Hi!

SM2 extended all ranges across the board. It is a design decision that we still feel the impact of.
Making the ranges too long made the game more static, since you don't need to move that much if you can fire that far.

Take a look at AT/SM1 ranges, much shorter.

Primarch

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Primarch


The Primarchload
Magnetized Titans Tutorial
Net Epic Gold
Heresy Rules

I actually like the longer ranges of 2nd edition because I feel that high tech weapons, even in the messed up science-fantasy future of 40k, should for the most part, have a decent range. Halving the range for elements that charge and fire though makes complete sense, not just for gameplay to keep troops moving, but because logically they just don't have the time to charge and aim at targets further away. Template weapons using the smaller template seems good. I think it should still have a minus 1 modifier to hit the targets under the template because when running on the double the shooters don't have the time to focus their fire and it's a shorter burst.
I've only been experimenting with the charge and fire rule for Titan vs Titan battles. I've played these rules with a few Warlord vs Gargant battles and it has worked great so far. It introduces more tactical dilemmas that I think helps the experience when all you have are titans and a few other units like knights etc on the table. With titan battles in the standard rules it's pretty much a no brainer most of the time to advance and fire till all your weapons can come to bear then sit on first fire. It feels less interesting than it did in the AT days. With charge and fire there's more maneuvering and hand to hand titan combat, but not always. It's a good trade off.
When playing with big armies and lots of infantry there are plenty of tactical dilemmas with the existing rules anyway, and so I think in that instance it might add less to the game.
So maybe the recommendation could be to use charge and fire as an optional rule to be used mainly in Titan vs Titan battles, or perhaps for battles below a certain size. Don't forget that all charging units don't just get the -1 modifier they also fire last. That's a big disadvantage for a Titan if it has all the guns of another Titan or two bearing down on it.

@Primarch: I agree with several of your ideas: infantry weapon ranges in particular are too long in NetEpic Gold (I don't have a problem with tank and artillery ranges though) and charge distances should be 1.5x standard movement rather than 2x.

One thing I find jarring with titans is having to do so much record keeping with hit locations, scattering and critical damage, especially when the rest of the gaming system is so fluid. It feels almost like I'm playing Battletech once titans come onto the field. I still like the feel of blowing up titans bit by bit, but any record keeping should at least be able to fit on a standard playing card rather than an A4 sheet. I will share more when I actually have time to sit down and think about it.

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"The objective of the game is to win, the point of the game is to have fun."

Hi!

People love those darn hit locations though, they're unlikely to be removed.

However I have some ideas on a more streamlined system without them that will preserve some of that flavor.

As usual look to first edition for some inspiration.

Primarch

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Primarch


The Primarchload
Magnetized Titans Tutorial
Net Epic Gold
Heresy Rules