Gear Krieg Wargame Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Measures and Scale
• Basic Game Mechanics
• Setting Up the Game
• The Combat Round
• Command Points
• Movement
• Combat
• Ranged Attacks
• Melee Attacks
• Defensive Maneuvers
• Burst Fire
• Damage
• Infantry Rules
• Demo Unit Datacards
• Reference Chart
  • Terrain Costs
  • Attack Roll
  • Defense Roll
  • Command Points
  • Infantry ROF Bonus
  • Fire Arc
  • Damage vs Armor

Measures and Scale

Gear Krieg has been written with miniatures in mind and supports multiple game scales to fit Players' resources. The scale of the battlefield differs from the scale of the Units, a common wargaming convention. Ground features, such as buildings and vegetation, are simplified representations of the "real" items, enlarged for clarity. The rules are written in Measurement Units (MUs) to accommodate multiple scales; in this case, one MU equals one centimeter of tabletop or map, or about 50 meters of scaled terrain. The actual position of the Unit is considered to be the exact center of the miniature representing it. All measurements are taken from this center point.

The time frame is 30 seconds per game turn (for this demo game), resulting in a speed of 6 kph per Movement Point (MP). More difficult types of terrain require additional Movement Points to move through to simulate the reduced speed of the vehicle.

Basic Game Mechanics

Gear Krieg uses ordinary six-sided dice. When two or more dice are rolled simultaneously, their results are not added together: instead, the highest value rolled is considered to be the outcome of the die roll. If more than one "6" is rolled, each extra "6" adds one (1) point to the total. If every die rolled turns up "1," the die roll is a fumble and an automatic failure. Unless otherwise mentioned, all die rolls are counted this way. Modifiers can be added to the total of the die roll. If negative modifiers lower the total below zero, the final result is always zero.

In the introductory game, all crewmen are standard pilots: they have a Skill level of 2 and their Perception Attribute is at +1. This means that whenever a Skill check must be made, two dice are rolled; a +1 modifier is added to the result when making a ranged attack (to account for the Perception Attribute).

If a Player's die roll is greater than his opponent's, the test succeeds. The degree of success is defined by the Margin of Success (MoS), a value equal to the difference between the two rolls. If a Player's die roll is less than his opponent's, the test fails. The degree of failure is defined by the Margin of Failure (MoF), a value equal to the difference between the two rolls. If the two die rolls are equal, a draw occurs. Draws are won by the defender.

Setting Up the Game

Each round represents about 30 seconds of battlefield time. Each centimeter on the map represents approximately 50 meters. Obviously, this means that the scale of the terrain and counters is not "accurate;" if the latter were in scale, they would be handled with fine tweezers! Any combat activity (shooting, line-of-sight, etc.) is measured and dealt with from the centerpoint of the counter, with the exception of close combat and cover, as explained later.

The machines are set up on opposite sides of the mapboard. After placing a Unit on the mapboard, the Player must declare its initial speed (stationary, Combat or Top speed). If, during the first round, a Unit is attacked before it has moved, it is treated as if it were moving at the maximum number of centimeters possible for its speed, for the purposes of Defense rolls.

In this introductory game, Units may not turn more than 120 degrees at a time while moving at Top speed.

The Combat Round

A tactical game is subdivided into combat rounds that simulate approximately 30 seconds of real life events. During each combat round, the following four steps occur in order.

Step One: Declaration Phase. Both sides declare any extra Actions and defensive maneuvers for the round. Each Unit gets one Action per turn, but can get more Actions by penalizing all its Attack die rolls for the entire round by one (1) for each additional Action taken. These additional Actions must be declared in this Step, even if they ultimately are never used.

Step Two: Initiative Phase. Initiative determines which side has the advantage during the present round of combat. Each side rolls two dice. Draws are rerolled. Record the MoS of the Initiative roll. The Winner receives a number of Command Points equal to that MoS. The Loser receives just one Command Point.

The side with the fewest number of Combat Units decides which side will play first. If both sides have the same number of Combat Units, the winner of the die roll makes the decision.

