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INTRODUCTION

These rules offer a chance to simulate ground combat in a science fiction setting
without spending a fortune on overpriced models (Im talking to you Games Workshop!).
They are based on the HO scale historical miniatures game Battlefields: form
Broadswords to Bullets, and are meant to be fast moving and easy to learn.
This game assumes a state of war exists between two evenly matched technological
societies. Each side, Federation and Imperial, uses identical small arms and only in heavy
weapons technology do they differ strikingly. The goal is a well-balanced game where
tactical skill, not super weapons, determines victory.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY

Dark Dreams Studio produces two boxed sets of 1/72
nd

scale, also called HO, plastic miniatures that serve as the
inspiration for these rules. You will need to purchase one, or
both, of these sets. In each box you will find two equally
matched opposing forces. You may paint the opposing forces
any in any color scheme you wish, but it is recommended that
they be different enough to tell the sides apart at a glance.
After that, you will need measuring tape, six sided dice
(called D6 in this text), a table, and some model terrain. For buildings we recommend the
paper science fiction buildings available through Riveresco at http://www.tin-
soldier.com/, but thats up to you.

HISTORY OF THE GREAT FEDERATION/IMPERIAL WAR

In 2123 AD Admiral James Hay, of the Combined Fleet, declared himself Emperor of
Humanity, overthrowing the government of the Galactic Coalition in a coup de-ta.
Immediately, he began to legalize the formerly forbidden sciences that would enable
human DNA to be combined with machines. This lead to the creation of the Bio-brains
(intelligent cyborgs that rivaled humans in efficiency).
Some humans resisted this era of change, calling Hays creations Frankensteins
monsters and his government, a dictatorship. On the frontier, three disparate planets
formed the United Federation and declared themselves independent form the Empire.
This rag-tag bunch of colony worlds lacked Bio-brain technology but did not lack
courage.
Imperial forces were sent to Janis 7, an Earth-like world that bordered Federation
Space. From there, they planned to stage the invading Imperial space forces. The
Federation realized the strategic significance of Janis 7 and sent an expeditionary force to
defend it. For three long years the two sides battled for control of the planet until, at great
cost, victory was achieved.

ORGANIZING THE FEDERATION ARMY

The smallest Federal Unit was the squad. A squad
consisted of eight soldiers armed with one grenade
launcher, one a smart gun, one a scanner, and one
missile launcher. The rest of the troops carried gauss
rifles.
In each squad there was one commander (indicated
by a gold ring around his base) and two heroes (silver
ring). The commander and heroes can be any figure
you select and will have special abilities mentioned
later.
Vehicles that supported the squad included the Armadillo Walker, and the single or
double-seated Mercury speeder bike.
Toward the end of the war armed Aryl Drones would also be sent to support the squad
in battle.

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ORGANIZING THE IMPERIAL ARMY

The smallest Imperial Unit was also the squad.
An Imperial squad consisted of eight soldiers; one
had a grenade launcher, one a smart gun, one a
scanner, and one had a missile launcher. The rest
carried gauss rifles...this should sound familiar.
In each squad there is one commander
(indicated by a gold ring around his base) and two
heroes (silver ring).
Imperial forces often operated with
Longshadow walkers or Longshadow speeders.
These were Bio-brain equipped war machines and
were generally superior to the Federation vehicles.
However, the Empire had fewer of them.


THE BATTLEFIELD



One average card table makes a suitably sized battlefield (referred to as the board).
If you have something the size of ping-pong table, so much the better. A green or sand
colored cloth is draped over it. This cloth will need to be as heavy as a blanket (sheets
tend to move about too easily). Books placed under the cloth make hills. Lichen bushes
and model trees can be found at most hobby shops to denote concealment. Rivers can be
denoted with blue painters tape, available at hardware stores.
You can arrange the board any way you wish, consistent with the battle you intend to
simulate. For an evenhanded scenario where opponents are of equal size, each side
should have equal access to cover and concealment. Other scenarios where small bands
hold off hordes of enemies can tip that scale appropriately with favorable terrain.
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SCENARIOS

Unlike chess, the opening positions of the opposing forces are not the same at the start
of every game. A wargame is a more free flowing kind of game with thousands of
possibilities.
You can have an equal number of identically armed troops from different sides march
onto the battlefield from opposite ends and see who holds the field at the end. However,
many other possibilities exist; such as having one side in a town at the start of the game
with the besieging enemy positioned just out of missile range at the start. If so, have the
attackers outnumber the defenders two or three to one to compensate for the towns
advantages.
Another scenario can involve a convoy of troops whos mission is simply to cross the
board while an enemy force waits in ambush them.
Start with easy one to one battles and add complexity to your scenarios as you go.
The great thing about such an open-ended game is it never gets boring. Every game is
your chance to bring victory to your troops by fulfilling whatever mission your scenario
calls for.




