Wednesday, October 16, 2013

When To Test Leadership


Ok, so here's some thinking on when, under the new "I go, you shoot" system, we should test leadership to clear suppression.

To recap, here is the turn phase order we're talking about:
  1. Starting Phase (Upkeep, Did I Win?, Reserve Rolls)
  2. Action Phase (Current Player Moves)
  3. Reaction Phase (Opposing Player Shoots)
  4. Melee Phase (Current Player's Engaged Models Swing In HtH)
So let's talk about when Ld should be tested to clear suppression. As a suppressed unit can't do anything except seek cover or run away.

Option 1: The Starting Phase

This, or the beginning of the Action Phase, seems like a good place to do it. However, this means that it would be too easy to toss a few shots towards a unit to keep it from firing at all during the reaction phase.

Option 2: The Reaction Phase

This doesn't seem like such a bad place to do it. Since, unless there's melee happening during the current turn, the player who's rolling to see if he can shoot with a suppressed unit will be moving next.

But from testing the more Squad Leader-esq sequence earlier, I know that it sucks to get to the movement/action phase and not have a choice/chance to do something with a unit that didn't clear its suppression. So you need a roll there too.

Option 3: Both The Action & Reaction Phases

Ok then, we'll do it twice per turn. But that, without a substantial recalibration to how much suppression you get, or its effects, would probably be too forgiving.

So that leads to the final option I came up with.

Which is to say that in one of these phases, every suppressed unit gets to test. While in the other, only units within 6" of an officer get to test. Which goes a way towards making officers/heroes more important overall.

So do we go with Action Phase + Conditional Reaction Phase? Or Conditional Action Phase + Reaction Phase? The first makes movement more likely to happen at the expense of shooting. While the second makes shooting more likely to happen at the expense of movement.

I'm therefore going with everyone tests in the Action Phase, while only units within 6" of an officer get to test in the reaction phase.

Thoughts?

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