THE PLAYING OF THE GAME
The game system itself is so simple that it can be explained in one sentence :If you have more GO’s, you win. The entire game mechanics are a comparison of how many GO’s a character can generate with the dice he is able to roll based on his skills and aptitudes. Everything else is just details.TIME SCALE: The scale of the game is mostly in units players are familiar with: Hours, days, weeks and so forth. The only new unit is the combat turn, known simply as a turn. This is about six seconds of normal time, and ten of them together make a minute. The combat turn is used when seconds count, like in combat or when characters are fleeing the blast radius of an exploding satchel charge.
In a non-combat setting, normal time scales are used. If the characters are going to do something that takes a long time but takes little description (learning a new skill, walking 100km through friendly territory) the GM might simply tell them that several days or weeks have passed and their objective is accomplished.
DISTANCE SCALE: Distances in the game are measured in metric, usually meters or kilometers, though a character’s height is measured in centimeters.
WEIGHT SCALE: Weights are measured in grams and kilograms. Liquids are measured in liters. Four liters per gallon is a rough conversion.
THE COMBAT SYSTEM
Normally, a skill is used in whatever time scale seems appropriate (minutes for climbing up a rope, hours for open heart surgery). When the bullets start flying, everything changes. INITIATIVE: The first thing that changes is that everyone’s actions are not occurring at the same time. Actions take place in order from the most skilled characters to the least skilled characters. If a character has three dice in a skill acts after a character with four dice in a skill. For characters with equal dice in the appropriate skill, the character with the higher aptitude acts first.So how do you determine which skill to use when determining who acts first? Characters use the skill they are currently using in combat. If the character is firing a rifle, he uses his Small Arms skill. If he is trying to kick an opponent in the groin, he uses his Combatives skill. Some skills give a character an advantage to the character in initiative. The rule of thumb is, gun and projectile skills act before hand-to-hand skills and characters with hand-to-hand weapons act before characters using Combatives with no weapon (fist vs. baseball bat) and any combat skill acts before non-combat skills. Armed beats unarmed in every case: A character with two green dice in Combatives but armed with a club acts before an unarmed character with five red dice in Combatives. Use of Hooah dice DOES count as additional dice in the skill for purposes of initiative.[13]
HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT: When two characters are within a few feet of each other (about a meter), they may engage in Hand-to-Hand combat. The Combatives skill is the skill that controls this combat type. The sequence of events for Hand-to-Hand combat is as follows. The character with the initiative rolls his dice in combatives, totaling the number of GO’s he has rolled. The defender rolls the appropriate number of dice in his Combatives skill to defend against the attacker’s GO’s (unlike in most other situations where the Dodge skill is used). If the defender has rolled the same or greater number of GO’s then the attack fails (he gets out of the way, blocks the blows or just tenses his gut and takes the punch). If the attacker beats his opponent by one or more GO’s, he has hit his opponent and can cause one of many effects, depending on how many GO’s over his opponent’s he rolls. After any effects are applied, the loser of the initiative becomes the attacker and the winner becomes the defender.
EFFECTS OF A SUCCESSFUL ATTACK-
The damage rating of a Hand-to-Hand attack is determined by two factors: How strong a character is and how skilled a character is. The Brawn aptitude determines the base DR: 0 for an aptitude of inferior, 1 for average and 2 for superior. Added to this is the number of GOs the attack beats the defense roll of the victim by. The total is the DR that the victim must resist with his toughness. The number that the victim misses the roll vs. his toughness gives the following results:
TOUGHNESS ROLL OVER DR-No effect, attack is shaken off instantly (my mother hits harder than that)
TIE-Victim is scuffed up a bit. Lose one die from next non-defense roll (good jab to the nose, punch to the gut).
MISSED BY ONE GO-Victim is stunned by the hit. He loses his attack this turn if he has not acted yet, and his attack next turn. His defense is not affected (right hook to the jaw, elbow to the solar plexus)
MISSED BY TWO GO’s: Victim is stunned as above, plus he loses one die from each of his skills for the next ten minutes due to the lingering effect of the pounding he has received. At the players option, his target is disarmed instead. If the character’s background supports skills of this nature, the character may be ruled to have thrown his victim, requiring the thrown character to get up next turn instead of attacking (knee to the groin, uppercut to the jaw).
MISSED BY THREE GO’s: Victim is knocked unconscious for ten minutes and will have the lingering effect as above for ten minutes after regaining consciousness (solid kick to the head, elbow to the solar plexus, chair over the head).
MISSED BY FOUR GO’s: Victim is knocked unconscious for three hours and is treated as wounded (broken bones, bruised internal organs).
MISSED BY FIVE GO’s: Victim is rendered combat ineffective by the attack and will not regain consciousness without medical aid (beaten half to death).
MISSED BY SIX OR MORE GO’s: Victim is killed instantly by the attack (beaten all the way to death).
At three GOs over or higher level, the player is encouraged to come up with a colorful description of how he defeated his opponent ("I plant my knee viciously into the UN thug’s groin and then throw him into the dumpster" would be a good description of beating him by 3 or 4, for example).
There are generally only two ways to gain the higher effects like rendering an opponent combat ineffective or dead. A character can use Hooah dice to increase his dice, or he can use a heavy object to bash his opponent. A normal club, like a pistol butt or nightstick, adds one die to a character’s attack. A large blunt instrument, like a sledgehammer, adds two dice to a character’s attack.
If the attacker is armed with a small bladed or pointed weapon, the damage rating is 2 plus the rating for his DR for Brawn (for example, if the character has an average Brawn, the DR of his knife is 3) but nothing is added to his dice to attack. Larger pointed and sharp weapons (machete, sword, axe) are DR 3 plus Brawn and add one to the dice in the attack because of reach and intimidation factor. As you can see a knife added into a brawl can make a lethal difference. Knife fights and the like are to be avoided if at all possible!
One final note, if a character is wearing armor in the spot hit by a fist or knife, the full protective value of the armor is used. This can make a fatal stab merely an uncomfortable poke.
RANGED COMBAT: Most combat in "Live Free or Die" will be ranged combat. Fire fights, ambushes and sniping being the most common way of characters to show their displeasure with their enemies. Ranged combat is handled almost the same way Hand-to-Hand combat is. Characters compare their initiative and act in initiative order, firing weapons at available targets.RANGE: Combat takes place at several ranges-Point Blank, Close, Near, Far, and Sniping/Heavy range.