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BASIC RULES:

0. TURN SEQUENCE

Now that your armies are painted, the board is set and you have a friend or two over,
its time to actually play the game. This is done in turns. A turn is a series of steps that
each player goes through to bring his army closer to victory. It can be seen as a few
seconds in the life of a soldier in combat but lasts about 5 to 10 minutes for the players of
a wargame. The turns steps are also called phases carried out in order:

1- Initiative
2- Movement
3- Missile
4- Melee

*NOTE* As the game progresses soldiers will be declared casualties. this means they
are either dead or too badly wounded to continue fighting and are removed from the
board at the end of the turn. Play continues, turn after turn, until one side has achieved
its objective and a victory is declared. Ties are also possible.

1. INITIATIVE

Each turn begins with one player from each side rolling a six-sided dice (also called a
D6). The side, which rolls the highest, wins the initiative. In the case of a tie, the dice
are rolled again. The winner of this phase can either move his troops first or allow his
opponent to do so.
Early in the game, when the opposing forces are far apart, it can be good to see what
your enemy is up to by watching his movements and responding to counter them. As the
forces get closer its often best to move first to place you troops in key tactical locations
before your enemy gets there.

2. MOVEMENT

Troops move one side at a time as per the initiative rule. Different kinds of troops
move at different rates as follows.


Foot Soldier. 6 inches
Aryl Drone................................8 inches
Longshadow Walkers......16 inches
Armadillo Walkers...................12 inches
Any Speeder.............................20 inches


*NOTE* Heroes get an extra inch of movement and commanders get two extra inches.

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MOVEMENT MODIFYIERS

Going uphill..-1 inch
Going through bushes...-1 inch
Going Over Obstacles...-1 inch
Going Through Rivers..-2 inches
Going on road...+1 inch

3. MISSILE

Each side is considered to shoot at the other simultaneously, unless one side has
surprise (see HIDDEN TROOPS). Simultaneous fire means that two opposing soldiers
can shoot each other dead in the same instant. However, each shooter can only pick one
target per turn (the exception being the bio-brained Longshadows).
A target can be either a specific vehicle or a specific unit of troops. A unit is
considered to be either a squad or a part of a squad acting independently (five guys hiding
in a spaceport bar would be considered a unit).
Shooting is done by rolling dice. Its often convenient to have one side roll and then
the other. Afterward, troops declared as causalities are removed from the board.
To hit an enemy, each soldier must roll an 8 or better (8+) on 2D6 (two six sided
dice). If the roll is successful the enemy soldier is considered either dead or too badly
wounded to continue to fight and is, therefore, a causality.
The player who is receiving causalities decides which soldier to remove from the
board. He must choose a figure from the unit targeted by the enemy, but otherwise it is
completely the receivers choice of who is hit.
Heroes, it will seem, know how to duck.
You can improve your troops chances by using the following modifiers to your
advantage whenever possible:

MODIFIERS FOR TARGETS

Target in Concealment...-1
Target in Cover..-2
Target in Building..-3

*Concealment is anything that obscures a shooters view but will not stop bullets such as
bushes or trees.

*Cover is anything that will stop a bullet such as stonewalls or sandbags.

*Buildings provide both, and a roof to protect from above, thus the higher modifier.

Your troops couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!

This is often true. However, if the target your troops are shooting at actually IS the
broad side of a barn, or a similar building sized target such as a parked vehicle, give that
troop a +4 to hit.
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WEAPON RANGES

Grenade Launcher..............................15 inches
Gauss Pistol.......................................10 inches
Gauss Rifle.........................................20 inches
Smart Gun..........................................25 inches
Missile Launcher................................60 inches
Kinetic Gun........................................30 inches
Laser Cannon......................................30 inches

5. MELEE

Melee is combat at hand-to-hand range. In melee, each soldier is too close to his
enemy to use his weapon as anything but a club. To enter into melee, one figure moves
toward his enemy during the movement phase and gets to the point where the models
base is touching his enemys base. Naturally, this is done before the missile phase so
nether soldier will be able to shoot this turn. The opposing figures are said to be locked
in melee until one or both become causalities.
Each soldier involved in melee rolls 1D6. The one who rolls higher wins and the
looser is causality.
In the case of a natural roll of six your opponents figure automatically becomes
a causality. This means that if both players roll a 6, both figures will be removed from
the boarda double kill.
In the case of all other ties; the figures will remain locked in melee until the melee
phase of next turn. At that point they will continue to fight it out as each will roll again.

