| Eclectic Wave | 23 Jun 2010 2:27 p.m. PST |
This should be a actual rule in the game that can be used, as opposed to say, the rule regarding the use of tactial nuclear weapons in the old Squad Leader game*. My vote is the rocket rules in Johnny Reb II. The rule stated, pickup a 1d6. Turn your back to the game board. Throw the die, backward over you shoulder. The unit that the die lands nearest to (it didn't matter who's side it was by the way), has to make a morale check with a minus dependent on the number on the die. A fellow I used to game with actually practiced throwing the die over his shoulder to use these rules
* The rule read: Soak the game board and pieces with lighter fluid, then apply match.
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| DaveMarsh | 23 Jun 2010 2:39 p.m. PST |
There were tac nukes in Squad Leader? We must have missed that rule. The line to which you refer wasn't a 'rule' in any game, it's from the designer's notes of the old SPI 'NATO' game. I have them in front of me: "NATO has rules covering the use of tactical nuclear weapons. To simulate the use of strategic nuclear weapons simply soak the map with lighter fluid and apply a flame. For that reason, strategic airpower has not been included. It has been 'factored out'" Sorry to be pedantic. |
| 50 Dylan CDs and an Icepick | 23 Jun 2010 2:40 p.m. PST |
I love the Komissar rule in Flames of War. If the Soviet unit fails its Motivation test, the Komissar can shoot somebody and force a re-roll. If that re-roll comes up a "1", though, the men turn on him and shoot the Komissar! |
Lou from BSM  | 23 Jun 2010 2:53 p.m. PST |
This was more of a club rule than anything else, but it was funny: We were playing a late Renaissance era game, Poles vs. Turks. Well, the Polish player had a unit of halberd armed troops with grenades, however, the member never painted the grenades on the figures!!! Keep this in mind because it will come back to haunt us later!!!! Anyway, the Poles charge, with the intent of hurling their grenades prior to impact. The other side throws a fit stating that because the grenades are not painted on the figures, then they are not so armed and therefore can not use them in the upcoming melee. A lot of grumbling and sour grapes, but the ruling was allowed by the GM… the Poles went in, rolled some mediocre dice, and lost the melee. Fast forward two weeks… Same club, same troops, same gamers, similar scenario. Remember the guy who cried about the grenades not being painted on the Polish troops? Well, his Turkish cavalry charged home against some disorganized Polish Pikemen (actually Germans). Upon closer inspection, the bridles of the cavalry were not painted. Essentially, the Turks were riding on saddles that were not secured to the horses properly!!! The Poles (well, Germans) obviously called foul, stating that the Turkish cavalry could not charge home, at least not in any kind of order. With an ear to ear grin, the GM agreed. End result… Turks charged in, disordered cav against disordered Pike, rolled BAD dice (karma being a B***h), and were summarily impaled against the German Pike block. So, club rule applies: If its on the figure, it must be painted if you intend to use it/claim it in the battle!!!! Moral of the story, don't skip the paint on your musket straps, canteens, bricoles, cod-pieces, etc. |
| doug redshirt | 23 Jun 2010 2:54 p.m. PST |
That would be the firing into a melee in The Sword and the Flame. All hits are determined by the color of the card drawn, black cards hit native figures and red cards hit colonial figures. Funny how many red cards can be pulled in a row. Last time anyone in our group as the colonial player shot into a melee they took out the officer, the NCO, three privates and the mule carring ammo to basically gut the unit before the native player even did his melee. Now when a new player ask about shooting into a melee, veterans start shouting, "No! Just roll the melee dice, it's safer". |
| Farstar | 23 Jun 2010 2:57 p.m. PST |
One rule and one retraction of a rule, both from early editions of 40k, strike me as amusing, if not funny. 40k:RT Virus Grenades were capable of wiping the table clear, through chained infection/explosion/re-infection, on the first turn that opposing forces came within grenade throwing range of each other. Years later in 2nd edition came the upscaled version, as seen on a randomly-pulled Strategy Card, called Virus Bombing. Capable of clearing the board before play even began, the card was retracted a year or two later with the instructions in WD to "remove this card from the deck and burn or shred it. We don't know WHAT we were thinking, sorry!" |
 McKinstry  | 23 Jun 2010 3:02 p.m. PST |
I loved the variable morale in Stars'n Bars. I hated it when my Iron Brigade routed at first shot but overall it was a lot of fun. |
| richarDISNEY | 23 Jun 2010 3:10 p.m. PST |
Club rule… Roll a "1" on a dice, take a "shot".  
