Combat

Combat is principally based of a player’s Combat Score, and there are 3 types of attacks a player may use, each has a Battle Score determined by Combat Score and one other attribute, plus bonuses from troops and heroes. These types of attacks will be discussed later in this section, but are Raids (CI), House Raid (CD), and Seizures (CC).

Military Forces
Each Player begins with a number of Standard Legions, House Troops they control at the start of play, equal to twice their Combat Score (CC). They may also acquire upgrades for their Legions as well as Elite units or militia. Each Standard Legion grants a +1 to a player’s battle score when attacking, and a +2 when defending. All combat is resolved, at the end of rounds, by subtracting the Defender’s Battle Score from the Attacker’s and comparing it on the table. Each Legion has a unique name and must be assigned to a Location, by default they begin on the Homeworld.

Militia – Militia can not be moved from their Location or upgraded and grant a +1 to defense. Militia often come with an Asset, a planet may come with two units of militia for instance. They are always the first casualties of an attack, they do not count towards a Player’s Maximum Forces. Militia slowly regenerate, at a rate of one militia legion per round and a cost of 300 MS per legion. So a Location with 2 militia who have been destroyed may pay 300 MS to regenerate 1 unit, then 300 for the other the next round after that. Militia may never be on a homeworld, militia are transferred with Locations.

Elite Troops: Sardaukar and Fedaykin are treated as +2 to attack and +3 to defend instead of the normal +1/+2, they can not receive upgrades.

Maximum Forces: No player may control more than three times their combat score plus five (CCC+5) legions in total. Elite and Upgraded units count toward this, militia do not. Since the maximum Combat Score is 5, a player may never own more than 20 Legions, besides militia

Recruit Legion: This is an Action, players send “Recruit Legion: #” to the moderator via NB, if they are recruiting other than standard legions this must be mentioned. Players can not recruit more legions per round than their Combat Score and new legions arrive on the Homeworld before Combat takes place that round. Legions cost 1000 MS to recruit, unless otherwise specified, they can be sold, and they have a Liquid value of 500 MS. Players may also purchase troops from other players, which does not count against their recruiting limit for a round, or mercenaries, which count against neither limit or movement limit and arrive on the players Homeworld just like recruited legions.

Combat occurs whenever forces loyal to one faction are at a location not owned by that faction when the Battle Phase commences, with the exception of Kaitain, the Imperial Capital, where combat can not take place. Players are not the only combatants, pirates and rogue houses can launch attacks randomly. If no one specified a type of attack, the default is a Seizure (CC) at a Location and a House Raid on a Homeworld. If you sell troops to someone, move them, or they will attack you.

Combat Actions - Max (CC+1) AP per round
1 AP – Upgrade Legion
0 AP – Recruit Legion
1 AP – Move Hero: Move a hero to a different Location
2 AP – Move Legion: Move a Legion to a different Location

A player can only move 1 legion per Combat Score per round, plus 1 hero, it doesn’t matter where they are moving them to, they may move more heroes of course but wouldn’t be able to move their maximum number of legions. Heroes do not cost any money to move, just AP, but they can not attack by themselves, though they may defend (rallying the local farmers basically). A hero, and only one hero, may be placed in command of a force for attacks, typically adding bonuses to the battle score, see the (link: Appendix Heroes) for details. To move troops also costs money, and the Spacing guild charges outrageous ‘Hazard Fees’ to transport troops

100 MS – Move a Legion from anywhere to your Homeworld
100 MS – Move a Legion from your Homeworld to any Location you control
200 MS – Move a Legion from a Location you control to another Location you control
200 MS – Move a Legion to or from Kaitain*
400 MS – Move a Legion from your Homeworld to a Location you do not control
500 MS – Move a Legion from a Location you control to a Location you do not control

*Normally troops can only go one place per round, the lone exception to this is the Imperial Capital of Kaitain, a very busy space hub. Troops on Kaitain can be moved even if they were sent there this round. So a player may sell troops to another player and send them to Kaitain, who can move them somewhere else that same round.

