Walker Combat

Technology

These rules will be a long-term work-in-progress. Cinero will revise based on playtesting.

Basic Rules

1. Shields and most weapons systems pull from a walker's capacitors. The reactor(s) refill the capacitors.
2. A medium walker can maintain three layers of shields.
   1. A direct hit by a havoc missile shatters one layer (two with a raise), instead of doing damage.
3. Loading a salvo of missiles requires a slinger.
   1. Loading can't be used with Multi-Action. (It requires complete attention.)
4. A salvo is launched in one round and then attacks in the next round.
   1. Attacking with a salvo is a Battle roll. A raise can cause extra damage, as usual.
5. Instead of attacking, a missile can cruise above the battlespace. However, most attacks against a cruising missile get a +4 bonus (due to its strong heat signature).
6. A CIWS engages against a salvo just before it would hit.
   1. A CIWS must have line of sight.
   2. A CIWS fires autonomously, because hypersonic missiles are too fast for a humanoid to react.
7. Bad weather can interfere with any aspect of battle.
8. The crew can push the Tilt in a variety of ways, such as:
   1. The skipper, XO, and brass can give orders and inspire confidence.
   2. Nav can update the location and movements of friendlies and hostiles.
   3. Nose can update the ECM and ECCM.
   4. A slinger can recalibrate a salvo's avionics before the missiles are launched.
   5. A CWIS operator can recalibrate the CWIS.

Alert Levels

1. Battle Stations: Imminent threat(s). Crew focus exclusively on combat operations. Missiles are spun up (if not already). Capacitors are charged to 100%.
2. General Quarters: Possible threat(s). Crew must remain at their duty stations, but may perform other tasks. The crane is secured in its axial position. Missiles are spun up. If the outer shell is below full, then more ravens are launched. The wolfpack is launched. Capacitors are charged to 70%.
3. Condition 3 ("all quiet"): No threats. Crew can move freely and conduct normal activities. Some ravens may be out. Capacitors are kept at 30%.

Common Commands and Reports

• Contact: A search reveals a new sensor signal. It may be a "clear contact" (i.e., certain), or a "strong contact" or "weak contact." Contacts are classified or reclassified as:
  • Green: friendly
  • Gray: neutral or ambiguous
  • Red: hostile
• No joy: A search reveals no new contact.
• Picture: A current summary of the battlespace. When it changes significantly, the report is "new picture."
• Run cold: Close all heat sinks. This substantively reduces the walker's heat signature. However, the walker can only store a finite amount of heat before it must be dumped.
• Run silent: All systems and crew activities are kept as quiet as possible. This substantively reduces the walker's acoustic signature.
• Weapons free: Crew can fire at will, within the rules of engagement.

Sensors

Sensors include:

• Electromagnetic (including detecting active transmissions like radio and radar, plus passive EM scatter from electronics and reactors)
• Gravimetric (the target must be large and moving)
• Optical
• Radar
• Sound
• Thermal

On some walkers, magic is also used for detection. This can include magitec systems with semi-autonomous functions.

Drones

A military walker is surrounded by two shells of drones: an outer flock of ravens and an inner pack of wolves. A medium walker typically deploys six drones in each shell. Drones are usually launched via missile tubes and recovered on the flight deck. For immediate launch, drones can pre-positioned on the exterior, but there is a risk of weather damaging them.

• Raven: A smaller, faster drone specialized in detection. A raven is typically not armed, but it can be smashed into a hostile raven. A popular model is an all-electric quad-rotor drone with arctic sky camouflage.
• Wolf: A larger, slower drone specialized in close-in shooting. A wolf can shoot down a raven, wolf, or enemy personnel. A wolf isn't fast enough to shoot or intercept a hypersonic missile.

(Technically, a group of ravens is called an "unkindness." But "flock" is faster to say.)

Missiles

A standard walker missile has a generic airframe (e.g., fuselage, control systems). Warheads are modular, so the same airframe can deliver one of many different kinds of warhead.

A missile is usually launched electromagnetically. Then it burns a chemical propellant to reach its attack speed. Electromagnetic launch helps ensure that the walker isn't immediately detected. Once a missile ignites its engine, it's a strong heat source.

Warheads

These warheads are common:

E : Electronic Countermeasures (ECM): electronic jamming and other interference. This disrupts a target's sensors, especially CWIS. An E missile is seldom launched alone, but rather as part of a salvo.
F : Frag: a forward-directed explosion with jagged fragments. This is the standard shipkiller warhead.
H : Havoc: an electromagnetic discharge that weakens a shield.
P : Piercer: on impact, a shaped explosive fires a flash-heated armor-penetrating needle. This does less damage than F but ignores some armor.
S : Shotgun: blasts a small or medium area with hundreds of tiny metal spheres. They can't penetrate heavy armor but can be lethal to softer targets. This warhead can destroy a cruising missile. But once a missile reaches its hypersonic attack velocity, it is almost impossible to intercept.

These warheads are less common:

B : Burst: a momentary flash of very bright light. This illuminates a large area and disrupts most sensors.
I : Inferno: a fuel air explosive fills a large area with intense radiant heat. This can't penetrate heavy armor but can be lethal to softer targets.
N : Net: spreads a metal net over a medium area. This can be useful for capturing personnel or fauna.

Killing Line

Missiles in a salvo are usually programmed to autonomously order themselves ahead or behind. This ensures that Havoc missiles hit any shields first, followed by Frag and Piercer. Finally, ECM protects the salvo until the end, then impacts to prevent being salvaged and studied.

Rear	Middle	Front
ECM	Frag, Piercer	Havoc

Tactical Nukes

Nuclear warheads are anathema to the Mother's Children and the Childstealers. However, there are still rumors of their use.

Packages

Most skippers and guns have packages they prefer to spin up first. Good slingers learn to anticipate their comrades' preferred packages.

Here is a popular package for a medium walker with 12 tubes:

• Salvo 1: "Bell Ringer:" H H H F F E
• Salvo 2: "Shank:" H F F P P E

CIWS

A walker defends against incoming missiles using its Close-In Weapon System (CIWS, "see wiz"). Since an incoming missile can be hypersonic, CIWS is usually automated. CIWS cannons or lasers are calibrated to fire through a walker's shields, during millisecond fluctuations.