UM004 USEME Modern Warfare

Alternative Armies

£3.50 
SKU: um004

Ultra Simple Engine for Miniature Engagements - Modern Warfare

The fourth title in the excellent and expanding USE ME game system series concerns itself with ultra modern warfare for 15mm to 20mm scale miniatures. USE ME means 'Ultra Simple Engine for Miniature Engagements' and this system delivers just that. Tactically challenging, easy to learn and for any age of wargamer. From skirmish to full battles, games last from five minutes to an hour. Play in your lunch break or in the evening when the idea of a really complex system with a long set up time really does not appeal. Pick up any of your miniatures and vehicles and get playing in minutes. This complete rules system is printed in A6 format which is a booklet which will fit in your pocket (110mm by 180mm) making it truly portable as well as fantastic value for your money. USE ME is just that...its for you!

A6 Booklet  32pp Colour Covers  ISBN & Barcode

 

READ ON FOR A SHORT ARTICLE ABOUT THIS BOOK

The fourth title in the series and by popular request we present O.G.Joel's modern warfare rules suitable for use with 15mm to 20mm scale miniatures and vehicles. We are bringing USE ME into the present day! 

Author of the fantastic adaptation of USE ME for the UM003 World War Two rules O.G.Joel has done it again with a set of rules that is intended for ultra-modern games set in the first decades of the 21st century, from Afghanistan to Iraq to Lebanon to Southern Ossetia and beyond. In writing it, it is envisioning combat in today's turbulent world, with high tech equipped units fighting each other or skirmishing with lightly-armed insurgents. This is a world of helicopters and assault rifles, night-vision devices and satellite uplinks, special-forces units and sophisticated terrorists. Many battles await from a few characters a side to whole squads upwards to a major battle.

The USE ME game system. You will need some miniatures, some terrain and a few six sided dice (D6's) to play the game. This is not much and indeed most of the time everything in play needs only 1D6 roll to make a decision. In the game all miniatures and vehicles are de-marked into of CHARACTERS (from Infantry to Vehicles and everything else) and these into TYPES which allow you to create anything you want from this period with a few tables of TYPES with points costs attached.

The Turn Sequence of the game follows a simple path of firstly the Initiative Phase where all players roll 1D6 and the highest roll wins the initiative for the turn (important later on!). Then the main part of the turn, the In Play Phase where all characters in the game are activated not by the side upon which they fight but by their Elan Rating. This means better troops and vehicles move and fight before poorer quality troops and vehicles and within each Elan banding from 6 to 1 activation begins with the initiative holding player. When activated each character can choose TWO actions, these include move, ranged fire, melee, hunker down, special action, unique action. The character may choose two different actions OR the same one twice with a modifier; very flexible in battle. Ranged fire and melee are based on opposed single D6 rolls with modifiers for troop type and weapon ratings. This super fast system results in targets being Killed, Struck or Winged by attacks. Killed removes them from play while the other two results negatively effect their further performance in the game. The hunker down action allows characters to take cover against attack while special actions cover those things detailed in the USE ME Advanced Rules and unique actions are created when needed for a scenario.

In small games of USE ME every character acts on its own, this is a skirmish, but in larger games a simple mechanic allows you to combine three to ten characters into one SQUAD which then acts under its leader in play. All actions for squads are no more complex than for single characters. In this fashion you can go from ten miniatures a side to one hundred in ten squads and have a battle that takes only a fraction more time to play.

The USE ME advanced rules. This is the part of the system that really brings in the Modern feel. An Off Table Action Phase adds abstract high level air, artillery and satellite support while the option of inserting further forces once the game begins is also covered. For detail the Special Actions place additions to characters for 'Anti-Aircraft', 'Anti-Tank', 'Medics', 'Communications Specialist', 'Suicide Bomber', 'Reactive Armour', 'Night Vision', 'Imported Insurgent' and 'Minesweeper' among other bolt on specialisations. This is followed by Special Character Types allowing Helicopters, Night Fighting, Minefields and Aircraft too.

Following on from the advanced rules are some special mechanics for the inclusion of The Media making taking the eye of the world into account in combat. Also random movement and action for Panic and Civilians.

After the USE ME game finishes. Most of the time you will want to play a quick game, cause some carnage and send a lot of little metal men to their dooms. But it need not be the end if you want to carry on. USE ME has mechanics in it for updating your Force Roster (with your troops on it from the game just finished) to see what happened to those characters who were Struck or Winged in play to see if they recover in time for the next encounter. This makes rolling those dice nail biting and really important for the next scenario. Plus you can make a second lot of rolls for any characters Killed in play to see if a slim chance of them rejoining your forces for the next game.

The Endless Settings of USE ME. One of the main features of USE ME Modern Warfare is the detailed Army Lists that make up a third of the booklet. Listing and detailing the modern armies of the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany and many more in the West along with Russian Federation and the People Republic of China and the forces of both Korea's, Afghanistan and the Taliban. Rounding them out are generic lists for third world, insurgents, terrorists and even police forces. All listed by unit type and then USE ME equivalent so that you can place any unit accurately into balanced play.

Solo Play in USE ME. This booklet contains a solo play system which means that when no human opponent is present or if you want a practise you are able to do this alone and at a time of your choosing. The solo play addition allows forces to be fielded and statures chosen to determine their behaviours against your actions in game.

USE ME is a pocket rule system that does not pretend to be anything else. Its fast, its fun and its affordable. With many rule systems these days taking themselves far too seriously and with some being priced at an amount that makes purchasing them a long term goal for most of us USE ME gives you what it promises and in a format that will make you smile. Try it, you might want to USE ME yourself!

Contents of Product:

USE ME contains a lot of material in its little pages, enough for some cracking single games, linked games, campaigns and even solo play too.
Here is a run down of just what you get in the booklet.

Frontis Page pg1
Introduction & Contents pg2
What you Need to Play & Era Covered pg3
The USE ME Rules pg4-14
The USE ME Advanced Rules pg14-17
The Media in Play pg17
Civilians and Random Movement pg18
Solo Play USE ME Rules pg19
Character Types and Costs Tables pg20
Example Force Creation pg21
Modern Warfare Army Lists - Actual pg22-29
Modern Warfare Army Lists - Generic pg30-31
Army Lists - Law and Disorder pg32
Free Resources pg32


Miniature Ranges Suitable for Product:

You can make use of any manufacturers ranges of 15mm-20mm scale Modern Era miniatures and vehicles. With some small alterations you could also go down as far as 6mm scale or up to 28mm scale as well with ease.