Post by Gravedust on Dec 1, 2011 18:34:09 GMT -8
========
THE GAME
========
NOTE:: there is no active game planned on this forum, this is here as a resource only.
Battlepod is a cooperative forum-based strategy game, (though it can probably be played tabletop as well) where the players control mechs in combat against enemy forces. It's meant to be played as a group, with cooperative gameplay is it's core focus.
The format of the game is a pretty simple one-round-a-day deal: At the beginning of each turn, a map is displayed which shows the position of all the units on the board. Players give orders to their units based on the situation, and the Game Master (me, in this case) moves all the little icons, makes the necessary rolls and records their results their results, and updates the Strategic Map accordingly.
Players move first, and then it's the enemy forces' turn. I'm playing the bad guys, so after the players' turn I make moves and rolls on behalf of the enemy units, then displays those results as well. From there it's the Players' turn to give new orders.
It works a little like this:
As mentioned, the game progresses at a rate of about 1 round per day, (1 round being the player's move, then the Enemy's move) during the weekdays, with breaks on the weekends. Each round closes at 5pm (Pacific Time) and opens again whenever the GM has finished making his rolls and doing his turn. Usually there will be a good 14-16 hours for the players to look at the updated situation and put in their orders. Any players who miss getting their orders in during this window will simply have their actions skipped that turn, so the game will not hang on account of one or two missing players. (If a player is absent for more than a few turns in a row they may inexplicably find themselves the target of orbital artillery to clear the way for contributing players…)
============
THE PLAYERS
============
Any number of players can participate, though only a maximum of 6 players will be controlling units at any given time.
The remaining players who have signed up but don't have a unit available will still have a role to play in directing the actions of the Assembler, (the Players' mobile command base, spawn point, and heavy fire support station) so everyone will have something to do, whether they are controlling an active unit or not.
==========
THE PODS
==========
Battlepods is a game about Battlepod combat, so let's start by looking at the 'pods themselves.
The great-great-great grandchildren of main battle tanks, Battlepods are mass produced using a modular format. The center core-sphere can be configured in any number of ways, depending on the needs of the mission. These setups are recorded as 'Classes' or 'Variants'. Pilots can choose from a number of popular Classes, but are also free to specially tailor their own according to personal preference.
The pod's spherical shape came into common use since it allows for easy maximization of shield coverage, and superior deflection against kinetic impacts. Articulated legs are utilized as a method of crossing rough terrain, however on flat surfaces pods use a small but powerful castor system (hidden in the 'toes' of the Battlepod) to roll or 'glide' rather than run.
In a certain sense they are built to be disposable, if a component on a pod becomes damaged it is discarded and simply replaced with one that works, and if the pod as a whole is heavily damaged it's likely to be disassembled and scrapped for parts.
Pods are simple enough that they can be configured and built on the fly by large mobile structures called Assemblers. Assemblers often serve as a command station where Battlepod combat is coordinated, and new pods can be built to suit the changing battle situation. Damaged pods can also be scrapped by Assemblers to recover some of the resources used to produce them.
Pods mount a variety of weapons, including cannons, missiles, rocket artillery, and energy weapons such as lasers and other more exotic beam weapons.
They are in turn protected by complex composites of polymer, ceramic and alloy armor slabs, molded to fit around the Battlepod's parts.
=============
BATTLEPOD DISPLAY
=============
Now let's look into how a Battlepod's stats are displayed, and what those stats actually mean, going from Left to right, top to bottom. Ignore the pilot section for now, we'll cover that in a moment.
+UNIT designation
Units on the game map are numbered to make them easier to distinguish. This just indicates what number this pod has.
+Shields: (SHLD)
This is a measurement of the strength of the Battlepod's Shields, which is an energy envelope that surrounds the pod and can protect it from damage. Shields are capable of dissipating attacks completely, provided they are strong enough, however they are completely ineffective against melee weapons. Whenever a shield absorbs damage, it's strength is reduced by a proportional amount. Luckily the shield's power can be replenished by allocating more energy to it from the pod's Capacitor. While many Battlepods have shields, not all do.
