I have had this sitting around for a while. This version of the Core Rulebook features a complete overhaul of the Close Assault phase.

Key Changes:
Assaulter and Defender actions not occur simultaneously.
Assault move now counts as at-the-double, so the same movement and fatigue rules will apply.
Stand & Shoot and Point Shooting have been combined.
Assaulter counts as moving with a snap-fire penalty.
Defender counts as moving.
Defenders can use grenades.
Troopers who choose to use grenades cannot fire.
Element must contain 5 or more troopers to use grenades.

More depth has been added to vehicle damage, with many more effects now available with System Damage. This includes damage to weapons, radios, drive systems, and crew, which can lead to loss of weaponry, reduction in manoeuvrability, and even a morale penalty if the commander is injured.

Core Rules

The latest update for the Focused Firepower Core Rulebook has just been uploaded. Below are the details for the changes with this update.

Flamethrowers no longer have a HE value. Instead, you now roll one dice for each trooper in the target element. If you are firing at a building, you instead make one roll for each model in the target room, floor, etc. Flamethrowers don’t use hit modifiers (cover isn’t going to save you). When targeting vehicles, a flamethrower will automatically penetrate and adds D3+2 to the roll on the damage table.

Snipers, or sniper teams, can now combine their fire onto a single target element; they shots being rolled for together. Note that this means that you can use the combined lucky shots from snipers to take out machine gun and mortar teams that are mounted on a single base, as long as you hit that is.

The Reorganisation and Morale sections has been overhauled to make it clearer what needs to be done, when, and how. It was a bit of a mess, and I have been meaning to get it sorted out for a while. One point to note about this change is the ‘Under Fire’ markers placed on elements that have been fired upon.

There are still a number of items on my to-do list for the core rules, which I amend as I think of anything. There are quite a few modifications planned that are more like tweaks to they way certain special rules work, and there are a few ideas for changes I would like to make to better represent certain elements in-game.

The next section that I plan to overhaul is the Close Assault phase, but that will take some time to get sorted.

Core Rules

At long last the Italian Forces document is now available to download from our website from the Italian Forces page.

In addition to the addition of the Italian Forces, new versions of the Japanese and Hungarian forces documents have been uploaded with the points costs added.

The latest edition of the core rules are now available to download.

Core Rules

The following list details the changes and additions made by this latest update.

Movement Changes

• The basic movement rules for infantry and vehicles have been combined together at the start of the movement rules.
• Movement for both infantry and vehicles are now controlled using the move points mechanic.
• The rules for vehicles moving very fast has been simplified my making moving fast count as moving through difficult ground.
• Slight changes to special movement and motorcycle movement.

Other Changes

• Hand-held munitions may be used against vehicles outside of close quarters battle.
• Sorted the rules for machine guns creating beat zones.
• Separated the rules for Bren Guns.
• Tripod mounts for machine guns make the weapon count as having the stable firing platform rule.
• Combined the rules for medium and heavy machine guns, and must be prepared before they can be fired.
• SMGs no longer suffer the Snap Fire rule when point shooting. This will help to better represent their suitability for close quarters battle.
• Moved the Marksman special rule.
• Improvements to the Line of Sight and Fire Arcs rules.
• Described Field Gun weapon mounts.
• Described the rules for basing models.
• Optional rules for alternate activation instead of turn-based activation.

I have just uploaded the US Vehicle Cards document to the US Forces section.

http://www.focusedfirepower.co.uk/orbats-datafaxes/us-forces/

I have just uploaded the latest version of the core rulebook with the rest of the changes I had planned for this version. In addition to the movement changes included in the last upload, I have made the following changes.

Automatic armour penetration: If the AT value of a shot is 3x the armour class, or if the facing is unarmoured, then the shot automatically penetrates, and counts as penetrating in the blue zone for the damage modifier. Also, the penetration modifier for armour values of ‘0’ has been removed.

Armoured & unarmoured: an armour value of ‘0’ is still an armour value and so does not count as unarmoured. Defined that soft & hard sided vehicles, as well as facings with armour value ‘-‘ are unarmoured. Armoured vehicles cannot be damaged by small arms with no AT value.

Vehicle crew injuries: I have added crew injuries to the system damage table. If a vehicle’s driver is injured the vehicle’s Speed is reduced by 1. If the Gunner/Loader is injured there is a -1 to hit modifier. If the commander is injured then the vehicle suffers the NCO casualty modifier to morale tests.

HEAT rounds: AT rounds with the HEAT type gain a +1 to the vehicle damage roll.

Officers: Defined the command ranges of officers and command vehicles, and clearly defined what Under Direct Command means.

Vehicle movement: Tracked and high mobility vehicles, including half-tracks, now count soft cover as open ground for the purposes of movement.

Medics: Instead of stating that medics cannot make a roll to negate shots from snipers, I have changed it to being unable to make a roll to negate Lucky Hits (which includes sniper hits). I have also stated that should the medic be removed as a casualty from the same attack, they are unable to make their roll. So if a unit fires upon an enemy unit and kills their medic with a lucky shot, they would be unable to use the medic to remove another hit.

Sniper teams: I have added sniper teams to the sniper rules. As certain forces, such as the US, often field snipers as part of a team (sniper and spotter), I have stated that sniper teams must be mounted on a single base just like weapon teams.

I have just uploaded the latest copy of the core rulebook to the Core Rules Section of the website, including a printer friendly version with the backing image disabled.

The most notable change to the rules with this version is the change to movement for infantry. The basic movement of infantry has been halved, so that normal movement across open ground is 4″ and at the double is 8″. Having infantry able to move 18″ a turn on a 4′ table just seemed nuts to me. When compared to the way movement for vehicles is handled, this made infantry effectively moving like world record 100m sprinters!

This chance has also allowed me to simplify movement so that all elements, infantry and vehicles, use Move Points (infantry just count as having one point). Infantry can still turn freely. Having the same set move distances for different terrain as with vehicles also gets rid of that random extra D6 move on roads and instead makes normal movement 6″, where off-road movement on open ground is 4″. It also means that mounted infantry can be easily tidied up by having two Move Points.

Happy Gaming!