Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future

Skirmish

Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish

Between the Mud and the Stars

Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish Contents
1.0 Game Units 1.1 Troop Quality 1.2 The Concept of Combat Effectiveness 1.3 Armor Ratings Unit Activation Weapons and Equipment Unit Actions 4.1 Movement 4.2 Fire Actions 4.3 Melee Action 4.4 Morale/Leadership Actions Cover and Terrain Morale and Leadership 6.1 Combat Effectiveness Deterioration 6.2 Breaking Thresholds Reaction Tests

2.0 3.0 4.0

5.0 6.0

7.0

Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish 0.1 - Some important game concepts:
Unit activation. Players alternate attempting to activate units. In turn, each player chooses a unit that has not been activated yet and rolls against its training and effectiveness level to determine whether it has been successfully activated. Activated units can take combat actions normally. Units that fail to activate may only take limited actions. Whether the current players unit activates or not, control passes back to the second player who in turn may attempt to activate a single unit of his own. This process continues until all units are activated. If one player has more units than the other, he may attempt to activate all remaining units in sequence once his opponent has run out of units to attempt activation upon. Fire Effectiveness (FE) Players do not roll for troopers individual attacks. Instead, they must determine the total Fire Effectiveness score of each squad before it makes a ranged attack. This score is determined by the weapons the soldiers in the unit carry, and determines how much firepower the squad can put onto a given target. Training and Effectiveness Rating (TER). This value is a measure of how effective a squad (or vehicle or individual) will be at a given task. It is variable, as it always includes a Quality die roll. For many basic tasks, the TER must be a result of 3 or greater to succeed. For other tasks (such as combat actions), it may used in combination with another factor, such as Fire Effectiveness, to determine the outcome. At other times, it may be used in an opposed roll to simulate a challenge difficulty. A units TER can be modified by circumstances as the game progresses. Stance. Stance indicates how cautiously or boldly soldiers moving on the battlefield, and how much use they are making of whatever natural cover is available. This measure is separate from cover provided by terrain. Stance has an important role in determining how well protected troopers are from incoming fire, and it also affects movement rate. Combat Readiness Deterioration (CRD). CRD is a cumulative result of combat on a unit that gradually diminishes its effectiveness. It is expressed as a penalty against the units TER value. Various actions can result in CRD markers being placed against the unit that each result in a one-point penalty on the units TER roll. Defense Factors. This is a number that tells you how hard to kill a trooper or vehicle can be when shot at or in melee. Defense factors usually change given circumstances, but they always work the same. Divide your defense factor by the Shoot value or the Melee value and the result gives you the number of casualties inflicted. Challenge Dice. Challenge dice are used in opposed rolls to determine a units success at tackling any action that may have an uncertain outcome. The most common challenge die is the d4. The Challenge Dice are as follows: Basic Challenge Die (d4). Used to determine the outcome of common challenges, such as activating during combat. Intermediate Challenge Die (d6). Advanced Challenge Die (d8). Difficult Challenge Die (d10). Impossible Challenge Die (d12). Occasionally, two challenge die may be rolled, with the highest of the two being selected.

Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish 1.0 Game Units
All game units are elements composed of either squads or single characters. Vehicles always compose elements singly-you can never have more than one vehicle in an element. Squads are composed of rank and file troopers and may also include figures with higher leadership ratings such as sergeants and officers. There may never be more than ten figures in a single squad. 1.1 TROOP QUALITY Troops have training/effectiveness ratings (TER) that reflect their level of combat effectiveness, toughness, and motivation. TER and its associated values are used for many types of tests throughout the game such as determining the outcome of combat actions and various morale tests. There are five levels of TER: Untrained These troops have only rudimentary combat skills and are usually poorly motivated. They use a result of d4 for determining the outcome of most tests, and a d4 in melee. Conscript Conscripts have basic combat training but little or no combat experience and can quickly become unglued once the shooting starts. They use a result of d6 for determining the outcome of most tests, and a d6 in melee. Regular - These are trained combat troops who have limited experience under fire. They use a result of d8 for determining the outcome of most tests, and a d8 in melee. Veteran Veterans are dangerous troops to tangle with. They have seen combat and have proven that they can function effectively as teams while under fire. They use a result of d10 for determining the outcome of most tests, and a d10 in melee. Elite Elites truly are the best of the best. They are hardened veterans that have been trained to upper limits of their abilities They use a result of d12 for determining the outcome of most tests, and a d12 in melee.

