Feel free to continue any character building/strategizing and other questions here. We'll get GP going a little later this week.
I was looking through the provided content and I don't see the loadout page for the COM 1D Commando. I see a COM 2D Commando, but not the 1D. Am I missing something?Sorry, that is totally a typo on the chart. You've got a COM 2D Commando per the actual stat sheet.
Copy. Moving this to the discussion thread in order to not bump the recruitment thread.
Should I go by the Stunt and Quirk listed on the chart, which is (Knockout Punch / Weak Engin). Or the one listed on the 2D sheet, which is (Incendiary Weapon / Biofeedback Resonance)?
I am leaving the choice up to players at this point. You can just go with the basic stunts/quirks as provided or choose to roll on the table to get something else.
I've opened up GP to provide some initial background and info on the first mission. We'll be kicking off with you all having debarked and heading toward your designated target area. But feel free to flashback to the trip in or some other time as you like to help establish character interactions, personalities, etc. Or just pick up as you sort yourselves into formation and what not. Choice is yours. It is assumed you all know each other and have at least spent a little bit of time together forming your mercenary outfit.
We can also continue chargen here. I'll start going through aspects and may have questions or clarifications. But overall I think everyone's backgrounds and stuff are coming together fine.
Please do let me know if you have any other rules questions or clarifications.
I'll take the Panther's default stunt and quirk.
I have decided to roll with the D1 Stunt and Quirk. So knockout punch and Weak Engin. Can you overcome a quirk, or are they permanent?
Also, on the MECH sheet it asked to select 1 of 3 aspects for the mech. I didn't see any description for mech aspects, but I selected "Punch Above My Weight." Assuming I'm not simply missing the description, I might need a rundown on what that aspect does. In addition, I decided to swap out administration for sensors.
As we get rolling here are a couple of things about FATE that I hope everyone will find helpful.
First, an aspect isn't really a set power, skill, or ability like say Turning Undead in DnD. An aspect is a short, simple phrase that describes something unique or noteworthy about what it is attached to. They are basically a conduit for spending and gaining FATE points and influencing the story. Aspects are always true. Many aspects, especially character aspects often have both a positive and a negative connotation. Just about anything in the game can have aspects associated with it. The environment, equipment and mechs, characters, NPC's, buildings, dropships, etc. Even the particular campaign itself will have aspects.
If an aspect can be beneficial to you in a certain situation then it can be Invoked and a FATE point spent to gain a bonus or reroll or other effect. Aspects can be used against you via a Hostile Invocation. This is basically when someone (probably me as GM, but it could be anyone) invokes your own aspect to use against you in some way. In this case you receive a FATE point and then deal with the result of their invocation. (Note that FATE points gained from a hostile invoke, cannot then be spent on the same situation. They aren't available until the next scene.)
Finally, an aspect can be Compelled. If you’re in a situation where having or being around a certain aspect means your character’s life is more dramatic or complicated, someone can compel the aspect. That aspect can be on your character, the scene, location, game, or anywhere else that’s currently in play. To Compel, explain why the aspect is relevant, and then make an offer as to what the complication is. Whoever is getting compelled (and you can Compel yourself) can then either spend a FATE point to avoid the complication in some way they explain in the narrative. OR they gain a FATE point and then deal with the complication.
Please note that I haven't copied all of the FATE SRD into the Battletech rules doc. I've tried to capture the basics, but I focused most of my efforts on the more specific BT related stuff versus just recreating the FATE SRD. So if you have questions or if it feels like something important is missing please let me know.
Actions. Generally it is one action per turn. Movement is included as part of whatever action you may take whether it is an Overcome, Attack, or Create an Advantage. The exception here is the Defend action. You can Defend as many Attacks as necessary, unless hampered in some way.
FATE Points and Refresh. Everyone starts with a Refresh of 3 and open each scene with 3 FATE points. FATE points can carry over from scene to scene, but if you start a new scene with 4 FP, you don't gain any additional FP from a Refresh. Whereas a person with 1 FP to start a new scene would Refresh back up to three FP.
For Mech aspects, I've provided some choices for each mech. You just pick one, and that is your mech Aspect going forward. It is just like your own character aspects and can be invoked or compelled when it would be relevant to a certain situation.
