red, motion detectors, thermal imagers and the good old human eyeball, allowing fire on troops which are concealed if the range is close enough. Regardless of whether a unit is concealed, they can be fired upon at the ranges listed on the cover and concealment chart, in the concealment range columns, as long as a line of sight to the unit exists. WOODS Due to the abundance of soft and hard cover and camouflaging foliage, troops may not fire through a wood further than 4 inches at figures, or 12 inches at vehicle or building targets. Examples: A tactical unit is 5 inches inside a wooded area on patrol for terrorist elements. The terrorist group of foot soldiers moves past, just outside of the woods. The unit in the woods cannot fire out, or be fired upon by the enemy. Two opposed units approach each other inside a wooded area. Although they will be aware of each others presence at 12 inches (soft cover concealment range), they cannot fire at each other until they are just 4 inches apart- Let the close combat melee commence! LINE OF SIGHT AND COVER Occasionally determining what type of cover a figure has can be difficult, because although a figure may not be next to a piece of cover, when the line of sight from the firer to target is visualized, cover elements may partially obscure the target. In these cases, the cover penalty for the firer is still applicable. Cover may protect figures from fire in one direction, but not provide protection from fire from another direction. An example would be troops behind a sandbagged wall. Enemy troops firing from the front would get the hard cover penalty, but if the enemy sneaked a few troops round behind the sandbags, the sandbagged figures would get no cover bonus! CLOSE COMBAT PHASE The close combat phase of the game turn gives forces in close contact another chance to act. When a member of a squad/ unit comes within 2 inches of another unit, both entire units are considered in ‘close combat’. Note that some figures in each unit will be further apart than 2 inches at this point, but the entire unit is still in ‘close combat’. Each member of the phasing players squad makes a troop roll. Figures succeeding their troop roll are allowed a further action, chosen from the table below (You may choose the action or roll randomly). CLOSE COMBAT ACTIONS TABLE 1D6 random (if needed)C.C. ACTIONNotes1-2Fire close assault weapon**Any pistol, auto laser, shotgun, SMG, palm flamer.3-4Move up to 2 inchesThis may include moving over obstacles, through an unlocked door etc, engaging into hand to hand combat. Squad formation/ coherency must be maintained5-6Throw a grenadeBear in mind blast radius! CASUALTIES IN CLOSE COMBAT Note that when close combat weapons (e.g.: SMG) are fired, or grenades thrown in close combat, resolve the hit and hit effect as normally, but if the defending players figure is killed it is removed from play immediately, there is no return fire. CLOSE COMBAT NOTES: Some systems do not allow firing into squads in close combat, but the Beamstrike rules mean that the close combat phase should resolve all close combat and hand to hand actions; the following move phase will give the opponent chance to move away from close combat, or to engage closer. Other squads may fire at units at close quarters with opponents, but must bear in mind that weapons with blast templates may well hit friend and foe, and their use is potentially dangerous. HAND TO HAND COMBAT When figures come in base to base contact (1/2 inch apart or less), hand to hand (melee) combat ensues. The outcome of any hand to hand combat is resolved immediately if in close combat, or otherwise at the end of that movement phase, there is no waiting until the next available fire phase. In Beamstrike hand to hand combat is deadly, and one or other of the combatants will not see the next phase! Both players throw a 1d10 for each trooper in melee combat, adding or subtracting the following modifiers to the roll: HAND TO HAND COMBAT THROW MODIFIERS Hero+3Doper-2Hibevor/ Grey-2Elite+2Fast infantry-0-Growwlan/ Spug+1Veteran+1Light armour infantry+2Warbird+5Regular-0-Power armour infantry+5Ferrapur+2Robot or android-2Assault Dreadnought infantry+6Centaling+3Civilian-2No melee weapon/ unarmed-3Thuntra+5Swordsman+4Each opponent above 1-3Melee weapon carriedSee list below for modifierJust had glancing hit-2Note that all modifiers are cumulative. E.g.: Elite hero in power armour with power glove (+2,+3,+5,+3)= +13 to 1d10 throw. Ambidextrous heroes using 2 melee weapons may dice for each one, taking the highest score. Melee Weapon list As Beamstrike is a mass combat game, the only differentiation of the items listed below is the points cost, melee combat bonus and any special weapon capabilities. Note weapon listings are for the Imperial Era and other Eras may have other melee weapons available, or have some items prohibited. See the specific Era supplement you are using for more details. ItemPoint costMelee bonusSpecial capabilityHtH’v’ vehiclenotesUnarmed/ no melee weapon0-3-1Civilians, prisoners etc.Gun butt0-1-1The figure must be carrying an infantry weaponSteel Sword/ knife/ axe/ club or Vibro knife/ rifle bayonet10-2-Vibro or Monomolecular sword/ Axe1.5*+1-2-Force or power sword2+3-3-Riot Stick2+3Kill=STUN3-Power glove2+3-3-Advanced force sword3+4-3ONLY Ferrapur,Centaling and Spug may use this.Imperial Warhammer3+42 handed, so counts as figures main weapon3Only Imperial forces may use.Imperial Warsword4+42 handed, so counts as figures main weapon4Massive sword. Imperial onlyPower Axe5+5-4-Crimson Rebel Power Glaive5+52 handed, so counts as figures main weapon4Only CR forces may use.Heavy Power axe7+5-4Thuntra only.Pirate Multiblades6+32 handed, so counts as figures main weapon May throw 2d10 in combat and use the highest roll.3Powered