The Gaming Den

Something that's always bothered me about WH 40k is "player turns"

I've actually preffered stuff like the BattleTech system of "Phases" Movement, Firing, Assault.

I think that Changing the Turns of 40k, into Phases, where players roll off; with the person winning deciding to go first, or last in each phase; is a much better system.

Partly because it would save time, it's easier to have both players move their units at roughly the same time, than it is for one person to move all of their people, and the other person have to wait for several minutes before they can do so themselves.

Assaults would also be resolved faster; one person would assault the other first, or they would both charge against each other at the same time; a much more realistic simulation than the current "Hurr, Hurr, Hurr, we charge you nao!" bullshit where you can't actually counter a charge, by charging yourself.

Also, it would make the mvoement phase a fuck ton more dynamic and believable.

I'd suggest that shooting be done as a "simultaneous" sort of deal; with perhaps the Initative stat for units make more of a difference.

Assaulting would be pretty much the same thing, simultaneous. Units that are going to engage in melee, will charge each other immediately.

Units that decided to shoot instead with stuff like "rapid fire" weapons obviously can't assault, since that's what the rules for those kinds of weapons are, but players would always be able to fire or not fire said rounds.

So, for the most part, units would have to decide to either shoot, or assault. Based on their weapons.

Right now, nearly every stat gets used a lot, except for Init, which is purely to determine 'speed' of HtH attack delivery.

Confrontation, the only tactical mini game I play, has players alternate moving a single unit. Hand to hand combat is the same, with no model making more than one attack before the other model has a chance to strike back. Initiative determines who strikes first in melee and another stat called discipline determines who moves first (or last, player's choice). It works pretty well and you actually get preemptive and counter-charges, although at the unit and single model levels you never have models charging one another.

As to your idea - how would two units charging each other look like? I can't understand how you can work that out without computer assistance.

Well, what I'm thinking is that players would declare if each squad will shoot, or assault in the "combat phase".

Players will probably alternate, declaring which squad will move, moving them; and then in the "combat phase" declaring if a squad will assault, or not.

If a squad is declared that it will assault an other squad, then the targeted squad has to choose between assaulting in return, or sitting put and fire at the assaulting squad.

Squads don't actually shoot until the end of the phase, or they are able to shoot upon squads that are moving to assault them.

If they kill enough models that are charging them such that the assault can no longer reach them, then the assaulting squad fails to assault this round. but is now stuck out in the open.

Right now, 40k doesn't represent realistic battles at all; movement should try to be in real-time as much as possible; the same with shooting and assault.

I liked the 40k epic system (back when I played). The phases were (roughly):

First Fire
Move
Advance Fire
Combat

In each phase, rather than being simultaneous, players alternated. Units could either shoot in the First Fire phase, or move in the Move phase and shoot in the Advance Fire phase. Combat was done simultaneously.

WH40k will never represent "realistic battles", so you might want to give up on that.

If it's too trifling then I suggest looking for real war games - they're MUCH more satisfying. Or just play Epic.

I'm looking for a really good sci-fi tactical set of rules then. I like playing 40k, but what really, what I want to do is play Dawn of War, in table-top format.

Since it's a fuck-ton better than actual 40k is.