Heavy Gear Blitz! Rulebook

Heavy Gear Blitz! Rulebook Rulebook

Table of Contents

Dice and Rolls

Heavy Gear Blitz! uses ordinary six-sided dice (d6). When a roll is required, the number of dice rolled is determined by the relevant Skill.

Roll a number of dice equal to the relevant Skill. The result of the roll is the highest number among all the dice. If several 6s are rolled, one 6 counts as the highest result, and +1 is added for each additional 6. If all the dice in a roll show 1, the result is a Fumble, which counts as 0. No modifiers can be applied to a Fumble: a 0 is always only a 0.

Example: You roll two dice and get a 3 and a 5. The result of the roll is 5.

Example: You roll three dice and get a 6, a 6 and a 1. The result of the roll is 6+1, i.e. 7.

Dice rolls are made either against a fixed Threshold number or against another roll. When rolling against a Threshold, if your result is greater than the Threshold value, it is a "success"; if the result is equal to or less than the Threshold, it is a "failure." When rolling against another roll (for example, when shooting), one player (the initiating player) becomes the "attacker" and the other "defends." If the attacker's result is greater than the defender's result, the attacker's roll is "successful." If the attacker's result is less than or equal to the defender's result, the attacker suffers a "failure."

Margin of Success and Margin of Failure. On an attacker's "success," the Margin of Success (MoS) equals the attacker's roll minus the Threshold value or the defending player's roll. On an attacker's "failure," the Margin of Failure (MoF) equals the Threshold value or the defender's roll minus the attacker's roll.

Example: Your roll of 3d6 with a total result of "5" against a Threshold of "4." 5-4=1, i.e. the Margin of Success is "1" or MoS 1.

Example: Your attacking roll of 3d6 with a total of "5" against a defending roll with a total of "7." 7-5=2, i.e. the Margin of Failure is "2" or MoF 2.

Unless the starting army lists say otherwise, the Attack (ATT) and Defense (DEF) Skills are 2, and the Electronic Warfare (EW) Skill is 1.

Setup

To play Heavy Gear Blitz! you will need a free table surface, or any other playing surface 4 by 4 feet (about 120 by 120 centimeters). Terrain is not required, but it makes the game much more interesting. Almost anything can serve as terrain. Boxes can be buildings, upturned plates can be hills, and stationery can be rocks or low walls. Terrain from other game systems also works well. The Heavy Gear Blitz! system uses models and terrain at a scale of 1/144, which is very close to "N" scale, the scale used for model railroads and their landscapes.

Once you have placed the terrain so that both players are satisfied, you can begin placing your Gears. The players choose two opposite edges of the playing area, one each, and place their Gears no more than 1 foot (30 cm) from their own table edge. We recommend placing them facing the opponent's Gears, as this is important.

Rounds

Once your Gears are placed, play proceeds in a series of rounds. The length of a round is not fixed. Models move and act one at a time.

To decide who goes first, both players roll one die at the start of each round. Whoever rolls higher decides which player moves first in that round. If the results are the same, both players reroll.

All of each player's Gears are organized into Combat Groups, up to six Gears in each. Starting with the player who moves first in this round, the players take turns activating their Combat Groups: the first player activates a group, then the second player activates a group, then the first player another group, and so on, for as long as there are still unactivated groups. When a Combat Group is activated, the Gears in that group move and act one at a time. Once a model has finished its actions and its movement entirely, it is considered Used and cannot move until the start of the next round. Each Gear must finish its movement and all of its Actions (or keep its Action) before another Gear starts to move or act. If another Gear in the group starts to move or act, any Gear in the same group that was activated before it is considered Used until the end of the round and can no longer complete any unfinished action or movement.

Movement

Gears, like other vehicles, move using Movement Points (MovPoints, MP). The number of Movement Points (MP) available to a Gear is determined by its current speed (Stationary, Combat Speed, or Full Speed) and its movement mode (Walker or Ground). This is written on the Gear's card.

