Only War RPG Rogal Dorn Tank

[Karack Blackstone]

Hello group, how are you doing?

 

My post is as per the title, how might you, dear reader, come up with the Rogal Dorn Tank for the Only War RPG?

 

My hope is to see what it could look like, as the RPG predates the Tank kit and its rules, thus it wasn't an option yet.

 

Still, please, weigh in and see what you think! I'm curious as to what it might look like, especially since it's pretty clearly a solid tank, just, how to make it balanced is the question.

 

Thanks for looking in advance, and please, let's see if we can make a fully functional and fun to play Rogal Dorn Tank!

 

My initial takeaway for the tank is halfway between a Leman Russ and a Baneblade, however, that's often easier said than done!

[Xin Ceithan]

Welcome to the Nook! 
 

I’m afraid Only War happens to be the only game in the FFG 40K range I’ve never played and so I can’t offer anything on the crunch / rule side.

 

But I agree that there are several interesting things which appeared in the lore after FFG stopped the Range that I’d love to see adapted to use in an RPG and I’m always in support of people who are enthusiastic enough to put the work in !

 

So thank you for sharing and I am looking forward to see more in our little part of the woods! 

[Mazer Rackham]

Appreciate you reposting here, Karack, and as Xin says, I know you're an old hand, but welcome to the new shed. 

 

I agree. I think the half-way house is the best way to go, although someone might have to do some mathhammer to balance out the books between BB and LR. I take it this is going to be for a tank crew, or the players are all going to fill the roles in a tank regiment?

[Trokair]

Bearing mind that I have not played Only War yet and my experience is limited to one character generation and the inherent similarities between it and the other FFG games my first thought was to look at the Land Raider stats and replace the transport capacity and guns with appropriate IG guns such as from a Leman Russ.

 

While the Rogal does seem to fit into the heavier than Leman lighter than Baneblade slot I think it is closer to the Leman end of that scale, hence why the Land Raider comes to mind.

 

Dose Only War have rules for Malcador? As I think they are similar in size to the Rogal and as they where original a forge world kit they might have been around long enough to feature in older works.

[Mazer Rackham]

8 hours ago, Trokair said:

While the Rogal does seem to fit into the heavier than Leman lighter than Baneblade slot I think it is closer to the Leman end of that scale, hence why the Land Raider comes to mind.

 

Never thought of comparing to a Land Raider, that's a great idea.

Edited October 14 by Mazer Rackham

[Karack Blackstone]

Halfway house and lean towards a Land Raider sort of take, maybe slightly less? Could work!

[Mazer Rackham]

I'll post up the rules and gubbins below. This should be board appropriate, since you need a copy of the main RB's in order to make anything of the profiles below. The physical, siloed profiles will make it easier for folks without the books to contribute from TT knowledge.

 

Land Raider (Deathwatch, Rites of Battle):

 

Spoiler

Type: Ground Vehicle

Tactical Speed: 15 m
Cruising Speed: 70 kph

Manoeuvrability: +0
Structural Integrity: 95

Size: Enormous
Armour: Front 50, Side 50, Rear 50
Crew: Driver, Commander

Carrying Capacity: 12 Space Marines or equivalent cargo.
Renown: Distinguished

 

Weapons:
Turret-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters (Front/Side, Range 150m, Heavy, –/–/10, 2d10+10 X, Pen 6, Clip 400, Tearing, Twin-linked)
Two sponson-mounted twin-linked Lascannons (Front,
Sides, Rear, Range 300m, Heavy, S/–/–, 6d10+10 E, Pen 10, Clip 30, Twin-linked)

 

Special Rules:

Reinforced Hull: When a vehicle with a Reinforced Hull receives a Critical Hit, halve the results, rounding up. This does not affect rolls on the Critical Hit chart generated by Righteous Fury.

