What is Firestorm: Taskforce? 03 Game Basics 04 Anatomy of a Statistic Card 08 How to Build a Fleet 10 Terrain 12 The Sequence of Play 14 Movement Segment 16 Attack Segment - Weapon Attacks 17 The Damage Table 19 Attack Segment - Boarding Assaults 20 Attack Segment - Short Range Spacecraft (SRS) 22 End Phase 23 Model Assigned Rules (MARs) 25 Scenarios 27 Examples of Game Play 36 Primary Writers: Neil Fawcett Derek Sinclair Photography & Layout: Neil Fawcett From an original game idea by Neil Fawcett Special thanks must go to: Josh Le Cheminant Christopher Peacey Giles Pritchard Dan Bird Daniel Fawcett Neil Parry The contents of this book are Copyright © Spartan Games 2016-2017. All rights reserved. April 2017 - Digital Download Edition www.spartangames.co.uk WHAT IS FIRESTORM: TASKFORCE..? WELCOME TO OUR GALAXY Firestorm: Taskforce is an exciting Smooth gaming mechanics, simplified new addition to the explosive Firestorm movement, easy to master combat rules Galaxy. Players first experienced the and intuitive dice mechanics all add to the Firestorm Galaxy on gaming tables in excitement of the game. 2009, and it has, over the years, grown in The key thing to remember about terms of models, rules and background. Firestorm: Taskforce that it is not designed Numerous races populate this fictional to be a replacement for the Firestorm Spartan Games galaxy, divided into what Armada 2.0 rules. It is a companion are classed as the Core Races and a product that is designed to fit the needs number of lesser Alliance Races. The races of a gamer's budget and available free of the Firestorm Galaxy are united against gaming time. one another in two vast interstellar If players are looking for lots of flexibility, alliances: the Zenian League and the Kurak and the ability to customise their ships Alliance. and fleets, then the Firestorm Armada 2.0 At the heart of this expansive galaxy is core rules are an ideal choice for them. Firestorm Armada 2.0, a set of wargames New players looking to enter the rules that has matured to deliver in-depth, Firestorm Galaxy, or those looking to play granular and compelling game play. You a fast and simple 30 minute plus game can can download these rules as a free PDF do so with Firestorm: Taskforce. Based from www.spartangames.co.uk. around a common set of highly detailed Over the years, Spartan has been asked spaceship models, gamers can switch many times by fans of Firestorm Armada between both games without the need for to develop an entry level, fast play game any costly reinvestment in models. that could provide gamers with a cost- Taskforce model statistics can be effective way for new players to begin downloaded from the Spartan Games playing in the Firestorm Galaxy. website for free. Check out www. The result is Firestorm: Taskforce: a fast, spartangames.co.uk for more details. simple and bloody set of rules designed to We are hugely excited by the arrival of let gamers rapidly assemble their forces Firestorm: Taskforce and we look forward on the table top, roll some dice and then to seeing images of your exciting space watch them be destroyed in a devastating battles, and hearing about your victories! hail of laser fire! FIRESTORM: TASKFORCE is designed MEASURING AND PRE-MEASURING to be a fast and furious game of interstellar All measurement in Firestorm: Taskforce is spaceship combat. The game mechanics have done in inches, often shortened to “. been kept simple and easy to learn, allowing A tape measure is the easiest way to measure players to rapidly get to grips with the tactical distances. If you don’t have access to a tape use and deployment of their key military assets measure marked in inches, use the conversion: to achieve victory over their opponents. The core mechanics are explained in this 1 Inch = 2.5 centimeters 1” = 2.5 cm chapter, and describe the basics of this fast paced and dynamic game. Pre-measuring is allowed at any time, for any reason you like – this is a game of tactical skill, GAME BASICS GAME WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY not who is best at guessing ranges! When playing Firestorm: Taskforce you will require the following: THE BATTLEFIELD Firestorm: Taskforce is played on a Battlefield. • Spartan Games models to represent The easiest way to make a Battlefield is to the forces of the Firestorm Galaxy. place a black cloth on a table. You may also • A tape measure, preferably marked in want to use some terrain that you have in your inches (”). collection, such as asteroid fields. SeePage 12 • A Battlefield or other suitable gaming for descriptions of Terrain Types. area. The size of the area being used will Many shops, clubs and gaming venues will be dependent on