RENEGADE LEGION CENTURION BLOOD & STEEL Design: Design: Jordan Weisman, Sam Lewis Additional Design: Design: Thom Gressman, Dallen Masters Development: Development: L. Ross Babcock III, David Wiley Writing: Writing: Sam Lewis Layout: Layout: Tzeentch Cover Art: Art: Erik Vander Palen Illustrations: Illustrations: Denis Nielson, Jim Nelson, Jeff Laubenstein, Steve Venters, David Martin, Dana Knutson, Ernie Hernandez, Tony Szczudlo, Mike Jackson, Mike Nielson, Karl Martin, Rick Harris CENTURION, LEVIATHAN, INTERCEPTOR and RENEGADE LEGION are Registered Trademarks of FASA Corporation. TOG, LEGIONNAIRE and CENTURION are trademarks of FASA Corporation INTRODUCTION The Imperial TOG Battleship Group reports that the last of the Renegade and Commonwealth naval units have been driven from space.
Any Renegade Legion fans out there? (the tanks/vehicles game), Interceptor (the starfighter game) and Legionnaire (the RPG). But my PDF collection is fairly.
TOG controls the system, but not the planet below. Orbital bombardment has been futile against the planetary defense installations.
The Strike Legion is readied and the assault begins. Screaming down through the atmosphere, with a fusion-created hell bursting all around, the assault boats release medium and light grav tanks 5 kilometers above the surface of the planet. After a brief and deadly fire fight with planetary militia, the landing zones are secured and the hea vy equipment is offloaded. The Legions Cohorts form and move toward the first of their objectives, a Renegade Navy spaceport. Traveling at over 300 kilometers per hour, the TOG grav tanks give up the safety of hugging the ground for speed.
Suddenly artillery airbursts appear over the lead Century, as Renegade artillery rains mines down to block their path. At the same time, three TOG Aeneas light tanks explode as 150mm Gauss cannons rip open their bellies. Rising up from their hidden position.
Renegade Liberators ascend to meet the onrushing TOG horde. A TOG Centurion orders his tanks down to deal with the threat. Artillery missions are called in. The orbital Thor satellites pick out targets to spear with their deadly falling javelins, and a pair of TOG Spiculum space fighters rushes to engage a group of Renegade Guardians lifting off from a secret base.
The battle for the planet has now begun. Centurion is a game for any number of players. Grav tanks and infantry squads of the Commonwealth and its Renegade Legion allies fight a desperate struggle against the Terran Overlord Governments attempt to conquer the galaxy. Players command grav tank units, infantry squads, orbital and conventional artillery, and space defense installations in this game of tactical ground warfare.
The Basic Rules present all the information required to play. The Optional Rules give players additional, diverse elements for their game.
Centurion can also be combined with the Interceptor, Interceptor, Leviathan, Leviathan, and Legionnaire games to create a fully integrated space/air/land battle. Included in a separate book is extensive background information on the ground forces and technology of the Terran Overlord Government, the Commonwealth, and the Renegade Legion. INTRODUCTION The Imperial TOG Battleship Group reports that the last of the Renegade and Commonwealth naval units have been driven from space. TOG controls the system, but not the planet below. Orbital bombardment has been futile against the planetary defense installations. The Strike Legion is readied and the assault begins. Screaming down through the atmosphere, with a fusion-created hell bursting all around, the assault boats release medium and light grav tanks 5 kilometers above the surface of the planet.
After a brief and deadly fire fight with planetary militia, the landing zones are secured and the hea vy equipment is offloaded. The Legions Cohorts form and move toward the first of their objectives, a Renegade Navy spaceport. Traveling at over 300 kilometers per hour, the TOG grav tanks give up the safety of hugging the ground for speed. Suddenly artillery airbursts appear over the lead Century, as Renegade artillery rains mines down to block their path.
At the same time, three TOG Aeneas light tanks explode as 150mm Gauss cannons rip open their bellies. Rising up from their hidden position. Renegade Liberators ascend to meet the onrushing TOG horde. A TOG Centurion orders his tanks down to deal with the threat. Artillery missions are called in.
The orbital Thor satellites pick out targets to spear with their deadly falling javelins, and a pair of TOG Spiculum space fighters rushes to engage a group of Renegade Guardians lifting off from a secret base. The battle for the planet has now begun. Centurion is a game for any number of players. Grav tanks and infantry squads of the Commonwealth and its Renegade Legion allies fight a desperate struggle against the Terran Overlord Governments attempt to conquer the galaxy.
Players command grav tank units, infantry squads, orbital and conventional artillery, and space defense installations in this game of tactical ground warfare. The Basic Rules present all the information required to play. The Optional Rules give players additional, diverse elements for their game. Centurion can also be combined with the Interceptor, Interceptor, Leviathan, Leviathan, and Legionnaire games to create a fully integrated space/air/land battle. Included in a separate book is extensive background information on the ground forces and technology of the Terran Overlord Government, the Commonwealth, and the Renegade Legion. GAME SET-UP COMPONENTS COUNTERS Grav Vehicle Grav vehicle figures represent the most technologically advanced combat vehicle ever manufactured.
