It looks like there are several unbalanced choices available in regiment creation. Here's my attempt make fully flexible regiment creation rules:
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Stat Bonuses:
+3 to three stats, -3 to one stat
Only two +3 bonuses can be applied to the same stat.
Starting skills:
Linguistics (usually Low Gothic)
Common Lore (Imperial Guard)
(Every guardsman should know who the guy with the funny hat and the bolt pistol is and what those blobby things on the platoon commander's shoulders mean)
1 more Common Lore or Linguistics
(To help give your guardsmen a bit of fleshing out.)
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You get 12 regiment creation points.
Points can be spent as follows:
1 point
training in (2 common lores) or (1 other skill)
level 1 talent
5 more gear points
+2 to a stat (Only once per stat)
+1 wound Can only be taken twice.
one (sentinel or chimera) per squad
Should this cost more? and mounting the squad in the equivalent of Humvees cost 1 point instead?
2 points
lvl 2 talent
one leman russ per squad
Not sure how to price this one, changes the game too much.
3 points
stat aptitude
Level 3 talents aren't available in regiment creation, so no Sprint.
Though why Sprint is a level 3 talent, I have no idea. Unless it's value comes from being able to run away faster than all the other guarsmen... But some of the other level 3 talents look pretty scary, so a blanket ban is probably best.
You can't take training in the same skill multiple times.
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Drawbacks
You get points back for the homeworld drawbacks
Blessed Ignorance (-1)
Not even sure this is worth points. How common is forbidden lore among guardsmen, anywar?
Bred for War (-1)
If this also stops you from trying to use the 'illegal trading' section of the logistics rules, is worth at least (-2).
Fluency (-1)
Lose your starting Linguistics Training.
Hated Enemy (-1)
You must have hatred talent to take this drawback.
Hivebound (-1)
May or may not come up, but guardmen are much more likely to need to roll survival than forbidden lore.
Only One Life to Give (-2)
If it promotes idiocy, then -2. If you are allowed to do things like dig fighting positions to preserve the fine instrument of war that is you, may be only worth (-1)
Scum and Villainy (-3)
Since each creation point is worth 5 equipment points, trading in 15 of them gets you 3 points back. Maybe should be reduced to -10 equipment points for (-2) regiment points.
Wary of Outsiders (-1)
Seems like this would come up pretty often, and most of the people who you'll deal with who aren't part of your regiment probably won't count as being inside your circle of trust. Could be talked around to this being worth (-2).
Wounds (-1)
You can reduce your starting wound total by -1 for (-1).
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Basic Equipment Allocation: 75 points
Very rare stuff (synskin, preysense goggles, power weapons, stormtropper armor, etc) probably shouldn't be in a regiments standard kit.
Thankfully this rules out subskin armor, but seems to miss synthmuscle. Are there any regiments of generally cybernetic guardsmen?
Price on armor and main weapons are non-standard.
Main Weapon (Comes with 4 magazines)
More main weapon magazines cost 1 point? a piece.
0 Laspistol
(or Autopistol or Stub Automatic, I guess.)
5 Las carbine
10 Lasgun
(or Autogun or Bullpup Lasgun, I guess)
20 Scarce weapon (Long Las, Sniper Rifle, Combat Shotgun)
25 Rare main Weapon (Triplex Lasgun, Hot-shot Lasgun)
Armor
0 Your uniform
5 (flak vest, flak helmet, and flak gauntlets) or (light flak cloak)
8 (flak coat and flak helmet) or (light flak cloak and flak helmet)
10 flak cloak or (carapace helm and carapace chestplate)
12 (flak cloak and carapace helm) or (Carapace helm, Carapace breastplate, and flak gauntlets)
15 guard flak amor
20 light carapace armor
Exact armor costs could probably use a bit more fine tuning. Note that Stormtrooper Armor is excluded from the basic kit, as it's very rare.
Disposable weapons
You can take an allocation twice if you want 4 grenades of a particular type.
3 2 fire bombs
Should firebombs cost 5 points instead?
5 2 frag grenades
5 2 smoke grenades
5 2 Stun grenades
10 2 krak grenades
Having glanced at the vehicle rules, krak grenades appear to be a cruel joke that can barely tickle a warbuggy. Until fixed, don't think they are worth 15 points
10 2 blind grenades
15 2 photon flash grenades
If you buy the underbarrel grenade launcher attachment for your basic weapon, rounds for it cost the same as hand grenades. You don't get any for free when you buy the launcher.