multi bladed melee weapon, used 2 handed. Must have swordsman skill to use. Pirates only!Light Sword (10,000 year war era and above ONLY)10+8Must have swordsman skill to use.4Only Elite/ hero may use. Counts as main weapon *Costs 1 point for 1 item, but if more than one figure is allocated this item, calculate total points for unit with a points cost of 1.5. For example, 4 figures carrying Vibro swords would cost 6 points. The total score for each combatant is noted. If the attackers score is equal to or lower than the defenders score, the attacker is removed from play. If the attackers score is higher than the defenders, the defender is removed from play. Note if you move into hand to hand combat during the move phase, after the combat is resolved, you may not move further if you had moved less than that figures maximum move allowance for that turn. The players whose turn it is, is always considered to be the ‘attacker’. Note figures with digimedics may make a saving throw to avoid being killed, and if successful, the figure is assumed unhurt. Killed figures may not be helped by a medic. Note: HtH versus vehicle column refers to the demolition table for use when individuals with Melee weapons try to attack buildings or structures, and the table below for Turrets/ vehicle attacks.1= First column, 2= second column etc. Melee weapons and doors. If a figure armed with a Melee weapon tries to knock down a locked door to gain entry (See demolitions rules) check the HtH v vehicle class in the above table. 1=LOW damage class, 2= Standard damage class, 3= High damage class and 4=Power damage class. HAND TO HAND COMBAT WITH MULTIPLE ATTACKERS Each figure may only engage in one round of hand to hand combat in a particular phase. It is permissible to place up to 4 attacking figures around a defending enemy to engage in hand to hand combat, as long as all attackers have sufficient movement allowance to move in base to base contact with the defender, and can be arranged in the configuration of one figure per side (one in front, one behind and one to each side). All figures roll their 1d10 (+/- modifiers), and each attacker must have rolled higher than the defending figure (who has extra penalties for fighting off more than 1 opponent) or face being killed. Example of one on one combat: An Imperialist shock trooper attacks a Crimson Rebel figure. The Imperial is a sword armed elite so adds 2 to his d10 throw. The Crimson rebel is in power armour so adds 5. Imperial troop throws 8 making his total score10. The rebel throws 5 also making his total score 10. As this is a draw and the Imperial shock troop was attacking, the rebel wins and the Imperial is removed from play. Example of 3 on one combat: During blacks movement phase, he has sufficient movement to move 3 of his Fast Infantry with power swords around Whites Assault Dreadnought armoured elite trooper with power glove. He places one figure in front and one to each side of whites. Blacks figures roll the dice, adding modifiers and get totals of 6, 9 and 11. Whites Assault Dreadnought scores a total of 10. Black removes 2 of his figures, along with whites dreadnought- The defending dreadnought had taken 2 enemies down with him! Hand to Hand combat with Turrets/ Vehicles If troops come into base contact with a vehicle or turret, they may in some circumstances initiate melee combat with the object. Use the table below to determine circumstance/ outcome: Troops in base contact with……Melee weapon class ‘v’ vehicles1 E.g: Unarmed2 E.g: Knife, sword, club3 E.g: Power/ force sword, glove4 E.g: Power Glaive/ Hvy power axe.Light turretNENEKOKOLight artilleryNENEMeleeKOMoving vehicle hull 0-2NENEMeleeMeleeStationary vehicle hull 0-2NEMeleeMeleeKOMoving vehicle hull 3+NENENEMeleeStationary vehicle hull 3+NENEMeleeMelee NE: No effect. Troops cannot harm a turret or vehicle with this melee weapon. MELEE: Make Hand to Hand combat rolls (1d10) as normal, the turret/ vehicle counts as being unarmed, the armour level of Turrets and Artillery is listed on pages 22 and 23 of the core rules. For vehicles, hull size 0 vehicles have a +0 HtH bonus, Hull size 1-5 is +3 per Hull size (So hull size 3 vehicle has a +9 to its HtH 1d10 roll). If the attackers win, vehicle takes 1 penetrating hit (no matter how many attackers win that round of hand to hand combat), if vehicle wins, there is no effect (Attackers are NOT killed). KO: Troops in base to base contact with object can automatically destroy it. Power/ force weapons can simply cut barrels off, or destroy the turrets targeting system. Note: Only wheeled, tracked and STATIONARY grav/ hover vehicles can be melee attacked. Moving Grav/ hover vehicles cannot be attacked in this way. Riot sticks/ unarmed combat Figures who win a hand to hand combat bout with a riot stick, or who are unarmed get a ‘stun’ result instead of a kill. This means that a stun counter is placed next to the loser and that figure may not now do anything for 3 turns unless a 6 is rolled on a 1d6 (throw once per turn). A stunned figure, if attacked by another figure with a melee weapon or firearm is automatically slain. MORALE AND LEADERSHIP Morale rules within war games are created to simulate what would happen to a real army if it lost a substantial percentage of its troops, as very few units would continue the carnage down to the very last man (Rebel factions not included!), as realistically, a broken army would initiate an organised retreat, intent on saving further casualties and getting its remaining forces out of there to fight another day. In one-off fights it can be hard for players to understand why its last few brave figures will retreat, when they were so close to victory, but if you were on the ground, under gyrobolt gun attack, with Assault Dreadnought armoured troops