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Author Topic: Starship troopers Arachnids (movie version)  (Read 1717 times)

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Offline sergeant_hastp

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Starship troopers Arachnids (movie version)
« on: March 09, 2011, 03:49:02 AM »
Arachnids (from Starship Troopers -the movie.) In Legions of Steel/ Planetstorm

Disclaimer: Legions of Steel and Planetstorm are owned by Global Games. Starship Troopers is copyright 1997 TriStar Pictures.

Written By Justin Crough




Background: (If you really need an excuse to use 'em...) The Arachnids are a race of very large creatures which resemble insects. They are known colloquially as the 'Bugs'. They have a hive society, with a still unknown extent. Their Planet of origin is called Klendathu, and it is an arid, rocky world with little to no vegetation. The 'Bugs' prefer to infest such planets. The highest entity is a Brain Bug, which is equivalent to a Machine Overlord computer. The Arachnids live in tunnels they dig beneath the surface of a world, and thus any surface bombardment, even a nuclear or plasma barrage would do little to eradicate their presence, just like the Machines in their underground complexes.




They colonize planets by firing a pod into space. This pod presumably contains immature larvae type Arachnids. When it falls to a planet surface, it is assumed that the immature Arachnids are activated and begin to birth a new Arachnid society. This is not unlike the way that the Machines spread through the Galaxy. Planet by planet, they arrive, conquer, and send out units to begin the process again. When an Arachnid planet is threatened, they can fire at ships in orbit with their Plasma artillery bugs. This is similar to the defenses set up on Machine infested planets, making the landing of anything but fast infantry carriers unlikely.




It seems that should the League of Aliens be faced with the threat of an Arachnid encroachment, that tactics very much like Operation Planetstorm would have to be put into action. Tell it to the Federation, they know all about it. It would be interesting to see how the Machines would react to competition for planets from the Arachnids. An unholy alliance, while doubtful, is a scary possibility.


Arachnids: System (all modifiers are Planetstorm version)

UROPYGI: The Warrior Bug UPV: 117

FCL:
Vertically aligned Mandibles
Stiletto forelegs

Move GM                  Kills  Hero  HP cost  Lead Cmd
 6      0(first kill)        2      0        n/a      0      0
          -1 (second kill)
       
SPECIAL:

Sprint Capable


The Warrior bug, is a large and intimidating whirlwind of spiked and serrated death. It charges fearlessly into HTH combat, attempting to stab enemy infantry with their spiked fore-legs, or to grab them in their large cutting/crushing mandibles. As large organisms, they are completely immune to EMP weapons.

Warrior's Weaponry:
Weapon    ROF  2+  3+  4+  5+  6+  7+  8+  PI  LV  CC  A
Mandibles    1    N    N    N    1    N    N    N    0  +1    0  n/a
Stilettos        3    N    N    N    N    N    1    2    0 +2    0 n/a


OPILIONES: The Hopper Bug UPV: 108

FCL:
Razor Wings
Mantis Claws
Stinger

Move  GM  Kills  Hero  HP cost  Lead  Cmd
  6      0      2      0        n/a        0      0


SPECIAL:

The Hopper bug can Jump 20 inches, AND can perform a HTH attack at any point along the flight path. Razor wings function well in this role.

Mantis claws used during flight have a -2 general modifier. If a kill is scored during a jump however, the figure is not killed, but instead is taken with the hopper. A hopper taking a figure can only travel half it's remaining inches of the jump.

Stinger used during a jump requires the hopper to land on that figure.

Hopper's Weaponry
Weapon        ROF  2+  3+  4+  5+  6+  7+  8  PI  LV  CC  A
Razor Wings  1      N      N    N    1    N    N    N  0    +3    0  n/a
Mantis claws  2      N      N    N    N    1    N    N  0    +2    0  n/a
Stinger          1      N      N    1    N    N    N  N  +2* +2    0  n/a


*Stinger: If the stinger inflicts a kill, a toxin is injected. That figure is now considered Disrupted, and in incredible pain until eventual death.. When used against figures in powered armor there is a +2 modifier. A hit on a powered infantry figure or a Machine (with the +2) is a standard kill. (No disruption).




AMBLYPYGI: The Tanker Bug UPV:341

FCL:
Bio Corrosive liquid spray
Sub-Mandibles

The Tanker is a gigantic beetle-looking monstrosity that sprays a corrosive liquid , bio-electrically igniting it as it is expelled .The Tanker can burrow through the ground.

Optional: The Tanker can be buried at the scenario's beginning, to explode out of the ground at a later time. The spot need not be determined before the start of the game...just assume it could be ..ANYWHERE, within the below restictions. When it is to be used, the Arachnid player points out the spot he wants the Tanker to come up. This spot can be anywhere in the set up area, and up to 3 inches forward per turn elapsed from the start of the game. (No further than the half the field max.) As soon as the spot is selected, the ground begins to tremor..alerting all figures to where the bug will be emerging very soon.... The player rolls a die to see how many turns it takes until the Tanker actually appears:
Roll Turns
1-2  1
3-4  2
5-6  3


The Tanker cannot attack on the turn that it appears. It is considered fired

* note the only exception is if the tanker is designated to come up under a figure...AND...the time roll determines that it will only take 1 turn to arrive. In this case the chosen figure is considered stunned...(falling down into the pit that is formed, disoriented and off balance)...and the Tanker is allowed a bite attack the round it appears. As soon as the bite is made..the figure is no longer stunned (if it lives.) Just think of Lt Raczek at Whiskey outpost...


