*This article will explain a little more about Battlefield Evolution (or BEvo). I will offer some details where necessary, some examples when helpful, but I want this to be as quick and easy a read as I can make it, while still being informative about this pretty fun game. I will stick to the Basic rules, which can be found in the files section. Perhaps I will write another article on the additions found in the Advanced Rulebook.
The Game
Battlefield Evolution is a tabletop miniatures game set in the near future (10-15 years from now). Using collectible, non-random, pre-painted miniatures sold in unit boxes, BEvo allows players to field armies from one of four factions:
European Federation Task Force (EFTF): The European Union of the future, this army is comprised of units from various European nations. They are strong in weapons and battlefield technology, and are truly a force to be both admired and feared.
United States Marine Corps (USMC): Coming from a long and honourable history, the Marines are tough and flexible, able to field units that can take on any enemy force. Using effective armaments and state-of-the-art technology, the Marines make up a powerful force.
Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA): Having traditionally lagged behind its Western counterparts in weapons and technology, the PLA of the future has made leaps and bounds, utilising years of advancement, coupled with near-unlimited manpower.
Middle Eastern Alliance (MEA): The MEA is a united front against its enemies in the East and West that dare attempt to invade its territories and change its traditions. The forces of the MEA are poorly trained and poorly armed, but make up for it in numbers and determination.
Most unit boxes include 1 unit, but sometimes there are two, such as the PLA Command Unit and Norinco Fast Attack Vehicle that come together. Also, each box comes with the appropriate Unit Card, which details the name, faction, point cost, options, stats and special rules for all of the figures/vehicles and their weapons in the unit.
The battlefield can be any playing surface, with a recommended size of 6' x 4', although smaller or larger can be used. Because players decide where the battle takes place (desert, town, city, forest, etc.), it is up to the players to create an appropriate battlefield, using home-made or store-bought terrain, or even piles of books and other objects to represent different terrain. Although any type and amount of 'terrain' can be used, BEvo relies on your forces taking cover and hiding behind anything that can conceal them from the enemy, so having more terrain than not is prefered.
BEvo uses freeform, measured movement and attacks using inches, thus no squares restrict gameplay.
Before play, players agree on a point value for the game, to determine the size of the battle. Each unit has a point cost, ranging from 75 for a MEA militia squad (6 figures), to 190 for a PLA infantry squad (10 figures), to 420 for a USMC M1A2 Abrams (1 tank). Players put together a combined force that is equal to or less than the agreed upon points value for the battle.
Each unit also has Options, as listed on the Unit Card, which allow players to change the unit in small ways, either removing or adding figures, which will also change the point cost. This is often necessary, when players have to alter their units to better meet the battle's point value.
Lastly, battles are played as scenarios. The basic scenario, which this review is based upon, is called Engagement, where players merely clash on the battlefield and try to defeat each other (see below for victory conditions). Other scenarios include capture the flag, attack and defend, convoy attack, etc.
Once the battlefield has been setup, and the armies selected, and the scenario chosen, the game may begin. Don't forget the measuring tape and dice (a good number of d6s and a couple of d10s will do).
Playing The Game
Players roll a die, re-rolling ties. The winner will choose to either set up first and go first, or set up second and go second. Players set up their armies within 12" of their sides of the table.
The game is played in Game Turns, each made up of one Player Turn per player. On your turn, you may activate each unit in your army. Each unit's Actions must be resolved before the next unit is activated.
When activated, a unit is given two Actions. Every model in the unit will perform the same Action. There are four possible Actions:
Move: Each model moves up to its Move value.
Shoot: Each model, if possible, fires its weapon.
Charge: Each models rushes into Close Combat.
Ready: The unit prepares for a future Action, according to special rules on the Unit Card.
Move
Each unit has a Move score, in inches, which shows how far each model in the unit may travel across the table with a single Move Action. Taking two consecutive Move Actions means a model may travel double its Move score. A model does not have to travel in a straight line, and may end up facing any direction, up to the player.
If a model moves through any kind of terrain, a model's Move score is halved. This includes going over small walls, through rubble or foliage, up stairs, etc.
Each multiple-model unit has a designated leader. When a unit completes an Action, each model must be within Command Range of the leader, which is usually 6". Any model not within 6" of the leader is Out of Command, and will lose its next two Actions, and may only react, until it once again within Command Range. Similarly, if a Unit Leader is killed in battle, the rest of the unit loses its next two Actions, and may only react. Once those two Actions have been missed, the unit designates a new leader, and may play as normal.
Shoot
In order to fire on the enemy, a model must have a line of sight to the target models. If any models in a unit cannot draw line of sight to the enemy, they may not add their weapons' Damage Dice to the Shoot Action. Line of sight can be:
Clear: No raised terrain lies between the shooting and target models.
Obscured: Terrain interrupts line of sight between the models, but they can still partially see each other. The Target gains +1 to its Target score.
Blocked: Terrain completely blocks line of sight, thus the model cannot fire at the target.
Models from the shooting unit do not block line of sight for each other, but models of other units do.
It must be said here that the rules are unclear about what happens when some models in a unit have obscured line of sight to the target, but others do not. It is up to the players to determine how the Damage Dice are allocated, and how the obscured shooters' dice are differentiated. This becomes important when factoring in the Fire Zone and Suppression.