Step Three: Activation Phase. The side whose turn it is to play may move one of its Combat Units. Units that shift speeds (Combat/Top) must declare so immediately after movement. Actions, such as firing or activating a system, may be resolved at any time before, during or after the movement. Attack penalties are based on the Unit's total movement.

Each Unit moves and takes its Actions before another Unit is activated. If a Unit does not move or act when activated, it cannot do so at a later point in the round. At any time during the activated Unit's movement, any enemy Unit may use one (or more) of its Actions to fire or perform a task against it (and only against it). Attacks may be directed at any point along the moving Unit's path, but the target Unit's full movement counts towards its Defense roll.

Once the Unit has moved and acted (or forfeited its chance to do either), the other side activates one of its own Combat Units, which may move and take Action. This exchange goes back and forth until all have moved and acted. A Unit may only be activated once per combat round. If one side no longer has any Combat Units left to activate, the opposing side activates its remaining Combat Units one by one until they all have been activated.

Step Four: Miscellaneous Events Phase. During this phase, any unusual events, such as long-range artillery and bombing attacks, are resolved. Command Points go back to zero. Any Action not spent at this point is lost.

Repeat Steps 1 to 4 until the battle is resolved or pre-planned objectives are met.

Command Points

Command Points represent the soldiers reacting to or anticipating the enemy's actions. CPs are valid for one round only, but are refreshed during each new Initiative roll. A single Command Point may be used as an additional regular Action incurring no penalty. One Command Point can be used to buy a +2 modifier to a single Defense roll. A Command Point can be used to activate a Unit out of sequence — to get out of harm's way, for example. In the latter case, the Unit must not have been activated (i.e., moved) previously, and it cannot be moved again (though it may act if it has any Actions left). Finally, a Command Point may be used to turn a Unit around by up to 180 degrees, even if it has been activated before (and thus has no MP left). A Unit can use only one Command Point per round.

Movement

A Unit can move a certain number of centimeters based on its Movement Points (MPs). The Unit's datacard contains the values for Combat Speed and Top Speed. Speeds are listed in MPs; one MP equals movement across one centimeter of clear ground, or about 6 kph. Infantry do not have Top Speeds.

Combat Speed: a Unit normally receives a number of Movement Points equal to its Combat Speed value. Attacks can be made normally at this rate of movement. Vehicles moving at half their Combat Speed or less gain an additional +1 to their attack rolls. A Unit moving at up to half Combat Speed can opt to move backward instead of forward; reverse movement is not possible at higher speeds.

Top Speed: a Unit that expends its full Combat Speed MPs can shift to Top Speed. This must be declared immediately after moving the Unit. The Unit is considered to be at Top Speed for attack and defense purposes for the rest of the combat round. In subsequent combat rounds, the Unit receives MPs equal to its Top Speed; the Unit must expend a number of MPs greater than its Combat Speed while moving at Top Speed. A Unit may return to Combat Speed after any number of rounds of Top Speed movement; simply declare the return to Combat Speed immediately after moving the Unit. Players should put a marker beside the vehicles moving at Top Speed as a reminder.

Multiple Movement Systems: vehicles with multiple movement systems, such as walking and rolling, are able to switch modes. A Unit may only switch modes while at Combat Speed, not at Top Speed. During the switching round, the initial movement mode is used to determine the available MPs. The Unit expends MPs as its original movement mode until the switch is declared. The remaining MPs are expended at the terrain cost of the new movement mode. If the Unit has already spent more MPs in movement than it would have in the system it switches to, then it stops moving after the switch. A Unit with multiple movement systems may only switch modes once per round. This option must be announced during the movement phase.

Turning]: a Unit spends zero MP to turn 60 degrees or less; turning more than 60 degrees and up to 360 degrees (full spin) in a single turn costs one MP. Multiple turns can be performed along a Unit's movement, as long as each turn is followed by at least one centimeter of forward movement before another turn is performed. In this introductory game, Units may not turn more than 120 degrees at a time while moving at Top speed.

Editor's note: the printed heading reads "Turning]" with a stray closing bracket; transcribed as printed.

