Battle Armor - Core Rules
Battle Armor - Core Rules
This is Battle Armor, the second Mini-Game by Avalon Games. Wars in the future will
be fought by heavily armored warriors. Powered Battle Suits will rule the battlefield
since they allow each man to pack the firepower of a battalion. Mobile, heavily armored
and capable of laying down a path of destruction like no other weapon ever made, the
Powered Battle Suit will rule the future of warfare.
This is the game of Battle Armor. Take control of a single man or a squad of battle suit
equipped warriors as they fight their endless and bloody wars in the future.
Fast, easy to play and quick to learn, Battle Armor will supply you with endless hours of
fun.
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2
Contents
Introduction Page 4
Game Construction Page 4
Getting Started Page 4
Battle Armor Data Sheets Page 4
Weapon Systems Page 5
Gear Page 5
The Map Board Page 5
Mega Hexes Page 5
Terrain Page 5
The Turn Order Page 6
Movement Page 6
Leaps Page 7
Terrain Effects on Movement Page 7
Combat Page 8
Ranged Fire Page 9
Line of Sight Page 9
Close Combat Page 10
Indirect Fire Page 10
Scatter Effects Page 10
Independent Weapons Systems Page 10
ECM Effects Page 11
Effects of Combat Page 11
Recording Damage Page 11
Radiation Page 11
Pre-Designed Game Page 12
Weapons Lists Page 13
Gear List Page 14
3
Introduction
Battle Armor is a turn based strategy game of single man and squad level combat,
all set in the far future. Players pick a side to play and try to out maneuver and out fight
their opponents. Playable in short pick up games, or with pre-designed set ups, the game
is expandable, so look for future releases.
Game Construction
Once you are ready to play Battle Armor, the first thing you will need to do is
construct the game components. For the most part, the amount of time and extra expense
you will put into the game’s construction is up to you. The simplest format is to print out
all the needed parts and then just cut them out and go to it. Paper pieces are a bit difficult
to deal with though, so if you wish to continue to play Battle Armor over and over again,
and I hope you do, then you may want to invest a bit of time and effort in making your
game components more durable and reusable.
Getting Started
Once the game is put together, you are ready to play. Each player should collect a
set of counters and either pick a pre-designed game to play or design a pick up game of
their own. Once the game has been constructed, players will take turns moving and
attacking with their units. This continues until one side has achieved its victory
conditions or one side has been completely destroyed.
Normally, as a section of the armor takes damage, you will darken in one of the
hit circles supplied for that location. Once a location has taken all its circles in damage,
that part of the armor is disabled or destroyed.
In some cases you may have to add circles to show extra hits that the armor can
take. Simply draw in the needed spots on your Data Sheet.
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Weapon Systems
As a suit of armor can be outfitted with all sorts of different types of weapons,
space is provided on the Data Sheet to make note of each suit’s weapons and the hits the
weapons can take.
Gear
Like weapon systems, each suit can be outfitted with all sorts of extra equipment.
Again, space is provided on the data sheet to make note of this added gear and the
number of hits it can take.
Mega Hexes
Some effects in the game do not take place within a single hex, but rather in mega
hexes. A mega hex is a single hex and all the hexes surrounding it.
Terrain
Within the game, there are all sorts of terrain that can be placed on the map. This
terrain may effect movement, line of sight and/or have other effects as dictated by a given
game.
Terrain tiles are laid down on the map, either as shown by the game’s set up or if
the game is to be designed by the players, with the following restitutions in mind.
No terrain tile may be placed on top of, either fully or in part, another terrain tile.
No terrain tile may lie off the map, it must fully fit the map board being used.
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If the game is to be designed by the players, use the charts below to find the
number and type of terrain allowed.
Roll 1d6
1: 2 points
2: 4 points
3: 6 points
4: 8 points
5: 10 points
6: 14 points
Each terrain tile has a set point cost. These points are rolled for and then split
between the players, each being allowed to set one terrain tile at a time, until they have
set up all the points worth of terrain allowed for that game. Players should roll 1d6, with
the highest roll getting to place terrain first.
Turn Order
A. Update all Data Sheets and add or remove counters as needed
B. Conduct all Indirect Fire to be made that turn.
C. Move all units under your control.
D. Make all Ranged attacks you wish to make.
E. Make all Close Combat attacks to be made.
F. Record any effects on the Data Sheets.
Movement
All movement is conducted on the map board by counting hexes. Each unit that is
to move must trace a line through a hex side, counting each hex that is entered as you go.
A unit may move, all, some or none of its movement allowance within a turn, but
never more.
