Heresy 2.0: Zone Mortalis supplement

[Brofist]

As I'm hosting the ZM event at LVO this year, I've also had to put together an updated rules packet. If you're interested in a slightly better balanced ruleset compared to what we got in the white dwarf, feel free to use the supplement linked here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U6xuspGa8KlSR7dYqIV4Giiig0g9EJPQ/view?usp=sharing

 

Changes compared to the WD rules:

• You get a single T7 model for every 500 points
• Removed non-standard table sizes
• Hard capped reactions to 1 per phase, regardless of any other rules
• All access points must now be designated in such a way that they may be reached from any other access point
• Guided fire cannot be used to make shooting attacks at targets out of line of sight. Instead they make normal attacks.
• Night fighting added, works like in the rulebook except on a 4+ and not a 2+
• For games without ceilings, modified the deep strike assault rules to require concentric circle deployment
• Removed ceiling rolls from missions and moved them into the game 'setup phase' along with placing doors and terrain
• Added square deployment maps based on the ones used for Tactical Strike
• Overwrote the custom mission with missions from the rulebook

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by Brofist

[Ripper.McGuirl]

Awesome!

Great idea to use the Tac Strike maps. I have to go back and look at those rules and see how well they'd work for 2nd.

 

[Brofist]

I think I'll port over the tac strike rules eventually. I feel that the hero roles could probably be dropped in favor of reactions or something. Otherwise they should mostly work I think

[jaxom]

First off, @Brofist, thank you for all the work that goes into the event! I love the passion that goes into HH events, particularly large ones like LVO (vicariously in that case through friends and podcasts - someday, someday) and hope the following may be useful regarding what attendees may end up asking or 'um, actually'-ing, so please don't take the following as a confrontational. [Only after writing all of the following did it occur to me that the rules may have already been posted on the LVO site, if they have, I apologize and feel free to second and third parts]

 

Rules questions:

1. Was the intent of the "For every 500 points (per player), an army may include a single model with a toughness characteristic of 7 or more" bullet point to override the previous bullet? For example, at 500 points I could take one model with T7 or higher even if it were a Monstrous Unit? I ask because off the top of my head I can't think of any T7 units that aren't Dreadnought Unit Type, Automata Unit Type, or the Monstrous Unit Sub-type (other than Primarchs).
    
2. The removal of vertical movement. Is the idea that any smaller obstacles which can also provide cover, like a vertical debris pile up to a models's mid-torso, are non-passable? Or should players/organizers designate them Difficult Terrain to represent that a model can move "up and over" but uses up some movement doing so?
    
3. "Note that an area of Hazardous Terrain does not grant a Cover Save." Is it safe to assume this mean Hazardous Terrain does not inherently grant a cover save, but there may be other terrain features within it that can grant cover saves?
    
4. "Once a model has taken a Hazardous Terrain test for a particular area of Hazardous Terrain, it does not test for that terrain again. However, if the model moves into a different area of Hazardous Terrain, this must be tested for as normal." Is this for a phase, turn, or game? Like, I can park a unit in an area of Hazardous Terrain, do a turn 1 charge, never leave the area and never have to take another Hazardous terrain test for them even if they do a new charge every turn? 
    
5. Under Battles In Zone Mortalis - The Battlefield, is the intent that walls defining corridors and chambers are different from additional terrain and players should try to keep 2” between additional terrain? Or is wall terrain a part of terrain in general and the two inches is for passageway width? If the latter, adding a line about wall continuity ignoring the 2” gap suggestion may be a useful clarification. [Ah, just read through Setting Up Games of Zone Mortalis. See Misc 2]
    
6. Is the inner, 12”-radius circle the deployment zone for side B in the Ambush deployment map?

Misc

1. Considering the nature of Zone Mortalis and the shooting restrictions on Barrage weapons, is there a particular reason to keep Barrage weapons in Zone Mortalis?
    
2. After reading The Battlefield and then Setting Up Games of Zone Mortalis, I recommend re-writing The Battlefield to use the same language as Settung Up Games of Zone Mortalis (e.g. Columns, Walls, and Terrain Pieces rather than areas of terrain). This may help avoid questions like Rules question 5.

Spelling/grammar:

1. I think the Shooting phase reaction (to move when fired upon) is misnamed; Suppress was also the name of the Movement phase reaction.
    
2. Shooting While Within Hazardous Terrain has 'Pimarch' instead of Primarch.
    
3. Special Rules has ‘Noware To Hide’ instead of Nowhere To Hide
    

[Brofist]

Big thanks for the thoughtful and thorough response here, Jaxom! I very much appreciate your help. I've cut an updated version and uploaded it, so if you hit refresh v1.3 should see some stuff fixed.

Honestly I found the 2.0 ZM rules to be a step down in writing quality, especially sections like Hazardous Terrain and Terrain Types. I wanted to avoid a complete rewrite, so tried to have a feather touch where I could instead. You've brought up good conundrums though, and I've tired to address them.

 

Comments are inline.