+Armor: (ARMR)
Represents the overall structural integrity of the Battlepod. Damaging attacks that hit the pod will reduce it's Armor. A Battlepod is destroyed or otherwise Game-Over'd if its armor reaches 0.
+Energy: (ENRG)
This measures the level of energy stored in the Battlepod's Capacitor. This energy can be routed to power lasers or other energy weapons, or to reinforce the shield if it has become weakened. Larger Capacitors can store more energy, which can be useful to recharge shields in an emergency. However to save weight and cost some pods have capacitors only large enough to hold the power they need to run their systems and shoot.
+Signature: (SIG)
This very important stat is a measurement of the Battlepod's 'visibility' to sensors of other tracking devices. The higher a pod's signature, the greater the chance it may become a successful target of powerful long-range homing missiles. A pod's Signature is increased by firing weapons, using jump jets, recharging shields, and a variety of other actions. It decreases by a set amount every round, but generally a pod in combat builds up Signature faster than it can get rid of it.
+Portrait
A picture of the pod, in case you forgot what you were driving.
+Pod Variant (Underlined)
The name of the pod variant, in this case Balthezar Mk.3
+Size:
This is a basic representation of the Battlepod's size and weight. The larger a pod is, the easier it is to hit from a distance with cannons and energy weapons. Size also has a negative effect on a pod's ability to move and jump. (Bigger and heavier pods move slower, naturally) In general the smaller the size the better, though some Battlepods can't help but be large by the nature of the role they're designed to fill.
+Move:
This indicates how many squares a Battlepod can travel during it's turn by walking. It is a function of the motive power of a pod divided by it's Size.
+Jump:
This indicates the number of squares a Battlepod can travel while using it's jumpjets. Jumpjets propel the pod forward and up by the number indicated. They can be used to cross terrain obstacles or cover some extra distance while moving and also to prevent falling damage. Not all pods are equipped with jets, (The Balthezar is not, so you see a 0) and those without aren't able to jump. The (Sig) next to the Jump number indicates how much signature is generated by jsing the jets. Signature will be covered in a moment.
+Regen:
This measures the amount of energy created by the Battlepod's Reactor every round. Energy generated by the reactor automatically fills the Capacitor's reserves (ENRG).
+Stealth:
This is a measurement of how quickly a Battlepod gets rid of its Signature by use of heat dissipation, radar and optical jamming, camouflage and other methods. A pod's Signature will decrease by an amount equal to it's Stealth every round. A pod's Stealth rating can be increased by adding various ECM and emission control systems, but most of these are still in experimental development.
+Weapons:
Any weapons the Battlepod has will be listed here along with their stats. A pod can have up to 4 weapons systems. We'll get into various stats that come with each weapon later when we discuss the weapons themselves.
+Status:
This area lists any malfunctions or other disruptions a battlepod may be experiencing.
==========
THE PILOTS
==========
Battlepods are heavily automated, and the vast majority of the microsecond-to-microsecond tasks required to keep a pod up and fighting are controlled by arrays of computers. For a pilot, the task of moving your pod is not much more difficult than pushing your controls in the right direction while the computers handle everything for you. When it comes to actually fighting however, a lot of a pod's combat effectiveness is dependent on the skill of it's pilot. There are several fields of expertise when it comes to Battlepod combat, and each has a rating. Ratings go from 0-100, with higher numbers translating to more effectiveness in that area. Each pilot begins the game with 100 Skill Points to distribute amongst their stats, and more can be earned later through experience in combat.
+ACCURACY
This determines the pilot's ability to hit targets with direct-fire weapons such as Energy weapons, Railguns and Autocannons. Each point of accuracy roughly translates into a 1% better chance to hit a target. Pilots interested in mid to close-range scrapping with lasers and cannons will benefit from Accuracy, as will back-line snipers.
+SENSORS
This measures the pilot's ability to use a pod's sensors. The main uses of this is to lock in on an enemy Battlepod's signature in order to make a missile attack more likely to hit, and to direct artillery strikes accurately. Every 3 points of Sensors means a roughly 1% increased chance to hit with a missile attack, and an amount equal to an artillery launcher's ranges needed to make sure the round lands on target.