POINT BLANK-Hand to Hand range or within one meter. Most firearms will not miss at this range.
CLOSE RANGE-Within ten meters. A character can throw a knife or other small object at this range. Characters will find it easy to hit a target with a firearm at this range.
NEAR RANGE-Within range of a pistol or thrown grenade (under 50 meters). This is the range of pistols, shotguns and submachine guns. Many ambushes occur at this range. Rifle armed characters will find it easy to hit available targets at this range.
FAR RANGE-This is standard rifle range (50-250 meters) and many firefights occur at this range.
SNIPING/HEAVY RANGE-Only characters armed with sniping rifles or heavy weapons can hit a target at this range (from 250 to over 1000 meters).
THE BASICS: In ranged combat, the attacker rolls the appropriate number of dice for his ranged combat skill, and then the defender rolls the appropriate number of dice for his dodge skill. If the attacker rolls at least one GO more than his target, the attack has hit. The defender then rolls his dice in toughness against the Damage Rating (DR) of the weapon and suffers whatever effect the dice call for. If, on the other hand, the defender rolls at least as many GOs as the attacker, the attack misses and the combat continues. This is the basics. Other factors to consider are...
NOT BECOMING A TARGET: If a character is actively trying to avoid being detected by the enemy in a combat situation (keeping his head down, using cover and concealment, keeping to the ground using a low crawl for movement) the character rolls the dice for his Basic Military Training skill and notes the number of GOs. He may take no combat actions. Anyone searching for a target to shoot at using his Basic Military Training or Alertness skill (whichever is better) must roll one more GO than this number to spot the character (Someone firing a weapon or performing some other offensive action requires no roll to spot). Otherwise, the character remains unseen for THAT TURN ONLY. Every turn a character wishes to avoid contact in this manner, he must roll again and take no combat actions.
Assuming a character wishes to fight and not hide, the use of cover and concealment is still highly advised. Modern weapons use really fast and powerful projectiles and have ungodly rates of fire. The soldier caught out in the open is usually referred to as a casualty. If a character is out in the open with nowhere to hide, he gets his dodge dice as defense against being hit. He can get an extra die if he is either moving quickly (running to cover) or actively getting out of the line of fire (REALLY dodging), but he loses two dice from any attacks he wishes to execute (try shooting strait when you are running for your life). If a character has access to something to put between him and enemy bullets, he is in much better shape. Being behind tall grass or other concealment adds one to a character’s dodge dice, because the concealment makes it harder for an enemy to sight in on him. This bonus is lost if the opponent is using a weapon on an automatic setting (sprayed bullets don’t care if you can take careful aim or not). If the character has something solid to hide behind, like a tree or rock, he also gets a one-die bonus. This bonus, however, is not lost if your opponent is using an automatic weapon. In both cases, cover and concealment, this bonus die does not give a penalty to a character’s attacks. It is a function of making yourself a less clear target, not moving around. If a character wants to make himself a really difficult target, he can actively use his cover or concealment by popping up for just an instant when he wants to fire, then dropping back down. This adds one more die to a character’s dodge and it is not lost if an opponent is using an automatic weapon. So concealment would give two dice extra to a Dodge (one vs. auto fire) and cover would give two extra dice regardless. This movement has its price in accuracy, and a character doing it loses one die from any attack (unlike the two for the more extreme running or dodging actively. Smart insurgents use cover and concealment).
HITTING YOUR TARGET: We have covered ways to make yourself a harder target, now we will discuss ways to make your opponent an easier target.
TYPES OF SHOOTING: There are two kinds of shooting, Aimed and Pointed. Aimed is carefully sighting in your target, taking time to make the shot perfect before pulling the trigger. This type of fire is not very common in a pitched battle and is most often used by snipers or at the beginning of an ambush. Pointed fire is the default method of firing in a combat situation. Rounds are directed roughly at the target, firing quickly but as accurately as possible.
A character may not use aimed fire if any of the following conditions apply to him: 1) he was fired upon this turn or last turn 2) he is getting extra dice for dodging other than one die for cover or concealment. Either situation allows only the use of pointed fire. Also note that aimed fire can only be done in the single shot mode (described later). All semi automatic and automatic fire is pointed fire.
Pointed fire is considered the default type for fire in "Live Free or Die" so it has no bonus or penalty. Aimed fire gives the firer one bonus die on his attack if he meets the criteria for aimed fire.
RATES OF FIRE: The rate of fire is how fast a character is throwing lead downrange. There are three rates of fire-
SINGLE SHOT: One bullet at a time, fired slowly and carefully.
SEMI AUTO or RAPID-Many bullets at a time fired at the target or group of targets, trying to put as much lead on the target as possible.
AUTOMATIC FIRE-Only usable if the character has a weapon capable of automatic fire, like a submachine gun or assault rifle. Puts many bullets downrange in seconds, but is very wasteful of ammunition.
Single shot has no bonus or penalty, and uses ammunition very slowly. It allows only one target to be engaged and has an unmodified damage rating for the weapon.
Semi auto or rapid gives the firer a one die bonus if he is engaging a single target or allows the character to engage two targets if they are within a meter or two of each other. If the character is shooting at only one target, the damage rating of the weapon is treated as one greater, as the victim is likely to be hit by several rounds. If the character is shooting at two targets, the damage rating is normal for both victims.
Automatic fire gives the firer a one die bonus if used against one character, like semi auto or rapid fire (most of the extra bullets go wild and hit nowhere near their target) but gives a bonus of plus two to the damage rating (the character is even more likely to be hit by more than one round). If automatic fire is used to attack a group, the firer can attack up to three victims within a 3-meter line with no bonus or penalty to hit or damage. Automatic fire is deadly to groups of targets at close range.
