BattleTroops (Rulebook)

BattleTroops
Product information
Type	Rulebook
Development	Sam Lewis Jordan Weisman L. Ross Babcock III
Primary writing	Sam Lewis
Pages	44
Cover Artwork	Tom Miller
Illustrations	Joel Biske
Publication information
Publisher	FASA
Product code	1637
First published	1989
Content

Description

The BattleTroops Rulebook contains the guidelines that allow players to conduct infantry-based small unit actions in the BattleTech Universe of the pre-Clan Invasion era in the Inner Sphere. Focusing on small unit actions, the system bridges the gap between the MechWarrior/RPG 1st or 2nd edition and the BattleMech-based Classic BattleTech, it uses an original set of rules and deals with several situations allowing a good range of versatility.

The rules are divided in three broad stages, basic combat (only standard weapons and grenades) that allow battles between squads in different types of terrain and inside buildings. Optional rules that allow to incorporate special equipment such as area effect weapons (LAWs, SRM, Recoilless Riles), combat armor (not BattleArmor), support weapons and the way the troops interact with them it is perfectly possible to take your opponent's heavy weapons and use them against him) and finally and most interesting, the inclusion of vehicles and BattleMechs and their interaction with troops. from mounting/dismounting a vehicle, to infernos, to climbing a BattleMech and placing a satchel charge on the cockpit. A small brief on Inner Sphere platoon compositions round the contents.

The book is focused on events during the Fourth Succession War presenting four scenarios set during this era.

A sourcebook, Clan Troops, introduces new rules and their respective control counters and permits the use of Battle Armor, rafts, anti-BattleMech operations, artillery, clan weapon profiles update, errata and miniatures rules conversion (i.e. playing without a map). The scenarios depicted in Clan troops describe events during the Clan Invasion up to the Battle of Tukayyid.