Moving units may not move through a hex with another unit in it or end their
movement in a hex with another unit in that hex.
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Note that the unit can move around the blocking terrain on foot, or jump over it.
Leaps
A special type of movement available to battle suits is a jet boosted leap. These
great springing leaps allow the battle suit armed soldier to travel great distances in short
periods of time. Such leaps leave the soldier open to incoming fire as they fly over the
heads of their foes, though.
A battle suited soldier may make a leap move instead of its normal move. Roll
1d6+2.This is the number of hexes the suit may move, in any direction they wish. While
doing this leaping movement, the suit ignores all counters and terrain since it sails over
them. Thus, the suit may move though impassible terrain and though hexes with other
units in that hex. When the leap ends the suit must end its leap in an open hex.
While leaping, the suit is considered to be in open terrain for the whole of the
turn. Therefore, it is in the line of sight for all units on the board. The leaping suit also
suffers a +1 to be hit by all ranged attack for the turn. Place a Leaped counter on the suit
to show they have conducted this sort of movement for that turn.
Hindered Terrain
The terrain below will slow down a unit’s movement by 1, and thus cost 2
movement points to enter the hex.
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Craters Alien Brush
Impassible Terrain
The following terrain cannot be moved into, save by leaping over it.
Some terrain will also offer a unit lying there a modifier to being hit by ranged
fire. Said terrain applies a –1 to the to hit modifier on all ranged attacks made against
that unit.
Craters
Combat
During the combat portion of a player’s turn, they may make attacks against their
opponent’s units. To make an attack, roll 1d6. If the dice roll, after all modifiers, is a 4+
a hit is scored.
Always, no matter the total die roll, a natural roll of a 6 always scores a hit and a
natural 1 always scores a miss.
Within the game there are several types of attacks that can be made, as shown
below.
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If a hit is scored, roll for its location and the damage. The amount of damage
done is then reduced from that location of the unit's Data Sheet. (See recording damage
for details)
No unit may make more then one attack in a turn, so while you may have more
then one weapon, you can only use one at a time. (This does note apply to vehicles and
mecha weapon systems).
Ranged Fire
Any suit that is not next to an enemy unit may use any one of its ranged weapons.
No enemy units can be in a hex next to the unit that is to make a ranged attack. Units that
cannot be seen, due to line of sight, are not consisted to be next to the ranged firing unit.
To make a ranged attack, count the hexes between the unit to fire and the target.
Count the target’s hex, but not the firing unit’s hex. If the target is within range, then roll
1d6, applying any modifiers. If a hit is scored, apply the damage, or damage die, for that
weapon type and the location where the hit was scored.
Line of Sight
Most ranged weapons require that the target be in the line of sight of the attacker.
To see if the target is in line of sight, trace an invisible line from the center of the
attacker’s hex to the center of the target’s hex. If there is any blocking terrain hexes that
fall along this invisible line, the line of sight is blocked and the attack may not be made.
* Note: Those lines of sights in red are blocked while the one in black is usable.
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Close Combat
When two units are next to each other, a close combat attack may be made. Only
those weapon systems with a range of 0 may be used to make a close combat attack. Roll
1d6 as normal to make the attack and apply any modifiers that apply.
Unlike other attacks types, you do not roll for a hit location with a close combat
attack. The attacker may pick which location they wish to hit, even if it is to be gear or a
weapon carried by the target.
Indirect Fire
Some weapons can be fired without being able to see the target. This indirect
attack needs a spotter, though. To spot for an indirect attack, the spotter unit must have a
clear line of sight to the target and an un-jammed communication must exist between the
two.
If these conditions exist, then figure the range as normal and make an attack roll.
If the attack scores a hit, conduct the hit as normal. If the attack fails to hit though, you
may have to roll a scatter effect for that weapon. (See Weapons Lists for details)
Scatter Effects
Some weapons will scatter if they fail to hit their target, and thus may affect
another hex all together. If a scatter effect is called for, roll 1d6 on the chart below. The
attack flies in that direction rolled, 1d6 hexes.
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ECM Effects
Some weapons systems can be blocked, slowed or even halted outright by
electronic jamming measures. If a unit wishes to use its jamming equipment, both
players roll 1d6, applying any modifiers to the roll. The highest roll wins the jamming
contest. If the jamming equipment wins, then apply the jammer’s effects. If the target
equals or beats the jammer, then no jamming effects take place.
* Note: To oppose a jamming, you need ECM equipment yourself.
Communications used for spotting can also be jammed. If the communication is
jammed, then indirect fire cannot take place.
