Colonials

I. Introduction

StarMarines aren't cheap, and they aren't common. The Marines' High Command has to keep their forces where the fighting is most likely; no one questions the wisdom of this. But alien raids on human colonies can happen anywhere at any time. Only the wealthiest worlds can afford to raise their own StarMarine detachments. For other planets that want to protect themselves, or to get a little aggressive with other factions or races in their solar system, there is an alternative: the Colonial Militia.

Colonials use the same weapons as StarMarines, and are organized the same, so they can fight side-by-side if the situation requires it. But their battle philosophies are very different. Colonial soldiers don't wear armored battle suits (they can't afford them). Instead, they use helmets and bullet-proof vests that are better in close combat than at range. Naturally, the Colonials try to get into close combat as quickly as possible.

The other big difference between Colonials and StarMarines is their vehicles. They are all ground vehicles -- skimmers are too expensive -- and they tend to cost less than their StarMarine equivalents.

The borders of all Colonial counters and markers are olive-green.

The basic specifications of each unit and weapon are listed in tables at the end of this rule book. A general description of the units and weapons, along with specifics about special rules, takes up most of the book.

II. Troop & Vehicle Summary

• Troopers are the basic Colonial foot soldier.
• Gunners are Colonials equipped to use heavy weapons.
• Rangers are unusually tough, elite Troopers.
• Seals excel at infiltration and surprize attacks.
• Paratroops are soldiers who enter the battlefield from the sky.
• Medics are unarmed combat physicians who heal wounds on the battlefield.
• Mechanics can fix damaged vehicles, enabling them to keep fighting.
• Leaders (Sergeants and Lieutenants) provide leadership to the foot soldiers. Every formation bigger than a fire team must have a leader.
• Kettenkrads are halftrack-motorcycles with sidecars.
• Whippets are fast armored cars.
• Rommels are large halftracks that serve as personnel carriers or weapons carriers.
• SPG's are heavy weapons on tracked vehicles.
• Guderians are inexpensive, fairly capable medium tanks.
• Tiger IV's are big, bad heavy tanks.

III. Colonial Soldiers

Colonial soldiers wear flak jackets, or bullet-proof vests, along with fairly good helmets. The rated armor values in the Colonial Soldiers Table are for close combat. When attacking a Colonial soldier at a range greater than 1, or with a frag weapon at any range, consider their armor to be 1 less than its rated value.

Colonials aren't well-trained enough to fight well on their own. They suffer a -2 penalty on separation checks.

Colonial doctrine frowns on killing enemy wounded or the doctor-type units that tend to them. But if they're defending their own home world, it's hard to keep semi-trained soldiers from hacking down anything that looks like a threat, and most Colonial officers look the other way when their troops start wiping out all traces of aliens, dangerous or not.

III-a. Forming an Army

Squad must contain 3 fire teams and at least one Sergeant. At least one of the fire teams must be troopers, and none of the three teams can be the same type, except for troopers. Heavy-weapons soldiers cannot be part of a squad. You can add an extra Sergeant, one Medic, one Mechanic, one Hero, and up to four vehicles.

Platoon must contain 3 full Squads, including at least one fire-team each of Rangers, Seals, and Paratroops, plus a fire-team of Gunners, a Lieutenant, and a Sergeant. It can also include unlimited vehicles, Medics, Mechanics and Heroes.

III-b. Soldier Types

Name:	Trooper
Type:	Basic soldier

Troopers are your basic foot soldiers, which will make up the biggest part of your army. They can carry any hand, light or medium Colonial weapon.

Name:	Gunner
Type:	Heavy-weapon soldier

Gunners are Colonials trained to use heavy weapons. The weight of their weapons slows them down, but they don't usually move much. A Gunner cannot move and fire in the same turn; it takes a few moments to change the weapon from travel configuration to firing configuration.

Name:	Ranger
Type:	Heavy soldier

Rangers aren't anywhere near as "heavy" as other races' heavy foot soldiers. They wear the same armor as Troopers, and carry the same weapons, although they are the only Colonials permitted to use monomol swords. Their "heaviness" comes in their toughness and their resistance to morale failure. They get a +1 bonus on morale when making separation checks.

Name:	Seal
Type:	Light soldier

Melee combat isn't the Seals' style. They prefer to infiltrate enemy positions, strike fast and hard, then seemingly disappear, aided by their skill at camouflage. When aiming at a Seal who moved 1 hex in his most recent movement phase, an enemy must make two attack rolls and hit both times, or the Seal's camouflage fooled him and he missed. (This double-roll rule does not apply to frag weapons.) If the Seal didn't move or attack in the previous turn, or if he is in any kind of cover, he can't be attacked at all, except by frag weapons or overruns. One member of a Seal team must carry a medium weapon. These rules don't apply if an enemy soldier is next to the Seal, unless the Seal is in thick cover. Seals can ignore the ZOC of enemy units, and take no penalty on separation checks.