Any model may change its speed and/or movement mode once per round before it begins to move and act. Speed may be changed by one level up or down. For example, to change from Full Speed to Stationary, a model must spend at least one round at Combat Speed. A model at Full Speed must spend at least as many MP in a round as its MP at Combat Speed; otherwise it switches to Combat Speed. If a model changes movement mode, its MP always correspond to its current speed for that mode.

In addition, movement at Full Speed always costs 1 Action of the model.

Use the following table to determine how many MP it costs for a Gear to move 1 inch across each type of terrain in its current movement mode.

TERRAIN	WALKER MODE	GROUND MODE
OPEN/LEVEL	1 MP	1 MP
ROUGH	2 MP	3 MP
SANDY	3 MP	2 MP
FOREST	3 MP	3 MP

Hills, cliffs and the like are divided into "elevation levels" of 1 inch each. Climbing up one level costs 2 MP. Descending one level costs 1 MP. Note that this is the MP cost only for climbing or descending the elevation itself, and the MP for the terrain on it is spent additionally!

All models have a front. The front of the model's base must be clearly marked (the front edge on a hexagonal base, or 1/6 of the diameter on a round base). The direction the model faces affects how it moves and how it takes damage.

COMBAT SPEED IN GROUND MODE. The model may only move forward, and may make one free turn of 60 degrees for every 2 inches moved.

FULL SPEED IN GROUND MODE. The model may only move forward, and may make one free turn of 60 degrees for every 3 inches moved.

COMBAT SPEED IN WALKER MODE. The model may move in any direction and turn freely.

FULL SPEED IN WALKER MODE. The model may only move forward, and may make one free turn of 60 degrees for every 2 inches moved, i.e. the same as Combat Speed in Ground mode.

STATIONARY GEARS. They may move up to 1 inch in any direction (they are simply adjusting their positions) and may turn freely.

Actions and Attacks

The main Action your Gears will perform is attacking the enemy. Each Gear may attack once per round at any point in its movement. Gears cannot attack while Used, except for Return Fire. A Gear that spends its single Action on movement at Full Speed cannot attack in that round.

During an attack, the attacker rolls a number of dice equal to its Attack Skill, and the defender rolls a number of dice equal to its Defense Skill. If the attacker rolled higher, the attack hit the target and inflicted damage. If the results are equal, or the defender rolled higher, the attack missed. Several modifiers may apply to each such roll for each side, and the results are compared only after all modifiers have been counted.

Firing Arcs

The target of an attack must be within the firing arc of the weapon being fired. The firing arc determines the directions in which the weapon can fire.

FRONT ARC (F). The front 180 degrees (the three front sides) of the Gear's hexagonal base.

FIXED FRONT ARC (FF). The front 90 degrees (either the front face of the hexagonal base, i.e. 60 degrees).

REAR ARC (Rr). The rear 180 degrees (the three rear sides) of the Gear's hexagonal base.

FIXED REAR ARC (FRr). The rear 90 degrees (either the rear side of the hexagonal base, i.e. 60 degrees).

Diagrams in the source: 90-degree attack arcs and 180-degree attack arcs.

Attack Modifiers

The following modifiers apply to the attacker's roll:

RANGE. Each weapon has five firing ranges, shown in inches on the Gear's card: Point Blank, Short, Medium, Long and Extreme range. Measure the distance to the target and determine the applicable range. Attacks have the following modifiers: Point Blank "+1", Short "+0", Medium "-1", Long "-2", and Extreme "-3".

ATTACKER'S MOVEMENT AND WEAPON ACCURACY. Both modifiers are given on the model's card. The attacker's movement modifier depends only on the model's speed, while the accuracy modifier depends only on the weapon being used.

TARGET COVER. Cover is determined from the "eye view" of the attacking model.

If the target is not covered at all by terrain or other models, so that even its base is fully visible, it counts as an Open Target. The attacker receives "+1" to the roll.

