Musings on the Possibilities of 40K rules in Fantasy based on non objective fluff, Why Fantasy?

Because Fantasy allows more differentiation between the noble Astartes and the simple Guardsman, not because the system is greater, but because it has more variables and numerous methods of which to distinguish the various factions. For now this project entails creating the two main forces of the Imperium, the Adeptus Astartes, and the Imperial Guard, and their counterparts as the Traitor Astartes and the Cultist Legions of Chaos. Everything is based on Fluff, leading to a more stark difference between a marine and a guardsman. Amendments to the Game itself: Shooting at long range should not matter for most weapons in the 41st millennium, so we get rid of the shooting at long range modifier for most weapons, unless it is denoted by a Short Ranged tag in the weapon stats. In addition, weapons with the Rapid Fire rule may fire the number in parenthesis afterwards within short range, representing the ease of hip firings. Also because of the lack of ranks and more fluid nature of units, we must disregard the concept of Ranks and adopt some slight aspects of the Skirmishers. Primarily by taking the unit coherency rule from 40K meaning all models in a unit must be within 2 of another model. Also models should use round bases instead of square bases. In addition, the models facing does count, so a marine facing forwards could only shoot at the models in its front arc. Close combat and Charging require modification as well. Charging should allow shooting if the weapons either have the Pistol rule or the Assault Weapon Rule and count as being shot right before they come in contact with the enemy unit. Weapons such as Flamers will require some subtle reworking because of the loss of templates with such close range attacks. A -1 to hit penalty should be enforced because of the rather hectic nature of a charge and shooting pistols in a rush. If a weapon that uses the tear drop template is used though, it should cause 2D6 hits that can not exceed the maximum number of models in the enemy unit. Models also do not fight in ranks or with standards most of the time. Standards we will not disregard, because they do exist, but we have some work to re represent the differences in systems. Extra Ranks are now if the unit outnumbers the other side by at least twice as much, getting up to +3 for being four times as much, meaning a mob of cultists will outnumber a tactical squad and gain some form of bonus for it. Panic remains the same. A weapon can be marked as a Breath Weapon as most models that would have such ability do not exist. Magic is good as is, representing the general psychic power able to be summoned onto the battlefield. Dispel should only be able to used if the enemy has any psykers to represent the general unknown nature of such an entity. Magic Lores are thrown out the window in favor of race specific lores. Also adding in an Overheats special rule for weapons is most important. A weapon with the Overheats special rule will cause a roll on the Overheats chart if a 1 to hit is rolled 1-2 Explodes! Causes D6 wounds on the unit as if the weapon fired at them and the weapon will be unusable; 3-4 Too Hot! The weapon overheats and needs to cool, so it may not be used next turn; 5-6 Contained The weapon does not count as shooting this turn. The Baseline: An Astartes is an indomitable soldier wearing Power Armor and sporting the most extensive list of genetic modifications of most Science Fiction. Lets figure out a close

guess as to their equivalent, regardless of allegiance. The closest we can get is the Chaos Warrior, with their superior traits to man and their formidable armor. Close, but no Cigar. An Astartes wears Power Armor, which is a mockery of the might Chaos Armor provides. Lets say boost the save to 2+ for Power Armor, and grant an additional strength to wearers of it due to the amount of strength enhancing abilities in the suit. In addition, the BS needs to be increased to 5 in order to represent the sheer power of an Astartes at range. Because of To Hit modifiers, this stat is most likely going to be the important factor in the marines arsenal. Now that we have that figured, the movement characteristic most likely should be increased to say, 5, representing the more agility and speed a marine can pull compared to a regular mortal. Leadership should go up to 9 as well to represent their near unbreakable nature. Will of Chaos is a decent rule to represent the fearless nature of the Astartes, but they should also permanently gain steadfast. This leaves an Astartes as being M5, WS5, BS5, S5, T4, W1, I5, A2, LD9 30 Points with And They Shall Know No Fear (Reroll all Panic tests and counts as permanently steadfast) Next we should figure out the humble Guardsman. Taking the base stats of the Marauder (Yes Warriors of Chaos is all I know,) we can gather that a Guardsman would most likely be less capable in assault compared to a Marauder, so we would reduce the WS to 3. Also, we get rid of Will of Chaos, mostly because a Guardsman is not that reliable to the horrors of the 41st Millenium. Also dropping the Initiative to 3 is needed. Adding on Flak Armor though gives a save of approximately 5+, representing the generally decent nature of the armor. The points cost will stay the same, because whilst it has lost things, it has gained other traits to compensate This leaves a Guardsman as being M4, WS3, BS3, S3, T3, W1, I3, A1, LD7 3 Points Weapons: The humble Boltgun and Lasgun, weapons of immense note. First the Boltgun, which would most likely be a 24 S5 Rapid Fire (3), leaving us with a weapon that negates most light armored infantry. A Lasgun in contrast would probably be around 24 S4 Rapid Fire(2), weaker then the Boltgun, but still potent. Boltguns would become say, 5 points per weapon. A Lasgun in contrast would be around 2 points, negating extremely light armor but still having problems against some of the heavier equivalents out there. Next, the weapons shared between the two. Flamers would be a S4 Breath Assault Weapon, costing 5 Points. A Meltagun would be an 18 S7 weapon that gains three additional strength when firing at half range, denoting the power of such a weapon at close range, costing around 15 points. A Plasma Gun would be a 24 S7 Rapid Fire(2), Overheats weapon, representing the potency of such a weapon but also the possibility of exploding, costing around 10 points. A Bolt Pistol would simply be a 12 S5 Pistol costing 2 points, a Laspistol costing 1 point because it a 12 S4 Pistol. The Plasma Pistol in contrast would be a 12 S7 Pistol Overheats weapon, costing a mighty 5 points. Frag and Krak Grenades is a much more difficult thing to truly configure. A Frag grenade would most likely be a 6 S3 Small Blast weapon that can be used in a charge to cause D3 wounds as long as the model is not using any other weapon. This means an Imperial

Guard squad can cause damage to their opponent in case the commissar deems a bayonet charge appropriate before they get eaten alive by whatever the commissar deems appropriate to kill.

Guardsman: 6 Points per Model 5-20 Per Squad M WS BS S T W I A LD 4 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 7 Equipment: Flak Armor, Lasgun, Hand Weapon, Frag Grenades Upgrades: One model in every ten may have a Flamer +5 Points Plasma Gun +10 Points Meltagun +15 Points One model may be upgraded to a Sergeant for +5 Points, gaining +1 LD and +1 A The Sergeant may take a Laspistol +1 Point Chainsword Power Weapon Tactical Astartes: 35 Points per Model M WS BS S T W I A LD 5 5 5 5 4 1 5 1 9 Equipment: Power Armor, Boltgun, Hand Weapon, Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades Special Rules: And They Shall Know No Fear