BUCS
BUCS — Battle Unit Combat System
Scale:
Tactical: Platoon → Company → Battalion
Operational: Regiment → Brigade → Division
Strategic: Corps → Army Group (optional)
The same unit card works at every level.
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1. Unit Card
Every formation has:
UNIT NAME
Type:
Size:
Quality:
Equipment:
Specialty:
Attack Bonus:
Defense Bonus:
Hits:
Morale:
Mobility:
Supply:
Commander:
Example:
Marine Raider Battalion
Type: Elite Infantry
Quality: Elite (+4)
Equipment: Excellent (+4)
Specialties:
Amphibious
Heavy
Guerilla
Jungle
Attack: +9 (+11 beach or Jungle)
Hits: 8
Morale: 10
Mobility: 2 steps
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2. Unit Quality System
| Quality | Modifier |
| Raw | -6 |
| Green | -4 |
| Inexperienced | -2 |
| Average | 0 |
| Experienced | +2 |
| Elite | +4 |
| Legendary | +6 |
This represents:
training
leadership
doctrine
cohesion
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3. Equipment System
| Equipment | Modifier |
| Poor | -4 |
| Barely Adequate | -2 |
| Adequate | 0 |
| Good | +2 |
| Excellent | +4 |
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4. Combat Resolution
Step 1 — Opposed Roll
Attacker:
D20 + Quality + Equipment + Unit Bonuses
Defender:
D20 + Quality + Equipment + Defensive Bonuses
Difference:
| Result | Effect |
| Tie | No change |
| 1-4 success | Advantage gained |
| 5-9 success | 1 damage |
| 10-14 success | 2 damage |
| 15+ success | 3 damage |
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5. Damage System
Damage alternates:
First hit:
Unit Damage
Second hit:
Morale Damage
Third hit:
Unit Damage
Fourth:
Morale
Example:
A division takes:
1st hit:
2nd hit:
3rd hit:
- loses another strength step
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6. Unit Degradation
Every Unit Damage:
Drop one quality level.
Example:
Elite → Experienced → Average → Inexperienced → Green → Raw
At Raw: unit destroyed / routed.
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7. Morale System
Morale equals:
| Quality | Modifier |
| Raw | 3 |
| Green | 4 |
| Inexperienced | 5 |
| Average | 6 |
| Experienced | 8 |
| Elite | 10 |
| Legendary | 12 |
Morale effects:
| Morale | Status |
| Full | Normal |
| Half | Shaken (-2) |
| 25% | Broken (-4) |
| 0 | Retreat |
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8. Combat Modifiers
Terrain
| Situation | Mobility Modifier |
| Dug In | -1 unless specialist |
| Urban Defense | -1 unless specialist |
| Mountain | -2 unless specialist |
| Jungle | -2 unless specialist |
| Arctic | -1 unless specialist |
| Amphibious Attack | -2 unless specialist |
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Tactical Situation
| Situation | Modifier |
| Surprise | +2 |
| Pinned enemy | +2 |
| Momentum | +1/round |
| Outnumbered x2 | +4 |
| x3 | +6 |
| x4+ | +8 |
Momentum = Combat success
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9. Mobility System
Mobility:
0 — Foot
1 — Cavalry / Light Vehicle
2 — Mechanized
3 — Armor
Advantage:
Each step higher: +2 Combat
Example:
Infantry vs Tanks: Armor gets: +6 mobility bonus
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10. Unit Types
Your specialties become “tags.”
A unit can have 1-4 tags.
Infantry
Abilities:
Cavalry
Abilities:
- Recon +2 Intelligence turn
Armor
Abilities:
Mechanized
Abilities:
Mobility 2
Ignore first casualty
Heavy
Abilities:
Ignore first casualty
+1 attack
Airborne
Abilities:
Parachute assault
Helicopter Assault
+2 stealth/ambush
Night operations bonus (+2 Surprise always)
Rapid deployment anywhere in 1 turn
Establish beachhead (removes pinned penalty for follow-up forces)
Amphibious
Abilities:
Medical
Abilities:
Heal casualty & Morale hits heal damage = to ½ quality minimum 1
Add quality bonus to NBC saves
Quarantine: Add quality bonus to biological saves
Intelligence
Abilities:
Terrain Specialist
Abilities:
· +2 in specific terrain
Combat Engineering
Abilities:
Artillery:
Abilities:
· Bombardment range = quality in miles
· Surface to Air Missiles attack air units
· Surface to Surface Missile attack another region or ships
Guerilla:
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11. Scaling Rules
Multiply Attack Damage, Divide Hits taken by:
Platoon Combat: 1 Hit
Battalion Combat: Hits x2
Division Combat: Hits x5
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12. Formation Bonuses
Large formations gain command bonuses.