Other weapons
You probably shouldn't be able to buy a 2nd basic weapon to add to your basic kit. Though stuff like bows and slings are probably ok. This rule is mainly here to prevent everone from buying a flamer, or something. Be happy with an exterminator weapon attachment.
Pistols come with two magazines.
Other prices should be as the book.
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Sample Regiment:
Vostroyan Firstborn
3 Ballistic Skill Aptitude
1 Athletics training
1 deadeye shot
1 rapid reaction
1 rapid reload
1 double team
(street fighting talent doesn't apply to swords.)
1 +2 Weapon Skill
2 gear (+10 points)
2 hatred(mutants)
-1 blessed ignorance
=
12 points
Gear:
10 lasgun
1 extra lasgun magazine
15 mono sword
20 Light Carapace Armor
5 frag grenades x2
10 krak grenades x2
8 respirator
8 survival suit
8 micro-bead
=
85 points
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Original Vostroyan Firstborn
Starting Aptitudes: Ballistics Skill.
Starting Skills: Athletics, Common Lore (Imperial Creed), Common Lore (Imperium), Linguistics (Low Gothic).
Starting Talents: Deadeye Shot, Hatred (Mutants), Rapid Reaction, Rapid Reload, Street Fighting.
Blessed Ignorance
Wounds: Characters from this regiment generate starting Wounds normally.
Standard Regimental Kit:
1 Good Craftsmanship M36 lasgun and 4 charge packs
1 sword
Guard flak armour and Good Craftsmanship carapace breastplate
2 frag grenades
2 krak grenades
micro-bead
respirator
survival suit
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Created Vostroyan Firstborn
Starting Aptitudes: Ballistics Skill.
Starting Skills: Athletics, Common Lore (Imperial Guard, Imperium), Linguistics (Low Gothic).
Starting Talents: Deadeye Shot, Double Team, Hatred (Mutants), Rapid Reaction, Rapid Reload
Blessed Ignorance
Wounds: Characters from this regiment generate starting Wounds normally.
Standard Regimental Kit:
1 M36 lasgun and 5 charge packs
1 mono sword
Guard flak armour and carapace breastplate
2 frag grenades
2 krak grenades
micro-bead
respirator
survival suit
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Now, a sample of the kind of thing you can do with the flexible creation rules:
Mechanized Engineering Regiment:
3 intelligence aptitude
1 operate (surface)
1 tech use
1 security
1 2 common lores
2 combat engineer talent
2 foresight talent
1 chimera per sqaud
=
12
Lvl 2 Talent: Combat Engineer
You can choose to reroll any Tech-use or Security test when dealing with traps or explosives. If you choose to reroll, you must take the results of the second test.
The rules for setting explosives means that you are more likely to blow yourself up than to get the job done. Made this talent up to help with that.
Gear Allocation
5 las carbine main weapon
5 exterminator weapon attachment
3 sling (the primitive weapon)
5 frag grenades x2
5 smoke grenades x2
3 fire bombs x2
15 guard flak armor
8 microbead
3 6 mantraps per squad
10 6 demo charges per squad
5 6 sections of accordian wire per squad
8 respirator
= 75
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So:
Mechanized Engineering Regiment:
Starting Aptitudes: Intelligence.
Starting Skills: Common Lore (Imperial Guard, Imperium, Tech, War), Linguistics (Low Gothic), Operate (Surface), Security, Tech-Use
Starting Talents: Combat Engineer, Foresight
Wounds: Characters from this regiment generate starting Wounds normally.
Standard Regimental Kit:
las carbine with exterminator attachment (4 magazines)
sling (the primitive weapon)
frag grenades x2
smoke grenades x2
fire bombs x2
guard flak armor
microbead
6 mantraps per squad
6 demo charges per squad
6 sections of accordian wire per squad
Will assume one section is enough to string across a freeway lane, around 5 meters worth.
respirator
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Would consider adding the following things as well:
Free Skills:
Add Athletics training
Basic climing and endurance training.
Add Dodge Training
Any skill that everyone will train in with their starting xp should probably be given out for free.
Standard Gear:
Replace knife with bayonet
The bayonet can be attached to any basic weapon which acts as the melee attachement, but is an unbalanced weapon.
Entrenching tool
Will have to look up some stuff about fighting positions, but digging a hole in the ground to hide in should be pretty common practice whenever the squad stops for a few hours. Also, entrenching tools should probably be useable in melee, maybe something like: 1d10, primitive (6), unbalanced.
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Anyone see anything particularly exploitable?
Edited by crusher bob