Here is another new concept that I've been working on. While it has a few issues one great innovation that 8th Edition Warhammer 40,000 has introduced is its approach to force organization. Its Detachment/Strategem system rewards players for taking relatively balanced armies by making their access to powerful strategems contingent upon doing so. While a player can field a comparatively unbalanced army doing so reduces the number of Command Points they have to spend on Strategems. This "Carrot or Smaller Carrot," approach is directly translatable to BFG and works better across all of its factions than the original "fore organization," method (or lack there of) did.
Here's my proposal for how this could work, feedback is VERY welcome on this one. I tried to keep Strategems useful without making them brokenly good. You may notice that some of these are inspired by things from the BFG:Armada video game.
[spoiler]
Command Points:Command Points are the basis for the new Detachment and Strategem systems that replaces Commander Re-Rolls. The number of Command Points a player has at the beginning of a game is based both on the renown of his commander and the Detachments he used to build his fleet. Your starting number of command points equals the number of rerolls your commander has. So a commander with 1 re-roll provides a player 1 CP.
Detachments:Detachments are a new and more flexible means for building fleet lists for your games. Each detachment is made up of a combination of ships of different classes, once you have enough ships in your list to fulfill the requirements of a detachment you may add it to your list. Some detachments provide additional Command Points while others cost Command Points. This represents the relative logistical challenges presented by each detachment, after all it takes a lot more work and resources to move a single battleship through the warp than it does to move a few escorts. So a player who brings a more diverse array of ships often will have a greater store of Command Points vs a player who loads up on as many battleships as possible, but both styles of lists are valid. The only requirement is that you must have at least 1 Command Point at the beginning of a game.
Note that detachments are made before ships are divided into squadrons, so for example a squadron of 6 Cobra Class Destroyers could be spread across two Combat Patrol Detachments. While the Departmento Munitorum may be able to dictate what forces are available to a commander he is the one who gets to tell them how to fight.
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Ships of the Line Detachment: (+1 CP) Any combination of 3 Cruisers or Light Cruisers
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Fleet Support Detachment: (0 CPs) 1 Cruiser OR 1 Light Cruiser OR 1-6 Escorts
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Combat Patrol Detachment: (+1CPs) 9 Escorts OR 6 Escorts and 1 Cruiser/Light Cruiser OR 3 Escorts and 2 Cruisers/Light Cruisers
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Reconnaissance Detachment: (+1 CPs) 7-12 Escorts
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Linebreaker Detachment: (-1 CP) 1 Grandcruiser OR 1 Battlecruiser
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Command Detachment: (-2 CP) 1 Battleship
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Allied Detachment: Same as any of the above Detachments but with an additional -1 CP
Stratagems:Strategems provide a new and more dynamic means to influence the course of a battle. There are 4 Generic Strategems which are available to fleets of any faction, as well as 1 unique Faction Strategem which can only be used by ships belonging to that faction. While fleets made up of ships from multiple factions can use the Faction Strategems from all of them, no ship can use a Faction Strategem from a faction other than its own. Unless otherwise stated each Strategem can only be used once per player turn. Each strategem explains when it can be used as well as its cost in Command Points (CP).
Generic Strategems:Re-Roll: (1CP/2CP)
Anytime You may reroll one D6 OR 1 failed Leadership Test. The first re-roll on a turn costs 1CP, all subsequent ones cost 2CP. No D6 may be Re-Rolled more than once for any reason.
Silent Running: (1CP)
During your Movement Phase. One Ship/Squadron powers down to hide from enemy sensors. Until it fires, goes in special orders, or an enemy ship moves within 15 cm of this ship/squadron any enemy ships targeting it suffer a rightward shift on the gunnery table and fixed value weapons (ie: Lances, Bombardment Cannons, Pulsars, etc) are at -1 to hit.
Emergency Repairs: (X CP)
After rolling to repair critical damage.You may spend CPs to repair remaining critical damage. Each critical damage costs 1 CP to repair, critical effects which cannot be repaired may not be repaired.