closing in on your position, perhaps you would feel differently! Note also see ‘suppression’ rules section, with weapon deployment. At the beginning of a game, calculate your army’s starting morale strength by adding points for each element as follows: ElementPointsElementPointsElementPointsEach trooper1Each armoured vehicle or hero3Each nominated building/ key defence position/ VIP civilian or unarmoured vehicle5-20 (Agree before battle) A figure counts as lost if he is killed. Medics never count as lost if killed, but do add to an army’s morale strength at the beginning of the game. This is because friendly troops are infuriated, not demoralised, if a medic is targeted. An armoured vehicle is counted as ‘lost’ for morale purposes if it is ‘knocked out’. It is still in the game (no morale loss) if it is only immobilized or has its weapons knocked out, or has lost its crew. Once the starting morale strength has been calculated make a note of this figure, along with the half morale strength value (round fractions up) on the battle sequence monitor sheet at the end of these rules. At the end of each fire phase (and occasionally at each close combat phase), adjust the current morale strength. When morale point losses come to half of the original total, the army’s’ morale is ‘shaken’ SHAKEN ARMY (place shaken counter next to army) When an army is ‘shaken’ it may not advance, but may hold its ground or start to retreat, it may fire upon eligible targets as wished. A shaken army must make a morale test at the end of each ‘own’ player turn. To do this, throw 2d6. If the score is 7 or more, the army is ‘broken’. BROKEN ARMY (Place broken counter next to army) A broken army must retreat all troops and vehicles their maximum movement distance in at least 1 move phase per turn, except those rallied by leaders, or fanatics or robots. In the other move phase, it may stand its ground but cannot advance. A broken army also may not engage any targets other than those who have fired upon them in the same turn, or those that block off the army’s retreat NOMINATED BUILDINGS/ KEY POSITIONS Before the game commences, an independent spectator may nominate, or the players mutually agree key scenery or terrain features/ positions which are allocated a morale value. This can include key bunkers, a bridge, a checkpoint, a fuel dump, or other important position. These are added to the morale strength as normal, and treated as lost if destroyed by demolition, or captured by the enemy (i.e. the defenders are all killed). The morale value for the item is then added to the other players’ morale strength. If captured back, the morale value then passes back to the original player. In this way it is possible for an army to be shaken by the loss of such a position, but then stop being shaken if it is recaptured. A broken army is broken; it is too late to do anything by that time, unless the troops are rallied by leaders. In certain game scenarios, even civilians may be assigned a morale value in the game, if the objective of one side is to rescue/ kidnap them. Arc of facing while retreating When units are retreating they may retreat on foot, but still be facing forward, this means they may fire back at troops who are still attacking them. The exception is vehicles which when retreating turn around (and may only fire back into the battle with turreted or rear facing weapons), and troops which have jump packs, they must turn to ‘jump’ back, thus exposing their backs to enemy fire. Retreating troops do not have to follow squad coherency rules, and must make for the ‘friendly’ table edge they came from. In games where troops started in the centre of the table, they retreat as close to the central part of the table as possible. SUPPRESSION AND MORALE In a game of Beamstrike, suppression applies to an individual squad, or single independently acting figure whereas morale rules apply to the whole army. LEADERSHIP AND RALLYING TROOPS Each army must purchase at least one figure with leadership skill to act as the duty officer in that engagement. Often players may well wish to purchase many more, often around one per squad (See troop characteristics for more information on leaders). The moment an army is ‘broken’ and starts to retreat, all leaders present may attempt to rally remaining troops around them. For each leader roll 1d6, and the score is the number of troops the leader has rallied and who will stay with him. Heroes may also rally troops and roll 1d6. Heroes with leadership skill may roll 2d6, taking the highest figure (not adding the dice together). Troops must be within 8 inches of the leader when the rally roll is made, or they are too far away to be rallied. The rallied troops may fire and move as normal, and do not have to retreat with the rest of the army. The rallied troops now count as a new unit/ squad for coherency purposes, even though they may have come from different original infantry elements. Leader figures may be assigned to each squad for greatest effect, or a separate ‘command’ squad may be created containing the leader figure. Fanatic troops/ robots Morale rules do not apply to fanatic troops and robots. Any fanatic human troops which were not fired upon in the last fire phase must move straight towards the nearest enemy unless they are in a coherent squad containing a leader, or another leader/ hero figure is within 8 inches. The advance must be directly towards the nearest visible enemy, if no enemy is visible fanatic troops advance towards the enemy table edge. REINFORCEMENTS Reinforcements are extra units sent to strengthen a military force or aid in the performance of its mission. Dependant on the scenario (and agreed before the game commences), a proportion of an armys troops/ vehicles may be held in ‘reinforcement’. Troops held