Hi!
This was reposted from the alternate activation rules thread regarding flyers. Originally posted by Scream.
Alternate Rules suggestion.
- For the flyers, I agree that a big revision should be done because they still "unbalance" the game.
We could add some flyer types: fighters/bombers/transports and have in the notes of the stats table something like:
flyer (fighter).
About orders:
- first fire order: allow a transport to land/take off (no firing allowed except point defense when landed)
- advance fire: ground attack -> flyers can shot at units in the ground
- charge order: only available to fighter flyer class -> those flyers can intercept others flyers that are not landed
About Altitude:
-ground: landed transport flyers can use their point defense to fire at ground units
- low altitude: flyers can fire at ground units (bombs dropped by bombers won't deviate)
- high altitude: bombers can only drop bombs under them but they will deviate (2D6cm+scatter). Ground units firing at a high altitude flyer will suffer a -25cm range penalty. Fighters/Transport flyers kind can not target at ground units with their direct weapons.
About movement:
- flyers must move at least 50% of their base movement
- flyers can turn 2 times in their movement but each turn movement is limited to a 45° turn and they need to move at least 33% of their base move before being able to turn.
Example: a flyer with a base movement of 75cm
- can go straight 75cm
- can move 25cm (straight forward from their initial direction), make a 45° turn , move another 25cm, turn 45° make the last move of 25cm for a total move of 75cm (no last turn allowed)
- can move 25cm, make a 90° turn, go straight forward (no more turn allowed)
If a flyer movement makes it exits the board, if will be out of the game for next turn, awarding half VP (rounded Up) to the opponent for Victory Points count in end phase. Such flyers won't be able to enter the board in next turn (granting another time half VPs), they'll have to stay a full turn outside the board before being able to enter on the board from the same side they exit.
A squadron that have reach is break point before exiting the board can do a morale test will outside the board but will stay outside the board until is make as successful morale test. As per standard rules, 2 failed morale tests will rout the unit.
Charge Order:
- this order is only available to fighter flyers:
Flyers with this order will move to engage opponent flyers for a "dog fight". Their movement follow the flyer rule for turning. When reaching the enemy unit in base contact, resolve a round of "dog fight":
- Each player sum the number of caf value of involved fliers
- Each player roll a quantity of dice equals to the total caf value at the same time
- Each roll of a "6" remove an opponent model, no armor save allowed
Example:
- a Squadron of 3 Chaos DoomWings (Caf +6) engages in dog fight a squadron of 3 Ork Fighta Bomma (caf +3)
- chaos players will roll 18 dices (3x6) and ork players will roll 9 dices (3x3 dices).
- chaos players scores 4 "6" while ork player scores 2 "6"
- ork player should lose 4 Fighta Bommas (but loses only 3 as its squadron contains 3 models) while chaos Player lose 2 doomwings
Special use of charge order for fighters:
- A fighter squadron with charge order that has not been activated can be activated to intercept an enemy flier unit that is moving.
- This will stop enemy flyer movement and intercepting unit will move to enter in dog fight with enemy unit.
- 2 possibilities:
A) Intercepting unit has enough move to enter in dog fight with opponent so a round of dog fight is played
B) Intercepting unit is too short to enter in base contact with opponent: move the intercepting unit to its maximum move range toward enemy unit and leave it there, they were too slow to intercept and enemy is already gone
- Units that survived the dog fight round can continue their action but their remaining movement is reduced to 50% of movement left, this represent the time spent in dog-fighting.
Example: a Fighta Bomma squadron is intercepted (100cm base move) has moved 50cm before being intercepted. 2 Fighta Bommas survived the dog fight and they can only move another 25cm (100cm base move - 50cm move before dogfight = 50cm remaining move divided by 2)
- Intercepting intercepting unit is allowed maybe this intercepting action will slow down enough the enemy to reach it's goal!
- Snap Firing at intercepting units is allowed, maybe your AA units will destroy fighters before they are on target
Advance Order
- Flyers with this order will perform ground attacks, they can not engage enemy units in dog-fights or land.
- Bombers at high altitude can drop bombs under them but they will deviate 2D6cm (2 D6 + scatter dice).
- Bombers or fighters at low altitude can fire at ground units. Bombs dropped by bombers at low altitude don't deviate
- Firing will be resolved in advance fire phase (exception for bombs dropped during bomber movement that are resolved during bomber movement)
First Fire Order
- Only flyers with transports capability can get this order, allowing to land or take-off if already landed. Landing units can be intercepted by flyers before landing. Firing at a transport flyer will involve a -1 to-hit penalty and landing unit can be turned in the direction of player choice.
- Units equipped with jump-pack (or equivalent equipment) transported in a flyer destroyed in a dog fight
are allowed a bail-out roll at TSM 0.
Wrong Order or missing order
If the player forgot to place an order on its flyers or placed a wrong order (charge order on a bomber for example), flyer detachment will move its minimal movement straight forward and will fire at closest enemy units in advance fire.
I stole to Peter the idea of allowing flyers to exit the board and the half VP reward
In fact, I think since many years that flyers in SM/TL/NetEpic are not in the same game than others units and I find how they're used in Epic:Armageddon better than what we ever get in our game system. Alternate Flyer Rules proposed by zap123 in the past were probably the best we ever get but we can go one step further.