 

3 hours ago, jaxom said:

First off, @Brofist, thank you for all the work that goes into the event! I love the passion that goes into HH events, particularly large ones like LVO (vicariously in that case through friends and podcasts - someday, someday) and hope the following may be useful regarding what attendees may end up asking or 'um, actually'-ing, so please don't take the following as a confrontational. [Only after writing all of the following did it occur to me that the rules may have already been posted on the LVO site, if they have, I apologize and feel free to second and third parts]

 

Rules questions:

1. Was the intent of the "For every 500 points (per player), an army may include a single model with a toughness characteristic of 7 or more" bullet point to override the previous bullet? For example, at 500 points I could take one model with T7 or higher even if it were a Monstrous Unit? I ask because off the top of my head I can't think of any T7 units that aren't Dreadnought Unit Type, Automata Unit Type, or the Monstrous Unit Sub-type (other than Primarchs).
   Changed the order and reworded the Wounds Characteristic line to flow better.
    
2. The removal of vertical movement. Is the idea that any smaller obstacles which can also provide cover, like a vertical debris pile up to a models's mid-torso, are non-passable? Or should players/organizers designate them Difficult Terrain to represent that a model can move "up and over" but uses up some movement doing so?
   This whole sections kinda sucks. I think the studio's intent is that you can't move over the tops of columns and walls. I've done what I can rewrite this section a bit better and I added a new sections for this specific type of terrain, which was only alluded to before "Miscellaneous Terrain".
    
3. "Note that an area of Hazardous Terrain does not grant a Cover Save." Is it safe to assume this mean Hazardous Terrain does not inherently grant a cover save, but there may be other terrain features within it that can grant cover saves?
   Your guess at the studio's intent is as good as mine. I'm going to make a call and say, this is probably a statement about the Terrain itself. If there are other terrain features in there you should be getting cover saves.
    
4. "Once a model has taken a Hazardous Terrain test for a particular area of Hazardous Terrain, it does not test for that terrain again. However, if the model moves into a different area of Hazardous Terrain, this must be tested for as normal." Is this for a phase, turn, or game? Like, I can park a unit in an area of Hazardous Terrain, do a turn 1 charge, never leave the area and never have to take another Hazardous terrain test for them even if they do a new charge every turn? 
   I honestly really don't like how they wrote the Hazardous Terrain rules. I suspect it should work like Dangerous Terrain and I've reworded to see if it can be more clear.
    
5. Under Battles In Zone Mortalis - The Battlefield, is the intent that walls defining corridors and chambers are different from additional terrain and players should try to keep 2” between additional terrain? Or is wall terrain a part of terrain in general and the two inches is for passageway width? If the latter, adding a line about wall continuity ignoring the 2” gap suggestion may be a useful clarification. [Ah, just read through Setting Up Games of Zone Mortalis. See Misc 2]
   Removed this section and reworded it to be more clear
    
6. Is the inner, 12”-radius circle the deployment zone for side B in the Ambush deployment map?
   Will need to fix in another update. Can't find my original file.

Misc

1. Considering the nature of Zone Mortalis and the shooting restrictions on Barrage weapons, is there a particular reason to keep Barrage weapons in Zone Mortalis?
   I feel the intent of the design team was for it to be usable in games with ceilings, perhaps as future proofing. Your guess is as good as mine :)
    
2. After reading The Battlefield and then Setting Up Games of Zone Mortalis, I recommend re-writing The Battlefield to use the same language as Settung Up Games of Zone Mortalis (e.g. Columns, Walls, and Terrain Pieces rather than areas of terrain). This may help avoid questions like Rules question 5.
   Removed and reworded this section based on this feedback.  Thank you.

Spelling/grammar:

1. I think the Shooting phase reaction (to move when fired upon) is misnamed; Suppress was also the name of the Movement phase reaction.
    
2. Shooting While Within Hazardous Terrain has 'Pimarch' instead of Primarch.
    
3. Special Rules has ‘Noware To Hide’ instead of Nowhere To Hide
   All fixed! Thank you for catching these!
    

 

[Ripper.McGuirl]

Hey there! Just bumping this to say we fiddled with the ZM mission from the WD to make it more to our liking without having to change much else. The changes were:
 

-we placed 4 objectives, one in each quadrant, more or less evenly distributed, before deployment.

-you could claim objectives starting turn 2.

-once you claimed one, it stayed in your control until/unless the opponent claimed it and it flipped to them.

-VPs for control of objectives happened at the end of the game, not every turn.

 

All in all it worked really well. I think Brofist’s packet works better for an event or when you have more people than we do playing more games than us, for sure. But for pick up, one game a week, as few variables as possible so we can squeeze a game in kinda nights, this worked great.

[Brofist]

That's a great scenario for pickup games! I think I'm gonna give it a try. Seems pretty fun and balanced :)

[Ripper.McGuirl]

Yeah, it definitely is more balanced than the printed version. We had a blast, and it was fun trying to balance scoring objectives, protecting objectives, killing enemies who can score, stopping enemies who can kill you, etc etc.

Also it makes just grinding things to a halt and blocking hallways with bodies a legitimate tactic, which I always love.
Oh, we also just extended the danger radius on the dangerous terrain to 2", so you basically couldn't avoid it. You're gonna lose some dudes no matter what!