"Gas Powered" a.k.a. Bolt Action Moderns

[Mike the Pike]

Now that the models are taken care of, it's probably time for some rules to go along with them.

Basically, I intend to completely rip off the guys at Cheltenham Wargames Association who thought up these great mods for the game.

Check them out here...
http://cheltenhamwargames.wordpress.com/bolt-action/

I was thinking that they pretty much sum up the major changes on the ground since WW2. I'm not sure about the initiative/activation changes. I thought I'd try a couple games without them first.

[Mike the Pike]

Two things I would add are...

Designated Marksman:
One soldier per section maybe be upgraded to a Designated marksman.
That soldier receives +1 to hit on all of his shots.

Helicopters:
Move 'xx' inches per turn.
Shooting suffers a -1 penalty to hit unless the firer is a dedicated AA unit.
Is visible to and has LOS to all models on the board unless it is concealed by especially tall terrain (should be discussed pre-match)
May make a Recce 'evade' move of 'yy' inches in any direction.
May land and embark/disembark troops if it is given a down order.

What say you savages?
Any other things on the modern battlefield that need to be covered?
I was thinking drones etc are pretty much covered by the current Air support rules.

[Mike the Pike]

As for National rules, I thought of these for the American and Russian forces I have at the moment.

America

Awesome Firepower = In the age of the assault rifle a US squad has an impressive amount of firepower, not to mention an abundant supply of ammunition.
American rifle squads have "Rapid Fire" rule from the AOGB book. For every 3 men firing rifles you may add an extra dice to the pool. Does not include men firing SAWs or similar.

Advanced Communications = Communications systems on the modern battlefield allow for an unheard of level of inter-unit co-ordination.
American units arriving from reserve may re-roll failed command rolls for arriving from reserve. They still suffer the -1 penalty though.

Shock and Awe = Be it a drone, an F-22, or a AC-130 Spooky Gunship, US forces have access to unparalleled levels of Air Support.
One American officer per game may call down a 'free' Air strike as per a Forward Air controller.

[Mike the Pike]

Russia

Maskirovka = The art of battlefield deception has been a cornerstone of Russian military doctrine since Soviet times. The politics may have changed but the Russian penchant for 'Ruse de guerre' has not.
Russian units arriving from reserve by 'outflanking' may appear one stage further along the board edge than is usually permitted. In addition, after the sides have been set up but before any order die are drawn to start the game, the Russian player may re-deploy D3 (or D6 units depending on game size) anywhere within the scenario's deployment zone. Units on the board may also be placed in reserve or brought on from reserve as long as they don not exceed the limits placed by the scenario.

Gods of War = Artillery is still king of the battlefield in the eyes of many Russian tacticians.
Russian armies have the 'Bombardment' special rule from the AOGB book. That is, in scenarios where the attacker is allowed a preparatory bombardment, the Russian player may roll two dice, instead of one, and choose the best result.

[Primarch]

Just going to point out that one of the Russian special rules is only usable in 1/2 the games they play whereas all of the American ones are usable in every game.
Why not change the Russian Gods of War rule to "One officer may call in an artillery strike as per a Forward Artillery Observer once per game." At least that way it balances out a bit with the Shock and Awe rule?

[Mike the Pike]

Hmm, good point. How about the Russians get a free Artillery Observer instead? Mainly because I have a suitable model.