House Rules: Extra Gear and Darkness for Strange Aeons

Everybody was feeling under the weather this past weekend, so no gaming took place. On the up side, I don't have to add another loss to the scoreboard. /wink

Since I don't have an after-action report to post, I thought I'd share some of the house rules we're using in our Strange Aeons game. Namely, darkness rules and extra gear for Threshold characters:

Extra Gear
Lantern, Torch, Flashlight
A model equipped with a lantern and all models within 2" of it are immune to the rules for Darkness (see below). However, so are models targeting lantern-equipped models with ranged attacks.

A torch follows the same rules as those for a lantern. However, it may also be used as a weapon - treat it as a club with the fire special rule. (Details of this rule can be found in Shocking Tales #1.)

A model equipped with a flashlight is immune to the rules for Darkness. However, so are models targeting the model for a ranged attack. At the start of each Turn, roll a die: on a 1, the flashlight's battery dies and it is useless for the remainder of the game. (Assume that the batteries will be replaced prior to the next game.)

Camera
(Note: I recently purchased from eBay the "Adventures" set from Grenadier's old Call of Cthulhu line. I felt compelled to add special rules so I could properly use the camera-wielding mini - "K" in the photo to the right - from this set.)

During a game against Lurkers, a model equipped with a camera may spend an action to ready its camera, and an action to take a photograph of any Lurker model in its Line of Sight. (These actions must be consecutive and taken on the same turn.) Each time the model does so, it gains a photograph token. If the model's camera is destroyed or stolen during the game, the model loses its photograph tokens.

During the post-game treasure hunting phase, a model with photograph tokens may attempt to develop the film in the camera. Roll 1D3-1 for each photograph token; this is the number of Build Points the model's team gets for the photograph. Once all tokens have been rolled for, the player must immediately spend these Build Points (just as if the team were re-equipping).

Darkness
These rules cover games played in varying light conditions: Dusk/Dawn, Moonlit Night, and Utter Blackness. Prior to the start of a game, roll 1d6 to determine the level of light:

1D6	Light Level
1	Utter Blackness
2	Moonlit Night
3	Dusk/Dawn
4+	Daylight

When playing a game in low light, the effective range of visibility is based on the light condition:

Light Condition	Effective Range
Utter Blackness	3"
Moonlit Night	6"
Dusk/Dawn	9"

Movement in Low Light
When moving in low light, if a model attempts to move farther than the effective distance in a single Turn, it must make a Dexterity check at the end of the action during which it exceeded this range. If it fails the check, it falls Face-up; if the roll is a natural 1, it falls Face-down.

Ranged Attacks in Low Light
When targeting models in darkness or fog, ranged attacks are made as normal. However, the target gets a saving throw based on its distance from the attacker:

Distance is:	Save
Up to effective range	6+
Up to 2x effective range	4+
Up to 3x effective range	2+
Over 3x effective range	Auto

These darkness rules have yet to be tested, but both the Threshold and Jade Lily players in our last game made good use of the camera, earning a few extra build points each.

Enjoy!

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