Furious Geoff aka Geoff-Wing

Mike didn't like the name Furious Geoff. 'It isn't literation,' he complained. He wanted Angry Andy instead. Dan proposed an alternate; Geoff-Wing, (due to the X-wing widgets). I imagine that the game will have a number of different names before settling down to a mutually agreeable title (Car Wars 2016 has been proposed by a reader (thank you Newtoncain). We shall see what the future holds and which name sticks. For this current post, we shall stick with Furious Geoff. 

Above: my modelling area with appropriate inspirational movie entertainment

I have tried to give below a description of some of the initial rules ideas below for the game below. Please note, however, we have played our second game since, and quite a few new ideas have come up, so this is very much a work in progress. I shall try and keep you up to date with the rules as they evolve. And if that is a little dry, there are some pictures from game two. 

Turn Sequence

The turn sequence we planned was to be as follows:

- Movement and Collisions

- Allocation of War Chief points

- Shooting

Above: One of Dan's vehicles

Vehicle Types

I want to keep the game as fairly simple as possible, so their are only five vehicle categories:

- Type one - Bikes and Trikes only armed with handguns.

- Type two - Speedsters - fast cars with no main armament other than handguns.

- Type three - Cars with fixed armament. Gun and rocket technicals. 

- Type Four - Trucks with fixed armament or a number of crew.

- Type Five - Large buses and Articulated Lorries armed with fixed armament.

Above: My type five vehicle.

Vehicle Bases

I have used calvary bases from Renedra Limited which are 5 centimetres by 2.5. Vehicles are judged to be the size of their base for the purposes of movement and shooting.

Dice

For the majority of the game mechanics D10s are required.

Turn Limit

Currently we do not have a set game limit of turns. I could say six here if it would help in trying to have some connection to DZC.

Deployment

Players roll off and the winner decide in which order deployment should begin or which table edge they wish to deploy on. Players then alternate on the deployment of their vehicles, starting with their war chief.

All the vehicles belonging to a war band must deploy within two movement units of their board edge and within three movement units of the war chief. The exception to this is bikes and trikes (vehicle type one) which can deploy anywhere within two movement units of their board edge.

Above: Our second ever game, just before the start

The Dice Cup

Enthusiasm is brilliant for creativity. Dan and I had our first game, during which we had a bunch of ideas, but by far the best was Dan's idea regarding how to decide on the order of movement and shooting.

For each vehicle in your war band you place a coloured dice in a cup (apparently this is similar to Bolt Action). The dice in the cup need to be a different colours for each war band taking part. The number of sides of the dice, must be equal to, or less than the number of the vehicles in your war band (eg. If you have six vehicles each, then D6s are perfect). Seven vehicles, then move to D8s.

For each turn the dice are picked out of the cup randomly one at a time. The player with the corresponding dice decides which one of his models to move. And once he has done so he places the dice face up behind the vehicle with the number one showing. A second dice is randomly chosen from the cup, and the corresponding player moves one vehicle of his choice. And if it was the same player as before, they place the dice behind the vehicle, this time with the number two face up. This continues until every player has moved all their vehicles and a corresponding dice sits behind it.

When you get around to the shooting phase, vehicles shoot in the order that they moved, with the player whose dice came out first, going first. Shooting then proceeds alternately between players in the order that the vehicles moved. Once the vehicle has shot, its dice goes back in the cup. 

You are therefore, able to tell which models have moved, and which have shot. 

Those of you out there with a broader range of gaming than myself my be able to tell me if this already exists in the world as a game mechanic.

Movement

I have used the X-Wing widgets and their use of the stress mechanism. The type of vehicle determines which maximum speeds and turns you can carry out, and which manoeuvre or speed causes a stress token. 

Above: the manoeuvre tables. Vehicle types are the circled numbers.

Stationary models can pivot on the spot. They cannot finish with their base overlapping with another model's base or a piece of terrain. As long as part of the base still occupies part of the base's original footprint that counts as being a legal move. Pivoting on the spot still counts as being stationary for the purposes of shooting.

Conditions/Markers

Stress - A stress marker is placed on a vehicle if it has carried out a stressful manoeuvre, or has been the victim of a collision. A vehicle can only have one stress marker on it at any one time. A vehicle cannot carry out a stressful manoeuvre if it already has a stress marker. 

A vehicle cannot shoot if it has a stress marker.

A stress marker is removed if a vehicle completes an un-stressful manoeuvre or if a War Chief uses a War Chief token to remove it.

Focus - a vehicle with a focus marker can decide to decrease the difficulty to hit an opponent in a shooting attack by an opponent by -1. 

Evade - a vehicle with an evade marker can decide to increase the difficulty to hit in a shooting attack by an opponent by +1. This can be used against any shooting attack in that turn.

