0.0.7

This release includes many bug fixes, formatting fixes, and rule improvements. All die rolls were audited for fun level and player engagement, with pointless rolls being eliminated, given consequences for failure, and/or alternative lower-risk non-random alternatives. Vehicle/Monster units have been made more vulnerable in rough terrain and close quarters. Psychic combat is now riskier. A new explicit Reaction system allows units to interact in a new way.

Here is the full list of changes:

New Opposed psychic combat mechanics:

• Psychic powers now automatically succeed
• Any enemy Caster model may pass a Will roll to nullify the power
• The original casting model may pass a Will roll to nullify the nullification and make the power succeed again
• And so on, until the power goes off, gets nullified, one side opts to stop rolling, or either the caster or nullifier dies, because all psychic Will rolls have the Unstable 2 rule!
• Additional Caster models in the casting or nullifying unit provide a +1 Will bonus on rolls to cast and nullify powers
• All Caster units are now able to cast and nullify only one psychic power per action

A new Reaction system was introduced replacing the ad-hoc system of Forced Move Actions and interrupt Defend actions:

• All Reactions give the reacting unit a Suppression Marker, imposing a penalty for interrupting the normal sequence of gameplay to react to enemy action
• Withdraw reaction replaces the old Forced Move Action
• Counter-attack reaction replaces the old optional interrupt-based shoot action when charged
• Go to Ground reaction replaces the old optional interrupt-based Defend action (and cannot be used by Flying and Vehicle/Monster units)
• Death-or-glory attacks: Reacting to a Vehicle/Monster unit's charge with a Counter-Attack Reaction must destroy the charging unit or else the reacting unit is destroyed!

Other rules changes in this version:

• Actions no longer need to be declared ahead of time; you can not choose a unit's second action after seeing the results of the first action
• Units may now optionally pass a Will roll to ignore their Suppression Markers in a heroic feat of bravery, but if they fail the roll, they gain an additional one and deactivate!
• Orders now automatically succeed without needing to pass a Will roll, but instead you can pass a will roll to extend the range to 18" (at the cost of wasting the order if the roll fails)
• Added a new universally-available order: "Call in an airstrike!" This is similar to the old PDF "Call in fire support!" order, but not everyone gets it
• "Strike harder!" order now grants a fixed number of re-rolls (3) instead of D5
• "Get back into the fight!" order has been renamed to "Regroup!"
• Vehicle/Monster units can now only fire at targets in their front arc, providing a purpose for their reduced turning mobility
• Distances are now measured between the two closest visible models in the firing and target units
• Introduced the possibility for weapons to have minimum ranges, measured to the farthest model in the target unit, and applied it to PDF and Orc artillery and heavy tank weapons
• The Strider rule has been renamed Pathfinder and automatically grants movement up vertically impassible terrain
• Added a new Pathbound rule to model wheeled and tracked vehicles that get bogged down in difficult terrain, and applied it to relevant PDF and Orc tanks, APCs, trucks, and bikes
• Scouts units also activate first, along with Fast and Transport units
• Single-model non-Vehicle/Monster units all benefit from the same protection from being targeted previous only afforded to single-model Leadership units
• Flying units are no longer allowed to take Defend Actions
• Failing the Will roll to split fire or shoot at a distant target now imposes a -1 Shoot penalty
• When a charging unit fails its charge because the charged unit makes a Withdraw Reaction, the charging unit's models are moved as far as they can anyway
• Added a new Support unit type and changed some Orc and PDF units to be Support instead of Spearhead or Leadership; these units are small and rare and exist to boost other units, without providing direct damage or leadership
• FUBAR advanced rule replaced with Inexperienced, which imposes a permanent -1 Shoot and Fight penalty to all units
• Added new advanced rule allowing players to take voluntary handicaps
• Acute Senses also nullifies Go To Ground Life bonus, just like it does for the Defend action

Mission changes in this version:

• Made it possible to deploy forces properly when playing with more than 3 players
• Reduced the size of deployment zones to 10" and some other mission-related distances from 6" to 5"
• Increased the minimum distance between opposed models during deployment to 25"
• You no longer roll for initiative; it's now just a fixed number comparison. Also, Scouts units no longer grant a bonus on it (but Leadership units still do)

Factions changes in this version:

• New PDF Engineering Team unit that specializes in securing objectives and can destroy terrain features
• New PDF Mechanic unit that can repair vehicles
• Antimatter weapons renamed to be Plasma weapons
• More PDF units can upgrade one model to have a Plasma Pistol
• PDF transport units can buy the Acute Senses rule as an upgrade
• PDF Conscript Mob cost reduced from 100 to 90 and Life reduced from 7+ to 8+
• PDF Paratrooper Squad cost reduced from 90 to 80, Life reduced from 6+ to 8+, and given two special weapons for free
• PDF "Call in fire support!" order has been removed, because it was made a universal order
• New Reveal psychic power for PDF Impressed Psychic model
• New Teleport and Brutalize psychic powers for Orc Psycho Boss model

0.0.6

This release includes unit upgrades for the Orc Raiders and Planetary Defense Forces!