RANGES AND WEAPON TYPES: For the purposes of this game and in the name of simplicity, there are only three categories of weapon range: Heavy Weapon range, Rifle range and everything else. Heavy weapons like grenade launchers, general-purpose machineguns or light antitank weapons can hit a target out past 250 meters without much problem. They might not be inherently precise, but distances within 500 or so meters are not a problem. This description would also include sniper weapons, scoped hunting rifles and the like. In fact, a good quality sniper or hunting rifle with a powerful scope might make hits out to 750 to 1000 meters under ideal conditions. Rifle range is the range that military assault and battle rifles are best used at. Anywhere out to 250 meters is a fairly easy shot for a high-powered military rifle. The last category, everything else, includes pistols, shotguns, submachine guns and the like. These are not meant to project their power over long ranges and aren’t really militarily useful past about 50 meters. Their projectiles might travel much further, but their accuracy is severely curtailed after about 150 feet.[14]
SO WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? The following chart will help the player figure out just what his character can do to hit an opponent while he avoids becoming the contents of a shallow grave marked by a helmet with a hole through it.
DEFENSE MODIFIERS
*Cover-Add one die
*Active use of cover-Add two dice
*Concealment-Add one die (not vs. auto fire)
*Active use of Concealment-Add two dice (add one die vs. auto fire)
*No cover available, passive defense-no modifier
*No cover available, active defense-Add one die
*Running-Add one die
OFFENSIVE MODIFIERS
*Aimed fire-Add one die
*Pointed fire-No modifier
*Semi-auto or rapid fire-Add one die vs. single target/no mod vs. two/add one to weapon damage rating vs. one target
*Automatic fire-Add one die vs. single target/no mod vs. up to three targets/add two to damage rating of weapon vs. one target
*Running or dodging, no cover-lose two dice
*Active use of cover or concealment-lose one die
RANGES
*Pointblank range-rifles and heavy weapons lose one die other weapons add one die
*Close range-all firearms add one die (a very dangerous range to be in)
*Near range-rifles and heavy weapons add one die other weapons have no modifier
*Far range-Heavy weapons add one die. Rifles no modifier. Other weapons lose two dice (maximum range 100 meters)
*Sniping/Heavy range-Heavy weapons have no modifier. Rifles lose two dice. Other weapons cannot reach this range.[15]
Sniper rifles have the same modifier as heavy weapons as long as the firer is able to perform aimed fire. Otherwise it is treated as a rifle.
AMMUNITION USE: Unlike weapons in Hollywood, weapons in "Live Free or Die" tend to run out of ammunition at the most inconvenient times. Ammunition use is handled in a completely abstract manner. There is no need to count individual rounds in the game, because this is impossible in reality. Even with a transparent magazine (very rare) and time to look, nobody would keep track down to the last bullet.
Ammunition is measured in the game using abstract "ammunition level". Each weapon the character carries has an individual ammunition level. They are tracked independently and one weapon’s ammunition level does not affect another. The ammunition levels are:
FULL LOAD-About a dozen reloads worth of bullets or several belts of machinegun ammo. The highest practical amount of ammo to be carried.
COMBAT LOAD-Less than the absolute maximum that can be carried, but enough to get the job done in most circumstances without overburdening the character.
TIGHT- Less than ideal level of ammo, equal to about half a full load.
LOW-The level a character is at when he is almost out of ammo; one or two reloads left at most.
OUT- No ammo left. Switch weapons or surrender.
USING UP YOUR AMMUNITION
Ammo use is handled entirely at the judgment of the GM. Every few turns, the GM has all characters and his bad guys roll for ammo use. The roll is vs. the firer’s small arms or heavy weapons skill (whichever he is using) and requires a standard difficulty, or hard if the character is using auto fire frequently (except with a machine gun which always checks at standard difficulty) or using rapid fire with a pistol or shotgun (both assumed to have smaller magazine capacity and require more frequent reloading). If the roll is made, there is no effect (he is using up his ammo at a reasonable rate). If the roll is failed, the character’s weapon loses one ammunition level. The GM determines how often he asks for an ammo use roll based on how fast he wants characters and the bad guys to use up their ammo.
RELOADING-the combat system assumes reloading is done during natural pauses in the battle and has no game effect until the firer runs out of bullets or shells.[16]
SPECIFIC AIM AND DAMAGE
Aiming at a specific body area is more difficult to do but certain areas have a better chance of killing the target.
*A hit to the head increases the DR of an attack by one, but to make a specific shot to the head calls for 1) an aimed shot and 2) minus two dice from the attack.
*A specific shot to the torso does not increases the DR of a weapon but is more likely to kill than a hit to a limb. To make a specific shot to the torso calls for 1) an aimed shot and 2) minus one die from the attack.
*Attacks on a limb call for the same subtraction as a headshot but do no extra damage. This could be used to knock a weapon from an enemy’s hand.
INJURY AND HEALING-So, despite you best efforts your character has been hit. Besides trusting to his or her toughness, a character can put something between his body and harm. This is armor. Armor covers areas of the body and subtracts one or two from the damage rating of an attack before the character compares his toughness GOs vs. the damage.
ARMOR TYPES PROTECTION
Steel pot helmet - 1 DR Head only
Kevlar Helmet- 2 DR Head Only
Flak Vest - 1 DR Torso only
Kevlar Vest - 2 DR Torso only
BODY AREAS (roll a six sided die for each unaimed shot)
1-3 Torso 4 Arm 5 Leg 6 Head
HEALING: If a character is hit and injured and unable to get aid quickly, his condition may get worse.
*If a wounded character is not aided within 30 minutes, he becomes combat ineffective unless he makes a standard toughness roll, in which case he will not get worse for several hours.
*If a combat ineffective character is not aided within 10 minutes, he will die unless he can make a hard toughness roll, in which case the character will hang on for several more hours before dying.
STABILIZATION: If a medic stabilizes a character, he will not get worse and will begin to recover. It takes a medic three minutes to stabilize a wounded character and 10 minutes to stabilize a combat ineffective character. It is a routine task for a wounded character and a standard task for a combat ineffective character. If the roll fails, the character gets worse if he fails his toughness roll (and might die). A medic can try again if the character survives. If a medic is good enough, he can stabilize a character declared dead (but not blown away) with an Oscar Charlie difficulty roll. This changes the character’s status to combat ineffective, not dead. Treatment must begin within 1 minute (5 turns). The character must then be stabilized to avoid getting worse and dying.
COMBINED DAMAGE
Multiple wounds are cumulative as follows: Wounded + wounded = combat ineffective, Combat ineffective + wounded = dead
RECOVERY- It takes two weeks of rest and a routine toughness roll to recover from being wounded.
