Rules
[streamline]
Rules tagged with [streamline] exist to create a rules light version of the game. The main rules are a "full fat" wargame. Disrupter is flexible, and you should adapt different aspects of these rules as you see fit within your home game or commercial product. Disrupter is a generic, miniatures agnostic open source wargame system focused on customization.
[mothership]
Rules tagged with [mothership] are tips for Wardens who may wish to incorporate aspects of Disrupter in their Mothership campaigns. YOU DO NOT NEED A COPY OF THE MOTHERSHIP RULES TO PLAY DISRUPTER. DISRUPTER IS NOT A LICENSED MOTHERSHIP PRODUCT. Much like how Striker was its own generic wargame that happened to include some Traveller hooks and equipment, Disrupter is its own game with Panic Engine in its bones. This comes from Mothership and the Mothership community, but it is not a Mothership module.
Set Up
Rule 1 - Number of Players
Disrupter is currently designed for two-sided battles. Rules for having three or more platoons facing each other will probably come later with the addition of further game modes. However, each side is cooperative and can be asymmetrical. It is best suited to games that are 1v1 all the way up to games that are 3v3. When multiple players are on the same side, they play cooperatively with each player taking on the role of an Officer within their Platoon (see Rule 9). It is possible to play the game solo as well, you just have to control the opposing force, there are no special solo rules at the moment. Having someone who knows the rules well play as a referee can definitely make gameplay smoother, but a referee is not a requirement.
1v2+ (up to 5) games take on the vibe of a ttrpg with one player operating as referee to provide a co-operative experience for the other players at the table. See the Campaign game mode for more ideas about how to play this way.
Rule 2 - Board
Disrupter is designed for 24"x24" or 36"x36" boards containing approximately 50% Terrain. This is to ensure that games stay short and engaging unlike with a larger board.
Buildings
Light Cover
Forest, Jungle, Undergrowth, Barricades, Unmanned Vehicles, etc.
You can build your own terrain if that's your thing, but we highly suggest using things you already have or using play surfaces from other games and from toys. We want you play, not worry about your crafting skills. For a city environment, we suggest using the tiles and buildings from a Dropzone Commander City/Ruinscape. For a jungle environment, we recommend a Children's Playset. There are plenty of digital maps available that you can adapt if you are wanting to play using a VTT.
We suggest drawing or overlaying a 50mm hex grid on top of the terrain (see Rule 4 and Rule 5). This is very simple to do if you are playing using a VTT or with taped down transperency sheets (which also allow you to write on them with wet erase markers).
Rule 3 - Dice
Disrupter is a d100 roll under system (see Rule 7), so it uses a subset of a full Mothership Dice Set.
8 differently colored d100 sets - Blue, Green, Yellow, Purple, Pink, Red, Black, and Ivory
The different colors help yout multiple rolls simultaneously
1 red d20 per player
Rule 4 - Miniatures
Disrupter is designed for use with 10mm miniatures that have been based individually (See Starter Platoon). They are really easy to paint, and we suggest spending as little time as possible painting your miniatures to get on the board. We suggest using white primer and solid color (red and blue) Speedpaint for human miniatures and black primer and metallic (gold and silver) applied via a dry brush (Slap Chop Method) for Bots.
However, we encourage you to re-use miniatures that you already have. It is easy to scale up and down the model size and measurements (see Rule 5). You can use chits, coins, or even meeples. A standard meeple is at a 15mm scale. Get a Platoon on the board!
Basing
We make some unorthodox suggestions about basing, but please use based models that you already have, use movement trays, or move individual Units. Our suggestions for basing seek to make bookkeeping and measurement as simple as possible while playing.
We suggest sticking 50mm flexible steel bases onto 6mm thick black plastic 50mm hex bases. We suggest drilling small holes in the individual Unit bases and then gluing small magnets (3mmx1mm) into the hole. This way, you are able to remove Units from a stand, and they stay in place more solidly than if using a movement tray.
These 50mm hex bases allow you to play on a hex grid, or you can use extra bases as rulers if you are playing using measurement instead of a grid (see Rule 5 - Ruler Distance). The thick plastic base also allows you to label the bases with a code for their team and squad designation, making for easier tracking of Orders (See Rule 9 - Giving Orders) and Wounds (See Rule 6) on your Platoon Card. A paint or white out marker or a label maker work best for this.
For traditional basing, miniatures for Infantry should be based four to a Stand (See Size of Force). You need some way to remove or mark (small rubber bands are recommended) Units when they need to be removed from the Board if you want to use traditional basing.