Terrain: the Terrain table lists the MP cost to traverse the different types of terrain shown on the map. Certain types of terrain also reduce visibility: this is represented by the Obscurement score (more on this later). The terrain on which more than half of the counter rests counts as the terrain type which the Unit currently resides in. In case of disagreement, roll one die (1-3 owner's call, 4-6 opponent's call).

Some terrain is treacherous and requires a Driving test to pass through: it is marked with a "D" beside its MP cost. Roll the Driving Skill versus the terrain MP cost every time the Unit enters it or starts its move in it. Failure means the vehicle has bogged down and stops there for the round.

Roads are designed to make travel easier for ground vehicles by providing them with an ideal travel surface. Any Ground vehicle traveling on a road gains an additional number of MP equal to half of its current speed (Combat or Top) rounded down to the nearest whole number. These free MPs must be expended on movement along the road or they are wasted.

Combat

Combat is essentially divided into two distinct Actions: first to find the enemy, then to attack it. A Unit must be able to acquire its target. The ability to detect and target an opposing Unit is called having a Line of Sight (LOS). In this demo game, all units have a Detection rating of 4 in daylight and 2 at night.

Place the ruler on the center points of both Units. If it overlaps something, the target is in Concealment: this is equal to the Obscurement value of all terrain directly between the two (round down to the nearest number). The Terrain table indicates the Obscurement values for each type of terrain, per whole MU. If the Concealment is higher than the Detection value, the Unit cannot be targeted.

Firing Arcs: vehicles may only detect and target opponents that are within their weapons' firing arcs. There are six firing arcs: Forward (F), Right (Rt), Left (L), Rear (Rr), Fixed Forward (FF) and Turreted (T). The first four are 180-degree arcs; side arcs include directly forward and backward. The fixed forward arc is a 120-degree arc on a Unit's front facing. Turreted arcs span 360 degrees. Infantry squads do not have facing or firing arcs, as the men can quickly turn around, and may attack anything in a 360-degree arc.

Ranged Attacks

If a Unit has a Line of Sight to a target within its weapon's firing arc and range, it can attack that target. An Opposed Skill test is required: the attacker uses his Unit's Gunnery Skill and the defender uses the Piloting Skill, both rolls modified by the appropriate Attributes and situation modifiers. If the attacker wins the Skill test, the attack succeeds. If the defender wins or if a draw occurs, the attack misses. A table contains a list of the modifiers to both rolls.

Attack Rolls: combat is always harder under certain conditions, easier under others. Modifiers resolve this by introducing penalties and bonuses to each and every combat roll. Refer to the Attack Roll table for the complete procedure. Every ranged weapon has a Base Range (BR); Short Range is equal to Base Range. Medium is two times Base, Long is two times Medium, and Extreme is two times Long Range. Point Blank is for close combat with counters in contact.

Defense Roll: targets rely on several modifiers to help them avoid shots. Refer to the Defense Roll table for the complete procedure. A target's speed affects how easy it is to hit. If the defender has not moved yet in the round, its last movement is used to determine the modifier.

Melee Attacks

The old-fashioned close-in attacks are available to both infantry and walker vehicles. Ramming, punching, kicking and stomping are all used on the battlefield when ammo runs out. All melee attacks use the attacker's Driving (or Infantry) Skill instead of the Gunnery Skill.

Ramming: this is an Opposed Driving Skill roll. Ramming inflicts collision damage on both the attacker and the defender; see the Ramming Table. Each vehicle will take an amount of damage equal to the Margin of Success of the Attack multiplied by its opponent's Impact Damage Multiplier. Both vehicles stop at the collision point. Infantry cannot ram or be rammed.

Editor's note: the Ramming Table referred to above is not printed in this demo PDF; the table is absent from the source and has not been supplied.

Punching and Kicking are both standard attacks. The Damage Multiplier of a kick is equal to the Size of the vehicle, while the Damage Multiplier of a vehicle's punch is listed under its Perks. To use a melee weapon, the pilot attacks normally: the weapon's Damage Multiplier (DM) is listed on the datacard. Infantry melee assaults use grenades and bayonets; their DM is x3.