Fast, heavily armored, and with enough firepower to raze a city, the grav tank has totally changed the nature of ground warfare. Infantry Squad Infantry Squad counters represent the men and women who hold the terrain won by the more glamorous grav tanks. Each squad contains up to eight troopers armed with weapons such as painting lasers, Gauss rifles, and a variety of antitank weapons.
Squads are also equipped with bounce packs that give them the limited ability to move quickly while dismounted. The continuing need for infantry in warfare proves the adage that the more things change, the more they remain the same. Vehicle Crew Vehicle Crew counters represent TOG and Commonwealth vehicle crew members who have been forced to abandon their vehicles. Crater Crater counters represent field emplacements hastily dug out by the specialized digging charges carried by most vehicles. Rubble Rubble is what is left of buildings and forests when the military is finished with them.
Weapons fire can reduce any building to rubble. Both forests and buildings can be nibbled by the use of artillery-delivered artillery-delivered HELL rounds. Though it is more difficult to move through rubble, this terrain does offer limited protection and c over from weapons fire. Rubble has no Elevation Level. Minefield Minefield counters represent a field of artillerydelivered anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. The hex that the counter occupies is seeded with mines. Smoke Smoke counters indicate that the hex is filled with smoke.
Most vehicles can fire smoke rounds and often carry smoke projectors or smoke canister launchers. Pathway Pathway counters indicate that a path has been cut through trees or through minefields. There are two types of pathway counters: straight and curved. These counters are aligned with the hex to indicate which hex-side is the entrance and which is the exit. Thor Satellite A Thor satellite uses kinetic energy weapons to bombard a planet from orbit. Building Building counters represent nonmilitary facilities constructed from a variety of materials. The scenario generally assigns a height to each building, with each level of a building equal to 20 meters.
Each building counter represents approximately one city block. For line-of-sight line-of-sight purposes, buildings add their Elevation Level to the elevation of the hex they occupy. A building’s armor rating indicates how much damage each story can absorb before that level is destroyed. Thor Cluster Thor Clusters represent the kinetic energy pro jectiles released by a Thor satellite. HELL Missile HELL missiles serve to protect ground targets from orbital bombardments. They use a gravitically induced fusion reaction to create a n airburst explosion that can vaporize unshielded targets.
Painting A painting counter is placed next to a unit to show that it has attempted to paint a target with a special laser during that turn. Painted The painted counter is placed next to a unit that has been successfully painted during the Painting Segment of the Combat Phase. Fired This counter is placed next to a unit to show that it has fired its weapons during the turn. River River terrain indicates that a wide river or stream flows through the hex. In this terrain, ground vehicle movement is restricted, while grav vehicles can use the river like a road.
Lake A Lake hex is c overed with water, either in the form of a lake, pond, or swamp. Ground vehicles or infantry are prohibited from moving into this terrain.
TTF A TTF counter is placed next to a grav vehicle to show that it is operating in Tree-Top Flight mode. LAF A LAF counter is placed next to a grav vehicle to show that it is operating in Low-Altitude Flight mode. MAPSHEETS Centurion is played on two 24” x 36” mapsheets.
To help regulate movement and combat, the map is divided into six-sided areas called hexes. Units move from hex to hex. Hex maps help make movement more realistic because they provide six possible movement directions instead of the four possible with square grids. Each hex on the mapsheet represents an area of ground 200 meters (roughly 656 feet) across, and each turn represents one minute of real time.
The forests, rivers, hills, and buildings on the mapsheet represent a typical mixture of the terrain in the populated areas on the inhabited planets in the year 6830. Shown below are the symbols used for each terrain type.
Clear These are typical fields, meadows, and other grasslands. The ground is firm and may be gently rolling, but its elevation does not change significantly from one side of the hex to the other. Light Woods Light woods terrain is sparsely covered with 20-meter-high trees, Movement through these trees is fairly easy, It is impossible to see through light woods. For line-of-sight purposes, light woods add one Elevation Level to the terrain’s normal Elevation Level.
Heavy Woods Heavy woods terrain is thickly covered with 20-meter-tall trees and heavy undergrowth. Movement through these areas is very difficult. Heavy woods are too dense to be seen through. For line-of-sight purposes, heavy woods add one Elevation Level to the terrain’s normal Elevation Level. Contour Lines Hills are defined on the map by contour lines. Each line represents a one-level change in elevation, or about 20 meters.
The Elevation Level of any hex is equal to the height of the highest contour line. Moving from a lower elevation hex to a higher elevation hex is called going Up Slope. The Elevation Level increase is equal to the difference between the Elevation Levels of the two hexes. Going Down Slope is moving from a higher elevation to a lower elevation hex. The level decrease is the difference between the Elevation Levels of the two hexes. RECORD SHEETS Grav Vehicle Record Sheets squad, the number of TVLG missiles or mortars the squad has, and its Movement Points (MP).