 

Leman Russ (Only War, Core):
 

Spoiler

Type: Tracked Vehicle

Tactical Speed: 12 m
Cruising Speed: 35 kph

Manoeuvrability: –10
Structural Integrity: 55

Size: Massive
Armour: Front 40, Side 32, Rear 20
Vehicle Traits: Enclosed, Reinforced Armour, Rugged, Tracked Vehicle
Crew: 1 Commander (Turret), 1 Driver, 1 Gunner (Turret), 1 Loader/Gunner (Turret/Hull Weapon), 2 additional Gunners (Sponsons; if taken)
Carrying Capacity: None

 

Weapons:
Turret-mounted Battle Cannon (750m; S/–/–; 3d10+10 X; Pen 8; Clip 12; Reload 3 Full; Blast [10], Concussive [3], Reliable)
Hull-mounted weapon (choose one of the following):
• Heavy Bolter (Front Facing; 150m; –/–/6; 1D10+8 X; Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing)
• Lascannon (Front Facing; 300m; S/–/–; 5d10+10 E; Pen 10; Clip 30; Reload 2 Full; Proven [3])
• Heavy Flamer (Front Facing; 30m; S/–/–; 1d10+5 E; Pen 4; Clip 20; Reload 2 Full; Flame, Spray)

 

Options
The Leman Russ may take two Sponson-mounted weapons (choose one of the following):
• 2 Heavy Bolters (Left Facing/Right Facing; 150m; –/–/6; 1D10+8 X; Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing)
• 2 Heavy Flamers (Left Facing/Right Facing; 30m; S/–/–; 1d10+5 E; Pen 4; Clip 20; Reload 2 Full; Flame, Spray)
• 2 Plasma Cannons (Left Facing/Right Facing; 120m; S/–/–; 2d10+10 E; Pen 8; Clip 32; Reload 5 Full; Blast [1], Maximal, Overheat)

 

The Leman Russ may take one Pintle-mounted weapon mounted atop the turret (choose one of the following):
• Heavy Stubber (100m; –/–/8; 1d10+4 I; Pen 3; Clip 80; Reload 2 Full)
• Storm Bolter (90m; S/2/4; 1d10+5 X; Pen 4; Clip 60; Reload Full; Storm, Tearing)

 

I've added the Vanquisher equipment here due to a suggestion I made in the other thread about upgrading the LR's main gun:

 

Weapons
Turret-mounted Vanquisher Cannon (900m; S/–/–; 3d10+5 X; Pen 16; Clip 6; Reload 2 Full; Accurate)

 

(It is the!!!!) Baneblade:

 

Spoiler

Type: Tracked Vehicle

Tactical Speed: 8 m
Cruising Speed: 25 kph

Manoeuvrability: –30
Structural Integrity: 120 Size: Monumental
Armour: Front 45, Side 38, Rear 30
Vehicle Traits: Command and Control, Damage Control, Enclosed, Ponderous, Reinforced Armour, Super-Heavy, Tracked Vehicle
Crew: 1 Commander (Turret), 1 Driver, 5 Gunners (Turret/Demolisher cannon/Hull heavy bolter turret/both sponsons),
2 Loaders (Turret/Demolisher cannon). Baneblades usually have a dedicated comms-operator and sometimes have an Enginseer as part of their crew.
Carrying Capacity: None

 

Weapons:
Turret-mounted Baneblade Cannon (750m; S/–/–; 3d10+15 X; Pen 10; Clip 12; 3 Full; Blast [12], Concussive [3], Reliable) with Co-Axial mounted M34 Auto-cannon
(300m; S/3/–; 3d10+8 I; Pen 6; Clip 20; 2 Full; Ogryn-Proof, Reliable)
Hull-mounted Demolisher Cannon (Front Facing; 50m; S/–/–; 4d10+20 X; Pen 10; Clip 2; Reload Full; Blast [10], Concussive [3])
Turret-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolter (150m;–/–/6; 1D10+8 X; Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing, Twin-Linked).

 

Options:
The Baneblade may take one Pintle mounted weapon mounted atop the turret (choose one of the following):
Heavy Stubber (100m; –/–/8;1d10+4 I; Pen 3; Clip 80; Reload 2 Full)
Storm Bolter (90m; S/2/4; 1d10+5 X; Pen 4; Clip 60; Reload Full; Storm, Tearing)

2 Sponson-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters (Left Facing/Right Facing; 150m; –/–/6; 1D10+8 X; Pen 5; Clip 60; Reload Full; Tearing,
2 Turret-mounted Lascannons (300m; S/–/–; 5d10+10 E; Pen 10; Clip 30; Reload 2

 

Should provide something fudgeable from all that....

 

Is it a singular tank? Something like 'Old Number 10' from Angel of Fire?

Edited October 15 by Mazer Rackham

[Lysimachus]

Very interesting. The idea that a Land Raider is somewhere in between the 2 IG tanks doesn't really bear out in terms of stats? I'd say it's substantially better in some ways! (AV50 all around and way more manoeuvrable, not much lower SI than the Baneblade either?)