Editor's note: the printed text reads "[[Kicking]]" with stray brackets; transcribed as "Kicking".

Defensive Maneuvers

"Defensive Maneuver" is the term used to describe a Unit's extra efforts in looking for the tiniest bit of cover, being more careful than usual as they move and generally keeping their heads down. A defensive maneuver must be declared during Step 1 of the combat round. Performing Defensive Maneuvers adds a +3 bonus to all defense rolls for the combat round, but forbids the Unit from taking any action that round. Multiple "evasive maneuvers" cannot be declared to accumulate defensive bonuses. Defensive Maneuvers may not be taken while moving at Top Speed.

Burst Fire

Any weapon with a Rate of Fire (ROF) of 1 or greater is capable of burst fire. Each point of ROF used adds one (1) to the weapon's Damage Multiplier. For every point of ROF used, 10 rounds of ammunition are expended. The Player may elect not to use the weapon's entire ROF bonus to save ammo. Rockets and missiles do not expend 10 rounds of ammo per point of ROF used. Instead, the number of missiles used doubles for each point of ROF. Thus, ROF +1 = 2 missiles, ROF +2 = 4 missiles, ROF +3 = 8 missiles, ROF +4 = 16 missiles, and so on.

Walking Fire: weapons capable of burst fire can be used to attack multiple targets in a single action. Walking fire must be declared first, before the attack. The Player then chooses his targets. A number of targets equal to the weapon's ROF plus one may be attacked. For each extra target, the weapon's ROF is reduced by one for damage purposes (but not for ammo expenditure). All targets must be within the weapon's fire arc. Each separate attack is rolled separately. Each individual target may not be attacked more than once per round by the same weapon.

Saturation Fire: a burst fire weapon (ROF equal or greater than +1) can be used to saturate a 1x1 centimeter mapboard area. The attacker rolls his attack normally, except that half the weapon's ROF (rounded down) is added to the total. Do not use the ROF to increase the DM of the attack. The attacker records the total attack roll. Any unit in the hex or that enters the hex later in the round must defend against this number or be damaged. The total damage is equal to the defender's Margin of Failure times the Damage Multiplier of the weapon. There are two limitations to this type of fire: the saturation zone cannot be further than the medium range of the weapon; and the weapon uses 30 shots (or 8 rockets) per ROF point used. If the weapon does not have this much ammo left, the result still stands, (although the magazine is emptied). At least 10 rounds of ammunition (or 4 rockets) are required to saturate a 1x1 centimeter zone.

Damage

An attack's damage is equal to the weapon's Damage Multiplier times the Margin of Success of the attack roll. The final damage is compared to the target's Armor rating. Check the Damage versus Armor table; only the most severe of the possible results applies. Thus a unit that sustains Heavy damage does not get Light damage as well.

Light Damage: Units that receive Light Damage are mildly shaken up by the attack, but not seriously damaged. Make a note; if, at any time, a unit accumulates two Light Damage hits, both are immediately removed and replaced with a single Heavy Damage result. Light Damage has no adverse effects, and a Light Damage unit may operate at full power; the only danger is that if the unit gets another Light Damage hit, it will turn into Heavy Damage.

Heavy Damage: Units that receive a Heavy Damage result are permanently affected. All values for MP allowance(s) and weapon damage are halved, rounding up. A Heavy Damage result may not be removed; if a Unit ever has two Heavy Damage results placed on it, it is Overkilled and immediately eliminated from the game in a spectacular explosion.

Overkill: an Overkill hit results in the vehicle being removed from play. The vehicle may be destroyed, or it may just have suffered enough damage to make it inoperable. The distinction matters little — the vehicle is out of play.

Infantry Rules

Machines are expensive and require maintenance, but humans need only food and motivation to participate in a battle. Consequently, foot soldiers form a large percentage of the fighting forces. Unlike vehicle crews, infantry are assigned one generic Infantry Skill to keep the game simple. This Skill serves for attack, defense and other Action tests. Infantry squads are assumed to carry enough ammunition to last them through a battle.

