SLAMMER - Fast Action SF Skirmish System

Chris & Alex Nicole

Organisation of Forces.

Slammer is a tabletop wargame, intended for games using around a dozen elements on each side.
  • At Section level, each element would be a single figure.
  • At Platoon level, each element would be a team of two to six figures.

Section level allows greater detail, concentrating on the actions of individual figures.
Platoon level allows larger games using up to fifty figures on each side, possibly with a few vehicles in support.
Section level games should work best using mainly infantry forces fighting over a relatively small area of dense terrain. Such as: a built up area in a town, inside a space ship or along a trail in the jungle.
Platoon Level games work best over a larger area with more open space and room to manoeuvre.

Ideally Slammer should be played to a set scenario, with required objectives for each side. It is not necessary that forces be balanced, but objectives should be. Each side should have a reasonable chance of achieving their goals and/or denying them to the enemy.

Game Scales.

  • One figure represents one individual.
  • One model represents one vehicle, craft or structure, etc.
  • All die rolls use six sided dice.
  • All distances for range and movement are in inches on the table.
  • One inch on the table represents approximately 5 metres or yards on the ground.
  • Each turn is as long as it takes to complete one round of actions.
Wherever possible Figures should be a reasonable representation of their troop type and equipment. Vehicles, buildings or structures should be to a scale compatible with the figures used.

Individuals.

Leaders, heroes/heroines, specialists or other significant individuals, should be represented by specific figures. Also dependant on the scenario and type of game; If playing a section level game, each figure should be individually identifiable. At Platoon level it is sufficient to identify the type of figure and the team it belongs with.

Leaders

A Leader is a specific figure within a section or platoon group. The Leaders role is to motivate, encourage and direct the actions of their group. The Leader's figure may attach to any of the teams in their group.

Teams.

Forces should be grouped into teams of two to six figures representing:
Command Teams:
Leaders; Officers, NCO's, communications specialists and 'advisors'.
Fire Teams;
3-6 Grunts armed with weapons common to the whole unit, e.g. assault rifles and grenades.
A fire team may also include one figure with a squad support weapon, such as a Smart Gun, grenade launcher or flamer.
Support Weapon Teams:
2-4 Troops armed with support weapons. e.g. ASW; machine guns; mortars; anti-armour; anti-aircraft; missile sections, etc.
Vehicle Crew:
Commander; driver; gunner; loader; radio operator; etc.
Specialists:
Medics; engineers; media crew; snipers; civilian advisors or observers.
A specialist team will usually be attached to another team (usually a Command team), or independent specialist teams such as artillery observers, a sniper team or media crew would usually include their own Leader element.
Generally in order to maintain team cohesion, each figure in a team should remain within a half move of another member of the same team. Distances are measured from the nearest figures. If a figure becomes separated from their team mates by more than the required distance; then all the figures in the split team suffer a separation modifier to their activation roll until they reform.

Groups.

Two, three or four teams should be grouped together under a leader into a section, squad or gang, depending on the scenario and the type of forces represented. Each team should remain within one full move of another team in the same section to gain the leaders activation modifier.
For Example;
An Imperial Infantry Section consists of ten troopers in heavy armour. These are organised as:
Section Leader and first fire team;
Four figures; Section leader and three troopers armed with pulse rifles.
Second fire team;
Four figures armed with pulse rifles, including one figure with a grenade launcher,
Support team;
Two figures with a Storm Gun and Blaster pistols.
In addition there may be a number of grenades or buzz-bombs distributed among the section.

Example Section Roster Sheet

Two to four sections may be grouped under a leader into a platoon level group. Generally at platoon level each team would be one element and activation rolls would be made for each section.

It is possible to use Slammer for company level games involving two to four platoons grouped under a company leader, where each element represents a section of 8 - 12 figures. This would probably work best using smaller scale figures (6-10mm), with the figures mounted together in teams on a single base. In this case treat each team or base as one figure for combat resolution. All the teams in a section would have the same troop quality and or motivation. Leaders would be at platoon and company level.

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Web site maintained by Chris Nicole
Last updated Thursday, 18 November, 1999