Ground Vehicle Record Sheets Conventionally powered ground vehicles have a specialized record sheet. It is the same as the Grav Vehicle Record Sheet, except that the Internal Systems blocks are laid out differently, and the Velocity Record Track is eliminated along with the Shield Factor boxes.
Building Record Sheets The Vehicle Record Sheet shown in the diagram is for keeping track of the damage done to individual grav vehicles during combat. Each record sheet may be used to record the information for any grav vehicles and infantry assigned to a platoon. Each sheet includes three separate records to represent three individual vehicles. The Armor Diagram shows how much armor each section of the vehicle has, along with the section’s shield factor. The Shield Factor is the vehicle’s Shield Rating for that section, divided by 10. Immediately below the Armor Diagram are the internal systems of the vehicle. The use and effects of each of these areas are explained in the Combat and Damage sections of the rules.
Players will use the spaces on the left-hand side of the Grav Vehicle Record Sheet to record the number and type of missiles that vehicle carries. The Velocity Record Track is used to record the vehicle’s velocity at the end of each turn, and is located along the right-hand side of the form. The box marked “0” is for recording the vehicle’s velocity at the start of the game. The Maximum Thrust box is located below the Velocity Record Track.
Players record the maximum thrust for the vehicle here. Weapons information is recorded in the Weapons Tables located in the lower-left section of the form. Up to eight weapon systems may be mounted on a vehicle.
Boxes are provided to record the weapon’s Type, Location, Damage, and Maximum Range. In most cases, the weapon’s damage profile is on the template, and is represented by a ‘T’ in the Damage box.
An ‘S’ means that the weapon is used in a special manner, as described later in the rules. A number in the Damage box indicates that the weapon is a laser. A laser destroys a vertical column of armor boxes equal to its damage number. To the right of the Weapons Tables is a box for recording any tiring modifiers due to targeting computer hits. Below the Fire Modifier boxes are locations for recording the number of smoke and digging charges the vehicle has.
Finally, if an infantry squad is assigned to the vehicle, the player fills out the Infantry Squad Table. The Infantry Squad Table has spaces to record the number of active troops still left with the The Building Record Sheet is used to keep track of the status of buildings. It is simply an Armor Diagram showing the current status of each level of the building.
DAMAGE TEMPLATE The damage template is made up of die-cut diagrams showing the damage profile for each weapon in the game, except lasers. It is used to mark off weapon damage on a target’s armor and internal structure. DIE Centurion uses a ten-sided die (1D10), whose sides are numbered from 0 to 9, with 0 representing 10. To succeed in actions such as hitting a target, avoiding a tree, and so on, the rules generally indicate a modified to-hit number. Unless otherwise noted, the player must roll a die result less than or equal to the modified to-hit number for the action to be successful.
No matter what the circumstances, a roll of 1 is an automatic success and a roll of 10 means automatic failure in this game. LEGIONS This is a separate booklet containing descriptions of the organizational structure of TOG, Commonwealth, and Renegade ground forces, game stats and descriptions of grav vehicles, and notable units. PREPARATION FOR PLAY Before play begins, players decide whether to play a published scenario or one of their own design. They should then choose sides and fill out record sheets for each unit to be used in the battle. From that point on, the players will simply follow the Sequence of Play and the rules given for each Game Phase. FILL OUT RECORD SHEETS Before the game starts, each player must first decide which Centurion units he will control, then record the information for his units on individual record sheets. It is best to use a pencil, as this information is likely to change during the course of play.
The infantry portion of a Vehicle Record Sheet must indicate whether the squad carries a nti-vehicle missiles or mortars. Unless otherwise noted, all infantry squads start with a full complement of eight men. All units should be assigned to platoons. There are three vehicles and/or infantry squads to a platoon, and the record sheet. MAPSHEET LAYOUT Lay out two or more mapsheets on a table or a floor in a way agreeable to all players. If buildings or other counters are desired or called for by the scenario, place them on the mapsheet now.
This can be done randomly, or the players can take turns choosing where to place the counters. The player starts by filling out the record sheet for the first platoon. He decides to assign three light Renegade Viper APCs to that platoon, along with three infantry squads.
He then fills in the numbers that will represent these vehicles in the game. In this case, they are Vehicle #7, #8, and #9. Next, he fills in the shields for each section of the vehicle, The Viper has a Stern Shield of 50, Left Shield of 40, Front Shield of 50, Right Shield of 40, and Bottom Shield of 40.
The Shield Factors are therefore 5,4,5,4, and 4. Next, the player should cross out the unused ar mor blocks in each section. Each row of boxes equals 10 points. Starting from the top, the player crosses off armor in rows often. The Viper is a lightly armored tank. As it has 50 points of armor on the front and turret, the player crosses out the other 50 points in each of those two sections.
