Slammer - Activation Table explained

As part of the Star Force project I proposed creating an edition of Slammer using the Solar Federation / Ramorian Empire setting. This would include unit and equipment stats for troops and vehicles tied to proposed figure range. To help get my head around it all I printed off a copy of Slammer. Somehow a paper
copy seems much more tangible than the digital copies I have been playing with for years. Skimming through the paper rules I noticed something missing. I have been following the rules design discussion on Delta Vector and I wanted to check how Slammer treats troops reaction and opportunity fire.

I have always played the Activation Table so a higher Activation unit can make an early interrupt and take their turn before a lower Activation unit if necessary. I have always assumed this was written into the rules, but I could not find it.

I had to go back through the Yahoo Group message archive to 1999 before I found it written down in response to a player's query about the turn sequence.

I have attached the relevant passage below and emphasised the key bits.

When we first tried Slammer the turn sequence was reversed so higher activation troops moved first. This really didn't work. The best units became instant opportunity targets for every unit on the board and got cut to pieces before they could achieve anything. Lower activation troops have much more limited options, moving them first gets the 'compulsories' out of the way. If they are going to run or fall back, it's worthwhile giving them a head start then keep them running rather than catching them and having to fight. If your high activation unit is afraid they might get away you have the option to opportunity fire and shoot them as they run. If a low unit is firing they may be limited to return fire or panic fire and this is largely ineffective anyway. It's not a race to see who gets off the first shot!

Also a higher activation unit can choose to move at a lower activation level. Units can choose any of the options at their activation level or less, even an option that is nominally unfavourable, e.g. fall back.

I don't think this is stated clearly enough in the rules but it does happen in games I've run that a high activation unit chooses to make its move as an early interrupt, rather like opportunity fire.

 I think this needs repeating and adding to the rules because it's not clear at all. This can make quite a difference to the way troops react to opponents and gives players a bit more to think about rather than just waiting their turn.

The World turned upside down...

We have put our house on the market and are looking for a new home.
Preferably somewhere near the main roads west of Hull.
Among all the work getting our house ready to sell and looking for a new home, it means that most of my projects are put on hold.
I may also have to dispose of some of my toys and books. :(

On the plus side, our new home may have room for a garden railway and or a bigger shed/games room.
Also I have been in discussion with a prominent miniatures producer about reintroducing a beloved fondly remembered range of 1980's sci-fi models... :)

Armies from the Attic part 2 - Hordes of the Things

For a quick and easy fantasy wargame, Hordes of the Things is hard to beat. It's remarkably versatile and has been used for scores of different armies and settings. In the basic game each army adds up to 24 AP (Army Points). If you combine it with DBA you get even more unit types such as Light Cavalry, Pikes and Skirmishers.

Here are some of my instant armies made up from my 15mm figures.

Horde Orcs

A mix of figures from various makers including Tabletop Games, Jacobite, Tin Soldier and Warrior.

Warband General x1 @2 = 2AP;
Black Orc Hordes x4 @1 = 4AP;
Black Orc Bows x2 @2 = 4AP;
Hobgoblin Hordes x4 @1 = 4AP;
Rocktroll Behemoth x1 @4 = 4AP;
Wolf  Rider Cavalry x3 @2 = 6AP.

Hobgoblin Hordes, these are Citadel 25mm Snotlings re-based for 15mm.

Black Orcs

Warband General x1 @2 = 2AP;
Black Orc Spears x4 @2 = 8AP;
Black Orc Bows x2 @2 = 4AP;
Rocktroll Behemoth x1 @4 = 4AP;
Wolf  Rider Cavalry x3 @2 = 6AP.

The Rocktroll. This is a resin model that came as part of a set of elementals.

Steppe Goblins

Chariot General (Knight) x1 @2 = 2AP;
Wolf Chariots (Knights) x2 @2 = 4AP;
Wolf Riders Cavalry x6 @2 = 12AP;
Great Goblin Spears x2 @2 = 4AP;
Great Goblin warband x1 @2 = 2AP;

Goblin Wolf Chariots from Tin Soldier.

Wolf Riders. Mixed and matched from various sources.

Ratmen

I bought this little army ready painted and based. I think that they are Pendrakken 10mm figures.

They work mix nicely as 15mm.

Joolius Cheezer Hero (or Magician) General x1 @4 = 4AP;

Ratona Stick (Spears) x2 @2 = 4AP;

Ratus Ratus Warriors (Warband) x6 @2 = 12AP;

Mad Bombers (Shooters) x2 @2 = 4AP; or

Mad Bombers (Artillery) x1 @3 = 3AP; +

Rats Ass-Assassins (Lurkers) x1 @1 = 1AP.

