Squad Combat special rule: "Johnny! NO!"

[DarkWolf]

Ok, this custom rule is a smaller scale variation of the Last Man Standing gametype. It is best used in a game with two or more squads of infantry or vehicles per side. The rule is simple: when an entire squad is killed except for one minifig, then that minifig will be overwhelmed by grief and anger, and will get an extra 2" of move per turn and an extra attack per turn. The same goes for vehicles, except they get an extra 4" of move per turn instead of 2".
I semi-play tested this in a small battle against myself, with one side consisting of my infantry with support weapons and VX-5 Battlerifles, and the other side with one squad equiped with MA-3 Battlerifles (more power per shot and an underslung grenade launcher) and a trio of Marauder Battlesuits (Yes, I keep harping about the Marauders, and I'll get their stats up soon) basically, the two squads of infantry with the standed weapons went off to one side of the battlefield to duke it out, while the Marauders and the support teams (4 snipers, 2 vehicle killers, and two heavy machine gunners) duked it out. The Marauders used Sprint to get close to the enemy, but they couldn't make any attacks (the sprint used up their action), so the support teams got the first shot in. An anti-vehicle plasma shot blew apart the first Marauder, and a sniper took the head off another's pilot, but everyone else missed the last Marauder. Then it was the Marauders turn. He used his regular move to get within machinegun range, and used his heavy MG to turn the anti-vehicle pair into ground beef, then pivoted and used the extra 4" of move to get within grenade launcher range of the snipers, and used the second attack to wipe them out. One of them was halfway under the blast radius, so I decided that got flayed by shrapnel, and basically disassembled him and put a skeleton where he used to be with the body parts laying around the skeleton. I was so happy that the rule worked out.

[Olothontor]

It's an interesting rule. I would criticize it, but I haven't seen this in action and have found nothing that goes against it yet. I'll test it out in my next Brikwars fight and see how it goes.

Aren't I so nice?

[Evil Wayne]

I kind of like it, but I would make it more of a die roll chance for it to happen.

For example, if you have a four-man squad and they all get wiped out except for 1 guy, then roll a 1d6:

6 — Unit becomes enraged at the loss of teammates, adrenaline kicks into overload and the unit gets the +2" movement, 1 extra attack.
5–2 — Unit gets no bonuses.
1 — Unit is completely overcome with the horrors of war. Unit gives up, goes home and becomes a member of the Green Party. Unit can only preform defensive maneuvers and attempts to retreat off the battlefield.

[DarkWolf]

Now there's a thought. I'm still trying to figure out how to add more randomness to my army.

[Rayhawk]

I'd set minimums for the squad size and how long they've been together - maybe he has to be the last member of a squad that's been together since the beginning of the game, all his squadmates had to be identical to him (no killing off a half-dozen peons to give a big bonus to the hero), and he gets a bonus die to use once per turn according to the number of other squad members killed to leave him sole survivor: +1d6 for four, +1d8 for five, +1d10 for six, etc.

I like this rule for the same reason I like Almighty Benny's "Last Man Standing," because it rewards players for getting all their guys killed in a hurry, and that is awesome.

Same caveats would apply though - the other squad members have to be killed by enemy fire, no fair capping them yourself just for the bonus.

[Evil Wayne]

Same caveats would apply though - the other squad members have to be killed by enemy fire, no fair capping them yourself just for the bonus.

This should probably be a meta-rule.

The No Friendly Frags for Bonuses
Any and all bonuses derived from the destruction of your own units cannot be acquired if said destruction is initiated by the player, unless otherwise stated.

In fact, you could take it a step further and have:

The No Total Squad Fragging Rule
If you manage to frag your entire squad--especially in a single action (e.g., anti-matter grenade misfire)--you still have to roll a 1d6 for the sole survivor, but on 1 that unit pops a subliminal condition and realizes he's a deep sleeper agent. That unit now belongs to the enemy along with any equipment he might be carrying. Kudos if you happen to be driving a moped with the Wave Motion Gun attachment.

Rolls of 2–6 saddle the unit with profound guilt and the lingering shadow of a court-marshal, but otherwise do nothing.

[Almighty Benny]

That would definitely solve the problem, but I like to keep things as simple as possible. I have the kind of friends who would try to get all their units killed in the most creative and ridiculous way possible just to find loopholes in the rules. (This is why they are my friends)

This is just something to keep in the back of your mind when coming up with new rules or tweaking old ones.
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE LOOPHOLES
If you can ever come up with a new bonus or powerup or whatever, any BrikWarrior worth his salt will be able to play around it.

