The First Years

A Comprehensive Guide of the first twenty years of the Century War

The links will take you to the right mood. Please click and listen before moving forward.

1914 - The Great War (as it was called at the time) begins. Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire start what later would be called "The Mechanized Atrocity" (cit. Ingrid Summers). The war will rage for eight years.

Several million spirits sings dead and mayhem.


1917 - Tired of the poor conditions faced on the front and the brutal killing, the French army stops fighting. This riot is exploited by the Germans and they push forward again almost unstoppable. The French army collapses, the French front breaks and the army rout. The 300 experimental British tanks (the mythical Mark I’s) were on the front, ready to be deployed. This takes the Germans by surprise and faced with this new weapon they weaver. The tanks face the pivotal German attack and are able to slow it down sufficiently to give time to the French army regroup and create a counter-attack. New trenches are made and the front is moved a little further into French territory.

France is cut open with trenches and men crawl and linger.

The Psychic Awakening - During these events a strange thing happens and it will change the face of war and technology forever. A German shell destroys the engine of a Mark I. To the crew’s dismay, the tank keeps on moving. As they try to grasp the reason for this, they stare astonished at the tank driver, seriously wounded but still driving the tank. Pure will keeps the engine working. A group of Stormtroopers attacks the tank and takes it. One of the crew members is able to escape. The German officer also understands that something is strange with this tank and reported it to his superiors. After some “interrogation” they understand that it was the personal energy of the driver that maintained the tank working. Heavy research is invested in this by the Germans. But not fast enough to be of any use before the armistice.

The Human Energy - The German military scientists soon learn that human energy can be tapped in some extreme conditions and be added to another machine with an electric component. A machine with a debit of one HP can be augmented by human energy to ten times this power. And other psychic avenues are possible to pursuit. Electricity technology is now open to new realities and internal combustion engines loose importance. The British read with interest the report made by the tank’s crew member who was able to escape, but little is done about it in the years after.

March to November, 1917 - The Russian Revolution, takes Russia out of the war. The Germans send Lenine to Russia and the Bolshevik revolution sends Russia into a civil war. The White Russians against the Bolshevik. Germany betrays the secret pact they made with Lenin and sides with the White Russians. The Allies aren’t keen about siding with the Bolshevik so they keeps themselves out of the conflict.

1918 - Major German attack. The front is broke and German forces advance again into French territory. But in Germany malcontent and famine are taking an heavy tool. Manifestations and civil unrest forces German officers to stop the advance. The Allies fight back and once again the front-lines become static.

And in the barracks, everybody dreams to forget and sings...

1922 - The war goes on with low activity until April 1922. The French and British aren’t able to create a major counter-strike and Germany is on the brink of economic breakdown. The Italians, under the sway of a new man, Benito Mussolini, changes sides and Italy becomes a Germany ally. Peace conversations start in February. Peace is declared. There is joy among people everywhere. France is thorn apart. A powerful Axis emerges.Germany takes the Austro-Hungarian Empire in a peaceful way. In October 1922 the Gross Deutschland is created. The British, having occupied Turkey during the war, bring it into their fold. The Axis is now composed by Germany and Italy.

1917-1925 - The Russian civil war ends. The Bolshevik win the war. The Red Army uses a new and strange weapon in the last year of war that decimates the White Army. The Floating Cruisers. No photo are taken and the stories are unbelieving. Great floating tanks dominate the battlefields.

1922 to 1928 - The years of peace. So ephemeral that some historians prefer to join both World Wars into just one: The Century War.

Dark Shadows are cast over Europe but nobody wants to see...

1927 - Adolf Hitler, supported and pushed up by a strange Bavarian Organization becomes the German Chancellor. His powerful speeches about German superiority and sacred right to dominate Europe, compel the British to rise their military presence in France.

1928 - In September, in a coward and unexpected way Germany initiates a surprise attack against France. The Century War has begun. New weapons are about to be revealed. Giant mechanized robots and strange psychic powers moves in the fields of battle.

France bleeds again. France bleeds again. France bleeds again...

1929 - The Panzerkampffußgaenger PzKF1, a gigantic mechanized robot, controlled just by two men rolls against the Allies. Luckily for the Allies, they had a unit of special troops defending that position and some of the PzKF1′s still had some development problems. They had to withdraw, leaving three Mecha behind. The British capture them and create their own Mecha.

1930 - Paris is lost. Almost all France is now no-man’s land. In the brink of a terrible defeat, the British unleashed their Walkers Mk I, a modified copy of the PzKF1′s. That stalls the Germans. Nations will deviate their resources and research into this new amazing technology breakthrough. Human energy and its capabilities willl force governments to hunt down their citizens who were capable of tapping into their energy.