1.11

In many cases, a units TER will be used in an opposed role to determine the outcome of some action, or it may just have to beat a simple challenge number (usually 3). Dice of various types (known as the Challenge Die) will be used in opposed rolls to simulate the degree of difficulty a challenge poses, anywhere from d4 to d12. If the units TER roll (minus any modifiers) is greater than that of the challenge die, the result is a success for the unit.

Example: Bravo squad is a heavily armed and armored unit of hardened assault troopers who have seen many bloody campaigns. As such, they have a Veteran status. They will roll 1d10 to determine the outcome of most actions they undertake. For instance, to activate successfully during turn they must beat a Basic Challenge Die (d4). Bravo rolls its d10 for a result of 5. The Basic Challenge Die (d4) rolls a 3. Bravo squad has successfully activated and may now take actions normally.

Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish

1.1 THE CONCEPT OF COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS Once the battle is joined and the lead begins to fly, even the most fresh-faced and eager troops can become disorganized, frightened, and ineffective. In game terms, this is reflected by a units Combat Readiness Deterioration (CRD). CRD is a cumulative result of combat on a unit that gradually diminishes its effectiveness. It is expressed as a penalty against the units TER value. Various actions can result in CRD markers being placed against the unit that each result in a one-point penalty on the units TER roll. Units can receive CRD markers for a variety of reasons, but the most common is the result of enemy fire. When a unit is caught out in the open and receives effective enemy fire (that is, the fire is effective enough to inflict a casualty), it is randomly determined whether the hit to the unit results in a casualty or in a CRDmarker. If a unit is in a cautious stance while in the open or in soft cover, the first hit the unit receives can be decided by the controlling player; every hit thereafter is determined randomly. If the unit has gone to ground or is in hard cover of some sort, the player controlling the unit that is receiving fire takes half the hits randomly and the for the remaining half chooses whether to take casualties or take CRD-Markers for each hit. A unit may receive as many CRD-Markers as its Quality Die. So, a Rookie unit with a TER Value of d6 has a maximum TER value of 6, and an Elite unit with a d12 has a maximum TER value of 12. Each CRD-Marker reduces a units TER roll by one each time it needs to test, whether for combat actions or other challenges. Example #1: Bravo Team is moving through open terrain towards its objective, its team members moving quickly even though they know enemy patrols have been sighted in the distant treeline. Suddenly, the stillness of the morning air is ripped apart by the metallic bark of autoguns and the shrill whistle of gauss projectiles. In short order, the unseen enemy has laid down enough fire to inflict two hits on Bravo. The controlling player rolls two d6s, one for each hit. Odd rolls result in casualties; even rolls result in taking CRD markers. The dice return a 2 and 5. One CRD marker has been accrued and one casualty has been inflicted on the squad. Example #2: Bravo Team is hunkered down behind a stout stone wall. Cautiously they peer toward the enemys position, ready to open up their own weapons at the first contact. Without warning, a hail of autogun fire and fragmentation rockets rips into their position. The hail of incoming rounds and gut-wrenching explosions sets the squad members hugging the earth, their weapons forgotten for the moment and their only concern survival. In rapid succession, Bravo receives enough effective fire to take three hits. Because the squad is behind hard cover, the controlling player can choose how he will take the hits. He chooses three CRD-Markers. Bravo Team is in poor fighting shape, but at least it is still intact.for the moment. 1.1 THE CONCEPT OF COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS (CONTD)

Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish
1.11 THE EFFECTS OF CRD The wear and tear a unit receives from CRD has a real and palpable impact on its fighting performance. Any task requiring a passing TER roll is penalized by the effects of CRD. If any CRDMarkers are accumulated by a unit, it must subtract the number of CRD-Markers from each TER roll to determine success. Example #1: Bravo Squad has just received three CRD-Markers from enemy fire while taking cover behind a stone wall. In the next turn, they have sighted the enemy unit, and in the next turn they must activate in order to fire upon their attackers. Bravo Teams controlling player rolls to activate (d10) against a d4 (basic challenge). The TER result is a 5, but by subtracting thee CRD-Markers it is dropped down to a two. The Challenge Die yields a 3. Bravo Team cannot activate this turn. 1.12 Removing CRD-Markers CRD-Markers are not permanent, but depending on circumstances they can be difficult to remove. In order remove CRD-Markers, first attempt to activate the unit. If the unit activates, a Remove CRD-Markers action can be taken for one (or both) of the units two actions. If the unit fails its activation test, it will choose from one of only three possible actions to take, Go to Ground, Move (to Cover), or Remove CRD-Markers. Once the unit makes a Remove CRD-Marker action, it will roll its current TER against the appropriate Challenge Die for its situation. If the unit is in Open Ground, the task will be Advanced (d8). It will be Difficult (d10) for units that failed activation. If the unit is in Soft Cover or has Gone to Ground, the task will be Intermediate (d6). It will be Advanced (d8) for units that failed activation. If the unit is in Hard Cover (regardless of stance), the task will be Basic (d4). It will be Intermediate (d6) for units that have failed activation. Compare the modified TER score that the unit rolls and compare it against the Challenge Die roll. If the TER roll is greater than the Challenge Die roll, determine the difference between the two. The difference is the number of CRD-Markers that are removed. Example #2: Bravo Squad is attempting to remove its three CRD-Markers. It attempts its activation but fails. Now, as one of its only legal actions, it will attempt to Remove CRD-Markers, but with a penalty. It rolls its modified TER (d6+1, -3 for the CRD Markers) against a d6 Intermediate difficulty die (In Hard Cover, failed activation). Bravo Team rolls a five, to which it adds its +1 Veterans bonus and subtracts its -3 CRD penalty, for a result of 3. The Intermediate Die roll (d6) comes out to a 1. With a difference of two between the modified TER score and the Challenge roll, Bravo Team removes two CRD markers.

Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish

1.3 Armor Ratings Each troop type has an armor rating of between zero and 10. Most standard infantry grunts are lucky to have even basic protection such as a helmet and flak vest, giving them a paltry AR of 1. On the other hand, elite troops may be protected with the latest in Power Armor technology, giving them a respectable AR of 4. The AR is used in conjunction with troop stance to determine how successful a unit is at surviving incoming fire (see section 4.2). It can also be used to determine survivability in melee combat (see section 4.3). Infantry troop types generally cannot have an AR higher than 5, with 5 representing the heaviest power armor available. A unit with an AR of 6 or greater is generally some sort of vehicle or walker, and as such, operates independently of the squad structure. Note that units with an AR of 5 or greater cannot Go to Ground, as their armor is far too bulky to allow such an action. Below is a table of the most commonly seen AR classes. Armor Rating Armor Type 0 None 1 Flak Armor 2 Shock Armor 3 Carapace Armor 4 Power Armor 5 Heavy Power Armor 6 Light Vehicles, Light Walkers 7 Armored Fighting Vehicles 8 Tanks, Heavy Mechs 9 Heavy Tanks 10 Heaviest Vehicles, Starships

Common Uses Civilians Conscript Troops Line Infantry Veteran and Heavy Infantry units Elite and Assault Infantry Very Heavy Assault

Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish

2.0

Unit Activation.
Players alternate attempting to activate units. In turn, each player chooses a unit that has not been activated yet and rolls its Quality Die against a Basic Challenge Die (d4) to determine whether it has been successfully activated. If the modified TER is higher than the Challenge Die, the unit activates. Activated units can take combat actions normally. Generally, an activated unit may take two actions while activated. Below is a list of actions that can generally be taken. Move (may only be taken once per activation) Shoot (may only be taken once per activation) Melee (success negates other actions during activation) Change Stance (Normal, Cautious, Gone to Ground-requires one action) Aim Set up Heavy Weapons Reduce CRD-Markers Call in Air Support/Artillery Issue Commands (for Platoon or Company Level HQ Units only) A unit that fails to activate may only take limited actions. It may choose from one of the following actions: Go to Ground, Move (to Cover), or Remove CRD-Markers, or Treat Wounded.

Whether the current players unit activates or not, control passes back to the second player who in turn may attempt to activate a single unit of his own. This process continues until all units are activated. If one player has more units than the other, he may attempt to activate all remaining units in sequence once his opponent has run out of units to attempt activation upon.

