3 Player Game - Unit Rewards

What is up everyone?  So with a host of new game styles coming out from Games Workshop, I decided to go back and tweak with our original Tyranid Horde games (games 2-3) and set it up as an opportunity to tweak the system and setup a leveling system within the game.  Obviously everyone has heard of D&D, Pathfinder, or any of the other hundreds of RPG games that are out there.  Well with some ideas from Evan, I decided to add my own flair into our games.

I mean let’s face it, story telling is the hidden background to 40k, Fantasy, and any other table game out there.  The actions you take and the choices you make have a direct impact on the game, who survives, and most importantly how the story plays out.

So who can level up, what happens to the groups, and what perks can we achieve?  I have worked to tease out these problems.

First the basic rules.  All units, characters, HQs, vehicles, and any playable model can level up.  Each level up will allow for potential increases in stats, abilities, or extra/new war gear.  Not only that but miracles and heroic acts allow for characters and individuals within a unit to be instantly upgraded.  I mean if you face down a Tervigon and kill it in close combat you should get an instant reward.

Enemy Units also get upgraded between missions.  These are to reflect the fact that these are living, breathing units that are going to respond during a campaign so that in the end, the biggest, angriest creatures are going up against the heroes that have fought against this God forsaken Planet.

Bugs: Big, Angry, and Ugly

Models and Units can be “bought” to reinforce your squads.  At the end of the mission each player that survives will receive points for completing objectives, hidden objectives, and killing baddies.  These points can be used for reinforcing your already hurting squad or buying new squads from the same group (i.e. if you have Troops, you can reinforce your Troops or buy different troops like Space Marine Scout Snipers vs. Space Marine Tactical Squad).

Now time for the nitty gritty of the leveling up system.  Each type of creature receives a different point value for them being killed.  This means that the bigger baddies will be worth more because they are tougher to take down.  This also means that the rank and file small fries will be worth less.  Because this scenario involves Tyranids and Monstrous Creatures, our system is based off of that.  

Unit / Description	Points	Achievements
Small Bases (25mm)	1	Kill 100 (Tryannic Veteran)
Medium Bases (40 mm)	6	Kill 50    (Slayer)
Large Bases (60 mm)	10	Kill 20   (Relentless - SR)
MC Bases	15	Kill 2 same game (Monster Hunter - SR)

SR = Special Rule (from the book)

It will be a gradually increasing process to level up.  Points are earned for the individual units and characters by killing and most importantly surviving.

For Units/Squads/Characters/Vehicles:

Level	Points Needed (Career)	Upgrade Options
1	10	1 RTC
2	30	1 RTC
3	50	1 RTC, 1 AC / 1 Perk
4	80	1 RTC, 1 RSR
5	110	2 RTC
6	150	1 RTC
7	190	1 RTC
8	240	1 RTC, 1 AC / Perk
9	290	1 RTC, 1 RSR
10	350	3 RTC,

RTC = Roll on Table of Choice, AC = Additional Sergeant Upgrade, RSR = Roll on Special Table, Perk = Table of Perks for Characters

So what does this mean?  It means that after killing 10 small models, you get one roll on a table of your choice.  So after the game, depending on what your squad does, they can get rolls on one of the 3 Tables for them: Stats, Close Combat, or Range.

Characters get 1 roll on the following Tables: Character, Stat, Close Combat, or Range.  These can greatly improve the character or unlock opportunities that would not have been otherwise possible. 

Stats

Roll	Stat	Result
1	Weapon Skill	+1 WS up to 10
2	Ballistics Skill	+1 BS up to 10
3	Strength	+1 S up to 10
4	Toughness	+1 T up to 10
5	Wounds	+1 W
6	Attacks	+1 A
7	Leadership	+1 LD up to 12
8	Save	+1 SV up to 2+

If a stat is maxed out or can’t be upgraded, reroll until a stat you can use.