Rule 5 - Measurement
Movement and Range are indicated in hex measurements (see Rule 4 - Basing).
Range Bands
Ruler Distance
You do not need to play on a hex grid (see (./#rule2)) and Rule 4 - Basing); it is possible to use ruler measurement as well. Measure from the same part of the stand to the same part of the stand (center to center, front to front, etc.) using the following conversion factor. You can use this conversion factor to help you scale up or down your miniatures as well, depending on what you have available to you.
Rule 6 - Stats
All statistics are provided as a percentage likelihood of completing a risky Action (See Rule 7) unless stated otherwise. The maximum level of all Stats is 80% to accomodate for the boost given by Advantage (See Rule 7).
[streamline] All Units only have 1 Wound, regardless of Equipment. This makes the game more lethal, and it means that you no longer need to track Wounds on your Platoon Card.
Rule 7 - Checks and Saves
Success and Failure in disrupter are determined entirely by d100 dice rolls (See Rule 3). Rolling under a Stat leads to Success, rolling at or over a Stat leads to Failure. A roll of 00-0 is the number 0, not 100.
You make an Instinct Check to attempt risky Battlefield Actions (See Rule 16). You make an Armor Save to attempt to avoid being Wounded (See Rule 16 - Firing).
A Critical Success or Critical Failure is rolled when the dice are doubles (11, 22, etc.).
Advantage [+] means to roll twice and take the most favorable result.
Disadvantage [-] means to roll twice and take the least favorable result.
Critical Successes and Critical Failures are always used even with [+] or [-].
Rule 8 - Stress and Panic
Stress is a counter with a maximum of 20 representing the stress levels for each Platoon as a whole.
A Panic Check requires rolling over current Stress with a d20 (See Rule 3) or the rolled effect occurs from the appropriate Panic Table (See Rule 9).
Gain 1 Stress during the Initiative Phase of each Game Turn (See Rule 11)
Gain 1 Stress for every Critical Failure (See Rule 7)
Lose 1 Stress for every Critical Success (See Rule 7)
Gain 1 Stress and make a Platoon Panic Check for every friendly human death
Make a Team Panic Check for each Team within Close Range of a human taken off the board, including the Team with the Wounded soldier
Bots do not Panic (See Rule 9 - Classes)
[streamline] Do not track Stress and conduct Panic Checks.
Rule 9 - Chain of Command
At its heart, Disrupter is a game about managing a chain of Command.
The Commanding Officer (CO) Commands the entire Platoon. There is only one CO per Platoon.
Non-Commisioned Officers (NCOs) Command Squads.
Squads consist of 2-4 Teams, with each Team consisting of 1 Stand or Vehicle (See Rule 4 - Basing).
Every Unit within Close Range of an Officer receives [+] on all Checks and Saves (See Rule 7).
Officers must be a member of a Team or occupy a Vehicle, there are no individual Infantry.
An NCO may assume the role of CO if the CO is incapcitated or killed.
If all Officers for a Platoon are incapcitated or killed that Platoon automatically Surrenders.
See the Blank Platoon Card to better understand the basic structure of a Platoon.
[streamline] Make sure every Team with a human contains at least 1 Officer. Officers act on their own volition, so this eliminates the entire Command aspect of the game, making the game play like a more traditional, direct control wargame. If a Team consists entirely of Bots it still needs to be led by another Team with an Officer. This eliminates the need for written orders (see Rule 9 - Giving Orders). If you combine this with the [streamline] single Wound rule (See Rule 6), your Platoon Card only serves as a reference that you do not have to keep up to date with Current Orders and Wounds.
Classes
There are three Classes of Units that enable the Chain of Command. All Units are equipped with Weaponschosen by each CO during the Intelligence Briefing (See Rule 10). Instinct is determined by class and Wounds (W) and Movement (M) are determined by equipped Armor for humans and model specifications for Bots (See Rule 6).
Officer, I:80
Soldier, I:60
Bot, I:40
Giving Orders
Officers are able to give Orders to lower ranking Officers (CO to NCO) and Soldiers. Orders may be given over the radio. There is no range to radio, and you may assume that every Unit has access to a helmet radio. Orders are short written statements recorded on a Platoon Card. They take the form of a single, direct sentence. Units follow their Orders without deviation with small exceptions for Taking Cover (See Rule 13), avoiding Fire (See Rule 16 - Firing), and returning with Reaction Fire (See Rule 15) for self-defense.
Orders for NCOs should be broad enough to give them the autonomy to complete their outcomes. You are not giving turn-by-turn instructions. Orders for Soldiers should be more specific.