Joolius Cheezer, Ratman Hero (or Magician) with his backing band, spears and mad bombers.

Orthodox Dwarves

This is a traditional Dwarven army of massed hand weapons, hammers, axes. I think that thee are Peter Pig figures, They were bought ready painted and based.

The Low King Hero General x1 @4 = 4AP;
Dwarf Warriors (Blades) x8 @2 = 16AP;
Crossbows (Shooters) x2 @2 = 4AP;

The Low King and bearded loons in chain mail undies.

New Reformed Dwarves

Much the same figures as above but a very different army.

Iron Master (Blades General) x1 @2 = 2AP;
Dwarf Warriors (Blades) x4 @2 = 8AP;
Dwarf Spears x2 @2 = 4AP;
Dwarf Crossbows (Shooters) x2 @2 = 4AP;
Engineer (Cleric) x1 @3 = 3AP;
War Engine (Artillery) x1 @3 = 3AP;

Eastern Empire

These are my Fantasy Byzantines, A heavy Cavalry biased army.

Knight General x1 @2 = 2AP;
Iron Dragons Cataphracts (Knights) x2 @2 = 4AP;
Red Griffons Heavy Cavalry (Riders) x3 @2 = 6AP;
Petcheneg Light Cavalry (Riders) x2 @2 = 4AP;
Empire Levy (Shooters) x4 @2 = 8AP;

Armies from the attic - Fantasy Rules!

Years ago when I last played tabletop wargames, one of my favourite systems was Chipco's Fantasy Rules. This is a very versatile rules set that allow players to create and customise their own armies from a range of different units and characters. I have three armies that got regular games, the Honest Orcs even got a couple of away matches and did pretty well in competition.
I got them out of the attic and set them up at the games club for a photo session. They seem to have survived fairly well but the bases could do with some refurbishment.

Here are the infamous Honest Orcs assembled en-masse.

Orc General with Taunt and Army Standard;
1x Wizard L2 in Heavy Chariot
6x Black Orc Spears with Bowfire;
4x Hobgoblin hand weapons;
2x Elite Ogre (Strong but Stupid) hand weapons;
6x Goblin Wolf-riders Light Cavalry;
2x Traps, deploy to impede movement;


Wizard Prang in his Heavy Chariot of DOOM;

Two traps: These were both made by Tom Pope.

Great Grey Green Greasy Limpopo Lizardman army.
This is a mob heavy army. FR! allows armies to mass some units into larger juggernauts. These move and fight as a single formation.
The Lizardmen have two 2x3 mob Juggernauts as their core formation giving them a very solid centre.

Lizard general with Army Standard;
Lizardman Hero;
Lizard Wizard Shaman (Druid L2);
Two 2x3 Mob Juggernauts;
4x Skirmishers (attached to the Juggernauts);
6x Lizardmen Handweapons;
2x Dinosaur Riders (Small Monsters);
4x Lizardmen Heavy Cavalry;

Mob Juggernauts + attached bows and characters:

The Eastern Empire.

This army has a heavy cavalry bias backed up by strong infantry, artillery and shooters.

General with army Standard;
Cleric with Holy Hand Grenade (one use only);
4x Iron Dragons Heavy Cataphract Lancers (Knights);
3x Red Griffons  Heavy Cavalry;
3x Petcheneg Light Cavalry;
4x Varangian Dwarves, Hand Weapons Heavy armour;
4x Skirmishers;
1x Heavy Artillery;


The Varangian Dwarven Guard + their mighty bolt lobber:

Light Cavalry and Skirmishers:

These figures are all based on 40mm frontage so I can use them for Hordes of the Things too.

Slammer SMLE - Troop Quality

Troop Quality

Each element requires a troop quality rating that represents the general level of training and experience of the figures in the unit. In a section level game you may want to give each figure its own rating, to represent the figures individual fighting ability. The entire team should still have a troop quality rating for Activation purposes. This should represent the majority or average level of the figures in the team. (Elite round up; Others round down.)

For a platoon level game, all the figures in a team should have the same rating.

Leaders, Heroes or other significant individuals should always be given an individual quality rating. These may be different from the other figures in their team.