+MELEE
Represents the pilot's skill with Melee weapons. Increasing Melee skill both increases the chance that an attack will be successful, and the damage the attack can do. Melee skill also helps defend against melee attacks made by enemies, so even pilots in pods without melee weapons can benefit from Melee skill as a form of defense.
+HACK
This is a measurement of the pilot's adeptness at hacking into enemy Battlepods and disrupting their systems. The higher a Pilot's Hack skill is, the better the chance their hacking attempt will be successful. Hacking skill also helps pilots identify when and how their own systems are being messed with, and increases the chance of resisting a hacking attempt. This makes Hack a valuable skill to have even if your pod is not equipped to hack others.
+EVASION
Evasion is the pilot's skill at staying out of the line of fire, dodging effectively when under attack, and in general being hard to hit. Evasion makes hostile Cannon and Energy Weapon attacks less likely to hit, by roughly 1% per point. Almost any pilot can benefit from high evasion, however it it especially important to front-line units that can expect to spend a lot of time under fire, as well as fragile back-line units who can't afford to take hits.
+INCREASING SKILLS
As you spend more time in combat you will earn XP. Generally you are awarded XP for damaging or destroying opponents or otherwise being helpful to the success of the mission. (Additionally the GM reserves the right to award you some bonus XP for doing something he considers cool.) These XP points can be converted into whatever skill points you wish. You don't have to spend them immediately, however there is a limit of 5 points that can be purchased per round. To turn you XP into Skill points, just say that's what you want to do during your turn, your updated skill levels will go into effect immediately.
If a player dies, their accumulated XP and extra skill points are lost, and when they are redeployed they will only have the original 100 skill points to distribute.
=============
THE WEAPONS
=============
Weapons can be broken up into a number of broad categories:
+Energy
The energy weapon category encompasses a wide variety of devices from the humble laser to particle projectors and other more unusual beam weapons. They all share a few common attributes, however. Their primary asset is an unlimited ammunition supply. They use energy stored in the pod's capacitor to fire, and can fire continuously so long as the reactor can keep up with their power needs.
Powerful energy weapons can have a much longer effective range than your average cannon. Unfortunately, energy weapons are susceptible to beam diffraction and energy loss, meaning their damage output decreases the further they are away from a target that is outside their optimum focal range. Even so, they retain the ability to harass at long range, while remaining a dangerous threat at closer ranges.
+Autocannon
The primary asset of an Autocannon is it's rapid-fire ability. Autocannons are capable of a higher volume of fire than any other kind of weapon on the battlefield, and at close range the deluge of shells they can be deliver can be devastating.
The downside to these weapons is inferior range and accuracy compared with energy weapons or Railguns due to the recoil caused by their operation. This can make hitting with sustained bursts difficult, as the recoil effects become more pronounced the more shots are fired at once. Additionally, All cannons require ammunition of some sort, which must be managed to avoid running dry at a critical moment.
+Railgun
A combination of cannon and energy weapon, Railguns use energy from a Battlepod's capacitor to magnetically accelerate a physical slug to extreme speeds. Since the system generates no recoil (and indeed has only a few moving parts whatsoever) it allows for powerful shots to be fired long distances with excellent accuracy, and makes for a formidable sniping weapon. On the downside, Railguns rely on both ammunition AND energy to operate, meaning that they are less compact and more complex overall than other weapons systems.
+Missiles
Once launched against a target on the battlefield, missiles will attempt to track and home in on it. The higher a pod's Signature, the better the chance a missile will successfully find it. Missiles are guided by the targeting systems of the Battlepod that launched them. Missiles can have extremely long ranges and tend to be very powerful, so it does pay to watch one's Signature level on the battlefield.
+Artillery
Just as likely to be heavy, tube-launched rockets as actual shells, Artillery weapons specialize in causing damage across wide areas of the battlefield. Artillery generally has an impressive range, and can be used to clear sections of the battlefield or deny access of strategic areas to your enemies. It's also a good way to force entrenched enemies out of their positions.
