'Geddon on it (4.3) - Survivors

It's not often in a wargame we see units starting the game already injured or otherwise affected by fighting. Why not? This is a quick, simple and maybe balanced way it could be done in 40K.

It's also part of the series tied to the Heroes of Armageddon Charity Project, now only a day or two away from the draw for the four armies.

As with the citizens and wasteland settlers I've already posted, it draws on the series of stories from May, specifically Days 20 and 25.

Survivors

Rarely does a force pass unscathed through a warzone or have the luxury of entering battle untested. Failures of equipment, broken supply lines, forced marches and friendly fire all take their toll, as do extremes of landscape, wildlife and weather. When battle lines are drawn, hunger, thirst, fatigue and losses may all have sapped resolve. Yet these trials can tap deep reserves, hone the most base skills and inflame passions.

Any non-vehicle unit may be made Survivors. Each member of the unit has each characteristic reduced by 1 point, though none may be reduced to zero. In addition, the unit becomes subject to three of the following, one chosen by the controlling player, two by an opponent: Fearless; Feel No Pain; Furious Charge; Move Through Cover; Preferred Enemy; Stealth.

Quick and simple yes, but that balance may well be out; all feedback welcome. There's no specific element of mutiny, but the loss of stats could be reflecting that indirectly and is serious enough. Outright mutiny would fit a different set of characters from the stories. Tomorrow I'll put up a homebrew approach to something else 40K doesn't cover directly.

Don't forget Heroes of Armageddon! You can see the prizes and enter at the website. And Mike at Santa Cruz Warhammer reminds us of the cause behind the project here.

_