Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Frankenrules : WWII Mash Up or Featherstone's Nuts!

I've been messing about with mashing different sets of rules together - trying to take mechanisms from each that I like and somehow make them work. No, I haven't given up on World War Risus, but that's really best suited to games with a platoon or more per side in my experience. 

As the subject line suggests, I decided to mix Nuts! 2.0 from Two Hour Wargames, with Featherstone's simplified WWII rules from his War Games book, ostensibly intended for battalion or divisions on the table, to make something playable for a 1:1 game with a platoon or less. In the end, I also used the Six Gun Sound 1st edition rules for In Sight, G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. and USE ME WWII.

I like Nuts! 2.0 for 10 or less figures per side, but I have trouble with all of the reactions in the larger games. Still, the game has spoiled me: I want figures in a 1:1 skirmish to react to events in the game without my involvement.

In any case, this is not a robust set of rules - I rely on both Nuts! and Featherstone's rules to fill in the gaps. If you don't have Nuts!, you can get CR3.0: Final Version for free from THW and it will supply you with all you need to understand Reps, passing and failing reaction tests, etc.

Without further ado, for those who might be interested in such things, I present:

Featherstone's Nuts!

All figures have a quality rating (per Nuts! and other THW titles). With a platoon on the table, I just assign a single Rep to all members of the same squad to make my life easier.

Initiative: Decide initiative however you'd like.

Movement: I waffle on this, Featherstone suggests 6" for infantry, THW uses 8". Either way.

Reaction Check:  If a figure/unit moves into LOS of an enemy unit, either from behind cover or not, the enemy figures/units with LOS roll 2d6 to see how they react. If they pass 2, they open fire, if they pass 0 they hold. 

If they roll 1, the sides draw. 

Roll 1d6 per unit involved (or per figure if preferred) and add to figure/unit Rep. Actions proceed then from highest to lowest. The moving unit does not need to fire, but can continue their move, while the reacting side can only choose to fire or not, if they win the draw. 

Shooting: Roll 1d6 per target rating of the weapon (See Nuts! 2.0 or CR3.0: FV), hit targets in the open on a 4-6, in cover on a 5-6. 

I target the unit, not individuals and then allocate hits using a method taken from G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. which allows for the possibility that the same figure was hit multiple times.

Saving Throw: For each hit a figure takes, they roll 1d6. In the open, they make their save on a 5 or 6, in cover, 4-6. 

If they make their save, they are forced back either 1 move or until out of LOS from the unit that fired on them (whichever is shortest) and their activation is over for this turn. It's possible that this movement will force a different non-active side unit to make a reaction check.

Melee: I use opposed d6 rolls added to Rep. High score wins. No save.

Morale: I'm not sure how to handle this or if I even want to.

5 comments:

  1. Nice and simple. And can be used for Modern, SF and everything firearms related. Have to try this.

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    1. Thanks for the comment! Simplicity was my main goal here - something with some kind of reaction system, but without markers and with minimal dice rolling.

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  2. I've just started reading the nuts 2.0 rules. I've been emailing Ed at THW and a Nuts 3.0 is coming out soon. One difference he's told me is that the leaders of the respective groups roll the in sight check with only the winning side getting to initially react.

    But I like your mash up.

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    1. Hi Itinerant,
      I just read some of the AARs for 3.0 this morning. I will undoubtedly be purchasing it when it comes out. That change in the In Sight check will be a huge improvement for games with multiple-squads per side.
      Thank for the comment!
      -John

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  3. I like this option. I'll have to give it a try. Thanks!

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