Artillery does not target a specific Battlepod, but rather an spot on the field. Artillery shots are fired ballistically, and as such take a little while to arc up and drop back down again. Basically that means if they are launched one round, they will land the next. When they do land they will do damage to any unit within their area of effect. (This means friend as well as foe, so be careful...)
Artillery requires a small amount of Sensors skill to guide the shots successfully to their target. If the shooter's skill is too low, there is a chance the round might land somewhere other than intended...
+Melee
There are as many kinds of melee weapons as there are ways to hit things, and Battlepods make use of a very wide variety of close-combat weapons. What they all have in common though, is the necessity of being adjacent to one's target to attack. Melee attacks are capable of causing huge damage, especially against pods or pilots that don't have much melee capability themselves.
+Hacking
Hacking allows a crafty Battlepod pilot to interfere with the systems of his enemies, debilitating them and causing nasty effects like diminished accuracy, immobilization, temporarily disabled weapons, and a host of other effects. While not capable of actually causing damage themselves, hacking attacks can be used to soften up targets so friendly units can take them down. They are a powerful tool that should not be underestimated.
===============
THE BATTLEFIELD
===============
Each mission will take place on a Battlefield Map, which will show the location of all the units in combat, the terrain, and display the action as it happens.
+Terrain Height
Terrain height is indicated on the map by black transparent numbers. Terrain features can shield your pod from cannon and energy weapon attacks by keeping it out of LOS.
((LOS is a relatively simple matter to determine on a tabletop, but it's a bit more difficult to figure when using a flat representation like we'll be doing. So for this game we'll just be using a very simple rule: If a piece of terrain between the Target and the Attacker is higher than BOTH units, there is no LOS. Otherwise a shot is possible. (Though it will have a positive or negative height modifier)
Terrain can effect movement as well. Moving up from one terrain height to a higher one costs an extra movement point. (So 2 points to move from an elevation 1 square to an elevation 2 square.) Moving down an elevation does not incur an extra movement cost
Height changes or 2 or more at once ( for instance going from height 1 to Height 3) are too steep for a Battlepod to cross on foot, though Jumpjets can be used to hop on top of them.
Firing from a terrain height greater than your target improves your chances of hitting, (By roughly 10% per height level) and firing on a target that is higher than you makes it more difficult to hit them. (Likewise by 10%)
+Walls
Walls are represented as dark lines on the battlefield, and are considered to be 1 Height higher than whatever land they are standing upon, and block LOS accordingly. Some (but not all) walls are destructible and will collapse after taking enough damage. Walls cannot be crossed by foot, (unless they are destroyed) however a pod can jump over or land on top of one if they are equipped with jets.
+Cover spots
Some areas of the battlefield offer natural or manmade cover, and Battlepods that occupy those spaces are harder to hit. Areas that offer cover are marked with blue numbers or a blue field that show the cover value, which will usually range from 5-20. A higher value means more concealment and protection. Note that a Battlepod has to be INSIDE the cover zone to take advantage of it. Some Cover spots are destructible and will crumble if targeted with enough firepower.
+Danger Zones
Some areas of the field are unsafe to occupy and may damage your Battlepod or have other debilitating effects. These will usually be marked, but not always, so inspect the field closely before you go driving your pod around.
+Speed traps
Certain terrains (such as dense cover) may cost additional movement points to move through. Areas like this will be marked with an orange number that indicates the amount of movement points needed to move one square inside the area.
========
ACTIONS
========
With each round your pod gets 3 Actions. Moving, Jumping and making an attack each take 1 Action. So for instance a pod could move, fire a weapon, and then fire another weapon. OR, it could move, fire a weapon, and then jump, or any of those things in any order. It could even fire three weapons in one round if it didn't move.
A Move Action can only be made once per round, but you can Jump after a Move (or Move after a Jump) to cover extra ground. Assuming you have jets, of course.
Your Battlepod will perform it's Actions in the order they are mentioned, so it's possible to fire and then move to a safer position, move to a better position and then shoot, or shoot, move and then shoot again depending on how you phrase your orders.
