Universal All Arms Combat
3000 BC - 1985 AD

Complete Rules Set

by P.B. O'Baker

ED NOTE: This manuscript for a proposed set of rules from a famous wargames rule generating company based overseas was recently brought to light by Andy Callan, a Wargame Discussion Group founder. Andy discovered it in a discarded personal computer packing crate somewhere in Binghampton (or is that Birmingham?).

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the second edition of our immensely popular rules. After the overwhelming response from purchasers of the first edition, we have decided not to bow to their requests, and have produced this new revised edition anyway. We have avoided any changes that would actually improve the rules, since we believe that people have come to expect a certain standard from us, and who are we to look a gift horse in the mouth.

The period covered by the rules, amounting to some 5000 years of human history, has proved so popular that we thought of extending it still further, however, we will have to wait until 1986, because we've included all the rest.

The discerning player will notice few changes, so we have changed the cover drastically instead.

The rules have been arranged in the usual modular form so that the experienced player can throw them away as he reads through them. The basic pages are very absorbant, and can be put to a number of practical uses (please remember to remove the staples first).

it is recommended that players of these rules should have no previous knowledge of military history, since such details as accuracy and authenticity are only confusing and should be avoided in the interest of simplicity and speed. If you have any problems or comments about the rules, then please do not write to us. Try writing to The Courier, or Military Modelling or something. FIRING

This is assessed on the basis of every weapon able to fire on the target, by an un-disabled, or not-destroyed operational unit, sub-unit or individual.

Musket, rifle, needle-gun, pistol, revolver, airgun
BASIC FIRING CATEGORY FACTOR ASSESSMENT POINT UNITS
WeaponsRange
50 yds100 yds500 yds1 mile2 miles5 miles 100 m5000 m
Heavy gun, siege gun, culverin2777611--
Field gun, mountain gun, AA gun, mortar, howitzer86327- --
Rifled cannon, MGs, lewis gun, SMG, tommy gun, pom pom431-
523-
Flame thrower, bazooka521-
Bow, crossbow, catapult, sling, battering-ram65 1-
Stone, bricks, rifle grenade42-
Petard, torpedo, rocket6-
Atom Bomb, H-Bomb, stink bomb14191612191127

TACTICAL APPLIANCES

Firer not stationary or moving +2
Target in fallout shelter -200
Target in soft cover -2
Target in very soft cover -4
Firer resting +1
Firer being charged -$2.35

Take the Basic Firing Category Factor Assessment Point Units (or Basic Firing Category Factor Assessment Point Units for short) and add or subtract the tactic appliances. Throw four, five or seven normal dice, add or subtract the score on two percentage dice, and divide the score by the number on one average die. The resultant number is now utterly useless. However, apply it to the following table for a result of some little importance:

No. of Firers123456789 over 40
Total Score
0-10112249123 416
2-100234562212 24624
11-2017695933 42928
21-4328710111145 561264
44-560310111516256521 186524
561-1000014303335361260 676248881
over 1000038414245502614 871854814

Take the resultant number, add it to the number you startell with, and this approximates to the population of Lower Patagonia. If any unit loses more than 100 of its strength it is wiped out.

MOVEMENT

The time and movement scales work on a sliding logarithmic scale, of no fixed value.

Troop TypeNormalChargeRout
Armored train30"32"-
Light Cavalry10"20"30"
Unarmored train35"37"-
Medium Cavalry8"16"24"
British Rail train2"11"46"
Heavy Cavalry7"14"21"
Capital Ship or Battleship10"10"-
Extra Heavy Cavalry6"12"18"
Cruisers or Light cruisers10"10"-
Slightly more than Extra Heavy Cavalry5 1/2"11"16 1/2"
Destroyers or frigates12"12"-
Super Heavy Cavalry5"10"15"
All submarines9" 10"-
Hyper Heavy Cavalry4 3/4"9 1/2"14 1/4"
All sailing boats5"6"-
Light infantry8"16"24"
All rowing boats4"5"-
Medium infantry6"12"18"
Paddlesteamers4 1/2"5"-
Heavy infantry4"8"12"
Dingy1 1/2"11"12
Light-medium infantry14"20"24"
Biplane25"30"-
Light-heavy infantry12"20"24"
Triplane26"31"-<
Medium-heavy infantry10"18"16"
Quadriplane261/2"32"-
Heavy-light infantry12"16"12"
Spitfire48"50"-
Light-medium-heavy infantry18"14"10"
All other fighters47"49"-
Heavy-heavy-medium infantry14"12"8"
Harrier123"250"-
Every 4 wheeled armored car ever made18"22"25"
All other jets91"100"-
All other armored cars17 1/2"31"-
2-Engined Bomber40" 45"-
All tanks except the Chieftain8"10"-
4-Engined Bomber80" 90"-
All other tracked vehicles8"10"-
Vulcan Bomber160"180"-
Chieftain8"10"-
Zeppelins8" 16"-
Trucks, jeeps, Motorcycles, Bicycles, etc.12"24"-
Space Shuttle9721"11,385"-
Towed artillery3"6"-
All other troops/vehicles
not covered above
3"3 1/2"-

MELEE (or hand to hand combat)

Count all the units in base to base contact. They have the following Primary Engagement Unit Calculation Factors:

AttackerDefender
LIMIHILCMCHCTANKSELEPHANTS NUCLEAR
SUBMARINE
Blunt instruments286120954
Spears, swords, etc.054490192
Axes87999397 3
Tanks01274282 9
Aircraft7201791 01
Aircraft carriers67297674 1
Nuclear missiles11829767 1
Feather duster210321 -110-15

Tactical factors

    Charging up or following up +1
    Aircraft in uncontrolled advance +1
    Uphill of enemy +1
    Routing -4
    Nuclear submarines in second round of melee -1

Add the score on one die to the final value, to give the number of enemy killed. Roll saving dice for each casualty to save them:

TypeScore
Infantry4, 5, or 6
Cavalry3, 4, 5, or 6
Tanks6
Sailors5 or 6
Heads of State2, 3, 4, 5, or 6
Standard bearers3, 4, 5, or 6
John Wayne1, 2, 3,4, 5, or 6

MORALE

This is tested every move, for every unit, for any or no reason whatsoever. Roll one die for every test, and add the following factors:

    For each enemy unit, sub-unit, or individual within 1000 miles -1
    General Present -6
    For each friendly unit, sub-unit, or individual within 1000 miles +1
    Charging +1
    More enemy insight -1
    Advancing +2
    More friends insight +1
    Surrounded +1
    Enemy flank tempts +1
    All non-British Troops -10
    Enemy money tempts +15

MORALE RESULTS TABLE
Elite TroopsAverage TroopsForeignersResult
over 30over 25over 50Attack nearest enemy
over -41-2550Obey orders
--19-49Disobey orders
--18Kill General
--17Kill General's Dog
-4016Panic
Under -5under -1under 15Become incontinent


Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. IV #4
To Courier List of Issues
To MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 1983 by The Courier Publishing Company.
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com