The sides and stem each have 40 points of armor, and so the player crosses off 60 unused points front each of those sections, The Viper has 20 points of bottom armor, so 80 points in that section need to be blocked out. Next, the player fills in weapons. The Viper has one 25mm Gauss cannon and an SMLM 2 in the turret. A ‘T’ is used to indicate that the weapon’s damage is on the damage template.
The maximum range for each weapon is written in the appropriate section. The Viper has a TVLG 2 Launcher in both its Hull 1 and Hull 2 positions. The Viper carries a total of two SMLM missiles and four TVLG missiles. The Viper is equipped with a smoke projector and a digging cannon. Each smoke projector has four charges, as does the digging cannon. An infantry squad is assigned to the vehicle, The player decides that the infantry carries TVLGs, and so two of the Mortar boxes are filled in.
Finally, the Viper has a Maximum Thrust of 8 points. This is recorded in the Maximum Thrust box. PLAYING THE GAME To play Centurion, the players simply move playing pieces and roll the die.
The challenge of the game is for one player to outwit his opponent and to make better use of his forces. Though it requires skill to win consistently, even a novice can sometimes make a shot lucky enough to cripple the experienced player.
SEQUENCE OF PLAY The following is a summary of the Game Phases that make up the Sequence of Play. This is provided for quick reference by the players. The complete rules for each phase and segment arc fully described in the chapter devoted to that aspect of the game. Record Ending Velocity. Team B then moves one platoon. Each unit in the platoon is moved individually in any order.
Grav vehicles move by carrying out each step listed below in order: 1. Apply Acceleration. Move the vehicle according to its total velocity, counting all Terrain Costs. If the vehicle exceeds the speed limit in any hex that it enters, make a Piloting Skill Roll for that hex, and take any damage. Apply any Deceleration. Ground, if desired or required.
Record Ending Velocity. Movement alternates until all platoons have moved or declared their intention NOT to move. Team B should always move one of its platoons last.
Movement should alternate between sides, but because platoons may be destroyed during the course of the game, this might not be possible. If, prior to any pair of movements, one team has twice as many platoons left to move as the other team, that team moves two platoons rather than one.
(If one team has three times as many units, it moves three each time. And so on.) This means that the team that won the initiative moves at least one of its units last. Any platoon that has not had all of its vehicles and infantry destroyed may be moved. For example, Team A has five platoons and Team B has three platoons. The movement of the units should follow this sequence: INITIATIVE PHASE One player from each side rolls the die for his team’s Initiative. The team that rolls lowest may choose to be either Side A or Side B during the Movement Phase for this turn.
The player with a Leadership Advantage may subtract some, none, or all of those Advantage Points from the result of his die roll (See Centurions). He must decide how much of his Leadership Advantage he will use before making the roll. The players will then alternate moving platoons. All of the vehicles and infantry squads listed on a vehicle record sheet are considered one platoon. All of these units will execute their movement during a turn at the same time regardless of combat casualties. Thus, if a platoon starts off the game with three Viper APCs and three infantry squads, and, due to combat, the platoon is reduced to a single infantry squad, moving that one squad will constitute moving a platoon.
Team A moves one platoon. Team B moves one platoon. Team A moves two platoons. Team B moves one platoon. Team A moves two platoons. Team B moves one platoon.
Instead of moving during their portion of the Movement Phase, platoons may choose to declare Opportunity Fire instead. Units in platoons that declare Opportunity Fire may immediately fire on any enemy units that move into their line-of-sight during the remainder of the turn. Units may not fire at enemy units that move until they have declared Opportunity Fire. See the Opportunity Fire rules for a more detailed explanation. The Movement sequence can also be a ffected by a player with a Leadership Advantage. Depending on the size of the advantage, the player can decide not to move one or more platoons, reserving the right to move them later during the normal Movement of one of his other units (see Centurions). COMBAT PHASE MOVEMENT PHASE Team A moves one platoon.
Each unit in the platoon is moved individually in any order. Grav vehicles move by carrying out each step listed below in order: 1.
Apply Acceleration. Move the vehicle according to its total current velocity, counting all Terrain Costs. If the vehicle exceeds the speed limit of any hex it enters, the player makes a Piloting Skill Roll for that hex, and takes any damage. Apply any Deceleration.
Ground, if desired or required Declare Laser Painting Fire The team that lost the Initiative declares any laser painting attempts that they plan to make with one unit. The team that won the Initiative then declares any laser painting attempts that they plan to make with one unit. The declaring alternates until all painting has been declared. The team that won the Initiative declares the last attack. Resolve Laser Painting Fire All vehicles and infantry squads may fire painting lasers, one unit at a time. Painting lasers do no damage, but improve the chances of a hit from offboard artillery, missiles, MDCs, or lasers. Declare Weapons Fire The team that lost the Initiative declares any attacks that they plan to make with one of their units.
Next, the team that won the Initiative declares any attacks that they plan to make with one of their units. The declaring alternates until all fire has been declared. The team that won the Initiative declares the last attack. Resolve Weapons Fire Weapons fire is resolved, one firing unit at a time.