Multiple Weapons of the same type and brand (i.e. they have all the same stats on your pod's status screen) can be 'volleyed' to all fire for 1 Action (more on this further down), but remember that each weapon can still only fire once per round. Burst fire from an Autocannon is considered as a single shot.
==============
GIVING ORDERS
==============
You control your Battlepod by indicating it's Actions as Orders, which can be as simple as writing out what you want your pod to do that round. For Instance:
Move North 4 Squares
Fire Energy weapon at Target Dummy.
Jump South 4 squares, then face north.
You can use whatever format you like, so long as your orders are comprehensible, and break down into Actions.
As an example:
(Name of unit)
(Energy distribution from Capacitor to Shields (if any))
-(Action 1)
-(Action 2)
-(Action 3)
Each pod's orders will be acted out in the order that they were posted, so if you post first, your pod will act first in the round, and so on from top to bottom. Be mindful of what your fellow pilots are doing, as it's possible to accidentally interfere with one another's movement on the field.
CAVEAT: In the case of Hacking attacks effecting an enemy's Evasion, these attacks will be moved to the front of the cue regardless of what order they were made in, so any follow-up attacks made against the target can gain the benefit of (potentially) reduced Evasion.
===================
GAMEPLAY MECHANICS
===================
Here we'll get more into specifics about some of the game rules.
MOVING::
Moves your Battlepod across the landscape, at a cost of 1 movement point for square traversed. Moving diagonally costs 2 points. Moving up from one elevation to a higher one costs 2 movement points ( A diagonal move with an upward elevation change would cost 4) Elevation changes of 2 or more are too steep to ascend on foot. Walls cannot be crossed on foot unless they have been destroyed. Such obstacles need to be Jumped over or otherwise walked around.
::Sample Orders:: "Move 1 square north, 1 square northeast and 2 squares east. Then face north."
POD FACING::
Which direction your Battlepod is facing is important to avoid getting flanked. Pods can change their facing as part of a move once they've reached their final destination. Changing facing like this does not cost any movement points. Simply state which way you want to face at the end of the move (like in the example above)
If your pod attacks with an Energy Weapon, Cannon, or Melee attack as their last action however, they will be made to face the target they are attacking. Weapons that do not require LOS will not change a pod's facing.
FLANKING::
If you fire on a target that is facing directly away from you, (your shots fall within their 90 degree real quarter) it negates their evasion bonus. (Since they can't dodge what they can't see.)
Flanking a melee target also reduces it's defensive melee roll by half.
JUMPING::
Jumping propels your Battlepod horizontally and vertically. Each square travelled costs 1 Jump point, moving diagonally costs 2 points, as with walking. Battlepods can also jump on top of terrain provided it is not a further distance up than the pod's jump rating. (I.E. if you are at height 2, with a Jump rating of 3 you could get on top of an obstacle at height 5) Unlike regular Movement, Jumps may only be made in a straight line. You may change facing after a jump.
If you use a Jump to move from a higher elevation to a lower one you will avoid taking falling damage. Only 1 jump may be made per round, and only Battlepods with Jumpjets may jump.
::Sample Orders:: "Jump 3 squares North."
FALLING::
If a pod drops more than 1 height level down it will suffer Damage based on it's size and the distance fallen when it hits the ground.
RECHARGING SHIELDS::
Recharging your shields is a free action, simply designate how many shields points you want to restore before stating your other orders. Remember that each point recharged costs 1 point of Energy from the Capacitor, so be conscious of not using so much you don't have the juice you need to shoot or Hack later. That's embarrassing. Also, 1 point of Signature is generated for every 5 shield points restored.
::Sample orders:: "10 energy to shields."
ATTACKING::
Each weapon on the Battlepod can be used ONCE per round, provided it has the ammunition, energy or whatever else may be required to attack with it. Some weapons differ slightly in how they are treated and what orders are needed when firing them. These are detailed below:
+ATTACKING WITH ENERGY WEAPONS
To attack with an energy weapon, you have only to designate a target, and what weapon(s) you want fired. Since lasers are direct weapons, you have to have LOS on the target you wish to shoot at. One important thing to remember is that Lasers can fire at targets outside their Focal range with no difficulties, but their damage will be reduced for every square beyond their Focus the target is.