All: I have posted a couple of Campaign Aspects and Star System Aspects on the Campaign Tab. These are available to invoke just like any other aspect. We can also change the campaign aspects as we go along if there's a different direction everyone would like to dig into. But for now I figure those are as good a starting point as any.
Jack: For your Create an Advantage action, what is the Aspect you're trying to create or get a benefit from using your Piloting? It sounds like maybe you're going for something like creating an aspect called Jumping for a Better View.
The standard opposition is +2 which I'll use in this case. You rolled a +2. So that is a Tie. Just a Boost which I will label Just a Quick Peak Through the Trees. You can then use the Boost on that next Sensors roll if you like. If you do then it is gone.
A whoops. I'm apparently late to the party.
GM, Can you look over my character sheet and let me know of any issues. We can also get up to 4 slots worth of gear to start with, correct?
Okay, after catching up, it looks like I got mixed up and I don't get to keep the quirk and stunt the mech comes with.
Hoooooowever, I also like making life interesting for my characters. Would the GM object to me keeping both quirks? It helps sell the idea of a beaten, battered, and rundown mech that only luck and Charly's sheer stubbornness keeps running at all.
Starting gear picked out. Reread the rules and figured out I only got 3 units of stuff besides what's listed, so I picked the repair and salvage kit naturally. I figured any computer gear included would only be useful as a diagnostic tool, so the commpad I put down is some thing that would be only used to help Charly repair or salvage stuff. She can't use it to do the stuff she could with a regular commpad.
And with that, I think I've got her fully ready to rock and roll.
Charly: I think all is looking good so far. You already caught the one stunt/one quirk issue from earlier. I'd recommend keeping it to one Quirk at this point. I don't want to nerf you too much and Quirks can also develop from bad repairs or mismatched equipment so you may end up with two (or more) at some point anyway.
All: If everyone could be sure to record your Aspects and background notes in your alias profiles along with what mech your piloting, that would be super helpful for me. Thanks!
Markus: Similar to Jack's piloting roll, I used a default difficulty of +2 for your Resources roll. Also a Tie. So it is a Boost rather than an actual aspect created.
Jack and Lloyd: I guessed those Sensors rolls were Overcome actions to slog through any natural interference and/or the counter measures used by the enemy. You both succeeded so were able to get a bit of information. Although distance and conditions are still very much a factor since we are still six or so kilometers away.
Alrighty, I've gone with the one I rolled.
Should be all good now.
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Hey guys!
I've got a plan! I think it's a good plan.
It has two parts. What I love about this is it builds on the narative we've already got going, and plays on our personal strnegths.
Phase A has Lape show herself to the enemy in her Panther at max PPC range. She says something along the lines of "Oy! You bandits! I am Lt. Commander High Muckety Muck of the 16th Lyran Guards, Company Bravo. Your fellow bandits at the Capital have already been destroyed. You are commanded to surrender peaceably and dismount, whereupon you will be treated with all honor and kindness due Prisoners of War. Failure to do so will result in a quick but painful DEATH!"
At this point they may very well say "Shan't!"
But it might work. Lapeidra's good at talking to people.
Anyway, so they might say no, and follow it with "But there are only six of you! We saw it on our scans! You said you had a company!"
At which point she says, "You see what I want you to see. Or not see."
Therein Lloyd shuts down the sensors on one of their mechs. Just one, no need to be fancy. That Pilot will radio to the others "Uh, guys, yep, I'm dark. I'm freaking out here," and maybe they'll surrender then. If we can get even one of them to dismount and direct the other two mechs to the capital (to be summarily destroyed by the other, heavier, merc company) then we win, they lose, and we get one pristine mech without struggle.
Phase B.
Assuming we need violence, this is a strategy I call "Infinite Range". The premise is that, all things being equal, if one side has greater firepower at greater range, and can hold that situation, they will win.
Since the Panther will start at Long PPC range, the two Phoenix Hawks can jump up at long Large Laser range, and we three almost definitely will be out-gunning whatever they have.
That will force them to either stay there and be destroyed, or come to us.
As they close, the WASPS and Commando can wait until the Opportune Moment(tm) and then open up at point blank on an already weakened enemy.
How's that sound? =)
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@GM: A word?