If the model is covered by no more than half, and it is still fairly easy to see, it is considered to have Light Cover, with a modifier of "+0".

If more than half of the model is covered, but the main body of the model is still visible (the head, torso, shoulders or hips), the model is considered Partially Concealed, and the attacker receives "-1" when shooting at such a target.

If the target is completely covered from the attacker, it has Full Cover. The attacker receives "-2" to attack such a model. Note that if only part of a limb, an antenna or only a weapon of the target is visible, it is considered Fully Concealed.

LIGHT COVER (+0) | PARTIAL COVER (-1) | FULL COVER (-2)

Defense Modifiers

These modifiers apply to the defender's roll.

DEFENDER'S MOVEMENT. This modifier is given on the model's card and changes depending on the model's current speed and movement mode.

ATTACK ANGLE. "-1" to the defender's roll if the attacker is in the defender's Rear (Rr) firing arc, i.e. if it is being shot in the back.

Example: Gear Joe opened fire with a Light Autocannon (LAC) on the scoundrel who killed his brother. Joe rolls a die with the result "5," and his opponent rolls "2." They are at Medium range for the LAC, and both are playing Hunter Gears moving at Combat Speed. The attack modifier is "-1" for the weapon's Medium range, and the defense modifier is "-1" for the target's mode and speed of movement, for a total of "4" against "1." Joe's Margin of Success is "3" (MoS 3), and he inflicts damage on the opponent.

Rate of Fire (ROF)

Some weapons fire much faster than others. Such weapons have a Rate of Fire and its level (for example, ROF 2). When firing such a weapon, you may use any number of Rate of Fire (ROF) points from "0" (a single shot, played as a normal attack) up to the weapon's maximum Rate of Fire. Rate of Fire (ROF) points may be spent in two ways:

Rate of Fire points may be spent on Sweep Fire to attack a wide area. Each ROF point increases this area by 1 inch, starting from zero. All targets in the Sweep Fire area, both friendly (other than the shooter itself) and enemy, must defend against this attack and take damage if they are hit. All attack and defense modifiers are determined separately for each target.

Rate of Fire points may be spent on Focused Fire, which increases the damage of the attack. Each ROF point increases the DM (base damage of the weapon) by 1.

The Rate of Fire may be used in attacks at Long range and closer. It cannot be used at Extreme range.

Indirect Fire (IF)

Weapons with the Indirect Fire (IF) rating can fire over various obstacles, hitting the enemy without fear of return fire (lobbed fire from covered positions, guided missiles, and so on). This requires a participant to act as an observer, a Forward Observer. To act as a Forward Observer, a friendly model must spend an Action on Target Designation (FO), designating a specific enemy model as the target for friendly Indirect attacks until the end of the round (or until the target starts to move). The observer must be able to see the model designated by the Target Designation.

Once a target is designated in this way, any friendly model acting later in the same round may carry out an Indirect attack against that target as its Action. The attacking model rolls a number of dice equal to its Attack Skill against a Threshold of 4. Remember the unmodified roll! The roll is then modified for range, the weapon's accuracy, plus the Attack Modifier on the attacking model's card. The Cover modifier also applies, but it is counted from the Forward Observer, not from the attacker. A successful modified roll means the attack hit the target; if the modified roll fails, the attack deviates from the designated target in a random direction. Roll a d6 and count clockwise in segments of 60 degrees from the line between the attacker and the target. The attack deviates in that direction by the Margin of Failure (MoF) in inches. Any model (friend or foe, it makes no difference) that comes under an Indirect attack must defend, but against the UNMODIFIED attack roll.

Example: A "Hunter" fires a Light Rocket Pack (LRP) with a roll result of "4." This is the unmodified roll. Suppose the modifiers add up to "-2," with a modified roll of "2" against a Threshold of "4." The Margin of Failure 4-2=2 is the number of inches by which the attack deviates. It only remains to determine the direction of deviation. The model that is hit by the deviated attack defends against the attacker's unmodified roll, i.e. against the original four.