Contents

• BATTLETROOPS
  • Components
  • Counters
    • Stand-Up Figures
      • The game is scaled for 25 mm figures and supports miniatures as well as cardboard cutouts
      • Vehicle and 'Mech models that are scaled for 25 mm are useable on the maps but the rules as written reference only the provided cardboard 'Mech and vehicle templates
    • Firing Arcs
    • Hand Grenades
    • HE Impact
    • Breach
    • Rubble and Splinters
    • Flamers
    • 'Mech Weapons
    • Floor
    • Prone
    • Vehicle Template
    • 'Mech Template
    • Fallen 'Mech Template
  • Mapsheets
    • Position spots
      • Troopers are considered to be located at a position spot
      • Troopers do not have a facing (but can have firing arcs that have orientation) and can move in any direction without turning
    • Buildings
    • Undergrowth
    • Trees
    • Contour Lines
  • Record Sheets
  • Dice
    • 2D6 are used for to hit and damage rolls
• PREPARATION FOR PLAY
  • Mapsheet Layout
  • Filling Out the Record Sheet
• SEQUENCE OF PLAY
  • Initiative Phase
    • Only first turn has an Initiative phase, future turns alternate sides
  • Movement Phase
    • A turn of movement represents 5 seconds of real time.
  • End Phase
• MOVEMENT
  • Movement Points
    • An uninjured standard trooper with no armor starts with 8 movement points
  • Movement Costs
    • Movement through clear terrain uses 1 mp, with additional mp for climbing over obstacles or going through doorways or windows.
  • Stairways
    • Moving up or down stairways uses 3 movement points per level
  • Placement of Firing Arcs
    • Firing arcs are centered on the dot that represents the troopers location, and must be aimed at another dot on the map. This aim dot can be any dot on the map even if out of LOS and can be at any distance even if out of range.
  • Going Prone
  • Standing Up
  • Prepare Weapon/Grenade
  • Throw Grenade
  • Stacking
• COMBAT
  • Firing Arc
    • Firing arcs resolve immediately upon entry by an enemy trooper, including by starting out in a firing arc. If the trooper who created the arc chooses to fire, this firing arc is resolved immediately and precedes any other action by the target trooper. This means a trooper that starts in a firing arc may be killed at the beginning of that troopers movement before the trooper can take any actions.
    • If multiple arcs target the same trooper, the player controlling the arcs can choose to resolve them in any order desired, but cannot change the decision to fire or other results from previous arcs when a following arc is resolved.
    • Firing arcs do not represent a troopers facing, rather represent the direction the trooper is paying attention to and able to fire a readied weapon.
    • Firing arcs use either 6, 4, or 2 movement points. This is based on available movement points after movement by a trooper is concluded.
    • A semiautomatic weapon like a rifle gets only one shot in its firing arc. After the shot the firing arc counter is removed. Automatic weapons like a SMG get multiple successive shots in the same arc per position moved in that arc by an enemy trooper. After automatic weapons fire the firing arc counter remains in place and active.
  • Line-of-Sight
    • Terrain Elevation Death Zone
  • Ranged Combat
    • Base To-Hit Number
      • Base to hit at short range for a weapon is 6, and for long range is 8. There is no medium range.
      • Rifles can typically reach across a full map or longer, while pistols and SMG can reach only partly across a map.
    • To-Hit Modifiers
      • Injuries to a trooper as well as terrain features affect To-Hit.
  • Hand-to-Hand Combat
  • Resolve Attack
    • Combat is not simultaneous like in the 'Mech board games, instead being instantaneously applied and affecting the future actions of a trooper after that instant within the same turn.
  • Damage
    • Damage can be Lethal indicated with L or Bruising indicated by a B on weapon stats. L damage is a full cross in a health box, while B damage is a single slash in a health box. A weapon that has 2L and 1B damage would do two points of lethal followed by one point of bruising damage.
  • Damage Effects
    • An uninjured trooper starts with 10 health boxes. The player rolls 2D6 to determine the start box for damage. A 11 or 12 starts at box 10. The player marks down successive boxes with damage, skipping over previously marked boxes. Thus any weapon that produces 2L or 2B damage can kill or incapacitate a trooper in one hit if that player rolls a 2 on 2D6. A standard rifle does 5L. Penalties to movement and To-Hit numbers for a trooper are based on the lowest box checked off on the injury chart. Thus a serious injury with low box numbers overrides lesser injuries with higher box numbers. Successive B type hits to the same health box converts to L type damage.
• SPECIAL WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT
  • Hand Grenades
    • Grenade Damage
  • Armor
    • Optional armor covers portions of the 10 health boxes. Hits in armored boxes are converted to type B from type L, or are fully negated if initially type B. A point of armor prevents an unlimited quantity of B type damage from affecting the trooper in that specific point health box. Armor reduces maximum movement points. All troopers start with helmets with no penalty and is assumed worn for the initial health boxes.
• OPTIONAL RULES
  • Weapons
    • Exchanging Weapons/Ammo
    • Area-Effect Weapons
    • Support Weapons
  • Jump Troops
  • Leadership
    • Experience Level
    • Morale
    • Leaders
  • MechWarrior: The BattleTech Role Playing Game Integration
    • Weapon Conversion
  • BattleTech/CityTech Integration
    • Filling Out the 'Mech Record Sheet
    • Movement
    • Combat
    • Heat
    • Consciousness Rolls
    • Anti-'Mech Fire
  • Mines
  • Fire
  • Buildings
  • Vehicles
    • Movement
    • Combat
    • Riding Vehicles
    • Open Hatch
    • Crew Abandonment
  • Hidden Units
  • Vehicle vs. Vehicle or 'Mech Combat
    • Movement
    • Fire Combat
    • Physical Combat
• PLATOON ORGANIZATION
  • Standard Platoons are made of 28 soldiers comprising of 4 Squads of 7 soldiers each.
• SCENARIOS
  • Side Show
  • Dragon Hunting
  • Race Against Time