1931 - Hitler and Stalin make a pact of no aggression. In dire need of resources and food, the Gross Deutschland attack and conquers Czechoslovakia in two weeks. Italy declares war to France. France is now a pocket in the South. Lion becomes the new French capital. The French Army attacks and defeats the Italians at Torino. The Italians have some kind of teleporters. But those that are captured reveal that only under the influence of some drug are they capable of teleporting. The Germans attack through the North and the French face them with "Les Zombies", units of undying men. The German fall back.

Where is Joan of Arc? Where is Joan of Arc some cry.

1932 - Germany attacks Poland from the west. From east the Red Army moves on. The Polish think that The Soviets will save them. They are wrong. In less then a month, Poland is thorn apart. Germany and Soviet Union are now neighboors.

1933 - Jews running away from German and Soviet controlled territories speak about unspeakable things. To unleash the power of some soldiers, thousands are put in strange machines where they die in terrible agony.

The world will never again be innocent.

1934 - German special units land in British Islands. Their orders are to wreak havoc until they die or are captured. The British are caught by surprise and in the first three days, these saboteurs destroy valuable material. But the British steel themselves and anew Prime Minister is appointed to lead the United Kingdom - Winston Churchill.

The Broken Tank Scenario Report

The war rages on. The Gunman are the best British weapon. This men are all that prevents the German Mecha to conquer all France. The British try to expand the use of the Tesla Guns. They create a Tesla canon. Nothing more than a big Tesla Gun in a Mark IV. The result was less that perfect. The Gunman using the Tesla Canon isn't in a good fire position, the cannon hasn't enough power and the tank is having some mechanical problems. The crew hides it in a small half destroyed French village. Then the crew and the Gunman run away into British lines. A British unit of Paratroopers is sent to retrieve the Tesla components or to destroy the cannon with explosive charges.

Lieutenant Jones and his men gears up and go for it. Simple enough, one would say, but there are spies everywhere and some even possess psychic powers in this admirable new world of ours. The German high command is warned that a Tesla Cannon is free for grabbing in a village nearby. A squad is fast assembled to retrieve it. Ten fallschirmjager, strangely the same number of men the British committed to the task. One would wonder about this coincidence. A perfect setting for a scenario, and we should take this chance to recreate this historic feat.

The German squad advances speedily and moves boldly into the village. The British Lieutenant divides his forces in two five-men squads. The first will cover the other - the one who will plant an explosive charge in the tank. The British sees the Germans first and open fire with amazing effect, killing two of the German soldiers. The Germans press the attack and are able to kill one of the men who was putting the charges.

But the British covering fire seems enough to maintain the German under check enough time to let the skilful demolitions expert put the explosive charge. It is time to retreat, but the Germans aren't wiling to let that happen. The supporting squad advances a little and two well placed grenades force the Germans to look for shelter in a destroyed house. The British squad slips out of the village and a huge explosion is heard in the French plains for many miles.

Scenario Notes: I've played this scenario with myself. We had fun together, me, myself and I. My strategy was to divide the British into two smaller squads and thrust the Germans to take hold of the tank. Both tactics could work, but the Germans rolled worst dice and were forced to retire into protection. It was a very fun game and very fast. I was tempted to play it again, but alas, dinner needed the table.

The more I play FUBAR, the more I like the rules. I am now using another new rule in my games. Each player can decide to put his soldiers On Guard before players start trying to activate their soldiers. It works like a charm and the games become much more tactical.

The Rules and Miniatures
I am using the excellent FUBAR - One Page Rules - with some minor changes to work with my new universe. These rules are very easy and enjoyable to use. The major modifications are the psychic shields and the Vehicles (mecha and human energy powered tanks). These rules are presented in my previous post. I am using the very nice 28mm miniatures from Warm Acre Games, the Mecha are from Topo Solitario and the tanks are from Fiddler's Green. If you like paper models and want to play with 28mm very cheap vehicles, you should try them out.

Tank Assault

“As France became more and more a no-man's land and the armies became more proficient in combat tactics, strategy and psychic technology, the Boches were always one step ahead of everyone else in the use of new weapons and formations. Very early they start deploying their special troops behind our lines to harass us. They would attack convoys, lone vehicles or small garrisons, creating chaos and havoc everywhere. The worst of them were the Fallschirmjager, the German air transported special troops. In the first months after this new military approach by the German, we were very slow in taking counter-measures and things became very grim. Later we would use our own special troops and the new all women psychic units to counter this and to use it in their own terrain. The women were a life-saver, that's for sure, although it still pains me that we had to suffer the fact that we were saved by women.”

Captain Mark Bleihem

The Century War – 1933 Tech
The Century War is now in its fourth year (or in it’s nineteenth year if we start counting from 1914 as some historians do). After conquering much of France, the Germans are joined by Franco and war ravages also in Spain. The Germans and Italians attack the British possessions in North Africa and the Russian Civil War is at its highest carnage. New and strange vehicles work across the battlefields. As the nations investigate the new unleashed psychic powers, new ways of using them are being created. The most common was the powering of engines by human energy and the psychic shields, that every army used but nobody knew how “it” worked.