::Sample orders:: "Fire energy weapon at Dummy Target."
+ATTACKING WITH AUTOCANNONS
Designate a target that is in range and within LOS and indicate how many rounds you want to shoot; an autocannon can fire up to 5 rounds in a burst. Remember that the more shots in the burst, the greater the chance the whole burst will miss. A Cannon's Recoil acts as a negative modifier, and it multiplies with each shell fired in a burst.
::Sample orders:: "Fire a 3 round burst at Dummy Target"
+ATTACKING WITH RAILGUNS
To attack with an energy weapon, you have only to designate a target that is inside the Railgun's Range. Remember that a Railgun requires Energy as well as ammunition to fire, and plan accordingly. Unlike cannons, Railguns may only fire 1 shot per round.
::Sample orders:: "Fire railgun at Dummy Target"
+ATTACKING WITH MISSILES
Simply designate the name of the target you want to fire on. LOS is not needed, the target just has to be somewhere in range.
Missiles have a limited rate of fire and so each launcher can only cough up 1 per round.
:Sample orders:: "Fire a missile at Dummy Target"
+ATTACKING WITH ARTILLERY
You will need to designate a set of coordinates on the grid where you want your shot to land. Remember that the shot will not arrive until NEXT round, so you may need to anticipate what moves your target will be making.
::Sample orders:: "Indirect fire on square A-15"
((When ordering artillery strikes, go ahead and put the coordinates in spoiler tags. In any case I try not to look at them until the time has come to process them to avoid cheating.))
+ATTACKING WITH MELEE WEAPONS
You really only need to designate an adjacent target. Targets more than 1 terrain level above you are not eligible.
:Sample orders:: "Attack Dummy Target with Melee"
VOLLEYING
If a Battlepod is equipped with more than one of the same weapon, these weapons can be fired at the same time as a Volley, in which case they all fire once for only 1 Action, and all shots will hit or miss on 1 roll. This allows for more firepower to be unleashed at once, but carries with it an accuracy penalty based on the number of weapons being fired. (Approximately 10, 20, 30% for two weapons, three weapons and four, respectively)
-Cannons, Energy weapons, Artillery and Missiles can be volleyed.
-Hacking attempts and melee attacks can not be volleyed.
-Volleyed Artillery strikes must have the same target square.
::Sample orders:: "Volley a 2-round cannon burst at Dummy Target"
HACKING
Hacking is an attack on a Battlepod's computer systems. While they do no actual damage, hacking effects can be severely debilitating. When making a hacking attempt, the hacker chooses a desired effect to inflict on the target. Each Effect has a difficulty, and the higher the difficulty the more likely it is that your attempt will be resisted. Attempting to hack Battlepods that have hacking gear themselves or have pilots skilled in hacking will be more difficult. Attempting to hack an enemy unit takes 1 Action, and as with other weapons a hacking device can only be used once per round, however if a Battlepod has multiple devices then an attempt can be made for each device. Hacking does not require LOS and can be used on any target so long as it is within the unit's hacking range.
::Hacking Effects::
+Disruption Hack: (Accuracy, Evasion, Sensors)
Disruption effects attempt to lower the efficiency of a target Battlepod's Accuracy, Evasion, or Sensors for one round. The amount of degradation can be from -5 to -30, depending on the level of the Hack. Disruptions can occur in three categories (Accuracy, Evasion, Sensors) and any given hack will only effect 1 category. Disruption effects do not stack, only the highest level applied to a category will count.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level 1 Disruption: (Difficulty 75) -5 Penalty to Accuracy, Evasion or Sensors.
Level 2 Disruption: (Difficulty 100) -10 Penalty to Accuracy, Evasion or Sensors.
Level 3 Disruption: (Difficulty 125) -15 Penalty to Accuracy, Evasion or Sensors.
Level 4 Disruption: (Difficulty 150) -20 Penalty to Accuracy, Evasion or Sensors.
