8  Combat Magnitudes

8.1 Magnitudes

The asymmetry of some battles is reflected in the battle’s magnitude. Weapons etc. from higher levels are (something simplistically resembling) literally on a higher magnitude. Thinking:

  • For every degree of magnitude higher:
    • Rolls 1D10 at 10°. So if 2° higher, rolls 2D10, etc. That player can then choose which of those rolls to apply to that attack
    • Gains 1 AP that can be either attack or defense flavored
    • Suppresses on all successful attacks

8.1.1 Duration/Importance

  1. Campaigns
  2. Engagements
  3. Battle Scenarios
  4. Battles
  5. Duels

8.1.2 Magnitude of Forces

  1. System Invasion
    1. A planet is a unit
      1. Tend to have very strong defenses
      2. But only melee attacks
    2. A space-faring fleet is a unit
      1. “Loosing” an HP divides the unit in two, with HPs divided as either 2 & 1 or 1 & 1.
      2. Units with 1 HP die when hit
      3. Separated units cannot reform within a scenario
    3. An invasion force is a unit
  2. System-wide
    1. My version of Battleship (unintentionally; just realized tonight that that’s essentially what I’m making)
    2. Simulating the effect of distance hopefully well enough is that teams know where the other units are one round afterwards. Unless it’s:
  3. Space Melee
    1. Units are always revealed
  4. Planetary Invasion
  5. etc.

8.1.3 Higher-Order Actions

Higher-Order Attacks

  • After rolling their initial attack roll, attacks with 1ᵉ higher roll an extra die at 0 AP (and so this roll cannot be modded with OPs)
    • This second roll serves as a second attack with that weapon’s properties
      • Defensive mods can only be applied to one of these attacks; the defender chooses which before that die is rolled.
      • This second attack does not additional attacks on the terrain, like Anthropic degree or a second blooming event^And yeah, it really does feel like it did when you were a kid making up rules for a game.]
    • This roll is made 0 – 9, with the attack always hitting with whatever the final roll value is (e.g., after terrain and defensive mods)
    • This second attack follows the same rules otherwise, knocking off more armor or getting a reroll on a raw 1 penetration
  • For weapons of two higher degrees, make an other 10° attack roll, i.e., two 10° attacks and one with their normal degree

Higher-Order Defenses

  • All attacks up at higher-magnitude units is made at a -1D°
  • The roll for this negative mod is made after all other points have been applied to that attack (including OPs)

Higher-Order Recon and Higher-Order Evasion follow similar rules.