In the case of a 2 on 1 melee, each soldier will roll and the soldiers who are on the
same side will add their rolls together and compare them to the single roll of their
opponent. It is possible for the outnumbered figure to kill one of his opponents this turn
and be locked in melee with the surviving foe at the start of the next melee phase. The
same principal applies to a 3 or 4 to 1 conflict. The outnumbered man will probably
losebut not certainly.
There are ways to improve your odds besides bringing lots of friends to the melee.
Locking your opponent in melee from the back is one. The following modifiers can be
added to the single six sided dice roll.

Defending Doorway..........+2
Defending a Wall.......+1
Attacking from Behind..+1
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Types of Weapons & Equipment

Single-Visors:
The soldier of tomorrow standardly wears a single
eyepiece that serves as a night-vision imager and also
transmits images to soldiers who wear the larger
double-visors. Visors also act as range finders so
players are allowed to pre measure distances to their
targets before the missile phase.

Double-Visors:
Soldiers who wear double-visors also transmit but
also receive images from all other soldiers in their
squad. Visors also act as range finders so players are
allowed to pre measure distances to their targets before the missile phase.

Scanners:
Scanners are able to detect hidden soldiers up to twelve inches away, and the soldier
who carries the scanner can then tell his fellows where the enemy is by using the helmet
radio each soldier carries.

Grenades & Grenade Launchers:
Grenades launched have a +2 to hit. If the rolls hits, roll one dice
(1D6) and divide the number by two (round up) this is the number of
causalities inflicted to a unit or points to vehicles or buildings. Thus
grenades can create a maximum of 3, and a minimum of 1, causality.
Grenade launchers need a direct line of sight between shooter and target.


Gauss Pistols and Rifles:
Every soldier carries a gauss pistol as a backup weapon, and most carry
a gauss rifle as a primary weapon. Gauss weapons use an electromagnetic
coil to propel steel needles at incredible speed to their target. They make
no noise and require a direct line of sight between shooter and target.
Considered light weapons they cannot penetrate force fields or do any
real damage to buildings.

Smart Guns:
Smart guns are light machine guns that fire bursts of ceaseless
ammunition. What is smart about them is they can go around corners and
over obstacles to hit targets. The soldier who carries a smart gun also wears
a double visor that not only connects to the, gun but also every single visor
in his squad. Smart Guns are also classified as light weapons.
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Missile Launchers:
Like smart guns, missiles do not need a straight line of sight to targets but
can be guided by the images sent from other soldiers visors. Like grenades,
missiles roll a dice when they hit a target to determine how many casualties
or points of damage are inflicted. For missiles roll a D6 (but do not divide
it by two) to determine how many causalities or points of damage are
inflicted.

Kinetic Guns:
Kinetic guns are the artillery of the future. Unlike smart guns and missiles, they
require a direct line of sight between shooter and target. They can, however, shoot three
times in a turn but only at one target. Each hit will result in 1D6 casualties/points.

Laser Cannons:
Laser cannons must have a direct line of sight and they inflict 1D6 casualties, or
points of damage.

Armidil Walkers:
The Federations primary support vehicle, the Armidil, is
armed with a single laser cannon that can traverse 360 degrees on
its robot arm mount. Its force field has eight capacitors (Damage
Ratting 8).





Longshadow Walkers & Speeders:
The Longshadow configuration is adaptable to both speeders
and walkers so both versions were found on the battlefield. Each
Longshadow is armed with one kinetic gun and two laser
cannons. The kinetic gun can only engage targets in front of the
Longshadow but the laser cannons are mounted on robot arms
and can traverse 360 degrees. A unique advantage of the bio-
brain that guides this weapon is that the Longshadow can engage
more than one target in a single missile phase. Its twelve force
field capacitors (Damage Ratting 12) also make it a hard vehicle
to stop. Additionally, the speeder version hovers one inch above
the board and ignores all terrain modifiers.


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Aryl Drone:
The Federations drones typically accompanied its infantry squads for reconnaissance
and tactical support. They can fly two inches above the board and are not affected by
terrain modifiers. Each was armed with two gauss rifles but the primary weapon was
truly the drones ability to transmit to the double visors of Federation troops. The
relatively weak force field had only six capacitors (Damage Ratting 6).