The infantry datacard includes two groups of columns that represent the soldiers. The first column in each group shows the type of weapon a particular trooper carries. The other is composed of circles, each representing one damage point. When the infantry squad takes damage, cross out one of these boxes for each point of damage the Unit takes.

Movement: infantry squads on foot receive 2 Movement Points per turn. Infantry Units do not have Top Speeds, and always move at Combat Speed. They use the Walker terrain movement costs, but they can always move at least one centimeter per turn, regardless of terrain.

Attacks: infantry Units have one Action per squad, which is normally used to attack. Infantry Units get one attack per weapon type per Action. All attack rolls are made with the Unit's Infantry Skill (with any applicable modifiers). Weapons of the same type must attack the same target. Massed attacks have a special Rate of Fire bonus: if two or more troopers are using the same weapon type, the value listed in the Infantry ROF Bonus table is added to the weapon's Rate of Fire. Infantry weapon ROF otherwise works as for vehicles.

Attacks against Infantry: due to their dispersed formation and ability to take advantage of cover, infantry do not suffer any defense modifiers for their slow movement: their movement modifier is always 0. In addition, a -2 penalty modifier is applied to any Unit other than infantry squads attempting to target them. Some vehicles are equipped with specialized anti-infantry weapons that ignore the -2 modifier due to their special targeting systems or method of attack. These weapons are marked with the letters "AI" (for "Anti-Infantry").

Damage to Infantry: if an infantry squad is hit, the total damage points caused by the attack are calculated normally. The exceptions to this rule are burst fire weapons, which add their ROF bonus to their Margin of Success instead of to the Damage Multiplier when using burst fire.

A trooper is not considered to be a casualty until his entire damage track is crossed out. The ROF bonus from mass attacks with infantry weapons is reduced if casualties occur. If the number of squad members with a particular weapon drops below the 2, 4, or 8-member levels, the squad loses the associated ROF bonus.

Area Effect Weapons versus Infantry: infantry are very vulnerable to area effect weapons. When a weapon with both the Anti-Infantry and Area Effect characteristics hits an infantry Unit, the damage is inflicted upon each trooper in the area of effect instead of working its way through the squad.

Pinned!: infantry Units that are attacked but not damaged (MoS=0) receive a "Pinned!" counter. If one or more troopers is wounded, the Unit receives two counters. Pinned Units may not move and receive a -1 modifier per counter to all their Actions. The Unit must spend an Action and pass an Infantry Skill test versus a Threshold equal to 4 to remove one counter.

Demo Unit Datacards

The demo sheet prints the following sample datacards. Values are transcribed as printed.

US Infantry (two squads printed). Quality 2, Armor 0, Encumbrance 0, Stamina 3, Threat Value (TV) 40.

• Weapons: Rifle, Acc 0, Range 1/2/4/8, Dam. x2, ROF 0. Light MG, Acc 0, Range 1/2/4/8, Dam. x2, ROF 2.
• Damage track: 1-9 Rifl. boxes, then 10 LMG.

German Infantry (two squads printed). Quality 2, Armor 0, Encumbrance 0, Stamina 3, Threat Value (TV) 40.

• Weapons: Rifle, Acc 0, Range 1/2/4/8, Dam. x2, ROF 0. Light MG, Acc 0, Range 1/2/4/8, Dam. x2, ROF 2.
• Damage track: 1-9 Rifl. boxes, then 10 LMG.

M11A3 General Early (two cards printed). Year in Service 1941, Threat Value 52, Size 7, Crew 2, Maneuver -1, Fire Control -1, Sensors None, Comm. -2/3km, Armor 8/16/24, Move Walk 2/4, Gr. 3/5, Deploy. Range 75km.