Area Effect (AE)

Area-effect weapons are capable of covering a large area with explosions. Such a weapon has an AE rating and its level (for example, AE 3), which is the radius of the affected area in inches. Any model, including the shooter itself, that comes under fire even partially must defend or take damage. The attack always comes from the side of the firing model.

Hand Grenades

Hand grenades use the rules for Indirect Fire, but do not require an observer. They may be thrown one per Action, at any model the attacker can see. Treat the attacking model as its own Forward Observer for the purpose of determining modifiers.

Grenades have only two throwing ranges:

Short (modifier "+0"), equal to the attacker's Size in inches.
Medium (modifier "+0"), equal to twice the attacker's Size in inches (Size x2).

Other Weapons and Their Properties

The game also has other weapons, for example close-combat weapons (such as the Vibroblade), and other properties, such as Anti-Infantry (AI), which are not used in the Quick Start Rules but are readily available in the full rules.

Damage

If an attack hit the target (a MoS was obtained), the target may take damage. Multiply the MoS by the Damage Multiplier (DM) of the weapon used. The result is the amount of damage inflicted. Compare it with the target's Armor value and use the following table to determine the final result of the hit:

Damage < Armor: no effect.
Damage equal to or greater than Armor x1, but less than Armor x2: one damage box [ ].
Damage equal to or greater than Armor x2, but less than Armor x3: two damage boxes [ ] [ ].
Damage equal to or greater than Armor x3: Overkill! You have incinerated the target, riddled it, blown it up, leaving only smoking debris, or taken it apart bolt by bolt in any other equally fast, bright and colorful way. Remove the target's miniature from the table.

Models have damage boxes on their cards. For example, [S][S][L][H][C]. Each time your model receives a damage box, you cross off the corresponding number of damage boxes on its card, from left to right: first all Sturdy [S], then Light [L], then Heavy [H], and finally Critical [C]. If the last Critical [C] box is already crossed off and your model is dealt one more damage box, it is destroyed, but it remains on the battlefield as a shapeless heap of twisted metal (Rough Terrain), providing cover for other models.

In any case, a model is always in the state marked by the last box you crossed off, and this affects its capabilities in the game:

Sturdy: no effects, the same as an undamaged model.
Light: no effects in the Quick Start Rules.
Heavy: the model receives a "-1" modifier to all rolls and loses the ability to move at Full Speed.
Critical: the model receives a "-2" modifier to all rolls and loses the ability to move at Full Speed.

Example: Gear Joe hit the opponent's "Hunter" with a Light Autocannon (LAC) with a MoS of 3. The LAC has a DM of 8, and Gear Joe inflicted 24 points of damage. The "Hunter" has an Armor of 15, and the damage inflicted on it is more than enough for one box, but not enough for two.

If Joe had been luckier with his roll, he could have gotten a MoS of 6 instead of a MoS of 3. That would have inflicted 48 points of damage, destroying the opposing "Hunter" in the blink of an eye. Overkill, however!

Other Actions

The following Actions are only some of the options available in the full Heavy Gear Blitz! rules. Many of them require models to keep their Action or Actions for later use in the same round.

RETURN FIRE. If a model has kept its Action, it may respond to the movement of any moving model by spending the kept Action on a ranged attack, i.e. a shot. A model may act against a moving model only once per inch that model fully completes, or once per completed action. Having a model with a pre-kept action, you simply declare that it spends the kept Action and reacts. The shot itself is resolved as soon as the target finishes its current inch of movement, the Action that triggered the Return Fire, or ends further movement.

ELECTRONIC COUNTERMEASURES (ECM). A model with the ECM ability may try to block a Target Designation (FO) by spending an Action on it, if it can see an enemy observer making or having already made a Target Designation. The models make a roll of their EW Skill plus their Comm against each other. The model with ECM adds its ECM rating as a modifier to its roll. If the blocking model rolled higher, the Target Designation has failed. All Actions used by each of the models are spent.

