Disengage Action (Rogue Planet House Rule)

Rogue Planet is first and foremost a skirmish game and the rules are very much tuned to that type of gaming.  When playing games set in a W40k-style universe, there are many opportunities to play very asymmetrical scenarios eg 3 Space Marines vs 6 or more Units Cultists.

The rules can make for very cinematic narratives, especially for superior but outnumbered forces: imagine Space Marines methodical smashing their way through their opponent's front line.  This can prove very challenging for their opponents to mount an effective defence or counter-attack, especially if their many units are already Engaged.

In a recent game, that very scenario was played out. Basically, there were two separate melees occurring simultaneously, each with the Space Marines being outnumbered but the inferior Cultist struggling to win a Melee Action on account of the Marines fighting defensively and benefitting from their power armour.

With all the Cultist were Engaged, any attempt to redistribute their forces to stack onto on Marine would require a successful Disengage Action, followed by a Move to then Engage their desired Target.  That felt somewhat dry and like it didn't reflect the flexibility afforded by a numerically superior force.

So what might be done to tweak the rules some such that the Cultist have a bit more of a fighting chance in such circumstances?

In a 1-on-1 Melee, being able to keep your opponent engaged is pretty sensible and keeping with most wargaming conventions.  The ability to tie up two or more opponents simultaneously is another proposition altogether.  While the current rules recognise the impact of the weight of numbers in a melee and provide skill check bonuses/penalties accordingly.  Nor do they describe what happens to a successfully Disengaged Unit's disposition.

Also thinking about the manner in which a Skill Check resolution could be resolved, maybe there's some room to be creative there as well. For example, a Critical Success on a Disengagement may mean that there is no associated Skill Check cost?  How about a Critical Failure provides the opponent with an opportunity to perform a Melee attack as a Counter Action? I think it could work ...

So I'm going to experiment with the following Disengagement house rules:

• A successful Disengagement Skill Check allows the activated Unit to perform a Non-skill Check dependent Move Action within FX range of their point of origin.

• A Critical Success* results in negates the Disengagement Action's cost, effectively re-crediting 1 Action Point to the Forces Action Pool.

• A Critical Failure** result provides the opposition with (a) one single free non-skill check reliant Move Action and the choice of either (b) a second similarly constrained Move or (c) the opportunity to initiate a free Melee attack directly at the Engaged Unit.

*    A 2d6 resulting in doubles where the net result is also a Partial or Total Success i.e. 7+. 
 ** A 2d6 resulting in doubles where the net result is also a Failure i.e. 6 or less.

So how might this play out...

Two Space Marines (A&B) are locked into two separate melees (engaged) with the three inferior Cultists apiece. Even with 3:1 odds, the Cultists are finding the Marines a difficult foe to overcome, especially when the Marines fight defensive with Power Armour. 

The Turn begins with both sides acquiring 4 Action Points and Initiative being awarded to the Cultist.

In an attempt to break the deadlock, the Cultists will seek to concentrate their firepower, focusing on one Marine. The plan is to attempt to Disengage a Cultist from one Marine (A), then bolster the other Cultists' efforts in their melee with the other Marine (B).  

Here's how that play looks like when broken down into a series of four Rogue Planet Actions:

The first Action will be to Disengage a Cultist from Marine A (left-side) requiring a Skill Check to succeed - that Check is made with a +2 modifier on account of the Cultists' superiority of numbers.

The second Action sees the now Disengaged Cultist Move to Engage with Marine B (right-side), resulting in a 4:1 ratio. It's worth noting that whilst the Marines are Engaged, they cannot CounterAct.

The third Action must involve a different Cultist as Rogue Planet rules limit non-heroes to a maximum of two consecutive Actions per Turn.

The fourth and final Cultist Action will be to Attack Marine B with their maximum +3 offensive buff on account of 4:1 ratio of combatants in favour of the Cultists - improving their raw odds of success from 66% to 77%.

With the proposed rule changes:

• The first Action may result in a Critical Failure allowing Marine A to initiate the Melee without waiting for the completion of the Cultists' Actions - that could seriously throw the Cultist's plans into disarray.

• A fortuitous Disengagement may reduce the number of moves necessary to achieve a goal.  For example, an Epic FX range result can cover a lot of ground and the players may allow the Unit to do something extraordinary like scramble around an obstacle or leap a chasm.

• Finally, if the initial Disengagement is a Critical Success, the Cultist's would also be granted (re-credited) an additional Action at their disposal for the remainder of their Turn.  That might make the difference when trying to overcome the new target.

I feel the above stays true to the spirit of the rules and the additional sophistication enhances opportunities for deeper tactical play and decisions without falling into the quagmire of complexity.