for reinforcements are not placed at the start of the game, but are held off- table until they are called. Units allocated as reinforcements only cost 80% of the points value of regular units. (For example a tank is going to be used as a reinforcement, it usually costs 100 points, so now it only costs 80 points) Reinforcements may be introduced in several ways: Q- Travel pod. (See Q- pod section), cost 30 points per pod) Placed anywhere on the battlefield before troops are placed (bear in mind the travel pods can be destroyed by enemy troops). Each Q-travel pod can transport up to 5 figures of any troop class or a light vehicle (vehicles up to hull class 2), in each movement phase. Note that as troops must move into or out of a Q- travel pod, the bay can only in fact be used in one move phase per player turn so it spends the other waiting for troops to enter or clear the pod. Troops may freely move from ‘reinforcement’ status into any Q- pod in any movement phase, no dice roll is needed. They may then fire from the Q- pod in the fire phase and move off the pod in the next friendly move phase. Troops may move from one pod to any other on the table. In evacuation scenarios, troops move into a Q-pod, and in the next move phase are teleported safely to a waiting starship. The high points cost of Q- travel pods includes the orbital craft support and control mechanisms. A Q-travel pod is destroyed on any ‘KILL’ result from ranged fire, and counts as a stationary assault dreadnought armoured troop for armour purposes. Glancing hit results have no effect. Q- travel pods may be inactivated by any trooper in base to base contact armed with a power or a force weapon. Ground based. (no extra points cost) Reinforcements may enter the battlefield from the friendly table edge. To call in a reinforcing unit, a 1d6 roll can be made during each friendly movement phase for each squad/ vehicle/ independent figure The dice roll needed to succeed is the same as that for calling in off- table fire support (for example, a leader needs to roll a 4-6 for success). A laser painter device is NOT needed to call a reinforcement. Units successfully called are placed within 2 inches of the friendly table edge in that movement phase, they may not move further in this movement phase. Thereafter they may fire and move as normal. Point drop- ship (Costs 20 points per ship available) A hull class 5 drop ship with the capacity to drop 24 FI troops (See rules on troop capacity and armour type) or a hull class 2 or 3 vehicle, or 2 hull class 1 vehicles, or 3 hull class 0 vehicles into action. The ‘point’ drop ship will only drop troops anywhere on the table then immediately leave, it may not fire or take any further part in the action, it is there solely to drop troops off. To call in a drop ship, a 1d6 role can be made during each friendly movement phase for each point drop ship available. The dice roll needed to succeed is the same as that for calling in off- table fire support (for example, a leader needs to roll a 4-6 for success). A laser painter device is NOT needed to call a drop- ship. Drop ships successfully called in a movement phase are placed in a ‘landed’ position on the field, in the next friendly move phase, troops may disembark and are placed within 1 inch of the ship. In the next friendly move phase, the ship takes off and leaves the battlefield. Note that there should be one fire phase within all of this allowing the enemy to shoot at incoming/ landed drop ships. This is allowed, the vehicle hits tables are used normally (vehicle is classed as airborne),and your reinforcing troops are classed as being onboard passengers, so if the drop ship is destroyed, goodbye reinforcements. Destroyed/ disabled dropships cannot be used again but do not count towards morale. Drop ships which have just left the battlefield may be called back again in the next friendly movement phase. In evacuation scenarios, troops may move into a point drop ship, and in the next move phase are transported safely to a waiting starship. Note also that existing troops can be moved around the battlefield in ground based vehicles, or in drop-ship type aircraft which have been purchased for continual use in the game (rather than point drop- ships). Reinforcements and morale See morale rules. Only units in play on the battlefield count towards morale, reinforcements are only added to the morale total when they come onto the table. Care is needed as a battle may be lost before reinforcements arrive on the scene! If an existing army is ‘shaken’ you may still attempt to reinforce and if successful, the extra morale points added from reinforcements arriving may take your army total morale points above the half value again, meaning the army is no longer shaken. If your army is ‘broken’ adding reinforcements at this point does not alter the morale status of the existing force, they must still retreat as in the core rules. However, any reinforcements called in the next turn after an army becomes ‘broken’ may be added to any ‘rallied’ troops (See leadership and rallying troops), if they appear on the table edge within 8 inches of a leader who has just rallied. Unrallied reinforcements, or those still off table are considered lost after an army is broken. ANDROIDS AND ROBOTS IN BATTLE The use of androids and robots on the future battlefield is common place. Often built stronger than mere flesh, and hard wired to ignore the effects of suppression and morale they make excellent warriors. Variants include massive walking artillery support bots, to stealthy assassin droids, to maintenance and technical robots. The downside to using these units are their relative lack of close combat ability and unpredictability if hit.. Robots and androids are moved in the same way as living troops, ranged