Going by the rule of “done is better than perfect,” I’m posting this stuff for everyone to see and use! There are a few changes I might make down the road, but here we go…
I’ve been wanting to do a dinosaur “big game hunting” scenario in Rogue Trader for a while now and I spent some time this weekend preparing some rules and handout sheets to do just that.
I was flipping through my classic White Dwarf magazines when the Vehicle Targeting Grid fell out of issue 128 from August 1990.
This grid and rules were printed on a sheet of clear acetate along with a 45º template for determining movement/firing arcs. The whole set of rules provided in the issue (right here if you want them) were an alternative way of dealing with vehicles and the way they take damage. It’s a goofy and involved affair with loads of special damage charts that vary depending on the vehicle; in many cases, one shot is enough to destroy or disable the vehicle if you roll lucky on the Special Damage Charts. In truth, the whole thing is a mini-game itself that is a blast in small games with maybe 1 or 2 vehicles per side, but would be tremendously unwieldy in larger games. And it occurred to me that it could be very fun to use for some gigantic dinosaur hunting.
So off I went with some crazy ideas. I ended up creating a hybrid system that’s sort of a halfway between the normal damage system and the Vehicle Targeting Rules by assigning the T-Rex a fixed number of wounds. Hitting different areas of the T-Rex caused a fixed number of damage, plus potentially some additional effect (loss of initiative, blinded eyes, tripping and falling, etc.). The odd thing about the system in my opinion is the replacement of toughness with an armor value. Essentially, different areas of the vehicle (ahem, dinosaur) are thicker, tougher to penetrate, better protected, etc. and you gotta do some goofy math to determine if your weapon actually causes damage. No save roll for the vehicle (although passengers inside get their normal saves). The result of all this, along with the armor values I’ve chosen, means that you don’t stand a chance causing any damage over most of the dinosaur unless you’ve got a strength 4 weapon. Even better if you have a “to hit” modifier (it’ll let you shift the aim… It’s weird).
Today I had the pleasure of giving my rules a try with my friend Lars and my new friend Mark. I set up a fairly basic scenario – a wealthy and privileged lord named Estebann von Malburius wants a dead T-Rex as a trophy to display on his vast esate. He’s hired a xenobiologist (Gorboz S. Irwin) and a small group of bodyguards (led by “Cliff” Darnhard). Estebann has brought along a wide variety of weapons, carried by a slave robot, that he can swap between at any time. He wants to bag the beast using “old world weapons” if at all possible (he’s got a very romantic view of big game hunting) and will be upset if his hired muscle intervenes and steals the glory of the kill – but having them there is necessary in case things go sideways.
The table had a handful of areas with dense cover (trees, walls, etc) where they could all hide – I do recommend reading up on rules for hiding and making sure everyone at the table is familiar with how they work. The T-Rex started the game in a large clearing in the center of the table. I also made up a quick and simple “Random Encounter Chart” consisting of D3 Death Ferrets, D3 Velociraptors, 3 Cavemen with Laspistols and Power Swords, and an Ambull.
Gameplay order I recommend is Estebann’s turn > Roll for Random Encounter, if shows up they take a turn > T-Rex turn. This order allows for some unpredictability between the random creatures and the T-Rex – the critters may prove useful distractions for Estebann and crew to get in some shots without being in the T-Rex’s sights!
In our game, things did indeed go sideways – Estebann was murdered by a Velociraptor, the Xenobiologist remarkably survived three simultaneous Velociraptors, and “Cliff” Darnhard was dispatched by an Ambull toward the very end. The crew did fell the T-Rex and managed to haul its prized skull off planet. Gorboz and the three surviving bodyguards agreed to sell the skull for a tidy profit and to share the credits.
So anyway, here are the documents you will need if you want to try these rules yourself. The images below are just previews, download the document at the link above for printing – they’re already sized at 8.5×11, 300dpi, so the hard work is done for you. Just print at 100% scale. You’ll also need a big dino figure (duh) which shouldn’t be too hard to find. Don’t feel like you have to get a “real model dinosaur” – just go to the dollar store or toy aisle and buy one you like the look of. It’s already painted and ready to rock.
To close – a couple more suggestions. When the dino spots someone during another player’s turn, I suggest turning the T-Rex to face the moving figure. Also, testing for RAMPAGE! occurs immediately after T-Rex is hit and movement takes place right away – don’t wait to move the dino until it’s dino’s turn. It doesn’t count as his move for his turn. You’ll have to make up a lot on the fly but if you give this all a shot I hope you have fun with it!
– Bryan
Love the idea and the execution!
Now I just need to steal that TRex from my son, when he is a sleep XD
Better to ask while he’s awake and help him go T-Rex hunting, no? Thanks for the comment, hope the post gave you some ideas!