Level 5 Disruption: (Difficulty 175) -25 Penalty to Accuracy, Evasion or Sensors.
Level 6 Disruption: (Difficulty 200) -30 Penalty to Accuracy, Evasion or Sensors.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+Mobility Hack
By interfering with the castor system that Battlepods use to cover long distances quickly, a hacker can lower their effective speed. Mobility Hacks do not stack, only the highest level effect will count.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level 1 Mobility Hack: (Difficulty 100) -1 to Movement
Level 2 Mobility Hack: (Difficulty 125) -2 to Movement
Level 3 Mobility Hack: (Difficulty 150) -3 to Movement
Level 4 Mobility Hack: (Difficulty 175) -4 to Movement
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+Disable Device
Disable hacks can deprive pods of the use of some of their components for a limited amout of time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+Disable Weapon: (Difficulty 100) Disables one weapon on the target pod for 1 round. Be sure to specify which type of weapon is to be disabled. NOTE: Hacking decks and Melee weapons cannot be disabled.
+Disable Jumpjets: (Difficulty 150) Disables the target pod's Jumpjets
+Disable Shields: (Difficulty 155) Drains the target pod's shields completely.
+Disable Capacitor (Difficulty 175) Drains all energy out of a target pod's capacitor.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+Signature Spike
Through various devious methods, a pod can be tricked into increasing it's own Signature.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level 1 Signature Spike: (Difficulty 75) Increases target pod's Signature by 2
Level 2 Signature Spike: (Difficulty 100) Increases target pod's Signature by 5
Level 3 Signature Spike: (Difficulty 175) Increases target pod's Signature by 10
Level 4 Signature Spike: (Difficulty 200) Increases target pod's Signature by 15
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reboot(Difficulty 175)
Forcing logic errors on AI subsystems causes them to reboot, costing a pod precious seconds of operability. A Successful Reboot Hack deprives the target pod of 1 Action during their turn. Reboots do not stack.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Full Shutdown:(Difficulty 210)
Inflicting a full systems shutdown on an enemy pod is a difficult maneuver on all but the most weakly defended systems. Shut-down pods may not act during their turn, do not generate energy, do not reduce signature, and are treated as having an Evasion of 0.
::Sample orders:: "Hack Dummy Target, Disrupt Targeting by 20."
===============
THE ASSEMBLER
[/b](Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the Nova Lance)
===============[/size]
The Assembler will be the players' main base of operations throughout the game. New Battlepods as their pilots are deployed from the Assembler, and the Assembler can have access to some powerful weaponry under the right conditions.
Above all else, the Assembler must be preserved and protected. If it is destroyed during any mission, that mission is FAILED. IN CAPITAL LETTERS. The Assembler is a powerful machine, but it cannot defend itself effectively against concerted attack. The deployed pods will have to work to defend the Assembler in addition to any other mission objective they have.
For better or worse, command of the Assembler is shared between the players of the game. As a group you will decide the Assembler's actions and targets by voting on a number options each round, with majority rule. Players who are deployed on the battlefield in pods are ineligible to vote as they have other things they should be concentrating on, but everyone else who signed up to participate will get a say.
::::Assembler Features::::
+Nova Lance
This is a beam cannon with the equivalent power of a starship main battery weapon that has been somewhat haphazardly affixed to the Assembler. It's destructive capability is tremendous, enough to obliterate most Battlepods in a single shot. However its power usage is so severe that a single shot is enough to drain the weapon's energy banks, and recharging takes several rounds. In certain cases, alternative power sources can be found on the battlefield itself, meaning multiple shots might be possible in quick succession under the right conditions.
+Polyphasic Shielding
A large percentage of the Assembler's energy resources are devoted to maintaining it's shields. These shields are orders of magnitude more effective than your average pod's shields. They also regenerate with unparalleled swiftness, returning to full strength within seconds. Despite this, they CAN be overloaded by a heavy, concerted attack, which leaves the Assembler vulnerable to damage.
+Overdrive
By default the Assembler is a very, very slow machine, capable of moving only one square per round. However, by rerouting the energy from the aforementioned polyphasic shields to the propulsion systems, its speed can be increased sixfold for a short period of time. The downside, of course, is the shields are taken offline, leaving the Assembler vulnerable temporarily.