how many points of often have boards and terrain already prepared. models you are planning to play with. • Game Markers to identify the various THE GRAVEYARD effects and conditions that can apply in The Graveyard is a place off-table where you the game. can put your destroyed models and ‘spent’ Short • Several 6-sided Dice. Range Spacecraft (SRS) Tokens. • A Fleet List that shows the Squadrons We recommend players use this off-table and Battle Groups you are taking into Graveyard, as it helps keep clutter off the battle. This will have been chosen to a battlefield and makes a game look more Maximum Fleet Value (referred to as cinematic. It also makes it easier to assess how a the MFV), which will be decided upon game is progressing. beforehand by the players. • A copy of your race’s Order of Battle GAME MARKERS (often referred to as an ORBAT) with To keep track of in-game effects, Firestorm: the rules for your models. Taskforce makes use of several on-table Game Markers, summarised ass follows: MODELS AND BASING The game uses highly detailed models created ACTIVATION MARKERS by Spartan Games - available from www. This Marker denotes a Squadron spartangames.co.uk and other retailers. that has been Activated. Only one All models are supplied with a precision Activation Marker can be applied to a laser-cut acrylic base. The models will all have at Squadron. A Squadron with an Activated Marker least one Flight Peg that are used to determine may not take any further part in a Game Turn a model’s distance from a target, with the base (other than to defend itself). itself used to determine Line of Sight, weapon arcs and a model’s ‘footprint’ on the table. It is essential that all models MUST use the base 4 that they are provided with. DAMAGE MARKERS A Squadron that has not yet Activated in This Marker is used to denote a single a Game Turn and has no Activation Marker is level of Damage that has been applied considered ‘Ready to Activate’. There are also to a model within a Squadron. Once a model has some circumstances in which a Squadron may the same number of Damage Markers applied acquire an Activation Marker without having to it as it has Hull Rating points it is removed been Activated, in which case it will not get to from play. Activate at all that Game Turn. Models with Damage Markers reduce their total of Attack Successes by the number of BOMBERS AND INTERCEPTORS Damage Markers present. Here is an image of two Terran Alliance SRS This applies to Successes generated when Tokens. To the left you can see a larger Bomber attacking using Weapon Attacks, Bomber Sorties Token and to the left an Interceptor Token. BASICS GAME and when initiating Boarding Assaults. DISORDER MARKERS This Game Marker is used to denote a Squadron suffering a negative morale effect known as Disorder. Models with Disorder Markers reduce their Defensive Successes by the number of Disorder Markers present. This applies to Successes generated when defending against Weapon Attacks, Bomber Sorties and when defending against Boarding Assaults. As you can see, at the rear of the Token, there OBSCURED MARKERS is a space for a Micro Dice – this is not used in This Game Marker is used to denote a Squadron Firestorm: Taskforce, but is an essential part that has become particularly difficult of the Firestorm Armada Game. Players who to target with weaponry. This Marker elect to move on to playing Firestorm Armada might be applied to a model that has should keep their Micro-dice safe, as they will a Cloaking Field, or when a Scenario condition need them in the future. is in play. More information about the use of these Tokens in Firestorm Taskforce can be found on USING ACTIVATION MARKERS Page 22. In every Game Turn, you get to Activate each of your Squadrons in an alternating fashion, and as such it can sometimes be difficult to keep track of what Squadrons have been Activated, and which Squadrons have yet to Activate. To help keep track of which Squadrons have been activated in a Game Turn, at the end of a Squadron's Activation, place an Activation Marker by the Squadron to show it cannot Activate again that Game Turn. 5 to be made. THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF DICE 5. Count up the total number of Initial Dice Successes from all Dice rolled. Each There are many effects in the game that 6 counts as TWO Successes instead determine the number of Dice that are to be of one. rolled. Whenever the rules mention Initial Dice, we are referring to your total number Heavy Dice of Dice BEFORE adding any extra Dice from There will be occasions in-game where the rules other sources or effects, such as the Exploding will note that a dice roll must use the Heavy Dice.