These rules
provide the Phoenix Command Referee with a method of managing a riot. They
determine when a riot will start and will resolve the actions of a
rioting mob. Although the Mob Actions and Riots rules are
primarily designed for use in solo scenarios, rules are provided for
agitator troops who sometimes can control parts of the rioting mob. A
second player, controlling the agitators, would be able to play
against the riot control forces player.
Riot Stages:
Every riot undergoes identifiable stages where all of the individuals
in a riot follow certain behavior patterns. The average riot will
advance through the crowd, riot, riot advance,
and skirmish-line stages. There is also the possibility
that as each stage advances, the level of weapons used by the rioters
will increase both in number and quality.
Crowd Stage: All
riots will start at the crowd stage. Here, the people are
gathering peacefully. None of the crowd members should be moved
on the game map at this stage. Threat level starts at I unless
otherwise specified or earlier raised.
A special set of
conditions is required to encourage normally law-abiding people to
begin rampaging and attacking the symbols of authority. First,
there must be a crowd or large group of people which have gathered for
one purpose—either protesting, partying, or any other reason. Second,
respect for government authority among the crowd must have
disappeared. Third, there must be some sort of triggering event, like
the arrest of a popular figure, or an attack on the crowd by the
authorities. Another trigger may be the actions of a single crowd
member or group from the crowd in leading an attack on the
riot-control troops.
Use the following
table to determine if the situation advances to the riot stage. Roll
00-99 once every 10 minutes and if the roll is less than or equal to
the modified chance of a riot, then the riot stage exists.
|
BASE
CHANCE OF RIOTING
|
|
|
Economic
Riots:
|
Base Chance
|
|
Unavailablity
of standard goods or services
|
00
|
|
As above,
but with high taxes
|
20
|
|
As above,
but with prevalent starvation
(starvation
present in 20%+ of population)
|
40
|
|
|
|
|
Political
Riots
|
|
|
Perceived
repression of dissent
|
20
|
|
Perceived
repression of civil liberties
|
30
|
|
Violent
repression of dissent or civil liberties
|
30
|
|
Perceived
persecution for political, ethnic, or
religious
traits
|
50
|
|
Modifiers:
|
|
|
Crowd Size
|
Modifier
|
|
Up to 99
|
+10
|
|
100 to 499
|
+30
|
|
500 to
1000
|
+50
|
|
Over 1000
|
+60
|
|
|
|
|
Guards
|
|
|
None
|
+20
|
|
1 guard
for every 20 people
|
+0
|
|
1 guard
for every 10 people
|
-20
|
|
1 guard
for every 5 people
|
-50
|
|
Mounted
guards or riot control vehicles present
|
-20
|
|
|
|
|
Incitements
|
|
|
Agitators
inciting riots
|
+2*SL
|
|
Crowd
ordered to disperse (Riot Act)
|
+5
|
|
Violent
attack on crowd by authorities
|
+20
|
Notes: SL
is the Diplomacy SL of the commanding agitator in the crowd.
Riot Stage: Once
the riot stage exists, there is the potential for violence
among the individuals and, possibly, the crowd as a whole. The
idea that a person in a crowd situation surrenders his will to that of
the rioting crowd is incorrect. Each person in a crowd retains
his individuality and full control over his own actions, but is
subject to external forces which may modify his decisions such as the
apparent formation of a norm of behaviour, or the implied threat of
harm to non-conformists. So, if an individual in a crowd begins
to display violence, others in the crowd may take his violence as a
signal that his actions are normal behaviour for the crowd, and act
accordingly.
At the riot stage,
it is essential to determine whether the individuals in the crowd turn
the crowd as a whole towards violence. The crowd does not move at
this stage. Instead, the referee or player rolls a 00-99 on the
following table after 10 minutes to determine the crowd actions. If
the crowd proceeds to riot advance stage, then the crowd is
already disposed towards violence.
Roll
Result
00-19
Passions die down. Riot reverts to crowd stage.
20-34
Continue in riot stage for another (10) minutes.