A combat ineffective character must make a standard toughness roll and rest for eight weeks to recover to a wounded status. Less than satisfactory means no recovery. These difficulties assume rest, adequate food and a medic to help. Without these, difficulty levels are one greater and times are twice as long. In a hospital or other good care, difficulties are one level less and recovery times are halved.
HEAVY WEAPONS (OR EXPLOSIVES MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND)
Heavy weapons are weapons such as grenade launchers, heavy machineguns, light anti-tank weapons and flamethrowers. As stated earlier in the heavy weapons section, heavy weapons are so random and destructive that they subtract one die when used on human targets. As an up side, any human hit with a direct attack from a heavy weapon is automatically killed.[17]As it is hard to get a direct hit with a heavy weapon, they are conveniently supplied with either a blast radius (explosive weapons) or an area of effect (machineguns). If the firer is unsuccessful with his attack BUT is only unsuccessful in the attack by one GO, the target is within the BLAST RADIUS or AREA OF EFFECT. The victim suffers a DR4 attack and is treated as suppressed regardless of the result (if less than suppressed). If the attack roll is a tie in number of GOs, then the victim is in the KILL ZONE, and is subject to a DR5 attack and at least suppressed as above. If there are others around the main target, they may also suffer a similar effect. Anyone within 5 meters of a character that is hit is treated as being within the blast radius or area effect. If they are within 3 meters they are within the kill zone. The target is of course, killed. If anyone within the blast radius or kill zone has cover, the DR of the attack is reduced by one. If they are actively using cover (have been dodging behind cover that turn), subtract two. If the target of the weapon is not hit but only within the blast radius or kill zone, then characters within 3 meters of the main target are in the blast radius (because the center of the blast is not directly on the character) and suffer a DR4 attack as above.
HEAVY WEAPONS AND BIG TARGETS
Heavy weapons, while difficult to use on human targets are very effective when used against vehicles and structures. Earlier in the skills section, under Combat Driving, the concept of a kind of dodge for vehicles. If a heavy weapon is fired at a moving vehicle, the driver can make a combat driving roll and compare it to the attackers GOs in the attack just like a normal attack. The attack strength of the weapon is compared to the defense (toughness) dice of the vehicle.
*If the dice GOs is equal to the DR of the attack, the vehicle takes COSMETIC DAMAGE (shattered windows, bullet holes, broken searchlights).
*If the GOs are one less than the DR of the attack, the vehicle is DAMAGED (roll on the chart for possible problems for continued operation of the vehicle).
*If the GOs rolled are two under the DR of the attack, the vehicle is WRECKED (roll on the chart for a greater chance of problems with continued operation of the vehicle).
*If the GOs rolled are three under the DR of the attack, the vehicle is DESTROYED. All functions immediately cease and all passengers take a DR4 attack.
*If you are really unfortunate to roll four or fewer GOs than the DR of the attack your vehicle is ANNIHILATED. It is reduced to its component parts and all passengers are immediately killed (player characters can at SG option try to survive a DR7 attack instead).
A note about the chart: The DR of heavy weapons is noted the same way normal DRs are, but they are in reality much greater, as are the toughness of vehicles as compared to human targets. On the chart and hereafter, the DR of heavy weapons will be noted as HDR (heavy damage rating).
VEHICLE DAMAGE CHARTS
When a vehicle is damaged, roll one normal six-sided die and consult the appropriate chart.
Damaged Vehicle Chart (roll one die for each system)
Movement system (tires, engine) 1-4 OK 5-6 OUT
Each weapon 1-4 OK 5-6 OUT
Electronics(Radios, sights) 1-4 OK 5-6 OUT
Passengers/crew(DR3attack) 1-4 SAFE 5-6 HIT
Wrecked Vehicle Chart (roll one die for each system)
Movement system 1-2 OK 3-6 OUT
Each weapon 1-2 OK 3-6 OUT
Electronics 1 OK 2-6 OUT
Passengers/crew(DR3attack) 1-2 OK 3-6 HIT
Destroyed vehicle-All systems knocked out and all passengers suffer a DR4 attack.
Annihilated vehicle-All systems knocked out and all passengers are killed (player characters suffer a DR7 attack)
Damage to vehicles is cumulative in the same way damage to living targets is. The following list is of gradually increasing cumulative damage:
Cosmetic damage=Never cumulative
Damaged + Damaged = Wrecked
Damaged + Wrecked = Destroyed
Damaged + Destroyed = Annihilated
HEAVY WEAPON DESCRIPTIONS
Just as there are a seemingly endless variety of small arms (rifles, pistols), so too is there a large variety of heavy weapons. The following descriptions are to give the GM a starting point to give game stats to his favorite mega-boom military toys.
Heavy weapons are described with the following statistics-
Name Type Ammo Weight
Blast or Area of effect Range HDR
M-2 Heavy machinegun/.51 caliber Heavy Machinegun
Type-Heavy Machinegun Ammo-belted .50/.51 caliber rounds Weight-40 kg Area of effect weapon Range-2000 meters HDR-3 (automatic kill vs. human targets)
The American M-2 heavy machinegun and the Russian .51 caliber heavy machinegun are functionally identical. Their powerful rounds can rip open lightly armored vehicles and have a nasty effect on living targets. These weapons are always employed from a tripod or vehicle mount to compensate for their monstrous recoil. Heavy machineguns are often used as the primary weapons on scout vehicles and helicopters, as well as a back up weapon on heavy armored vehicles. Not available for purchase.
M-67 Fragmentation Hand Grenade
Type-Hand grenade Ammo-Self contained weapon (no ammo) Weight-.5 kg
Blast radius weapon Range-Throwing distance (about 35m) HDR-2
The M-67 is the standard American fragmentation hand grenade ("frag"). It has about a four second delay on its fuse. To use it is very simple: Remove the safety clip, pull the pin, throw it at whatever is annoying you and finally, DUCK. When it explodes it subjects everyone inside its kill zone (5 meters) to a DR5 attack. Those inside the area of effect (out to 10 meters) suffer a DR4 attack. Variations on this theme (round metal ball filled with explosives) are in use in all armies and have been for several centuries. Cost 5 PCs
AT-4/M72A2 LAW
Type- Light Anti-Tank Weapon (LAW) Ammo-Self contained 84 or 66mm rocket Weight-10kg/5kg
Blast radius weapon Range-500m/200m HDR-3/2 (automatic kill vs. human target) The AT-4 is a lightweight, shoulder fired, and disposable anti-tank rocket. The AT-4 is the standard US LAW. It can destroy a light tank or APC and knock the tread off of a Main Battle Tank. They also excel at destroying bunkers. Against human targets soldiers are trained to fire at nearby objects (trees, rocks) and let the blast and natural shrapnel take care of the rest.