Oh what a wild ride it's already been! Ya ever think we'd be doing this a second time? =)
Anyway, so, of course the first thing all of us are thinking about, is how to get more mechs? We've got a couple people in Wasps and I'm sure they'll want something, anything, heavier ASAP.
So how to do that?
There's is buying them, but that's not gonna happen anytime soon, so that leaves salvage.
But in your rules you say that any mech that is destroyed, is destroyed beyond all repair.
That makes me sad. Are you saying that anytime a mech is destroyed the nuclear core is breeched and explodes?
That's not cannon. Taking out the IS of the center torso just means that the juice of the engine can't get anywhere else so the thing falls over. It's like, you don't need to shoot someone in the heart to kill them. Just stab around the chest enough and the heart could be fine but if the blood can't get to the limbs and brain, the body just falls over. Same thing here. I think it only blows up if the engine takes a successful critical hit.
And why am I on about this? Two things.
First off, in the game, there are specific hit locations. If either both legs, or the head, are destroyed, the mech is taken out, but is still in good conditions. Balls, I even just got a buddy into BT and I won our first game by getting three head hits. It didn't even blow up, he just failed his Consciousness Roll.
These are ways on the board game to get good salvage.
In the video game when you kill a mech, in addition to weapons and heat sinks and other salvage, after a battle you get from 1-3 "mech parts". When you get 3 of these, you trade them in for a new, fully functioning mech. Did you hammer that mech until all its armor and IS was destroyed? One part. Head hit? Probably all 3. Hope you took good salvage rights in your contract!
Anyway, this is really just a way of asking if you have thought of a path forward so we can, eventually, upgrade our mechs? =}
Thank you!!
Plan A would be great if it works, but given we are in very squishy mechs, I'd rather fight dirty and risk losing some salvage than try to be cute and lose the mechs we have.
Plan B is pretty solid, but here's my thinking. We keep the Panther, the Commando, and the Wasps as a center unit while sending the Phoenix hawks out on the wings. We try to draw the enemy into a killbox where our flankers keep them from being able to find cover while we pick them off at range. We could also have one of the Hawks break off to attack the base and compel a surrender by taking out their support and logistics. If they try to split up and take out our flankers, we have them play keep away while the center unit mobs them in detail.
By the way, am I the only one to find it ironic that someone who's backstory includes sharpshooting at range to play tag with pirates is piloting one of the three mechs with the smallest range?
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By the way, am I the only one to find it ironic that someone who's backstory includes sharpshooting at range to play tag with pirates is piloting one of the three mechs with the smallest range?
We'll try and get you a better one. ;)
Mind you, that's kinda why I'm willing to try a hail-mary for a good mech now. We kinda need replacements in the order of now-ish.
Plan A would be great if it works, but given we are in very squishy mechs, I'd rather fight dirty and risk losing some salvage than try to be cute and lose the mechs we have.
Your suggestion (below) is not so good as to negate the ability to attempt Plan A.
Indeed, since in your suggestion the Panther is still in the center, that does not negate the chance to talk.
Plan B is pretty solid,
Thank you. =)
but here's my thinking. We keep the Panther, the Commando, and the Wasps as a center unit while sending the Phoenix hawks out on the wings. We try to draw the enemy into a killbox where our flankers keep them from being able to find cover while we pick them off at range. We could also have one of the Hawks break off to attack the base and compel a surrender by taking out their support and logistics. If they try to split up and take out our flankers, we have them play keep away while the center unit mobs them in detail.
There are many flaws with this.
(Again, I'm not doing this just to be a dick. I just have a way for strategy. Combined with an almost OCD knowledge of Mecha. =)
The Wasps can't be in the anvil. I wouldn't count on them at all in the first phase. They're just too squishy. If the enemy sees them and isn't already harassed and/or beaten up, if they focus-fire on them, they'll go down. The Wasps have neither the armor to absorb a fight, nor any ranged-weapons to keep out of danger.
(Editor's Note: There are two types of weapons in BT: Short-range weapons that you see in great number, like SRMs and Med. lasers, and long-range weapons that are not so numerous, like PPCs, large lasers, and LRMs. The Wasps are lightly gunned, as the lightest mechs in the game should be. The Commando is actually noteworthy for being so light but also having so much firepower with respectable protection.)
So the enemy can ignore the Wasps. Or kill them. That leaves one Panther and one Commando. Commando has no long-range weaponry. If they have, like, a Valkyrie AND a Panther, their long range trumps ours.
