ElectricPaladin
05-31-2014, 11:48 AM
The idea behind this rule is that you would use it in appropriately themed missions for campaigns and tournaments. I don't actually think it's a great idea for a "regular" game, as it's likely to add yet another level of bookkeeping. Nevertheless, I'm curious to read what you all think of it, and I'm interested in your advice.
This rule is meant to reflect one of the more dangerous aspects of flame weapons, as well as why some armies eschew them. A fire, once started, can be very hard to control.
Rule: Firestorm
After any successful attack with a flame-based blast or template weapon, roll a single die. On a 6 or a result equal to (10 - the Strength of the weapon), the player whose turn it is can place a single flame token anywhere within the blast or flame template at least 1'' away from any model. If there is nowhere to place the token, the token is not placed.
The token represents a dangerous fire, burning out of control. The area within 2'' of the flame token is considered dangerous terrain.
At the end of the turn, roll a d6 for each flame token. On a 1, the flame token goes out. On a 2 to 4, the flame token remains. On a 5 or 6, the player whose turn is ending can place a second flame token within 2''.
Permutations
Flammable and Fireproof Terrain: You may wish to reflect the fact that some terrain - such as ruins or forests - are more likely to burst into flames, while others - like the blasted dirt of a battlefield or the hull of a crashed aircraft - is immune. Flammable terrain subtracts one from the result needed to add a flame token, either initially or at the end of the turn (so a flamestorm cannon - Strength 6 - would place a flame token on a 3+ rather than a 4+, and that token would spread on a 4+ rather than a 5+). Fireproof terrain can never have flame tokens placed on it at all. For some campaigns, you might want to opt to declare all of the board fireproof, except for a few flammable terrain pieces; or, alternately, that all of the board is flammable, except for a few fireproof areas. You can also mix flammable, fireproof, and "normal" terrain.
Arcane Flames: If you don't mind the extra bookkeeping, you can decide to have flame tokens continue to spread any special rules associated with the weapon that placed them (ie. Soul Blaze, Warpflame, etc).
Collapsing in Flames: To reflect the destructive quality of fire, determine the maximum number of flame tokens that a piece of terrain can hold before it is completely destroyed (10 for a Citadel Wood, 15 or more for the average ruin). When the terrain has that many or more flame tokens, remove it from play and replace it with a crater. The crater is both difficult and dangerous terrain, in addition to the typical effects of crater terrain. The flame does not spread further, but will not go out (ie. it is dangerous terrain, but no longer uses the rules described above). Models in a collapsing terrain piece can take an Initiative test. If they succeed, they are placed in the new terrain in approximately their old position. If they fail, they take a Strength 5 AP - hit.
Firefight: The players or event organizers can determine that some terrain pieces begin on fire. These pieces of terrain should be nominated ahead of time. Before deployment, roll a d6 for each of these terrain pieces individually. Players should take turns placing that many flame tokens in the terrain, then proceed with deployment as normal.
This rule is meant to reflect one of the more dangerous aspects of flame weapons, as well as why some armies eschew them. A fire, once started, can be very hard to control.
Rule: Firestorm
After any successful attack with a flame-based blast or template weapon, roll a single die. On a 6 or a result equal to (10 - the Strength of the weapon), the player whose turn it is can place a single flame token anywhere within the blast or flame template at least 1'' away from any model. If there is nowhere to place the token, the token is not placed.
The token represents a dangerous fire, burning out of control. The area within 2'' of the flame token is considered dangerous terrain.
At the end of the turn, roll a d6 for each flame token. On a 1, the flame token goes out. On a 2 to 4, the flame token remains. On a 5 or 6, the player whose turn is ending can place a second flame token within 2''.
Permutations
Flammable and Fireproof Terrain: You may wish to reflect the fact that some terrain - such as ruins or forests - are more likely to burst into flames, while others - like the blasted dirt of a battlefield or the hull of a crashed aircraft - is immune. Flammable terrain subtracts one from the result needed to add a flame token, either initially or at the end of the turn (so a flamestorm cannon - Strength 6 - would place a flame token on a 3+ rather than a 4+, and that token would spread on a 4+ rather than a 5+). Fireproof terrain can never have flame tokens placed on it at all. For some campaigns, you might want to opt to declare all of the board fireproof, except for a few flammable terrain pieces; or, alternately, that all of the board is flammable, except for a few fireproof areas. You can also mix flammable, fireproof, and "normal" terrain.
Arcane Flames: If you don't mind the extra bookkeeping, you can decide to have flame tokens continue to spread any special rules associated with the weapon that placed them (ie. Soul Blaze, Warpflame, etc).
Collapsing in Flames: To reflect the destructive quality of fire, determine the maximum number of flame tokens that a piece of terrain can hold before it is completely destroyed (10 for a Citadel Wood, 15 or more for the average ruin). When the terrain has that many or more flame tokens, remove it from play and replace it with a crater. The crater is both difficult and dangerous terrain, in addition to the typical effects of crater terrain. The flame does not spread further, but will not go out (ie. it is dangerous terrain, but no longer uses the rules described above). Models in a collapsing terrain piece can take an Initiative test. If they succeed, they are placed in the new terrain in approximately their old position. If they fail, they take a Strength 5 AP - hit.
Firefight: The players or event organizers can determine that some terrain pieces begin on fire. These pieces of terrain should be nominated ahead of time. Before deployment, roll a d6 for each of these terrain pieces individually. Players should take turns placing that many flame tokens in the terrain, then proceed with deployment as normal.