35-99
Proceed to Riot Advance Stage.
Die Roll
Modifiers:
Authority
Actions
-10
No action by authorities.
+15
Crowd verbally ordered to disperse by authorities.
+30
Crowd perceived as attacked by authorities.
Authority
Numbers
0
1 guard for every 20 people.
-20
1 guard for every 10 people.
-50
1 guard for every 5 people.
-20
Mounted guards or riot-control vehicles present
Agitator
Actions:
+2 * SL
Agitation by agitator troops. SL is highest Diplomacy SL
of agitator troops.
Riot Advance Stage: In
this stage, the rioters begin to move towards the positions of the
riot-control troops at a steady walking pace of 1 HPP. Roll a
00-99 every 10 phases and compare it with the distance of the rioters
from the main body of troops. If the roll exceeds the distance, then
the advance stops and a skirmish line forms at that point. Agitators
may try to move the crowd closer to the riot-control troops by
subtracting 2 times their commander's Diplomacy SL from the die roll.
Skirmish Line Stage: Scenarios
in most scenarios will start with the skirmish line already formed. The
skirmish line is a line of rioters roughly parallel to the main body
of the riot control troops. It is a staging area for small
clusters of rioters to launch attacks on the riot control troops or
other targets.
Each cluster
consists of 5 rioters. All the rioters in a cluster will behave
in the pattern determined by rolling on the Cluster Actions Table
below.
Rolls for cluster
behavior are made once every 10 phases. At the start of a
ten-phase period, make a 0-9 roll and note the result. This roll
is used to determine the values of modifiers with random components
for the period. Next, a 00-99 roll is made for each cluster. By
indexing the roll on the Cluster Actions Table under the appropriate
threat level, a pattern of behavior is determined for each cluster for
the next 10 phases.
|
Riot
Cluster Actions Table
|
|
Threat
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Level
|
Roll
|
|
Behaviour
|
|
I
|
0
|
-
|
2
|
|
Crowd
disperses, riot ends
|
|
|
3
|
-
|
7
|
|
Cluster
leaves battlefield
|
|
|
8
|
-
|
55
|
|
Aggressive
shouting - no other action
|
|
|
56
|
-
|
85
|
|
Cluster
advances to verbally challenge riot troops
|
|
|
86
|
-
|
99
|
|
Cluster
advances to melee riot troops
|
|
|
100
|
+
|
|
|
Increase
threat level to 2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
II
|
0
|
-
|
1
|
|
Decrease
threat level to 1
|
|
|
2
|
-
|
11
|
|
Cluster
routs
|
|
|
12
|
-
|
24
|
|
Aggressive
shouting - no other action
|
|
|
25
|
-
|
45
|
|
Cluster
advances to melee riot troops
|
|
|
46
|
-
|
85
|
|
Cluster
moves up and discharges missiles
|
|
|
86
|
-
|
95
|
|
Cluster
charges
|
|
|
96
|
+
|
|
|
Increase
threat level to 3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
III
|
0
|
-
|
2
|
|
Decrease
threat level to 2
|
|
|
3
|
-
|
20
|
|
Cluster
routs
|
|
|
21
|
-
|
27
|
|
Aggressive
shouting - no other action
|
|
|
28
|
-
|
52
|
|
Cluster
advances to melee riot troops
|
|
|
53
|
-
|
75
|
|
Cluster
moves up and discharges missiles
|
|
|
76
|
-
|
92
|
|
Cluster
charges
|
|
|
93
|
+
|
|
|
Increase
threat level to 4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IV
|
0
|
-
|
9
|
|
Cluster
routs
|
|
|
10
|
-
|
14
|
|
Aggressive
shouting - no other action
|
|
|
15
|
-
|
40
|
|
Cluster
advances to melee riot troops
|
|
|
41
|
-
|
75
|
|
Cluster
moves up and discharges missiles
|
|
|
76
|
-
|
99
|
|
Cluster
charges
|
|
|
100
|
+
|
|
|
Cluster
obtains firearms and opens fire.
|
