Ruins 2 Ground Combat Prototype

Basic Ideas

The advanced technology Ruins of Aliens Suns II is reflected in the constellations of military equipment, training regimens and doctrines that can be found in known space. An unsteady arms race between the advanced command and control that defined 21st century with the ubiquitous jamming that emerged in its middle half, as well as a lesser argument between rapidly improving armor technology and the relative stagnation of small arms in the same period gradually led to the paradigm that exists now: most infantry are mechanized, wearing powered or semi-powered exoskeletons, armed with either a direct-fire kinetic or direct-energy weapon, plus a host of other gear like man-portable guided mortars, drones and sensors for the benefit of C3. Infantry does not strictly represent human forces- anywhere from 1 in 5 to 9/10ths of a given unit will be bipedal UGVs equipped similarly to their human hosts in order to maximize the firepower at the human infantryman's discretion.

It can be argued that Sol produces the finest ground forces in known space. The conditions of Earth and the inner system colonies designed to most closely resemble it consistently produce superb specimens, who in are inducted into ancient and potent martial traditions. The UN's power over many high-tech research and financial firms in the innermost sphere of human settlement also ensures these troops have the very best equipment imaginable. UN armor is ubiquitously capable of hovering and ground-effect fast-deployment, their troops armed with smart munitions rather than dumbfire kinetics, often disparagingly called 'gucci gear' by their common colonial opponents.

Hardscrabble colonial units of the Verge and the bandit kingdoms typically make do with the technology available to them. While less sophisticated overall, these groups have ease of manufacture and logistics and when fighting on their own home turf, decades more institutional knowledge about their particular conditions.

A pivotal concept in modern warfare is the comparative irrelevance of border zones and the concept of 'held territory' in a geographic sense. Even the oldest human colonies are mostly uninhabited compared to the Earth which was inhabited by modern humans for thousands of years, and colonial territory is typically fairly underdeveloped. Providing a landing site outside the defender's held territory has been secured, insertion to a planet with even contested airspace is reliable. Orbital supremacy is a benefit to these highly mobile forces but provides no guarantee, barring the use of weapons of mass destruction or sustained shelling of the planetary surface- both of which are viewed as atrocities and violations of the norms of warfare.

Paralleling space combat, ground engagements fundamentally happen when the defender resolves to defend an objective, when the attacker has secured an engagement with no immediate egress or when opposing forces 'agree' to engage one another.

How to Build and Assess Unit Strength

Environment Training

Environment Training represents the incumbent advantages of a defender in the complex mechanisms of modern warfare, the 'home field' advantage, and interoperability of troops from similar regions. Environment training operates by the features of the given territory. Climate, geography, atmospheric density and various ecosystems are factors to be taken into account. By default, all organizations that maintain permanent bases have some level of environment training, equal to every Dominant Feature on the polity's main planet and every Feature in a region with a Military HQ.

When comparing a given nation's training to the environments they're sent into, having 3 matching traits is enough to be 'suitable', while 5 or more is 'ideal'. Non-suitable troops suffer penalties to competency and morale.

Additional Environment Training can be gained by:

• Researching and implementing Doctrines.
• Conducting military exercises in desired ecosystems, which takes a full quarter and grants the involved units appropriate training for 2 years.
• Units that survive 2 battles in a hostile ecosystem adapt, becoming 'suitable' as though they had done exercises.

Base Units

For ease of moderation, all units are classified in one of three weight classes, which bring inherent functions in addition to the specifics enabled by their origins and additional technologies that might be researched:

• Light Units are inexpensive, manufacture quickly and are able to overcome difficult terrain like jungles, cities, etc. They can also perform most military 'face' work like peacekeeping.
• Medium Units are highly mobile and flexible. They can do anything a Light or Heavy unit can do, at half-effectiveness, and can be dropped from orbit without additional assistance.
• Heavy Units are powerful, robust but expensive. Each heavy unit stationed to a fully-owned or occupied territory allows the player to assemble, capture or disassemble a military structure.

Attachments

Attachments are upgrades that can be applied to units to represent various capabilities, each one increasing the cost by 10%, rounding up (so 110% for 1 attachment, 120% for 2, etc). By default, all units have 1 Attachment slot and more can be researched over time. Heroic units have a bonus one.

Generic Attachments List

Weaponry

• Heavy Weapons: +2 Attack
• CQB Kit: +1 Attack, +1 Defence
• Artillery Systems: If the unit is not directly contributing to combat, add +2 Attack to the friendly pool.
• Riot Systems: Allows Medium and Heavy units to do crowd management and police actions without killing people.
• Chemical Weapons: Warcrimes, precludes enemy survivors after encirclements or overruns.
• Additional Drone Swarms: Gives an additional +2 Attack, +2 Defence on the first round of combat. Every Battlegroup with Additional Drone Swarms extends the buff 1 additional round.

