Vengeance Universal Battle System

Rationale

The Aim of Vengeance is to create a single universal playset for multiple settings. It achieves this through use of a number of dice, rather than the usual D6, but keeping the same results between dice. 

This means that even if an infantryman using a rifle rolls a 6 on a D6, it is physically impossible for them to deal any damage to a tank with an armour value of 12, unless they instead use a weapon rolling a dice of D12 or higher. 

This neatens the game design by allowing a single die roll for to hit, armour penetration and other results, and reduces the need for complex armour tables that the player must spend time looking up. This should also aid one of the key aims of VUBS which is reduced turn times and increased turn threshold for longer engagements.

Scale

Vengeance is scale agnostic, as it uses real world data and interpretation to create a working recreation of warfare on the tabletop.

The system uses 3 range bands, representing 100 Metres, 250 Metres and 500 Metres, named A, B and C respectively. At varying scales, these will of course represent different distances on the tabletop, and so larger scales will in turn have longer ranges. 

The main concern is the differential between the range bands of A and B, as this represents the more marked differences in combat between CQB and longer range engagements. Range C represents extreme long range engagements that cannot be well rationalised at tabletop scales, and are too large for most common tabletop sizes anyway.

Glossary

There are numerous terms throughout these rules that are used, which are explained here for ease of use.

If a rule refers to the letters (x) or (y) or (z), then the letters x, y or z refer to numbers or key words which are cited in a specific example of a rule.

  • If a rule refers to the letters (A) or (B) or (C), then the letters A, B or C refer to these specific range bands, which are used to measure distances.
    A represents 100 Metres, B represents 250 Metres, C represents 500 Metres.

  • D(x) is used as short handed for an x-sided die, so a D6 refers to a 6-sided die, a D20 refers to a 20-sided die.

  • (x+) Refers to a required roll where for the player to succeed, they must roll x or higher, so a 4+ would be a successful is a player rolls 4, 5, or 6 on a 6-sided die.

  • A model is a physical representation of something in the game. A model could be a human, a monster, a vehicle, or a piece of terrain. As VUBS is model agnostic, models can be paper tokens, or any kind of plastic miniature, but must be indicative of the thing they represent.

  • A unit is an object that a player can give orders to. A unit may be composed of multiple models, or only one, and this is indicated on its specific rules page.

  • Initiative is the order in which players activate their units, and is determined by a D20 roll in each strategy phase. Higher initiative players go first, followed by lower priority players.

  • Priority is the order that individual units may be activated. This is determined by a die roll during the strategy phase, with highest priority units taking their actions first. Ties between players are given to the player with initiative.

Key Words

Certain rules contain Key Words which help to explain what they do. The most relevant are defined here for ease of use.

When listed under the special rules of a unit, they apply to all of that unit's actions.
When listed under the special rules for a piece of equipment, they only apply when that piece of equipment is purchased by the unit.
When listed under the special rules of a weapon, they only apply when that weapon is used.

  • Agile (x): Add +x to all difficult movement rolls

  • Assault (x): Adds +x to attack rolls if the prior action was movement.

  • Blast (x): On a successful hit, a circle of diameter distance x are measured, and up to 2x (2 times x) models within this area considered hit.

  • Builder (x)[y]: Can build x (Units or terrain with the Construction keyword), up to y times per game.

  • Communications: Required to access offmap tactics.

  • Construction (x): Requires x actions to be built.

  • Crewable (x): Cannot be used unless crewed by x models.

  • Deploy (x)[y]: Requires x turns of being stationary to be used. Gains +y to rolls when deployed.

  • Disrupt (x): A succesfully hit causes an enemy unit to count its next action as if it were one action later, so a first action counts as a second, a second action counts as a third, and a third action is skipped entirely.

  • Effort (x): The unit may abandon x actions later this operations phase. If it does so, it gains +x to its roll for the current action. It may only do this once per operations phase.

  • Horror (x): Successful hits on enemy units cause +x panic tokens.

  • Impatient (x): Units with this trait may add x to their priority roll.

  • Infiltrate (x): Units with this trait or equipment with this trait may be placed anywhere on the gameboard, so long as they are x distance away from any enemy units and not in dangerous terrain.

  • Instinctive (x): May not be given orders, and must instead follow one of the following behaviours listed as x:

    • Aggressive: The unit moves its full movement towards the closest hostile unit and must attack as soon as it is able.

    • Defensive: The unit does nothing, unless attacked, where it will move its full movement towards the most recent attacking unit and attacks as soon as it is able.

    • Flee (x): The unit will move its full movement directly away from any approaching units within x distance, as well as away from any uses of weaponry within x that are not silent.

    • Savage: The unit moves its full movement towards the closest model that is not in its unit and must attack as soon as it is able.

  • Limited (x)[y]: This piece of equipment may only be used x times per game. Additionally, the equipment may be used up to y times per turn.

  • Logistics (x)[y+]: Any units within x distance may reload their limited weapons, fully replenishing their supply as if they had not used any. Once this restock is complete, the player rolls a D20: On a roll of y+, the logistics supply may be used again, otherwise no more units may restock from this stash.

  • Medic (x)[y+]: Units within x distance have access to the resurrect special rule, using the x value

  • Patient (x): Units with this trait may subtract x from their priority roll.

  • Pierce (x): If this weapon or unit successfully hits a target, draw a line from the weapon or firing unit to the target, and roll to hit up to x extra targets in a line behind the original target.

  • Proficiency (x)[y]: This unit is proficient with weapons of type y, adding x to rolls when using them.

  • Reload (x): Must skip x actions after use before being used again.

  • Resurrect (x)[y+]: At the end of each turn, roll a D(x). On y+, the unit gains that much fighting strength, up to a maximum of the original fighting strength.

  • Scatter (x): On an unsuccessful hit, roll to hit again against another target within x distance. If there is no target within this distance, the

  • Scout (x): Adds a +x bonus to any detection rolls (Optional Rules: Intelligence)

  • Silent (x): Applies a +x bonus to any stealth rolls (Optional Rules: Intelligence)

  • Sustained (x): The unit adds +x to attack rolls if the prior action was an attack.