anyway: Building your mechs

2006-06-21 : Building your mechs

Any given mech can have up to 4 attachments.

All mechs get 2 white dice.

A movement attachment - 4 legs, jumpjets, swim fins, wings, wheels - is worth 1 green die. You may have up to two movement attachments.

A surveillance/communications attachment - a radio, spotlights, laser pointers, radar, a night-vision scope - is worth 1 yellow die. You may have up to two surveillance/communications attachments.

A defensive attachment - armor, a shield, camoflage, stealth composite surfacing, ECM - is worth 1 blue die. You may have up to two defensive attachments.

A weapon - a chainsaw, a chaingun, a laser blaster, a flamethrower, rocket pods - is worth 2 red dice at a particular range (but notice the optional rule about this). You may have up to 3 weapons - 1 for each range.

One single weapon attachment might include symmetrical parts. "All these rocket pods," like "both these wings," is just one weapon.

A hand to hand weapon is worth 2 red dice at hand to hand range only. A direct fire weapon is worth 2 red dice at direct fire range only. And an artillery weapon is worth 2 red dice at artillery range only.

Here's the optional rule: if a given weapon is plausible at two ranges, you can choose for it to be worth 1 red die each at the two ranges. For instance, you might choose for your submachinegun to be worth 1 red die at hand to hand range and 1 red die at direct fire range. You might choose for your sniper rifle to be worth 1 red die at direct fire range and 1 red die at artillery range. If you have both a submachinegun and a sniper rifle, you could, if you wanted, roll 1 red die at hand to hand range, 2 red dice at direct fire range, and 1 red die at artillery range.

You still may never roll more than 2 red dice at any range.

If you take fewer than 4 attachments, you get bonus initiative dice, 1 for 1 with the attachments you didn't take. These don't count as attachments, they don't count toward your army totals, and you can't lose them to damage.

1-shot missiles and rockets are worth a red d8 at direct fire range. You can fire them as part of any attack at direct fire range. They don't count as attachments, they don't count toward your army totals, and you can't lose them to damage. However, every army must have the same number of 1-shot rockets.

In addition to your mechs, build some obs towers, crashed satellites, command centers, comms towers, supply drops, or something - your stationary assets.

EGs

I build a mech with a big ol' crane arm, spotlights, a tough and battered yellow shell, and a manipulator arm holding an assault rifle. It gets 2 white dice for being a mech, 1 yellow die for its spotlights, 1 blue die for its tough shell, 2 red dice at hand to hand range for its bashy crane arm, and 2 red dice at direct fire range for its assault rifle. It rolls 1 initiative die.

I build another mech with combination wings and rocketpack and a walkie talkie on its back. It gets 2 white dice for being a mech, 1 green die for the wings, 1 green die for the rocketpack, and 1 yellow die for the walkie talkie. (It also gets a green d8 for having no ranged weapons, but that comes later.) It rolls 2 initiative dice.

I build a third mech with armor plates, a massive back-mounted cannon, and small rocket pods on either shoulder. It gets 2 white dice for being a mech, 1 blue die for its armor plates, 2 red dice at artillery range for its cannon, and 2 red dice at direct fire range for its rocket pods. It rolls 2 initiative dice.

How many to build?
If you've got 2 players, build 3 stationary assets and 4-8 mechs.
If you've got 3 players, build 2 stationary assets and 3-6 mechs.
If you've got 4 players, build 1 stationary asset and 2-4 mechs.
If you've got 5 players, build 1 stationary asset and 2-4 mechs.

Valuing your army
Count up a) the total number of mechs in your army, and b) the total number of attachments in your army.

Your victory points per asset held starts at 5.
Do you have the most mechs? Bump it down 1.
Do you have the most attachments? Bump it down 1.
Do you have the least mechs? Bump it up 1.
Do you have the least attachments? Bump it up 1.
For ties, nobody bumps.

My army has 3 mechs with a total of 10 attachments.

Let's say that you build an army of 4 mechs, each fully stacked, for a total of 16 attachments.

Let's say that Mitch builds an army of 3 mechs, fully stacked, for a total of 12 attachments.

I start at 5. Do I have the fewest mechs? No, Mitch and I tie, no bump. Do I have the fewest attachments? I do, for a +1. My victory points per asset held is 6.

You start at 5. Do you have the most mechs? You do, for a -1 bump. Do you have the most attachments? You do, for another -1 bump. Your victory points per asset held is 3.

Mitch starts at 5. Does he have the most or fewest mechs? No, he and I tie, no bump. Does he have the most or fewest attachments? No, he doesn't, no bump. Mitch's victory points per asset held is 5.

Now, at the beginning of the game, I hold 5 assets: my 3 mechs and my 2 stationary assets. I start the game with a score of 30 (5x6).

You hold 6 assets: your 4 mechs and your 2 stationary assets. You start the game with a score of 18 (6x3).

Mitch holds 5 assets: his 3 mechs and his 2 stationary assets. He starts the game with a score of 25 (5x5).

If the war's called on account of rain, I win, 30 to 25 to 18. If you want to win, you have to take my score down by taking away my assets, and build your score up by seizing my (or Mitch's) stationary assets.

Unbuilding your mechs
Whenever you take a hit, lose a whole attachment.

Lose the die or dice the attachment's worth. If you lose a weapon, lose both red dice.

Once you've lost all your attachments, the next two hits cost you your two white dice.

Once you've lost your two white dice, you're rubble!

1. On 2006-06-21, Vincent said:

Be glad I'm calling them assets now, even though "assets" sucks hard. I was calling them "happies" before.

"Stationary assets" my butt, though. Maybe I'll choose a story and stick to it, let you all suck up the extra cognitive load of having to substitute.

"For 3 players, make 2 broken down peach trucks and 3-6 mechs."

anyway.

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