Protection

• Heavy Armour: +2 Defence
• Life Support: +4 HP
• Trauma Systems: Unit can revive once after combat if not encircled or destroyed with WMDs. This attachment is then destroyed.
• Adv. E-Tools: Units can entrench more effectively, doubling benefits.
• Anti-PGM System: Unit halves damage from orbital and aerospace bombardment.

Utility

• 3D Manoeuvre System: Combination of gas jets, grapnels and magnetic skimmer systems to deftly move around dense urban settings. In built-up environments, it contributes half as much (50%) to the attacker/defender ratio.
• Boarding Shell: The unit can attempt a boarding attack if the target is moving at the same bearing and speed as the tender ship.
• Drop Pod: Allows Light and Heavy units to deploy from orbit without assistance.
• Grav Chute: Allows Light and Heavy units to return to orbit without assistance.
• Airmobile: Allows Light units to make their first zone change automatically and gain full combined arms in fluid warfare.
• Superior Combat Networking: Reroll all 1s rolled by the unit if it’s directly engaged in combat, new results must be kept.
• Sensors: Adds +1 to one stat chosen by the owner at the start of each round, may assist vs. Stealth.

Special

• Commissars: Units will not defect until after they're defeated in combat.
• Stealth: Allows infiltration and special actions in Static Warfare.
• Suicide: Units are equipped with suicide devices, which precludes surrender but also escape.
• Advanced Training: Allows a Light Battlegroup to do the work of an Away Team.

Doctrines

Doctrines are all-encompassing military policies, which may modify the capabilities of various units in a nation's arsenal. They are unlocked through research and provide powerful bonuses, but also increase overall military Upkeep to run them.

Non-governments can also make use of doctrines: in the case of organizations which normally pay upkeep for units, treat as a nation. For those that do not, they must pay for the increase out of their yearly stipend.

Distinctions

Distinctions represent the improving skill and recognition of individual units as they enjoy success or confront failure in combat. Grander reputations draw better recruits while senior members are tempered by their experiences, sharing their knowledge. Over time a force can take on formidable esprit de corps, and fight many times above their weight.

Distinction Effects:

• Every rank of Distinction allows a unit to 'soak' a casualty that would have otherwise wiped a Battlegroup out, including other friendly units in the same engagement.
• Every 7 ranks of Distinction allows a unit to fight harder than a comparable green force. Increase all values (except for HP) by +50% (+100% at Rank 14, +150% at Rank 21 and +200% at Rank 28).
• At Rank 30, units become Heroic. Heroic units fight 3 times as hard as regular units, gain an extra Attachment slot and cannot die. It also costs nothing to upkeep. If there is any possibility the unit survived the events of a combat somehow, it simply does. Heroic units no longer provide 'soak' for combat casualties.

Increasing Distinction:

• Winning in combat rewards 1 Distinction.
• Achieving a major objective (in a way that doesn't count as the above) rewards 1 Distinction.
• Sheer Luck: A series of unlikely rolls that is remarked upon by a plurality of players rewards a Distinction.
• A Good Story: A decently long storypost about a given unit rewards a Distinction to that 1 unit.
• Cancelling the Apocalypse: Defeating or arresting a major story event with setting-spanning repercussions may award a Distinction.

Army Lists

Players of all types are assumed to build from a single curated army list, plus any units they develop from research. As generic technology improves, the statlines of these units may change.

The names for each, particularly Line Units, are only suggestions and can be freely adjusted to personal preference.

Solarian

Solarian forces excel in combat but generally are generally worse at everything other than fighting. They are also expensive to maintain, particular for Verge states. Solarian units are All-Terrain, meaning they never suffer penalties in inappropriate terrain types.

Line Units

Peaceforce Battlegroup [Light]

Solarian mechanized light infantry riding in blastproof AFVs, their main function is as garrison forces, COIN and peacekeeping.

Attack: 4

Defence: 2

HP: 6

Cost: $75, 2 IP

Espatiers Battlegroup [Medium]

Solarian mobile infantry, fitted with advanced powered armor capable of all-terrain movement via skimmer systems and limited flight in lower gravities. Supported by advanced recon drones, hover tanks and armed transport VTOLs. The rivalry of the UN Espatiers and Legions can be traced back to an infamous admiralty ruling around the time of the Solar Reconquista.