Perks and Flaws

Many models have special qualities or equipment, which are reflected in the game as perks and flaws. Examples:

AUTOPILOT. The model has a sophisticated autopilot capable of controlling the model even in difficult combat conditions. You may activate the model's autopilot at the start of a round. While it is active, the model may roll only one die on defense, but it may attack twice.

REINFORCED ARMOR. The model has reinforced Armor in one of its firing arcs. Add the level of this feature to the Armor rating against attacks directed into that firing arc of the model.

WEAK SIDE. One side of the model is insufficiently armored, has a blind spot in its defense, or is simply poorly protected. Add "+2" to the MoS (including MoF 0) for all successful attacks directed into that firing arc of the model.

Starting Forces

Translator's note: this section contains sample armies (for illustration), built from only two boxes (General Purpose and Fire Support) from the old starter sets (one for each faction). The current starters have changed to the newer Strike and Fire Support boxes, and armies of roughly 800 TV (points) can be assembled from them. "TV" stands for "Threat Value."

Each model has its Standard Loadout (SO), regardless of skill level. Other weapon and vehicle options are built on the basis of this loadout. The SO is listed on the model cards, which can be found on dp9.com in the Downloads section for Heavy Gear Blitz! Locked & Loaded. Sometimes a card lists several weapons for different options, with checkboxes to the left of them; in that case, mark the ones your model is equipped with. A weapon without a checkbox cannot be replaced and is always present on the model.

The weapons and their names (with translations) are listed in the Quick Start Arsenal.

Translator's note: what is a Priority Level? It is how important your military forces are to the command, how responsible the missions they must carry out are, and what the basic structure of your army is in the game. In short, the higher the army's PL, the more aggressively the game is played with it. This is explained in more detail in the full rules. The Quick Start Rules involve forces intended for patrol or garrison duty (PL 1).

Translator's note: what is Leadership (Leadership, LD) and why is it needed? It is also part of the full rules and is not used in the Quick Start Rules. Just know that it exists, and that a model with an LD skill is the leader of its squad. You will need it later! Warrior Chief, HeadHunter and Command Jäger are command Gears, but for option purposes they count as ordinary Warrior, Hunter and Jäger, respectively.

Translator's note: why are there no other factions here? In small-format games, other factions would create an imbalance in forces, so the Quick Start Rules include only forces roughly comparable in capability (although each has its own features). Besides, they are easier to learn.

It is recommended that you play several games with the models' Standard Loadouts, and with different loadout variants, before attaching weapons to your models. Try different loadout options!

Key: "K" = squad leader (group commander). "AK" = Army Commander.

PEACE RIVER STARTING FORCES

610 TV, PRIORITY LEVEL 1

COMBAT GROUP 1

GENERAL PURPOSE SQUAD 245 TV

4 Warriors: ATT:2 DEF:2 EW:1 LD:0
1 Warrior Chief: ATT:2 DEF:2 EW:2 LD:2

Any model in Combat Group 1 may exchange its Light Autocannon (LAC) for a Medium Autocannon (MAC, Front arc (F), extra magazines) for +5 TV each. Up to two models may exchange their LAC for a Fragmentation Cannon (FGC, F, extra magazines) or a Rapid Fire Bazooka (RFB, F, extra magazines) for +5 TV each. Models that exchange their LAC for an FGC replace their Hand Grenades (HG) with Heavy Hand Grenades (HHG) for free.

