Steel Inferno(v1.3)

Steel Inferno is a simple combat system that aims to reflect the principal aspects of modern armoured warfare. It includes hidden movement and command and control. If you have any feedback from playing them, or adapt the rules to cover specific periods then I would be pleased to hear from you. There are currently unit statistics for the following sets of models: Generic Modern Units Games Workshop's Epic scale WH40K units. (Imperial only)

Index Playing Equipment Turn Order Command Points Blips Movement Combat Miscellaneous Combat Rules Artillery Attacks Urban & Forest Rules Spotting Suppression

PLAYING EQUIPMENT

 

You will need the following bits and pieces.

Figures
These rules should be played with 6mm vehicles and infantry. (Scale of 1:300). The ground scale is approximately 1:10 - i.e. the weapon ranges are one tenth of what they would be if directly scaled from the size of the models. All measurements given are in inches.

The term unit is used throughout these rules to refer to a single model (or base of models) representing a small group of men or vehicles.

An infantry unit should be a few infantry on a base representing a larger number of men. Vehicle units are generally represented by one model, although they should be considered to contain a number of actual vehicles. Light vehicles might be represented by either one or two models on a single base.

Counters

	Suppressed markers. (I recommend little wisps of cotton wool stuck to card circles).
	Blip markers, individually numbered with a different coloured set for each player. (These represent groups of units which are out of the enemy’s sight).
	Dug-in markers to indicate infantry status(perhaps a little line of sandbags, or just a bit of card with 'dug-in' written on it, if you are feeling lazy).

Scenery

Trees, hills, rivers, buildings, roads etc.

Each player takes the following steps with their units. Once he has finished, the next player takes his turn.

1. Roll for CPs (Command Points). The amount depends on the quality and quantity of your troops.

2. Blips phase. Moving and re-organising counters representing units not visible to the enemy.

3. Move units

4. Artillery fire

5. Combat

6. Recover from suppression

Command points are used for movement and rallying. They are a general measure of the discipline and training of the troops, the tactics and strategic abilities of the commander, and the level of intelligence and reconnaissance. If there are several players on each side, then each players 'command' should use a separate set of CPs. These are not transferable between players.

To determine the level of CPs count up the units with the following modifiers:

Recon x3

Artillery x 0.5

Elite Quality x 2

Poor Quality x 0.5

Total units (modified)	20 or less	30	40	50	each additional 20
Command Point Roll	d6	d6+1	d6+2	2d6	+1

High quality commanders may have a bonus of one or two points to the dice roll. This bonus is lost for any rolls after they have become a casualty.

In order to allow hidden movement during a game, each player is assigned a certain number of blips at the beginning of the game. Generally this will be a third of the number of his units, although this may differ for particular troop types or scenarios.

A blip may contain up to 20 units, and when it is revealed they may be placed anywhere within 6" of the blip. However, they may not be placed within view of an enemy unless the blip itself has been spotted. In addition, if the blip is in cover, all the units must also be placed in cover.

During the blip phase at the start of the player's turn, the player may:

Split a blip into 2 blips.

Place any units that are currently not visible to an enemy unit within one or more blips. (Remove the models from the table).

Reveal a blip and place all or part of the units it contains on the table.

Move units secretly between adjacent blips.

Place any unused blips anywhere on the table.

Move a blip containing units at the movement rate of the slowest unit.

Move an empty blip any distance.

Make an additional attempt to rally a single unit. (All units make one attempt at the end of the turn).

A blip must be revealed before being moved into the LOS and spotting range of an enemy unit or blip.

Each unit may move up to their maximum allowance. A blip moves at the speed of its slowest constituent unit. To move each unit or blip costs 1CP. Units may be moved as a group for 1CP if all units within the group are within 2" of another unit in the group at both the beginning and end of the move.

Digging in
Infantry may choose to dig-in. To do this they must spend two turns without moving or engaging in combat. (This does not include being attacked by enemy artillery). As soon as the infantry move, they lose their dug-in status. Digging in costs CPs in the same way as any other type of move.

Road movement
Vehicles that are not visible to enemy may move down roads at half move cost. Only enemy units that are visible to the moving unit will slow it down, for example if an enemy is nearby but within the treeline, then the moving unit may still move at double rate because it cannot see the unit hidden in the forest.

