AquaWars is all about undersea combat. It focuses on areas that a normal duel wouldn't need to deal with, such as depth and crushing pressures, visibility, weapons that don't work underwater and other issues. It works very closely with the Mini-sub rules, and players are encouraged to also consult the Crimson Shipyards for clarifications and additional notes.
Aquawars deals with animals, divers and vehicles.
Diving Depths: Humans: Divers can dive to 130 ft. Divers with Articulated Armour can dive to 250 ft.
This is for a 10 minute period from which the diver may surface safely without having to undergo decompression. For longer or deeper periods, decompression is required, but even then no one goes much deeper than that with Scuba gear, although the current record depth is around 400 ft.
The reason for this is that divers have to breath a special air mixture (Nitrox) which contains nitrogen, and the further one goes down, the more nitrogen builds up in the blood stream which results in bubbles building up, which in turn can be dangerous. If a diver then ascends too rapidly without stopping at certain intervals to allow the nitrogen bubbles to deflate, these bubbles will stay in the bloodstream and give the diver a condition called 'the bends' which can be crippling and fatal.
Animals: Animals have a depth they can go to based on their species (see the Dinosaur section). Unlike humans though, animals do not need to breath Nitrox, and thus do not suffer the bends, but they do suffer from the pressure if they dive too deep.
For every 10% over their dive limit, an animal will take 1 point of damage if they roll a 5-6 on 1D. Roll per turn. Note though that most animals will not exceed their dive limits unless they really have to (such as they are being chased and there is no where else to go).
Submarines: These each have a unique depth that they can dive to, which is determined when the submarine is constructed. This however is not the absolute limit that the sub can dive to, but merely the safe limit. If the sub wants to go deeper, then every turn is it beyond it's limit, it should roll 1D on the Depth Damage table, with the following modifiers:
-1 if the sub has a Reinforced Hull
+1 if the sub has a CA frame
+1 per 10 percent below the rated dive limit
+1 One side armour has received damage to make it equal three quarters of the weakest side
+2 One side armour has received damage to make it equal half of the weakest side
+4 One side armour has received damage to make it equal one quarter of the weakest side
+6 One side has no armour
| Depth Damage Table |
|---|
| Die Roll | | Effect | | 0-4 | | No effect | | 5-8 | | Sub takes 1D3 damage to all armour locations.
Sub leaks on a 6 on 1d6 | | 9-10 | | Sub takes 1d6 damage to all armour locations.
Sub leaks on a 5,6 on 1d6 | | 11 | | Sub takes 2d6 damage to all armour locations.
Sub leaks on a 4,5,6 on 1d6 | | 12 | | Sub buckles and implodes, destroying itself | Obviously depths vary widely in the real world. Rivers can be from several feet deep, lakes can be anywhere from a few feet to a mile or more deep. The Oceans range from around 12,000 feet (maximum depth of the Arctic) to 33,000 feet (maximum depth in the Pacific Ocean). Just make sure that before a game begins, everyone knows the basic depth of the map, unless of course they don't have Depth Finders.
Visibility: Visibility in water is greatly reduced from what is commonly experienced on land. You can generally see from 0-100' in the water depending on where you are. Use the following table for a basic list of underwater visibility (although note that is nowhere near exhaustive).
| Typical ocean | 10-50' | | Typical coastal region | 10-60' | | Murky water | 0-30' | | Australian Great Barrier Reef | 100' | | Southern California | 30-100' | | Long Island Diving | 20' | This is then modified by depth. For every 100' below the seas you go, reduce the visibility by 5%.
Then modify all the above by the lights of a sub or diver (for example, standard running lights on a submarine give 150% of this). In this visibility range, normal combat can occur normally. Out to twice this range, combat is treated as darkness, and thus all combat has a -3 to hit modifier. Further than that, targets can only be spotted with sonar, and are at -6 to be hit.
On the map board, all visibility ranges should be rounded to the nearest 1/4".
Basic Submarine Movement: Subs are basically treated as boats with regards to movement in the 2D plane. They can also use some manoeuvres borrowed from Aircraft. They can gain or lose altitude at the rate of 1/2" forward movement for 1/4" up or down. Subs cannot ascend or descend faster than this. Subs can also roll like aircraft. One Man or Mini subs can roll 180º per phase, Two Man and Large subs may roll 90º, whilst Cargo subs are limited to 60º rolls.
Subs are also limited in the severity of bends that they can achieve:
| Sub | Max. Bend |
|---|
| One Man | 75° | | Mini, Two Man | 60° | | Large, Cargo | 45° | Props may be spun in reverse like boats to produce deceleration.
All subs have a height record. This is used for determining how much of a sub shows out of water if it is in shallow water. Treat the bottom of the sub as 0 height. Subs can ground on the sea bed.