Attack: 6

Defence: 3

HP: 9

Cost: $120, 3 IP

Legionnaires Battlegroup [Heavy]

Solarian heavy infantry in fully-enclosed titano-ceramic-clad powered frames mounted up on superheavy hovertanks with extensive artillery support. The Legionnaires see themselves as the successors to the far-older Espatier Corps, pointing to their far lower casualties and triumph on a score of ultimately more dangerous battlefields.

Attack: 10

Defence: 5

HP: 15

Cost: $135, 5 IP

Special Units

Espatier Special Purpose Brigada [Light]

Special forces recruited from multi-decade veterans and augmented to such a degree that their bodies are legally regulated in the same manner as weapons, UN ESPB units wear cutting-edge powered armor with full surface-to-orbit mobility in under 1.5Gs, shaped magnetoplasma boarding charges, radar low-observation coating, thermoptic camo and an assortment of drones and other advanced warfare systems that make them the uncontested finest troops in the Sphere. As long as you don’t ask the Legion, or Vergers.

Attack: 10

Defence: 10

HP: 15

Cost: $180, 3 IP

SPECIAL: Innate Stealth and Boarding Shell, has the mobility of a Medium unit. Counts as an Away Team of the 'special forces' type for applicable bonuses.

Legion Sturmzug [Heavy]

Legion ‘Assault Trains’ are the UN’s mainstay tracklaying units, colossal 250m+ long land battleships capable of sheltering thousands of troops in their bays, laying track, fortifications and infrastructure as they move and answering orbital bombardment with atomic firepower including a brace of anti-orbital railguns.

Attack: 20

Defence: 20

HP: 100

Cost: $200, 100 IP

SPECIAL: Can shelter units in the same engagement, absorbing up to 50% of the damage they suffer. Counts as 3 Heavy Units for engineering purposes.

Clique Units

Access to Clique Units is awarded for pleasing a given Patron, and may be rescinded for displeasing them. Players may also build units of their starting Patron.

Blue Shield Battlegroup [Light][Reformers]

Blue Shields are humanitarians par-excellence, with each battlegroup containing such medical talent and engineering talent that would be the envy of many less-developed Verge states. Their environment suits contain an array of advanced tools to deal with nearly any crisis.

Attack: 3

Defence: 9

HP: 12

Cost: $110, 4 IP

SPECIAL: Performs engineering tasks as if it were a Heavy Unit, reduces post-combat friendly casualties by (Unit Distinctions/2, round up). Makes locals friendlier.

International Legion Battlegroup [Medium][Unificationists]

Containing recruits from nearly all known recognized polities in the Verge, the International Legions function as elite assault drop troops with a doctrine halfway between the original Espatier Corps and the new Legions. Service guarantees citizenship!

Attack: 8

Defence: 4

HP: 15

Cost: $180, 3 IP

SPECIAL: Unit always has perfect morale and gains Distinctions more easily.

Warmech Battlegroup [Heavy][Wardens]

Originally playthings of aristocratic families of the Ares Hall, developments in electroactive polymers and neural interface technology have given a second life to Martian dueling 'mechs, resulting in these lighting-fast colossi being deployed across the Verge. UN forces aligned to the Warden clique deploy these machines as symbols of the absolute superiority of Solarian technology. A previous policy of only assigning them to descendants of van der Graff's inner circle has led to more than a few small family tragedies for the UN's elite.

Attack: 10

Defence: 10

HP: 30

Cost: $200, 10 IP

SPECIAL: Direct neural interface can be overloaded once per combat, providing 1 of: a dodge, negating all damage for a round -or- first-strike before regular initiative starts.

Arsenal Walker [Heavy][Crusaders]

Based on the Warmech chassis but stripped of all ornamentation and sentimentality, the Arsenal Walker is a perfect vessel for the ideology of the Verge Reconquista espoused by the Crusader clique. Armed with a variety of beam, kinetic and missile weapons they are only not viewed not shambling atrocities by din of lacking nuclear warheads.

Attack: 20

Defence: 5

HP: 22

Cost: $200, 10 IP

SPECIAL: Direct neural interface can be overloaded once per combat, providing 1 of: one round of doubled attack in exchange for halved defence and HP all combat long -or- first-strike before regular initiative starts.

Genetrooper Battlegroup [Medium][The Kingsmen]

While Wildejadg have integrated into the UN's forces rather unceremoniously post-Reconquista and are viewed no differently from other crewmen, the reclusive Queens of Sutukare are known to bestow the favor of Sept-raising to commanders who demonstrate the appropriate loyalty to the cause. These Genetroops are infused with select genes from their commanding officer, and once born demonstrate an unflinching, remorseless personal loyalty to their bond-holder.