The Rules
I am using the excellent FUBAR – One Page Rules – with some minor changes to work with the universe. These rules are very easy and enjoyable to use. The major modifications are the psychic shields and the Vehicles (mecha and human energy powered tanks). These rules are displayed in previous posts. I am using the very nice 28mm miniatures from Warm Acre Games, the Mecha are from Topo Solitario and the tanks are from Fiddler’s Green. If you like papermodels and want to play with 28mm very cheap vehicles, you should try them out. The Opel Blitz is a beauty, and if you create an account, you’ll have access to 3 free models! I’m finishing it and soon I’ll show it here. Chip only has one WW2 tank (the Panzer III), but if some of you buy it, I think that he will add some more. I’m counting on you all! In this post I'm displaying the FINALLY!! painted Warm Acre German Fallschirmjager and the Fiddler's Green WW1 Mark IV with a rocket launcher taken from a British Mecha from Topo Solitario. The houses are all from Dave Graffam and they are excellent for gaming. Check them out.

Somewhere near Paris - France
The Germans were spotting the lone Mark IV from sometime now. It was coming back to the front. The Oberleutnant decided that his five men squad would be enough to stop the tank, so he set a trap in a small village where the tank would have to cross its main street.

In the scenario, the tank will win if he can cross leave the map on the other side. The Germans win if the can destroy the tank. They will use very well placed grenades to destroy it. So they must come adjacent to it.

When the tank reached the middle of the village, the German unit attacked. Taken by surprise, the tank failed to react on time and the Germans approached it easily. The tank commander moved the tank back to bear more of its Machine Guns against the German and it was able to put two soldiers out of action. But it was not enough. One very well placed grenade from the Oberleutnant himself brew the tank up. The German took off with their wounded and disappeared in the woods.

New Rules
Tank Assault. Infantry units can assault a tank, and try to disable it by putting a grenade in the tank's soft spots. This is a difficult operation. The infantry figure that makes this must roll against his activation and then make a expertise roll at -1. If he succeeds roll on the vehicle damage table one time for each point of success in the die above the expertise -1 value. Shields aren't used but the tank is entitled to an armour roll.

The Century War Rules - Unique Characters and Heroes

"What are you waiting for, Corporal Smith? Haven't I made my order clear?" The corporal was sweating, although it was a cold in that twenty-third day of February of 1934. "Yes, sir. But I don't think I can reach the next building, much less throw a grenade in that Boche's walker, sir. With a soft smile in his Major Morrisey took a closer look into the corporal's very young face. "I see. Well, it can be done. Take a close look, son. You'll be the next one to do this in this Company. Boys! Cover me." Saying this the Major leaped over the low wall that was protecting them and run straight to the door entrance of the next building followed by a German's machine gun bullet that ate the ground he had just left. Corporal Smith couldn't believe the speed the Major achieved. Then from a side window, he saw the Major leap next to the German's walker and put a grenade between the joint of the metal beast legs. He jumped back and a tremendous explosion raked the giant, throwing it to the ground. In a few minutes the Major was next to him. "The next of these walkers belongs to you, my boy." And the Corporal shivered, but couldn't stop a smile to lighten his face. He was in the company of heroes.

The Hero Rules
Although FUBAR is a one page game, the possibilities of this game are endless. Heroes are the stuff that gives soul and individuality to games. The Century War is no exception. Heroes are divided in three broad categories. Squad leaders, Heroes and Personalities.
Squad leaders are better officers with better combat capabilities and leadership skills.
Heroes are common soldiers that are a boost to the unit moral and capabilities. They have the ability of moving freely throughout the battlefield, but when they are with their unit, they boost the unit fighting power.
Personalities are the cream of the fighting forces. They are very powerful and capable of achieving extraordinary feats. There is only a very few of them. But you can play with a small unit of personality against a larger army if you want to. Seven Samurai style!

Squad leaders
Squad Leaders heroes are tough and capable of giving good tactical orders.
They have Activation of 2+, Expertise 4+, a special extra save of 4+ and the soldiers in their unit can be 4" apart from each other. They can Direct Fire. Give +1FP to a soldier in their unit.
Squad Leaders have two wounds. This means that the first wound doesn't kill them.
They can also Moralize their squad, using their Expertise to nullify Suppress markers just before they try to roll for the activation of their unit. Each number rolled above their Expertise will nullify one suppress marker.
Example: Sergeant O'Malley's unit has 3 suppress marker. Before O'Malley roll for Activation, he rolls to try to nullify Suppress markers. He rolls a 6, two points above his Expertise of 4, erasing 2 suppress markers, now reduced to only one.