Name:	Paratroop
Type:	Airborne soldier

Paratroops are normal Troopers, except for higher morale and for the unique way they enter the battle. Paratroops don't start the game on the map. Instead, at a time of the Colonial player's choosing, they jump out of high-flying airplanes (which aren't a part of this game) and float down onto the battlefield, where they fight the rest of the battle like any other soldier. They never have to make separation checks.

To bring paratroops onto the map, choose a starting hex and one of the six possible directions. The paratroops will try to land in a line from that starting hex, headed in that direction. But the wind will most likely scatter them. Put the first paratroop on the map in the starting hex. Then roll on the Scatter Table and move him one hex in the direction you rolled, facing in the direction he scattered. Now put the next paratroop on the map, next to the previous trooper's original hex; roll and scatter him. Repeat for every paratroop. Each team must have its own starting hex.

Paratroops who are scattered off the map, or who land in shallow or deep water, are lost. A paratroop who lands in trees, river, or swamp cannot move or attack in the turn he landed. If a paratroop lands on an enemy unit, that enemy can attack him immediately, adding +1 to every die roll; that enemy can still attack in its own combat phase. An enemy can't attack more than one paratroop in a turn in this way. Paratroops who end up stacked with other units, friendly or enemy, must unstack as soon as they are able. A paratroop stacked with an enemy unit ignores its ZOC when moving to unstack.

Name:	Medic
Type:	Doctor

The Medic may be the most beloved member of the Colonials. Each turn, a Medic can turn one Colonial in the same hex (but not himself) or in an adjacent hex, from Wounded to normal.

Name:	Mechanic
Type:	Fixer

The Mechanic can repair damaged tanks and skimmers anywhere on the battlefield. Each turn, a Mechanic can do a level-1 repair on a Colonial vehicle in the same hex or in an adjacent hex, or he can do a level-2 repair if he rolls a 3-6. The vehicle cannot move during turns when it is being repaired, although it can attack normally. Tiger IV's can carry a Mechanic inside, instead of a fire team; he can repair that vehicle from within, protected by the vehicle's armor, as long as it doesn't move its full move allotment in that turn.

Name:	Sergeant
Type:	Low leader

The Sergeant is probably the most important leader. Troops within 3 hexes of a Sergeant gain his benefit when facing morale checks. You can buy more Sergeants than you need; these "extra" Sergeants aren't attached to any formation, but can go wherever their leadership and fighting skills are needed.

Name:	Lieutenant
Type:	Medium leader

A Lieutenant must be part of every platoon. Troops within 5 hexes of a Lieutenant gain his benefit when facing morale checks.

Name:	CPO Marcinko
Type:	Hero

CPO Marcinko carries his Fleet Navy rank, but he commands just like a veteran Sergeant with his beloved Seals. He has all the benefits of a Seal, and can carry a medium weapon without slowing down or ruining his camouflage.

Name:	Sgt Edson
Type:	Hero

Edson is a Ranger and a veteran sergeant. He carries a medium weapon.

Name:	Sgt Ridgway
Type:	Hero

Sergeant Ridgway is a paratroop with leadership ability. His experience is veteran, and he can carry a medium weapon into battle.

III-c. Soldier Attributes

III-d. Weapons

• Grenades (can carry 1 of these in addition to any other weapon):
• Hand Grenades are short-ranged fragmentation bombs.

• Hand weapons (can carry two of these):
• Gauss Pistol is a lower-powered version of the gauss rifle.
• Monomol Sword is made of a hybrid alloy acquired from the Dran; the blade's edge is only one molecule thick. This weapon can slice through most armors with one blow. Only Rangers are allowed to use this weapon.
• Shock Glove discharges a high-voltage zap when the wearer touches his target. This can damage the electronics of vehicles, as well as the well-being of foot soldiers.
• Shield provides extra protection against weapons hits. It gives no attack, but if a weapon is fired at you, it first must pierce the Shield, with an armor rating of 3, before it can even try to hurt you. A Shield can try to stop up to two attacks per turn.

• Light weapons:
• Gauss Rifle is the standard Colonial weapon. It has a medium range, good accuracy, and fair hitting power. At least one member of each Trooper fire-team carries a gauss rifle.
• Gauss SMG (Submachine Gun) is smaller than a gauss rifle but bigger than a pistol, and capable of automatic fire. It fires twice per turn, at the same hex with normal attack odds or at two adjacent targets at -1 aim. This is the preferred weapon of Paratroops.
• Grenade Launcher can fire hand grenades to a medium distance. You do not need to buy grenades to use this weapon.
• Laser Rifle can drill through almost anything at close range, and can hit with great accuracy at long range. But the damage it does decreases as the range increases. At any range, it can illuminate a target for heavy weapons. Illumination adds +1 to the attack roll of any heavy weapon aimed at that target. Soldiers must make an attack roll in order to illuminate; they don't need to repeat this on subsequent turns unless the target moves. This is the preferred weapon for Seals.

