In the far future, Mankind has colonized many planets in systems close to Sol. Men and women across our civilization are leading us into an era of technological and scientific enlightenment. However, civil war has broken out across some of the planets, the extremists being those who believe that scientific advancement is unethical. In some cases, this is true, but the extremists are met with galactic outcry.
And in between all the fighting, are you and your pals. Mercenaries driving the huge machines that spearhead war. Who need payment for every job. You are hired by both extremists and suppressors alike, and drive MEC's with deadly skill. Which is why you are chosen for the job. In this age, MEC mercenaries are fighting it out on planets on the fringes of civilization, almost by themselves. Nobody else wants to tussle.
Give it your best shot.
Name: Your name, son.
Backstory: Guess.
MEC Callsign: What your team will refer to you as during battle.
MEC Chassis: Small/Medium/Large/Other
MEC Limbs: Cockpit, Arm 1 (Arm 2), Leg 1, Leg 2, Turret 1 (Turret 2). Customize these as necessary and calculate
costs where necessary.
Weapons:
State where weapons are mounted.
Utilities:
Some of these need to be exposed. If so, state where they are mounted.
Decor:
What does your MEC look like? Color is required, and cannot be the same as anyone else's.
Players start with 200 points to spend among upgrades.
Chassis:
The Chassis is the core of your mechanized exoskeleton cybersuit, or MEC. It is the framework upon which your customizations are supported. Whenever you are damaged, hitpoints are subtracted from the chassis part as well as the component which received the hit, if one did. The Chassis is divided up into: Cockpit, Arm 1/2/..., Leg 1/2/..., and Turret Port 1/2/... . If you choose to add additional or different chassis parts, they also get their own HP.
- Humanoid
The humanoid Chassis is really very normal. A pilot cockpit in the middle, shoulders suspended slightly above, below or to the side with legs underneath. Legs are the only compatible form of locomotion with a humanoid Chassis.
Small: 30 points
Nimble and hard to hit, but not able to carry much, and doesn't take as much punishment. +1 movement point, -10%
chance to be hit.
HP per limb: 30, Maximum weight: 5 tons. Limbs: 2 Legs, 1 Arm, 1 Turret slot
Medium: 50 points
If you can't decide between scout or tank, this is your pick
HP per limb: 50, Maximum weight: 7.5 tons Limbs: 2 Legs, 2 Arms, 1 Turret slot
Large: 70 points
HP per limb: 70, Maximum weight: 10 tons 2 Legs, 2 Arms, 2 Turret slots
Can soak damage, but is easy to hit. Can carry more. +10% chance to be hit.
- Other
Please specifiy what kind of chassis you want. Other chassis types are used for forms of locomotion other than legs. Cost is up to the GM.
Chassis additions (please note extra weight is only for additional limbs, not the ones that come included with MEC:
+1 arm: 10 points
Lets you carry another weapon.
Weighs 1 ton.
+1 leg: 10 points
Dunno if this'll be useful.
Weighs 1 ton
+1 turret slot: 10 points
Lets you slot on an additional turret.
Weighs 0.5 tons
+Extra plating: 20 points per increment
So your chassis can get hit more. +10HP per limb.
Weighs 0.5 tons.
Other: Please specify.
Weapons:
What you'll kill other people with. These are either two handed or are slotted onto one of the arms, in which case said arm will not have a hand, or detached in the case of melee. The main reason weapons are two handed is because the large ones are too cumbersome to be fitted onto one arm only. If you have two arms and are already wielding a one handed ranged weapon, you may
not carry a two-handed weapon. Melee weapons are the exception, normally being stored externally and being equipped when the time comes. If you have two arms, you may have a melee weapon and two handed weapon.
Weapons come in a number of categories: Melee, Close range, Medium range, and Long range.
Obviously the categories are best at hitting at the distance they're meant to. Long range weapons, and to an extent
medium range weapons function best while out of rough, obstructing terrain, such as jungles or forests.
Please specify which arm the weapon is mounted on.