AT-4s are surprisingly common in insurgent arsenals, as departing regular Army soldiers threw hundreds in car trunks.
The much older and obsolete M72A2 LAW uses the same principles as the AT-4, but has been obsolete for 20 years. Some still exist in American arsenals and still others were stolen by extremist groups during the 1980’s. While it is wholly inadequate against a modern tank, it is just fine against an enemy truck or grounded aircraft. Cost 10/8 PCs, if available
RPG-7 Rocket Propelled Grenade Launcher
Type-Reusable anti-tank grenade launcher Ammo- Individually loaded 85mm rocket Weight-8kg (launcher) 2kg (rounds)
Blast radius weapon Range-300m HDR-3 (automatic kill vs. human target) A very common Light Anti-Tank Weapon in communist and former satellite nations. It is reusable, like the old American Bazooka, and marginally more effective. It can punch through 300 mm of hardened steel but is ineffective against modern tanks. They proved lethally effective against the Rangers in Mogadishu where Somali RPG-7s easily destroyed lightly armored Humvees and trucks and downed two Blackhawk helicopters. The weapon is not particularly accurate and can be thrown off by a strong wind, but it is rugged and cheap. Cost 35 PCs plus 5 per round
Satchel Charge/Small bomb
Type-Demolition Ammo-One use Weight-20kg
Blast radius weapon Range-usually emplaced HDR-3 A simple bag full of explosives with a timer. This can also be a terrorist bomb, planted where the bad guys might pass by. The kill zone of such a weapon is 10 meters with a 30 meter blast radius. As a terrorist weapon they are usually filled with nails or other shrapnel. Cost 10 PCs
Mounted Cannon
Type-Vehicle mounted weapon
Ammo- Light cannon-20-50mm shell Medium cannon-75-105mm shell Heavy cannon-115mm+ shell
Weight-Extremely heavy, always mounted Blast radius weapon Range-all well over 1000m
HDR- Light Cannon-4 Medium Cannon-5 Heavy Cannon-6 Though it would be very unlikely for the players to get their hands on an armored vehicle, it is too likely that they would be on the receiving end of these weapons. Tank guns can punch through any defense an insurgent could construct and can destroy any improvised armored vehicle. Their statistics are presented to provide information for tanks described later. Not available for purchase
In addition to these weapons, standard infantry weapons can also cause Heavy damage. The HDR of fully automatic assault rifles and light machine guns is HDR1. Non-automatic small arms are not capable of inflicting significant Heavy damage.
STRUCTURAL TOUGHNESS
Heavy weapons do damage on a different scale, delivering damage measured in HDR (Heavy Damage Rating). While humans tend to be soft and squishy, armored vehicles, buildings and bunkers are much better at taking damage from explosives and really big bullets.
Determining damage to structures and non-living stuff is determined like damage to a living target: Compare Heavy Damage Rating to the Heavy Toughness of the target. If the number of GOs for the structure or vehicle is greater than the HDR of the attack, the attack may scuff the paint, but no more. If not, varying degrees of damage are done.
MATERIAL TOUGHNESS
Armor Plate- 7 Red dice Steel Plate- 6 Red dice Reinforced Concrete- 4 Red dice Cinderblock/brick/light concrete- 2 Red dice
Lighter materials
Sandbags-5 Red dice Heavy wood-4 Blue dice Light wood-3 Blue dice Plasterboard/heavy glass- 2 Blue dice Glass-1 Green die
DAMAGE TO MATERIALS
If an attack beats the HToughness of a material by one, the material is breached (a hole about a foot across is blown in it). Anyone directly on the other side of the breached barrier is subject to the attack as if they were in the blast radius or area of effect (DR4 attack). If the attack beats the defense by two or more, a one meter hole is blown in the material and anyone directly on the other side of it is subjected to the attack as if they were in the kill zone (DR5 attack). If the attack beats the defense by three, any structure smaller than a house (shed, bunker) is destroyed and subjects anyone in the structure to a DR5 attack. A house-sized structure is destroyed if the defense is beaten by 5 or more, subjecting the people inside to a DR5 attack.
The above rules apply to buildings, walls, bunkers and the like. Vehicles are handled separately in the next sections.
SAMPLE MILITARY VEHICLES
The following is a sample of armored, scout and transport vehicles that characters are likely to encounter in the course of the game. It is not a comprehensive list, but it is a guide for the creative GM to give statistics to his favorite killing machine.
All vehicles are defined by the following characteristics-
NAME- The military designation and any nickname TYPE-Purpose or role; Main Battle Tank, Scout vehicle
DEFENSE- Number and color of dice in HToughness OFFENSE-Weapons and their HDR or DR
SPEED-Slow (60kph or under), Fast (over 60kph on the ground) or flying (150kph in the air)
USER-Country or countries that use the vehicle DESCRIPTION-Notes/descriptions
M-1/M-1A1 Main Battle Tank
TYPE- High tech Main Battle Tank (MBT) DEFENSE-
OFFENSE-1 120mm, stabilized smoothbore cannon (HDR6), 1 .50 caliber heavy machine gun
SPEED-Fast (up to 100kph) USERS- United States (resister and collaborator), some transferred to UN use. The most powerful Main Battle Tank on earth. The combination of reactive armor, turbine fuel cell and 120mm, smoothbore gyroscopically stabilized cannon firing 120/40mm tungsten-uranium discarding sabot rounds is unstoppable. There is no tank on earth that can stand up to the M-1. The M-1 has a governor on its powerful engine to keep its speed under 60kph, and this was usually the first thing removed by its crews. The sight of an M-1 coming over the ridge is enough to send the most bloodthirsty insurgent into high speed retrograde. Fortunately, most M-1s were either stolen or destroyed by their crews during the take over.
