SGII KRAVAK RULES

By David D. Taylor

Kra’Vak Design Doctrine: The Kra’Vak use a doctrine of a 4 soldier element unit known as a claw. Most fists consist of 2 claws and a commander, with specialist elements consisting of only one claw and commander. The basic Kra’Vak force is based on a fist of two four man claws with a leader. The second claw can function independently as detached units while the Fist Overseer remains with the first claw giving the platoon a very flexible force. It is a matter of pride with most arms that the first combat fist is made up of the oldest and most experienced warriors (veterans). Normally the Last fist is made up of the inexperienced, new recruits (greens). This same convention is used by all platoons with the difference that the power armour and scout recruits have proven themselves in the combat platoon and the lowest rating will be regular with the first squad being elite. The rest of the squads will be veteran.

The standard ground combat arm consists of the command fist, six combat fists, and two augmented weapons fists. It will also have a sniper and a Sia’Na as an independent figure. The Sia’Na will attach themselves to the command fist. Both the standard power armour arm and standard scout arm consist of the command fist and four combat fists. The standard power armour is classed as fast and heavy. The scout arm also is trained to act as forward observers for artillery strikes. They will always have enough Kr’Gak riding beasts attached for every member of the arm. They are trained to fight both from the back of the Kr’Gak and dismounted as dragoons.

It is not uncommon for a combat arm to be mechanized with the addition of 9 Tu’Ha light ICVs. The movement rate of the power armour precludes the need for transport in the combat arena, and the stealth benefits of the Kr’Gak would be undermined by having vehicles attached to them. There may also be one or two Ha’Iv main battle tanks and as much as a fist of Sia’Kol Infantry Walker infantry walkers.

The basic rifle for the Kra’Vak foot soldier is the Ra’Sak gauss rifle. This weapon is configured to fire shot bursts of up to four 4-mm sabots at very high velocity. The limit is to prevent a soldier in the grips of Ro’Kah from emptying the weapon in a single uncontrolled burst. In game terms it is a firepower 2 impact D12 weapon.

The Da’Sak Gauss Machine Gun is a larger, fully automatic weapon firing an 8mm armour piercing sabot. It is often used with a giro-stabilized frame. It is a support firepower D10 impact D12 weapon.

The Va’Sak gauss tank killer is the standard anti-armour weapon. It consists of 3 fixed barrels and a fourth sabot in a chamber in the center of the weapon that is cycled into the first chamber after it is fired. The sabot is a 40mm ferrous iron jacketed spent uranium armour piercing shell with a shaped charge behind it to drive it further into the target upon impact. In game terms it as a 4 shot IAVR firepower D10 impact D12* weapon. While the weapon cannot be reloaded on the battlefield it is not considered disposable and is carried with the soldier for as long as is possible. For long term deployments extra, loaded Va’Saks can be carried in the Tu’Ha and can be exchanged by spending an action in contact with the ICV.

The general sniper rifle in use is the Ki’Sak. It is a single shot gauss rifle firing a 25mm armour-piercing sabot. Support firepower D10 impact D12

Independent Characters

Sia’Na: The presence of a Sia’Na on the battlefield can have a calming effect to all the forces on the field. Like a command unit a Sia’Na can pass his activation on to other units. Like a command unit his one activation will give the next unit two actions. The limitations is that they can only be used to take a morale check or pass on down the line. A failed check in this action will not negatively affect the squad’s morale. The normal morale check will still risk lowering the morale as per the normal rules. The squad can improve its morale 2 levels by passing both tests. It is possible to have more then one Sia’Na attached to a platoon for special operations. Because of the rarity of the Sia’Na it is all but unheard of to have one attached to each fist. To do so for one Arm would use more then half the available Sia’Nas for the entire body.

Sniper: The sniper is always an Elite. The need for them to work alone, close to or behind, the enemy lines requires they have the greatest possible control over Ro’Kah.

Confidence Levels:

At Confident (CO) a unit may make any actions that are normally available to it.

At STEADY (ST) they are unable to transfer actions.

At SHAKEN (SH) a unit may not enter cover or retreat from an enemy unless it passes a REACTION TEST.

At BROKEN (BR) a unit must use one of its actions to advance towards the nearest enemy. They may not go into position. If they are fired upon they we immediately drop to routed.