Heroes
Heroes are soldiers that go above and beyond their duties. They have Activation of 2+ when alone (they use the units activation when they are with the unit. They have Expertise of 3+ and a special save of 4+.
They are capable of absorbing 2 Suppress marker themselves (the unit gains 2 extra suppress marker capability that doesn't count against activation. When they are with their unit they can always redirect their wound to another member of the unit. Someone put himself between him and the bullet.
They can move away from their unit and make free actions with their own Activation roll. They loose some of the abilities. And the Suppress markers that they absorbed will burden their unit. If this dictates that the unit will have more suppression markers than it is allowed, the hero must stay with the unit until the Suppress Markers are taken away.
Heroes have two wounds. This means that the first wound doesn't kill them.
They can opt to have one of the following abilities:
Bullseye! - The hero can add 2 extra FP when shooting.
Sprinter - The hero moves 2" extra when walking or running.
Take This! - The hero can attack in close combat with 3 dice.
I'll Take the vehicle! - The hero can attack a vehicle with 8FP if he finishes his movement adjacent to the vehicle.

Personalities
Personalities have a wide variety of roles. They can be officers with amazing skills of leadership to adventurers that find themselves in the middle of a battle. Personalities are always individuals (though some of them can lead an unit). They can be Minor Personalities: Activation 4+, Expertise 4+ and save 5+; Normal Personalities: Activation 3+, Expertise 4+ and save 4+; Or Major Personalities: Activation 2+, Expertise 3+ and save 3+.
Personalities have three wounds. This means that the first and second wounds doesn't kill them.
Personalities can me military or civilians. Military can be Officers or Soldiers.
Officers have Direct Fire (see above), Moralize (see above) and Fast Move. This ability entitles them to roll their expertise. If they can do it, the unit that they are leading can double their move. They can choose one ability from the Heroes ability list.
Soldiers have three of the Heroes abilities.
Civilians are a special case. They have the I'm a Civilian! ability that allows them to cancel fire against them on 5+. They also have one of the following abilities:
I'll Take the vehicle! - The civilian can attack a vehicle with 8FP if he finishes his movement adjacent to the vehicle.
Stealth Movement - If the Civilian is in cover, nobody can shoot him.
Special Weapon - The civilian has a modified weapon that has +2FP than the normal weapon he is equipped with.
Spy! - The Civilian can roll his Expertise once per turn. If he succeeds he can negate an activation to the enemy.

The Century War Rules, British Infantry and Vehicles

"Now. The chaps were a bit scared when we told them the way we devised to create the Gunmen. You must, of course, remember that we were in a tight spot at the time. The Germans were winning, France was almost taken and our moral was very low. The process was loathsome indeed. We had to cut the soldier's right hand and while we installed the wires in the open wound, we had to awaken the psychic power. And there was no guarantee about the result, you see? So, finally, when the British High Command gave us the go order, we chose a few hundred men and asked them to volunteer to the job. We had three volunteers at the end. A whole three more than I expected, I'll tell you. But the thing was, the scientist that was to perform the operation in this nineteen years old boy wasn't able to steady himself. The man, for God's sake, kept crying. We had to cancel the procedure. Then the boy asked us why would we try it with men already maimed. He told us that he knew some of them himself. It was a life saver, I'll tell you that."

Colonel Gavin Douglas-Smith

The Century War - 1933 Tech
The British are holding the Germans at bay almost alone. The French army is nearly destroyed and France only controls it's south-most territory. Having created the Gunmen, the British were also able to steal the Mecha technology from the Germans. Their Mecha is as good or even better than their enemy counterpart. But while the Germans use their army in a new "Blitzkrieg" way, the British still use the old tactics of battle. But they are learning fast.

The Rules
I am using the excellent FUBAR - One Page Rules - with some minor changes to work with my new universe. These rules are very easy and enjoyable to use. The major modifications are the psychic shields and the Vehicles (mecha and human energy powered tanks). These rules are presented in my previous post. I am using the very nice 28mm miniatures from Warm Acre Games, the Mecha are from Topo Solitario and the tanks are from Fiddler's Green. If you like paper models and want to play with 28mm very cheap vehicles, you should try them out. I haven't completed the Mark IV, but you can find it here. The Whippet tank will be added in a near future, as soon as I buy it. I added to the original Fiddlers Green Mark IV some weapons from Topo Solitario British Mecha vehicle. As soon as I have it built, I'll post an image. I also modified the ranges in some weapons from the original FUBAR rules to portrait less accuracy and penetration power at longer ranges. See it below.