Damage to outer armor immediately takes effect, which allows subsequent shots to strike a weakened area and thus to penetrate the armor. Internal vehicle damage and infantry squad losses do not take effect until the end of the turn, allowing a unit destroyed in the turn a chance to avenge itself. Note that a ll weapons attacks by one unit must be resolved before those of any other unit take place. Damage is recorded as attacks are resolved, but internal damage does not affect the unit until after ALL weapons attacks have been resolved. At that point, all internal damage takes effect immediately. Resolve Offboard Artillery and Orbital Fire Support Any offboard artillery or orbital fire support due to arrive during this turn is resolved according to the appropriate rules.
END PHASE All widowed armor is removed after all attacks are resolved. New artillery and orbital fire missions are called in.
The player should secretly record the target hex and the turn that the mission will arrive. Smoke screens laid down on the previous turn are removed. New smoke screens are laid down. Play continues with the start of a ne w Initiative Phase. SEQUENCE OF PLAY Initiative Phase Movement Phase A. Team A moves 1 platoon B.
Team B moves 1 platoon Teams alternate until movement is complete Combat Phase A. Declare Painting Laser Fire B. Resolve Painting Laser Fire C. Declare Weapons Fire D. Resolve Weapons Fire E. Resolve offboard artillery and orbital fire support End Phase A. Remove widowed armor B.
Call in new artillery and orbital fire support missions C. Remove old smoke D. Lay down new smoke MOVEMENT GRAV VEHICLES Ground warfare in the 69th century is highly mobile and very deadly. The vast majority of combat vehicles use grav drives, which warp and manipulate a planet’s gravity field in order to move the vehicle. Because the field creates a 95 percent frictionless surface around the tank, these combat craft can-attain very high speeds despite their non-aerodynamic appearance.
Grav drives do have one drawback, however. Short of turning off the drive and slamming into the ground, it is difficult to decelerate quickly or to make a sudden turn in a fast moving grav vehicle. Additionally, because of engineering constraints, grav vehicles must follow ground contours fairly closely. This means that vehicles traveling at high speeds over rapidly changing terrain (hills, trees, canyons) run the risk of sinking the ground and damaging the vehicle.
Though conventional tracked and wheeled vehicles are much slower than grav vehicles and are more limited by terrain effects, they are more easily controlled. FACING Every hex on the map has six edges called hexsides. All vehicles, whether they are grav or conventionally powered, must be oriented to face one of those six hexsides, which is called facing. A vehicle’s facing is determined by the direction of its front, or nose. This facing affects both movement and combat and can only be changed during the Movement Phase.
If a vehicle is improperly aligned, the opposing player may choose which of the two hexsides the vehicle will face. ACCELERATION Each grav vehicle has a ma ximum number of Thrust Points that it can expend during its move. These Thrust Points are used to increase or decrease the grav vehicle’s velocity during the turn. One Thrust Point can increase or decrease the vehicle’s current velocity by 1. A grav vehicle may ONLY increase its velocity at the beginning of its movement, and ONLY decrease its velocity at the end of its movement, prior to grounding.
The total acceleration and deceleration in a turn cannot exceed the vehicle’s total Thrust Points. For example, a Horatius tank has a Thrust of 6 and a beginning velocity of 5. The player decides to spend 3 of his Thrust Points on acceleration this turn, giving the Horatius a current velocity of 8. This leaves 3 Thrust Points that can be spent on deceleration after the vehicle has moved. GRAV MOVEMENT After a grav vehicle has applied any acceleration, it must move and expend a number of Velocity Points equal to its current velocity. If a grav vehicle does not, or cannot, expend a number of Velocity Points equal to its full current velocity, it must ground at the end of its movement.
(It does have the opportunity to decelerate before grounding). It costs different amounts of Velocity Points to enter various terrain features, as indicated on the Terrain Effects Table, p. As the table indicates, the Velocity Cost to move into a clear hex is I Velocity Point (VP).
The cost to move into a light woods hex is 2 VP. A grav vehicle must have sufficient Velocity Points remaining to enter a hex. Turning restrictions might result in a vehicle not having enough VP to enter the hex that it is facing, even though it has not expended its full velocity for the turn. If this occurs, the grav vehicle must ground (see Grounding). Unless the terrain is prohibited, a grav vehicle may always move one hex forward, no matter what the Terrain Cost, as long as that is the only hex the vehicle enters that turn. If turning or other restrictions might force a grav vehicle to move forward into prohibited terrain, the vehicle must ground immediately in the previous hex at its current velocity (after any deceleration). For example, the Horatius from the above example must move through terrain whose total Velocity Point Cost is 8.
Moving from Point A, the Horatius would spend 8 points to go to B, C, or D. If the Horatius tried to move to F, however, it would not have enough VPto enter the hex and would be forced to ground in F.
