CAV 2.M Beta Release

This morning, I released the CAV 2.M Beta on the Reaper Miniatures forum. Post duplicated below.

Inspired by the CAV Kickstarter, over the past couple of months I have frequently alluded to and shared portions of my attempt to improve upon the CAV 2 rules as they were left following the Rage Chronicles ’08 public beta. Utilizing an early draft of rules changes proposed by Mil-Net and drawing heavily on old forum discussions of known problems and possible solutions, I have overhauled several portions of the rules and expanded others. This project has now reached the point where there is little more I can do without feedback on the numerous changes, and so I would like to present to you the CAV 2.M Beta.

CAV 2.M Beta [zip]

The download consists of an errata document, in the style of Rage Chronicles ’08, and data cards for all models with the exception of the War for Sale army lists and those with the Unique SA from Shards. I would be happy to provide any of the excluded cards if there is demand for them, and they will of course be included in the final release. My intention following the testing is to produce a full rulebook incorporating the changes and improving on the layout and presentation.

Please post any feedback in the Reaper thread or in the comments; actual playtest results/battle reports would be most valuable, but all input is welcome! Thoughts on the assignment of abilities and point values would also be helpful, given the abundance of new SAs and the increased relevance of EXP, TC, and EDV values. Due to the sheer number of models I had to work through, the data cards could probably do with some refinement, and improving balance and internal consistency will be a major focus leading up to the final version.

Throughout this project, I have relied heavily on several members of the Mil-Net community. My thanks to all of you for providing the groundwork for this project, and especially for the assistance in developing the new point calculator. The M designation is in honor of Mil-Net and all they've done for the CAV community.

I also shared a list of my design goals, both specific and general, to provide some context for the changes. Above all else, my aim was to retain or improve the fast, streamlined play that makes the game so enjoyable, and to generally remain true to the history of the game. With that in mind, I set out with the following five goals:

Address “The Huddle”
Perhaps the single greatest complaint regarding CAV 2, at least after the insta-death infantry were addressed, was “The Huddle”, the cluster of units that inevitably formed around ECM- and EST-providing Recon models. As such, I have implemented no fewer than three major changes all intended to address this problem. First, dedicated electronic warfare models, such as the Panther and Talon, have been separated from reconnaissance units, such as the Nomad or Puma, and given the new designation of ESM or Electronics Systems Management. Models retaining the Recon type have generally had their electronic warfare abilities curtailed, though some such as the Ashigaru retain the ability to serve as “spotters” for fire support. Second, acquiring a Target Lock or Jamming is no longer guaranteed; the model in question must succeed on a 10+ EXP roll. ESM units receive a bonus to this roll, but the possibility of failure remains and is strong incentive not to rely too heavily on your ESM units. Third, the native Target Lock/Jamming capability of many models has improved, allowing them to receive a meaningful bonus without requiring an ESM model.

Improve Indirect Fire
Indirect fire resolution was one of the less elegant components of the existing CAV rules. Numerous elements were added or subtracted to the Target Point and Drift rolls, and it was nearly impossible for attacks by models without the FRS SA to land on target. As with electronics, the use of the EXP stat offered a solution. The Target Point roll is now a simple 10+ EXP roll with any Target Lock or Jamming modifiers applied. This gives Attack models a reasonable chance of hitting on target, while dedicated Fire Support retains superior accuracy with the FRS SA.

Incorporate New Content
There are a variety of additions not intended to address any particular shortcoming, but rather to simply expand the game. This includes concepts resulting from discussions at Mil-Net such as strike pools and several new SAs, optional rules published by Mil-Net such as allowing full-rate defensive fire and the Beans and Bullets doctrine, and the addition of new models to the game. This last point includes both variants suggested by the model’s Journal of Recognition entry as well as the addition of entirely new units, made possible by the addition of Rogue Legion to the CAV line and the multitude of new models announced over the past several months. I have thus far been quite particular in the addition of new models, resulting in a slight imbalance between the factions (see this blog post for details); I am absolutely open to suggestions in this area. I have yet to add any, but I believe faction-specific infantry may have some potential.

Individualize UCORs
This may have resulted in some of the more controversial changes, as it called for substantial revision of many data cards. In CAV 2, model stats are modified by faction: all Adonese models have increased range, all Rach models have reduced DV, and so on. This struck me as rather unfortunate, given the effort that has gone into establishing each individual UCOR’s history and visual style. So, I went through and defined strengths and weaknesses for each UCOR. Major changes include extended range for Hughes-Marietta missiles, distinction between UCORs which favor guided missiles and those which don’t, and variations in severity of model degradation.

Individualize Weaponry
One minor complaint that came up occasionally was that the various weapon systems didn’t feel distinct enough; at the end of the day there wasn’t much differentiating a PBG from a GC, or a GGC from a DFM. My improvements in this area are almost entirely drawn from the Mil-Net playtest document and are centered around a selection of new and altered SAs. Powerful PBGs can now overload the target’s electrical systems, while GGCs can increase their rate of fire at the expense of accuracy. Guided missiles suffer no range penalties, but have a reduced maximum range compared to regular DFMs.