Conditions That Affect Activation Per CRD-Marker Platoon Commander within 6 Company Commander within 6 Commissar or other commander joined to unit Command order received

Modifier to Activation Roll -1 +1 +2 +1 or +2 +1

Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish

3.0

Weapons and Equipment

A units ability to harm the enemy is determined by two factors in this ruleset: its Training and Effectiveness Rating (TER) and its weapons loadout. The weapons a unit carries determines its Fire Effectiveness value to be used in Shooting actions, and its penetrative value, used to determine whether the weapon used can actually hurt its target. Further, weapons choices can have a decided effect on the outcome of melee actions. Because a fire action can allow fire to be split (although this generally only applies to targeting vehicles and infantry separately), it is important to be aware of the penetrative value of various weapons. If a weapon does have the penetrative value to harm a target, its fire is wasted. Fire Effectiveness for a unit can be determined using the following quick reference. For an exhaustive list of weapons, see the Weapons List in the Appendix. Weapon Type Assault Rifles x2 Advanced Assault Rifles x1 Bolter Rifles x1 Squad Auto Weapon Light Machine Gun AT-Rocket Launcher (HW-2 crew) AP-Rocket Launcher (HW-2 crew) Heavy Flamer RPG (or LAW) Fire Effectiveness Points 1 1 1 2 3 2(5) 5(2) 1d4 2(3) Range 30 30 30 40 40 48 48 12 30 Penetrative Value 5 6 7 5

*Values in parentheses are vs. vehicles.

4.0

Unit Actions

There are a variety of actions available to a freshly-activated unit, but most units may only take two actions per turn. Note that some actions require all the units effort and no additional actions may be taken along with these. Other actions, such as Treat Wounded must always be taken first during the units activation.

4.1 Move actions

A Move Action does just what it implies. It allows a unit to move from one location to another across the battlefield. Every unit has a base movement speed, expressed in inches, that determines its movement rate under normal circumstances.

Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish
Unit type Infantry Cavalry Jetpack Troops Light Vehicle LightWalker Heavy Vehicle Normal Move 6 10 12 12 10 8 Cautious Move 4 6 Gone to Ground 2 Charging 6+d6 10+1d10 12+2d6 Running 3d6 4d6 5d6 -

4.2 Shoot Actions

Infantry resolve shooting actions by first counting up the Fire Effectiveness points being used by the squad for this action (see section 3.0 Weapons and Equipment). Regardless of the type of target, the shooting player must always make sure the weapons used have penetrative value (PV) that equals or exceeds the AR of the target. Any weapons that have a lower PV than the target's AR must be excluded from the Shoot Action. Once you have counted up the FE points to be used, you must resolve TER for the firing unit. Roll 2 appropriate Quality die, but only select the highest die roll. Discard the lower value. Next, add or subtract any trait modifiers. Subtract penalties for having just moved or treated wounded. Finally, subtract any CRD-markers from the total at one point per marker. Divide the whole result by 2, and do not round up. This gives you the TER value Multiply the TER Value by total Fire Effectiveness points. This gives you the Shooting Value for the action. This number will determine potentially how many casualties you can inflict on the enemy.

Factors That Affect Shooting CRD-Marker Unit just moved in same activation Unit just treated wounded Unit traits that imbue bonuses Unit traits that imbue penalties Infantry has Gone to Ground

