28mm BattleTech Rules
Design Note: These rules are still very much in designer's shorthand, without expanded explanations of exactly how to do things like randomize damage and determine fire arcs.

These rules are a light modification of the miniature rules in BattleTech Master Rules. All Mech and vehicle damage rules work exactly as in normal BattleTech. Ranges, movement etc. are based on 4" hexes. There is a definite problem at the interface between short ranged weapons in BT and Mechwarrior 3 RPG infantry weapon ranges. The infantry weapon ranges in these rules are designed for use on a 4'x6' or 4'x8' table. Some short range Mech weapons (SRM, MG) have had their ranges increased relative to their BT ranges to make them work with the infantry weapon ranges.

Abbreviations

MVB	Mech/Vehicle/Battlearmor
FRU	Fractions Round Up
FRD	Fractions Round Down

MECH/VEHICLE MOVEMENT
Mechs must move in a straight line in the direction their legs are facing. If they need to change direction during their movement, each turn of up to 45 degrees costs 4" of their movement. This 4" does not count as movement for speed modifiers. After making a turn, Mechs moving at Run speed must move 4" before making another turn. Vehicles moving at Flank speed must move 4" before making another turn. Mechs can step over objects as tall as their knees, but not taller.

MECH SHOOTING AT OTHER TARGETS
Mechs follow the normal targeting and damage rules for shooting at Mechs and vehicles. See special rules for firing at infantry and Battle Armor infantry. Mechs recieve partial cover if 1/3 of the Mech is obscured.

MECH FIRE ARCS
Mech weapons have 90 degree front fire arcs. Fire arcs are measured from the pivot point (weapon pivot pin) of the weapon. LOS from Mech weapons is also figured from the pivot point of the weapon as this is where the targeting devices are mounted. Ranges to and from Mechs are measured from the feet of the Mech, not the tips of the guns.

Mechanized Battle Armor
Elementals being carried by an OmniMech have no effect on shots fired at the OmniMech.

Jumping Mechs
Jumping Mechs lose movement equal to half the height of anything jumped over or up to.
Buildings
Movement Effects: Mechs Only Mechs with a tonnage twice (or more) of the CF of a building can move into the building.
Design Note: Every floor of a building can support a live load (jumping Mech landing on the roof) of up to twice the CF of the building. Mechs will be moving horizontally through two or three floors that can support twice the CF of the building?.

Mech/Vehicle Movement to Enter/Move Inside/Leave a building.
(subtract from Mech's total movement in the turn)

Light	8"
Medium	12"
Heavy	16"
Hardened	20"
Rubble	8"

Basement rules are in effect.

Single Hit Weapons
These weapons will only hit a single target, be it man or Mech. Some of the larger ones can cause collateral damage if there are other infantry targets close to the orignal hit.
(Randomize between squad targets in LOS)
Small, medium, large, heavy large lasers, ER lasers Gauss PPC
More than 10 points of damage kills two adjacent troops within 2".

Multi Fire Weapons vs Infantry
Pulse Lasers, Machine Guns 6 shots (6 hit rolls)

Autocannons	Blast Radius
AC 2	1"
AC 5	1.5"
AC 10	2"
AC 20	3"

Missiles (burst radius in inches)

	Hits	Blast Radius
LRM	1	one trooper
	2-4	1"
	5-8	1.5"
	9-12	2"
	13-16	2.5"
	17-20	3"
SRM	1	1"
	2	1.5"
	3	1.5"
	4	2"
	5	2"
	6	2.5"

Infantry Rules
These rules allow the use of individual 28mm infantry figures in conjuntion with the large Mech rules above. The rules for shooting at mechs and vehicles are a bit of a kludge, but stay very true to the original game.

The rules can also be used very effectively for infantry only battles. In an infantry only game the rules are very quick and deadly and could be the basis for a future game system.


Mechs/Vehicles vs Infantry
Mechs and vehicles may fire at buildings using normal BT rules or may target infantry directly.
MVB units may fire directly at units in a building that are touching a wall in LOS of the attacking unit (and are not hidden) with a -4 modifier to hit.

Design Note: In the big games we have played the standard rules for infantry damage when firing on buildings (with infantry in them) seemed a bit harsh, so we reduced the infantry kills to 25% of the damage taken in the turn.

We are considering using the direct fire rules only and eliminating infantry destruction via building damage. A Mad Cat, Vulture and two stars of Elementals destroyed a CF 90 building in one turn.

Hit Mods

Squad Deployment	+1
Dug In	+2 (cumulative with other terrain)
Hedge	+1
Wall	+2
Rubble	+3
Building	+4
Light Woods	+1 per 4" of woods (FRU)
Heavy Woods	+2 per 4" of woods (FRU)

This makes dug in infantry in a building +7 to hit.


