aqmf steamer supplement v3

Since the Rulebook was completed, we have had the good fortune of getting a lot more out of the Plastic Steam tank sprues and have added some

brand new models not listed in the main rules. We are also taking this as an opportunity to do some official changes where needed!

Credits for this Addendum:

Excerpts from the Main Rulebook

Additional Material: Ernest Baker

Additional Material and Editing: Jonathan Davidson

OFFICIAL Addendum to pages 96 to 99 of the Main

All Quiet on the Martian Front Rulebook

Mk II Steamer Tank

Mark II Steamer or Baldwin Tank

With the introduction of the improved Holt Land Steamer in 1911,

the designation ‘Steamer Tank’ was officially adopted by the US

Army. The original Holt Steamer was retrospectively renamed the

Mk I Steamer Tank with the new model becoming the Mk II.

However, amongst the crews themselves it remained common to refer

to both machines as tanks, tumblers, and steamers. Mk IIs are also

known as Baldwin Tanks after one of their main manufacturers: the

Baldwin Locomotive Company.

The Mk II retained the same basic layout as the earlier tank with the

back-mounted boiler served by an external coal chute to facilitate

rapid refueling. Coal and water capacity were both increased, giving

the new tank a slightly improved range, while the drive shafts, rods

and most engine components were substantially strengthened to

improve reliability. The tracks were of a more robust design,

overcoming one of the Mk I’s chief faults: its tendency to throw a

track in a tight corner. Armor was thickened to 1½" along the top and

front, the most common targets, and to compensate for the increased

weight, the rear armor was reduced to only ½" with the addition of

coolant vanes and improved ventilation.

A larger gun – the 4-inch Tank Gun – was built especially to provide

a harder-hitting weapon that was still workable within a confined

space. Crew protection was augmented with asbestos sheeting to

deflect Heat Rays – a common field modification of the Mk I

henceforth carried over into all production models.

The Mk II entered service during the 1911 Martian Offensive, but

arrived too late to make a significant contribution to the fighting. It

proved its worth in the protracted skirmishes that followed the

Martian attack, and quickly gained the favor of crews re-equipping

from the earlier tank.

The Mk II remains the most common Steamer Tank in service with

the US Army, and its hull and superstructure have lent themselves to

numerous variants including mobile howitzers, unarmed field

tractors, engineering tractors, and armored wireless tractors.

Numerous Mk II Steamer Tanks have been supplied to the Edison

Company for use as experimental weapon mounts.

Max. Armor Thickness: 1½" Steel Plate

Max. Speed: 8 mph

Armament: 1 x 4-inch gun

Crew: 7

Mk II Steamer Tank

Unit: 3 elements

Points per unit: 165 pts

An HMG may be added for 10 pts per tank, see page 5

Type Speed Defense Armor Special

Tank 6” 4 8 -

Main Weaponry Range Power Special

1 x 4-inch gun 30” +2 -

Mark IIt Gun Tractor

The high casualty rates amongst the brave Holt tractor crews

convinced the Unites States generals of the need for armored tractors

to be able to recover artillery pieces about to be over-run by Martian

attacks. The cross country mobility of flivvers was also limited, so a

suitable powerful and tracked vehicle was required.

The solution was the Mk II Steamer Tanks. As more Mk III Steamer

Tanks reached the front, battle damaged or worn-out Mk II Steamers

were refurbished, and the main 4-inch gun and ammo removed, to be

replaced by heavy machine guns.

The steamer had a larger tow hook fitted: the reduction in weight

allowed the Mk IIt Gun Tractor to tow all wheeled artillery at normal

speed. Heavy chains are stored in the cabin and can be used to drag

damaged but still serviceable equipment back to base. This recovered

equipment can be repaired and sent back in to the battle line.

The Mk IIt Gun Tractor proved its worth at the battle of Shreveport

when four Mk IIt Gun Tractors rescued a whole battery of Anti-

Tripod Guns which otherwise would have been lost.