Weapons Range and Penetration Modifiers
Infantry Weapons: Infantry weapons remain as per FUBAR rules with the exception of Machine guns. Light and Heavy Machine guns have more impact at closer ranges and less at long ranges.
Light Machine Gun 4FP/12"-3FP/24"-2FP/32"
Heavy Machine Gun 5FP/12"-4FP/24"-3FP/32"
Cannons: Cannons are divided by barrel size section and barrel length. They are in millimetres but soon I'll put in the PDR size for comparing and fluff reasons.
20mm 4FP/10"-3FP/20"-2FP/30"
37mm Short 5FP/10"-4FP/20"-3FP/30"
37mm Long 5FP/14"-4FP/28"-3FP/40"
50mm Short 6FP/12"-5FP/24"-4FP/35"
50mm Long 6FP/15"-5FP/30"-4FP/45"
75mm Short 7FP/14"-6FP/28"-5FP/40"
75mm Long 7FP/18"-6FP/36"-5FP/54"
88mm Short 8FP/15"-7FP/30"-6FP/45"
88mm Long 8FP/20"-7FP/40"-6FP/60"
100mm Short 9FP/17"-8FP/34"-7FP/50"
100mm Long 9FP/22"-8FP/44"-7FP/66"
120mm Short 10FP/18"-9FP/36"-8FP/55"
120mm Long 10FP/24"-9FP/48"-8FP/70"

Gunmen: Gunmen are a type of soldier that only the British possess. A energy weapon, the Teslagun is attached to the right arm of the soldier in place of his severed hand. The weapon uses the psychic energy of the soldier, firing a blast of energy with a very destructive output. But the Gunmen are very rare and their use is under the scrutiny of their officials.

Gunman Weapon FP8/8"-FP6/16"-FP4/24"
Gunmen are very difficult weapons to use. Their extra power comes with psychological problems of their own. They tend to get "mad" and the rest of the squad is a little fearful of the Gunmen. For this reason, the Gunmen squads have one less Suppress point than they should have.

British Infantry Stats:
Infantry Type/Weapon/FP/Activation/Expertise

British Infantry Squad (Suppress 2) No Shield/Grenades/10 figures
1 Officer/Pistol/1FP/3+/4+
4 Infantry/Infantry Rifle/1FP/4+/5+
4 Infantry/Sub Machine Gun/3FP/4+/5+
1 Infantry/Light Machine Gun/4FP/12"-3FP/24"-2FP/32"/4+/5+

British Gunman Squad (Suppress 2) Shield/Grenades/7 figures
1 Officer/Pistol/1FP/2+/3+
1 Gunman/Teslagun/FP8/8"-FP6/16"-FP4/24"/3+/4+
2 Infantry/Infantry Rifle/1FP/3+/4+
2 Infantry/Sub Machine Gun/3FP/3+/4+
1 Infantry/Light Machine Gun/4FP/12"-3FP/24"-2FP/3+/4+

British Commando Squad (Suppress 4) Shield/Grenades/Mecha Assault/Mecha Capture/Infiltration/8 figures
1 Officer/Pistol/1FP/2+/3+
1 Infantry Marksman/Infantry Rifle/1FP/2+/2+
4 Infantry/Sub Machine Gun/3FP/2+/3+
2 Infantry/Assault Rifle/2FP/12"-1FP/24"/2+/3+

British Paratrooper Squad (Suppress 4) Shield/Grenades/Mecha Assault/Mecha Capture/Infiltration/5 figures
1 Officer/Pistol/1FP/2+/3+
2 Infantry/Infantry Rifle/1FP/2+/3+
2 Infantry/Sub Machine Gun/3FP/2+/3+


British Vehicle Stats:

Walker MK.I A2 "Ellie"
The MK.I A2 is a main battle Mecha, with two main roles: anti-vehicle platform and infantry support. With the two main goals of engaging and destroy enemy vehicles and protecting infantry, the cynical would say that the vehicle wouldn't excel in any of it. On the contrary, the MK.I A2 is so good at it the the infantry baptise it as "Saint Ellie".
Armour: 3+
Dual Shield: 3+
Crew: 3 (Pilot/Gunner/Engine - Gunner/Shield - Comms/Shield)
Move: 5"/10"/15"
Weapons:
Torso Heavy Machine Gun 5FP/12"-4FP/24"-3FP/32"
Right Arm 50mm Long Barrelled Cannon 6FP/15"-5FP/30"-4FP/45"
Left Arm 50mm Long Barrelled Cannon 6FP/15"-5FP/30"-4FP/45"
Upper Torso Rocket Launcher 8FP/60"

Mark IV Z12
The Mark IV Z12 is the first psychic powered Allied tank. Made bigger, heavier, now powered by human engines and with shields, this vehicle emerged again to attack and be used as an anti tank and infantry platform. Armed with the new rocket launchers it is used to strengthen the Walkers platoons.
Armour: 3+
Dual Shield: 3+
Crew: 11 (2 Pilots/Engines - 2 Comms/Shield - 5 Gunners - 2 Loadders)
Move: 4"/8"/10"
Weapons:
1 Port Heavy Machine Guns 5FP/12"-4FP/24"-3FP/32"
1 Starboard Heavy Machine Guns 5FP/12"-4FP/24"-3FP/32"
1 Bow Heavy Machine Guns 5FP/12"-4FP/24"-3FP/32"
1 Port 50mm Short Barrelled Cannon 6FP/12"-5FP/24"-4FP/35"
1 Starboard 50mm Short Barrelled Cannon 6FP/12"-5FP/24"-4FP/35"
1 Bow Heavy Rocket Launcher 8FP/60"