Now that both existing armies have full unit lists and upgrades, and the formatting is templated, additional armies should be simpler to produce. Expect at least one more in the next release.

Other factions changes in this version:

• PDF Artillery Cannon now has the Area Effect rule, as expected
• PDF Command Squad now has the Mechanic rule, allowing it to repair nearby damaged vehicles
• PDF armies can now take double the normal number of Command units
• PDF vehicles can now take several new weapons, including the Auto Grenade Launcher, Antimatter Cannon, and Magma Cannon
• PDF Mortar's number of attacks has been reduced from 6 to 4
• PDF Heavy Trooper per-model cost reduced from 9 to 8
• PDF Heavy APC cost increased from 60 to 70
• PDF Heavy APC can now take two weapons, not just one
• PDF and Orc flamethrowers have been tweaked: Orc ones now have more attacks but shorter range, while the PDF versions are the reverse
• Orc Grunts per-model cost increased from 4 to 7 (oops)
• Orc Snazz-Buggy cost increased from 40 to 45
• Orc Mech Boss cost decreased from 60 to 40

Rules changes in this version:

• Suppressive/Terrifying weapons can now impose a maximum penalty of -5 on the target unit's Will roll
• When any of the visible models in a targeted unit have a Life characteristic that differs from the rest, Life rolls must be allocated invididually rather than done all at once
• When a unit contains models with differing Will characteristics, use one from the model with the highest value

Mission changes in this version:

• None.

0.0.5

This release had a major goal of improving the code used to generate army lists so that it becomes easier to produce more of them with a minimum of friction. To accomplish this, shared formatting and table styles have been split into separate files which are imported where needed, and weapons are defined only once per file using macros.

That's not all though; various rules changes were implemented as well, including a large overhaul of the missions.

Factions changes in this version:

• PDF Special Weapons Squads now have Demo charges
• PDF Heavy Weapons Squads can now take mortars
• PDF Infantry Squads' Heavy Machine Guns are now crew-served

Rules changes in this version:

• Heavy Weapons no longer negate Life bonuses from being in Cover
• Implemented a crossfire/flanking bonus for shooting at a unit from both sides
• Implemented a new "Interact" action that allows a scoring unit to interact with/capture/recover/exploit (etc) mission objectives
• Shoot bonuses/penalties for flanking, height advantages, and enfilade/defilade now stack when multiple conditions are present (RIP the target unit)
• Units that are the target of a Shoot action can now voluntarily take a suppression marker to benefit from the bonuses of the Defend action before they have to make their Life rolls
• Dangerous Terrain now affects models merely in base contact with the area in addition to those inside it

Mission changes in this version:

• Counters in the Rescue/Capture mission are now placed after army deployment and are now controlled using Interact actions
• In the Evacuation mission, the evacuation zone is now farther from the evacuating army's deployment zone to make it require more mobility and fighting
• The Critical Objective mission is now won using Interact actions, not by getting a certain number of models in contact with it
• The Hold at All Costs mission is now won using Interact actions, and the attackers are now trying to destroy it, not capture it (this made it too similar to the Critical Objective mission)
• The Sabotage mission was too similar to various other missions and has now been replaced with a new more interesting one called Summon reinforcements in which each player is trying to summon nearby reinforcements using communications equipment that allows them to optionally jam enemy comms instead of dialing out themselves
• The Break The Stalemate mission was too similar to various other missions and has been replaced with a new more interesting one called Clear the Landing Zone which requires Interact actions to remove or reinforce obstacles preventing landing craft from disembarking in an area
• Attackers now share victory in the Blitz mission if they win

0.0.4

This release includes a new faction: the Planetary Defense Force! This faction comprises ordinary human soldiers and their heavy weapons and tanks.

Faction changes in this version:

• Orc Guntruck Tough value reduced from 7 to 6
• Orc Battle Bus Tough value reduced from 7 to 6
• Orc Battle Bus cost reduced from 50 to 45

Rules changes in this version:

• Vehicle/Monster models moving through Difficult Terrain now suffer either a penalty of -6 Move or else count the area as Dangerous Terrain 9
• Sniper weapons are reduced to 0 damage against non-Open Vehicle models and may no longer allocate Life rolls to individual models within the targeted unit, but instead may freely target Leadership units
• Assault weapons may now only be used in melee if they lack the Area Affect/Spray rule
• Added a new Rainy condition in the Battlefield Conditions table
• The Limited visibility rule in the Battlefield Conditions table has been renamed to "Dark/Foggy/Snowing"

0.0.3

This release includes the first set of army-specific rules so that you can actually play a game. :) First up is the Orc Raiders faction!

Rules changes in this version:

• War Blessing power now affects the targeted unit's entire next activation, not just its next action.

0.0.2

Rules changes in this version:

• Non-vehicle/monster units must now pass a Will roll to be able to split their fire or target an enemy unit that isn't the closest one
• Added rules for the "FUBAR" disadvantage
• Added advanced rules for firing from elevated positions
• Corrected error in "Advantageous firing positions" rules that made it behave the opposite of what was intended
• The "Unstable" and "Critical" rules now take numerical parameters

0.0.1

Initial alpha release