• Medium weapons:
• Flame-Thrower will destroy lightly-armored opponents at close range, but does little or nothing to armored targets and has a very short range. It gets +1 range if mounted in a vehicle.
• Over/Under is a combination gauss rifle and grenade launcher, popular among leader units.
• Autogun is a machine-gun version of the gauss rifle that can pour fire into a target. It fires three shots per turn; you can choose to fire them at one, two, or three targets, as long as they are all adjacent to each other.
• RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) is a medium-ranged anti-armor weapon.

• Heavy weapons:
• Scatterpack is a long-range antipersonnel weapon that fills a wide area with deadly fragments. It affects its target hex and all six adjacent hexes equally. This can include your own units, so use it with care! Its minimum range is 3.
• Plasma Blaster cannot be used by Colonials.
• Gauss Cannon is a good, all-purpose heavy weapon. It is too heavy for Gunners; only vehicles can use it.
• Laser Cannon shares the common problem of all energy weapons -- its damage drops off as the range increases. But its accuracy is unparalleled, and at short to medium ranges, it does more than enough damage to justify its existence. If it aims at a target too distant to damage, it still counts as illuminating the target for other weapons (see Laser Rifle).
• Missile Launcher packs a hard punch over very great range. But on a crowded battlefield, it may be unable to lock onto a target unless the target is illuminated by a laser. If any hex adjacent to the target is occupied by an enemy unit, and the target is not illuminated, then roll a die, and subtract 1 for each occupied adjacent hex, including hexes occupied by your own units. If the resulting die roll is less than 2, the missile was unable to acquire a target and flew mindlessly away from the battle. If the roll is 2 or 3, the missile acquired a target in the wrong hex; roll again and use the Scatter Diagram to find out which hex the missile hit.

III-e. Vehicles

Name:	Kettenkrad
Type:	Small ground vehicle

A Kettenkrad is a halftrack motorcycle with a sidecar. It carries a light weapon firing straight ahead, and another weapon in the sidecar, firing ahead and either to the left or to the right, depending on where the sidecar is mounted. Kettenkrads are bought in pairs, one left-shooter and one right-shooter.

Name:	Whippet
Type:	Small ground vehicle

The Whippet is an armored car, the fastest thing in the Colonial inventory. It carries a medium weapon in a 360 turret. It is a cavalry-type vehicle, not an assault vehicle. One road hex costs 1/2 movement point for a Whippet to enter -- it moves at double speed on roads.

Name:	Rommel
Type:	Large ground vehicle

Rommels are medium-sized halftracks, used mainly as personnel carriers. Their armor is insufficient to take the heat of battle, and their armament (one light weapon) is solely for defense. Optionally, a Rommel can carry a medium weapon and just one team.

Name:	SPG
Type:	Large ground vehicle

The SPG (self-propelled gun) is a tracked heavy-weapon carrier. The Colonials use them as mobile artillery, but their armor is thick enough that they can be thrown into a battle if needed.

Name:	Guderian
Type:	Large ground vehicle

The Guderian is one of the most widely-produced medium tanks ever built. Its simple, rugged construction makes it easy for almost any planetary militia to build a few. What's more, it is easy to modify for each planet's unique conditions, and there have been so many modifications that there is no such thing as a "standard" Guderian. The basic model carries a medium weapon in a 360 turret, a light weapon with a 360 mount, and another light weapon firing to the front. But when you buy Guderians, you choose one of the following variations:

1. -1 cost
2. +1 armor
3. +1 toughness
4. +1 speed
5. Two identical medium weapons instead of one (fire at same target)
6. Heavy weapon instead of medium weapon
7. +1 armor and carry 1 fire team instead of medium weapon
8. Medium weapon instead of light weapon firing front
9. Air-droppable
10. Amphibious

Name:	Tiger IV
Type:	Large ground vehicle (supertank)

Tiger IV's are infamous for their size and for their difficulty to maintain. But on the field of battle, it has few equals. A Tiger IV carries a heavy weapon in its main turret, two medium weapons in sponsons on each side, and light weapons in remote-controlled turrets at the corners. It can also carry a fire-team of soldiers.

Mechanics must subtract 1 from their die rolls when attempting a level-2 repair on a Tiger IV, and they need to roll a 3-6 in order to do a level-1 repair. If a Tiger IV crosses a bridge, roll a die; a roll of 1-2 means the bridge collapsed under the tank's great weight, and the tank is destroyed. Fortunately, it can ford most rivers (speed 1 hex/turn in a river hex, only the heavy weapon can fire).

IV. Game Tables