Attack: 4

Defence: 4

HP: 14

Cost: $75, 6 IP

SPECIAL: Unit always has perfect morale. It does not gain Distinctions normally, but rather any levels gained are evenly distributed between all surviving Genetroopers under the commander's retinue (rounding up on fractions).

Colonial

Colonial units are inexpensive and situationally effective but specialized. By default national armies are trained in their native planetary conditions, where they might very well surpass even Solarian troops. In other conditions however, they’re

Line Units

Planetary Militia Battlegroup [Light]

A broad class of units that range from conscripts to colonial gendarmes, they're easy to mobilize and cheap. Fight well on their own turf.

Attack: 3

Defence: 2

HP: 6

Cost: $50, 1 IP

Mobile Infantry Battlegroup [Medium]

Not quite Espatiers, Verger powered armor infantry are ruthlessly budgeted and minimalistic compared to their gucci Solarian counterparts. Although they seem bigger at a glance, their suits are only about as effective in a regular firefight.

Attack: 6

Defence: 3

HP: 9

Cost: $80, 2 IP

Indig Mechanized Battlegroup [Heavy]

Locally produced mechanized units supporting heavy infantry, often wheeled or tracked to cut on costs. One should not mistake these for bandit technicals however, as no expense is saved on weapons and armor.

Attack: 10

Defence: 5

HP: 15

Cost: $90, 4 IP

Special Units

(Environment) Specialist Battlegroup [Light]

Colonial rural militias, pioneer units, as well as urban combat cadres. For naming, the schema is the Feature + Specialist Battlegroup, e.g.: Cave Specialists are good at fighting in Cave geography, Desert Specialists excel in the Desert biome.

Attack: 3

Defence: 3

HP: 8

Cost: $90, 1 IP

SPECIAL: Pick planetary or territorial Feature. In any environment with that Feature, the unit always gains a bonus and never suffers penalties, even if the deploying state comes from a mostly incompatible environment. Specialists also have inherent Stealth.

(Environment) Trooper Battlegroup [Medium]

Elite warfighters, in fully-enclosed power suits with loadouts tailor-made to their specialization. Few units in the Verge can compete with Espatiers but local elites like these can be a serious threat when fighting on their home turf.

Attack: 6

Defence: 3

HP: 12

Cost: $120, 2 IP

SPECIAL: Pick planetary or territorial Feature. In any environment with that Feature, the unit always gains a bonus and never suffers penalties, even if the deploying state comes from a mostly incompatible environment. Troopers double their bonus if their state has appropriate Environment Training.

National Units

Nations with the Martial Tradition trait can contribute up to 3 units to the National Units list.

Pirate

Pirate units are cheap and effective in a variety of environments, being functionally All-Terrain, but are fragile and poorly-armed.

Line Units

Zero-G Dogs Battlegroup [Light]

Pirate space infantry in the style of ancient space warfare, supported by vac sleds, assault shuttles and light buggies. Typically armed with mining lasers and monomolecular boarding axes.

Attack: 2

Defence: 1

HP: 3

Cost: $30, 1 IP

Birdmen Battlegroup [Medium]

Allegedly a portmanteau of ‘battlearmor hirdmen’ in reference to the viking warriors, the most likely explanation for the name of these renegade drop troops is the conical-beaked assault suits that have common origin in a popular open source arms distro. Halfway between espatiers and mobile infantry in size, they have few advantages other than all-terrain mobility.

Attack: 4

Defence: 2

HP: 6

Cost: $60, 2 IP

Technical Battlegroup [Heavy]

A euphemistic term for colonial vehicles like industrial walkers and carryall hovers fitted with milspec weapons, fielded as impromptu heavy assets. Most are armed with mining lasers, though the launch railguns used by mining colonies to put stock into orbit for collection are extremely popular for their straightforward power and resistance to wear and tear.

Attack: 8

Defence: 3

HP: 9

Cost: $75, 3 IP

Special Units

Infiltrator Cabal [Light]

Salvage experts, saboteurs and expendable spies who make their way around the margins of legitimate state violence until discarded. Exposure to a variety of technology bases, languages and battle doctrines make them adept at appropriating enemy hardware.

Attack: 2

Defence: 4

HP: 12

Cost: $75, 6 IP

SPECIAL: In addition to having innate Stealth, if an Infiltrator Cabal defeats a unit, it can claim that unit's stats, appearance and special abilities for itself by through salvage after the combat is over. The Cabal may change to a new unit afterwards, but discards the previous statline. The Cabal must have uncontested salvage to use this ability.