COMBAT GROUP 2

FIRE SUPPORT SQUAD 365 TV

335 TV + 30 TV for upgrading the commander = 365 TV

2 Warriors: ATT:2 DEF:2 EW:1 LD:0
2 Crusader IV: ATT:2 DEF:2 EW:1 LD:0
1 Warrior IV-K, AK: ATT:2 DEF:3 EW:3 LD:3

One or both Crusader IVs may exchange their Heavy Autocannon (HAC) for a Medium Bazooka (MBZK, F, extra magazines) for +10 TV each. Any model armed with an LAC may exchange it for a MAC (F, extra magazines) for +5 TV in place of a model from the General Purpose Squad. Up to two models may exchange their LAC for a Rapid Fire Bazooka (RFB, F, extra magazines) for +5 TV each in place of a model from the General Purpose Squad.

TACTICS

The greatest strength of the Paxton Corporation lies in almost complete control of the airwaves, since every model carries ECM equipment. This makes their squads more expensive, but with good equipment and high Leadership they find it easier to carry out missions in which they must prevent the enemy from doing something. However, because their squads cost more, they perform much better in larger formats, even when they do not have the numerical advantage.

Note: Three Warriors have Flak Vests (an extra Sturdy box [S] on each of them), but we recommend playing the first few games without this upgrade. Models in Flak Vests may come from any squad, for +10 TV each (already included in the base cost of the army).

NORTHERN STARTING FORCES

610 TV, PRIORITY LEVEL 1

COMBAT GROUP 1

GENERAL PURPOSE SQUAD 225 TV

205 TV + 20 TV for weapons = 225 TV

4 Hunters: ATT:2 DEF:2 EW:1 LD:0
1 HeadHunter-K: ATT:2 DEF:2 EW:1 LD:1

Two models may exchange their LAC for a MAC (F, extra magazines), an FGC (F, extra magazines), or a Snub Cannon (SC, F, Limited Ammo 3, remove the Light Rocket Pack (LRP)). Both models that exchange their weapon receive a Heavy Panzerfaust (HPZF, F, Limited Ammo 2) for free.

COMBAT GROUP 2

FIRE SUPPORT SQUAD 305 TV

295 TV + 10 TV for weapons = 305 TV

2 Hunters: ATT:2 DEF:2 EW:1 LD:0
2 Grizzlies: ATT:2 DEF:2 EW:1 LD:0
1 Jaguar-AK: ATT:2 DEF:3 EW:1 LD:1

One Grizzly must exchange its Heavy Autocannon (HAC) for a Medium Bazooka (MBZK, F, extra magazines). Another Grizzly may exchange its Heavy Autocannon (HAC) for a Medium Bazooka (MBZK, F, extra magazines) for +10 TV.

TACTICS

While the Starting Forces are made up mostly of generalists, the Northern army is an army that uses specialized weapons and vehicles in its squads. The Northerners work together, being much more than the simple sum of their parts. A well-coordinated attack by squads that support one another can easily accomplish any combat task. And in larger formats you can easily field a squad or two for each role. This army is quite demanding of the player, who must stay focused throughout the game and plan a couple of turns ahead.

Note: Choose one Combat Group to be the command group, and it will receive veteran upgrades. Their Attack and Defense become 3. The commander of this group receives ATT:3, DEF:4, EW:1, LD:3. This costs 80 TV and is already included in the base cost of the army.

SOUTHERN STARTING FORCES

610 TV, PRIORITY LEVEL 1

COMBAT GROUP 1

GENERAL PURPOSE SQUAD (Veterans) 320 TV

160 TV + 100 TV for skills + 45 Army Commander + 15 for weapons = 320 TV

4 Jägers: ATT:3 DEF:3 EW:1 LD:0
1 Command Jäger-AK: ATT:4 DEF:4 EW:2 LD:3

One model must exchange its LAC for an Assault Rifle (LAC+LGL, F, extra magazines for the LAC only), and one other model must exchange its LAC for a MAC (F, extra magazines).

