Gameplay

Each game of AT-43 pits two or more companies of soldiers and vehicles against one another in open battle. Victory conditions, details of terrain, and number of players are all determined by the scenario selected by the commanders – some may award victory to the company that holds a critical location, others to the company that inflicts the most damage on its enemy. Several scenarios are included in the AT-43 rulebook and the Operation: Damocles initiation set. Additional scenarios are limited only by your imagination.

The rules of AT-43 are centered around the universal table of resolution. This table allows you to resolve any action in the game with a simple roll of a six sided die.

When any action is taken, the relevant action value (accuracy for an attack, morale for morale checks, and so on) is compared to the difficulty of the check. For example, the accuracy of a Fire Toad’s light laser cannon (8) would be compared against the range to its target. (The tape measure included in the Operation: Damocles initiation set has range brackets clearly indicated on one side. If you’re using a normal tape measure, each range increment is 10 cm.) If its target was at range 6, then the Fire Toad may fire at +2, and according to the table the laser would score a hit on a 3 or higher on a six-sided die.

Some tests, such as damage tests, pit two opposed stats of units, for example penetration vs. protection. (A light laser cannon has a penetration of 14; a Wraith Golgoth has a protection of 14 – the laser cannon must roll a 4 or greater to inflict damage, according to the universal table of resolution.) Others, such as morale tests, have an inherent fixed difficulty.

The universal table of resolution is the underlying mechanic behind resolving nearly all actions over the course of the game. Another core mechanic that influences everything a player does is leadership.

Leadership is a variable stat, calculated at the start of each game turn. It is based partly on the number of forces available to a commander (so that at a bare minimum, a company will have enough leadership to activate all its units) with a bonus awarded by the acting company commander (who will be the officer currently present with the highest leadership score). Leadership can be spent to help secure the initiative for a given game round and also to issue combat drills to units as they are activated. Some combat drills, such as “overwatch,” can have a profound impact on the game and none of them should be discounted, so having an ample supply of leadership is very valuable indeed! Note that each unit also costs leadership to activate, and that disorganized units can be rallied back to valiant status by spending leadership points.

Each game turn features three phases: the tactical phase, the activation phase, and the command phase.

Tactical Phase

During the Tactical Phase, each player calculates his leadership pool. He receives leadership points (LP) equal to the number of friendly units on the battlefield and in reserve, plus the leadership value of the company commander.

Once total leadership has been calculated, each commander decides in which order he will activate his units. He takes the unit cards for each of his units currently in the battle and in reserve and places them face down in whatever order he likes before him. Over the course of the turn, players will take turns revealing unit cards (starting at his left and moving to the right) and activating those units during the activation phase, so careful planning during this step is critical!

Finally, each player makes an authority test to determine who is the first player for the round. During this step, players may secretly bid LP to give themselves a bonus to this test. The player who wins the authority test may choose which player goes first during the activation phase.

Activation Phase

During activation phase, players will take turns activating units in the order they selected during the tactical phase. Before each unit is activated, a commander may choose to spend LP to delay his activation (passing his turn), relocate the unit card to somewhere else in his activation queue (in which case the next unit is immediately activated instead), or to activate two units in a row (usable only after having passed an action).

Activating units costs 1 LP unless that unit has an officer. During their activation, units may perform some mix of the following three actions: movement, shooting, and close combat.

When a unit moves, its controller declares whether it is moving with rush movement or combat movement. Units using rush movement may not shoot on their activation but move faster than units using combat movement. Units may pass “through” friendly soldiers, but armored fighting vehicles and all enemy units block movement.

A unit that is using combat movement or not moving at all may fire during their turn. When a unit fires, the entire unit fires at the same enemy unit unless a split fire combat drill is ordered (see below for more information on combat drills). A unit that fires first establishes its fire zone by tracing an imaginary line from the outside edges of its soldiers, to the outside edges of its target unit – a unit that is spread widely will have a larger fire zone than a unit that is deployed in a more compact formation. If any units, friendly or enemy, are in the zone of fire, those units will suffer hits before the target unit does – so plan carefully! Units that have been ordered the split fire combat drill may divide their attacks based on weapon type, so a unit with both laser guns and grenade launchers could fire the lasers at one unit and the grenade launchers at another.