Exhuman Clade [Medium]

An illegal posthuman, with powerful e-war capabilities and designer bodies that range from the hauntingly beautiful to the nightmarishly grotesque.

Attack: 10

Defence: 10

HP: 25

Cost: $180, 5 IP

SPECIAL: Exhuman Clades have perfect morale, innate Stealth and cannot be destroyed permanently. If a unit is defeated in combat and lost, it can be revived intact by paying (original cost +25% for every level of Distinction).

Solar Varangians [Heavy]

Some of the finest Verge mercenaries are the scions of dispossessed Solarian elites from disarmed states. Astride bespoke war machines built with warmech technology, they are shockingly effective in combat if only as ordinary fish in small ponds.

Attack: 17

Defence: 12

HP: 22

Cost: $250, 8 IP

SPECIAL: Direct neural interface can be overloaded once per combat, providing 1 of: a dodge, negating all damage for a round -or- one round of doubled attack in exchange for halved defence and HP all combat long.

Defences

Defences (and any units they spawn) do not get Attachments or Distinctions, but may be improved by relevant Doctrines.

The attack, defence and HP values of units reflect their direct combat capabilities if engaged by ground forces. If a unit has ship slots, they do not need to be defined when the nation is built but must be chosen if the unit ever engages in combat, at which point the assignment lasts until the end of the relevant conflict.

Freefloating

Not attached to a given Territory except for basing purposes, these have built-in roam.

Early Warning Satellite

Roam Area: Space

Provides early warning, can detect Stealth units passing close.

Attack: 0

Defence: 0

HP: 2

Cost: $10, 1IP

Facets: Electronics 1

Defence Satellite

Roam Area: Space

Lightly armed and armored, cheap to produce. It can move under its own power but has low delta-V, so can be outmanoeuvred in orbit by most warships.

Attack: 1

Defence: 0

HP: 10

Cost: $10, 2IP

Modules: Laser (S)

Coastal Patrol Group

Roam Area: Sea

Light naval units that provide additional coastal security, search and rescue and amphibious movement.

Attack: 2

Defence: 1

HP: 16

Cost: $40, 4IP

Modules: 2S

Hangars: 1

Naval Battlegroup

Roam Area: Sea

Heavy naval units that can provide fire support to ground forces and assist transatmospheric warships in direct engagements.

Attack: 12

Defence: 12

HP: 50

Cost: $200, 50IP

Modules: 4S, 4L

Hangars: 3

Facets: Command 1

SPECIAL: If held, gain ability: Distribute up to 8 points of combat damage across any number of units in the same encounter, if it's in the same or adjacent territory to this unit. Units can scatter or hunker down to avoid this damage but can do nothing else that round. (Cooldown: 1 Round)

Naval Carrier Group

Roam Area: Sea

Heavy naval units that can provide limited fire support to ground forces and support 24 aerospace flights.

Attack: 6

Defence: 8

HP: 40

Cost: $250, 40IP

Modules: 2S, 1L

Hangars: 24

Facets: Command 1, Supply 1

SPECIAL: If held, gain ability: Distribute up to 3 points of combat damage across any number of units in the same encounter, if it's in the same or adjacent territory to this unit. Units can scatter or hunker down to avoid this damage but can do nothing else that round. (Cooldown: 1 Round)

Road Mobile ISOM

Roam Area: Land

Heavy missile crawlers carrying mobile ISOMs. Due to the large size of an ISOM, these crawlers tend to be somewhat lower velocity than their silo bound counterparts, and if detected are vulnerable to fire, however they are able to go anywhere.

Attack: 2

Defence: 1

HP: 3

Cost: $90, 10IP

Modules: 2 of Cluster Missile or Multi-Missile (S)

SPECIAL: Range is system-wide. Standard warhead can be replaced with NBC payload.

Rail Mobile ISOM

Roam Area: Land with at least Infrastructure 2 (Unmodified)

Using rail or magnetic lift trains, a rail mobile ISOM system allows for extremely fast and cheap mobile missile systems. These systems have the same high velocity as a silo based weapon, though more vulnerable to fire if detected. They are faster than road mobile ISOM systems but can only use areas with established rail infrastructure.

Attack: 2

Defence: 2

HP: 9

Cost: $75, 6IP

Modules: 2 of Cluster Missile or Multi-Missile (S)

SPECIAL: Range is system-wide. Standard warhead can be replaced with NBC payload.

ISOM Submarine

Roam Area: Sea

A large submersible that carries multiple low-delta ISOMs like those deployed by road mobile systems. ISOM submarines are extremely hard to find.

