Yes, they can be combined, in any possible combination.

Defiance: Evolution of Arms, in addition to containing the Close Quarters Battle rules, also updates a few of the main D:VG rules (based on player feedback after it was released).  So it is the newest version, in a sense, though to keep costs low it doesn't include all of the rules that were not changed.

Hi Tim,

1. The new point system is for close quarters battle.  It does not replace the old point system.  The new system should be used for battles in which either the table is so small or there is so much terrain that few fire lanes are longer than 15" (this makes short-range weapons and grenades much more effective).  The old system covers more typical "throw some terrain down on a big table" battles where there are multiple fire lanes over 40".

2. basic melee capability is still purchased as part of each figure's point cost, but HTH weapons can augment close combat effectiveness and can be purchased on a per figure basis...so you can make troops that were relatively weak in HTH more powerful in HTH by spending extra poionts.

3. The Army Customizer includes many more options that relax some of the restrictions in the original rules, for example "Defiance: Anything Goes", which allows for armies that have many, many weapon and troop options (both players must agree).

Having played Defiance one too many times with a carpenter who was accurate to the half inch, I am prone to agree about the scatter idea.  Maybe d5-1 to allow for a small chance that you'll still hit exactly where you guessed.

Consider it an official house rule. :-)

And yes, give mecha as many guns as you want, it won't break the point system.

As a spoiler alert, the CQB rules will do a lot more with AOE weapons and building cover.  For now, just know that D:VG is best at depicting outdoor battles with mostly brush and tree cover.

cosworth, I am comfortable with you building this tool.  I would want to see it before it is officially published, but am okay with publishing if it seems to work - the last builder was nice but had a good amount of errors.  As you say, the builder itself is not very useful without the rules.

Dragoon size is a typo.  It should be 2, not 3.

Oh yeah, same reasoning for mecha: the jump ability seemed to best describe their movements in a small area, but again, balance should be okay if you just double a basic frame.

Mobs do indeed get extra benefits from the banner, though, as noted, this is mostly to make up for their poor leadership and command performance.  In original playtesting, doubling mob minimum sizes was considered, but there is a real initiative disadvantage to having big mobs.  They are best used, in my experience, as one large grouping among many smaller units, able to soak more fire than a normal unit.  They are certainly hard to break, even if they are a bit inflexible tactically.

Hi Stingray,

In order to minimize die rolling, D:VG abstracts indirect fire into the size of its effect, so an AGL would best be represented by a larger AOE template than a non-auto GL.  If, however, you'd prefer to roll to hit and scatter for each roll separately, you can always multiply the cost of the weapon by the number of rounds you want it to fire each turn (unofficially, of course, but it shouldn't be unbalancing in moderation).

If enough people are willing to buy 'em, I'm happy to give them the rights to produce them, as long as all copyrights for the images remain with us and they are clearly described as being for Defiance.

Happy New Year!

Yes, Defiance works great with 15mm, probably better than with 28mm in terms of figure to ground scale strategic realism.

Is Star Wreck worth purchasing?