These rules are fuzzy on purpose. Striker takes a lot of space describing what Orders look like, and I think it sucks a lot of the fun out of giving Orders.
Leading
Officers and anyone they Lead are able to freely use Movement Actions (See Rule 14) and Battlefield Actions (See Rule 16). An Officer is able to Lead any Units that are within Close Range (See Rule 5 - Range Bands). Bots are unable to follow Orders and can only be Led. Bots can only Retreat and Take Cover and conduct Reaction Fire (See Rule 15) for self-defense if they are not within Close Range of an Officer ((See Rule 5 - Range Bands)).
Game Structure
Rule 10 - Intelligence Briefing
The Intelligence Briefing functions much like a session zero in a ttrpg. The Intelligence Briefing may take place on the table right before a game, or it can take weeks of negotiation, or anything in between.
The following decisions are first made during the Intelligence Briefing:
The number of players (see Rule 1)
The specific rules being used for the game including the Game Mode
The size and composition of forces, documented on Platoon Cards
The Board (see Rule 2)
Once the structure of the game has been decided, COs (See Rule 9) are able to:
Designate Rally Points on the Board
Create up to four Code Word Commands for Orders for each NCO (See Rule 9 - Orders)
Halt, Rally to specified Rally Point, Retreat (See Panic), and Resume are also default Code Words in addition to CO created orders
Place the Platoon on the Board
Give initial Orders to NCOs and Squads (See Rule 9 - Orders)
Rule 11 - Turn Structure
Every turn of the game consists of an Initiative Phase and an Action Phase. During the Initiative Phase Turn order is decided. During the Action Phase Teams may choose to take a Movement Action followed by a Battlefield Action. Actions must be performed in that order during a Turn.
Intiative Phase
Each Platoon gains 1 Stress (See Rule 8)
Both COs make an Instinct Check (See Rule 7)
Successful NCO goes first
If both are Successful the highest roll goes wins Initiative and goes first
A Critical Success always gives first turn, if both COs roll a Critical Success, the higher roll wins Initiative
If both COs Fail, roll again until someone wins Initiative
[streamline] Conduct this Initiative Check only during the first turn and then use a set turn order
[optional] Resolve: once per game gain [+] on this Instinct Check
All NCOs make an Instinct Check
Successful NCOs are part of Group 1
Failed NCOs are part of Group 2
[streamline] Eliminate this check, all Squads become members of Group 1, simplifying the Turn Structure
Action Phase
Actions take place in the order determined during the Initiative Phase (see Rule 11). Each NCO and the Squad they Command (See Rule 9) must take their actions at the same time during each portion of the Action Phase.
COs
COs take their Actions first.
CO 1 - Movement and Reaction Fire
CO 1 - Battlefield Actions
CO 2 - Movement and Reaction Fire
CO 2 - Battlefield Actions
COs can instead choose to relieve 1 Stress, replacing both their Movement and Battlefield Actions for the turn.
[streamline] COs operate as part of Group 1
Group 1
CO 1 - Group 1 - Movement and Reaction Fire
CO 1 - Group 1 - Battlefield Actions
CO 2 - Group 1 - Movement and Reaction Fire
CO 2 - Group 1 - Battlefield Actions
Group 2
CO 1 - Group 1 - Movement and Reaction Fire
CO 1 - Group 1 - Battlefield Actions
CO 2 - Group 1 - Movement and Reaction Fire
CO 2 - Group 1 - Battlefield Actions
Rule 12 - Line of Sight
Infantry Line of Sight (LOS) is determined by Stand bases (see Rule 4 - Basing).
If you can draw a straight line between any portion of two Stands, there is LOS.
Friendly Stands and Vehicles are ignored as Obstructions.
Facing does not matter for Infantry and the one Vehicle currently in the game (See Vehicles.
Vehicles have different LOS rules than Infantry (See Vehicles
Rule 13 - Cover
Hexes with Light Cover (See Rule 2) allow stands to choose to Take Cover. Taking Cover grants I [-], A [+].
Stands that fire while Under Cover lose Cover.
A stand can Take or Leave cover as a Movement Action (See Rule 14) or as a Battlefield Action (See Rule 16).
Rule 14 - Movement
Movement is conducted by Teams or Vehicles. Not all Teams or Vehicles are required to move (See Rule 9).
A Stand’s Movement is determined by the Unit with the lowest Movement Stat in the Stand (See Rule 6).
Only 1 Team or Vehicle may inhabit a hex.
Teams and Vehicles are able to move through friendly Teams and Vehicles..