combat is treated normally if the robot or android is fitted with firearms RULES SPECIFIC TO ROBOTS -2 penalty to Hand to hand combat roll, often have inferior movement capability compared to humans. Each time the robot has a glancing hit result (in other words was hit but not ‘killed’), roll 1d6. On a result of a 5 or 6, the robot has a malfunction May not call off table fire support or reinforcements. Robots may not be classed as heroes, but may be assigned skills including fanatic. RULES SPECIFIC TO ANDROIDS -2 penalty to Hand to hand combat roll May not call off table fire support or reinforcements. Androids may not be classed as heroes, but may be assigned skills including fanatic. Androids may NOT mount personal shields, as they interfere with their positronic brains Robots and Androids may be assigned with fanatic skill and ignore morale rules and fight to the bitter end as per their programming, but do not advance automatically. Robots and androids ignore Suppression rules. MALFUNCTIONS Place a malfunction marker next to the robot in question, At the end of the firing phase, after all other attacks have been resolved, roll 1d6 for each malfunctioning robot and consult the table below: Dice scoreResult1-3Does not fire in next fire phase (essentially as glancing hit)4Fires at nearest enemy (resolve in this fire phase)5Fires at nearest building, vehicle or flying vehicle (in that order), whether friendly or enemy. (resolve in this fire phase)6Fires at nearest figure, vehicle, flying vehicle, support weapon, or occupied building (in that order) whether friendly or enemy. (resolve in this fire phase) In the movement phase, roll 2d6 If the score is less than 6, the robot does not move in that movement phase, if the score is 6 or above the robot moves in the direction indicated on the diagram below:     At the end of each players own turn end, roll a 1d6 for each malfunctioning robot. A roll of 1-3 means the robot continues to malfunction, a roll of 4 means the robot shuts down and is removed from play and considered killed for morale purposes, a roll of 5 or 6 restores the robot to full operation. EXAMPLE ROBOTS AND DROIDS The following table gives Beamstrike points values for robots and androids. Note the total points cost per figure may vary slightly from the equivalent human value with the same weapons, this takes into account movement rate of robot, any skills or built in equipment, or special weapon pods which may increase/ decrease their combat effectiveness. Arm weapon packs or linked chest/ body weapons are treated just like multiple weapon packs on PA or AD troops, i.e. must fire at same target etc….Only one weapon pack is usually fired per fire phase, unless second pack contains hand flamers . NAME: Robot or Android name AND OR ROB: This means is it an android or a robot (Malfunctions apply only to Robots) POINTS: Game points cost per robot, note that you may need to spend additional points on armaments. MODEL AVAILABLE: Any metal miniature available commercially to represent this robot. TRAINING: The troop training class of the robot. MOVE CLASS: The equivalent standard troop type this figure moves as. ARMAMENT/ ACCESSORIES INCLUDED: Lists any weapons, equipment or other items the robot is usually equipped with and is included in the points cost per figure. ARMOUR CLASS: Construction equivalent of robot, used if hit to determine damage. FURTHER NOTES: Any further information applicable to the robot or Android. EXAMPLE BEAMSTRIKE ROBOTS NameAnd or RobPOINTS per figureArmour classModel availabilityTrainingMove classArmament/ accessories included in points costFurther notesImperial hvy Battle droid R37PA15mm.co.uk, laserburn 311VETDASupport bolter, Targetter, fanaticSlower moving, but hardy in combat. Near miss results have no effect.Security Robot R19FI15mm.co.uk, laserburn 600, 601, 602VETPASquad Hvy laser, TargetterSlower moving, but hardy in combat.Robo- ArtilleryR55 Plus cost of gunsHull class 2 legged vehicle variantGZG guncrab variants,REGADMay mount any 4 linked Heavy weapons or a single tank gun up to size 3. Support TargetterHeavy robot able to mount large guns and negate the need for artillery crews. Must halt to fire weapons.Robo- supportR38 Plus cost of gunsAD15mm.co.uk, laserburn 311 REGADMay mount up to 2 squad support weapons, both are fired at the same target. Support Targetter.Squad back up robot with capability to carry support weaponsMedical droidA15LA15mm.co.uk, laserburn 600, 601, 602REGLANo weapons mounted.Moves around independently, has medical aid skill.Cyborg Dog A13FI15mm.co.uk, Laserburn 118 Guard dogREGAs antigrav, no penalty for turningJaw as powerglove Fanatic, penalty of -2 to hit. Used by Scout and Colonial Police dog handler units. Dog handler’s armed with grenade launchers and support targeters keyed to their Cyborg dogs; so dog handler’s can use Cyborg dogs line of sight to fire at indirect targetsRobo- Scout A40PAGZG SG15-A3REGLALaser rifle, laser painter, jet packFast moving reconnaissance droidScout podR20LA15mm.co.uk, HOF45 Robot Scout DronesREGFILaser painter, laser pistol.Small scout unitSentry RobotR29PA15mm.co.uk HOF43 Armoured Sentry RobotREGADHeavy laser built into its eye. Energy shieldCubist style body and single cyclopic eye. This Sentry is perfect for guard duty or environmental hazard situations with its thick armour. Background notes on Robots and Androids A major differentiation which must be made is the difference between a robot and an android. A robot is a mechanical machine which follows instructions from a computer program or a hard wired set of values. It has no capacity to think for itself or operate outside its program (unless damaged!) Robots are in use throughout the Galaxy in many roles, from menial tasks, now deemed too boring for sentient life, or