Planet Characteristics

Lifeless Rock (01-15%)

• GU resource endowment 2d6-6 tons per turn
• scenery: craters, hills, rocky ground (approximately 20% table coverage)
• characteristics: Airless (50%), Low/High-G (50%), Active Tectonics (25%), Meteors (15%) Mineral Rich (20%), Strange Radiation (15%)

Jungle Planet (16-40%)

• GU resource endowment: 2d6-4 tons per turn
• scenery: dense woods, marshes, low hills, rivers (approximately 33% table coverage)
• characteristics: Active Tectonics (10%), Predators! (15%), Rainforest (20%), Ancient Ruins or Inhabited (20%) Mineral Rich (20%), Strange Radiation (10%) Biohazard (10%)

Temperate Planet (41-55%)

• GU resource endowment: 2d6-5 tons per turn
• scenery: low and high hills, bushes, rivers, light woods (approximately 25% table coverage)
• characteristics: Active Tectonics (10%), Ancient Ruins, Battlefield or Inhabited (30%) Mineral Rich (10%), Strange Radiation (10%), Biohazard (10%)

Swamp Planet (56-70%)

• GU resource endowment: 2d6-6 tons per turn
• scenery: rivers, marshes (approximately 33% table coverage)
• characteristics: Predators! (15%), Misty (25%), Ancient Ruins or Inhabited (10%) Mineral Rich (10%), Strange Radiation (10%), Biohazard (10%)

Desert  Planet (71-80%)

• GU resource endowment: 2d6-5 tons per turn
• scenery: low dunes/hills, soft sand, oasis (approximately 20% table coverage)
• characteristics: Predators! (15%), Sandstorms (50%), Ancient Ruins or Inhabited (10%) Mineral Rich (20%), Strange Radiation (10%)

Ice  Planet (81-90%)

• GU resource endowment: 2d6-5 tons per turn
• scenery: low and high hills, glaciers, crevices, rocky  outcroppings, icy lakes (approximately 25% table coverage)
• characteristics: Predators! (10%), Blizzards (20%), Mineral Rich (10%), Really Cold (30%)

Volcano Planet (91-00%)

• GU resource endowment: 2d6-5 tons per turn
• scenery: lava pools, crevices, geysers, rocky ground, low and high hills (approximately 25% table coverage)
• characteristics: Active Tectonics (all) Mineral Rich (20%), Ancient Ruins (10%), Strange Radiation (15%)

Airless: Only units with full suits or cybernetic bodies, enclosed vehicles, and bunkers may be used. All unsaved wounds count double, to reflect decompression.

Biohazard: Only units in full suits, enclosed vehicles, and bunkers may be used. All unsaved wounds count double, to reflect infection. Due to their stronger constitutions, Orks, Tyranids, and Necrons are unaffected.

Low G: all infantry add 1″ to move, run, and assault distances. Subtract two from the resource endowment check.

Mineral Rich: add five to the resource endowment check.

High G: all infantry units subtract 1″ from move, run, and assault distances. Add two to the resource endowment check.

Strange Radiation: Add five to the resource endowment check. All vehicles roll each turn. On a score of 1, they suffer malfunctions equal to a single glancing hit. Dice for effect. Organic “vehicles” (such as Tyranids) are not affected.

Active Tectonics: D6-1 Geyser tokens are placed as terrain pieces at the beginning of the game, anywhere outside of a player’s deployment zone. Roll at the start of each turn. On a 1-2, there is seismic event: 1: tremors cause all terrain is considered difficult this turn; 2-4: D3 random geysers produce S4 AP6 small blasts; 5:  one geyser produces a S4 AP5 large blast; 6: one geyser produces an S4 template (no cover save). If no geysers have been placed, treat as tremors.

Meteors: Roll at the start of each turn. On a 1, the battlefield is hit by a meteor shower. The battlefield is hit by D6 randomly-placed S6 AP 3 small blasts. There may only be one meteor shower per game.

Rainforest: The planet is subject to heavy rains. Roll at the start of each turn: on a 1, the rains start, reducing all movement by 1,” and reducing visibility. Use the rules for night vision. However, targets that would otherwise be beyond visual range count as obscured, or given a 4+ cover save. Once started, the rains only cease a roll of 1.

Predators: Roll at the start of each turn. On a one, one player (dice for which) may place a large predator on any table edge (jungle), in any swamp terrain piece (swamp), or scattered 3d6 from anywhere on the board (desert or ice). If within 6″ of a unit, it immediately assaults. Otherwise it moves randomly D6 inches at the start of each player’s turns from now on, and then assaults any unit within 6″. The predator is WS 4, S5, I3, A2, W2, 5+ save.

Misty: The planet is covered in a permanent haze. Use the rules for night vision. However, targets that would otherwise be beyond visual range count as obscured, or are given a 4+ cover save.

Sandstorms: Roll at the start of each turn. On a 1, there will be a sandstorm NEXT turn, lasting one turn. All terrain is treated as difficult, and visibility is treated as if it were night.

Blizzards: Roll at the start of each turn. On a 1, there will be a blizzard NEXT turn, lasting one turn. All terrain is treated as difficult, and visibility is treated as if it were night.

Really Cold: Roll a die for each vehicle that did not move last turn. On a 1, stalls, freezes in place, or refuses to start and cannot move this turn.

Ancient battlefield: bunkers (intact and destroyed), razor wire, shell craters, wrecks, and marked minefields may be used as terrain features. Intact bunkers and minefields may not be placed in deployment zones. The planet may contain an ancient Stargate.

Ancient ruins: ruins and scrap may be used as terrain features. The planet may contain an ancient Stargate. Add three to the resource endowment check.

Inhabited: roads, buildings, bridges, scrap and ruins may be used as terrain features. Add three to the resource endowment check. Once a planet is colonized it also counts as inhabited for terrain purposes, although not for resource purposes.