VOR Mechanics

So, you know a bit about the fluff, and you saw a couple of those classic miniatures. Now, I want to explain how different Vor is mechanically from games like 40k. Since 40k is the other game I know best, I will be making a lot of direct comparisons.

Firstly, the game of Vor has a spectacular setup to the games. There are a number of pre-generated scenarios right in the rulebook, and unlike some of the ones in the 40k big rule book, you will most likely play a lot of these. There are different variations of scenarios that allow you to get a game in even if you are short on time, or games that will allow you to hold objectives a la 40k style, and more! You also can use any number of great scenarios that are included in expansion publications, like the Conflict: Razorfang book.

This game system is pretty flexible, and allows for multi-player battles that do not need to participate on teams. I've seen scenarios that can be played with 5 or more players, in a free-for-all fashion!


It is worth explaining that everything in Vor is rolled on a D10 system, rather than a D6 system like 40k. This gives you a wider range of probability, meaning the system can fine-tune results a little bit and make more extensive use of conditional modifiers while still keeping rolls limited to a single die.


Ok... so you picked what kind of scenario you want to play. What now? Well, there are not as many deployment methods as in 40k, typically you just get a 24" buffer between your deployment zone and that of your enemy's. So you roll off to pick your deployment zone. The winner can choose to pick first or last. Repeat the roll to choose who deploys first... same deal: winner can choose to go first or last.

Now, instead of 40k, where you never roll again to check who goes first in a turn, in Vor you roll at the beginning of every turn. This is called the Initiative roll, and it occurs at the beginning of every turn. Certain unit abilities can modify this roll to help give you a better result. This keeps the game from being in a set schedule, which can drastically affect the outcome. Imagine if, being a Guard player in 40k, you lost the first roll to go first. You probably are not in too good a spot if you are against an assaulty army! In Vor, however, you can roll again the next turn and try to go before your opponent can. This can alpha-strike some units with a one-two punch before they can do anything again.

That brings me to my next point: in Vor there are no phases, only Activations. Instead of moving everybody, shooting everybody, and assaulting with everybody, there is an activation system. Players alternate Activating units during a turn, and a turn is over once every unit has been activated at least once. It should be noted that you cannot activate the same unit twice in one turn. This makes the game move a bit more simultaneously, so that you won't see an entire army wiped out just because they lost the initiative.

"So how do you do anything?" you might ask. Well, Vor has a Movement Point system that keeps track of how agile a unit is, and how much it can do in a single activation. Let me use a standard Union Infantryman as an example. He has 10 MP. There is a table in the rulebook explaining the cost in movement points (MPC, movement point cost) to perform a given action, and any weapons or abilities he has separate also have their costs listed in their description. A Pitbull rifle's MPC is 3, and it can be used twice per turn. So, if I want him to fire the maximum amount, and still move, I simply do the math: He will need 6MP to fire twice (2 x MPC 3), leaving him 4 MP left for moving. It costs 1 MP to move over open terrain. So, he moves 4 inches and fires twice at an enemy model.

It gets a bit more complicated then that. When you activate a squad of models, they act similar to a 40k squad but yet different. You declare how much movement will be made by the squad, and they have to expend that MP even if an individual model doesn't use all of it.

Speed rolling is also a bit more difficult due to Critical Hits and Critical Misses. When you roll to-hit, a roll of 1 is always the best you can do (critical hit) and a roll of 10 (or a "0" on a ten-sided die) is always the worst (critical miss). It is important to know which came first, because a critical miss will rob the model of any remaining MP for the turn. On the flipside, a critical hit will rob the target of the attack a chance to make a save.

So, let's continue our example of the Union soldier. So he fires twice at that target, and rolls a 2. Solid hit, based on his Ranged Combat stat (which basically replaces BS skill). He rolls again, and rolls a 1! Great shooting.

Instead of going through all the effort to determine the attack's number of wounds BEFORE making saves, Vor gets that out of the way up front. A target model rolls its armor save (if it gets one) immediately after the to-hit roll is successful. This roll can be modified by the weapon or attack being used. Then the attacking player rolls to-wound, based on the attacks Power (basically strength) versus the opponent's Body (basically toughness) with the difference between the two being the modifier to the basic roll.

In our example, the Union soldier was shooting at a Pharon Fist of Anubis (BOD 5, AR 3). His first attack was a normal one, so the Pharon player gets a save. The Pitbull Rifle has an AM (Armor Modifier) of -1, reducing the Fist's AR down to two. Thus, the player needs to roll a 2 or below to make the save. He rolls a 1, miraculously saving the undead creature!

The second attack was a Critical Hit, therefore the Pharon will get no Armor test and the attacking player will skip straight to the damage roll. Comparing the weapons Power (4) to the Fist's Body (5) the difference is one in favor of the Pharon. The base roll for any damage roll is 5 or below, so modifying it in by one in the Pharon's favor brings the result down to 4 or below being the necessary roll.

Models have a number of wounds, called Lifepoints in Vor. Same as 40k, they tend to be only in the range of 1-3, with higher values being reserved for named or special characters.

CC is a bit more complicated. There are similarities between assaults in 40k, and Close Combat in Vor, but there are also many differences. In VOR, you don't get a free amount of distance to move, you have to have the MP left for it. Also, you need to have MP left AFTER the move to attack. A basic, unarmed attack using the basic statistics of the model generally costs 3 MP. So, unlike 40k where you are going to get at least 12" out of a move and assault, in Vor you are going to get a maximum of 9". This limits the effectiveness of CC armies a bit, and puts the focus on Shooting armies. That's not to say that CC armies are ineffective, it just makes it take a bit more finesse than in 40k.

So, there you are. Games can take anywhere from just a few turns (such as a Skirmish) up to 8 or 9 with full-scale games. You can further modify the game by rolling on a special Random Terrain Effects table, which symbolizes the unpredictability of the Malestrom. Anything from planetquakes, to asteroid impacts, to Maw tendrils can happen. It makes for a nice random element to the game to keep things fresh!

Furthermore, you can expand the game with Forcebooks (like codexes, but with some additional stuff like special Terrain tables specific to that race's usual hangouts), or even Conflict Books that include new scenarios and additional rules for your armies!

If that isn't enough, you can always create your very own unique force using the Custom Force Creation rules right in the main rulebook! There are not a fix-all set of rules, but rather a basic guideline to help get you started on making some custom forces with miniatures you have from other game systems. Yes, it is quite common to see Tyranids, Necrons, or even Space Marines lurking around the Malestrom! I've converted everything from Haloclix Miniatures, to Doom: The Boardgame miniatures. As long as they are of the proper scale (or close enough to it anyway) you can convert them to Vor.





So, if this writeup has whetted your palette, then next time I will bring you a full battle report of my first Vor game in over a year. A quite enjoyable matchup between the undead legions of the Pharon, and the military might of the North American Union!

Until next time,
--FP135