in situations where the precision/ toughness or strength of mechanical limbs is superior to that of the controlling race. A fearsome use of robots is in combat and War, where the lack of fear or any thoughts of self preservation makes robots the ideal battlefield soldiers of the future. An android is capable of sentient thought and making its own decisions. The androids basic functions and initial brain programming will influence its behavior to a great deal. Androids are viewed with some suspicion by many of the population. Perhaps this is due to memories of the Great Droid War (See below), the fact that many are superior to humans, or are in positions of power, or just a superstitious fear of ‘synthetic’ people. The Great Droid War Around the time of the Imperiums greatest control of the core Sol worlds, problems were growing with the increasing numbers of Androids in use throughout these inner most worlds. Sentient artificial life forms were being built with a real capacity for independent thought, and then used for menial or boring work, or used in dangerous situations (War, mining, work in highly radioactive areas etc). It started slowly at first, but a groundswell of bitterness was welling up within many Androids, who although had behavioral inhibitors to prevent unprovoked attacks on biological life forms, were nevertheless fed up with their lot in life. A small minority, however, had their behavior inhibitors removed and were free to act independently. The Great Droid War lasted some 7 years, during which time thousands of robots and lower droids were built and programmed for destruction and War. HEROES AND CHARACTERS Heroes (or the Evil counterpart, villains) are particularly capable or famous individuals. On the battlefield, well placed and commanded heroes can turn the tide of a battle, and boost morale and troop performance, some are very deadly in combat, cutting a swathe through enemy ranks, leaving a pile of broken bodies in their wake. Heroes may fire a pistol (including palm flamers) in each hand at the same target. Heroes with ambidexterity skill may fire each pistol weapon at a different target. Heroes with ambidexterity skill and constitution skill may fire any infantry weapon table weapon from each hand at different targets. Heroes are expensive (20 points), so think carefully before buying too many, they are still individual figures who can be killed. For more information on heroes, see the troop training level section. CONSTRUCTING HEROES Heroes cost a base of 20 points each, may be male, female, or cyborg and have several bonuses and advantages throughout the rule system. (e.g.+3 hand to hand combat rolls, 2+ to succeed troop roll etc). They can be considered as a troop training class above elite. Each hero also has a base +3 bonus to hit with ranged fire. Ranged fire may be upgraded by paying an additional 2 points per +1 bonus up to a maximum of +6 (which would cost an additional 6 points). Each hero now gets 3 abilities rolled from the chart below. Each ability has one skill level, so if you roll the same skill twice, just roll the dice again until another is indicated. Additional skills may be selectively ‘purchased’, the cost being shown below next to the skill name. No hero may have more than 6 special abilities, so choose and roll wisely! Note that hero abilities are NOT available to other troops for purchase, but that all regular troop abilities are available to heroes. HERO ABILITY TABLE, THROW 1d100 1d100 Dice RollSkill/ costDescription1-5Gun skill (3)Adds 3 to hit dice for one nominated weapon.6-10Scout (3)May act as a scout in the game11-15Quick fire (2)May fire an extra shot at each target16-18Ambidextrous (5)Can carry and use 2 hand to hand weapons, and fire at 2 different targets.19-20Sapper (2)May act as a sapper in the game21-25Artillerist (1)May act as a gunner in the game26-30Initiative (2)May roll twice to act in close combat.31-35Aggressive (1)May throw for close combat options for enemy within 4 inches(not 2 ins)36-40Leadership (8)May act as a leader in the game41-45Medical (3)May act as a medic in the game46-50Nerves of steel (2)May ignore glancing hit results51-55Fortune (4)If you suffer a ‘kill’ damage result, throw a 1d6. On a 5 or 6, this is downgraded to a glancing hit instead.56-60Dodge (1)Twice during a battle you can say you are going to dodge a shot before the hit dice are thrown. Subtract 3 from the firers dice score to hit you.61-65Constitution (5)Attacks on hero have -1 penalty when rolling 1d6 for damage66-70Swordsman (3)May add an additional 4 to the d10 dice throw in hand to hand combat.71-75Marksman (4)Figure adds 2 to his hit dice throws76-80Sharpshooter (5)Figure rolls an extra 1d4 as well as the 2d6 when firing.81-85Grenadier(2)Add 2 to your hit dice when throwing grenades, or using indirect fire weapons86-90Agile (3)May move twice the normal amount in either move phase, but not both.91-95Martial Arts (4)Roll an additional D10 in Hand-to-Hand combat – take the highest roll96-98Sniper(3)May act as a sniper in the game.99-100IntuitiveImmediately after enemy has moved, move a further 3 inches in any direction, but not closer to any unconcealed enemy. Hero/ Heroine RECORD SHEET Use heroes sparingly in battles, bear in mind most of the major figures would not be on the ground sweating with the grunts, but occasionally they can be fielded to add spice to a game, perhaps as an assassination target, part of a diplomatic convoy that is attacked etc. The points value for each figure is calculated normally, taking each as a 20 point basic hero and adding points for extra ranged fire bonus, extra skills, armour, training level, and equipment. Specific heroes can be found in each of the Beamstrike ‘Era’ supplements. BEAMSTRIKE HERO RECORDName: Sex:Ranged hit