Slow Units
Units with an S next to their movement rate are slow units. They may not attack if they have already moved in the turn.

Towed Units
Units with a T as their movement rate are towed units. They may not attack if they have already moved in the turn. A towed unit's move is the same as the unit towing it.

The attacker (the player whose turn it is) may attack with any unit that is in range of an enemy unit. These attacks may occur in any order, and the player does not have to use a unit to attack if he does not wish to.

Both players roll a d6 and add the units combat factor (either infantry or vehicle, depending on their opponent’s type). Also add the following modifiers to each roll.

Modifiers
-1 if unit is suppressed
+1 if unit is in cover or dug-in in the open
+2 if unit is an infantry unit which is dug-in in cover or in a building
+2 if unit is evading recon
-1 if the unit is in base-to-base contact with the enemy unit
-1 against infantry at over 8"

Now compare the two totals.

Results

If one unit has more than double its opponent’s score then it has destroyed its opponent.

If one unit exceeds its opponent’s total then it has suppressed its opponent.

If the totals are the same, it is a draw which has no effect on either unit.

Special Unit Attributes
Most units only have this attribute against one type of opponent, for example a tank may be strong against vehicle targets but not against infantry.

It is also for these to be combined. For example, an anti-tank gun may be both strong and weak simultaneously against vehicle targets.

A unit with a + next to its combat factor is a strong unit, and only needs to exceed its opponent’s total to destroy it.

A unit with a - next to its combat factor is a weak unit and is destroyed if its total is less than its opponent’s total.

A unit with a ^ next to its combat factor is a tough unit. An opponent must double its score to destroy it, even if its opponent is classed as strong.

A unit with a # next to its combat factor cannot destroy its opponent, as it lacks appropriate weapons.

Soft Vehicles
Some units such as field guns, bikes or lorries are classed as soft vehicles. They are particularly vulnerable to attack as they are virtually unarmoured, but cannot hide like infantry. A unit which fights them can choose whether to treat them as an infantry or a vehicle opponent.

Artillery are destroyed automatically if attacked at point blank range.

Artillery batteries firing from blips give away their position on a 6.

Recon may evade for +2 in combat, but then cannot hurt their opponent if they win the round.

A defending unit can only destroy the first unit to attack it in a turn, after that any destroyed result becomes a suppression instead.

If the modified dice roll is higher than the value in the table, the target is destroyed.
If the modified dice roll is the same as the value in the table, the target is suppressed.
If the target is contained within a blip then the target is destroyed.

Modifiers
+1 for suppressed target
-1 for target in cover
-1 for dug in infantry
-1 for evading recon
+1 if target is visible to artillery or a unit capable of artillery spotting (normally HQs and recon).

Target's Artillery Value	Heavy Artillery	Medium Artillery	Light Artillery
D	5	6	-
C	4	5	6
B	3	4	5
A	2	3	4

Urban and forest areas are treated as being uniform - the positions of individual components of scenery are irrelevant, if the unit is within the area, it counts as being in cover.

The exception to this are infantry units, who may enter specific buildings (this does not include all units in the infantry class for combat such as light artillery, but only squads of men on foot), which takes a full turn of movement. Place the models on top of the building, and include the additional defensive modifier.

Within urban and forest areas bike moves are reduced to 6", and all other units move at 4"

Spotting Ranges

16" standard

24" from hill

4" in urban or forest (both units are within the area).

Any unit which is within LOS and spotting range of an enemy unit is visible to that unit. If the unit is a blip then all its contents must be revealed and placed on the table.

If a unit is within LOS of an enemy unit, (which extends 4" within urban or forest, but up to 48" across open ground), then it automatically becomes visible if it fires.

Spotting units in cover
A unit that is within 1" of the edge of cover may see out as normal, but cannot be seen by another unit unless it is within 4" of the edge of the cover, or the unit in cover moves or fires.

Suppressed units may not advance, and suffer a penalty in combat. Roll a d6 for each of your units that is suppressed at the end of the turn. The roll to lift the suppression depends on the troop type. Elite troops recover on a 5 or 6, and standard troops recover on a 6. If the unit is in a group with a commander, then they may add +1 to their roll.

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