All models that have line of sight to the target may fire their weapons, not at the target models, but at a certain point called the centre of the Fire Zone. The Fire Zone is simply a 6" radius around a specific point, to which all of the firing models' weapons may reach. Each weapon has a Range, which measures how far away from the model the centre of the Fire Zone may be. Thus, a weapon with a Range of 24" can effectively hit a target that is 30" away.
All models that are within the Fire Zone may be hit, except those that are part of the firing unit. Thus, even friendly models may be hit, so caution must be taken when friendly units are near target enemy units.
When a unit takes a Shoot Action, all models that may fire roll their Damage Dice, as given on the Unit Card, together. All 1s rolled are immediately removed, acting as gun jams and complete misses. All other dice are allocated to all models in the Fire Zone.
The die with the highest roll is allocated to the nearest model within the Fire Zone, while the next highest is allocated to the next nearest, and so on.
Each model has both Target and Kill scores, while some also have Armour scores. A model is hit when a die allocated to it meets or exceeds its Target score. If the model has an Armour score, it may make an Armour roll, with a successful roll negating the hit, representing personal body armour. A model without Armour is automatically killed when the Target number is met, or exceeded. Regardless of Armour or not, any model whose Kill score is met or exceeded is killed outright, with no chance of an Armour roll to save it.
Battlefield Evolution highly utilises Cover, and the protection if offers. When units can get behind Cover, they probably should, as it is often the factor that will save their lives.
Cover is any piece of terrain that a model can move through (or over), but can still have line of sight drawn to them. This can include low walls, bushes, a car, etc.
A model may take advantage of Cover when it is within a number of inches to the terrain equal to its Size score. Thus, a regular soldier of Size 1 may claim Cover when he is within 1" of a low wall, for example.
Why is Cover so important, and so much better than mere obscured line of sight? Cover grants a +2 bonus to both the Target and Kill scores of a protected model. Thus, a PLA infantryman with normal T/K scores of 4+/6+, now have scores of 6+/8+, and so enemy units must roll a 6 or better to kill him, instead of 4 or better.
A model may only claim either obscured line of sight, or Cover, but never both.
Another important aspect to Battlefield Evolution is Suppression.
If a unit is allocated as many Damage Dice, in a single Shoot Action, as it has models, the entire unit will lose its next Action. If this happens more than once during a single turn, the unit will lose its next two Actions.
A unit may never lose more than two Actions, even if Suppressed and having lost its leader - these do not stack.
Charge
A unit may make a Charge Action by moving each of its models up to their Move score, and engaging in Close Combat with any enemy models that they touch.
The amount of Close Combat Dice rolled is shown on the Unit Card.
It a model is touching more than one enemy model, and has enough Close Combat Damage Dice, it may spread them out, decided upon by the attacking player.
Only the Charging models roll. If the enemy model's Kill score is met, or if an un-Armoured model is attacked, it is killed outright. An Armoured model may make a normal Armour roll.
If the enemy model is not killed, move the smaller Size model, or the model that was attacked, 2" directly away from the Charging model.
A target model that is Charged when within Cover may make its Reaction before the Charging model rolls its Close Combat Damage Dice.
Reactions
A pretty unique aspect of Battlefield Evolution is the presence of Reactions.
When an enemy unit completes a Shoot Action against your one of your units, your unit may immediately make a Move or Shoot Action. A Shoot Reaction must be made back towards the unit that caused the Reaction, although any other models caught in the Fire Zone may be hit as well.
Also, when an enemy unit completes any Action within 10" of one of your units, your unit may make a Move or Shoot Action. Again, a Shoot Action must be made towards the unit that caused the Reaction.
Each unit may only make ONE Reaction per turn, regardless of how many times it is Shot at or how many enemy Actions are completed within 10".
Reactions only occur on the opponents turn, so you may never React to a Reaction.
Victory
In the basic Engagement scenario, one player wins by whittling his opponent's forces down. When one side has lost 3/4 (three quarters) of its starting models, it has reached its Shatter Point, and gives up.
In other words, to find an army's Shatter Point, add up the total number of models it starts out with (models, not units), and divide by 4, rounding down. Thus, a 22-model army has a Shatter Point of 5, so 17 models must be lost before it gives up.
The End
Well, those are the basic rules for Battlefield Evolution. The Advanced Rulebook adds some rules, and changes some of the basic ones.
The game is pretty easy to learn and play, yet the tactical play may be challenging. One does not need to be a military buff, or a major tactician to play, which is the beauty of this game.
As well, players do not need to use Mongoose's line of miniatures, although they are well-modeled, nicely pre-painted pieces. The Mongoose website, www.mongoosepublishing.com, has all of the current Unit Cards for download, so players may use their own scaled miniatures to play the game.
As I have noted earlier, some of the basic, and even the advanced rules for Battlefield Evolution are pretty vague, and even confusing. While the game is easy and fun, it does require players that can interpret rules according to common sense, and to their own understanding.
While Battlefield Evolution is not perfect, it does have a number of very positive aspects. If you can find local players, or an FLGS that will demo the game, try it out and see for yourself. Play time could range from 30 minutes to a couple of hours, but on average should take about an hour to complete.
Posted Sun Jul 15, 2007 11:42 pm