Die Roll Modifiers -1 per marker -2 -2 +1 or +2 -1 or -2 -4

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Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish
VERSUS INFANTRY: To determine how many casualties are inflicted by the Shooting action, the defender must work out how vulnerable his troops are. As the defender, you do this by first determining how many of attacking unit's Shooting Value points are needed to inflict one casualty. You need to know three factors to determine this: the defenders terrain type, the defender's stance, and the defender's armor value. First, determine what type of terrain the troops being targeted are located in. This yields the base defense factor. IN OPEN: 5 points IN SOFT COVER: 9 points IN HARD COVER: 12 points IN FORTIFIED STRUCTURE: 18 points Next, check the stance of the troops being targeted. This will determine what type of defense die they roll. The possible dice are as follows: NORMAL: d6 CAUTIOUS: d8 GONE TO GROUND: d10 Roll 2x the appropriate defense die for the defenders' stance. Choose the highest die, and discard the other. Multiply the Defense die roll by the defenders' AR value +1. Add to the base defense value. The total number yielded is the modified Defense Factor. Divide the attacker's Shooting Value by the defenders modified Defense Factor number. The number of times this former number can be divided wholly into the second gives you the number of casualties inflicted by the action. Example: Bravo Squad catches sight of a unit of enemy insurgents cautiously moving through scrub nearby. The troopers spring into action, bringing all their weaponry to bear. Bravo Squad is composed of ten troopers. Seven troopers are carrying assault rifles (2x assault rifles =1 FE point, for 3 FE points), 2 SAWs (1x SAW=2 FE point, for 4 FE points), and one anti-infantry rocket launcher (1x RL=5 FE points, for 5 FE points). A second crewman is needed to man the RL, who will not contribute his own weapons fire while he is serving the heavy weapon. The squad can throw a total of 12 FE points at the enemy. Bravo Squad's player needs to determine its Shoot Value. First, as Bravo Squad is Veteran, it will roll 2d10, discarding the lower roll. A 9 and a 5 are rolled, with the 5 being discarded. However, Bravo Squad is also carrying a single CRD-Marker, giving it a -1 penalty to the rolled 9. The TER value is 8. The TER Value is the divided by 2, yielding a 4. The TER value is multiplied by 11 (the number of FE points), for a total of 48. This is the Shoot Value, the amount of harm that Bravo Squads firepower can do to the enemy. The squad of enemy insurgents in soft cover, giving them a base Terrain value of 9. The insurgents are moving cautiously, so they roll 2d8. The defender rolls a 2 and a 6, selecting the highest number, 6. The insurgents are wearing only basic body armor (AR=1). The AR is added to the base armor value of 1, for a total AR of 2. The Defense roll of 6 is multiplied by the total AR of 2, for a total of 12. This is added to the base Terrain value of 9, for a total of 21. This is the modified Defense Factor. The Shoot value of 36 is the total amount of firepower being put out by Bravo Squad. As they need only 21 points to 11 inflict a single casualty, they inflict a total of 2 potential casualties (42 out of 48 points).

Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish

For every casualty inflicted, roll a d6 to determine how badly it is injured, using the following table to determine outcomes. Casualty Outcome Roll 1-2 3-4 5-6 Outcome Stunned. Lay figure down. It cannot participate in battle again until next turn. Wounded. Out of action for current game. Will be available for next battle if treated. Critically wounded. Must be treated immediately.

Note that if a medic is present in the unit, any Casualty Outcome rolls may be rerolled once. The second reroll is binding. Every time a unit sustains casualties, it must spend an action in the next turn treating the casualties. Otherwise, it will accrue one CRD-Marker for every untreated casualty. Further. Untreated casualties are treated as KIA/MIA and will not be available in future scenarios. Troopers wearing power armor are afforded additional protection. They can also reroll Casualty Outcome die once. If a medic is also present in a unit equipped with power armor, it allows Casualty Outcome die to be rerolled up to two times. VERSUS VEHICLES: The steps for infantry firing at vehicles are very similar to the steps taken for firing at other infantry. As outlined above, work out how many FE points the shooting squad can bring to bear on the target or targets. Note that if there are several heavy weapons present, they may split fire among several targets, resolving each shooting action separately. Only count up FE points for weapons that have a PV equal to or greater than that of the targets AV. If the target vehicles hull has different AR values on different sides, calculate for the AR facing the attacking unit. Once you know how many FE points are being used to attack the vehicle, resolve the shooting units TER like you normally would, taking all modifiers into account. Multiply the FE points by modified TER roll to get the Shoot Value. Just like firing at infantry, you must now work out how many hits can be scored on the enemy. This requires working out the defenders modified Defense Factor. Start by working out what type of cover may be protecting the vehicle. This is the Terrain Factor. NO COVER=5 points SOFT COVER=9 points HARD COVER=12 points Next, whereas infantry use stance to help determine which Defense Die they employ, vehicles use size and speed. LARGE=d6 MEDIUM=d8 LARGE=d10

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Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish

Fast-moving vehicles are harder to hit: LARGE, MOVED FULL ALLOWANCE LAST TURN=d8 MEDIUM, MOVED FULL ALLOWANCE LAST TURN=d10 SMALL, MOVED FULL ALLOWANCE LAST TURN=d12 Roll the Defense Die and multiply its result times the AR of the vehicle (if it has different values for different sides, use the side facing the attack). Add the Terrain Factor. This final value gives you the vehicles modified Defense Factor. Now divide the Shoot Value by the modified Defense Factor. Discard remainders. The number you are left with is the hits scored on the vehicle. Just because a hit was scored, however, there is no guarantee that the target sustained damage. Now, just as you roll a Casualty Outcome die for each infantry trooper hit, you will roll Damage Outcome Die for each hit. Roll a D8 for each hit sustained and consult the following table: Damage Outcome Roll 8+ 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Result Catastrophic Hit-Vehicle Destroyed Catastrophic Hit-Weapon System Destroyed and Vehicle Immobilized Moderate Hit-Weapon System Destroyed (random) Moderate Hit-Vehicle Immobilized Minor Hit-Vehicle Takes CRD Marker Minor Hit-Vehicle Takes CRD Marker Glancing Hit-No Damage Glancing Hit-No Damage

For every point of PV above the AR value of the target, add 1 to the Damage Outcome Roll. If a vehicle receives a number of CRD Markers equal to its Quality Rating (i.e. d8=8 markers). It will become immobilized and for all purposes a sitting duck unless by some miracle the CRD level can be reduced. Any further minor hits will result in moderate damage. First, true immobilization of the vehicles drive system, then in a weapon hard-points destruction. Once the vehicle is immobilized and all weapons systems are destroyed, any further minor damage will result in destruction of the vehicle.

4.3

Melee Action

Melee actions take place when two or more figures from opposing sides come into base contact. One side is by default always the attacker, the other always the defender. The side that moves in to base contact is always the attacker. Attacks may be initiated by either a standard move (one action) or by a charge action (both actions). A successful melee charge gives the attacker several advantages in hand-to-hand combat but at a risk. If the charge is not successful, the unit can fail to make contact and become easy prey to the defenders guns.

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Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish
Melee actions, like Shooting actions, require a few pieces of information to resolve. Each side will roll one (or several) die and add various bonus scores to work out who wins and what sort of casualties will be inflicted on each side. Each side will roll the appropriate melee combat die (sometimes more than one-see table): Untrained=1d4 Conscript=1d6 Regular=1d8 Veteran=1d10 Elite=1d12 See the following table to determine what modifiers are added to or subtracted from the TER value. Melee Modifier +1 +1 +1 +1d4 +1 +2 Roll 2dx and choose highest Roll 1dx Roll 2dx and choose highest -1d4 from attackers score

Per 3 combatants Per power weapon Per 3 CC weapon kits (i.e. pistols and chainswords) Per flamer unit Officer/NCO leading unit Per elite weapon (i.e chain fist, lightning claw) Defending side, TER test Attacking side, TER test Attacking side, charging, TER test Defender behind fortified position

Once you have determined the Melee Value for both the attacker and defender, compare the numbers. The side with the highest value wins the melee. The losing side must immediately retreat its full regular move directly away from the enemy. Now, check for casualties on each side. The Melee Value rolled by each side determines the how much potential damage is done to the enemy in addition to determining who won. The losing side takes the AR of its troops involved in the melee and adds a +1 to the armor value. This number becomes the losers Defense Factor. Divide the victors Melee Value by the losers Defense Factor to determine how many casualties they sustained. Discard remainders. The victor calculates casualties in a slightly different manner. Instead of adding +1 to his troops Armor Rating to get his Defense Factor, the victor adds the following modifier, depending on the margin by which his Melee Value exceeded that of the enemys. Margin of Victory (melee points) Less than 2 to 1 2 to 1 or greater 3 to 1 or greater Defense Factor Modifier for Victor +2 +3 +4

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Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish
Per the usual method, after each casualty is scored, roll a d6 to determine its outcome. Casualties resulting from melee combat must be treated just like any other casualties.

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Between the Mud and the Stars: Fast-Playing Skirmish Rules for Science Fiction and Near Future Skirmish

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