• Perks & Flaws: 2 x Manipulator Arms (DM x4), Reinforced Armor (+1 Front), Decreased Maneuver (-2 in Ground mode), Fuel Inefficient, Inefficient Controls, Overheating, Poor Towing, Weak Point (-1 Armor on Movement).
• Weapons: M4B Cannon, Arc F, S 2, M 4, L 8, Ex 16, Acc 0, DM x5, # 1, Ammo 8, Spec ROF1. .30 LMG, Arc F, S 1, M 2, L 4, Ex 8, Acc 0, DM x2, # 1, Ammo 200, Spec ROF2, AI. Mk3W Grenades, Arc F, Acc -1, DM x8, # -, Ammo 3, Spec AI.

PzKpf V Ausf 'B' Valkyrie (two cards printed). Year in Service 1941, Threat Value 39, Size 6, Crew 2, Maneuver -1, Fire Control -1, Sensors None, Comm. -2/2km, Armor 8/16/24, Move Walk 2/4, Gr. 3/5, Deploy. Range 60km.

• Perks & Flaws: 2 x Man. Arms (DM x4), Inefficient Controls, Poor Towing, Random Shutdown (R1), Reinforced Armor (+2, Front), Weak Point (-1, Movement).
• Weapons: 1.8 cm KwK77, Arc F, S 2, M 4, L 8, Ex 16, Acc 0, DM x5, # 1, Ammo 20, Spec ROF1. 7.92mm LMG, Arc F, S 1, M 2, L 4, Ex 8, Acc 0, DM x2, # 1, Ammo 250, Spec ROF2, AI. Grenades, Arc F, Acc -1, DM x9, Ammo 3, Spec AI.

Counters and sheet pieces. The demo sheet also prints Light Damage, Heavy Damage, Top Speed and Extra Action counters, Pinned! counters, a 0-23 cm movement ruler strip, and an infantry counter sheet (trooper figures). The mapboard on page 2 of the demo PDF is a pictorial map of the battlefield. Its artwork is not transcribed here.

Reference Chart

This is the demo game's printed reference chart, reproduced as printed.

Terrain Costs

Terrain Type	Walker MP	Ground MP	Obscurement
Clear	1	1	0
Rough	1	2	0
Woodland	2	3	2
+1 elevation	+2	+2	0
-1 elevation	+1	0	0

Terrain icons printed on the chart: Clear, Rough, Jungle, Road. The chart has no Jungle row in the table.

Attack Roll

Roll attacking pilot's Skill (2 dice +1) plus these modifiers:

• Fire Control: the current Fire Control rating of the vehicle.
• Weapon Accuracy: the current Accuracy rating of the weapon.
• Range: Point Blank +1; Short +0; Medium -1; Long -2; Extreme -3.
• Attacker's Movement: Stationary +2; Half Combat Speed or less +1; Combat Speed +0; Top Speed -3.
• Minus the Obscurement Total.

Defense Roll

Roll defending pilot's Skill (2 dice) plus these modifiers:

• Maneuver: the current Maneuver rating of the vehicle.
• Defender's Movement: Last Move (cm) / Defense Mdf.: 0 = -3; 1-2 = -2; 3-4 = -1; 5-6 = +0; 7-9 = +1; 10-19 = +2.
• Arc of Attack: Attack is from Front -0; Attack is from Rear Flank -1; Attack is from Rear -2.

Command Points

• Extra Action (no penalty)
• Defensive maneuvering (+2 to single defense roll)
• Activate a Unit out of sequence (if it hasn't been activated already)
• About-face (change facing 180°)

Infantry ROF Bonus

Number of Troopers	ROF bonus
1	0
2-3	+1
4-7	+2
8+	+3

Fire Arc

The chart shows a hex diagram with arcs labeled Front (F), Rear Flank (RF) and Rear (R), and a vehicle-facing diagram.

Damage vs Armor

Damage to Armor	Outcome	What Happens
Dam. < Base Armor	No Effect	Nothing; armor is merely scratched
Dam. ≥ Base Armor	Light Damage	Unit gets a Light Damage counter
Dam. ≥ Base Armor x 2	Heavy Damage	Unit gets a permanent Heavy Dam. counter
Dam. ≥ Base Armor x 3	Overkill	Vehicle Destroyed