Bonus:Race: Age:HtH bonus:Skills: Armour: Hero Point cost:Loyalty:Weapons: Equipment: Story:  POINTS VALUES CHART (Version 1.2 core rules) The points value chart lists all of the troop types, weaponry, vehicles and equipment used in the Beamstrike rules, further descriptions of weapon systems listed can be found in appendix A. More weapons, vehicles. Robots and equipment can be slotted in, as required, for the Sci-fi ‘verse’ you are using, by comparing the item you wish to use with similar examples given in these rules. Spaces on the chart allow you to add your own items as needed. Point values for troop types, equipment and vehicles listed below to allow generation of roughly balanced forces. Point values for armoured vehicles and robots and droids are found later in the book. Points are for each individual or weapon. ARMOURWEAPONSUnarmoured (UA)2Laser pistol2Blast pistol3Fast Infantryman (FI)5Laser rifle5Blast Carbine5Light Armoured (LA)8Squad Heavy laser8Blast rifle6Power armoured (PA)18Auto- laser4Antimatter beamer15Assault Dreadnought (AD)27Sniper laser7Gyrobolt pistol3Gyrobolt rifle4PERSONAL EQUIPMENTRapid fire Gyrobolter5Targetter3Heavy Gyrobolter6Support Targetter8Support Gyrobolter10Digimedic3Laser painter5Autopistol1Machine pistol2TRAININGAssault rifle5VEHICLE ACCESORIESHERO20Pulse rifle (inc. riot gun)*8AI- turret (for up to 3 wpns)10ELITE10Automatic shotgun3Forward wpn mountfreeVETERAN5Submachine gun3Mecha blades3REGULAR2Machinegun7Mecha power claw5CIVILIAN0Sniper rifle6Mecha Jetpack15Long Rifle3Gun link5GRENADESLight minigun8Pintle mount3Infantryman1Gauss rifle10Command array15Support2Needle rifle3Sensor array10Specialised3P-Beam Rifle15Smoke cannisters3JET PACKSARMOURED VEHICLESCivilians cannot mount packs0Palm flamer3See section on vehicles and tank buildingPack for Fast infantry/scouts5Flamethrower5Pack for Light armour5Plasma gun14SUPPORT/ REINFORCEMENTSPack for Power armour6Sun gun20Module of fire support15Pack for Assault Dreadnought10Q- travel pod30TROOP SKILLSRiot gun2Point drop ship20Leadership8Grenade launcher*3Fanatic3Cartridge pistol*7Sniper3Missile launcher *10HAND TO HAND WPNSSapper2LAW pistol5Steel Sword/ knife/ axe/ club or Vibro knife/ rifle bayonet1Grenadier2Ramjet pistol6Vibro or Monomolecular sword/ Axe1.5Medic3Force or power sword2Gunner1Smartgun17Riot Stick/ Power glove2Scout3Heavy Sniper rifle12Advanced force sword3Swordsman3Sonic rifle5Imperial Warhammer3FORCE SHIELDSImperial Warsword4Energy shield person/ vehicle3/10Power Axe5Projectile shield person/ vehicle3/10Demolition pack5Crimson Rebel Power Glaive5Null shield15Autocannon20Heavy Power axe7Invisibility cloak7Laser cannon30Pirate multiblades6Multi-shield25Bolt cannon25Light sword10Robocannon turret30ROBOTS AND ANDROIDSRocket turret32See robot and Android section*You must also purchase a grenade pack to fire grenades. ARMY LISTS Army lists may be used to calculate roughly equal strength armies for competitive games. Note that where larger vehicles and artillery is introduced, the balance of the game may be upset. Armies of around 500 points per side should give a 2-3 hour session. 1000 points per side should give a game lasting around 4-5 hours, and Large armies up to around 2000 points per side will last a whole day or longer. See the scenario ideas section for example force sizes and victory conditions. Force organization and platoon size/ squad size etc are fairly flexible in Beamstrike; we have avoided rigid force structure and favour a more fluid approach, where players are free to choose what they like from the models they have available and the sort of game they wish to play. Note weapons listed in army lists are those that the troops listed would normally carry. Other weapons may be equipped, depending on the scenario, with the agreement of both players; you will need to adjust point’s values accordingly if this is done. FOR SPECIFIC ARMY LISTS, PLEASE SEE THE 4 BEAMSTRIKE ‘ERA’ SUPPLEMENTS   Alien ‘BUG’ Army Alien ‘Grey’ Army   Imperial Army Crimson Rebel Army   Police Army Mercenary Army SECTION 3 – VEHICLES AND ARMOURED WARFARE Although mainly replaced by Powered and Assault Dreadnought armoured troops on many worlds, there is still often a need for large armoured combat vehicles in the far flung future. Able to pack heavy weapons and with extended range, tanks and armoured personnel carriers are used during total war situations and by cultures of lower technological development levels. Presented below are playtested, developed, rules based on Wes Camps Tank rules for Imperial Commander , further developed and expanded by Ian Garbutt. These rules include sections on Walkers, Mecha, battlesuits and many other vehicle types. A wide variety of vehicular weaponry and auxillary systems are also presented. VEHICLE TYPES: Beamstrike splits vehicles into two broadly different types. Softskin vehicles tend to be those in civilian use, which while able to mount weapons in some cases, tend to be found in use for transports or a ‘bystanders’. A list of generic soft skin vehicles ready for play can be found in the vehicle lists at the end of this section. Armoured vehicles are those used for combat and the most numerous in the Beamstrike game. A vehicle builder chart is used to create armoured vehicles and calculate the points value for their use. Armoured Vehicle Types: TANKS MECHA (Battlesuits) WALKERS TRANSPORTS Some descriptional notes for each type is given below: TANKS: A tank is defined as an armour- plated vehicle, mounting a variety of large weapons in a turret, and having several modes of propulsion, from tracks in low- technology societies to grav- plates in more advanced civilizations. A variety of tank sizes are listed in the vehicle builder chart, from the light and maneuverable scout car and light tank, to the all-round versatility of the medium tank, to the heavy and super-heavy main battle tanks. Armoured Personnel Carrier- These vehicles are similar to light tanks, but do not have a turret mounted weapon. The extra room inside provides either protected transport for troops, OR room for command communication equipment.  