Max. Armor Thickness: 1½” Steel Plate

Max. Speed: 8 mph

Armament: 1 x Heavy Machine Gun

Crew: 3

Mk IIt Gun Tractor

Unit: 1 element




Tank 6” 4 8 Tow, Light Wrecker


1 x HMG 20” +1 Rapid Fire 3

Tow

A Mk IIt Gun Tractor can tow a single element of Field Artillery or

Heavy Field Artillery. See page 65 of the main rulebook for more

information on towing.

MK II Gun Tractor Towing a Heavy Howitzer

Mk IIb Interim Tank

The Mk II tank was a remarkable manufacturing success, and though

rushed to mass production, gave reasonable mobility. In combat, it

quickly became obvious that its armament was inadequate against the

majority of the Martian machines. Development of the Mk II’s

replacement was protracted, so an interim solution was immediately

called for. The forward position gun was removed, and replaced by

two 4 inch guns carried outside the main body of the tank in

sponsons. While this effectively doubled the fire power, the extra

weight of the guns overtaxed the drive train leading to greatly

reduced speeds. These steamers were not considered successful in the

field and with the advent of the Mk III, no more were built. Some Mk

IIb steamers survived until the end of the war and some were

converted into Mk IIt tractors. A very few were adopted as convoy

escort vehicles by replacing the 4 inch guns with HMGs. This gave

them 3 HMGs and were used later in the war when advancing

infantry forces needed paced and armored machine gun support.

These models were designated Mk IImg.

Max. Armor Thickness: 1½” Steel Plate

Max. Speed: 4 mph

Armament: 2x 4-inch Gun

Crew: 6

Mk IIb Interim Steamer

Unit: 3 elements




Tank 3” 4 8 Rare, Heavy Tank


2x 4-inch Guns

1 x HMG

30”

20”

+2

+1

Sponsons

Rapid Fire 3

Mk IImg Interim Steamer

Unit: 3 elements



Tank 4” 4 8 Rare, Heavy Tank


3 x HMGs 30” +1 Rapid Fire 3, sponsons

Rare

Only one unit each of Mk IIb or Mk IImg Interim Steamers may be

fielded for every 2,500 pts of the US army (round up).

Heavy Tank

For the size of their boiler, these are very heavy steamers.

Consequently, they have a speed of 3” and will bog-down on a roll of

1 (on a d10) for each turn they spend crossing Difficult Ground. If

bogged down, they count as Immobilized and cannot move until

recovered by a Wrecker.

Sponsons

The Mk IIb and Mk IImg carries sponson mounted guns. When it

shoots, it can direct guns to its front, giving it two or three shots at the

target. Alternatively, a single shot can be directed from either side:

drawing line of sight from the center of the tank’s side. Remember,

the whole unit must engage a single enemy target: you can’t shoot at

one enemy to the front and a different enemy to the side as part of the

same attack.

MK IIb Steamer Tank

Mk III Steamer Tank

The success of the Mk II Steamer Tank led to subsequent detail

improvements, but attempts to increase the tank’s firepower

continued to be limited by the size of the chassis. Experiments with a

lengthened chassis – the so-called ‘long-steamer’ – proved a

disappointment, indicating that an entirely new design was called for.

This new design would eventually become the Mk IV. In the

meantime, Baldwin Locomotive Company engineers decided to adapt

the basic Mk II chassis by adding side sponsons and building up the

superstructure to create an armored box. This became the Mk III

Steamer Tank – a compromise design that proved extremely

successful. Equipped with the latest and more powerful Baldwin

engines and mounting no fewer than three 4-inch guns, the Mk III

Steamer Tank finally gave America’s Fighting forces a weapon

capable of confronting the Martians in open battle.

The chief distinguishing feature of the Mk III is the fixed box

superstructure mounted high on the tank’s deck. Indeed, the Mk III is

sometimes called the steam box on account of this large box housing

the tank’s third gun. The addition of a gun above the main decking

was intended to overcome the chief drawback of the hull-mounted

gun in the Mk’s I and II: their inability to elevate sufficiently to hit

the body of a Tripod at ranges under two hundred yards. This often

resulted in crews being unable to bring their weapon to bear on an

approaching Tripod, leaving them no option but to bail out. The

Captain and Gunnery Officer’s positions were moved up into the box

to give them a much better view – Captains of earlier tanks having

been known to stand on the open deck to direct fire.