COMBAT GROUP 2

FIRE SUPPORT SQUAD 290 TV

285 TV + 5 TV for weapons = 290 TV

3 Spitting Cobras: ATT:2 DEF:2 EW:1 LD:0
1 Command Jäger-K: ATT:2 DEF:2 EW:1 LD:1

The Command Jäger must exchange its Anti-Personnel Grenade Launcher (APGL) for an Anti-Personnel Mortar (APM, F, no extra magazines). Any Cobra may exchange its Heavy Autocannon (HAC) and Light Guided Mortar (LGM) for a Medium Bazooka (MBZK, F, no extra magazines) for -5 TV; exchange its Heavy Rocket Pack (HRP) and LGM for a Very Light Field Gun (VLFG, FF, no extra magazines); or exchange its HAC and Medium Rocket Pack (MRP) for a Very Heavy Autocannon (VHAC, F, no extra magazines).

TACTICS

The Southern Milicia is made up of generalists. Each model, to a degree, is like a Swiss army knife: it can be used in many roles, just not all at once. Fire Support Gears are able to rain down large numbers of indirect attacks covering large areas, but you must be careful not to expose your own troops to your own strikes.

Note: Most Southern options are based on swapping one weapon for another. Play several games before settling on one and gluing it to your model!

Quick Start Arsenal

Translator's note: the weapons that appear in the Quick Start Rules are listed below by their English names and abbreviations, as printed in the source. The translator's Russian glosses and explanatory remarks on each weapon are not reproduced. This is far from a complete list of what is in the full rules. The translator notes that close combat is also reserved for the full rules.

Light Autocannon (LAC)
Medium Autocannon (MAC)
Heavy Autocannon (HAC)
Very Heavy Autocannon (VHAC)
Light Machine Gun (LMG)
Heavy Machine Gun (HMG)
Medium Bazooka (MBZK)
Rapid Fire Bazooka (RFB)
Deployable Pack Gun (DPG)
Snub Cannon (SC)
Fragmentation Cannon (FGC)
Very Light Field Gun (VLFG)
Heavy Panzerfaust (HPZF)
Light Rocket Pack (LRP)
Medium Rocket Pack (MRP)
Heavy Rocket Pack (HRP)
Anti-Personnel Grenade Launcher (APGL)
Anti-Personnel Mortar (APM)
Light Field Mortar (LFM)
Light Guided Mortar (LGM)
Heavy Guided Mortar (HGM)
Vibroaxe (VA)
Vibroblade (VB)
Combat Reinforcement (CR)
Hand Grenade (HG)
Heavy Hand Grenade (HHG)

Translator's Clarifications

The following are the translator's own clarifications of points the Quick Start Rules do not cover. They are not part of the official Quick Start text. The translator says the target designation procedure below was improvised.

Measuring distances. All measurements are in inches, taken from base to base, or from base to the body of the model if it has no base. You may measure whenever you wish, but you must immediately share the result of the measurement with your opponent.

Blast zones for Sweep Fire and Area attacks. For Sweep Fire, the ROF points spent on Sweep Fire form a radius around the base of the main target. For Area Effect (AE), the radius is measured from the point where the attack landed. For a combination of IF and ROF sweep, the radius is determined in the same way as for AE.

How Target Designation for Indirect Fire works. The translator did not find this anywhere in the Quick Start and improvised the following:

The artillery spotter model must be able to see the future Indirect Fire target while making the Target Designation.
Spend an Action on Target Designation. Roll a number of dice equal to the spotter's EW Skill against a Threshold of 3. The modifiers for this roll are the "Sensor rating" from the Gear's card and the "Target Cover" modifier from the attack modifiers. If, together with the highest die, the total reaches 4 or more, the target is successfully designated.
The number of models that may fire Indirect Fire at a target designated by the spotter equals the spotter's EW Skill, counting the firing models themselves, not the individual shots.

Can Indirect Fire weapons be fired by direct aim? Yes, of course. It is resolved as a normal direct attack, but if you miss, all area effects (AE and IF+ROF sweep) also go wide and miss.

Translator's note: the translator's essay on the translation of the term "Heavy Gear", the list of what is needed to play the full rules, purchasing advice, and tips for beginners are not reproduced here, as they are not rules.