House Rule: Initiative Fix
Quick Initiative
Fix
Many people have complained that
the initiative system in Soldier's Companion is broken. Since only the
side that wins initiative is allowed to move its ground troops, it is possible
for one side to go several full turns without moving. Indeed, it is
theoretically possible to go for an entire game without moving! This is
clearly not satisfactory, but at the same time, one of the strong point of the
game is not knowing who will move next or when your next move will be. To help
correct this imbalance, we have come up with a fix. There is both a simple
version and a complex version. Note that others have probably come up with the
same solutions (we have even heard that the original play testers suggested this
fix to Frank), but we came up with it independently.
Simple Fix
Add a new initiative die roll modifier to the table on page
171: Side that did not have initiative last turn..........+2
Example: Al and Vicky are playing a Soldier's Companion scenario. There
are no other initiative modifiers in effect. On the first turn, Al rolls a 6 for
initiative, while Vicky rolls a 3. 6 is greater than 3, so Al wins initiative
the first turn. On the second turn, Vicky gets to add (+2) to her initiative
roll. Al rolls a 5, and Vicky rolls a 4. After modification, Al has a roll
of 5, and Vicky has a roll of 6 (4+2=6). Thus, Vicky wins initiative on turn
two, and Al will get a (+2) modifier to his die roll on turn 3.
This
simple works well and will help rebalance the flow of turns, while still
allowing the occasional "double-turn". In fact, it is still remotely possible to
lose initiative for several turns in a row. If your really want to eliminate
this possibility, try the complex rule given below.
Complex
Fix
Add a new initiative die roll
modifier to the table on page 171: For every turn that the side has not had
initiative..........+2
Note the subtle difference. While the simple fix
simply adds a one-time bonus of +2, the complex fix adds a cumulative +2 for
every turn the side has lost initiative. Where it gets complex is in
keeping track of how many turns have passed since a side had initiative. It
helps to keep a written record of each turn to aid your memory.
Example: Bill and Otto are playing a Soldier's Companion scenario. There
are no other initiative modifiers in effect. On the first turn, Bill rolls a 6
for initiative, while Otto rolls a 3. 6 is greater than 3, so Bill wins
initiative the first turn. On the second turn, Otto gets to add (+2) to his
initiative roll. Bill rolls a 6 again, and Otto rolls a 2. After modification,
Bill has a roll of 6, and Otto has a roll of 4 (2+2=4). Bill has won initiative
again. On turn three, Otto gets a bonus of (+4). Bill rolls a 5, and Otto rolls
a 2. After modification, Bill has a 5, and Otto has a 6 (2+4=6), so Otto has
finally won initiative. On turn four, Bill will have a bonus of (+2).
 |
 |
 |
 |