The extra guns increased the crew size by four men, but many crews

prefer to fight under strength to increase space inside the cabin,

considering it easier to serve three guns with two well-trained men

rather than overcrowding the cramped interior.


Max. Speed: 8 mph

Armament: 3 x 4-inch guns, 1 x Heavy Machine Gun

Crew: 9-11

Mk III Steamer Tank

Unit: 3 elements



Tank 6” 4 8


3 x 4-inch guns

1 x HMG

30”

20”

+2

+1

Sponsons

Rapid Fire 3

Sponsons

The Mk III carries two sponson mounted guns. When it shoots, it can

direct all four guns to its front, giving it three shots at the target.

Alternatively, a single shot can be directed from either side – drawing

line of sight from the center of the tank’s side. Remember, the whole

unit must engage a single enemy target: you can’t shoot at one enemy

to the front and a different enemy to the side as part of the same

attack.

Mk III Steamer tank

Mk IIIs Infantry Support Steamer

US Armored infantry have proved to be very effective in combating

Martian attacks from Black Dust and Green Gas; staying Hidden and

moving with Stealth to be able to assault Martian Tripods from close

quarters. Martians have countered by sending in Drones, Lobototons,

and even stranger ground forces to flush Armored Troops out of

likely looking ambush terrain. This has proved very effective, so

Armored Infantry commands have been calling for more close

support armor to counter this tactic. The Mk IIIs Infantry Support

Tank was created specifically for this role. Bristling with heavy

machine guns, the steamer is highly effective against the smaller

Martian targets, and they have even proven effective against Scout

and larger Tripods.

The Mk IIIs Infantry Support Steamer is rarely encountered and is

only deployed in support of Armored Infantry. Hearing the sound of

an entire unit of three Mk IIIs blazing away with all twelve Heavy

Machine guns is an encouraging sound that even drowns out the

hissing crackle of the Martian Heavy Heat Ray sizzling through the

atmosphere.


Max. Speed: 8 mph

Armament: 4 x Heavy Machine Gun

Crew: 7

Mk IIIs Infantry Support Steamer

Unit: 1 element



Tank 6” 4 8 Rare Armored

Infantry Support


4 x HMG 20” +1 Sponsons, Rapid

Fire 3

Rare and Armored Infantry Support

At least one unit of US Armored Infantry must be taken with each

Mk IIIs Infantry Support Steamer in order to be able to field it.

Sponsons

The Mk IIIs carries two sponson mounted heavy machine guns, and

one HMG on the main hull and a fourth on it superstructure. When it

shoots, it can direct all four guns to its front, giving it four Rapid Fire

3 shots at the target. Alternatively, a single HMG can be directed

from either side – drawing line of sight from the center of the tank’s

side. The whole unit must engage a single enemy target.

Mk IIIs Infantry Support Steamer Tank

Mk IIc Command Tank

Mk IIc Command Steamer Tank

The Baldwin Locomotive Company was commissioned to produce an

armored vehicle, based on the Mk II chassis, to transport field

officers below the rank of general. This enabled junior field

commanders to keep up with their increasingly mobile troops.

The spacious superstructure, identical to the Mk III, has sufficient

space for the commander, second in command, and signalers. A

semaphore tower is fitted to the tank, which allows orders to be

transmitted across the battlefield using flags. The steamer has room

for a single HMG and has a 4-inch gun mounted in the usual location

of the Mk II.

The Command Steamer has proven very popular with infantry and

artillery commanders. Upper echelon tank commanders, however, try

to get a Mk IV tank assigned to them.


Max. Speed: 11 mph

Armament: 1 x Heavy Machine Gun, 1 x 4-inch Gun

Crew: 4 plus Command Team

Mk IIc Command Tank

Unit: 1 element



Tank 6” 4 8 Command Vehicle


1 x 4-inch gun

1 x HMG

30”

20”

+2

+1

Rapid Fire 3

Command Vehicle

A vehicle designated as a command vehicle is capable of three

special abilities:

Local Commander: Command Vehicles effect only the elements in

the unit or units it is attached to. This must be determined before the

game begins and cannot be changed during the game. A command

vehicle can be attached to a maximum of 6 units whether they consist

of single or multiple elements. It can rally troops that have failed

morale tests, but must be within 6 inches of said troops to do so. This

is in addition to the designated Field commander. Note that

Command vehicles do not issue orders like Field Commanders unless

the vehicle is indeed the Field Commanders vehicle.