INFANTRY
Unit Coherency
Squad: Within 6" of squad leader
Platoon: Within 18" of platoon leader

Movement

Foot	10"
Jump Infantry	18"	Jump troops lose movement
Battle Armor	18"	equal to the height of anything jumped over or up to.

Troops may move and shoot. If an infantry figure does not move it may shoot twice. Facing changes count as movement.

Design Note: Currently all infantry weapons on the weapons chart are Move and Fire. This will change for some of the heavier support weapons.

Fire Arc: 90 degree front

Movement Reduction

Buildings	None
Rubble	Half Move
Light Woods	None
Heavy Woods	None

Linear Obstacle (Walls, Hedges over 1" but under 2" tall: subtract 1 inch per obstacle)
Movement up or down in buildings costs 3" per floor. Stairways are at the center of the building. Infantry in buildings and woods must be at the edge of the building/woods to shoot or to be targeted by enemy units.

Vehicle Transport
Movement cost to mount or dismount infantry into or out of a vehicle is 4" for the infantry and 8" for the vehicle. Infantry may not mount or dismount if the vehicle moves at Flank speed in the turn.

Infantry Morale
Squads check morale after taking 33% (FRU) loses in the a single turn. Roll 2D6 plus modifiers.

Experience Level

Green	9
Regular	6
Veteran	4
Elite	2

Broken Unit must move to nearest location that is out of LOS to all enemy units. May still shoot if enemy moves into LOS. If a broken unit fails Morale check it is routed and removed from table. Broken unit may rally in the end phase of the turn following the turn it broke in.

Rally Modifiers

Attack Source Modifier
BattleMech in LOS	+1
Artillery	+1
Flamer or Fire	+2
Other Modifiers Modifier
Broken Morale	+1
Cumulative mods
Battle Armor Unit	-1
Unit in Building	-2

Digging In
At Start of Game or takes one full turn, must designate facing: +2 to hit. Unit stays dug in until it moves.

Infantry Shooting Procedure
Roll one D12 to hit for each infantry figure in squad/platoon that is firing on a target. (Use different colored dice for each weapon type.) Use standard hit modifiers, although Squad deployment modifier does not apply when infantry is shooting at infantry.

Design Note: D12 replaces 2D6 to speed up game. It changes the hit probabilities a bit, but not significantly enough to effect game balance. Since the target number is not a single number, but the target number plus all the numbers above it, going from 2D6 bell curve to D12 flat line has less effect that if just a single target number is used.

Infantry vs Infantry
Damage: Infantry
Hits on infantry take a figure out of play unless an armor save is made. There is no save possible from heavier support weapons or ANY Mech weapons.

Flak/ablative armor provides a save of 4+ on a D6 on hits from the following weapons:
Pistol, Assault Rifle, Laser rifle, Light MG, Med MG

Infantry/BattleArmor vs Mech/Vehicle/Battle Armor
Total the platoon Armor Damage (from weapon charts) on an armored target and divide by 10 to get Mech/Vehicle damage points. (.1 -.4 rounds down, .5 -.9 rounds up) Apply in 5 point groups to Vehicles and Mechs (as with LRMs). Randomize each full damage point individually against individual Battle Armor troopers.

Infantry Weapon Ranges (Inches)

	Short	Medium	Long	Armor Damage
Pistol	4	6	8	-
Smg	6	9	12	4
Assault Rifle	8	12	18	3
Rifle	12	18	24	3
Shotgun	4	6	8	-
Laser Rifle	16	24	36	4
Gyrojet Rifle	24	36	48	4
Flamer	4	6	8	4
Rifle GL	6	9	12	-
Auto GL	12	18	24	4
LAW	18	36	48	5
SRM	18	36	48	20
Light MG (2)	18	36	48	4
Med MG (3)	18	36	48	4
HMG (4)	24	48	60	5
Port. Laser	24	54	84	5
Heavy Laser	30	60	96	10
Manpack PPC	24	36	48	?

Machine Guns: Numbers in parentheses are the number of shots per turn.

All Support Weapons have a minimum range of 4" when used against infantry. Any trooper with a support weapon that wants to fire at an infantry target that is within 4" or less must use his pistol.

Design Note: There are no provisions in BT for infantry Hand to Hand combat, so shooting at point blank range (3" or less) takes the place of HTH. Standard hit modifiers apply unless the opponents are in the same terrain (both inside buildings or both inside woods etc.) in which case no terrain modifiers apply-very deadly!

Clan Battlearmor Weapon Ranges (Inches)

	Short	Medium	Long	Armor Damage
Laser Rifle	16	24	36	3
Flamer	6	9	12	10
Mech MG	24	48	60	10
Heavy Laser	30	60	96	10
SRM	18	36	48	20