We usually reserve that rule for weekend games, and have designated drivers ready. It really is a Club rule.
 |
| Pictors Studio | 23 Jun 2010 3:37 p.m. PST |
I like the various ork weapon rules from 2nd edition 40K, but I think my favourite rule from that game is the Tyranid rule "Jones is acting strangely" in which a member of one of your squads might explode and could possibly kill the rest of the squad with the resulting bioblast. |
| Coyotepunc and Hatshepsuut | 23 Jun 2010 3:45 p.m. PST |
We made our own Strategy Cards for WH40K 2nd Edition. We had "Bad Tacos" which, when played on an enemy squad before deployment, delayed them d3 turns, and "Girlie Magazines" which did the same thing to an enemy vehicle. Good times… I also really enjoyed the TacNuke rules from Dirtside II, I even used them once just to show I would ;) |
| AndrewGPaul | 23 Jun 2010 3:53 p.m. PST |
One of the terrain features on the Agri-World terrain chart in Epic 40,000 was a small farm. If a unit approached too close, the farmer would come out and take a shot at them, to try to drive them off his land. He'd take shots at anything – Imperial Space Marines who were presumably here to save him, Chaos daemons, anything up to and including a 70-metre-tall Imperator titan. |
| Farstar | 23 Jun 2010 4:00 p.m. PST |
various ork weapon rules from 2nd edition 40K Ah yes, the original Shokk Attack Gun tables. Not to mention the behavioral chart for Madboyz. The Space Orks and their fantasy cousins have, even after their recasting as a less comedic threat, continued to contribute humorous rules to the game. In Gorka Morka and the subsequent 40k Ork Codices, gangs of runts don't flee from the board when broken, but instead *vanish* as individuals dive for every piece of cover within reach or even dig for Pelucidar on the spot. In Fantasy, the most recent Orc army book includes a similar rule for Squig Herds. When beaten in combat and forced to make a leadership check, a failure of that check causes the herd to "explode" as Squigs (we're talking 200 pound teeth-and-claws collections, here) bug out in all directions, causing damage checks in a random radius and, of course, removing the Squigs and their herders from play. |
| darthfozzywig | 23 Jun 2010 4:03 p.m. PST |
In the boardgame "Last Night on Earth" (B-movie inspired zombie game), there is an event card actually entitled "This might be our last night on earth…" It can only be played when a male and female character are alone together, and both lose their turns while otherwise engaged. The priest character, however, is immune to the card effects. |
 John the OFM | 23 Jun 2010 4:25 p.m. PST |
Verweile Doch is right about the Komissar rule. My Soviets don't give me no respect.  |
| psiloi | 23 Jun 2010 4:28 p.m. PST |
In gutshot, the shooting rules are based on percentages. Shots at lawyers had a +25% to hit, I believe! |
| bobstro | 23 Jun 2010 4:38 p.m. PST |
The old Flames of War "friendly fire"rules for air could be downright amusing at times. I did have a lot of fun with the various Orc rules in WHFB as well. - Bob |
| Cold Steel | 23 Jun 2010 5:03 p.m. PST |
Played an Empire game a long time ago: Neapolitans vs Spanish. Roll for ME morale first turn. Both players had like a 98% chance of passing morale. The Spanish player rolled first and failed. After everybody picked themselves off the floor laughing, the Neapolitan player rolled and he failed too! Both sides took off for the hills before the first shot had been fired. |
| ViscountEric | 23 Jun 2010 6:18 p.m. PST |
The "liquid courage" morale rule for the Midnight Massacre Fire and Fury games. I miss that rule. For our game Burning Plastic, airstrikes were called in by taking two steps back from the table and chucking a "regular-sized" d6. Until it came to a stop, anything it hit, figure, vehicles, even terrain and buildings, were removed from play. The rules used Green Army Guys, so there weren't any gasps for chipped paint. |
| TodCreasey | 23 Jun 2010 6:59 p.m. PST |
Vive l'Empereur card in Sharpe Practise where the shortest player gets an extra turn. For our RCW games I use a "March on Brother" card which gives an extra move to a union member. |
| vtsaogames | 23 Jun 2010 7:16 p.m. PST |
Mud and Blood has a rule for Spanish Civil War games: when the "Democracy" card is drawn, the Red/Loyalist officers have to stop and have a meeting about the current orders. |
 Virtualscratchbuilder | 23 Jun 2010 7:47 p.m. PST |
In my homemade deck of situation cards that I use for various eras (Reivers, Samurai, Trojans, etc) I have a card called "Egregious Insult", which, when played on an opponent's figure, causes that figure to charge and melee the nearest friendly character, which may in turn provoke a whole unit to charge when they don't actually want to. Regiment Games' Mars or Die rules has a "Horrendous Belch" card that when played, has a chance of disordering an enemy unit. |
| Mr Pumblechook | 23 Jun 2010 7:52 p.m. PST |
Heh. I've heard of an American Civil War game, may have been map and counters, that had a 'John Bell Hood insanity table'… |
| John the OFM | 23 Jun 2010 8:31 p.m. PST |
I liked the morale rules in Old Skool WRG Ancients rules. Excuse me, "Reaction tests…"
"Uncontrolled Advance" in reaction to neighbor's rout.
