BtGoA v1 Games Day Rules Modifications

When running BtGoA v1 at Warlord Games’ events, we created some additional rules based on V2 playtesting to help balance armies, weapons, smooth play . These were intended to cover forces from 500-1250 points, and added in a new, 600-point selector, and may not scale to larger forces. We’ve pulled out those for 2020 and listed them below.

All the rules are taken from player feedback, play experience and the substantial amount of playtesting that has already been done for V2.

It is probably best to use all these changes, or none, to avoid confusion.

– Probes – Ghar Weapon Teams – Soma Grafts – Weapons – Shooting – Dismounting –

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Probe Shards

There can only be a single probe shard order dice for each type of probe: this activates all the probes of that type. For example, paying for two squads of targeter probes (40 points, 8 probes, 2 units) will result in only 1 unit of 8 probes activated by a single order dice.

Ghar Army Lists: Weapon Teams

Ghar Rebel and Ghar Empire weapon teams should be rolled into the normal infantry squads, as indicated below. Ghar Exile weapon team numbers are already limited by their support status so are unaffected.

Ghar Rebel Weapon Teams

These teams (Disruptor Cannon, Mag Light Support, Mag Cannon and Quad Mag Repeater) must be attached to Black Guard Infantry squads and cannot appear as individual squads.  In effect, the Black Guard Infantry gain the following Options entry:

• Add 1 Rebel Weapon Team @25pts (can be upgraded with differing weapons options; unit becomes a mixed infantry + weapon team unit)

The Outcast squad can still take an attached disruptor cannon weapon team as normal.

Ghar Empire Outcast Weapon Teams

The Disruptor Cannon weapon teams must be attached to Outcast Infantry squads as normal upgrades and cannot appear as separate squads.

Soma Grafts

Soma Graft equipped units (p.121) that fail any Initiative or Command-based test on a 10 will go out of control, not just on an Order test. This could happen part-way through an action: if so, just mark the result and make sure the next order is generated randomly as is normal for soma grafts.

Weapon Stat Changes

Weapon Res Values

Rather than have a fixed save of ’10’ for all support and heavy weapons, such weapons should have a standard Res as follows. Any hits assigned to those weapons reduce their save by the Strike Value (SV) of the attacker’s weapon, as normal, and can have that Res modified by terrain.

• Light Support Weapons have a Res of 11.
• Heavy Weapons a Res of 13.

Weapon Stat Changes

We recommend the following changes to weapon ranges, Strike Values and reclassification of type.

• Ghar Plasma Claws fitted to Assault Troopers have a fixed SV of 5 (1 Attack SV 5).
• Ghar Battle Claws fitted to Battle Troopers gain a fixed SV of 2 (1 Attack SV 2).
• Ghar Gouger Guns have a minimum range of 5” as opposed to 10”.
• Twin Mag Light Support (TMLS) weapons are classed as Mag Heavy Support weapons (RF5, SV3, Fire order only). In effect the TMLS as a type should be removed, though the weapon still exists!

Shooting

The following changes are made to Rapid Fire (RF) weapons:

• All RF shooting is at -1 Acc (irrespective of range).  RF weapons may elect to shoot just one shot and so forego this penalty.
• Light Support or Heavy weapons that are obviously intended to be for squad support (i.e. RF weapons) can fire in point blank shooting when responding to an assault. This includes mag light support, mag heavy support, Virai flamer array in stutter mode and plasma light support. Such weapons are typically carried by units that cannot initiate assaults but cannot be used in PBS when in mixed units when initiating assaults.

Dismounting & Support Weapons

Dismounted units can dismount either as weapon teams with their support weapon or as infantry, without the weapon. If there is no way to store a mount, the mount is lost, either running away (if a locomite) or abandoned.

After receiving their order dice and passing any command test, weapon team units may discard their support or heavy weapon to become infantry. Remove the crewed weapon from the table.

Synchroniser/Follow Reminder

The effects of synchroniser buddies and all abilities like Follow do not stack or chain. That is, only the initial unit issuing a Follow or synchronise can do so, units activated by Follow or synchronise cannot.

600 and 600-plus Selector

At some Games Days, a 600-point Exploration Selector was used or a 600-plus list. The Exploration selector was intended to provide aa bit of balance at low levels and we’ve reproduced it below.

600-plus referred to the addition of:

• EITHER a single Strategic (or sometimes also Support) selection from the same faction as the 600-point Exploration Force (yes, any Strategic option);
• OR any two Tactical selections totalling a maximum of 350 points.

To emphasise: when 600-PLUS games are mentioned, players use both the 600-point list AND a PLUS option together in one list.

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