Zone Maps

Rather than grid-based movement, Zone Movement is a different way to handle the battle map. It has the advantage of removing fiddly square counting and makes it easier for the GM to create a map, especially large maps. Adapted from this thread.

The Zone

A "zone" is just an abstract representation of part of a map. You can think of it in general as a 6x6 area, but we dont' count squares any more. So in a grid-based map, everything is drawn out. In a zone-based map, the map is just a bunch of zones. It might look like this, where the "piano area" is a zone, the "Bar" is a zone, etc.

Note that a zone might just be drawn as a square with some text describing it. Maps won't necessarily have a bunch of objects drawn on or tokens placed. Players are encouraged to use their imagination. If the zone just says "street", you can take cover behind a car, beat someone with a parking meter, or throw a manhole cover. You can even over-invent - "I use the shotgun they keep behind the bar" - with a benny.

Movement

Within a zone, you can move about however you like. We don't count squares for movement and we don't care about "exactly" where you are within the zone - you're just in the zone. Within each zone, there can be multiple melees going on. So you can be either "loose" in the zone (not in a melee) or in a particular melee in the zone.

Movement Points

Zone-based movement requires Movement Points. By default, you get Movement Points equal to 3 + your Pace. If you take the Run action, roll run run die and that to your movement points as well. Anything that modifies your pace also modifies your movement points (Wounds, Obese, Difficult Terrain, getting up from prone, etc.) Movement points are then spent as follows:

Moving from one zone to another: 6 movement points

Leaving or Joining a melee: 3 movement points

Special Rules:

  • A character with an extraction edge does not pay 3 to leave a melee.

  • A reach weapon lowers the cost to join a melee to 2 rather than 3. A character with reach doesn't pay 3 MP to leave a melee unless they have been engaged by someone else.

A couple examples:

A normal character would always have 9 movement points (3 + 6 pace) and therefore can always move 1 zone and join a melee. With a roll of 3 or higher on the run die, they could move two zones (3 + pace 6 + 3 on run die = 12). If they rolled a 6, they could move two zones and join a melee.

An obese character (Pace 5), would have to run to move a zone and join a melee since they have only 8 movement points normally (3 + pace 5). They'd need at least +1 from the run die to get the 9.

A fleet-footed character can always run two zones with a Run (3 + Pace 8 + minimum 1 on run die = 12). If the run die was 3 or higher, they could join a melee. On a run die of 7+, they'd move three zones (3 + pace 8 + run die 7 = 18).

Ranges

To calculates ranges, divide the weapon's normal range by 6. This tells you how many zones the range applies to. A zone range of 0 means only targets in the same zone.

Example: A weapon that is normally 12/24/48 is instead zones 2/4/8. Short range is up to 2 zones away, medium range up to 4 zones, and long range up to 8 zones.

Templates

Templates work a little differently in zone-based maps. It goes as follows (targets must be within range):

Small Burst: Can target any 1 enemy, ALL characters in a melee, or your choice of up to half the characters in the melee (rounded down).

Medium Burst: Can target any two targets in a zone not in a melee, all characters in a zone, or as a SBT.

Large Burst: Can target all characters in one zone and one adjacent zone or as a MBT or SBT.

Special Rules

Grenades: You choose your target as a burst (get everybody or get the edge). If it scatters, roll for the scatter. A result of 4 or more on the scatter distance means the grenade scatters harmlessly far away. If the scatter is 3 or less, you get "one step less" on the template:

  • You targeted a melee - get half the melee instead (randomly, round down)

  • You targeted half of the melee - it bounces clear of the melee and hits 1 random person in the zone not in that melee.

  • You targeted one person in the zone out of a melee - it bounces to 1 other random person in the zone (including melee).

Reach: If you are not already in melee, you can target someone in a melee without entering melee with them. Anyone in that melee, can leave that melee (withdraw) and enter melee with you without it being an action.

Sweep: Works like a small burst