Suggested Troop quality ratings and typical examples are as follows:

Non-combatants

Very few wars take place in a vacuum, anywhere worth fighting over has people living there already. Mostly they will try to avoid the fighting, but sometimes the war comes to them. They may try to avoid your troops or come to you for help or need protecting. Unarmed civilians can be dangerous in numbers if they are provoked to outright hostility. 

e.g. Ordinary folks, refugees, angry citizens, civilian contractors, rioters, innocent-bystanders, camp-followers, prisoners/hostages/victims, charitable aid, disaster relief, medics or nursing staff, etc.

Non combatants may also include journalists or political observers embedded with active troops.

Untrained

Figures with no formal military training and little or no combat experience. Armed civilians are usually rated as untrained. Untrained may also include Insurgents, irregulars and or tribal units. These may have some familiarity with their weapons but have little experience of being shot at by capable opponents.

Guerrillas, Partisans, Insurgents, tribal irregulars, volunteers, resistance fighters, criminals/ terrorists, etc.

Green

Figures that have completed a programme of basic military training but have little or no front-line combat experience; May include troops from second-line or supporting services, or new reinforcements in a frontline unit.

Reservists, Militia; Garrison troops, New recruits; Irregulars; Corporate Security; Civilian Police*;

Gangsters; Terrorists.

[* while Police might be treated as Green in a military situation, they may be Elite motivation.]

Trained

Fully-trained competent troops and regular soldiers;

Trained is assumed to be the default level for teams in SMLE , they gain no additional modifiers or incur any penalty. Most regular Military types would be rated as trained.

Veteran

Combat experienced well trained professional soldiers, Long service soldiers who have served a tour of duty in a combat zone. In most armies the Veterans will tend to be section or platoon leaders whilst the majority of the unit are trained or green.

Generally poorer troops should be organised into larger teams; e.g. Green = 4 - 6 figures.

Better quality troops i.e. Veteran and Elite may form smaller teams of 2 - 4 figures.

This is intended to simulate the higher level of initiative and self confidence in better quality troops.

Note, if a team has a support weapon e.g. LMG, Mortar, etc. that counts as one figure.

For Example:

A typical trained infantry team would be 3 to 5 figures.

A special forces section of 4-6 figures might have 2-3  veteran teams of 2-3 figures each.

A partisan group of 10-12 figures would have 2 green teams of 4-6 figures.

An non-combatant group of rioters or refugees could be treated as a single mob of up to 12 figures.

Our example British Infantry Section could be played as two Trained teams, The section corporal with 4-6 riflemen and the lance corporal with two men running the Bren gun.

In a set scenario the Troop Quality should be determined before the game starts, or may be randomly determined at the start of a game.

For example;

The British Infantry section mentioned previously rolls 1D6 for each element as follows:

1,2	Green	New recruits & casualty replacements
2,3,4,5	Trained	Troops who have been in the unit long enough to know their way around
6	Veteran	Experienced troopers who have been through a few hard fights

In addition one roll should be made for the section leader with a +1 dice modifier.

Gathering my armies

Scrabbling around in the attic last night, I found my 15mm Fantasy armies (there was a minor panic when I couldn't find the lizardmen). Also a Ratman army I'd forgotten about including their heroic general 'Joolius Cheezer'. I have the figures for at least three Fantasy Rules! 1000pt armies and loads of Hordes of the Things HoTT armies. 
They need some reorganising and some of the bases would benefit from a bit of flock. 
There were also my 6mm Orc armies for HoTT and most of my SF mico-tank armies. The OGRE MKIII is still MIA, (should I be worried ?)
And my WW2 micro tanks 
and my spaceships 
and my 15mm SF Lizardmen, Aliens and Stormtroopers.Now I need players...

Slammer vs Bolt Action ?

At my local Games club last week, I was watching a game of Bolt Action,  28mm WW2 skirmish(?). Russians and Germans fighting through a village on a crossroad. 

Lots of pretty toys and very nice terrain. It seemed to play quickly with a minimal reference sheet and a bucket load of funny dice. The apparently random initiative and lack of overwatch or reaction to enemy movement seemed very strange to me. Also the shooting ranges seemed very short for the figure scale. I got the impression that a MG couldn't shoot from one end of a cottage to the other!


It's got me hankering to re-try Slammer S.M.L.E. I don't know if I can persuade my club comrades to try my rules but I suspect it would give them a very different game. 
With that in mind I have started reappraising SMLE and may have an updated version or work in progress up here soon.

http://chrisnicolegames.blogspot.co.uk/p/smle-skirmish-rules-for-ww2-and-c20.html

I took Grandson Logan (12 yo) to the club last Tuesday evening.
We played Dragon Fight,
He won.
:o)



Now he wants to try WH40K...

Where did I go wrong ?!!

:o(