 

That makes sense as Astartes vehicles are supposed to be generally superior in design and construction materials/methods.

 

I don't really know a lot about the Rogal Dorn in fluff terms - is it supposed to be particularly more high tech or well built than other IG tanks? If not, I'd consider cutting the LR out of the mix, and just doing something that is midway between the Russ and the Baneblade?

 

 

[Trokair]

Not to up to date on the lore behind the Rogal either (despite having one) but I was in part going of table top stats where the Land Raider and Rogal are very similar (the Rogal actually has two more wounds than the Raider). Now the raider has better crew stats, is more compact and has a transport capacity, so it is still better all around, but from a defensive stat side very similar.

 

With the more fine detail stats in the FFG games there is more room for nuances and so on (for example both Russ and Raider had AV14 on the front in older edition but a 10 point difference in armour value here (based on Mazer’s post above)), so perhaps downsizing a Baneblade/upsising a Russ is a better approach.

 

 

I think anything that ends up looking ball park right(ish) is likely to be fine and as it is the GM who will be presenting it to the players they will likely just roll with it (or in it?).

 

Edited October 15 by Trokair

[Mazer Rackham]

This was my initial pitch, but obviously here there are more eyes on it.

• Baseline Leman Russ
• AV +10 to Front, +5 Side, +5 Rear
• Structural Integrity +10/+15
• Double Battle Cannon RD variant maybe add Twin-Linked?
• Oppressor Cannon = Vanquisher cannon, but Range 1k, Pen 20
• I think the other guns are in the other Splatbooks
• Size + 1 Step from Leman Russ
• Manoeuvre -20/-25
• Crew 7?

Thoughts?

Edited October 15 by Mazer Rackham

[Karack Blackstone]

I'd figure that Mazer's approach may prove best.

 

The Oppressor is a bigger and meaner Battle Cannon, however, maybe another d10 to damage, or two, and +1 or +2 to damage would work better?

 

The various other guns and what not are scattered around in the various books, so it'd all make sense in its own right.

 

I had figured that as far as Crew would go, using Variant pattern tanks, for a Regiment I've worked on off and on over the past and time, the baseline crew totals for the tanks listed are:

 

(All are Variant patterns, however, should provide a ballpark:)

• Chimera, 4 Crew
• Leman Russ, 8 Crew
• Rogal Dorn, 12 Crew
• Baneblade, 16 Crew

These all use an Enginseer equivalent crewmember, with base crew being 3, 7, 11, and 15 respectively. The same Regimental pattern is used in all posts, so it's pretty easy to mix and match, just changing out what MOS would be considered, although, of note, the entire idea is something called Sidearm where active skills can be rotated out, or at least, all Guardsmen from this Regiment are trained in Engineering / Tech as well as other bog standard stuff.

 

I can eventually post the Regimental Doctine and Patterns template, although after all this time it's worth noting that it's possibly useless without more context, and would likely require its own thread.

[Mazer Rackham]

I threw a quick look at Lexicanum, which points to the crew being 9, so that would make a crew of 8, with the ninth being the Adept? Also mentioned it's pretty cramped in there, but has room for water heater and essential brew/ration kit.

 

Might have to revise the armour a bit, possibly to F: 43, S: 35, R: 25. That should balance it a bit better. SI: 90 would bounce up the durability without undercutting the Baneblade - speaking of which, here's a side-by-side on the main guns.

 

LR: Turret-mounted Battle Cannon (750m; S/–/–; 3d10+10 X; Pen 8; Clip 12; Reload 3 Full; Blast [10], Concussive [3], Reliable)

LR/V: Turret-mounted Vanquisher Battle Cannon (900m; S/–/–; 3d10+5 X; Pen 16; Clip 6; Reload 2 Full; Accurate)

BB: Turret-mounted Baneblade Cannon (750m; S/–/–; 3d10+15 X; Pen 10; Clip 12; Reload 3 Full; Blast [12], Concussive [3], Reliable)

LR/D: Turret-mounted Demolisher Cannon (50m; S/–/–; 4d10+20 X; Pen 10; Clip 2; Reload Full; Blast [10], Concussive [3])

 

That's interesting. With the V/BC you've got Accurate as well, I didn't spot that the first time around, and it's faster to load. So the Oppressor then, shouldn't be bigger or better than the B/BC to outshine it, but it has advantages which should make it appropriately formidable.