Legion Identity – Each legion has its own unique name, such as Harkonnen Alpha Legion, typically this is abridged, ‘Hark Leg A’ for instance. Upgrades, militia, and Elite troops are kept track of with the legion, ‘Hark Leg B+’ would indicate a legion with an offensive upgrade, this is generally secret information between the player and mod, on special request a player may use their own identifiers, such as “Red Hawk Legion”

Upgrades – Any Legion may receive one Upgrade, typically from a Legion Upgrade Token generated by a Weapons Factory. Upgrades are permanent, and usually only apply to attack or defense, granting a +1 to that Legion. A Legion which receives an offensive upgrade would be +2 during attacks instead of +1, a Legion that receives defensive upgrade would be at +3 instead of +2 to attack. Legion identifiers use + and – to indicate offensive and defensive upgrades. Upgrading a unit costs 1 AP and a Legion Upgrade Token. Upgrading a unit is done by NB, sending a message “Upgrade: Legion Name – offensive/defensive” specifying which upgrade is being done.

Casualties – Casualties always take weakest units first, and weakness is determined by the battle, an offensive upgrade unit would die before a defensive one if you were being attacked, militia die first. When equal the first in order dies, so if a player is attached to a unit they should put it at the end of the roster they send for an attack. Generally heroes only die if all the other forces have died and forces either take no losses, 1 legion, or total casualties.

Launching an Attack – Players specify a Location (or Player), and the type of attack they are launching in the title, then include which legions and heroes they are sending in the body of the NB to the mod, unless they can get it in the title. Use this Format in the NB title:
Raid: Location
Seizure: Location
House Raid: Player

Once the NB is sent, the forces are committed - unless the player couldn’t afford the movement AP or cost at the time of the NB.

Types of Attack
Each Type of attack has a different measure of success, listed as “Success!!!” on the table, any score above that is also a success. Generally truly overwhelming victories and defeats can generate Court Gossip, generally vague but beneficial to the winner or harmful to the loser. “Bob just suffered a horrible raid” or “John just crushed a raiding force”, “John’s Palace was burnt to the ground”, “John’s forces are bragging about seizing a location”.

Raid (CI) – To execute a Raid, the attacker must designate a Location known to them and not under their control, other than a Homeworld. Raids rely on stealth and secrecy as much as fighting skill, so a Player’s Battle Score is based on their Combat and Intrigue Scores for raids. Raids never destroy defending forces, and a raid never reveals who attacked except if the attacker is strongly defeated. A successful Raid steals income from the defender, depending on the degree of success the defender might simply lose income from the damage or the attacker may get away with lots of money. You can’t raid Electors.

Raid Battle Score Result
-4 or lower: Attacker loses all forces and the Defender knows which player attacked them, this can generate Court Gossip.
-3: Attacker loses 1 Legion, any surviving forces return to Homeworld, Defender knows who attacked them
-2: Attacker’s forces return home in defeat, Defender knows who attacked them
-1: Attacker’s forces return home in defeat, but Defender does not know who attacked them
0: Success!!! Attacker’s force’s escape with half of the income the Asset generates that round, the Defender suffers no casualties but doesn’t know who attacked.
+1: Attacker’s forces seize all the income, the Defender suffers no casualties but doesn’t know who attacked.
+2 or higher: Attacker’s forces seize all the income generated by the Asset that round, and damage the facility so badly it generates no income the next round either. The Defender suffers no casualties but doesn’t know who attacked, this can generate Court Gossip.

Seizure (CC) – To execute a Seizure, the attacker must designate a Location known to them and not under their control, other than a Homeworld. This type of attack is a direct and open attempt to annex a Location, and if the attacker defeats the player by even 1 on Battle Score the Location is transferred to them, the defender knows which player attacked them. Final score controls how many casualties each force takes, if the facility is damaged (generates no income that round), and whether the attacker or defender retains control. Electors are seized the same way, damaged just means they have not votes that round as they are wounded, seizing an Elector transfers control over them, they are ‘persuaded’ to join the player’s cause.