Melee (is not mounted. If one arm is destroyed, you may still use this weapon):
Sword/Battleaxe/Mace/Other: 20 points. All are functionally identical, unless by request, in which case you will probably
be required to pay more or less, depending on what change you want to make.
Weighs 1 ton, produces no heat.
Close range:
Scatter-Cannon: 20 points
Shoots pieces of shrapnel everywhere, but not very far. Very good at close range and can damage multiple mechs or
mech parts.
Weighs 1.5 tons, produces 20°C of heat when fired.
Minicannon: 30 points
Shoot enemies with a very inaccurate stream of slugs for extended periods of time! Generates a lot of heat, and
hits multiple times.
Weighs 2 tons, produces 40°C of heat when fired for one turn
Flamethrower: 25 points
Disorients enemies, increases their temperature. Don't stand too close!
Weighs 1 ton, produces 30°C of heat when fired
Medium Range:
Mega Blaster: 20 points
Launches a large slug in the direction of the enemy.
Weighs 1.5 tons, produces 25°C of heat when fired.
Blaster Rifle: 20 points
Launches several smaller slugs wherever you point the gun. Has the capacity to do more damage than the Mega Blaster,
but each shot can miss.
Weighs 1.5 tons, produces 30°C of heat when fired
Laser Blaster: 30 points
Shoots a very straight energy beam towards the target, melting through defences faster then conventional blasters,
but also generates more heat.
Weighs 2 tons, produces 40°C of heat when fired
Plasma Blaster: 40 points
Generating large amounts of heat, ionizes plasma particles and sends them flying towards your enemy (tell me if
this is scientifically incorrect)
Weighs 2.5 tons, produces 50°C of heat when fired
Long range (two hands):
Railcannon: 30 points
Accelerates a slug to huge speeds using the laws of electromagnetism. Does a lot of damage, but takes time to fire.
Weighs 2 tons, produces 40°C of heat when fired
Military Precision Laser: 35 points
Shoots a very, very straight energy beam towards the target. Generates large amounts of heat, but good for dealing
large amounts of damage to very specific areas.
Weighs 2.5 tons,produces 45°C of heat when fired
Weapons - Other: Please specify.
Turrets
These weapons are normally mounted on the MEC's shoulders, and are basically an excuse to add more weapons onto your MEC. You can find really any of the conventional weapons in turret form, and some others you wouldn't be able to normal. They are typically not as strong as arm-mounted weapons.
Rocket silo: 40 points
Launches a volley of flying explosives towards the target. Huge range. Can be fired 3 times a battle.
Mortar: 35 points
Has slightly less range in comparison to the Missile Turret.
Proximity Mine Launcher: 30 points
Sets a field of large proximity mines at your location, which detonate when an enemy steps into the tile. Invisible
to enemies. Can be used 3 times a battle.
Laser Turret: 30 points
A turret version of the Laser Blaster.
Grenade Launcher: 30 points
A shorter ranged version of the Missile Turret.
All of above turrets weight 0.5 tons and produce 10°C of heat when fired, except for the laser turret, which
produces 25°C of heat when fired.
Other: Please specify.
Special ammunition
Special ammunition, as in the name, are kinds of ammunition with specific jobs. You may buy these multiple times,
unlike other items. They may not be fired from energy weapons. You may fire them for one turn per special ammunition
bought. They have no effective weight.
Incendiary: 5 points
Deal greater damage to Exposed Utilities and Weapons, but not as much to limbs.
Armor Piercing: 5 points
Deal greater damage to limbs, but not as much to Exposed Utilities and Weapons.
Acidic: 10 points
Deal damage over time to limbs and exposed Utilities and Weapons affected.
Fragmenting: 10 points
Deal smaller amounts of damage to multiple parts. Stacks with multihit weapons.
Other: Please specify.
Utilities:
Though the weapons are the most physically terrifying part of the MEC, good pilots know that good MEC's mean good machinery in the form of utilities. Utilities usually perform a semi or fully essential, non-combat or defensive job in a MEC. Heat dispersing systems and coolant are examples of Utilities, as are shields and the temporary use thrusters.
All MEC's are assumed to start with a basic heat dispersing system and a form of coolant. Utilities do not produce heat.