At ROUTED (RO) the unit must use both its actions to attempt to close assault the nearest enemy unit. If they fail both reactions tests passed from a Sia’Na they will close assault the nearest unit regardless if it’s friend or foe. If the Sia’Na that transferred the action is within close assault range they will assault that unit even if there is one closer.

Kra’Vak Physiology

Zha’Vak has a very thin ozone layer, as a result the Kra’Vak are much less susceptible to radiation then humans. The low level radiation from spent uranium munitions as well as low level dirty nukes do not have any major effect on them.

The Kra’Vak Physiology is somewhat redundant. With the exception of the brain they have at least 2 organs to perform every task. This mixed with a dermis that is on average two to three times tougher then a human’s and you have a very tough creature. Even though they wear Partial Light armour they are considered Full-Suit Light armour (D8).

The Kra’Vak hip and knee joint does not allow it to sit in what humans would consider a comfortable position. In their resting state they crouch. The seating in all vehicles is similar to a high performance motorcycle with the addition of a padded plate to rest their chest on. There are also braces on the calf and the small of the back to hold them in place during zero-g or rough maneuvering.

Progression of Command Levels:

• Team = Claw
• Squad = Fist
• Platoon = Arm
• Company = Body
• Battalion = War Family
• Regiment = War Clan

Basic Ground Combat Arm: (Normal Troops on Foot: movement 6)
Command Fist: (9 men at full strength)

• Arm Overseer with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
  • First Claw
    • Claw Overseer with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Communications Specialist with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
  • Second Claw
    • Claw Overseer with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Da’Sak Gauss Machine Gunner

The command Fist has a sniper with a Ki’Sak gauss sniper rifle and a Sia’Na with Ra’Sak gauss rifle attached.

Basic Combat Fist: (9 men at full strength)

• Fist Overseer with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
  • First Claw
    • Claw Overseer with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Da’Sak Gauss Machine Gunner
  • Second Claw
    • Claw Overseer with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Va’Sak Gauss Tank Killer

Augmented Weapons Fist: (9 men at full strength)

• Fist Overseer with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
  • First Claw
    • Claw Overseer with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Da’Sak Gauss Machine Gunner \
    • Da’Sak Gauss Machine Gunner
    • Da’Sak Gauss Machine Gunner
  • Second Claw
    • Claw Overseer with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Va’Sak Gauss Tank Killer
    • Va’Sak Gauss Tank Killer
    • Va’Sak Gauss Tank Killer

Power armour Arm (Fast Power armour: Movement 12)
Command Fist: (5 men at full strength)

• Arm Overseer
  • Claw
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with MLP and with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Communications Specialist with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Da’Sak Gauss Machine Gunner

Powered Combat Fist: (5 men at full strength)

• Fist Overseer with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
  • Claw
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with MLP and with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Da’Sak Gauss Machine Gunner

Scout Arm (Very Light Troops: Movement 8)
Command Fist: (5 men at full strength)

• Arm Overseer with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
  • Claw
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Communications Specialist with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
  • Five Kr’Gak Riding Beasts Attached (Movement 10)

Scout Combat Fist: (5 men at full strength)

• Fist Overseer
  • Claw
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
    • Rifleman with Ra’Sak gauss rifle
  • Five Kr’Gak Riding Beasts Attached