Tanker:
Move GM        Kills Hero  HP cost  Lead Cmd
  2    +2*/+1  4    0        n/a      0      0


SPECIAL:

Light Vehicle (Colossal, Planetstorm 11.1)

Not affected by the vehicle hit chart.

After 2 kills have been inflicted, the remaining 2 are at GM +1 (not +2)


Tanker's Weaponry
Weapon            ROF  2+  3+  4+  5+  6+  7+  8  PI  LV  CC  A
Corrosive Spray  4      N    N    N    5  10 15  20  0  +3    0 25o
Sub Mandibles    2      N    N    N    N    N  1    N    N +2    0 n/a


Corrosive Spray: May autofire, but cannot suppress. Can only fire once every 2 turns. (Normal fire OR suppress) Note that spread fire is not only possible, but recommended. Powered infantry are Disrupted, rather than immediately killed, as the corrosives rapidly break down the armor.



SOLIFUGAE: The Plasma Bug UPV30 (based on combat value vs ground forces.) Likely to be part of victory conditions of a scenario. (Worth 500 or so victory points.)

FCL:
Plasma discharge (Anti-Spacecraft)
Stomp

Move GM  Kills Hero  HP cost Lead Cmd
  3      +1    8    0        0          0      0


SPECIAL:

'Light' Vehicle.

Due to it's huge size, any area of effect weapon inflicts double the kill dice, as long as it fills at least half the area of effect.

As a representation, the Plasma bug is considered approx 25" long, and 10" wide! (Thus a K-pulse grenade centered on it would have a ROF of 2 for inflicting a kill.) A Tac Nuke (See Starship Troopers System) would have 8 dice for inflicting a kill.


The Plasma bug is only included as a possible mission objective, as it's only real weapon is designed to destroy orbiting spacecraft. It may stomp as per a UNE Superfortress ( HTH ROF 2, Kill #3+)




CEREBRUS REX: The Brain Bug UPV 150 (may be part of victory conditions)

FCL:
Cranial Probe

Move  GM  Kills Hero  HP cost  Lead Cmd
  1(4)    0    2    0          n/a      2      2


The Brain bug is the controller of an Arachnid colony, and as such should never be seen in a surface engagement, and rarely used in an underground setting, and never be deployed in numbers greater than one. (unless the scenario dictates.)

If a brain bug is killed, all other Arachnids under it's control become Disrupted. They will soon die.

Chariot Beetles: These are small many-legged bugs. A swarm of them are employed to carry the Brain Bug. ( the Move of 4) They are considered ½ kill creatures, like Machine gremlins, have no attacks, and a GM of -4. They swarm in groups of 8-15 (roll 1 die, and add 9) (In most games they can be completely ignored. See below.)

Capturing a Brain. As a simple system, consider a Brain bug captured if it has less than 6 Chariot Beetles left. It has it's lowered speed when there are less than 8.

Weapon        ROF 2+ 3+ 4+  5+ 6+ 7+  8  PI  LV  A
Cranial Probe  1    N  N    N  N    N  N  1  0  +2  n/a

The Probe is not intended as a weapon, it is used to liquify and remove a subject's brain matter.

This is of course nearly useless against powered troops, though it may be possible to penetrate a weak area of a helmet on occasion. The Brain bug will often assign it's leadership points to warriors in an attempt to catch infantry. A Warrior with an assigned leadership has a +1 modifier to it's HTH attack. (Stiletto or mandible) A 'kill' with either weapon results in a helpless and captured figure. (2 kill figures are immune.) These will be brought before the Brain Bug to be drained. 2 Hero points/ Ldsp may be spent by a captured figure to make an attack.

A figure who is successfully drained has a 2 in 6 chance of giving the Brain bug another point of leadership for the rest of the game.



Arachnid Units

Arachnid Patrol group UPV: 316

3 Warriors



Arachnid Skirmisher Pack UPV: 748

8 Warriors



Arachnid Scout Team UPV: 195

2 Hoppers



Arachnid Hopper Pack UPV: 527

6 Hoppers



Arachnid Assault Swarm UPV :1522

2 Skirmisher Packs

1 Scout Team

Arachnid Battle Swarm UPV: 1654

2 Skirmisher Packs

1 Tanker



NOTE: In the Tunnels: The Legions of steel templates can provide a tunnel network to act as the Arachnid hive complex. Of course Plasma bugs will definitely NOT be found in doors.

Tankers can burrow, and so can be found in the tunnels even though they have 4 kills. They can only be found in the wide tunnels or rooms however. (At least 3 squares wide).

If they want to travel down a single square wide tunnel, they can burrow. A Burrowing tanker can only walk at 2 while burrowing, cannot attack, and expands the tunnel to 3 squares wide behind it. The floor of this expanded tunnel is rubble. (+1MP per square)

Warriors are at home in any of the tunnels, though they cannot move past each other in the thin tunnels..

Hoppers can be found in the tunnels, however they can not use their Jump, or Razor wings.

They cannot move past each other in the thin tunnels.

The Brain Bug will usually only be found underground.

NOTE: For play, I tend to use the really cheap rubber insects you can get at dollar-stores to simulate the bugs. I like the rubber tarantulas to be warriors, with rubber grasshoppers...as the hoppers. I've got these really big beetles for the tankers. The brain bug? A hunk of play doh.