Close Combat

Roll	Ability	Result
1	Champions	+1 A  (individual and Squad) in CC
2	Aspect	+1 to Invul Save in CC
3	Hard Hitters	+1 S in CC
4	Linemen	+1 T in CC
5	Honorable	+1 A in Challenges
6	Weapon Master	1 Additional Power Weapon (free)
7	Headhunter	6’s in CC are precision
8	Enraged	+1 S and +1I in CC

Range

Roll	Ability	Result
1	Gun Line	+1BS in Overwatch
2	No Recoil	Reroll 1s
3	Gunsmith	1 Additional Special Range Weapon (Free)
4	Rapid Fire	All Shots at half Range are Rapid fire*
5	Fire For Effect	Shots that scatter go 1D6 instead of 2D6
6	Graceful Aim	All ranges extended by 6”
7	Sniper	6’s are precision
8	Deadeye	Ignore Cover Saves

*If you have Rapid Fire Shots, Add an additional Shot

Character Perks

Roll	Ability	Result
1	A God Walks Among Us	Eternal Warrior
2	The Saint	+1 to Deny the Witch
3	The Shield	3++ Invul Save
4	The Hammer	Hammer of Wrath
5	A Force of Nature	+1 Psychic Mastery*
6	The Savior	Feel No Pain
7	The Demon	Furious Charge
8	The Star Child	Can Deepstrike

*If a Psyker increase +1, if Non Psyker, they are Level 1 and considered as such

Special Rule Table

Roll	Ability	Result
1	Gunslinger	Can fire two Ranged Weapons
2	Warrior Brothers	Additional Sergeant
3	New Tactics	Choose 1 Special Rule
4	Master Crafted	1 weapon becomes a MC
5	Signature	Access to Special Wargear**
6	New Role	Can upgrade to new Unit*
7	World Away	Teleport Homer
8	Weapon of War	Carry Two Power Weapons

*If new unit is not chosen, can be rerolled on table. (i.e. Ork Boyz becoming Storm Boyz or Nobs)
**Special Wargear is any wargear your army has access to

Vehicle Upgrade

Roll	Ability	Result
1	Smooth Bore	+1 BS (up to 10)
2	New Motor	+1” Movement (all movement types)
3	Blind Spot Monitor	Upgrade Side Weapon*
4	BFG?	Upgrade Main Weapon*
5	Specialist	Additional Wargear can be added**
6	Reflective Armor	+1 Cover Save
7	New Optics	6’s are precision
8	Saddle Up	+2 to Transport Capacity***

*If there is no Option for a Side or Main Weapon, it can be rerolled.  Upgrade can be placed on before new mission (i.e. Tau Hammerhead going from Railgun to Ion Cannon).

**This means that additional options can be added (i.e. a SM Predator getting a Dozer Blade).  If no other options are available can reroll.

***Units that are not normally Troop Carriers can carry +2 troops (i.e. SM Predator can carry 2 troops) or Transports can carry 2 additional Troops (i.e. SM Rhino can carry 12).

Flyers

Roll	Ability	Result
1	Rolling Thunder	1 extra shot from each weapon
2	Clean Sight	+1 BS vs. Flyers, Flying MC
3	Fortress	+1 to Armor*
4	Warthog	+1 BS vs. Vehicles
5	Spirit	+1 to Jink Save**
6	Napalm Run	+1 BS and +1S on Weapons used against non vehicle ground units
7	Afterburner	+2” Combat Speed
8	Ace Pilot	Vector Dancer Special Rule***

 *Up to AV14, if obtained reroll

**Up to a 2+ Jink, if obtained reroll

***If already owned, reroll

Mission:  With each mission having a major goal, that goal will be priority.  Yet like any conflict, there are always secret missions, secret goals, and ulterior motives.  To represent this, there will be secret missions for each mission that the players will roll for on the table below.  This is a secret roll to represent the hidden interest of the Warlord in that conflict.  It is the equivalent of the Tau trying to study the weapon of a Space Wolf, or Dark Angels searching for one of the Fallen on the world they are fighting for.  Of course surviving and killing the Tyranids is number one importance, but if an Ork can place a Stikk Bomb on the back of a Rhino, who is to say that won’t come in handy later?