The Century War Rules, German Infantry and Vehicles

"The way we activated the powers of our men was different for each power we wanted to activate. In those early days some ways were very complicated and took much time. Activating the "engine psychic energy" was very difficult and we only had 20% of success. I was lucky. I was supervising the awaken of the psychic shields for our infantry. It was a simple procedure. We would explain and visually show the work of the psychic shield to them. They were in groups of twenty, yes? Then we would tell them that we would shoot them in their legs until they were able to activate the shield. They would be so scared that we had to do this training under weapon threat. Of course they would take the first bullet in their leg. We were very carefully not to make too much damage. We wanted functional soldier, yes? Twenty percent would be so scared with the shooting of their comrades that they were able to activate their shield without being shot. Those were transferred to other specializations. Most of the others would activate their psychic powers without having to receive another bullet in the other leg. At the fourth bullet we would stop. That man would never be able to activate any mental power. We would let him heal for two months and then we would send him to the front with the regular infantry. But we had a success rate of almost eighty percent. Good ahn?!"

Oberstleutnant Hans Shuller

The Century War - 1933 Tech
The Century War is now in its fourth year (or in it's nineteenth year if we start counting from 1914 as some historians do). After conquering much of France, the Germans are joined by Franco and war ravages also in Spain. The Germans and Italians attack the British possessions in North Africa and the Russian Civil War is at its highest carnage. New and strange vehicles work across the battlefields. As the nations investigate the new unleashed psychic powers, new ways of using them are being created. The most common was the powering of engines by human energy and the psychic shields, that every army used but nobody knew how "it" worked.

The Rules
I am using the excellent FUBAR - One Page Rules - with some minor changes to work with the universe. These rules are very easy and enjoyable to use. The major modifications are the psychic shields and the Vehicles (mecha and human energy powered tanks). These rules are displayed below. I am using the very nice 28mm miniatures from Warm Acre Games, the Mecha are from Topo Solitario and the tanks are from Fiddler's Green. If you like papermodels and want to play with 28mm very cheap vehicles, you should try them out. The Opel Blitz is a beauty, and if you create an account, you'll have access to 3 free models! I'm finishing it and soon I'll show it here. Chip only has one WW2 tank (the Panzer III), but if some of you buy it, I think that he will add some more. I'm counting on you all! ;)

Vehicles
Vehicle Movement: Their movement is showed in each vehicle. The movement is divided in three types separated by slashes: Difficult Terrain Movement/Open Terrain Movement/Top Speed.
A vehicle can fire all weapons while stationary without any penalty.
A vehicle can fire all weapons while moving in the first two modes at -2 penalty.
A vehicle can only fire machine guns while at Top Speed at -2 penalty.
Vehicle Armour: The vehicle armour is -1 in the vehicle sides and -2 in the vehicle rear.
The vehicle Damage Table is the same as the Fubar rules. The MECHA Damage Tables are as seen here below:
Mecha Damage Table
Roll --- Effect
1 ------ Crew Stunned (-1 to all rolls next activation). No shields next activation.
2 ------ Crew Stunned (-2 to all rolls next activation). No shields next activation.
3 ------ Weapon shorts (enemy chooses). This weapon cannot fire next activation.
4 ------ Weapon Destroyed (owner chooses). This weapon is lost for the rest of the game.
5 ------ Limbs damaged (Half movement for the rest of the game. No Top Speed allowed).
6 ------ Roll again:
-------- 1-2 Vehicle immobilized.
-------- 3-6 Vehicle destroyed. Roll again:
---------------------------- 1-4 Crew manages to escape.
---------------------------- 5-6 Crew killed.

Shields: Shields are used in the same way, but have two different rates. Individual rate of 4+ and vehicle dual rate of 3+. The infantrymen that can use their own psychic powers to use a shield will activate it when in danger and face it against the enemy. The shield is so powerful that can withstand a large explosion. But it flickers and it isn't always on, as the soldier must actively maintain the shield. The vehicle dual shield is created when two crew members actively unify their personal shields, creating a much stronger and bigger shield.
Mecha Assault: Some infantry units can assault a Mecha, and try to disable it by putting a grenade in the MECHA's foot or knee joint. This is a very difficult operation. The infantry figure that makes this must roll against his activation and then make a expertise roll at -1 against the Foot joint or -2 against the knee joint. If he succeeds the mecha has a Limb Damage result if the attack was against the foot joint or a Immobilized result if the attack was against the knee joint.
Mecha Capture: Some infantry units can capture a Mecha, by climbing the Mecha, getting inside and killing their occupants. It is a very difficult operation. The entire squad must do this together, rolling against their activation at -1 and then each must make an expertise roll. If one of them fails the operation was a failure. If they succeed the Mecha is captured. If the Mecha was previously immobilized the roll is at +1. If the operation was a failure, all figures in the squad must roll against their expertise. If they fail they take damage. 1FP for each member of the squad that failed the first expertise roll.