M-60A3/T-72/T-80/Chieftain/Leopard
TYPE-Main Battle Tank DEFENSE-6 Red dice
OFFENSE-1 Tank Cannon (90-105mm HDR5), 1 .50/.51 caliber heavy machine gun SPEED-Slow (up to 60kph)
USER-Collaborator, resister and UN
M-60A3-United States T-72 and T-80- Russia Chieftain-England Leopard-Germany The Main Battle Tank is the backbone of the military arsenal. These vehicles are very resistant to damage and carry considerable firepower. They are a common site throughout the Occupied United States and a good target of opportunity for the creative insurgent. They spell violent death to the unprepared freedom fighter.
T-55/T-62/M-48
TYPE-Medium Tank DEFENSE-5 Red dice
OFFENSE-1 Tank Cannon (76-105mm HDR5), 1 .50/.51 caliber heavy machinegun
SPEED-Slow (up to 60kph) USER-Usually collaborator and UN
T-55/T-62-Russian and 3rd world M-48-US collaborators Medium tanks are older or cheaper substitutes for the more expensive and more effective Main Battle Tank. They are used for duties that are not expected to bring them into conflict with heavy armor, Internal security attacks on poorly armed insurgents and as a show of force to the general populace. The United States Garrison Force has hundreds of medium tanks in its arsenal as do the regular forces from many lesser nations.
T-34/PT-76
TYPE-Light tank DEFENSE-4 Red dice
OFFENSE-1xTank cannon (76mm 5HDR)/ PT-76 and T-34 1x.51 caliber heavy machine gun
SPEED-Slow (under 60kph) USER-UN and insurgent Light scout tanks are used in roles similar to medium tanks, and as "bush tanks" (for attacks against light forces in the field). While anti-tank weapons or tank guns easily destroy them, they are lethal to irregular forces and can go places much heavier vehicles can’t.
Bradley M-2/3, M-113
TYPE-Armored Personnel Carrier DEFENSE-4 Red dice(Bradley), 3 Red dice (M-113)
OFFENSE-1 Light cannon (HDR4) and ATGMs (5HDR) Bradley, 1 .50/.51 caliber heavy machine gun (M-113)
SPEED-Slow (under 60kph) USER-All sides
Armored personnel carriers are armored boxes meant to ferry troops to the sight of battle and then use their mounted weapons in support of the troops. The Bradley is a very sophisticated and expensive APC that can stand up to all but the heaviest tanks. The M-113 was common in National Guard Armories and can be found in both the United States Garrison Force and Militia formations. Its aluminum armor is barely adequate for stopping small arms fire and a Light Anti-tank Weapon will turn it into a field expedient hibachi for the troops inside.
The primary role of the APC is to transport troops. The Bradley can carry 7 fully loaded infantrymen, the M-113 carries 11.
HUMVEE
TYPE-Wheeled scout vehicle DEFENSE-3 Blue dice OFFENSE-1x.50 caliber machine gun
SPEED-Fast (over 80kph) USER-UN, collaborator and insurgent
Wheeled scout vehicles are used to add extra firepower to "law enforcement" and garrison forces and to provide screening and reconnaissance for heavier armored forces. The United States Garrison Force uses black painted Humvees to enforce order and as a show of strength on the streets of Occupied America. All wheeled scout vehicles are airmobile and are droppable by cargo parachute.
MI-24 HIND
TYPE-Ground Attack Helicopter
DEFENSE-5 Red dice
OFFENSE-1 dual mount 23mm anti-tank autocannons (HDR5), 1x.51 caliber heavy machine gun (door gunner), up to 16 ATGMs (HDR5) or an assortment of rocket pods, bombs or chemical weapons
SPEED-Flying (200kph+) USER-Mainly Russian, some integrated into combined forces
The MI-24 Hind is a ground support, anti-tank helicopter. It is fast, maneuverable, heavily armed and armored. It is meant to be an armored battering ram for cavalry assaults and has been used to slaughter insurgent forces around the globe. It was said that the Afghans did not fear the Russians, but they did fear the MI-24. Many American insurgents have come to find out why this is so.
UH-1 "Huey
TYPE-Transport Helicopter
DEFENSE-3 blue dice
OFFENSE-Variable, usually light or heavy machine guns.
SPEED-Flying (200 kph)
USER-Mostly collaborators and UN With ground transportation often hazardous for the occupation forces, air transport is vital for continued operations. They are used to ferry prisoners, troops and equipment to and from UN strongholds. They are not meant to be used in a hot combat zone as they are very lightly armored. They are often painted black.
COLLISIONS
Just in passing, there should be a mention of collisions. Intentionally or unintentionally running your vehicle into another object can harm both vehicle and target. The three vehicle speeds, slow, fast and flying determine part of the damage, as does the vehicle or vehicles involved. Two vehicles running into each other at slow speed or running your vehicle into an obstruction at slow speed inflicts the vehicles or obstruction’s HTOUGHNESS dice in DR to the other involved party. For example, a civilian car (2 Blue dice) plows into a brick wall (2 red dice). Both wall and car take a DR2 attack, with the likely result the car damaged or wrecked and the wall breached, the general rule for structures being; if the attack is 1 greater than GOs in defense, the structure is breached. Two greater, a 3 meter hole is blown or smashed in the object. Three or more and any structure smaller than a house is destroyed (5 or greater destroys a house sized structure). Anyone inside a destroyed structure takes a DR4 attack.
Vehicles hitting an obstruction or another vehicle at fast speed double the DR for the collision, but can only be destroyed, not annihilated (unless a really big vehicle, like a Main Battle Tank hits a civilian passenger car). Finally, flying vehicles that crash into the ground or an obstruction are automatically destroyed and any passengers suffer the fate victims in a destroyed vehicle do. If a flying vehicle crashes into a structure, the structure (or vehicle if a vehicle is crashed into) takes triple the defense dice of the flying vehicle in DR.
ACCIDENTS AND HAZARDS
Not all dangers in LFOD explode, spray bullets or cut you to pieces. Some hazards come from the environment, others from misadventure, clumsiness or really bad luck. Accidents and hazards are defined by their Damage Rating (DR, just like a bullet or other weapon), Exposure (the time expressed in turns, hours or minutes after exposure the DR takes effect) and any notes about the hazard. The following table gives the mechanics for these hazards.
