Re: [SGII] Electronic Warfare

Hello,

My group has been playing with some simple house rules that make EW a
little more tactical.

We've been using EW operatives in autonomous teams (EW fella and
rifleman)
rather than as part of command groups. Haven't worried about the
Activation
issue, cos it wasn't fun, so we just assumed the package is always on.
The
only problem is that as the EW die isn't affected by range then there's
no
incentive to take risks with the op. He might as well just sit in the
safety corner along with the command squad and other cynical cowards.

So we tied EW effectiveness to range. They're more powerful the closer
they
are to the target being jammed / spoofed / counter-jammed.

When a player declares an EW attack, he must measure the Ops range to
the
target.

Range bands are measured according to the tech level of the EW package:

Basic package = 6" range bands.

Advanced package = 8" range bands.

Superior package = 10" range bands.

EW dice is based on the inverse of the usual range band calculation.

If EW op is within one range band of target then he rolls to jam on a
D12

2nd band D10, 3rd D8, down to the D4.

Obviously, you can use extra EW counters to boost your dice type and we
don't allow the package to function at all beyond the 5th range band,
regardless of spare counters. Counter-jamming and spoofing work the same
way. As far as I can remember, the rest of the vanilla EW rules remain
unaffected.

If jamming a comms attempt then we measure to the nearest unit in the
comms
chain. Missile spoofing is measured to the point of launch.

We've been using these rules for a while and they're a lot of fun. EW
ops
take real risks to try and get near particularly important enemy units
and
lock 'em down. Or some players try and place their ops in a position to
affect the maximum number of enemy units so they can make multiple
jamming
attempts with high rolls. Often the operatives are caught out of
position
and out of range and have to hare across the battlefield when the focus
of
an attack switches. Then counter-jammers try to close the range with
their
EW rivals to try and reduce their impact. Sure, casualties among the EW
fraternity have risen but they're more often mentioned in dispatches and
they don't seem too over-bearing as yet.

Let me know what you think.

Cheers,
Mark

Allan Goodall wrote:

> On 23 Sep 2003 at 10:15, Ian Fletcher wrote:
>
> > Having read through the rulebook, and played a couple of games (a
fair
> > while ago, admittedly) I came across the Electronic Warfare section.
> > Very useful looking, given how powerful command units are, however I
> > was wondering - is there actually any value in having your EW rig
> > switched off?
>
> The EW rules are perhaps the worst written part of the book. The
> value of having the EW rigs turned on is explained, but there is no
> explanation as to whether or not it costs an action to turn it on and
> whether or not there is a downside to having it on or an upside to
> having it off.
>
> It's been mentioned here before, but Jon T. hasn't weighed in with a
> ruling and no consensus has ever been reached.
>
> There are two typical house rules to fix this problem. One is to
> require the activation of the set to cost an action, with some other
> effects thrown in. This has a certain appeal, but it also usually
> means that the TO&E in the back of the book are badly hobbled due to
> the EW unit being part of the command squad. For this reason, players
> using this option usually split off the EW personnel from the command
> unit.
>
> A second rule is much simpler: just allow the EW set to go active
> automatically as soon as the unit with the EW set is activated. So,
> if it's the command squad, the player gets the 3 EW chits whenever
> the command squad is activated. This has a couple of benefits in game
> play: it's quick (and goodness knows SG2 doesn't need anything _else_
> slowing it down) and it requires the player to make an important
> tactical decision regarding when he should activate the command unit.
>
> Both of these are detailed in the house rule section of my web site.
> You'll find, if you go there, that the EW rules aren't the only
> section that need clarification. There are also problems in the
> artillery rules, allocating casualties, vehicle loading and
> unloading, and bailing out of vehicles. You can see how I handle
> these, and usually an explanation for my interpretation, at:
>
> http://sg2.hyperbear.com
>
> My site also has the _Stargrunt II Index_, which makes navigating the
> rule book a lot easier.
>
> I hope this helps.
> Allan
>
> --
>
> Allan Goodall 	       agoodall@hyperbear.com
> http://www.hyperbear.com
>
> The only normal people are the ones you don't know
> well! - Joe Ancis

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which they
are addressed. If you have received this email in error please reply to
this email and then delete it. Please note that any views or opinions
presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not
necessarily represent those of Future. 

The recipient should check this email and any attachments for the
presence of viruses. Future accepts no liability for any damage caused
by any virus transmitted by this email. 

Future may regularly and randomly monitor outgoing and incoming emails
and other telecommunications on its email and telecommunications
systems. By replying to this email you give your consent to such
monitoring.