Minimal Tank Combat
         Game Design by Timothy Swenson

(This game is Freeware and may be freely distributed.)


1.0 INTRODUCTION

Be it Verdun, the East Front, the Persian Gulf, or some distance
planet, tank battles really boil down to the same general feel.
Granted tanks have changed since WWI, but the general concept of a
armored fighting vehicle is still the same.

Making a Science Fiction version of tank combat (at least at this
level) is nothing more than calling the main weapon a plasma cannon,
or super-duper Blasto, instead of a 105mm gun.

Minimal Tank Combat is a simple game that creates the general feel of
tank combat, with a slight emphasis on a futuristic setting.  It is
not meant to be a serious simulation or accurate re-creation of some
past battle.  It is only designed to be simple and fun.


2.0 TANKS

Tanks are comprised of the following elements:

ATTACK: This is the strength of the tanks plasma cannon.
DEFENSE:  This is the thickness of the tanks armor.
RANGE:  This is how far the tanks weapons can reach.
MOVE:  This is the number of hexes a tank may travel in a turn.


3.0 TANK DESIGN

Each tank is designed using a number of Build Points (BPs) to spend on
the various elements of the tank.  Each unit of ATTACK, DEFENSE,
RANGE, and MOVE cost 1 BP.  Each element much have at least a value of
1 and may not exceed a value of 5.  Different sizes of tanks can be
built.  The average tank costs 10 BPs.  Tanks can go up in size to 15
BPs.

Example Tanks

     ATTACK:  3       ATTACK:   2         ATTACK:   4
     DEFENSE: 2       DEFENSE:  1         DEFENSE:  2
     RANGE:   3       RANGE:    2         RANGE:    2
     MOVE:    2       MOVE:     5         MOVE:     2


4.0 TURN SEQUENCE

Turns are comprised of the following phases:

         Initiative Roll
         Player 1 Movement
         Player 1 Combat
         Player 2 Movement
         Player 2 Combat

At the start of each turn, both players roll a die.  The player with
the highest die roll becomes Player 1.  Ties are re-rolled.


5.0 SETUP

Map:  Minimal Tank Combat does not come with a hex map.  It is up to
the players to create the map on which to engage their battles.  The
map can be of almost any size.  Terrain is placed on the map at
location agreeable by both players.  See the Terrain Chart for types
of terrain.

Counters:  Counters can be created using different colored sheets of
cardboard or any number of small futuristic looking toy tanks can be
used.

Victory Conditions:  The players create the victory conditions for the
game.  It can be as simple as "destroy all of the enemy" or more
detailed as "Do not allow enemy tanks to exit our side of the map."
Players also decide the initial placement of the tanks at the start of
the game.

Also needed for play is a number of 6-sided die.


6.0 MOVEMENT

MOVE is the number of Movement Points that a tank has per turn.  The
number of Movement Points used in moving into a hex is determined by
the terrain in the hex.  Check the Terrain chart to see costs for each
type of Terrain.  Some Terrain will block movement.  Not all MOVE
points have to be spent per turn.  MOVE points may not be saved per
turn.  A player may move all, some, or none of his tanks in a turn.
Tanks may move in any direction.  


7.0 COMBAT

Tanks may fire upon other tanks when the following occurs:  the enemy
tank is within range of the attacking tank and these is a clear Line
of Sight (LOS) between the two tanks.  A clear Line of Sight is
defined as a line drawn between the attacker and defender does not
pass through a hex with a tank or blocking terrain (See Terrain
Chart).  Each tank may fire only once per turn.  Attacks may be
combined to increase the odds of destroying the enemy tank.

Odds: The ATTACK value of the attacking tank(s) is compared with the
DEFENSE of the defending tank, in the form of a ratio.  If the
attacking tank has ATTACK 4 and the defending tank has DEFENSE 2, then
the ratio is 2-1.  Ratios all always rouned down in the favor of the
defender.

Attack Roll:  The attacking player rolls one die and compares its
results with the attack ratio on the Combat Results Table (CRT).  A
value of N means that the attack was unsuccessfull.  A value of X
means that the attack was successfull and the defending tank is
destroyed and removed from the game.

TERRAIN CHART

Terrain    Movement    Combat
-----------------------------
Clear        1 MP       No Effect
Rubble       2 MP       No Effect
Crater       No Entry   Blocks LOS
Road         1 MP*      No Effect
Town         2 MP       +1 DEFENSE

*Road:  If a tank starts its movement in a road hex and stays on road
hexes, then it gets a movement bonus equal to 1/2 half of MOVE
(rounded down).


  COMBAT RESULTS TABLE

    1-2   1-1   2-1   3-1
--------------------------
1 |  N     N     N     N
2 |  N     N     N     X
3 |  N     N     X     X
4 |  N     X     X     X
5 |  X     X     X     X
6 |  X     X     X     X