Kra’Vak Vehicles:
The basic design doctrine is very simple; vehicles are designed to fit a specific role as well as possible. The idea is to mix different specialized vehicles to best meet any eventuality. A commander can achieve great renowned by coming up with unusual ways to combine resource to accent the unit’s strengths and overcome its limits.
Sia’Kol Infantry Walker
The Sia’Kol is unusual in that it is a 6 legged walker. It is usually meant to fill the place of the Tu’HA for the Power armoured fists. It is also the only vehicle in common use that is not GRAV based. (I use a Reaper CAV scorpion figure)
Class 1 Vehicle, Infantry Walker Mobility, Armour Value 1, 1x Class 2 Gauss Cannon in Fixed Mount, Gauss Machine Gun (SAW)
Tu’Ha light ICV
This is the standard workhorse of the Kra’Vak mechanized infantry. It is meant to support the disembarked infantry agents other foot soldiers and has a very limited anti-vehicle capability. The 10-man capacity allows for the addition of a sniper or other Independent Character. If there is no 10th soldier then the space can be used to carry 2 extra Va’Sak Gauss Tank Killers. The Va’Sak soldier must spend an action in contact with the back of the vehicle with the vehicle stopped to swap weapons.
Class 3 Vehicle, Armour Value 3, Grav Mobility, 10 Units of Infantry Transport, 2x Class 1 Gauss Cannon in Turret Mount
Ha’Iv main battle tanks
This is the most common Kra’Vak vehicle seen on the battlefield. It is a very capable tank mounting a very large main gun. It suffers in that it does not have the flexibility to adapt to changes in the battlefield that some human designs have. This can be seen as a limit with most of the Kra’Vak vehicles.
Class 3 Vehicle, Armour Value 3, Grav Mobility, 1x Class 5 Gauss Cannon in Turret Mount

‘We Believe A Xenomorph May Be Involved…’

Rules for Ripley’s Nightmares in Stargrunt II.
Written by Brian Burger, June 2001

The aliens of the ‘Alien’ movie series are many people’s favourite nasty bugs; this is an attempt to portray them in Ground Zero Games’ Stargrunt II.

General: The aliens are best played by a referee, with players taking the roles of terrorized colonists and/or hapless Marines. To get the right feel, the playing area should be very tight, either the corridors and ducts of a base or building, or a heavily urbanized zone; any playing area should have lots of hiding places, nooks and crannies for slavering alien beasties to hide in.

The Xenomorphs: These seem to come in a variety of forms, probably representing different maturity levels of the organism.

• Small Hunters: Probably immature forms of the Hunter xenomorph. Movement 8″ or d8x2/Armour d6/Close Assault d8.
• Hunters: Larger, faster, more dangerous mature forms of xenomorph. Move 10″ or d10x2/Armour d8/Close Assault d10.
• Queens: Very large, incredibly dangerous breeding form, rarely seen (thankfully). Move 10″ or d10x2/Armour d12/CA d12x2.
• ‘Facehuggers’: The larval, active breeding form of the xenomorph, given their unofficial name for their habit of attaching to victim’s faces before inserting an egg down the victim’s throat. Facehuggers die after inserting this egg, and gestation time is unknown at this time. If the facehugger’s ‘CA’ roll succeeds, one member of the target squad is hugged, and is counted as untreated wounded. Move Special/Armour n/a/CA d12.

Special Morale: Aliens always count as Elite 1 for all leadership checks; note that the CA die is usually different, which is not usual SG2 practice. Further, aliens count as High Mission Motivation at all times, and when an alien squad is activated they get one free Clear Suppression roll, in addition to the usual two actions.

In Close Assault, zenomorphs count as 3x their own numbers for determining Confidence Checks. Queens always cause checks at +2, regardless of the numbers involved.

If zenomorphs loose 50% or more of their unit in one attack, they will fall back as soon as they are able.

Extra Morale Rules for Humans:

Panic: Zenomorphs cause Panic checks when first seen by Untrained, Green and Regular troops; if Panic is caused it is treated a bit differently from regular Panic, as follows: if a unit Panics when confronted or attacked by xenomorphs, it will flee, not instantly freeze. The unit will make one Combat Move back along the route it has been following, or directly away from the oncoming xenomorph unit. After this panicked movement, the squad will freeze in place, and be subject to all the usual Panic rules as laid out in the SG2 rules. Note that this check will take place during a CA run by xenomorphs, if that is the first sighting; this may make it impossible for the squad to make it’s usual rolls to stand and receive the assault.

New/Adapted Morale & Reaction Tests:

• squad attacked unsuccessfully by facehugger: Threat +1
• squad attacked successfully by facehugger: Threat +2
• first sighting/attack by xenomorphs, including facehuggers: Panic Check for Untrained, Green & Reg squads.
• All other checks in SG2 apply.

Have fun, and remember… “It’s a bug hunt.”

Copyright Brian Burger, 2001.

If you want more information on the movies, thank the IMDB: Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Alien3 (1992), Alien: Resurrection (1997). There are persistant rumours about “Alien 5”, but nothing concrete yet, as far as I know.