Subs on the surface have their top speed reduced by 1/4, and their acceleration by 5 mph (minimum of 2.5 mph accel).
Subs have neutral buoyancy which means that if they lose power, or stop, they will not sink, but neither will they float to the surface, they will stay at the same depth. Subs generate a wake, just like boats, although this wake is on the same depth as the sub. Subs are not affected by a boats wake if they are at least 1\4" below the boat.
Subs that lose control roll on the following crash table:
| Submarine Control Table |
|---|
| Die Roll | | Effect |
|---|
| 2 or less | | Fishtail. Executed as per a boat * | | 3-7 | | Fishtail and Minor Depth Change * | | 8-10 | | Fishtail and Major Depth Change ** | | 11-13 | | as (8-10) and Hull Stress *** | | 14-15 | | as (8-10) and Major Hull Stress *** | | 16+ | | Hull Collapse. The stress causes the sub to buckle and break apart.
All occupants and components takes 1/2d6 collision damage.
The weakest armour side collapses, roll as per Major Hull Stress with a +2 modifier.
The sub is now taking on water and it deccelerates at 40 mph per turn. *** | Fishtail: As for boats
Minor Depth Change: The sub changes depth by 1\4" (1-3 up, 4-6 down)
Major Depth Change: As Minor Depth Change, but by 1/2"
Hull Stress: Roll 1d6 on the Depth Damage Table
Major Hull Stress: Roll 2d6 on the Depth Damage Table
Weather also doesn't effect subs as much, as they can simply dive underneath any storms.
Water currents are common underwater, and can affect a subs movement. Currents should be given a direction and a speed (5 mph for oceans is good, while 5-10 mph for normal river currents should be the norm, although rapids are much faster, and the rivers/oceans can be calm). If the sub is moving into the current, reduce it's speed by the currents speed. If the sub has the current behind it, then it's speed is increased by the currents speed. If the current is approaching from the subs side arc, then the sub will drift 1/4" per 5 mph in the direction of the current, and take a D1 hazard per 10 mph of current. This movement is done before the subs movement and is only done once per turn.
Basic Underwater Combat: Combat is generally as normal, although with a different weapons mix and at slower speeds.
If a sub is breached, then it starts to take in water exactly as a boat does if it had an underbody breach. A subs front leaks as a boats front.
All burst/explosive weapons underwater are also treated as a concussion grenade with a range of 5".
Dropped weapons have a height radius as well as a normal horizontal one. This applies to smoke and mines and other weapons.
Torpedoes:
Torpedoes can gain and lose altitude as a sub can, and they can track targets at any depth. They are launched at the height of the firing sub, or 1/2" from the surface of the water, whichever is lower. When firing at torpedoes from a surface vessel, do not factor in the first 1/2" of depth for to-hit penalties. The -6 to-hit modifier for firing at torpedoes has already been factored in. Undersea vessels apply all normal modifiers.
Please see The Complete Torpedo for further important rules.
Firing in or through water:
Firing through water is a bit more difficult than firing weapons on level land. You have to take into account water refraction and the friction that will slow projectiles thus making targets harder to hit and less susceptible to damage.
Lasers: Normal lasers (including X-Ray lasers) firing into or through water uffer a -2 to-hit and a -1 damage per die per 1/2" of water. Targeting lasers cannot fire through more than 1" of water.
Blue Green Lasers suffer no ill effects when firing in or through water.
Other weapons: Other weapons that are not designed for underwater combat suffer a -1 to-hit and a -1 damage per die per 1/2" of water that they fire through. They may only be fired from outside the water shooting into, never from a submerged vessel regardless of whether they are waterproofed or not.
Blue green lasers, torpedoes and spear guns (and possibly some more) suffer no penalties when fired under or through water. For other weapons being used underwater, consult the second edition Car Wars Compendium (green cover) page 86, and the Crimson Shipyards.
Optional Rule: Leaky Boats:
Whenever a sub takes a large amount of damage (15+ points to one side by one weapon or linked sets), the boat may a sprung a leak. In this case, roll 1D. On a 5-6, a leak has been sprung. Roll another d6, and times this by 10. This is the percentage of a space of water that leaks into the craft every turn. Leaks can be plugged with mechanical skill (or blind luck), and hopefully a tool kit will help. Roll 8+ every 5 seconds of attempt.
Weapons can be shot into the water in the hope of hitting an underwater submarine. In this case, the weapon is at a -1 per 1/4" of water towards the target, and also damage is reduced by 1 point per 1/2" of water. Weapons that can be fired underwater are unaffected by this.
Rider Watersleds: Basically these are underwater motorcycles, any crew are exposed, although the machine itself can be armoured. Crew must be wearing Scuba gear with an oxygen supply. Movement wise, treat them as large subs, they are not very agile. They use 1/2"*1/2" counters.
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