TacticalHex rule system for micro battles has grown from the original 15mm Metal Storm, it is simple to learn and use but has been designed to carry within its maths, accurate results and outcomes. At its core is the command card fire-combat/mission resolve system. Briefly, this revolves around the use of a deck of communication cards and a combination of d20’s and a d10 die to achieve thoughtful and realistic results. The rules are not driven by the weapon types the troops are using, but on the overall effectiveness of the various troops and their targets that make up the world of modern warfare. Immediately obvious is that the ability of a certain troop quality to hit and damage an enemy, is based not just on their quality of training, experience and equipment, but on the type of target the troops are engaging and the targets position, this is made possible by an innovative, fire-combat resolution system.
Units in the game are given fire-combat points for different types of target. A fire-combat point is actually a single d20 die. So if a unit has 3 fire-combat points against a particular enemy, when it shoots it rolls three 20 sided dice. The number required to hit with the d20’s it rolls varies in accordance with the troops training, experience, weapons and the targets type and position and is listed so it is very easy to see exactly what scores are required as every possible combination of firing is in a quick look matrix. A hit is then turned into a d10 mission resolve die roll. The score of a resolve die is cross referenced on the resolve chart, failures are recorded with a small marker, once a base loses 2,3 or 4 resolves (depending on its class and type) its removed. Very easy, very quick and the results are very plausible.
Interwoven into the fire-combat mission resolve system are the command and control rules. Command and control is referred to as comms in the modern rules. Comms is not luck based like in many wargames rules where a die is made to see if units can move, or how much movement they get. Systems like that try to use all kinds of spurious rationale to explain why a highly trained armoured unit in this day and age of super communications refuses, or is unable to comply with a very simple direct order to move to another position out of sight of the enemy. The system of comms in these rules is designed to give players the ability to control their units to a reasonably efficient level but quite often having to make decisions on where to concentrate effort to the demise of another section of the battlefield, this can be called ‘limiting tactical control’. At the start of the game a player is dealt a hand of comms cards, these are used and replenished each turn, each card allows a base of troops to do a specified action. Cards can be saved from one turn to another, so for instance, calling in artillery support, air strike or gunship help isn’t based on lucky die rolls, it’s based on forward planning and the saving of cards, the comms system superbly achieves limited tactical control, when you buy the rule book you get a complete deck of 90 ‘Comms’ cards to use.
Resolve means a combination of several things, it can be rationalised that the troops are in a position that they believe is untenable due to not only tactical considerations and casualties, but such contributing factors as lack of ammunition, tiredness and medical support, plus a belief that they would be unable to extradite themselves from what they perceive as a hopeless position. Failing resolve tests after being under fire and taking hits means troops either disintegrate or surrender, either way the base is removed from the table.
TacticalHex introduces a combination of new mechanics that give players the rules you have been searching for. The use of hexes and a deck of command and control cards completely does away with dozens of pages of complicated rules required for more traditional systems, the dice used allow a huge spread of probabilities wiping away the need for amendments to die rolls. TacticalHex moves wargaming to the next level.
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