Also, I don't like double-envelope maneuvers unless you have a solid advantage in numbers are are looking to expand the front to take advantage of it. The -tiniest- lack of coordination from our units leaves one Hawk isolated and focus-fired down.
It looks 6- 3, but we can't count the Wasps, so it's more like 4-3. Numbers are too even. We need to use our strength, which, with three long-range weapons, is range. We can lure them forward, hit them some and take some sap out of them, and then all three light, short-range mechs can attack at once on an already harassed enemy.
Also also, there is no support and logistics. This is a minor outpost. The main body of the bandits is at the Capital that the other mech company is engaging.
Mind you, I like your Sun Tzu level of thinking. Keep it up! =]
Hope that helps. =)
P.S. Tareth knows all this. He's almost as good at strategy as I am. =3
No worries. I was thinking that, if they don't know we're here yet, we could blast them before they figure it out, that's my mine issue with Plan A, it gives up the element of surprise.
Plan B, I was hoping that we could find enough cover to make it harder to get a bead on us. The Wasps and Commando would act more as a screen for the Panther, and provide some close in fire support if the enemy managed to close the distance. the key to this would be to keep them at arms length and if any element can't fight off the forces coming at them, then they fall back and trade ground for time while the other units take care of the weakened enemy.
As for someone breaking off to harass the rear, I'll admit that I may have misunderstood the situation, but I was under the impression that this was a secondary base meant to protect one of the approaches to the capital. In which case causing some havoc back at the base
I don't know Battletech that well, I'm a lousy chess player, and to be honest I'm not sure of my own tactical acumen. All of that said, however, I'd like to think I'm okay at the tactical side of things. One of the things I've picked up while trying to learn more about tactics, strategy, and how the military works for my own writings and just keeping up with certain events is that you don't give the enemy problems, you give them dilemmas. What I was hoping to do is give the enemy a set of options that were not optimal from their perspective while leaving use a menu of maneuver.
What I'd love to do is have us take up positions behind a covered ridgeline over looking a wide open field below it and lure the enemy there. It's why my sensor roll was for looking for firing positions.
Having said all that, I'm mainly thinking in infantry and combined arms terms, I think. I'm not really thinking about us being in big stompy warmachines.
And, having said all of that, maybe we risk the Wasps and use them to harry the enemy and get them looking in the wrong direction before the hammer comes down on them.
Hey guys!
I've got a plan! I think it's a good plan.
OOC..Would you get out of your mech and give up the farm without some solid proof that you are in a hopeless fight? I doubt they will comply with that demand without some hard evidence to back up the threat.
IC..Gunny is a military man and if you're asserting any semblance of a command structure, he will fall right in line. A direct assignment with clear orders. Thats how he likes it.
EDDIT: Disregard, I just read through the GM's post, and I now see the evidence of superior fire power with the wasps getting a sensor upgrade LoL.
It just occurred to me that I hadn't opened the Discussion thread yet, let me get caught up...
Alright everyone, so I'm going to put us in 'turns' now that we are closing in on potential combat.
Keep in mind that in FATE you only get one action per turn. Also when attempting to Create an Advantage there is always either passive or active opposition. If it is helpful, feel free when creating an advantage to post what you want to do here in Discussion, then I can set the opposition and then you all can roll in GP and know if you need to and spend a FATE point to get what you want or not. And remember Creating an Advantage counts as your action for the turn. Any follow up use of the aspect or boost comes on your following turn.
As for salvage, don't worry, not every mech is going to explode in a fusion engine breach. The line in the rules was meant to refer to a mech that has had all its armor stress and IS boxes used and/or takes more damage beyond that. However, I think we can modify that a little bit. See below. And yes, standard BT offers those lucky cockpit hits, gyroscope breaches, and multiple leg shots that can take a mech down leading to more/better salvage. If we want to add that, then I'd suggest we go ahead and use the Internal Damage rule which means every time an Attack succeeds and bypasses armor, there is additional IS damage that occurs. This allows for cockpit hits, leg and arm actuator hits, gyro, ammo, etc. Of course this can all happen to PC's as well.