Federation Speeders:
As with all flying craft, no terrain modifiers effect
movement. Like the Longshadow, Federation Mercury
speeders top altitude was only one inch above the board.
The federation relied on different contractors for its
speeders so single seaters, and two seater versions were in
use. All had a forward facing laser canon and could engage
targets accordingly. In the case of a two seater, the soldier
riding on the back may engage targets with his personal weapon 360 degrees around the
vehicle. (Damage Ratting 8).

*NOTE* Troops cannot be run over by vehicles. Its assumed that soldiers will have the
good sense to jump out of the way should a speeder crash through their formation.
However, such a maneuver would prevent them from shooting in the missile phase.

BUSTING DOWN BUILDINGS

As defined in the rule for the Missile Phase (target in building) buildings can be a
great asset to your foe, so why not just knock em down?
Not just any weapon will do, however. To provide such total destruction a Kinetic
Gun, Laser Cannon, or Missile or Grenade Launcher is required. Roll to hit the building
(a +4 to hit) and then roll the damage done to it accordingly. The pre-fab buildings of the
frontier can take ten points of damage before they are destroyed. Once the building
suffers ten or more points of damage it is removed from the board and replaced with a
burned out shell. All troops in that building when it falls are casualties.

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HOW TO STOP A VEHICLE

In the 22nd century, all military vehicles were equipped with a force field. The force
field worked by channeling energy from an attacking weapon and diverting into a
capacitor. This system worked great until the capacitors were overwhelmed by too much
damage at which point the force field capacitors would explode destroying the vehicle
and vaporizing the crew.
Whenever a vehicle takes damage, record the points. When the points equal the
vehicles Damage Ratting remove the vehicle from the board. Weapons that can be used
to destroy vehicles will also do enough damage to fill the force fields capacitors.

HIDDEN TROOPS

Many scenarios call for troops to be hidden. This can be an ambush scenario or you
may simply have two armies maneuvering at night who cannot see each other until its
too late.
Make a few numbered markers before the game. These can be poker chips with
numbers painted on or whatever you can contrive. Then give each player a piece of note
paper to record which numbered markers represent hidden units and which represent
nothing at all. A ratio of three fakers to one hidden unit is typically good.
At the start of the game all markers are placed on the board for all to see. Your
opponent will not know which ones represent real troops until one of two things happen.
The first possibility is he places a trooper within six inches of the marker, if the unit is
there place it on the board immediately, if not just remove the marker from the board as it
is revealed for the fake it is.
The second possibility is you choose to reveal your own troops by shooting at your
opponent. Place them on the board at the start of the missile phase and roll to hit.
Having just revealed yourself in this way the opponent CANNOT SHOOT BACK AT
THE REVEALED UNIT until next turn. This is the element of surprise at work and it
is what makes ambushes effective.

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QUICK AND EASY TABLES






TO HIT A TARGET

8+ on 2 six sided dice


MODIFIERS FOR TARGETS

Target In Concealment.-1
Target In Cover-2
Target In Building-3



MODIFIERS FOR WEAPONS

Smart Gun..+3
Grenade Launcher.+2

MELEE MODIFIERS
Defending A Wall+1
Attacking Enemy From Behind...+1

* Heroes always get a +1 to everything
they do and commanders a +2. Damage Resistance Points
Building.....................................10
* A natural 12 will always hit using a Imperial Longshadow................12
missile if the target is in range. And Federation Speeder....................8
a natural 6 will always kill an opponent Armadil Walker.........................8
in melee. Aryl Drone.................................6
TURN
SEQUENCE

1- Initiative
2- Movement
3- Missile
4- Melee


MOVEMENT RATES

Infantry.6 inches
Aryl Drone........................8 inches
Longshadow Walkers......16 inches
Armadill Walkers............12 inches
Any Speeder....20 inches

MOVEMENT MODIFIERS

Going Uphill-1
Going Through Bushes-1
Going Over Obstacles..-1
Wading Through River.. .-2
Going On A Road...+1



MISSILE WEAPON RANGES

Grenade Launcher.............. ...15 inches
Gauss Pistol............................10 inches
Gauss Rifle.............................20 inches
Smart Gun...............................25 inches
Missile Launcher....................30 inches
Kinetic Gun............................30 inches
Laser Cannon.........................30 inches

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This game was play tested at a convention called Gamestorm in 2014. We would like
to thank the people who helped develop Space Battles to its present perfection:



David Anderson
Nick Huntington
Nate Marcel
Anthony Michaud
Jacob Schultz

Thanks guys, it was a lot of fun.
Clayton J. Callahan

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