APC Transport limits are as follows: Can transport up to 10 LI troopers. Can transport up to 8 AI troopers. Can transport up to 5 PA troopers. Can transport up to 3 DN troopers. BATTLESUITS AND MECHA: Available in various sizes and configurations, generally considered to be legged anthropomorphic (having human form) tanks, very much like huge suits of assault dreadnought armour, but where the pilot sits in a cockpit rather than ‘wearing’ the armour. Vulnerable to fire on limbs, and providing a very tall visible target to all on the battlefield, mecha can be as much of a liability as an asset. Special movement abilities of mecha include the ability to ‘jump’ using huge jetpacks. Battlesuits can mount weapon ‘packs’ on limbs and can ‘stomp’ on hapless troops who stray to close to their legs. Although in the same category, battlesuits must have human form and be melee capable, while Mecha do not have this stipulation. WALKERS: Walkers are probably best described as tanks on legs. Able to operate in areas where wheeled or tracked vehicles could not enter, legged vehicles are ideal in inner city or forested areas. Not as sophisticated or expensive as grav vehicles, they never the less have their own niche. Vulnerable to hits on the legs, easy to hit, and not able to carry very heavy guns, walkers do have their limitations. The Heavy walker is a much larger version of the light walker, some models having 4 legs rather than the standard 2. Can mount a main gun in a turret and has higher armour level. TRANSPORTS: Large, armoured transport vehicle, used by the military to carry ammunition/ large numbers of troops or other military vehicles into action. Carry 4 times the number of troops as APCs can, or can carry 1 tank/ 2 cars or 4 bikes into action. Another variant is the Transport Walker, a large, slow, troop vehicle on legs with the same troop carrying capacity. Restrictions on fielding armoured vehicles Beamstrike is primarily a troop based miniature game, but vehicles may be fielded. Bear in mind that the ‘balance’ of a game may be upset by introducing armoured vehicles alongside foot troops. Although you may field whatever armoured vehicles you like if both players agree, generally armour will be used in proportion to the numbers of troop squads fielded. For every 5+ man squad you have, you earn 1 armour point to spend on armoured vehicles. You can spend your points in 0.5 increments. Please note that this is the number of armoured vehicles you can field, you still have to pay the points values for them, as described in the armoured vehicle builder chart.  Fielding costs are as follows: Super heavy/ Heavy Tanks/GMCs/ transports cost 3 ArmourP’s Medium Tanks/ Heavy walkers/Heavy Mechs cost 2 ArmourP’s Light Tanks/ light walkers/ Medium Mechs cost 1 ArmourP’s APCs/ Light mecha cost 0.5 points. Tank Building procedure To construct an armoured vehicle for use in the Beamstrike game, first select a hull type, bearing in mind the special bonuses/ penalties associated with each type. Next choose which locomotion type it will have, based on the choices available in the tank builder chart, and any restrictions due to the Era you are playing in. The locomotion/ movement type will dictate what sort of terrain the vehicle will be able to operate in. Next, choose weaponry and weapon mounts and finally mount shield(s) or any vehicle accessories. Weapons and equipment mounted must obey the limit each vehicle has for the number of weapons it may mount. Once done, record the new vehicles statistics on lined paper and calculate its points value. ARMOURED VEHICLE BUILDER CHART TypeHULL CLASSAdvanced F/S/RHull CostMovement OptionsMain Gun SpaceAuxiliary SpacesAbbreviationArmoured Personnel Carrier22/2/220W,FW,T,FT,H,G03APCScout Car 22/2/125W,FW,G,H11SCLight Mecha22/2/240A05LMLight Tank 33/2/230T,H,FG,FT,G13LTMedium Mecha33/3/255A25MMLight Walker33/2/230L06LWMedium Tank44/3/245T,H,G24MTHeavy Walker44/3/255L34HWHeavy Mecha44/3/380HA47HMHeavy tank55/4/270T,G35HTGun Motor Carraige55/3/265HT43GMCTransport55/4/345T,G07TRTransport Walker55/3/350HL07TWSuper Heavy Tank66/4/390HT,G46SHT Hull Class: This is the hull class for penetration purposes (See vehicle armour penetration table, below). Note that mecha are expensive and have 1 class lower front hull class than equivalent sized vehicles due to vulnerability of limbs. Note that tanks and Walkers attacked from behind, have 1 less armour. OPTIONAL RULE: For a more realistic game, vehicle armour depends on the direction the attack originated from. Most vehicles have heavier armour on the front than they do on the sides or rear. If vehicle is attacked from the top, assume top armour is the same as the side armour. The column labelled ‘Advanced F/S/R’ details the armour protection on the Front, side and rear respectively. Hull Cost: Cost of the vehicle body including main turret (if a tank or walker), a minimal crew, but without weapons or a movement type. Note vehicle crew usually stay with the vehicle at all times and are not counted as troops for points/ moral purposes. Movement type/cost: Lists the locomotion options available to that hull type. For the actual distances vehicles can move, see the listings in the movement chart.  Movement typePoints costAbbreviationMovement typePoints costAbbreviationFast Tracked8FTFast Grav25FGTracked5TLegged10LHvy Tracked10HTHvy legged15HLFast Wheeled8FWHvy Grav30HGWheeled5WLimbed10AHover10HHvy Limbed15HAGrav20G Main gun space: This is the maximum size of a vehicl