So for 'destroyed' mechs. Barring an engine or ammo explosion, even a gutted mech chassis can still be of some use. Here is where we might take a lesson from the HBS Battletech video game and say that even a gutted chassis provides enough usable parts and equipment to equal about a third of a full mech. Get three (I think three is a minimum) chassis, you end up with enough pieces to salvage a complete mech chassis. Of course, there still needs to be enough weapons and other special equipment still in your stock to fit it out, but the basic chassis is there.
So that gives two potential avenues for salvage. Lucky internal damage hits that knock out cockpit, legs, gyros and killing multiple mechs of the same type. I'll add there's also salvage from emergency ejections or plain old surrender as a mech loses its capabilities over the course of combat. I won't be having every pilot bailout every time, but neither is everyone going to be a to-the-death fanatic.
Finally, yes Jack, I described you having a visual on that one mech. I totally spaced adding the actual model to the narrative post. Apologies. You recognize it as a standard PNT-9R Panther.
Right now I have the following actions this last turn:
Lloyd: Sensors - Overcome vs Enemy sensors to reveal unknown enemy mechs. I'll need to roll enemy sensors.
Charly: Sensors - Create an Advantage with the Aspect A Safe Spot to Snipe From or something similar. Given the rough terrain and the general clearing around the spaceport itself, I'll keep this at a +2. This looks like it will be a Success. Which means the Aspect is created with one free Invoke.
Markus: Command - Create an Advantage Inspiring My Comrades to Victory. This is the first real fight the group has had together. Morale and hopes are solid. We'll leave this at +2 as well. This also looks like it will also be a Success with one free Invoke.
Jack: I'm not sure I see the connection between Science and mech ID, but it's a bit of a moot point since you were able to ID the mech earlier. Feel free to change your action if you like.
I will get the current zone positioning and turn narrative update posted later today.
IF we live long enough, this is going to be us at some point. I just have this feeling.
EDIT: Can I let someone else have the Free Invoke? I'd like Lapeidra to be able to use it since she's got the best range.
Would that take an action?
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Have lance? Nah, just some traditional Steiner recon! Now, lets do that scouting appropriately! Steiner Scout lance focus fire on the first hostile we see! I am keeping my large laser trained on the sensor spot.
"Heimlichkeit ist optional!"[dice=create advantadge using command]4d3-8+2
[dice=gunnery with boost]4d3-8+3+2
Wait what?????
What did I just watch here??
Can't. Stop. Laughing.
Okay, y'know what? Screw it.
In honor of the Black Pants Legion, all units move forward and scout the enemy!
Scout him vigorously and with much FIRE!
OK, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the FATE process, so I’m going to share my thoughts here in the discussion thread in hopes that I can get a little feedback to see if I’m understanding things correctly.
So, Gunny’s mech has a -2 to movement due to the mech's small engine. That brings his walk (4) to a (2) and his run (6) to a (4). Does that mean if he walks, it takes two rounds for him to advance one zone and one round at a run for him to advance one zone? If this is correct, which I think it is, I would like to try and compensate for the speed reduction in this scene to help close the distance.
Option 1: Could Gunny make a piloting check to compensate?
Option 2: Could Gunny use a FATE point to invoke his high Concept in order to compensate?
Gunny’s perspective leans towards the fact that everything in life ends up being a variant of what you intended it to be. Nothing ever comes out as planed which generally requires some sort of on-the-fly fix. After spending more than a few years as a foot soldier, he has learned to live by the credo of “adapt and overcome”.
Option 3: If none of the above seem viable by themselves, could he spend a FATE point, invoke his high concept “Bag of Bolts”, and then make a piloting check to try and compensate for the slow speed. I’m guessing that because the speed is reduced by (2) that the target number for success would be (2) or more?
2 movement points = 1 zone. You can still walk 1 zone each round.
2 movement points = 1 zone. You can still walk 1 zone each round.
If that's the case, would he still be able to run 2 zones with a (4) run?
Thats all assuming the environment isn't adding to the points needed to move.
If that's the case, would he still be able to run 2 zones with a (4) run?
Yes.
Alright, I attempted a Free Invoke of the Griffin's Quirk. If I cannot do that in the same round that I also attack then ignore it. And I assume Free means we don't have to spend a FATE point to invoke it.
I may have missed it in the rules, but are Invokes, Compels, and the like considered Actions from the perspective of Action economy?