A vehicle cannot receive an evade marker if it is stressed.

+8 Save - Unlike the permanent +8 save for a war chief, this is effective for only one shooting attack. But it will last for however many hits were scored by the one weapon.

All Markers, apart from stress markers, are removed from all vehicles at the end of the shooting phase. Evade, Focus an +8 Save markers are lost if they not used in the turn.

Above: The game certainly got some interest at the club. Adrian, one of many popped over to have a look. In the background you will note Drop Zone players properly practicing for tomorrow' tournament.

War Chief 

Each war band must be lead by a War Chief. The War Chief has a vehicle of his own, which is treated just like any other, apart from the following rules:

- The vehicle has a permanent +8 save to any shooting attacks, but not for ramming attacks.

- The War Chief begins each turn with three* War Chief tokens.

- The War Chief can use two War Chief tokens on himself.

- The War Chief can use one War Chief token on a friendly vehicle within 3 movement units of the War Chief's vehicle. This is measured at the end of the movement phase. Only one token can be used on a friendly vehicle per turn.

* We expect this number to increase depending on how many vehicles are being taken for the particular game.

War Chief Tokens

The War Chief uses his points after the movement phase. He can use one token to do the following:

- Remove a stress token from any friendly vehicle, including himself.

- Place one focus, evade or +8 save marker on himself or any friendly vehicle.

Above: The game in full swing

Shooting

For measuring ranges the three banded X-Wing shooting widget is used.

A vehicle cannot shoot if it has a stress marker.

At the moment, whether the vehicle has a 45 degree forward firing arc, or a 360 degree firing arc is determined by how the vehicle has been modelled. I will need to think about how this will be determined properly later on down the line. 

Gun type_____________Range_____Shots Fired_____Damaged Point Caused (per hit)

Hand Guns.                        1.                     1.                                  1.

Machine Guns.                   2.                     2.                                  1.

Heavy Machine Guns.        3.                     3.                                  1.                            

Rocket Launcher.               3.                     1.                                  2.

Roll the same number of D10s as shots fired. The basic 'to hit' roll required is +5, but with the following modifiers:

Shooter using a focus marker -1

Shooter is stationary -1

Target using an evade marker +1

Target is bike/trike (type 1 vehicle) +2

Target is a speedster (type 2 vehicle) +1

Target is a type 5 vehicle -1

Target is at range band one -1

Target is at range band three +1

Target vehicle is stationary -1

Vehicle Structure Points

Type one - 2 structure points

Type two - 4 structure points

Type three - 6 structure points

Type Four - 8 structure points

Type Five - 10 structure points

1 structure point is removed for every damage point caused by shooting. Remember that some vehicles are protected by a +8 save.

A vehicle is removed from the table if it is reduced to zero structure points.

(We haven't decided yet if wrecked vehicles will remain on the table).

Above: Some scratch built buildings made for our game.

Ramming

We had one ramming event in our first game, and we probably need to have a bit more of a think about how these particular rules might work. My initial thoughts are as follows:

- The moving vehicle declares that it is going to ram an opponent's model.

- Type one vehicles, bikes and trikes, are not allowed to ram opposing models.

- Both players roll a D10 and determine if their vehicle has caused damage to the opponent

The basic D10 roll required to cause damage to a vehicle is a +7, with the following modifiers:

- For both the ramming vehicle and the target vehicle you -1 for every vehicle level that it is higher than the opposing vehicle. Like wise, you +1 for every vehicle level that it is lower than the opposing vehicle.

- You -1 to cause damage if you are the ramming vehicle.

- For the vehicle being rammed you +1 to cause damage.

The damage caused to both the ramming vehicle and the target vehicle will be 1 structure point per difference between the two vehicle types. Unless, the vehicle type is equal, or less than, the opposing vehicle, and therefore can only cause the loss of one structure point.

[This is all really wordy and some more work]. 

Leaving Vehicles and Objectives

For our first game we threw some objective markers in five buildings and allowed a vehicle's passenger/s to enter a building if the vehicle was within 1 movement unit of it. It took a whole turn for a search to take place, but it was found automatically with no dice roll required. 

At this point we have no models representing figures on foot, although, I know that Dan is interested in passengers and crew getting some form of action once they disembark from their vehicle. 

Practice Game Two - Rules Update

Friday night at the club. The night before the first Orbital Bombardment Critical Engagement Drop Zone Commander Tournament. The question is, do we play an intense and badly needed game of Drop Zone? No, of course not, Dan and I want to play test Furious Geoff. As I mentioned earlier, changes are coming think and fast, so some of what has been written above has since changed. Stress and stress markers have been written out, and we have introduced the idea of packs of vehicles within the main force.

Happy gaming to you all.

Alex.