Secret Missions:

D12 Roll	Mission	Rule application	Points
2	New Tech	Army	50
3	On a Roll	Unit/Squad	45
4	Enemy of My Enemy	Army	40
5	Gun is JAMMED	Unit/Squad	40
6	Look Out Sir	Character	35
7	Guardian	Character	30
8	Just In Case	Character	35
9	Legitimate Strategy	Unit/Squad	40
10	Know Thy Enemy	Army	40
11	Wait, What?	Unit/Squad	45
12	Ancient Tech	Army	50

New Tech – 50 points – You have been charged with acquiring new technology from the races you are fighting alongside.  You have to figure a covert way in which to do this.  Before the game, roll a D3 and write the number down.  That is how many weapons and gear you must acquire.   When any squad, character, or vehicle is within 3” of another army unit roll a D6.  On a 4+, you safely acquire a weapon of that army, and have achieved your goal.  If you miss, the unit recognizes what you are trying to do and can’t try again that game on that unit.  This can only be done in the Movement phase.

On a Roll – 45 points – Your squad has been chosen by the higher powers because of your flawless military record.  As such, you have been chosen to show the true power of your army.  One squad or unit is chosen before the game.  Each round you are within range of the enemy (longest range of the weapons you have), you must kill at least 1 enemy model (this can be either CC or Range).

Enemy of my Enemy – 40 points – It’s Bugs, plain and simple.  Your army’s goal is to make sure that one unit/character/squad from your allies survives.  Short, simple, and to the point.  Your survival depends on everyone involved.  If two characters survive, you receive an additional 10 points.  Such is the benefit of allies.

Gun is Jammed – 40 points. – It sounds worse than you think.  Your Squad was sent into battle with Weapons that weren’t serviced properly.  As such, you can’t fire your gun until the jammed is cleared.  Each your ranged combat rounds roll a D6.  On a 4+ you fix your gun and can fire as normal.  This is an individual roll for each member of the squad.  Vehicles fire at BS-1 until they fix their guns.

Look Out Sir – 35 Points – You are a beacon unto the army.  You must show that you are worthy of such a Honor and Title.  Choose a character at the beginning of the game.  For the rest of the game, that character has to survive and be the farthest model forward in that squad at the end of the movement phase.

Guardian – 30 Points – You are the definition of a wall.  You stand before all, take on all enemies, and guard the objective, leader, or high priority target.  Before the game, choose one character (can be HQ or Sergeant), and roll a D6.  On a 4+ your character must protect the objective at all costs and must be within 3” at the end of the game.  On a 1, 2, or 3, he is charged with getting his squad out of the fight with at least 20%, such is the price of a leader (this means they can be anywhere on the board, but must have at least 20% of original Force).

Just In Case – 35 Points – It should be noted that sometimes, leaders must put themselves in an area that should they need to, they can escape to fight another day, or get their squad out.  The Character must survive and either make it within 3” of a table edge by the end of the game, or be within 3” of an ally vehicle by the end of the game.  Emergency plans are always in place.

Legitimate Strategy – 40 Points – Sometimes cover, ruins, or a building is the best way to survive a fight.  It’s not camping.  It is smart, practical, and can mean the difference between you dying or making it home.  As such one unit/squad chosen at random must survive to the end (1 member counts), while being in cover for the entire game.  This means they can be in a building, run from ruins to ruins, or cover-to-cover, but they can’t be out in the open at the end of a Player Turn.

Know Thy Enemy – 40 Points – Your army needs to know what they are going against.  As such you must survive one round of close combat with the enemy.  If a unit survives and wins then you receive an extra 10 points.  It is from knowing the enemy that we can truly destroy them.

Wait, WHAT? – 45 Points – There often times comes a point when a unit is chosen to make a last stand.  300 Spartans did it, the men of the Alamo did it, and now you have been chosen for such a mission.  Choose 1 unit or squad.  In the center of the board place an objective.  That Unit starts on the Objective after deployment and must survive as long as possible while moving it.  The object moves as such, 3” for S3, 4” for S4, 5” for S5, 6” for anything S6 or greater including Vehicles.  If you make it to the end of the game with the objective, all points are earned.  If killed sooner, then take 45 * (turn number/6) for points earned.

