How it works: Skullcore Commands

Skullcore provides some really interesting opportunities for intense, tactical play. One feature of the game's rules is how it deals with Fog of War - how forces deal with imperfect information, a situation that only resolves itself in the heat of battle.

Individual Units typically commence the game as Contacts - possible, but unconfirmed enemies. Only during the course of play are Contacts 'revealed' as Hostiles. 

How does that happen? There are a few circumstances (see pg15) including doing things like firing upon a target/enemy or ending their Performance (aka Turn) while in an Enemy's line of sight.

So why does that matter? For starters, a Unit's specifics (weapons, armour, etc) remain hidden while they are Contacts. Until a Unit is designated/confirmed a Contact, a player cannot be sure what they're up against. Maybe that Contact approaching the Objective is an Ubhejane, fully kitted out with Medium Armour and a Heavy Assault Rifle or maybe it's a Local Recruit who's unskilled, unarmoured, and armed with a hunting rifle. Devising a strategy without good intel makes for a tough gig!

The use of Contact and Hostiles isn't in itself a revolutionary game mechanic. Skullcore also has another complementary mechanic at play being "Commands" (pg16). Commands describe opportunities during play where upon a confirmed Hostile's activation (announcing the Model's Performance), the opponent may first activate and perform a limited range of actions (Measures) with one of their models before the enemy announces and executes their Measures. It's worth noting that Commands are only available to Models outside of their enemy's LoS.

There are two Measures available when commanding a Model, namely:

1. Leanouts - which is available to any Model; or
2. Combat Move - which are only available to Models in the Contact State i.e., Hostiles cannot be commanded to perform Combat Moves.

Leanout is a mechanic I haven't seen in a game before, and it provides for some very exciting gameplay. When a Unit performs a Leanout, it can move 1" in any direction and reorient its facing. The move is only temporary: at the end of the current Performance, the Unit then returns to its original position.

A Leanout's application might not be readily apparent. I described it to a friend in pretty simple terms: it allows a Unit to cover an approach without over-committing. Kind of like putting your head around a corner.

During recent games, we've been increasingly aware of our Model's Contact/Hostile state and making good use of Commands. It adds another level of depth and planning to the game that isn't overly complex to administer nor difficult to track. Trying to keep your models as Contacts to benefit from Commands while looking for the right moment to commit to action makes for a great challenge - you can really imagine the comms chatter within a squad, calling out enemy positions and trying to set ambushes and flanking. It really makes for some engrossing gaming :-)