Before grounding, the player could spend his remaining Thrust Point to lower the velocity of the Horatius to 7, but the vehicle would still be forced to ground after the deceleration. Traveling Up and Down Slope Traveling Up Slope or Down Slope can add or subtract VP to the VP Cost of the terrain. Moving from a higher to a lower elevation reduces the VP Cost of the hex, as shown on the Terrain Effects Table.
When moving from a lower elevation to a higher elevation, the VP Cost increases, again per the Terrain Effects Table. It is possible for a hex to ha ve a negative VP, such as when a vehicle moves Down Slope into a c lear hex with a slope of 6 or more. In this case, the cost for entering the terrain is 0. For example, a Horatius is traveling at a current velocity of 10. That means it must travel straight forward for at least two hexes before it can change its facing one hexside left or right.
If the Horatius had a current velocity of 20, then it would have to travel straight for four hexes before it could c hange facing one hexside left or right. DECELERATION Thrust Points that were not expended to increase velocity this turn may now be used to decrease the vehicle’s current velocity. The current velocity is now recorded on the vehicle’s Velocity Record Track in the box for this turn. This will indicate the vehicle’s beginning velocity at the start of the next turn. Deceleration may only be done after the vehicle has spent a ll its VP. A vehicle cannot use unspent Thrust Points to reduce the amount of VP that it must spend that turn. For example, the Horatius goes from a Heavy Woods hex with an Elevation of 5 into a Light Woods hex with Elevation of 0.
The VP Cost for entering that hex is 2—3, or -1. Therefore, the cost of entering that terrain is 0, If the Horatius were moving in the opposite direction, the VP Cost would be 3 + 5, or 8 VP. Facing Changes A grav vehicle turns by manipulating the gravity field via directional vanes. Thus, there is no Thrust Cost to turn the vehicle. However, the faster the vehicle moves, the larger its turning arc will be.
A grav vehicle can only move forward into a hex that it is facing (see Traveling in Reverse for exceptions). A grav vehicle may change its facing only after it has moved at least the required number of hexes in a straight line. The Facing Change Table gives the number of hexes, during a turn, that a grav vehicle must travel before it can make a facing change. FACING CHANGE TABLE Current Restrictions Velocity 0 May spin in place 1 -5 1 hex between each hexside turn 6 - 10 2 hexes between each hexside turn 11 - 19 3 hexes between each hexside turn 20 - 29 4 hexes between each hexside turn 30+ 5 hexes between each hexside turn Because of these restrictions, a vehicle might not have the necessary VP to enter the hex that it is immediately facing. In such case, the vehicle must ground in its current hex at the end of its turn (though it may decelerate before grounding). If a grav vehicle starts a turn with a current velocity of 0, it may turn to face any direction prior to moving out of the hex.
This is the only time when a grav vehicle may change its facing without moving into at least the hex directly in front of it. For example, the Horatius starts the turn with a cur rent velocity of 8 and a Thrust of 4.
It does not accelerate at the beginning of the turn. The vehicle must move through terrain whose total VP Cost is 8.
After its movement is complete, the player has the option of reducing the vehicle’s c urrent velocity to 4 (8-4). Traveling in Reverse While not a common practice, it is possible for a grav vehicle to move in reverse. If after deceleration a vehicle’s current velocity is negative, it will move backwards, with all movement costs and lacing restrictions in effect.
Any ac celeration applied during subsequent turns increases the current velocity. When the current velocity exceeds 0 the grav vehicle will move forward again. Note that if a player wishes to increase the speed that a vehicle is traveling backward, the thrust must be applied at the end of movement during Deceleration. If the player wishes to decrease the speed of reverse movement, the thrust must be applied at the start of the unit’s movement during Acceleration. Because terrain avoidance sensors are primarily oriented forward, the speed limit for all terrain types is halved. (See Exceeding the Speed Limit.) For example, a Liberator has a current velocity of 4 and has finished its movement. It has not expended any Thrust Points and now elects to expend all 6 of its remaining points.
The Liberator will start the next turn with a velocity of -2. If it does not apply any acceleration, the Liberator will have to expend 2 VP, but it must move backward into the hex immediately behind it. EXCEEDING THE SPEED LIMIT All terrain has a maximum safe speed. Any grav vehicle whose current velocity is higher than the speed limit of the terrain it is entering may take damage as a result.
In the case of hexes with both slopes and terrain, use the lower speed limit for the hex’s overall speed limit. When a vehicle’s current velocity is higher than the speed limit of the hex it is entering, the player must make a Piloting Skill Roll. The Base Number for this roll is 5, minus I for every 2 points of current velocity (or fraction thereof) that the vehicle is over the limit. Additional modifiers might be added because of damage the vehicle has taken.
If the player rolls greater than this target number, the vehicle takes damage equal in 10 points per point of velocity over the speed limit. Damage is evenly divided between the front and bottom sides. (Odd amounts may be divided in groups of ten, as the player wishes). Mark off Armor blocks starting in the upper left-hand corner, moving left to right down the rows. If the player rolls less than or equal to this target number, the vehicle is not damaged. Remember that a 1 is always an automatic success and a 10 is an automatic failure.