"Rout" when declaring a charge on Alexander with my chariots… |
| Pijlie | 23 Jun 2010 9:26 p.m. PST |
A houserule once inflicted on a Zulu player team attacking Rorke´s Drift: they had to shout the Zulu battlecry "Usuthu!" on top of their lungs to the satisfaction of the GM and then received a bonus to their Morale check. |
 gamertom | 23 Jun 2010 9:30 p.m. PST |
My favorite was the following rule from the original version of Sniper by SPI: "An erect man in an aperture exposes himself." The game with the "drench in gas & light" nuke rule was SPI's NATO from the mid-1970's. |
| WKeyser | 23 Jun 2010 11:37 p.m. PST |
I ran a Stargrunt game with troops trying to get across the table, there where genstealers/aliens attacking in swarms, I used the pip counters from space hulk to represent the aliens. The Alien player stood at the end of the table a good 10 feet away from the marines, he then got to roll an average die to see how many random pips he had, then he had to throw them all at once and where they landed that is where they appeared, the kick was that the marine player could stand by the side of the table and try to catch (whith his left hand he was a righty) any he caught where discared. It was amusing to see the marine player trying to catch the flying chits.
William |
| Sane Max | 24 Jun 2010 1:27 a.m. PST |
The rules from 2nd ed Warhammer Fantasy for the Rocket Kamikaze were especially nicely written to represent the guy strapped to the rocket flapping his arms to adjust for target. Pat |
| AndrewGPaul | 24 Jun 2010 1:54 a.m. PST |
The Goblin Doom Diver in 4th and subsequent editions could do that, too. One I'd forgotten about is the rule for ramming in Ad Astra Games' space combat rules; As well as the dice rolls required to actually hit a 100 metre-long target 500km away while it's trying to dodge you, you have to stand up and give a speech which, in the opinion of the other players, is sufficiently rousing so as to make your crew agree to commit suicide in such a fashion. If anyone knows if it's ever been done, I'd be interested to hear it. |
| Buff Orpington | 24 Jun 2010 1:55 a.m. PST |
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| David Manley | 24 Jun 2010 1:56 a.m. PST |
I think range estimation in WW2 naval rules (where the ships are equipped with stereoscopic rangefinders, fire control radar and fire control computers) to be quite funny :) |
 20thmaine | 24 Jun 2010 3:29 a.m. PST |
TSR's battle of the 5 armies – Dwarves v's smaug scenario. Victory condition – kill smaug. Smaug may only be killed by archery. The dwarves have no archers. |
| 20thmaine | 24 Jun 2010 3:31 a.m. PST |
Oh and GW's breaking down doors rule in LOTR which givea a Mumak or Ent about a 1 in 6 chance of not being able to break down a normal locked door. I assume they just keep kicking the wall instead. |
| Pijlie | 24 Jun 2010 3:34 a.m. PST |
The handgrenade Fumble roll in BAPS where a GI would blow himself up 1 out of 10 times (about two or three times in a given game) when throwing a handgrenade. |
| David Manley | 24 Jun 2010 3:40 a.m. PST |
A set of modern naval rules (that shall remain nameless) where helicopters had a 1 in 10 chance of crashing on takeoff, and then again on landing, even in calm seas. |
| imrael | 24 Jun 2010 4:13 a.m. PST |
Theres a rule for Crassus in the WAB Spartacus supplement where one can remove 10% of the army before the fight to gain a morale advantage. Historically based of cource, but still weird. |
| imrael | 24 Jun 2010 4:15 a.m. PST |
Oh, and Space Ship Combat in the original Traveller. Possibly I was misreadibng something, but I do remember a ship moving at 20ft (real not scale) per turn. |
| David SCWG | 24 Jun 2010 4:28 a.m. PST |
The Butch and Sundance moment when playing Brother against Brother. The squad is down to its last two men. You're facing several nearly full squads. You pick up the morale card – and its CHARGE. |
| Dave Crowell | 24 Jun 2010 5:51 a.m. PST |