OOPS TABLES
Unprepared Falls
Hazard DR Exposure
3 Meters 1 Instant
5 Meters 2 Instant
10 Meters 3 Instant
20 Meters 4 Instant
Prepared Falls (jumping down)
Hazard DR Exposure
3 Meters 0 Instant
5 Meters 1 Instant
10 Meters 2 Instant
20 Meters 4 Instant
Diseases
Hazard DR Exposure Notes Minor 0 1 day 3 day recovery
Nasty 1 1 day 1 week recovery
Major 2 1 day 2 week recovery
Critical 3 1 day 3 week recovery
Thirst
Hazard DR Exposure Notes 2 days no water 1 2 days cannot
3 days no water 2 3 days recover
4 days no water 3 4 days hooah
5 days no water 4 5 days
Hunger
Hazard DR Exposure Notes 1 week no food 1 1 week cannot
2 weeks no food 2 2 weeks recover
4 weeks no food 3 4 weeks hooah
8 weeks no food 4 8 weeks
9 or more weeks 5 9+ weeks
Exposure
Hazard DR Exposure Notes Very hot/cold 1 1 day
Severe heat/cold 2 1 day
Extreme heat/cold 3 3 hours Arctic or Desert
The above only effects characters without adequate shelter, clothing or water
Fires
Hazard DR Exposure Notes Small fire 1 1 turn campfire
Large Fire 3 1 turn bonfire
Immolation 5 1 turn napalm
Poisons
Hazard DR Exposure Notes Weak 2 10 minutes rattlesnake
Strong 4 5 minutes arsenic, cyanide
Electricity
Hazard DR Exposure Notes Mild 2 instant houshold
Serious 3 instant fence
Lethal 5 instant transformer
Radiation(measured in centigrays)
Hazard DR Exposure Notes Mild (150 Cgs) 1 7 days cumulative
Minor (450 Cgs) 3 3 days cumulative
Major (600 Cgs) 4 1 day cumulative
Severe (1000 Cgs) death within 96 hrs, combat ineffective within 12 hours
Lethal (5000 Cgs) death within 6 hours, combat ineffective within 5 minutes
Suffocation and Drowning
Damage from lack of air due to drowning or exposure to vacuum is handled differently than most hazards. For every 30 seconds a character is exposed, he must make a roll of increasing difficulty vs his toughness. The first 30 seconds require no roll (everyone can hold their breath or do without air for 30 seconds. After the first 30 seconds (5 turns) this gets increasingly harder.
*First 30 seconds-Automatic
*Next 30 seconds-Standard
*Next 30 seconds-Hard
*Every 30 seconds after that-Oscar Charlie
After a character fails a roll, he will lose consciousness and die if not rescued. For every 30 seconds after he loses consciousness, he takes damage from a DR4 attack. As long as a character has not taken damage, he recovers consciousness after being taken out of the hostile environment. Otherwise, he suffers the effect of being wounded or combat ineffective.
GM’s SECTION
This section will help the player actually running the game by explaining the environment the game takes place in and tips to set the proper tone and mood for "Live Free or Die".POST-OCCUPATION AMERICA
The United States in LFOD is a country very different from the one the players know. A bloody conventional invasion and war has left much of America physically devastated. Artillery, air strikes and house-to-house fighting in many areas has left a considerable portion of the country looking like Stalingrad after the Nazis had finished with it. After the conventional war had conquered the United States militarily, the United Nations political machine took on the task of transforming the greatest nation on earth into a socialist protectorate of the New World Government.
The path from superpower to slave was undertaken in four steps. First, the United Nations elite, through carefully used contributions, lobby groups, covert operations against conservative politicians and even outright assassination manage to have their candidate elected president. The President, a closet socialist and One-Worlder, is in place to undermine the American system through intrusive law enforcement policies, crushing tax burdens, attacks on the second and fourth amendments to the constitution, entanglement in the affairs of many unstable countries for the purposes of "peace keeping", and the expansion of failed welfare programs in a "bread and circuses" attempt to keep the underclass complacent and confined to their designated slums.
When the American people decided they didn’t much like the policies of the administration, the lies their leaders had told or the President himself, this brought about the second part of the plan, open and covert insurrection. When UN operatives bombed the capitol and instructed the new President to begin a massive crackdown on dissent, they knew this would lead to massive American bloodletting. Federal enforcers and armed rebels would bleed themselves white in an orgy of atrocity and counter-atrocity, which is exactly what happened. The United States Garrison Force brought half of the troops that could fight a UN invasion (Guardsmen, cops, feds, gang members) to fight the other half of the troops that could fight a UN invasion (militiamen, patriots, veterans, active military). The effect was to grind to powder the best and brightest that could lead a resistance to the next stage of the UN takeover.
In the third step, an embattled President calls for the Security Council to approve peacekeeping operations within the United States. The UN response, already pre-set and pre-determined, was an initial airborne and airmobile anchor head in major cities followed by sea borne landings of heavy equipment (armored and mechanized forces, prefabricated bases, tons of munitions and supplies). As the anchoring forces engaged scattered resistance, political leaders under UN control ordered US military forces to surrender to the UN invaders. Many did surrender (and most were summarily executed and interred in mass graves); some joined resistance groups but most waited for someone to give them coherent orders. After the main body of UN forces arrived with heavy armor, attack helicopters and mechanized forces, all conventional warfare ceased within a few weeks. Mopping up operations would take some time afterward, but the military conquest of the United States was complete.
The final stage of the conquest was the political subjugation of The United States, the phase in which the game takes place. UN political specialists attempt to establish a socialist America under the direct control of the UN.
PATRIOTS AND BUTCHERS
In the world of Live Free or Die, there is little problem telling the good guys from the bad guys. When in doubt, shoot the guy in the black uniform shooting the woman holding a deadly assault baby. Villains are unspeakably evil and heroes are always good deep down, even if they seem a little rough around the edges.
There are two divisions of characters in LFOD: Player and non-player characters. Player characters are characters that players control (duh). The GM has almost no say as to what these characters do. The non-player characters are characters the GM controls. There are several kinds. Patriots are non-player characters allied with the side of good and therefore the player characters. They are made exactly like a player character and have Hooah dice to use to make them more likely to survive. Spear-carriers are on the side of good just like patriots, but are less powerful and do not have Hooah dice to facilitate their survival.