Attack: 2

Defence: 3

HP: 10

Cost: $300, 50IP

Modules: 3 of Cluster Missile or Multi-Missile (S)

Facets: Covert 1, Electronics 1

SPECIAL: If the Submarine submerges, it can only be attacked by another Submarine or a units with an appropriate specialization (All-Terrain units suffer a penalty). Range is system-wide. Standard warhead can be replaced with NBC payload.

Mobile SASW Battery

Roam Area: Land

Mobile Surface to Aerospace Weapons batteries are used by most armies. Mostly used to engage enemy fighters and missiles, they can also be used to attack starships in low orbits, especially attempting GTO artillery strikes. This can include laser, railgun or missile equipped units.

Attack: 2

Defence: 2

HP: 4

Cost: $30, 15IP

Modules: 1 Weapon (S)

SPECIAL: Can perform mobile air defence, providing 1 PD instead of its weapon output.

Anti-Orbital

Built in a Territory, can only strike non-adjacent targets i.e.: in orbit or lacking a direct land/sea/etc connection. Anti-orbital artillery and ISOMs can be reconfigured to strike terrestrial targets but they have a direct blindspot of their build location and surrounding zones.

GTO Railgun

GTO Railguns come in hundreds of designs across the Verge and Core and can be found anywhere with even basic technic society. Can be loaded with nuclear warheads.

Attack: 2

Defence: 2

HP: 25

Cost: $30, 6IP

Modules: Railgun (L)

SPECIAL: Standard warhead can be replaced with NBC payload.

GTO Laser

Stronger than GTO Railguns and armor-penetrating, these advanced defenses lack the ability to shoot over the horizon but can be re-calibrated to provide additional missile defense capability.

Attack: 2

Defence: 2

HP: 25

Cost: $45, 6IP

Modules: Laser (L)

SPECIAL: Can perform mobile air defence, providing 1 PD instead of its weapon output.

ISOM Silo

Interplanetary surface-to-orbit missile silos are the gold standard for missile warfare, though they’ve begun to lose relevance thanks to the advent of advanced laser intercept systems. Can be loaded with nuclear warheads.

Attack: 2

Defence: 2

HP: 18

Cost: $60, 15IP

Modules: 4 of Cluster Missile or Multi-Missile (S)

SPECIAL: Standard warhead can be replaced with NBC payload.

Regional

Built in a territory and defends itself and adjacent targets i.e.: those with a direct land or sea connection. In the case of sea zones (but not ocean zones), coastal territories attached to the same named Sea are functionally adjacent.

Sensor Emplacement

Detects the presence of hostile Stealth units intruding in territory, and tracks movement of forces in adjacent territories and close orbit.

Attack: 1

Defence: 1

HP: 6

Cost: $20, 2IP

Facets: 1 Electronics

SPECIAL: If held, gain once per Combat ability: Treat all friendly units in one engagement as though they had the Sensor Attachment for one round. Stacks with Sensors.

District Garrison

A regional centre both training and coordinating local defence armies.

Attack: 1

Defence: 2

HP: 15

Cost: $75, 5IP

Hangars: 1

Facets: Garrison 1, Supply 1

SPECIAL: Spawns 1 regenerating Light (Line, Clique or National) Battlegroups which remain on the planet. Stop regenerating if their Garrison is lost.

Military HQ

A more sophisticated coordination centre.

Attack: 1

Defence: 3

HP: 48

Cost: $400, 25IP

Hangars: 6

Facets: Admin 1, Command 1, Garrison 1, Supply 2

SPECIAL: Spawns any 2 Battlegroups for planetary defense purposes, and adds an extra Battlegroup to every District Garrison in the same or adjacent Territories. 1 per Territory and the extra Garrison unit benefit only applies once.

Military HQ

A no-nonsense military airfield.

Attack: 1

Defence: 2

HP: 24

Cost: $200, 10IP

Hangars: 100

Facets: Electronics 1, Engineering 1, Supply 1

Planetary Artillery

Ground-based artillery, it can suppress or destroy ground units in the same and adjacent Territories.

Attack: 1

Defence: 2

HP: 6

Cost: $30, 6IP

SPECIAL: If held, gain ability: Distribute up to 4 points of combat damage across any number of units in the same encounter, if it's in the same or adjacent territory to this unit. Units can scatter or hunker down to avoid this damage but can do nothing else that round. (Cooldown: 1 Round)

Air Defence Site

Ground-based air defence facilities, either laser-based or using modern SAMs.

Attack: 1

Defence: 2

HP: 6

Cost: $45, 6IP

SPECIAL: Generates 1 PD.

