Do Base Sizes Really Matter Now?

I was at the local FLGS last week, when I spied a box of the new Dreamforge 'Eisenkern' troopers for sale. The Eisenkern line is widely seen as an attempt to offer cheaper/cooler Imperial Guard options than GW does. At just $21.95 for a 10-man squad, I said "sure", and grabbed one. When unboxing them though, I was surprised to see that they come with (very nice) 30mm bases. Which is 5mm more than the 25mm standard that GW and Mantic use.

I'm not sure what Dreamforge is up to, as buying a $4.50 pack of 10 GW bases to be '40K legal' with these actually erases a little more than half of their price advantage. But it did get me thinking about how much base size matters in the game now. Given that we intend to facilitate the use of anyone's minis with our rules, differing base standards are a potential problem. But how much of one?

Concept: Adapting Squad Leader's Turn Phases

My alternating Action Phase idea didn't gain any traction, so I'm leaning towards continuing on the classic Movement Phase -> Shooting Phase as a replacement for our currently overcomplicated Action Phase. It's the safe bet.

But I keep thinking about something more Squad Leader-ish overall in terms of turn structure, and Oblivion_Necroninja has gotten interested in the general idea (but not my last take). So here's another take on the idea. One that I think Eriochrome might actually like too. Since it's not too different from the current structure, and would go a long way towards simplifying close-combat.

Tweaking Assault

Solid Snake vs. Hulk, Hokunin

Eriochrome has some thoughts on improving close-combat. Let's have a look!

Rules: The Close-Combat Phase (Ver. 0.52)

The pre-IndyOpen rules update deluge continues. :)

Here's the updated rules for the Close-Combat phase. I've removed the bonuses for higher ground, and reworked the language on suppression to mesh with the new rules.

Yesterday's Brainstorming Session

Explorer Picture, Andree Wallin

CaulynDarr came over yesterday for a quick brainstorming session, so that we could quickly work out some of the issues that have been raised lately. We also came up with some initial ideas for vehicles that I want to seed everyone's thinking with.

So Let's Talk About The Close-Combat Sequence

Well, it seems that there's some desire out there to re-think the close-combat sequence. So let's do it!

Testing: Broken Arrow

CaulynDarr and I had a nice little test game yesterday, where we took another go at the Broken Arrow mission.

Rules: The Close-Combat Phase (Ver. 0.5)

Pirates Boarding Party, Michael White

Ok, here it is finally. The complete rules (all 6.3 pages worth) for the Close-Combat Phase. Have a look, and let me know what I missed. :)

Rules: The Close-Combat Phase (Part 1)

I'm not done writing up the entire Close-Combat phase yet, but here's the first 3 pages of what will probably be 6. Which describe who's in combat, defensive fire, consolidation moves, etc. Comment away!

Testing The Exfiltration Mission

CaulynDarr came over yesterday and we did some testing using the Exfiltration Mission. Which, given it's nature, ensured that we got in enough Close-Combat to finally test the system decently.

Here's what we found...

Close Combat Sequence Outline

Sons of the Motherland, A. Marin

Sandwyrm here. I've written up a detailed outline of the Close Combat sequence which mostly follows the rough sequence in Eriochrome's last post. I've also incorporated a few tweaks from testing it in a game last night with AnonymousFoodie at the North Store. Where a unit of Laansguard with shotguns and flamers actually managed to beat off an assault by a GW Hellbrute by suppressing it until it ran. :)

Concepts In Pictures: Assault Flow

Trench Raid by U.S. Marines, Capt. John W. Thompson, Jr.

Eriochrome here.  I took some pictures to show how I thought assaults should be run.

Videos: Some Close-Combat Inspiration

I thought that I'd put together a selection of great film fights that could inspire us to figure out how to allow their recreation in our rules without exception-this, and exception-that.

Possible Close Combat Sequence?

Kung Foo Panda (an example of "Push")

Sandy here. Eriochrome sent me a detailed description of a possible sequence for close-combat. So I thought that I'd post it up and respond to his ideas inline.

Does This Look Appealing For Close Combat?

Still From "The Hunt For Gollum", a LoTR Fan Film

A few weeks ago when CaulynDarr and I were testing the game, he suggested that we do something to make Close Combat more interesting and dynamic. He remembered watching a demo game of GW's first 'Lord of The Rings' game and being impressed with how models knocked others back. He didn't know the actual rules, but that visual and the sense of excitement it gave him, stuck.

So I found a copy of the LoTR rules and had a look...

Thoughts: Pistols, Shotguns, & Close-Combat

I've been giving some thought to how Pistols and Shotguns could be more useful. Especially in Close-Combat, which I want to give more character.

Poll: Should 6+6 Always Succeed?

David And Goliath, Themiko

I'm going to be doing some more stat work today, incorporating some of the feedback from my last post. So while get that done, it seems like a good time to ask a question of our readers. Should we have an auto-pass mechanic for To-Hit and To-Pen rolls? Or should some things just be impossible to do?

Some Very Good Close-Combat Questions

Eriochrome brought up some great questions about how close combat should work. Let's go through each one and discuss them.

Close Combat Thoughts

Boxing 01, Miki De Goodaboom

Time to get the discussion rolling about close combat.