* Note: All ECM units and gear within range of the contest can take part in the jamming
and counter jamming. Simply keep adding the modifiers until the final roll is added up.
Independent weapon systems that are jammed are able to move, but may not make
an attack on the round they are jammed.
ECM jamming may be done at any point in a turn, even during another player’s
turn.
Effects of Combat
If a hit is scored on a unit, roll to see where the hit occurred and apply the
weapon’s effects. If the weapon does direct physical damage, this will be noted on the
weapon’s listing as the number of hits, or a die roll of hits. Apply these hits to the area
affected.
Recording Damage
To record damage on an area or equipment, darken a circle for each hit that the
area takes. If an area has taken more hits then it has in circles, then see the damage
results charts for details on that’s areas damage effects.
If a gear or weapon system takes all of its allowed hits in damage, it is destroyed.
Damage does not carry over into surrounding locations when another location is
destroyed. Also, if a hit location roll results in a location that is already destroyed, then
the hit is considered to have missed altogether.
Radiation
Some weapons will leave radiation as an after effect of their use. These weapons
apply a Rad counter wherever they hit.
If a unit enters a mega hex with a Rad counter, all locations on that unit take the
amount of damage shown on the counter. This damage continues until the unit leaves the
mega hex or is destroyed.
Rad Counter
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Pre Designed Games
The following are some sample games that can be played with this basic set of
game rules. Look for more advanced games and additional rules with future expansions.
Pick Up Games
In this sort of setup, players decide on an amount of points to be spent and then
buy their units with those points. They next set up the map how they want and go to it.
In this set up, each basic battle suit cost 5 points. A standard battle suit comes
with no weapon systems other then its fist. Remember that a full squad of five suits
needs an officer with C&C gear to command it. Generally these games start at 50 points,
but of course can go as high as you want
Man-to-Man Assault
A simple assault between two battle suit equipped soldiers.
Each battle suit comes with a plasma gun, and one plasma grenade.
The winner of this game is the side to have destroyed all of the enemy units.
The winner of this game is the side to have destroyed all of the enemy units.
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• 2 Close Assault Suits armed with Plasma pistol and Plasma Sword.
• 3 Tactical suits armed with Plasma Guns and Rad protection.
• 1 Jammer suit armed with Plasma gun and an ECM gear.
Weapons Lists
Below is a list of the basic weapons system used in the game.
Weapon System Range Damage CECM Independent Move Hit can Cost Notes
S (+0) / M (-1) / L (-2) take
Armored Fist 0/-/- 1 - - - - Free Standard
One only
Missile Launcher -/-/- - - - - 3 5 Fires missiles
which are bough
separately
Indirect fire
possible
Needs a missile
Plasma Shell - 1d6 - - Has a 1 3 per, launcher
Mega preset max of 3 Indirect fire
range of possible
6 Scatter if misses
1 per
Mini Missiles - 1 per missile +1 Yes 4 per 1 per missile, up Can fire 1 to 5
that hits turn to 10 missiles a turn
missiles
max
5 per
Hunter Missiles - 1d6 +3 Yes 4 per 1 missile, Can fire only one
turn max of 3 missile
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Gear List
Below is a short list of gear that can be included with you Battle Suit.
Name Cost Max number per unit Hits can take Notes
Used to direct the squad in
Command and Control 2 Must have 1 per unit Lost with Sensors combat by its officer, the
Max of 1 per unit Add +1 hit to sensors C&C allows open
communication between all
members of the squad and
ECM of +1 within 3 hexes of
the C&C suit
ECM gear 5 Max of 1 per unit 2 Allows ECM within 6 hexes
of the gear
Rad protection 2 One per battle suit - Reduces the effects of Rad by
1
Hyper Jump Boots 3 One per battle suit 1 Adds +2 to all jump moves
Combat Sights 2 One per battle suit 1 Adds +1 to all ranged attacks
Improved Hard Points 2 per point 5 per battle suit - Increases armor in one
location by 1 circle
Improved Sensors 2 per point 3 per battle suit - Improve the hits a suit’s
sensors can take by one circle
Improved Heat Dump 2 per point 3 per battle suit - Improve the hits a suit’s heat
dump can take by one circle
Improved Gyro 3 per point 2 per battle suit - Increases movement by one
per point bought
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Counters
Charts
Body Body
Armament Armament
Heat Dump Heat Dump
Mark/Class Mark/Class
Gear Gear
Movement Rate Head Movement Rate Head
4 (Ground) 4 (Ground)
Sensors Sensors
Body Body
Armament Armament
Heat Dump Heat Dump
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