ISOM Interceptor Site

Ground-based anti-ISOM facilities, critical in preventing successful nuclear first-strike. Combined ECM suites, GTO laser systems and redundant mesh-networked LIDAR drones allow it to negate decoy, wild weasel or saturation-based MIRV designs typical of current-generation ISOMs and shipboard ballistic missiles.

Attack: 2

Defence: 3

HP: 15

Cost: $50, 8IP

SPECIAL: This unit can intercept ISOMs. Roll d100, and defeat the missile on a roll of 99 or less. Every interception attempt lowers the success threshold by 5 points, to a minimum of 4 or less. If the Interceptor Site has a full month to refit and recalibrate systems, the penalty resets. Every Intercept site in range can attempt to shoot down any single missile once.

Territorial

Built in a territory and defends it only.

Barricades

Deployable or prefabricated anti-tank measures, from bollards and toblerones to floating limpets drawn to the gravitational impeller at the front of a hovertank's drive field. Obstructs the movement of Heavy Battlegroups.

Attack: 0

Defence: 1

HP: 3

Cost: $5, 1IP

SPECIAL: Increases the contribution of affected units to the combat ratio by 100%.

Surface/Sea Minefield

Fields of purpose-built or improvised explosives, or other kinds of traps. Obstructs the movement of Light Battlegroups (Surface) and Naval-roam Freefloating Defenses (Sea).

Attack: 10

Defence: 0

HP: 1

Cost: $10, 2IP

SPECIAL: Increases the contribution of affected units to the combat ratio by 100% (Light) or prevents their direct participation (Naval). Attacking them directly to bypass this allows the Minefield to 'attack'.

Guard Post

A militarized police precinct or town militia hall.

Attack: 1

Defence: 2

HP: 10

Cost: $10, 2IP

Facets: Garrison 1

SPECIAL: Spawns a single Light Battlegroup (Line only). No bonuses from Military HQ.

Bunker

Represents large-scale earthenworks, foxholes, defensive emplacements and other fortuitous geography in the built environment.

Attack: 3

Defence: 6

HP: 25

Cost: $40, 2IP

SPECIAL: Functions as ablative lives for friendly Battlegroups, either allowing 2 units to limp away as Damaged or preventing a single unit from receiving any damage at the cost of being destroyed.

Deep Bunker

Deep crust fortifications.

Attack: 6

Defence: 18

HP: 75

Cost: $60, 6IP

SPECIAL: Prevents up to 3 Battlegroups from suffering any damage in combat, but protected units cannot participate in any fighting. Can be sieged down, blocked off or sabotaged.

Defensive Transport Network

Trench and tunnel networks, allowing military units to transit between connected territories without being subject to attack from forces on the surface.

Attack: 4

Defence: 12

HP: 50

Cost: $50, 4IP

Ground Combat Summary

The Three Modes of Warfare

In Ruins, while there is obviously many different doctrines and ideas, three basic types of warfare dominate. In Nexus Warfare, favored especially by the UN and forces that ape them, such as Elysium Royal Marine Commandos, combat is conducted directly, or nearly directly by drop ships deploying almost directly on the objective or just short of an enemy force concentration. Known as Nexus Warfare, this concentrates on direct attacks from orbit against contested pionts.

Basic Concept: Fighting from dropships directly

Practised by: UN forces, Elysium Royal Marines, people with lots of drop ships

Bonuses To: Force Concentration

Bonuses From: Espaiters and specialist drop troops

Penalties To: None, but lacks the bonuses to combat statistics from the other two.

Fluid Warfare, which is often conducted by the tank heavy forces of Earth Nations, and by rich, heavily armed and trained colonial armies such as the Tempesti Defence Force, is conducted by fast, heavily armored combined arms groups seeking to cut off, dislocate and destroy the enemy in heavy meeting engagements. While often quite vulnerable to orbital fire, it is perhaps the most powerful form of warfare for pure ground fighting.

Basic Concept: Giant Tank Maneuvers like a 20th/21st century army in a major land campaign

Practiced by: Solarian National Forces, Tempesti

Bonuses To: Manoeuvre, firepower

Bonuses from: Heavy Battlegroups, having nothing but heavy, medium and airborne light battlegroup

Penalties Too: Resisting orbital fire

Finally, Static Warfare is beloved of guerrillas, Lurking retrogrades, and semi-regular forces like Tempesti Forest Sisters, Wildejagd and Voider raiders is usually for from fortifications or ambushes. While it is often seen as the clumsiest form of warfare, it never the less can be very effective, especially against orbital fire and when ambushes are employed.