Ancient Tech – 50 Points – With Ancient weapons and technology littering all the lost words in the galaxy, sometimes it takes a battle to uncover these lost treasures in the universe.  As such roll a D3.  It is your army’s goal to recover up to D3 technologies. Place 6 Technology relics in the same manner as a drop pod (place the marker and scatter D6”.  Must be at least 10” from another Relic before scatter).   Once a unit is in base to base of the relic, roll a D6.  On a 4+ the relic is recovered.  On any other roll, the relic is destroyed.  This can be done only in the assault phase.  Points earned by 50 * (number of relics recovered / number of relics needed).

Army Table – After each mission the army will receive points as well.  You receive 150 points for completing the mission.  Your army receives points for the accomplishment of secret missions as well as enemies killed.  These points can be used to upgrade your army, re-enforce your squads and units, and add additional options to the fight.  This means if you are playing Space Wolves, and a Grey Hunter is killed in Battle, then in order to get him back, you must pay 15 points out of how many you have earned to replace him.

Army Upgrades

Upgrade	Points needed	Rules
Replacements	Point of Individual	Come in with any unit upgrades
New Unit	Point of Unit	Standard new unit (no upgrades)
Unit Upgrade	Point of Upgrade	New Weapons, Transports, etc.
Additional Sergeant	Point of Unit Upgrade	New Sergeant gets unit upgrades
Upgrade Sergeant	Point Difference	Sergeant takes upgrades to new rank
Additional Commander	Point of Commander	New HQ, no additional upgrades

Additional Upgrades –

Sometimes in the heat of Battle Miracles happen, Men become Champions, and Champions become Heroes.  As such, there are titles to be won, honors to be had, and sagas to be told.  As such at any epic moment, a title can be bestowed and as such a Hero made.  He can be rank and file up to vehicles.

Troops-

Indestructible – Survive as the remaining member of your squad – Eternal Warrior

Who’s your Daddy? – Kill a MC in CC or Range without a Special Weapon – 1 person gets Monster Hunter

Bring it on – Kill 2 people in one Overwatch – One person gets +1BS on Overwatch

Is it in you? – Successfully Deny the Witch twice in one game– Psychic Mastery +1 to one person

So we Ride On – Successfully Run 6” twice in one game with one person or unit – Fleet to unit or person

I can’t believe that just happened – Survive an impossible situation – 5++ invul save person or unit

From the Ground – Hit a Flyer twice in one game – One person from squad gets optional Skyfire (see Tau Velocity Tracker)

Fearless – Successfully roll double 1s on any Morale Check – Unit or person gets Fearless

Duck – Survive a kill shot by going to ground twice in one game – unit or person get’s +1 Cover Save (up to 2+)

Well, That Sucked – Don’t kill a single unit from shooting in a game - -1BS  for that unit

Vehicles

Use the Force – Kill a creature with a snap fire shot twice in one game - +1 to snap fire BS

Orbital, Shm’orbital – Get 3 Direct Hits with a shot that scatters  in one game – 1D6 when Scattering

Drive By – Hit and kill a creature after moving at Cruising Speed  - Snap Fire after moving flat out

Duke Boys – Survive 4 Dangerous Terrain Tests without becoming Immobilized - +2” movement

Low Rider – Survive the game with only 1 HP left - +5 Cover Save at all Times

Screw it – Tank Shock and kill 2 enemies in one game - +1 Front Armor when Tank Shocking

What Just Hit Us – Survive 2 Penetrating hits in one Volley with no cover save - +1 Cover save in Open

In the Sky – Hit a flyer twice in a game – Optional Skyfire (see Tau Velocity Tracker)

Firing Blanks – Don’t get a single hit in a game - -1 BS

Broadside – Kill a unit when showing your side armor – Power of the Machine Spirit

So What do you think of the little wrinkle?  Sure it is a little bit more story driven and untraditional, but hey, gotta love the fact that a rank-and-file guy could eventually become a Chapter Master.

Stay Thirsty My Friend