Temperature (cannot take damage in battle):
Basic heat dispersing system and coolant: Free
Spreads the heat over your MEC, so that weapons don't instantly fry. Temperature will not have an effect until
100°C. Weighs 0.5 tons
Advanced heat dispersing system and coolant: 50 points
Temperature does not have an effect until 150°C
Weighs 1 ton
Excellent heat dispersing system and coolant: 80 points
Temperature does not have an effect until 200°C
Weighs 1.5 tons
Mobility (all weigh 0.5 tons, cannot be damaged in battle):
Heightened control sensitivity: 30 points
You hired someone to safely mutilate your MEC's machinery. Dodge chance increased.
Temporary thrusters: 30 points
Activate to ignore movement penalties in rough terrain for one turn. 3 uses per battle.
Responsive hydraulics: 30 points
For two turns after being hit, dodge chance is increased. Increase is greater than Heightened control sensitivity,
does not stack.
Defense (all weigh 0.5 tons. State where these are installed):
Basic shield systems: 30 points
Has a small chance to negate 50% of damage.
Advanced shield systems: 45 points
Has a fair chance of negating 50% of damage.
Reflector: 55 points
Has a fair chance of reflecting beams and plasma, and a small chance of reflecting or negating 50% of
damage from slugs.
Offense (All weigh 0.5 tons)
Laser sight: 25 points
Increases hit chance by 10%.
Aiming reticle: 30 points
Increases hit chance by 15%
Other: Please specify what you want, and I'll try to make a not totally broken cost.
Combat. The name of the game. Not really. Do you have what it takes to defeat the other team, or, in some cases, everyone else? Maybe. This section is to help you get to grips with the combat system.
First things first: The game is turn based. I will roll initiative for you guys. Worry not.
Terrain penalties and bonuses:
There is rough terrain such as mountains, jungle and forest, and (relatively) smooth terrain, such as plains or gentle hills. Moving through three tiles of smooth terrain, one tile of rough terrain, or 1 tile of smooth terrain and 1 tile of rough terrain ends your turn. Therefore, you may move through one or two tiles of smooth terrain without ending you turn. Rivers are the exception to this. They do not provide cover or obstruct vision, but count as rough terrain in terms of movement.
Mathematically, moving across rough terrain takes up three movement points and smooth terrain only one. The Medium and Large Chassis have three movement points by default, but the Small Chassis has four.
Rough terrain blocks line of sight a fair bit, but provides cover if you are standing in it. Smooth terrain is easy to move across and doesn't block line of sight, but if you are shot in it you are in trouble. Explosives ignore cover, but can still miss. Explosives may blow up cover provided by jungles or forests.
Shooting:
Firing ends your turn immediately. You may fire even if you do not have line of sight, and guess. Melee can only be used when in an adjacent tile to the target, short range is only really effective when adjacent, medium range is best within 2 tiles and long range is best for distances of 3 tiles or more. Weapons produce heat when fired, and if enough heat is accumulated, your entire MEC is shut down. The threshold for total shutdown is 50°C over the temperature that your MEC ignores, which is modified by heat
dispersing systems. You may target a specific part of the MEC with an aim penalty.
Taking damage:
When damage is taken, a roll is used first to decide whether the attack hit or not, and another is used to decide which part of the body it hit. Another roll is used to determine if a Utility or weapon is hit. If a Utility or Weapon is hit, it will take damage and if enough Utility or Weapon damage is taken the subject will cease to function. If you are hit, Limb HP is subtracted regardless. If any of your Arms, Legs, or Turret ports are destroyed, you will lose functionality for anything mounted on the Limb. If your Cockpit is destroyed, you are out of battle. If an attack hit, but the roll which decided what body part it hit decided that it hit a body part that isn't there anymore, it counts as a miss.
Losing legs is crippling. In normal circumstances, losing a Leg will make you lose all ability to move. If you have a spare, you can install it in one turn. Other forms of locomotion are rather safer, but have their own negative traits.
OOC: Please note that these costs may be broken. This is the first time I've run a game. Have fun everyone.
Looking for 4 players.