A vehicle’s current velocity is not affected by damage taken from exceeding the speed limit. All internal damage takes immediate effect, however, as does the loss of armor. If the internal damage hits the Grav Drive or Vehicle Destroyed box, the vehicle stops all movement and must ground in the current hex at its current velocity. It may not decelerate prior to grounding.
For example, a grav vehicle with a current velocity of 10 enters a heavy woods hex, which has a speed limit of 6. This requires the player to make a Piloting Skill Roll of 3 or less (base of 5- (4 over the limit 1/2)). If the roll fails, the vehicle will take 40 points of damage (4 over the limit x 10). This damage will be split up, with 20 points to the front armor and 20 points to the bottom armor, After resolving the damage, the vehicle continues its movement. GROUNDING Having completed all deceleration, the player may declare that the grav vehicle is grounding.
The vehicle must also ground if it has not moved its full VP. A vehicle that grounds may take damage and its current velocity is reduced to zero. Only grav vehicles may ground themselves.
A grav vehicle may ground itself at the end of its movement. Grounding occurs when the driver turns off the anti grav field and allows the vehicle to drop to the ground.
This stops the vehicle completely and kills all velocity. Depending on the vehicle’s current velocity (after deceleration is applied), damage might or might not occur. It costs one additional thrust point to go from being grounded to flight. It costs two thrust points to go from a crater to flight. For example, the Horatius grounds at the end of its last turn, It accelerates to 3 this turn, but it costs I thrust point to lift up. The Horatius now has 2 thrust points that it must spend in moving through other terrain.
Grounding does not affect the crew or infantry squad of a vehicle unless damage is taken in the appropriate internal component section. GROUND VEHICLES Ground vehicles are conventionally powered vehicles that use contact with the ground via tracks, wheels, or surface effect skirts to move. Unless otherwise specified, use the Combat and Movement rules for grav vehicles. Ground vehicles are rated in Movement Points rather than Thrust.
They do not use acceleration or deceleration and do not keep track of velocity. They may change their facing at any time during their movement.
To move from hex to hex, a ground vehicle must pay the Velocity Point Cost to enter that hex. Note that there are some movement restrictions listed on the Terrain Effects Table. A player may move a ground vehicle up to the limit of the unit’s Movement Points (MP).
Units may spend some, none, or all of their MP. Movement Points may not be saved from one turn to another, and so the player loses any MP not u sed during the current turn. Once a unit has used a ll its MP, it cannot move again until the next turn.
A ground unit must have remaining MP sufficient for the cost of entering a hex. Unless the terrain is prohibited, a ground vehicle may always move one hex forward, no matter what the terrain cost, provided it is the only hex the vehicle enters that turn and that the terrain does not forbid the vehicle to enter.
Ground vehicles are never affected by the speed limit restrictions of the terrain. Rather than moving forward during a turn, a ground vehicle may elect to travel backward one hex.
For example, a Horatius has a current velocity of 8 and has only moved one hex. Thus, the vehicle must ground at the end of its turn. The Horatius applies its maximum of 6 Thrust Points to decelerate, bringing the current velocity down 102. Grounding Damage will be taken to the tank based on its new velocity of 2, not the previous 8. Grounding in Water Grav vehicles may ground in a full lake hex.
Damage is taken as one-half normal, but the vehicle cannot fire out at any target nor be fired upon because it is under water. A grav vehicle that is under water must spend I additional Thrust Point to rise above the surface of the water prior to moving (for a total of 2 Thrust Points). While under water, a grav vehicle may not dismount or mount infantry. Vehicles may move while under water, but the terrain speed limit is I. Vehicles under water may only be a ttacked by artillery or orbital fire support missions.
Damage from Grounding Damage from grounding is equal to ten times the current velocity of the vehicle. Grounding damage is always taken on the bottom armor. Starting in the upper left-hand corner of the Armor row, the player crosses off damage straight across the row for as many boxes as there are points of damage. Boxes that are already damaged do not count.
For example, a Heavy tank has 4 MP, During its movement, the tank may move into any of the indicated hexes. DISMOUNTED INFANTRY In order to move, dismounted infantry use what is known as a bounce pack. This is a small anti-grav device that almost totally negates the weight of the individual soldier.
This allows the trooper to move in a series of long, low jumps, or bounces, vastly increasing his maneuverability. Dismounted infantry move as though they were ground vehicles with 3 MP. They receive no Road Bonus. Dismounted infantry may not enter hexes whose terrain is prohibited to ground vehicles. When inside buildings, an infantry unit may move only one level per turn. LOADING AND UNLOADING INFANTRY If a dismounted infantry squad begins its Movement Phase in the same hex as a vehicle that can carry it, the squad c an enter the vehicle rather than move. A grav vehicle must have a current velocity of 0 before a squad can mount it, however.
