OGRE Structure Points

Ever wonder why the Paneuros didn’t try to destroy OGREs outright?

The OGRE rules require a defender to batter an OGRE apart one piece at a time; they make no provision for attacking the cybertank’s main body. Here are some suggestions for OGREs with structure points.

Check out how well-armoured the monsters are; that’s the reason the Pansies shoot out an OGRE’s weapons and treads instead.

1.10 OGRE structure points. If desired, attackers may target an OGRE’s main body instead of its weapons or treads. OGREs are extremely well-armoured, with metres of BPC protecting their vulnerable innards. Like treads, the OGRE’s main body is attacked at 1:1 odds. A successful hit inflicts damage equal to the weapon’s attack strength.

An OGRE suffers no detrimental effects from main body damage until 0 SP are reached. At that point, the OGRE is considered destroyed; its internal systems have been breached and completely fried. If using the OGRE Miniatures rules, the OGRE still leaves behind a hulk. Various OGRE designs possess differing SP, as follows:

• Mk. VI or Doppelsoldner: 125 SP.
• Mk. IV, Mk. V, Huscarl, or Fencer: 100 SP.
• Mk. III, Mk. III-B, Legionnaire, or Ninja: 75 SP.
• Mk. II: 50 SP.
• Mk. I, Pikeman: 30 SP.

Most OGREs have so many SP that it is difficult to obliterate them within a reasonable period of time. When using OGRE structure points, the optional “AP point defense” rule is recommended (repeated here from the Other Rule Variants page):

1.103 AP point defense. An OGRE uses its AP weapons for point defense against incoming attacks, not just to mow down infantry. If all of an OGRE’s antipersonnel units are destroyed, then treat any “D” result to an OGRE component as an “X” instead (except for spillover fire). This gives attackers some reason to take out an OGRE’s AP.

As a variant, allow ram attacks to damage an OGRE’s main body instead of (or perhaps in addition to) treads.

Combine OGREs (Variants)

This page contains variant Mk. IVs plus some of the Combine’s ‘weirder’ OGREs. I’ve put the Mk. Is separately on The Littlest OGRE page and Paneurope’s forces are collected at Paneuropean Cybertanks.

Note that several of the Combine OGREs feature internal missile systems. Here’s an excerpt from my Other Rule Variants that I like:

1.101 Combine missile pods. Looking at the Mk. IV and Mk. VI miniatures, I would say that Combine internal missiles are not located within the OGRE’s body, but are stored inside the revolver-style launchers themselves. This suggests a variation of the missile rack rules…

To distinguish them from 3.04.2‘s missile racks, let’s call the Combine’s launchers “missile pods” instead (they look more like pods anyways). The ammo for each pod must be kept track of separately. When a pod is destroyed, the remaining missiles in that pod (if any) are also destroyed. The Mk. IV has pods containing 5 missiles each, while the OGRE Ninja and Mk. VI use pods with 4 missiles each.

I’ve Fallen (Scenario)

My BGG Sponsored Sheets arrived yesterday, so I’ve been playing around with the new units. I also took the time to update an old scenario I wrote to match the new Designer’s Edition components.

I’ve always liked the Mk. IV, but it was introduced so late in the war that it never really saw service in Europe. In my (non-canon) OGREverse this is because the Combine rejected the initial Mk. IV design during testing, deciding to create a larger version instead. However, it took so long to work out the bugs on the revised design that the “true” Mk. IV was not deployed much later. (Check out my Combine OGREs page for more info.)

However, a handful of Mk. IV prototypes did participate in combat against Paneurope in 2077-78. And later, the Mk. IV chassis was resurrected as the basis for the OGRE Ninja (since the ECM systems wouldn’t work on a larger hull).

Although OGRE Mk. IVs didn’t see active service until the siege of Mexico City, prototype units were sometimes deployed for special missions or as tests. Several early-model Mk. IVs were used in Europe before 2086, where the Combine monitored their performance and kept their existence a secret. The Paneuropeans, receiving scattered reports of a strange raider-type cybertank, suspected that a new OGRE unit was being introduced. They were eager to get their hands on one.

Mr. Heavyfoot, a prototype Mk. IV being field tested in France, has gotten itself into a sticky situation. After successfully completing a mission on the edge of Paneuropean territory, it was ordered to eliminate all witnesses. Having no missiles and with some of its treads missing, it decided to take a ‘shortcut’ through a swamp. Now Mr. Heavyfoot is in trouble; Combine and Paneuro listening posts have both intercepted an emergency transmission from the OGRE:

“I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”