Mag*Blast space combat rules state that if you don't make sound effects ypur attack doesn't count. |
| corzin | 24 Jun 2010 5:52 a.m. PST |
whe i played the warhammer family games, i always liked the ork rules. of course they usually didn't actually help the orks and if you though about them too hard they couldn't possibly work in reality like ships that sink on triple 1's when moving…well how did they ever get to the fight, they wouldall sink getting out of the harbor
larry
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| nvdoyle | 24 Jun 2010 6:22 a.m. PST |
'Yom Kippur' by The Gamers had a set of complementary rules for either side to receive their highest 'reinforcement' rate. For the Israelis to get all of their planes, the player had to sing (or at least hum) one verse of 'Hava Nagila'. For the Egyptians to get all of their tanks, the player had to 'let loose with a throaty "Allah Akhbar!"' |
| richarDISNEY | 24 Jun 2010 7:40 a.m. PST |
Oh yea… The old 40k rules.
Shokk attack gun…
Hop Splat gun…
The flamer on the Schorcher… Those were fun. Also the Crit tables for Pirates! was always good for a laugh.
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| leidang | 24 Jun 2010 8:05 a.m. PST |
In an old west game their were a few saloon girls wandering around the board randomly. If you came within 6" of one of them with no enemy in sight you had to make a morale check or be distracted by them and lose a turn while you availed yourselves of their wares, so to speak. Made for alot of interesting table talk and laughter as well as one player being shotdown while so occupied. |
| Dave Crowell | 24 Jun 2010 8:09 a.m. PST |
A lot of the Skaven "wonder weapons" in WHFB used to be at least as dangerous (if not more so) to the Skaven as to their enemies. Made for some funny moments. |
| Sane Max | 24 Jun 2010 8:13 a.m. PST |
Yes, the Warpfirethrower running around screaming with its fur on fire before exploding in a small, squeaky Mushroom shaped cloud. One of the strong points of the Early Warhammer games was humour. Not so strong recently – too many of the writers take it all way too seriously. Pat |
| ComradeCommissar | 24 Jun 2010 8:54 a.m. PST |
In Great Rail Wars, a hero can have a trait called (IIRC)Hankerin' where they are, for all purposes, an alcoholic who suffers a negative modifier till they can get some booze. Leads to some funny first moves when someone has it as they run towards the nearest saloon as their opponent opens up on the poor guy. |
| taskforce58 | 24 Jun 2010 12:42 p.m. PST |
I vaguely remember reading about a set of ACW rules with a really colorful Leader Casualty table. One of the entry reads something like this: ''A bullet hits the Colonel in the chest. He was briefly knocked backwards, but remains on his horse. He then pulls out a copy of the Holy Bible from his breast pocket, which has the spent bullet embedded in it. He turns around and says to his regiment: "It's a good thing, boys, that I've already read it!" – Effect: regiment morale +1'' |
| HardRock | 24 Jun 2010 1:18 p.m. PST |
Blue Sky White Ster. Any aircraft that are adjacent at the end of the turn must roll for collision. 8th Airforce bomber must be adjacent to each other. They would have never reached the channel. |
| Wellspring | 24 Jun 2010 1:39 p.m. PST |
In the boardgame Seals of Satan, you sometimes had to roll on the Lassie Translation Table. |
| nickinsomerset | 24 Jun 2010 2:44 p.m. PST |
One of the strong points of the Early Warhammer games was humour. Not so strong recently – too many of the writers take it all way too seriously. Oh the good old days, hang gliding dwarves, drunk dwarves, drunken giants, drunken dwarves, good thing is away from a shop, conventions, GW type player a copy of WH1-3 and it can still be there! Tally Ho! |
| Schulein | 24 Jun 2010 2:53 p.m. PST |
The victory conditions for "Ak47" by Peter Pig.
If defender his name is "Rob" +1 VP |
