At my local club (
HWC) we've been playing numerous WW2 games using the excellent 'What a Tanker!' rules written and published by the
TwoFatLardies of Nick Skinner and Richard Clarke If you haven't check them out yet, they are definitely worth a try as we have had such a laugh with them.
What this posting is about, is providing optional rules for the 'hardcore' tanker enthusiast who wants some extra detail in the game, a few of the inconsistencies in the data tables smoothed away, and the ability to use half-tracks and wheeled vehicles. Feel free to:
a) Use all the extra elements and amendments suggested, or
b) Just use the bits you like, or
c) Disregard completely as an utter waste of time of..... LOL
I will shortly be placing all these into a single word document, in the meantime feel free to keep coming back to this page as I type up my hand written notes.
ACCELERATED CAMPAIGN
If you want to play an accelerated campaign, use the following mechanism.
- For each game played that your crew survives they receive a Battle-token.
- Both Battle-tokens and Kill Rings can be cashed in to Level Up.
EXTRA CHARACTERISTICS
Please note that for some of these new characteristic, a small amount of additional record keeping using either extra tokens or dice or written notes, will be required.
Slow Reload
The reloading action takes two Reload Order Die. The activity can be carried on spread over turns.
Design Note: Some vehicles due to the size of the rounds involved used two part ammunition, i.e. Soviet 122mm, Soviet 152mm, German 128mm.
NoCO
Vehicles with No dedicated Commander (NoCO) need one extra Acquisition die to acquire a target.
Design Note: Some vehicles due to their small size only have a one or two-man turret or fighting compartment and therefore do not have a dedicated vehicle commander.
Half-Track
Cannot rotate on the spot. Can only reverse over major obstacles.
Design Note: The wheeled suspension is fragile.
Wheeled
Cannot rotate on the spot. Can change any Order Die to Move Die when on roads (must remain on road for the movement.. Cannot cross major obstacles.
Fast Back
Does not suffer the normal penalty for when trying to reverse.
Design Note: Some vehicles such as the German 234 range of armoured cars have two driving positions and the same number of reverse gears as they do forward (6).
Hot Shot
+ 2 to Penetration except at Long Range.
Design Note: Some vehicles were issued with a full compliment of Tungsten Carbide cored rounds, USA and British tank destroyers in the main. Performance dropped off at long range however.
Very Slow
Vehicle can only use a maximum of 1 Movement Die per turn.
NEW RULE AND AMENDMENTS
Track On Target
The benefit of using additional order dice to aim at a target are not lost once the firer has fired. They are retained for all follow on-shots (across turns if need be) until aim is lost because either the firer are target move or acquisition is lost.the next shots. Additional Aim order dice can continue to be added.
Example:
Turn 1: A Sherman acquires a target, and has two AIM dice. It's long range no cover in the way, so he needs a 7 modified down -1 to a 6. He fires and misses. He makes a note of his -1 Aim modifier.
Turn 2: The Sherman rolls his Order Dice and gets two aim dice. His basic 7 to hit is now modified down by a total of -3.
Point Blank
This is a new range category of 0 to 12" range.
Adjustments For Range - To Hit
Point Blank -1
Standard Range: No adjustment. (as per existing rules)
Long Range: +1 (as per existing rules)
Adjustments On The Number Of Strike Die
Point Blank +1
Standard Range: No adjustment. (as per existing rules)
Long Range: -1
Flank Shot Bonus
Vehicles from the flank have a bigger aspect than from the front or rear, as a result they are 1 die easier to Acquire and are -1 to hit at all ranges.
Point Of Difference Card
Sometimes it is not possible (or desirable) to have point balanced games. In these instances for each point of difference between the sides a card is issued; this card, 'The Point Of Different Card'. This allows the user to, once per game:
a) +3 or -3 to their Initiative Roll
or
b) change two of their rolled Command Dice to a different number.
Note:
- The cards must be distributed before the game starts.
- Players can only play a maximum of one card per turn, although multiple cards can be played in a turn by one side (if multiple players are involved).
AT Guns
Anti-tank guns have the following Characteristics by default:
Small, Low Profile, Rapid Fire. They may not button up. 1 drive dice allows then to change their facing, otherwise they count as immobile for the game.
They also count as TD, in that they can change any die to an aim dice, BUT this is for the first shot at a target only. This limitation is to reflect the blast issues associated with gun barrels so close to the ground and recoil issues which disturbed the aim on many AT guns.
NEW VEHICLES THAT WILL BE ADDED
Here is a link in Dropbox to the current version of the Hardcore Vehicle Listing v18:
Link
Latest version uploaded on 31 Jul 2021.
It's currently work-in-progress... The Germans are almost there, as are the USA.
NEW HARDCORE RULES & RULE CLARIFICATIONS !!
I've written the Hardcore Rules up into a document that can be found here:
LinkLatest version 2-6 uploaded on 9 Jul 2021.
Let me know what you think below in the comments :)
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