+Pod Fabrication
The Assembler's primary purpose is to fabricate pods for use on the battlefield, synthesizing the parts from available raw materials. Each pod it creates, however, drains it's onboard store of base material. If this material is exhausted the Assembler's pod-manufacturing abilities vanish. Therefore maintaining supplies of Base Material is crucial. Some materials can be can scavenged between missions, but others may have to be obtained on the field of battle itself.
((Now, there could be a bit of tactical choice to be made with whether to make cheap units with the expectation of replacing them quickly when they are lost, or spend more resources on better, more capable pods but ultimately be able to field fewer because they cost more. But for this game I've designed all the playerpods close to a point cost of 700 so all the Pods you can drive are roughly even in terms of power. Custom pods can be under the 700 point limit, but not over.))
+Pod Recycling
The Assembler can break pods back down into Base Material in order to recoup some of the cost of creating them, usually around 75%. Standard battlefield procedure is to bring damaged pods back to the Assembler for recycling, rather than fight in them until they are destroyed. This obviously also preserves the life and skills of the pilot as well, who can be redeployed later. Destroyed pods can also be recycled, though this'll only net 50% of the material back. The Assembler must also move to the location of the salvage.
====================
ENEMY COMMANDERS
====================
Certain enemy units will have heavily customized Battlepods with strange and powerful abilities. Be wary as these are vicious, capable foes, able to wipe out entire squads on their own. Cooperation and tactical thinking will be crucial to achieve success against them.
(Simply put, Commanders get to break the rules. They get abilities and weapons the players don't, and their pods are far tougher than the normal game rules allow. They are going to be very hard to deal with, and more often than not there will be a 'trick' to beating them, or at least of avoiding their worst attacks.)
====================
JOINING AND PLAYING THE GAME
====================
If you want to play, just sign up in this thread. Your forum name and icon will be used for your Battlepod's stat block, though you can specify a different icon to use if you like.
Pilots will be signed on in a first-come first served basis. The first 6 will start the game deployed in pods, the rest will be stationed aboard the Assembler. Anyone on the deployment list has a vote as to what actions the Assembler will take that turn.
When a player suffers a "battlefield mishap" they are re-added to the end of the deployment list. (While their clone is being reconstituited, presumably...) If a deployed player goes MIA from the thread for a few days they will get booted out of their spot (and exploded) and sent to the back of the list.
In the case of a living pilot taken back aboard the Assembler while their pod is recycled, they will be re-added to the deployment list at the #6 spot and will keep their current skill levels and accumulated XP.
==========
MATHCRAFTING
==========
If you're into that sort of thing, here is how the rolls made during combat are calculated. Hell yeah, Percentile Die!
Lasers/Rail roll::
D100+ [Attacker' Accuracy] + [[Target size] / [Target range]] - [Target's Evasion] +/- [Height modifiers] - [Cover] Vs. [Diff 100]
For Cannons:
D100+ [Attacker's Accuracy] + [[Target size] / [Target range]] - [Target's Evasion] - [Weapon Recoil x #Shots in Burst]] +/- [Height modifiers] - [Cover] Vs. [Diff 100]
Volleying Accuracy Penalty: (For lasers, rail and cannons)
2 Weapons: -10
3 Weapons: -20
4 Weapons: -30
Melee Roll:
D100 + [Attacker's melee] + [Attacker's melee weapon bonus] - [D100] - [Defender's melee skill] - [Defender's melee weapon bonus]
If the attacker's roll is higher, the difference between the two rolls is the damage applied, bypassing shields.
Missiles:
D100 + [Attacker's Sensors /3] + [Signature of Target] Vs. [Diff 100]
Hacking rolls:
D100 + [Attacker's Hacking skill] + [Attacker's Device bonus] - [Defender's Hacking Skill] - [Defender's Device bonus] Vs. [Hack Difficulty]
Artillery Accuracy roll:
D100+ [Sensors] Vs. [Launcher's Maximum Range]
============