 

Oppressor Cannon: (900m; S/–/–; 3d10+12 X; Pen 14; Clip 8; Reload 3 Full; Blast [10], Concussive [3], Reliable)

Twin Turret Mounted Battle Cannon: (750m; S/–/–; 3d10+10 X; Pen 8; Clip 12; Reload 3 Full; Blast [10], Concussive [3], Reliable, Twin-linked)

 

So we've got a main gun with good stand-off, but lacking the specialised gun accuracy of the V/BC, with a punch above the LR/BC and a slight detraction of a smaller magazine to account for the extra range and Penetrator capability - the weapon also improves on the thunderous concussive punishment of the other analogues to live up to it's name of Oppressor. Whilst this doesn't enhance the lethality of the vehicle, it does improve the qualities required of an Infantry-supporting tank, pinning or stunning the enemy and allowing the grunts to advance.

 

Obviously the hardpoints for extra weapons are self-evident, with the addition of an extra pintle-mounted heavy stubber on the turret.

 

The Tank may also be fitted with a smaller variant of the Demolisher Cannon, the 'Pulveriser Cannon'.

 

Hull-mounted Pulveriser Cannon: (50m; S/–/–; 3d10+20 X; Pen 10; Clip 2; Reload Full; Blast [6], Concussive [3])

 

A reduced Damage/Blast value to reflect a smaller bore size. This turns it from a proper siege gun into a stout siege mortar, retaining the effect of its purpose whilst also reducing the overall power but retaining a comparable firepower so that the main gun remains the main gun.

Edited October 20 by Mazer Rackham
Updated with new weapon stats

[Karack Blackstone]

On the Pulveriser Cannon, I'd figure Clip 4, Blast 8, or maybe 7? If you think it's small enough, 6 makes sense. It'd be pretty easy to overdo it, so being careful is key. I'd honestly be curious what the stats are in the Codex, so I will check. If it's Small Blast, 6 makes sense; however, if it's Large Blast, or equivalent, just double it and call it done. I'll be looking it up in the IG / AM Codex shortly, as I'm curious as to what it might be.

 

Otherwise, this looks like a good workup, and makes pretty good sense overall. Just a bit unsure on the aforementioned Pulveriser Cannon, as it's got too small a Clip for me, maybe 4 or 6, which would give it a bit more. I'd rather have at least 6, given a normal WH40K game is six turns, however, that's at least up in the air, although the main guns being big and in the turret at least make sense.

 

I'd also figure that the turret space at least allows for more rounds / magazines, which would mean a reload method, or one or two loaders to handle the magazines between reloads for those. I'd wager ten magazines per tank to make it easy, which would put things into pretty good perspective overall. Just gotta finagle the reload of each mag into the gun.

 

Edit:

 

Oppressor Cannon should also be Concussive 3.

 

Edit 2:

 

In the modern rules,

- The Oppressor is Strength 12, AP -2, 3 Damage, and I didn't check the Hits roll yet.

- The Pulveriser Cannon is Strength 9, AP -3, 3 Damage, same for the hits roll, will check later.

- The Twin Battlecannon is Strength 10, AP -1, 3 Damage, and will check the hits roll to determine the equivalent blast size.

 

So, basically, if the overall translation is where I think it is, the breakdown is as follows:

 

• Oppressor Cannon - 3d10 + 15, Concussive 3, rest same
• Pulveriser Cannon - 3d10 + 20, rest same

 

I can treat the magazines of the variant tanks I have in mind as different, as it makes more sense to translate it for myself that way.

Edited October 19 by Karack Blackstone

[Mazer Rackham]

Only one way to round it all off - playtest!

 

Kaboom!

[Karack Blackstone]

Oppressor Cannon as 3d10 +12 works, can't edit the above post successfully to make the change.

[Mazer Rackham]

No sweat, updated.

 

At this point, further posts will just be errata on the playtesting.

 

What about the AV/SI/Size etc?

Edited October 20 by Mazer Rackham

[Karack Blackstone]

I figure if that's halfway between a Baneblade and Leman Russ it's fine, as that is where it should be.

[Mazer Rackham]

Here we go - should be suitable.

 

Please note as I am gearing up for a campaign, and am very busy otherwise, I'll have to pass it into your (and the other Nookies') keeping for going forward.

 

If you do make errata/notices etc, feel free to amend and update as you require, and we can keep on top of it.

 

Hope it's useful!

 

Edited October 20 by Mazer Rackham