German Infantry Stats:
Infantry Type/Weapon/FP/Activation/Expertise

German Infantry Squad (Suppress 2) No Shield/Grenades/10 figures
1 Officer/Pistol/1FP/3+/4+
4 Infantry/Infantry Rifle/1FP/4+/5+
4 Infantry/Sub Machine Gun/3FP/4+/5+
1 Infantry/Light Machine Gun/4FP/12″-3FP/24″-2FP/32″/4+/5+

German Stormtroopers Squad (Suppress 3) Shield/Grenades/Mecha Assault/10 figures
1 Officer/Pistol/1FP/2+/3+
4 Infantry/Infantry Rifle/1FP/3+/4+
4 Infantry/Sub Machine Gun/3FP/3+/4+
1 Infantry/Light Machine Gun/4FP/12″-3FP/24″-2FP/32″/3+/4+

German Mountain Troopers Squad (Suppress 3) Shield/Grenades/Mecha Assault/Mecha Capture/1 Field radio/10 figures
1 Officer/Pistol/1FP/2+/3+
1 Infantry Marksman/Infantry Rifle/1FP/2+/2+
3 Infantry/Infantry Rifle/1FP/3+/4+
4 Infantry/Sub Machine Gun/3FP/3+/4+
1 Infantry/Light Machine Gun/4FP/12″-3FP/24″-2FP/32″/3+/4+

German Fallschirmjager Squad (Suppress 4) Shield/Grenades/Mecha Assault/Mecha Capture/Infiltration/5 figures
1 Officer/Pistol/1FP/2+/3+
2 Infantry/Infantry Rifle/1FP/2+/3+
2 Infantry/Sub Machine Gun/3FP/2+/3+


German Vehicle Stats:

Panzerkampffußgaenger PzKF1C
The PzKF1C is a main battle Mecha, without any support weapon. It's main work is to engage and destroy enemy vehicles.
Armour: 3+
Dual Shield: 3+
Crew: 3 (Pilot/Gunner/Engine - Gunner/Shield - Comms/Shield)
Move: 6"/12"/18"
Weapons:
Torso Heavy Machine Gun 5FP/12"-4FP/24"-3FP/32"
Right Arm 50mm Long Barrelled Cannon 6FP/15"-5FP/30"-4FP/45"
Right Arm 75mm Short Barrelled Cannon 7FP/14"-6FP/28"-5FP/40"
Left Arm 50mm Long Barrelled Cannon 6FP/15"-5FP/30"-4FP/45"
Left Arm 75mm Short Barrelled Cannon 7FP/14"-6FP/28"-5FP/40"

Panzerkampfwagen PzKWA7VPlus
The A7VPlus is a remnantof the 1918 German reaction to the Allied tanks. Made bigger, heavier, and now powered by human engines and with shields, this vehicle emerged again to attack, harass and be a mobile command centre. Armed with the new Nebelwerfer rocket launchers and an array of heavy machine guns, this fighting landfortress is a terrifying vision to the allied troops.
Armour: 2+
Dual Shield: 3+
Crew: 16 (2 Pilots/Gunners - 2 Engines - 2 Comms/Shield - 7 gunners - 3 loadders)
Move: 4"/8"/10"
Weapons:
2 Port Heavy Machine Guns 5FP/12"-4FP/24"-3FP/32"
2 Starboard Heavy Machine Guns 5FP/12"-4FP/24"-3FP/32"
2 Stern Heavy Machine Guns 5FP/12"-4FP/24"-3FP/32"
Bow 37mm Cannon Short Barrelled Cannon 5FP/10"-4FP/20"-3FP/30"
Bow Heavy Nebelwerfer rocket Launcher 10FP/60"

Panzerkampfwagen PzKW IIIB
The Panzer IIIB is the newest German fast tank. After the complete failure of the Panzer I and the little value of the Panzer II against Britain's walkers, the Panzer IIIB is a very capable tank. Fast and reliable, this tank fills the place that the vastly inferior in number Mecha cannot fill.
Armour: 4+
Dual Shield: 3+
Crew: 5 (1 Commander/Shield - 1 Pilot/Engine- 1 Comms/Shield - 2 Gunners/loadders)
Move: 7"/14"/20"
Weapons:
1 Bow Heavy Machine Guns 5FP/12"-4FP/24"-3FP/32"
1 Turret Heavy Machine Guns 5FP/12"-4FP/24"-3FP/32"
1Turret 37mm Cannon Long Barrelled Cannon 5FP/14"-4FP/28"-3FP/40"