Example:

The No Friendly Frags for Bonuses
Any and all bonuses derived from the destruction of your own units cannot be acquired if said destruction is initiated by the player, unless otherwise stated.

I have a squad of units but I really want that Last Man Standing or Last Squad Member Standing powerup. I assign one of them to mindlessly wander around in the back of the battlefield setting up demolition charges. The rest are ordered to attack an enemy in what is sure to be a quick and painful suicide mission.

Worst Case Scenario: my troops are victorious and everyone thinks I'm a ballsy BrikWars player.
Best Case Scenario: my troops are hilariously slaughtered at the hands of my enemy, and my one guy I left in the background now has a shiny new bonus power. Everyone still thinks I'm a ballsy BrikWars player.

Now should my enemy be a cunning rules-monger, he may point out that the act of leaving one unit farting around with high explosives while the others do the dirty work would make them technically not a squad anymore. If I see this coming I simply modify my game plan a little and just make sure that one unit is always hiding behind cover.

Now this may not have been the perfect example, but I think what I'm trying to say is that if you try to cover every possible base, the BrikWars rulebook is going to be as thick as the armor plating on one of DarkWolf's Marauder Battlesuits. I know that I personally would not play a game where I have to make more than 2 or 3 die rolls per turn.

That said, this was a very cool idea from the beginning and I really like the idea of keeping track of squads. This sort of reminds me of the movie Predator where Arnold starts kicking ass after the rest of his squad has been wasted. I can only imagine having 4 of my 5 team members cut down by enemy fire and the last one drops to his knees, starts firing his rifle in the air, and screams "NOOOOOOOOO!"

[Rayhawk]

I have a squad of units but I really want that Last Man Standing or Last Squad Member Standing powerup. I assign one of them to mindlessly wander around in the back of the battlefield setting up demolition charges. The rest are ordered to attack an enemy in what is sure to be a quick and painful suicide mission.

Nah - I was thinking of formal Squad rules from chapter eight. That means they all take the same actions and the same risks. And as soon as they separate off the Squad plate, they're not a Squad anymore.

[Almighty Benny]

oh, well in that case I give all the shields and body armor in the squad to one or two soldiers and all the weapons to the other soldiers and call it a "formation". Then I attack fortified positions at will.

[Rayhawk]

Aha, but that's why I said he only gets the bonus if all the other soldiers are identical. No bonus for losing inferior or less-well-equipped comrades.

[Almighty Benny]

Touché, Mr. Rayhawk

[DarkWolf]

Ah yes, here's an alteration: The rule only applies if the squad has been togeather since the start (or end, whichever) of the first turn. Meeting them in the middle of the battlefield and squading up to mass fire on something doesn't make them brothers in arms.

(And on an unrelated note: with this post I will cease to be a Dimmy! Yay! Now to rank up from a Socrotes Lover on my gaming clans forums.)

[Rayhawk]

Okay then, sounds like it's all hashed out. With Almighty Benny's mods that the Squad has to stay together, and that the soldiers have to be identical, and Darkwolf's suggestion that the squad has to have lasted since the beginning of the game, we get the following:

"he has to be the last member of a squad that's been together since the beginning of the game, all his squadmates had to be identical to him (no killing off a half-dozen peons to give a big bonus to the hero), and he gets a bonus die to use once per turn according to the number of other squad members killed to leave him sole survivor: +1d6 for four, +1d8 for five, +1d10 for six, etc."

Wow! That's a lot easier than my usual rules edits; all I had to do was copy and paste exactly what I'd written in the first place. Efficiency bonus!

[IVhorseman]

I have a squad of units but I really want that Last Man Standing or Last Squad Member Standing powerup. I assign one of them to mindlessly wander around in the back of the battlefield setting up demolition charges. The rest are ordered to attack an enemy in what is sure to be a quick and painful suicide mission.

Nah - I was thinking of formal Squad rules from chapter eight. That means they all take the same actions and the same risks. And as soon as they separate off the Squad plate, they're not a Squad anymore.

problem solved: 1000x1000 baseplate.

LOOPHOLE FOUND

[Rayhawk]

Because of the way the Squad rules work, a 1000x1000 baseplate means the Squad can't move anywhere, and it's immediately in targeting range of every opponent on the field. Retarded, but not unbalancing; therefore I give this loophole my approval.