Remove Blast Markers: (X CP)
During your turn. You may remove Blast Markers at a cost of 1 CP per Marker.
Faction Strategems:Tau - For the Greater Good: (2 CP)
When an one of your ships is has been targeted by an enemy vessel. Before your opponent rolls to hit designate one of your ships within 5 cm of the target vessel as its protector. Deal any resulting damage from this attack in the following way:
- Against the target ship’s shields
- Against the protecting ship’s shields
- Against the target ship’s hull
(1/2 CP)
Before taking a Command Test.One of your ships/squadrons attempting to override its instinctive behavior automatically passes its command test. If the ship/squadron is inside of synapse range the stratagem cost 1 CP, if not it cost 2 CP.
Adeptus Astartes - And They Shall Know No Fear: (1 CP)
Before taking a Leadership test.This ship/squadron ignores all Leadership penalties for the rest of this turn.
Chaos - Daemonic Assault: (1 CP)
Before one of your ships performs a Teleporter attack. Take a Leadership test. If passed this ship may make an additional Teleporter attack against the same or a different target. If the test is failed then this ship suffers a Hit and Run attack.
Dark Eldar - Strike From The Shadows: (2 CP)
When declaring a Boarding Action. Halve the target vessels Boarding Value.
Imperial Navy - Shared Doctrine: (2 CP)
At the beginning of your shooting phase.Select 2 of your ships which are within 15 cm of each other. For the remainder of your turn treat them as though they were members of the same squadron.
Eldar - Eldricht Storm: (3 CP)
At the beginning of your shooting phase. Once per game. Place a Nova Cannon Template within 15 cm of one of your non-crippled capital ships then roll a scatter dice . If a hit is rolled leave it in place, if an arrow is rolled move the template D6 cm in that direction. The template counts as a Blast Marker and any ship under it suffers a Hit and Run attack. At the beginning of each player’s turn the ship which cast the storm must take a Leadership test. If the test is passed the Storm remains in place. If the test is failed or the casting ship is crippled or destroyed the eldritch storm template is removed immediately.
Orks - WAAAGH!!!: (1 CP)
When declaring a boarding action.Add +1 to your boarding value.
Adeptus Mechanicus - Rites of Proper Function: (2 CP)
Beginning of your turn.Select one of your ships. Either it ignores the penalties for being crippled OR it ignores one type of Critical Damage effect it has suffered for the remainder of this turn. This does not repair the Critical Damage.
Rogue Traders - Guns for Hire: (1/2/3 CP)
After one of your ships/squadrons fails its target priority check. The ship counts as having passed its target priority check. The first time this ability is used each turn it costs 1 CP, the second time it costs 2 CP, and any additional uses cost 3 CP.
Necrons - Unleashed C'tan Shard: (3 CP)
At the Beginning of your shooting phase. Once Per Game.Place a Nova Cannon template in contact with the base of one of your non-crippled capital ships and choose a direction. Move it in a straight line 2D6 cm in that direction. Any ordnance markers touched by the template are removed from play. Any ships touched by the template suffer one hit. Any ships touched by the center of the template suffer D6 hits. At the beginning of each player's turn the ship which released the C’tan shard must take a leadership test. If the test is passed you may move the C’tan Shard 2D6 cm in a direction of your choice. If the test is failed your opponent may move the C’tan Share 2D6 cm in a direction of their choice. On the roll of a double or if the ship which released the C’tan Shard is either crippled or destroyed remove the template from play.
Inquisition - Imperial Assassin: (1 CP)
When performing a Hit and Run attack.Instead of performing a standard Hit and Run attack the target vessel rolls on the Critical Damage table and suffers the roller result.
[/spoiler]
https://www.dropbox.com/s/nh665fogss0hn95/Command%20Points%2C%20Detachments%2C%20and%20Strategems%20v1.0.docx?dl=0