Brigade: +1 Command
Division: +2 Command
Corps: +3 Command
Army: +4 Command
Command can represent:
staff planning
logistics
communications
coordination
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13. Supply System
Add this morale modifier for nation-state warfare.
Supply:
Green = supplied
Yellow = strained
Red = starving
Modifiers:
| Supply | Effect |
| Full | +0 |
| Strained | -2 |
| Starving | -4 |
| Cut Off | -6 & -2 morale |
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14. Air Combat Module
Aircraft use the same rules.
Example:
Interceptor Squadron
Hits: 6
Abilities:
+4 against enemy aircraft
Fighter / Attack Squadron
Hits: 8
Abilities:
+2 vs Air
+2 vs Ground
Ground Attack Squadron
Hits: 10
Abilities:
+6 vs Ground Unit
Reduces enemy mobility by 1 step
Suppression (+2 pinned enemy effect)
Bomber Squadron
Hits: 8
Abilities:
+4 vs Ground Unit
Strategic Attack
Suppression (+2 pinned enemy effect)
COINS Squadron
Hits: 4
Abilities:
+2 Ground
+2 Intelligence
Strategic Airlift Squadron
Hits: 8
Abilities:
Transport: Battalion
Tactical Airlift Squadron
Hits: 6
Abilities:
Transport: Company
Extract units ignoring pinned status
Attack Helicopter Squadron
Hits: 8
Abilities:
+4 vs Ground
Heavy Transport Helicopter Squadron
Hits: 8
Abilities:
Transport: Company
Transport Helicopter Squadron
Hits: 6
Abilities:
Transport: Platoon
Extract units ignoring pinned status
EW Aircraft Squadron
Hits: 8
Abilities:
+4 Intelligence
+2 vs SAM
Air unit abilities
Stealth +2
Fast +2
Maneuverable +2
Recon +2
Transport: Unit
STOL/VTOL
Reduces enemy mobility by 1 step
Suppression (+2 pinned enemy effect)
Extract units ignoring pinned status
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15. Naval Combat Module
Ships use the same rules.
Example:
Carrier Task Force
Hits: 24
Abilities:
Aircraft Wing: +6 combat support
Fleet Defense: +2
ASW: +2
CruiseRon
Hits: 18
Abilities:
Surface Attack: +6
Fleet Defense: +4
ASW: +2
DesRon
Hits: 14
Abilities:
Surface Attack: +4
Fleet Defense: +4
ASW: +4
MOBRon
Hits: 16
Abilities:
Aircraft Wing: +2 combat support
Surface Attack: +1
Fleet Defense: +2
ASW: +4
Recon +2 Intelligence
PatRon
Hits: 10
Abilities:
Surface Attack: +2
Fleet Defense: +2
ASW: +2
SubRon
Hits: 10
Abilities:
Surface Attack: +2
ASW: +2
Stealth: +4
PHIBRon
Hits: 16
Abilities:
Aircraft Wing: +2 combat support
Fleet Defense: +1
Transport: Brigade
Medical: Heal casualty & Morale hits heal damage = to ½ quality minimum 1
Establish beachhead (Allows other units to land w/o being pinned)
Naval Unit Abilities
Armored: Ignore first two hits
Aircraft Wing: +n combat support
Fast: +2
Fleet Defense: +n
Heavy: Ignore first hit, +1
Transport: unit
Hospital: Heal casualty & Morale hits heal damage = to ½ quality minimum 1 of ground units
ASW: +n
Stealth: +n
Strategic Attack: RP
Resupply: Provides supply line
Repair: Heal casualty & Morale hits heal damage = to ½ quality minimum 1 of naval units
Recon +2 Intelligence
Surface Attack: +n
· Bombardment range = quality in miles
· Surface to Air Missiles attack air units
· Surface to Surface Missile attack another region or ships
Anti-infection blockade (prevents zombie spread by sea)
Establish beachhead (Allows other units to land w/o being pinned)
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16. Example Battle
Marine Raiders
Elite Quality, Excellent Equipment
Attack:
+4 quality, +4 equipment, +1 heavy, +2 jungle = +11
Against:
Average militia, Average Equipment
0 quality, +2 equipment = +2
Roll:
Marine: D20+11 = 28
Militia: D20+2 = 12
Difference: 16
Result: 3 damage
Militia: Hits: 4, Unit hits = 2 Now a Green unit, Morale hits = 2, Was 6 now 4.
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17. Technology Modifier
For modern/future nations:
| Tech Level | Modifier |
| WW2 | 0 |
| Cold War | +2 |
| Modern | +4 |
| Advanced | +6 |
| Futuristic | +8 |
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