All Units have Movement 1 when fording streams or rivers. Units may not otherwise move over water unless otherwise noted by Equipment (See Armor and Bots) or Vehicle specifications.
Vehicles use different Movement rules (See Vehicle Rules)
Rule 15 - Reaction Fire
After each hex or Vehicle Template for Movement (See Vehicle Rules), check if any enemy Teams or Vehicles have LOS on the moving Team or Vehicle.
If an enemy with LOS has orders that indicate they should Fire in that situation, they have not yet Fired during the current Movement Phase, and any of their weapons have range on the moving Team or Vehicle, the enemy must fire on the moving Team or Vehicle. Enemies may use their discretion to Spot Teams or Vehicles or to Fire if they are attempting to stay Under Cover.
Rule 16 - Battlefield Actions
Resolve actions one Team or Vehicle at a time, one Unit at a time. Units must declare targets and the action they will take before resolving actions for the entire Team or Vehicle.
Spotting
You can attempt to Spot an enemy within LOS by making an Instinct Check in order to draw a target out of Cover, paint a target for a missile, or identify a target for a sniper. You can track spotting on the Platoon Card or using markers on the board.
[streamline] All Spotting Checks are automatically Successful.
Firing
Units may choose to Fire on individual Units or a whole Team or Vehicle. Units with multiple Weapons may only use one Weapon per activation.
The attacker must have LOS on the target. The attacker makes an Instinct Check and the target makes an Armor Save (See Rule 7). Use the following table to resolve Fire.
[streamline] Only the currently active Platoon makes Checks and Saves (See Rule 7). They make Armor Saves during Reaction Fire, and they make Instinct Saves when necessary for Combat Actions.
[streamline] [variant] Player Facing Rolls are used. All weapons automatically hit unless the target Successfully makes an Armor Check (See Rule 7). If you combine this with the [streamline] rules to make Spot and Rally Checks automatically Successful (See Rule 16 - Spotting and Rule 16 - Commanding) and eliminate the use of the Slide Movement Template (See Vehicles), you can completely eliminate the use of the Instinct Stat (See Rule 6).
If a whole Team is fired on, only one Armor Save (See Rule 7) is made for all of the Units with the same Armor Stat (See Rule 6).
If multiple Units with the same Instinct Stat (See Rule 6) are firing at the same target only one Instinct Check (See Rule 7) is made. [+] is given to this role if multiple units attack the same target.
The number of Wounds inflicted with a Successful attack is listed for each range for each Weapon.
When Firing on a Team, the total number of Wounds landed is divided evenly amongst the Units in the Team. Randomly assign Wounds if they don’t split evenly.
[streamline] All weapons hit for 1 Wound. This way, you only need the Max Stat (See [Weapons][weapon])to determine if a Weapon hits. If you combine this with the [streamline] rule for all Units to have 1 Wound (See Rule 6), you have a very quickly moving game. If you then use either [streamline] variant for single Checks or Saves to resolve Battlefield Actions, your game has barely any tracking or in-the-moment rules. You can see how much damage your Platoon can take just by looking at the number of Units on the board. This combination of rules is what makes the [streamline] version of Disrupter special.
[mothership] You may use these rules to up the size and scale of encounters in a Mothership game. If you use the [streamline] or [streamline][variant] rules for Battlefield Action Checks, these rules can help you resolve combat with larger numbers of contractors supporting your players. In a normal Mothership game, controlling one PC and one Contractor is about the most one player can track, these rules would let you have your PCs be part of a larger Team or Squad within your Mothership game (See Size of Force). You will still need to roll damage dice rather than consulting the weapon table for damage. You will also want to make sure that the contractors are all equipped with the same weapons and have the same Stats because these rules streamline nothing if everyone has to roll differently.
Rule 16 - Commanding
With one Battlefield Action an Officer can give one set of Orders to a single NCO or Squad (See Rule 9). A CO can give Code Word Orders to as many NCOs as they want with a single Battlefield Action (See Rule 10).
Giving Orders is automatically Successful.
CO orders to NCOs with Code Words are executed immediately (See Rule 10). New CO to NCO orders are executed starting the next turn. All NCO orders to Squads occur immediately.
Officers can attempt to Rally Teams within Close Range (See Rule5) with a Successful Instinct Check (See Rule 6 and Rule 7). Rallying troops brings Routed Teams (See Rule 8 and Panic) under the Command of the Rallying Officer.
[streamline] Rally Checks are automatically Successful. And, if you aren't tracking Stress and making Panic Checks, you will never even need to Rally Teams.
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