Basic Concept: Fighting from static positions, fortresses or as low tempo guerrilla fighters

Practised by: Guerrillas, People with lots of stealth units, 100thLurker

Bonuses To: defence, hitpoints

Bonuses From: Light Battlegroups, Fortifications, Stealth units

Penalties To: Manoeuvre

Phase 1: Determine Goals and Parameters

Determine which mode of warfare everyone is using and establish the objectives. If there are two PCs fighting, roll off to determine who gets to pick first, if not, player picks second.

An objective can be anything from 'capture X fortification' to 'seize Y territory', 'penetrate to Y territory' or even 'hold terrain'. The objectives of the participating players can be identical (two players trying to capture the same territory), symmetrical (two players trying to kill eachother), incongruous (one player trying to evacuate a VIP while another one wants to destroy a port in the same city).

Phase 2: Determine Force Ratio in Engaged Sector

Only a certain number of battlegroups can attack one enemy at once.

As a rule, attackers can make greater use of numbers than defenders, so they may count superior numbers automatically as follows:

• Static Warfare: 3 Attackers to 1 Defender Max
• Fluid Warfare: 5 Attackers to 1 Defender Max
• Nexus Warfare: 10 Attackers to 1 Defender Max

Beyond this ratio, only count the hitpoints of additional units.

This may be modified for close terrain. In general close/dense terrain removes 1 from the Attacker's maximum advantage, clear terrain like plains or open sea adds 1.

Phase 2b: Mass and Manoeuvre

Units may also mass and manoeuvre against one another. This allows them to fight a part of the enemy forces, and create a positive force ratio to win combat for the purposes of objective seizure or a breakthrough in fluid warfare.

Phase 2b: Nexus Warfare [Attacker]

If a Nexus Attacker wins an opposed Mobility roll, increase their Attacker's Ratio by 1 per success.

vs Fluid Warfare [Defender]

The Defender declares how many Battlegroups are being sent to engage the attacker. They may attempt to outflank the attacker with an opposed Mobility roll using the worst Mobility value of any Battlegroup on both sides. Winning the roll-off grants the Defender one of the following effects:

• Reduce Attacker's ratio by 1 per rolled success.
• Add 1 extra Battlegroup to the fray (from reserves) per rolled success after mobility is rolled, but before Combat is resolved.
• Remove 1 of the Attacker's Battlegroups from the fray per rolled success after mobility is rolled, but before Combat is resolved.

vs Static Warfare [Defender]

The Defender deploys fronts of 3 Battlegroups, while the Attacker can deploy up to 10 units against them. The Defender supplement their force with any number of Stealth units to represent ambushes.

vs Nexus Warfare [Defender]

In the first round, the Defender can perform an opposed roll using the worst Mobility value of any Battlegroup on both sides to contest landing with their own dropships. Winning the roll-off grants one of the following effects:

• Damage dropships, increasing retreat casualties by 25%.
• Take high ground, halving the Attacker's ratio to 5-1 for the first round.
• Ram the target, doubling all damage inflicted to both sides for the first round.

Phase 2b: Fluid Warfare [Attacker]

vs Fluid Warfare [Defender] vs Static Warfare [Defender] vs Nexus Warfare [Defender]

Phase 2b: Fluid Warfare [Attacker]

vs Fluid Warfare [Defender] vs Static Warfare [Defender] vs Nexus Warfare [Defender]

Phase 3: Resolve Combat

Both sides roll fire power vs. defence. Successes of firepower remove HP from the other side. The side that does most damage is said to have won the combat Support assets and unengaged heavy brigades modify firepower or defence as chosen by the player. Only 5 support assets can be used in any given engagement.

Certain forms of warfare give bonuses to victory or defeat, and to stats.

Bonuses To: Nexus Warfare: No Bonuses Fluid Warfare: +X to Firepower +X+1 to manoeuvre Static Warfare +X+2 Defence +X HP

Bonuses From: Nexus Warfare: No Bonuses Fluid Warfare: +X Firepower and defence if you have a heavy and a medium battlegroup. +X Combat Result if there are no light battlegroups without stealth, mechanised, parachute or drop specialisations Static Warfare: +X Combat Result for every stealth unit +X Defence for each fortifications

Seize Objectives The winner of the fight may try to seize objectives if attacking or if any have been captured. This is done by a maneuevre or firepower check by the one attempting to seize the objective, opposed by firepower or defence of the defender. Excess successes inflict damage as if they were a normal attack roll.

Nation Traits

Traits that involve ground combat.

Positive Traits

Neutral Traits

Negative Traits