buuuump
MOAR dialogue!
My character is quiet, on the edge of his seat and watching the main screen in the Carrier's Ready Room waiting for the Space Fold.
So pipe down you!
Although I might be thinking of the Starblazers warp...
Ah, GM; what do we pilots know about what we are supposed to do after the fold? Is there a schedule for flying patrols, scouting ahead, doing training sims, maintenance work, kitchen patrol, etc.?
exciting!!
Sorry... had forgotten I was up.
is my character out there in the fighting mechas?
Are we already part of a particular squadron?
Like "The Ghost Riders" or VMF-214 or the Crazy Eights or "Skull Squadron" or Galactica 04 or etc. etc.
Or should we just make something up?
"Dry Lancers"?
List of US navy aircraft squadrons for ideas...
alrighty i will probably get a post up this weekend with me shooting down some invid
I use "Big John" to refer to the carrier, as that was the nickname of the historical carrier John F. Kennedy.
OK, how does fighter combat work?
Do I have an armor class, and if so where do I find it?
Do I get a defense roll or maneuver check, and if so where is that?
|
hmmm . . .
Perhaps I should put the mecha combat rules here.
Mecha action should be fast, exciting, and fun, just like battles between humans, but on a larger and more dramatic scale. This chapter provides rules for the situations that can occur when characters are piloting giant robots, wearing power armour, or zipping about in vehicles.
The number one rule of mecha combat is to make battles as dynamic as possible. Before any fighting starts, the GM should set the scene. For example, a giant robot battle could take place
“downtown” ... but it is more interesting if the GM takes a few moments to describe the nearby landmarks: mention the rows of office towers, the natural history museum, the subway station, city park, and the hospital down the block. This isn’t just for atmosphere — it gives everyone tactical choices. Want to elude the enemy’s flying mecha? Smash your way into the subway
station and take the fight underground. A mecha is sniping with a long-range weapon? Have an enemy mecha take cover behind the hospital, forcing the hero to choose between risking innocents and charging into range of the villain’s plasma whip.
As a 60’ robot strides down a busy street, people will scatter in terror, a city bus swerves off the road and crashes, victims cry for help. Maybe some player characters can drive the enemy off the streets and into the park to limit collateral damage, or stop to rescue civilians, or just get enraged and fight even harder to defeat their foes.
It’s also important to personalise a battle. Faceless foes have their place, but players will have more fun if mecha pilots get a chance to get to know their enemies. Even total war can be interrupted by a few undercover operations or diplomatic missions to neutral powers, with the characters along as spies or military attaché, to give them a chance to meet the dashing enemy
pilot at the embassy ball. Similarly, giant robot combat can be grimly realistic, but can also have the panache of medieval jousts or World War I dogfights, with the deadly enemy ace in her red painted mecha, or the honourable foe willing to have his wingmen hang back to let him duel opponents one on one. There’s no reason why opposing pilots cannot talk over the radio or by view screen as they trade laser blasts and plasma bolts, and this will let characters use Bluff and Intimidate Skills as well as their attack bonuses. Even if the players are shy about chatting with the enemy, a battle can be made more memorable by giving the heroes some quirky non-player character partners or wingmen, such as an arrogant, showboating rival or a nervous, inexperienced rookie.
|
|
Basic Concepts
Mecha use the d20 System action and combat rules unless exceptions are specifically mentioned.
“Mecha” refers to all sorts of mobile craft built with these rules.
“Giant robot” applies to machines that are moving with legs, or slithering like snakes, or flying with flapping wings, or swimming with arms, legs, or tails.
“Suit” applies to all mecha suits that mimic the wearer’s normal body form.
“Vehicle” applies to all other machines: cars, tanks, trucks, jet aircraft, submarines, and so on. It also applies to giant robots that have transformed into vehicles.
|
|
Characters in Mecha
A character in a mecha fills one of several possible roles, which determines what the character can do.
Operators
These are the crew assigned to control the mecha’s movement, weapons, sensors, etc. Often a mecha has only one Operator.
Pilot
The pilot of the mecha controls its movement (and any limbs, if a giant robot or suit). Depending on the type of mecha, he or she may be styled “driver,” “helmsman,” “steersman,” etc. Most mecha have only one position from where the mecha can be operated, so the person there is the pilot. Operating a mecha is, at a minimum, a move action, which means that the pilot may be able to do something else with his or her attack action.
Commander
In some mecha, there is a captain or commander whose main role is to give orders. He or she can help any crew member (pilot, gunner, etc.) by taking an Attack action. This can represent
giving advice, highlighting targets or directions to travel, and so on. Doing so is a move action, leaving the commander an attack action each round to do something else — control another
weapon, or act as an equipment operator, perhaps. A mecha can have only one commander at a time.
Gunner and Loaders
Some mecha have built-in weapons. If such a weapon is controlled from a location other than the pilot’s position, a character can man that position and become the gunner. A mecha can have as many gunners as it has gunner positions. Some weapons may also require one or more loaders, if they have the Crew-Served weapon restriction (page 44), who must be stationed
next to the gunner. This doesn’t require any special Skill, so loaders often double as mechanics or service crew aboard the mecha.