The Century War Concept

The Century War Concept
The Century War concept has been dancing in my head for some years. The WW1 and WW2 added together with psychic powers and strange technology. It all boiled into a game activity after three things were added together. For that I have to thank Topo Solitario. I had his Steam Mechs under my scissors for some time now. This was the perfect moment to start building them. Adding to this, I had the Warm Acre miniatures sculpted by Gavin Tyler to give me ideas for my Pulp Universe. His miniatures of WW2 soldiers have the right feeling to play pulp era games. They have this Vintage feel without being unrealistic. I urge you also to check his minis. I also played for the first time in these last days the Warm Acre game Hour of Glory and I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality and finesse of the system and playability. To glue this together I am using the excellent FUBAR - One Page Rules - with some minor changes to work with the universe. These rules are very easy and enjoyable to use. The major modifications are the psychic shields and the Vehicles (mecha and human energy powered tanks). These rules are displayed in the next post. I am also using the very nice tanks from Fiddler's Green. If you like papermodels and want to play with 28mm very cheap vehicles, you should try them out. The Opel Blitz is a beauty, and if you create an account, you'll have access to 3 free models! I'm finishing it and soon I'll show it here. Chip only has one WW2 tank (the Panzer III), but if some of you buy it, I think that he will add some more. I'm counting on you all! ;)

The Universe: The Century War
WW1 never really ended. The 1917 French army riot was exploited by the Germans and they pushed forward again. The French army collapsed and the French front routed. The Allies' luck was that the 300 experimental British tanks (the mythical Mark I's) were on the front, ready to be deployed. These beasts faced the pivotal German attack and were able to slow it down sufficiently to give time to regroup the French army and to create a counter-attack. New trenches were made and the front was moved a little further into French territory. During these events a strange thing happened that would change the face of war and technology forever. A German shell destroyed the engine of a Mark I. To the crew's dismay, the tank kept on moving. As they tried to grasp the reason for this, they stared astonished to the tank driver, seriously wounded but still driving the tank. A group of Stormtroopers attacked the tank and took it. One of the crew members was able to escape. The German commander also understood that something was strange with this tank and reported it to his superiors. After some "interrogation" they understood that it was the personal energy of the driver that maintained the tank working. Heavy research was invested in this by the Germans. But not fast enough to be of any use in the war. The German military scientists learned that human energy could be tapped in some extreme conditions and be added to another machine with an electric component. A machine with a debit of one HP could be augmented by human energy to ten times this power. And other avenues were possible. Electricity technology was now open to new realities and electronics was forgotten. The British read with interest the report made by the tank's crew member who was able to escape, but little was done about it.

The war went on with low activity until 1922. The French and British weren't able to create a major counter-strike and Germany was on the brink of economic breakdown. Two things were decisive to end the war. The Russian revolution of 1917 put them out of the war. The insertion of Lenin by the Germans in Russia was fundamental to create a civil war. The White Russians against the Bolshevik. Germany betrayed the secret pact they had done with Lenin and sided with the White Russians. The Allies weren't keen about siding with the Bolshevik so they maintained themselves out of the conflict. The Italians, under the sway of a new man, Benito Mussolini, changed sides and allied themselves with Germany. Peace was achieved with a thorn France and a powerful Axis. But peace would be so ephemeral that some historians prefer to join both World Wars into just one: The Century War.

In 1927 Adolf Hitler, supported and pushed up by a strange Bavarian Organization became the German Chancellor. His powerful speeches about German superiority and sacred right to dominate Europe, push the British to rise their military presence in France. In 1928, Germany initiates a surprise attack against the French. The Century War has begun. New weapons were about to be revealed. The Panzerkampffußgaenger PzKF1, a gigantic mechanized robot, controlled just by one man rolled against the Allies. Luckily for the Allies, they had a unit of special troops defending that position and some of the PzKF1's still had some development problems. They had to withdraw, leaving three Mechs behind. In 1930, almost all France was no-man's land. In the brink of a terrible defeat, the British unleashed their Walkers Mk I, a modified copy of the PzKF1's. Nations would deviate their resources and research into this new amazing technology breakthrough. Human energy and its capabilities would force governments to hunt down their citizens who were capable of tapping into their energy.
The Russian would create their witches. The колдунья (koldunya), capable of repulsive energy.They would later develop energy shields and proto-levitation. The capability of rising huge vehicles 50cm above ground.
The Germans would implement the human engines to paradoxical extremes.
The British would follow the Germans and also create the Gunmen. Units of men that would use their energy to shoot a blast of Tesla energy through a weapon that replaced their severed hand.
The Italians would develop a strange kind of teleportation.
The Americans would transfer their soldier's heads and spines into a tank, creating the fast and armoured Mechboys.
And the French - a thorn and desperate nation - would develop the zombies. A helmet capable of infusing electric energy into one's body, maintaining it alive despite all kinds of fatal injuries.

The horror was unleashed. Desecration of human life was again in the order of the day.

And soon, more will follow.