Command Relay: A Command Vehicle can relay orders from a Field

Commander. A Field Commander may issue orders to units out of its

line of sight, an exception to the Filed Commander rules on page 63

and 85, if the Field Commander can draw a direct line of sight to a

Command Vehicle and the Command Vehicle can draw a line of

sight directly to the unit being issued orders.

Field Commander: A Command Vehicle can be the vehicle that

contains the Field Commander for an additional 30 points. All the

rules governing Field Commanders on page 87 then apply.

Summary Table

Designation Main Armament Pts/

Unit

RNG PWR SPD DEF ARM Special Rules

Mk II Steamer 1 x 4" Gun 165/3 30" +2 6" 4 8 None

Mk IIt Tractor Steamer 1 x HMG 40/1 20" +1 6" 4 8 Tow,

Rapid Fire 3

Mk IIb Interim Steamer 2 x 4" Gun

1 x HMG

240/3

30"

20”

+2

+1

3" 4 8 Rare, Heavy Tank, Sponsons,

Rapid Fire 3

Mk IImg 3 x HMG 180/3 20” +1 4” 4 8 Rare, Heavy Tank, Sponsons,

Rapid Fire 3

Mk III Steamer 3 x 4" Gun

1 x HMG

225/3

30"

20”

+2

+1

6" 4 8 Sponsons,

Rapid Fire 3

Mk IIIs Infantry Support 4 x HMG 75/1 20" +1 6" 4 8 Rare, Armored Infantry Support,

Rapid Fire 3

Mk IIc Command Steamer 1 x HMG

1 x 4" Gun

85/1 20"

30”

+1

+2

6" 4 8 Command Vehicle,

Rapid Fire 3

Auxiliary HMG 1 x HMG +10 20" +1 6" 4 8 Rapid Fire 3

Key: RNG = range, PWR = power rating of main gun, SPD = speed of tank,

DEF = tank’s defense, ARM = armor rating of tank.

A Publication of Robot Peanut Studios, specifically for All Quiet on the Martian Front.

Copyright 2014. All Rights Reserved.

Extra Machine Guns

American forces love to put machine guns on every vehicle they can. Lots of these are

scrounged from destroyed vehicles and, in some cases, “procured”. These are rarely “official”,

but what the rear desk jockeys don’t know won’t hurt them! As per the Field Modification

rules on page 85 of the Main Rule book, you can add extra machine guns to your tanks.

Please note that whether an extra HMG is added to the stats of a vehicle as listed in this

supplement or as an add-on to a vehicle in the main rules, you must pay the additional points

for it. Note that extra guns added to a vehicle but not listed in the stats for that vehicle cannot

be fired in addition to the vehicles weapons but can be fired instead of those weapons. An

example would be an Mk II tank. It has a 4-inch gun. If you added an HMG on the top of the

tank, then you can then fire either one of the weapons, but NOT both. These extra guns

require extra crew that is not available. In fact, most vehicles are under crew strength due to

battle losses anyway!

So…if the weapon is listed on the chart for the vehicle, you pay no

additional cost for it. If it is not you may add it and take the additional

point cost under the Field Modification rules.

Tanks can fire EITHER their cannon or their HMGs but not both in

the case of all Mk II and Mk III Variants. HMG ONLY armed tanks

can fire all their HMGs at once within normal shooting rules (line of

sight, etc.)

But what if I have a tank that is all HMGs and I add another HMG to

it? Well, you can decide this with your opponent. The OFFICIAL vehicles and their

points/weapons are in the chart.

The addition of extra cannon, etc is up to you and the Field Modifications rules provide some

guidance but are not definitive. Balance or even plausibility is not guaranteed.

We will deal with Mk IVs in another update.

aqmf steamer supplement v3

Documents

common steamer tank

steamer tank mark

steamer tank unit

new tank

designation steamer

earlier tank

inch tank gun

rulebook mk