Seizure Battle Score Result
-3 or lower: The Attack fails utterly, the Location and Defenders are undamaged and the attacker is wiped out, this can generate Court Gossip.
-2: The Attack fails, the facility is undamaged and the attacking force is destroyed, the defender loses 1 legion if any were present.
-1: The Attack fails, the facility is damaged but the attacking force is destroyed, the defender loses 1 legion if any were present.
0: The Attack fails, the attacker damages the facility and loses 1 legion, the defender loses 1 legion if any were present. Surviving attackers return to their Homeworld.
+1: Success!!! The Location belongs to the attacker, but is damaged, the defender’s forces are destroyed and the attacker loses 1 Legion
+2: The Location is taken, but damaged, the defenders are destroyed but the attacker take no casualties
+3 or higher: The attacker captures the location intact, losing no forces and obliterating the defenders, this can generate Court Gossip.

House Raid (DC) – As with a Raid, a House Raid is secret except for major defeats. Unlike the other two attacks the attacker directly attacks a player, not a Location. Attacking forces are going up against a player’s Homeworld garrisons so this is generally a suicide attack. The attacker is assaulting a player’s palace or embassy with the intent of causing as much physical and political damage as possible. The assault force will vandalize art work, shoot ministers and bureaucrats, blow up statues, destroy records and generally wreak as much bloodshed and damage as they can before dying. A successfully House Raid ends that players involvement in an Embargo if they were part of one.

House Raid Battle Score Result
-5 or Lower: Curb Stomp. The Attacker’s Forces are utterly destroyed and his identity is revealed. The Defender suffers no damage, this can generate Court Gossip.
-4: The Attacker’s forces are destroyed, no damage.
-3: The Attacker’s forces are destroyed but the Defender loses 2000 MS (2 GS) or 20% of their Current Wealth, whichever is smaller.
-2: Success!!! The Attacker’s forces are destroyed but the Defender loses 1 Legion and 2000 MS (2 GS) or 20% of their Current Wealth, whichever is smaller.
-1: The Attacker’s forces are destroyed but the Defender loses 1 Legion and 4000 MS (4 GS) or 40% of their Current Wealth, whichever is smaller.
0: The Attacker’s loses 1 legion and the Defender loses 1 Legion and 4000 MS (4 GS) or 40% of their Current Wealth, whichever is smaller.
+1: The Attacker’s loses 1 legion and the Defender loses all garrison forces and 4000 MS (4 GS) or 40% of their Current Wealth, whichever is smaller.
+2: The Attacker’s loses 1 legion and the Defender loses all garrison forces and 6000 MS (6 GS) or 60% of their Current Wealth, whichever is smaller.
+3: The Attacker’s loses 1 legion and the Defender loses all garrison forces and 6000 MS (6 GS) or 60% of their Current Wealth, whichever is smaller, half of this sum is given to the Attacker.
+4: or higher: The Attacker’s trounces the Defender who loses all garrison forces and 6000 MS (6 GS) or 60% of their Current Wealth, whichever is smaller, half of this sum is given to the Attacker who also gains a list of all of the Defender’s Assets with Locations, this can generate Court Gossip.

Kanly
Sometimes a feud escalates beyond the normally limited scope of inter-House warfare and a vendetta exists, this is called Kanly, and a player may declare it on another player, this typically requires deep provocation but not for game purposes. If a player declared Kanly, by posting to the game board “Kanly: Player”, they may exceed the normal Troop Movement Limit, as legions sent to a location they control or their enemy controls now only cost 1 AP, and Heroes that are commanding an Attack force cost 0 AP. Kanly applies to both players, however a person can only have one state of Kanly at a time.

The forms must be obeyed: To declare Kanly, the player must state they are doing so publicly, and demand reparations, these can be anything, if the player doesn’t meet the reparation demand a State of Kanly exists between them. Players may not attack each other the round Kanly is declared, any Military Forces or Assassination Actions cease, forces return home and half their transport fee is returned. Starting the next round, both participants must each launch at least one of the following at the other player or lose half their income that round: House Raid, Seizure, Raid, Assassinate Hero, Assassinate Elector.

Ending Kanly: At any time both players agree, Kanly is over, and any assassins, heroes or troops aimed at the other player return home, refunding half their transport fee. Kanly can also be ended by a Player Majority Vote, see Voting section, with the same effect.