Equipment Operator or Lookout
An equipment operator is assigned to operate one or more items of equipment aboard the mecha, such as a radio or sensor, freeing the pilot from having to worry about it. Not all mecha have equipment operators. In combat, the main use of an equipment operator is to make Comuter Use checks without the -5 “spotter distracted” penalty that a character doing something else (like shooting or piloting) will suffer. Low-tech mecha may have an observer or lookout, who does the same job without any built-in sensors.
Passengers
All other personnel aboard the mecha are considered passengers for combat purposes. They may be officially part of a crew — a technician, cook, ship’s doctor, a scientist, or a security team, etc. — but they perform no specific role in mecha operation. They may, however, be able to fire weapons from the mecha, perform repairs, fight fires, give advice, or take other actions.
|
|
Crew Quality
Rather than force the GM to create, or remember, statistics for everyone aboard a mecha, mecha statistics include a general “crew quality” descriptor. This indicates a typical crew’s aptitude with the mecha’s systems. Use the check modifier for all Skill checks related to the operation of the mecha (including Drive and Repair checks). Use the attack bonus for all attack rolls performed
by the crew.
This does not restrict the GM from creating unique mecha where the crew’s statistics are included.
Crew Quality Check Modifier Attack Bonus
Untrained -4 -2
Normal +2 +0
Skilled +4 +2
Expert +8 +4
Ace +12 +8/+3
|
|
Getting Started
Vehicles and giant robots can be entered with a move action and started with a second move action. An exception is noted in a mecha’s description when it applies. See the Start Up Time Defect, page 36.
Mecha suits normally take the same time to don or remove as plate armour.
Very tall mecha whose cockpit is in the head are assumed to have ladders or wire lifts that allow the occupants to reach them. A sufficiently agile pilot could leap into the cockpit, however.
|
|
Scale
These rules use three scales. If the encounter involves both
mecha and characters on foot, use character scale. If the scene
involves only mecha, and they’re likely to move at much higher
speeds than characters or creatures on foot, use chase scale. If
neither is appropriate, or distances are very great, or no map is
being used, use abstract scale. The GM can mix and match scales
as necessary.
|
|
Scale
These rules use three scales. If the encounter involves both
mecha and characters on foot, use character scale. If the scene
involves only mecha, and they’re likely to move at much higher
speeds than characters or creatures on foot, use chase scale. If
neither is appropriate, or distances are very great, or no map is
being used, use abstract scale. The GM can mix and match scales
as necessary.
Character Scale
Character scale is identical to the standard movement scale
used in most d20 System games: it’s carried out on a grid in which
each square equals 5 feet (1.5 m).
In character scale, most mecha are large enough to occupy
multiple squares on the map grid. How many squares a mecha
occupies is determined by the mecha’s dimensions.
When moving a mecha, count the squares from the mecha’s
rear. When turning, pivot the mecha on the rear square toward
which it is turning. When firing weapons, count squares from the
location of the weapon.
No more than one mecha can occupy the same ground
square.
|
|
Chase Scale
In chase scale, each square of the grid represents 50 feet
(15 m).
In chase scale, most commonly encountered mecha occupy
only one square. Some especially large mecha might occupy more
than one square. More than one mecha can occupy the same
square. Mecha in the same square are considered to be within
melee range for the purposes of determining range for attacks.
Abstract Scale
In abstract scale, the GM keeps track of spatial relationships
in his or her head or on a sketch map, describing distances to the
players in feet (or metres) as appropriate. The GM should keep a
general, mental note of relative distances (in squares, feet, or
metres) between combatants or important objectives. For example,
if the encounter begins with two hostile mecha 300 metres apart,
and on its first round one mecha charges forward 100 metres, then
those two mecha are now 200 metres from each other. GMs should
not become hung up on exact speeds and distances — just a general
idea of the overall distance is usually enough.
I'm not up, am I? Duke has higher initiative, and we each took one turn.
I had put a question on the table whether or not I was hit, if I have a defense maneuver, if hit how much damage, if damaged am I limited somehow... etc. etc.
If the GM wants I can just go ahead until he tells me otherwise, it's just that his attack on me looked like it might have hit me.
How do I do that?
What is the Defense stat on the Valkyrie for? Do I add that in too?
So the enemy rolled a hit and did damage. At what point do I make a defense roll, or does that apply here?
Whose turn is it?
looks like GM's turn
I hope he gets better!
I have a work-related formal dinner event to attend tomorrow night, coupled with a project that I have been working on whose culmination is tomorrow morning. As such, my posts may be sparing for the next 48 hours. "Bot" me as needed, although I don't anticipate that being necessary.
back
Higher tech my ass!
GM: Do you remember if I can use the railgun in fighter mode? Or is that just in Gerwalk and Mecha modes only?
OK, ignore that railgun shot then.
Wont be on for a bit, having my birthday dinner with some friends and likely to be fairly tired, if not hung over, for a portion of tomorrow.
Is the enemy going to counterattack, or did we surprise them? Should we attack again?