Once mounted, the infantry moves with the vehicle and can perform no other actions. Both a Viper and a friendly infantry squad start the Movement Phase in the same hex, with the Viper at a current velocity of 0. The infantry squad can mount the Viper this turn, and the Viper may move normally this turn, If the Viper had a current velocity greater than 0, the infantry could not have mounted before the vehicle moved.
The Viper would have had to complete its movement for the turn and end in the infantry squad’s hex with a velocity of 0. The squad would then be able to mount during the Movement Phase of the next turn. Finally, if the squad did not start in the same hex as the Viper, it could move to the Viper’s he x during its movement turn. During the next turn’s Movement Phase, the squad could mount the vehicle if the Viper’s c urrent velocity is 0. Mounted infantry can dismount a vehicle only at the end of the vehicle’s movement, and if its current velocity is 0. It may not move for the rest of the turn, but may engage in combat as normal.
For all other purposes, the newly dismounted squad is treated as normal. ROAD AND RIVER MOVEMENT Vehicles and dismounted infantry may use roads to negate the effects of terrain as long as the unit moves from one road hex to the next adjoining road hex. Similarly, a grav vehicle may use a river in the same manner as a road.
A road in a hex does not negate the combat effects of the surrounding terrain. A ground vehicle may receive a Road Bonus that allows it one additional hex of movement if it travels along a road for its entire turn. To gain this bonus, the vehicle must begin its turn on a road and continue to travel along the road for its entire Movement Phase. OPPORTUNITY FIRE Units in a moving platoon may declare Opportunity Fire rather than moving during their portion of the Movement Phase if they have a starting velocity of 0.
Units that declare Opportunity Fire may immediately fire on any enemy units that move into their lineof-sight during the remainder of the turn. Units may only fire at enemy units that move AFTER Opportunity Fire has been declared. As enemy units move from hex to hex, the opposing player must decide immediately if any eligible units (those having an LOS to the enemy’s hex) will fire on the enemy unit in that hex. Once a player declares Opportunity Fire, the attack is resolved per the normal Combat rules, and all damage takes effect immediately. If the enemy unit survives the attack, it can continue its movement normally. A unit may make only one Opportunity Fire Attack per turn. A unit that makes an Opportunity Fire Attack may not make any attacks in the Weapons Fire Phase.
A unit may not use an Opportunity Fire Attack to paint a target. If Opportunity Fire is declared, but the attack is not actually made, the unit may fire normally during the Combat Phase. For example, a Horatius ends its last turn with a velocity of 0.
The Horatius’ platoon is third in line to move this turn, but declares no movement, Thus, the Horatius can use Opportunity Fire to fire at enemy units during the remainder of the Movement Phase, The Horatius cannot fire at the units of the two enemy platoons that moved before it declared. The vehicles of the other e nemy platoons that have yet to move may be attacked as they move into the Horatius’s LOS. HULL DOWN All vehicles on the battlefield attempt to use terrain to make themselves more difficult targets. One such method is to use a small ridge, crater, or other hole in the ground to cover or hide the lower portions of the vehicle. A vehicle in such a defensive posture is said to be hull down. In Centurion, many vehicles carry digging cannons.
This equipment fires a specially designed explosive charge into the ground immediately under the vehicle. The charge explodes and creates a crater into which the vehicle can drive and assume a hull-down profile. At the same time, the vehicle fires other charges that create a pattern of ten to twelve man-size foxholes that allow any accompanying infantry to take up protected positions. At any time during a vehicle’s movement, the player can announce that his vehicle is firing a digging charge if functioning digging cannons and sufficient charges remain.
The player then places a crater counter in the hex and marks off one digging charge from that vehicle’s record sheet. To gain the defensive benefits of a cratered hex, a vehicle must end its movement grounded in the hex. Ground vehicles only have to enter the hex to gain the a dvantage of an existing cratered hex. A cratered hex gives the occupying unit a defensive modifier. It may fire all weapons, including hull-mounted ones, as normal. It normally costs a vehicle I thrust point to lift from grounding. It costs a grav vehicle 2 thrust points to raise up from a crater and move normally.
Once a crater has been created, it is removed from the board only if it is unoccupied and the hex it occupies has been rubbled or hit by a HELL round. Any unit may use the crater and gain its defensive modifiers.
Only one vehicle and one infantry unit may gain the defensive benefits of a single crater, however. Multiple craters are allowed in the same hex.
A vehicle may ground in a cratered hex without taking up a position inside the crater. Whether or not to use a crater is solely up to the discretion of the player that owns the vehicle.
Digging cannons have no effect on enemy units occupying the hex into which they are fired, nor can they be used against buildings. Digging cannons cannot be fired into lake hexes to create craters, though they can be fired into river hexes. (The vehicles take up positions on the river banks.) STACKING There is no limit to the number of units that can occupy the same hex.
Enemy and friendly units in the same hex may engage each other according to the Combat in the Same Hex rules in the Combat section.
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