Butchers are major bad guys built just like player characters, complete with Hooah dice to help them survive, and are usually a little more powerful than the average player character. Jack Booted Thugs are like spear-carriers, built with no Hooah dice hut reasonably competent and dangerous. In a group they can really challenge a group of players. Lowest on the food chain are the Designated Casualties. They exist only to be slaughtered in large numbers. Their skills tend to be inferior and do not support long survival times.
SUMMING IT ALL UP...
*Player character-Character controlled by a player other than the GM
*Non-player character-Character controlled by the GM
*Patriot-Character roughly equal in power to player characters on the side of good (truth, justice, America, capitalism, guns, big cars)
*Spear Carrier-Minor character on the side of the good
*Butcher-GM character equal to or more powerful than the player characters on the side of evil (socialism, gun control, destruction of the constitution, expensive gasoline, high taxes, food lines, ugly clothing, inferior latte.)
*Jack Booted Thug-GM character lesser in power than the player characters, but still competent.
*Designated Casualty—GM character of inferior ability that tends to die quickly and horribly.
A FINAL DISCLAIMER
Remember, boys and girls. This is only a game. When you play fantasy role-playing games you don't really hack each other to death with swords. So when you play a combat role-playing game, you don't need real guns and explosives on hand to play. And you don't need to get nervous about UN troops or black helicopters, detention camps or world government. Just like dragons are make believe, so is my vast conspiracy. Just enjoy the game and take it as seriously as you take your elves and fairies. So get the gang together, choose your weapons and when in doubt, empty your magazine.
Footnotes and addenda:
1. Shouldn't that be the other way around? With red dice having the fewest GO's and green or blue having the most?
In any event, I don't have any special multicoloured die and I don't plan on going and getting any (that "going and getting" kind of stuff requires, ye know, effort...). One could substitute standard dice and still use Captain Singleton's system, as such:
Green Dice: roll 5 or better to get a GO Blue Dice: roll 4 or better to get a GO
Red Dice: roll 2 or better to get a GO ...or, one could take some tape or markers and make some coloured dice, which is ultimately what we did.
2. Pre-9/11 America must have been a more enlightened place——that, or the author's local police and city governments don't count traffic tickets as their primary means of financial support. Talking your way out of one may well have been a standard difficulty task back then, but at the time of this writing (2012 AD) it would be a good way to end up eating tazer.
3. A possible (occasional) exception to this rule might be extremely psychotic or drugged characters. Being pained or suppressed wouldn't affect them, and even wounding or combat ineffectiveness may not do so immediately. This is why tazers were introduced into police arsenals in the first place and why marksmen are warned that the dying can still kill.
4. In addition to bomb-planting and bomb-disposal, bomb-making is a standard Demolitions roll provided proper material and settings. Making a high explosive device from scratch is a hard task and probably the #1 killer of real-life would-be guerrillas. (Weathermen Underground) Making a high explosive device, such as a molotov cocktail or simple pipebomb require less skill and danger (still a good way to lose fingers if you don't know what you're doing; just ask Kurt Saxon)
5. Several skills could logically draw from more than one attribute and this is best worked worked out between the player and GM.
6. This doesn't literally mean removing oneself from the path of a speeding bullet (that only works in movies), but is simply a knowledge of how to avoid being shot in a gunfight: understanding the difference between cover and concealment or how bullets tend to ricochet at flat angles and the importance of keeping arms and legs minimally exposed along with one's body.
7. If desired, an expert sniper may be able to snipe without the aid of a scope (Simo Hayha).
8. Search dogs give pursuers two extra dice (one if the pursued is using countermeasures) and one more roll before they lose their quarry.
9. A lot of what follows may be vague and contradictory. The author wrote some tutorials to try and address that, but it seems that half of them were not archived. When in doubt, pick the interpretation that will work best in the particular game.
10.As mentioned earlier, quite a bit has changed in the last two decades. At the time of this writing, 1 PC=120$ or 2.5 grams of gold. If anyone would like to help convert that to other mediums of exchange (Pounds, Euros, Yuan, grams of weed or blow) I'd be much obliged.
11.For game purposes, lever and pump-action rifles fall under this category as well. Non-magazine single shot rifles (e.g. breechloaders) may need their own category; muzzleloaders definitely do.
Unscoped bolt guns cost about 4 PCs.
12.This seems to cover temporary loss of nerve (tank fright) and other natural reactions to the fight-or-flight process, not more lasting psychological issues like psychiatric casualties and post-traumatic stress disorder. It would be interesting to have a system for the latter, but I ain't sure how to do it. Call Of Cthulhu-style sanity meter, perhaps?
13.Right of weight (biggest thing goes first) is generally a good policy I think, but might not apply in the case of, say, an ambush or blitz attack.
A man with a knife can cover a distance of 20 meters in the time it takes skilled shooter to recognize the threat, draw his weapon, aim, and fire. Police call this the reactionary gap and anyone within it is very dangerous even if shot (see point 3).
14.750 meters is likely the best that a standard scoped rifle can do. Good sniper rifles can do 1500 meters in the right hands. Heavy anti-material rifles can go even further.
Battle rifles and World War surplus can go 500 meters, 400 for assault rifles, 200 for a carbine, 100 for a (good) submachine gun or shotgun slug, 50 or less for pistols and buckshot.
15.Carbines have no modifier at Point Blank, lose one dice at far range, and can't snipe.
16.See point 11: breechloaders can fire once every turn or two, roughly the same as most bows. A muzzleloader can fire once every three or four turns, same as a crossbow or blowgun. Some homemade guns take longer to reload than they do to make, and others should only be fired once and discarded (a paper-mache shotgun, for example).
The Viet Cong among others used all of these in combat and they would likely appear again in a post-apocalyptic America. Costs 1 or 2 PC.
17. Optionally, targets hit by such high-caliber firearms could suffer a DR7 attack and missing limb.
18. Captain Singleton is showing his bias a bit, methinks. For our purposes, Abrams tanks are roughly comparable to many of the Main Battle Tanks produced in the twilight of the Cold War: French LeClercs, British Challengers, German Leopard II's, later Israeli Merkavas and maybe Russian T-90's and the UN will have quite a few of them (though fueling those beasts may be a problem). Damage rating is normally seven dice, though up-armoured "urban warfare" varients may have eight. And while many of them tanks are technically capable of moving over 60 kph, any that do so should make occasional damage rolls to the crew (DR2) and movement systems to simulate the risks of accidents, thrown tracks, ruined drivetrains, etc.
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