Okay, so based on weight class, the Griffin's our most dangerous target. The others are light mechs. On that alone, we should probably focus on the small guys first and try staying out of the big guy's reach. The quicker we can reduce the number of guns firing at us the less damage we'll take.
GM, how much do we know, in character, about standard mech loadouts? Could we confirm a unit's loadout with a Sensors roll?
Gunny: By default it costs 2MP to cross a Zone. So even with your small engine, you can move 1 zone at a walk, 2 at a run. To temporarily Overcome the Quirk you could use Piloting, Engineering(Tech), Comp Systems, or maybe something else if you can make a could case for it versus a +4. A success allows you to ignore the quirk through the end of your next turn. You can certainly spend a FATE Point to Invoke your Bag of Bolts aspect to get a bonus to this roll.
Lapeidra: Invokes and Compels are not actions. They are ways to effect an action or the narrative depending on the situation. You can Invoke multiple times within a single turn as long a you have the FATE Points of Free Invokes, but you can only Invoke/Compel a specific Aspect once during a turn.
Charly: At this early stage of things, I think your basic sensors once you've gotten a solid ID on a mech will also pull up its standard configuration. They may come times in the future where an enemy may have made modifications that aren't in the usual databases or something. But for now you all know what you are facing.
Lapeidra: Invokes and Compels are not actions. They are ways to effect an action or the narrative depending on the situation. You can Invoke multiple times within a single turn as long a you have the FATE Points of Free Invokes, but you can only Invoke/Compel a specific Aspect once during a turn.
The Quirk for the Jenner references something called a Range Category. What is that?
Also, could we get a cheat sheet on action economy?
Range Category would just be 0,1,2,3,4, or 5. For example if someone picked range 2, then any time an attack was made from range to there would be a penalty.
Similar to the equipment question, this may be another case where we end up eliminating the various 'modifiers' and just make the quirks more like aspects that can be used to Invoke for various defend actions. Simply to reduce the number of modifiers and less things to track. Not going to do that now because I'd like to see how it works as is.
I think I've got a basic FATE GM screen type thing somewhere. I will try to dig it up and post a link to a shared file. If I get time over the next week, I'll also try to put something limited in the Campaign Info Tab.
DM, I hope you don't mind if we peek behind the screen while we learn to play. How did my shot against the Panther fail? 5 vs 4 is a success, did I miss something else?
Gunny: By default, it costs 2MP to cross a Zone. So even with your small engine, you can move 1 zone at a walk, 2 at a run. To temporarily Overcome the Quirk you could use Piloting, Engineering (Tech), Comp Systems, or maybe something else if you can make a could case for it versus a +4. A success allows you to ignore the quirk through the end of your next turn. You can certainly spend a FATE Point to Invoke your Bag of Bolts aspect to get a bonus to this roll.
OK, I took another quick read through the rule book last night and I have to say, the more I begin to understand about the mix of narration and mechanical components, the more I appreciate concept. It really is an interesting mix. I have tried my hand at a game based in the Battlestar Galactica setting and that game was 90% cooperative narration. I have also played many RPG's that have a fairly solid foundation of mechanical expectations, which we all seem to reach for when things get going. But this combination is a very interesting balance of the two. Well done.
Anyway, after reading through, I think the outcome I was looking for would fall under OVERCOME. As you pointed out, I could invoke Bag of Bolts, spend a fate point, and receive a bonus on the skill roll I choose to use to overcome the problem.
I think my biggest hurdle, in this scene, would be clearly determining which zone the bad guys in. My limited range "2" makes it easy to post an attack and still not be in range. Input like "the bad guy is five away" can be interpreted a number of different ways. Does that mean he is in zone +5? If he is literally five zones away, does that include the zone I'm standing in or is that five zones between his zone and mine. Anyway, it would make things a lot easier, at least from my perspective, to state which zone the bad guy is in vs. how fare he is. This is only a suggestion, not a complaint. I think the game, so fare, has been a lot of fun. GM's narration is probably the best I have seen thus fare in any game. I'm pointing that out incase no one has mentioned it yet.
Lapeidra: Ugh. Sorry, that was bad formatting on my part. I spent a Fate point on the defend against your attack, not Charly's flank attempt. So it would have been a +4 plus +2 from invoking the ruins. Total of 6 defend vs. 5 attack. I put the explanation on the wrong line.