Firing is resolved using the universal table of resolution – the accuracy of the weapon is compared against the range to the target and dice are rolled for every weapon firing at once. (For example, storm golem nanoblasters have an accuracy score of 3 and a rate of fire of 1. A unit of seven nanoblaster-armed storm golems would roll seven dice and use their accuracy of 3 to determine the value needed to hit on the universal table.) Each successful attack is referred to as an impact, and each impact then checks to determine damage using its penetration score opposed by the target’s protection value.

Close combat uses many of the same mechanics as shooting, but rather than range, the target’s combat value is the difficulty opposing the accuracy of the attack. Units may make a close combat attack against enemy units with which they are engaged (defined as less than 2.5 cm away), and they may do so regardless of other actions they have taken this turn – even if they used rush movement. Although movement and shooting may be done in any order, close combat is always the last action a unit takes on its activation. This does mean, however, that unit could shoot, then move using its combat movement score, and then finally engage in close combat, all in the same activation.

Units may also be issued combat drills, each of which costs 1 LP. Available combat drills include “take cover,” which has a high chance of nullifying impacts made against the unit while it is in cover, “knee to the ground,” which removes a unit from the zone of fire and allows units to fire over its head, “split fire,” which allows a unit to fire its weapons at the targets against which they will do the most good, and “overwatch,” which allows a unit to defer its shooting action until later in the turn – specifically, immediately after an enemy unit has moved.

Once every unit has been activated (or left in reserve), the activation phase is over and play progresses to the command phase.

Command Phase

During the command phase, control of objectives and tactical positions is established. Objectives generally allow players to amass victory points (VP) and reinforcement points (RP), as determined by the mission details. Tactical positions serve as deployment zones for units in reserve, and are vital to controlling the battlefield.

Once control of these crucial objectives is determined, players amass VP and RP. If a player has fulfilled his mission objectives, the game ends. Otherwise, players may spend RP to acquire reserve units for the next round. Play then progresses to the next tactical phase.

Units and Companies

For each AT-43 battle, a player will select and deploy his own company of soldiers. The army point (AP) value of the company will be either fixed by the mission or chosen by mutual consent of the players. Within the restrictions of the AP total, players have broad flexibility in choosing which units they would like to field.

Units come in two broad varieties: infantry and armored fighting vehicles. Infantry units usually number between three and twelve men, and each damage they take eliminates one of their number. Because soldiers in the world of AT-43 are so devoted to their cause, a unit’s leader is always the last figure eliminated. AFVs are more durable, with variable damage scores for their frame, their propulsion, and their various weapon systems.

Units are further subdivided into type 1, 2, or 3, which broadly serves as an indicator of the degree of combat training and equipment at their disposal.

Each individual army, whether the White Stars of the UNA or the Therian morphos, has its own platoon organization pattern. Companies are made up of platoons, and each platoon must be completed before another is formed. So, for example, the White Stars platoon pattern is:

One unit of soldiers of type 1 or 2 (required).
One unit of soldiers of type 2 or 3.
One unit of soldiers of type 2 or one support unit of type 1 or 2.
One unit of soldiers of type 3 or one unit of combat striders of type 1 or one unit of armored fighting vehicles of type 1.
One unit of combat striders of type 1, 2, or 3 or one unit of armored fighting vehicles of type 1, 2, or 3.

When buying units for this platoon, the various slots may be filled in any order (except that the slot marked “required” must be filled first) but a second platoon may not be started until this one has been completed. For example, one valid platoon might be:

One unit of steel troopers (type 2 soldiers).
One additional unit of steel troopers (type 2 soldiers).
One additional unit of steel troopers (type 2 soldiers) for a total of 3.
One unit of steel TacArms (type 3 soldiers).
One unit of Fire Toads (type 1 combat striders).

These five units would comprise a complete platoon, and once so filled out a player could begin a second platoon by purchasing the required unit. (Assuming he had any AP left, of course.)

In addition to soldiers and vehicles, each army also has access to various types of officers and unique heroes with powerful abilities. Each faction in the AT-43 universe has access to unique troop types and special strategies, so no two companies are alike and no two battles will be the same!