Also everyone, please feel free to look at the GM spoilers usually I just spoil rolls and stuff to make things a little cleaner, not hide it from players. This is especially true as we learn the system.
Disregard on the zoning comment. I just realized that the zone is spelled out as part of the narration naming of the zone vs. numbering of it. Man I tend to fixate on the mechanics too much. It's such a bad habit.
Gunny: Glad you are liking the system so far. For Zones. You'll see the little graphic in the Aspect and Zones Status spoiler. I know it isn't the prettiest way to layout this stuff but it's the best given the limitations of the PbP boards. Special thanks to Atlas who first suggested it. :)
So right now, you, Jack and Lap are in zone -4. (Sorry, I know the minus symbols get lost in the dashes, but I need the dashes to space things out. If I just use spaces the site parser just cuts them and squishes everything together.)
There are a couple of uses of numbers going on which makes things a little confusing. First, I've organized the zones so that they run from -6 to +6 with 0 being the 'center' of the map. So as I mentioned, you are in Zone -4. Markus is in Zone -5 and the enemy Jenner is in Zone -2 while the Panther is in Zone 0.
To figure out range. Your weapons have a range of 0 to 2 zones away. So you count your zone as 0. Zone -3 and -5 would be 1 zone away. Zone -2 would be 2 zones away. So your weapons can hit anything in Zones -6 to -2.
Does that help? Clear as mud? :)
Gunny: Glad you are liking the system so far. For Zones. You'll see the little graphic in the Aspect and Zones Status spoiler. I know it isn't the prettiest way to layout this stuff but it's the best given the limitations of the PbP boards. Special thanks to Atlas who first suggested it. :)
So right now, you, Jack and Lap are in zone -4. (Sorry, I know the minus symbols get lost in the dashes, but I need the dashes to space things out. If I just use spaces the site parser just cuts them and squishes everything together.)
There are a couple of uses of numbers going on which makes things a little confusing. First, I've organized the zones so that they run from -6 to +6 with 0 being the 'center' of the map. So as I mentioned, you are in Zone -4. Markus is in Zone -5 and the enemy Jenner is in Zone -2 while the Panther is in Zone 0.
To figure out range. Your weapons have a range of 0 to 2 zones away. So you count your zone as 0. Zone -3 and -5 would be 1 zone away. Zone -2 would be 2 zones away. So your weapons can hit anything in Zones -6 to -2.
Does that help? Clear as mud? :)
Completely. I think the issue is more me getting use to a different game style than it is anything on your part. So far, I like it, I just feel like I'm all thumbs sometimes.
Could use underscores like this: |___-4___|___-3___|___-2___|___-1___|
Your explanations make sense. I think it's more we're getting into the groove with an unfamiliar system.
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Here's a link to a FATE Core GM Screen which lists the standard actions and outcomes for FATE. Note this also includes rules for Fate Essentials which is slightly different so you can just ignore anything listed as FAE.
Charly, are you able to shoot at the Jenner?
I thought it was move or shoot, not both.
GM: Clarification on something. I believe this to be true, but I want to make sure. Stress on the heat Stress bar. Does that extra heat dissipate the following round if the mech has left over heat dissipation capability?
Example: My Commando attacks and runs, which creates 7 heat. At the end of the round, it dissipates 4. That leaves 3 stresses on the heat stress bar. The following round the Mech only walks, which creates no heat. Does the mech dissipate the heat from the heat stress bar?
Charly, are you able to shoot at the Jenner?I thought it was move or shoot, not both.
I came across this when reading through the content.
Making an Attack
In FATE each player gets one Action plus the ability to move into a new Zone. This remains true when piloting a mech. However, using the Attack action is a bit more complicated in order to account for the array of potential weapons available on a typical Battlemech.
It then goes into explaining the different attack options, but never states that you must be stationary to fire your weapons.
This leads me to believe that moving is separate from your action or attack. Hopefully that's helpful..)
Gunny: Yes, the left over Heat would potentially dissipate the following round assuming you didn't generate any more.
And yes, changing zones (moving) does not count as an action. You can walk, run, or jump as part of any Attack, Overcome, or Create and Advantage action (or you can just move and not do something that requires a roll of the dice.)
Ah, thanks. Posting the rest of my turn now.