Battletech

[The Great Triangle]

I'm interested in doing some battletech RP.    If people are interested, I can try my hand at whipping up a custom light rules set to get the game going.  (I've got a lot of rules written for warstriders in exalted, and I figure I can back convert a good deal of that that to a FATE version of Star Wars I set up for a game a while back.  I could also use ORE, if people like that better.)

Just to check some setting things, is Solaris 3040 before the proliferation of omnimechs?  (If we're pre omnimech era, then the rules can be a lot simpler so far as the mechs go, possibly just a set of preset caps and floors on certain stats and a health track if we're using FATE.)  Also, are industrial/civilian mechs in common use in that era?  (most of my setting knowledge is reading Wizkids era Stackpole novels, so I'm missing some of the broader sweeps of the setting.  Nothing a bit of wiki reading won't fix though) 


Also, which era is the infamous Urbanmech from?


EDIT:  This and This might be a good jumping off point to start hammering into a set of battletech rules. 

[Jack Stryker]

3040 is about 10 years before the Clans invade.  Omnimechs have been made for a hundred years or so, but as they're only with the Clans, they won't be in the rp.  Only Wolf's Dragoons would have anything like omnis.  The Urbanmech has been around since the Star League, and has always continued to be a weak, underpowered little trash can.    Industrial/civie mechs are in quite common use, but they're only used in warfare under rather extreme circumstances, and even then can't hope to wield the same power as a real Battlemech.  IndustrialMechs and AgroMechs don't have the Fusion Engines that Battlemechs do, so they can't draw upon the same power from the simpler diesel engines they're normally equipped with.

[HairyHeretic]

I think the Dragoons didn't have any omnis with them when they were carrying out their recon mission. They might have stashed some in or beyond the periphery, but I'm pretty sure their stuff was pretty much all known designs.

[Jack Stryker]

They were equipped with 'mechs the clans believed the Inner Sphere would be familiar with, but there were some like the Flea that hadn't been seen since the First Succession War.

[HairyHeretic]

IIRC the general consensus in the IS was that they stumbled on a star league cache somewhere in the periphery, which was why they seemed to have such quality mech. In clan terms they were getting second grade stuff, so they'd look the part of shabby mercs :)

[The Great Triangle]

*grins*  I know how much industrial mechs suck; the novels I read just always seemed to have the main character have to pilot some kind of Industrialmech in a combat situation, which is really pretty darned awesome.  Of course, I'd rather have a Forestmech than an Urbanmech, because at least I get that awesome chain saw.  (Really, the only thing that Industrialmechs have to reccomend them is that when you lose, assuming you're not in the middle of a crater, you can hop out instead of having to pray your ejection system didn't get knocked out before the inevitable reactor meltdown.

[wildstar]

man I love Battle tech I played the board game and mechwrrior games. to me Mircosoft did get alittle off the main idea for battletech but the games were still good. I played Mechwarrior: mercenaries like a madman. for mechs my personal favorites are the Shadow Hawk, Hatchetman, Warhammer, Atlas, Fenrir and the Star League's Highlander for inner sphere mechs. for clans Nova cat, Loki, Dashi, Mad cat, Mad cat mk. II. there are others I like but the list would get too long. 

and Tri? I think you read the dark age novels of mechwarrior. I personally didn't like those books.

I would love to join this game. I can paly as a mechwarrior who has a Warhammer mech or if you'd like a Shadow hawk?       

[Jack Stryker]

Well, if we go with the Mercenary idea, there would be many more 'mechs available.  I believe that most people can play as Mechwarriors, or any technician or civilian.  could also be a groudpounder, aerofighter pilot, or even dropships captain.  Heck, you could probably play as the duke/dutchess or ruler of the planet the rp would take place on.

[ChaoticSky]

so, are we or arnt we going with a system then? if so id like to know so i can withdraw... i cannot abide any form of system RP, they are far too static for me. a epic and awsome setting makes the effect even worse...

this is all my own thoughts, i certainly dont hold anyone else to them, but imo nothing in a RP should get in the way of the RPing.

[The Great Triangle]

Well, I've got a very rough system together, it still needs the common sense test applied to it, and I want to stress that it's rough; at any rate, here's what I've got:    (And I'll also point out that we don't need a system, though it can certainly help)

Dice Mechanics: The game uses the ORE, where characters roll a number of d10s and look for matches to determine success.  The number that is matched is the height of the roll, which determines hit location, and the number of matches is the width of the roll, which determines the effectiveness of the attack.  When all of the slots on a hit track are filled, the affected limb becomes useless.  Disabling damage to the torso or groin incapacitates a character, and disabling damage to the head kills a character unless immediate first aid is received.  A character can have a maximum of 10 dice in any skill check.  A character rolling to defend cancels out 1 die of choice from the attacker's dice pool for each matched die in the defensive action, so long as the die being cancelled is of the same value or lower than the die cancelling.  (three matched 7s could cancel three 5s, but four matched 3s couldn't cancel a  pair of 10s)

Characters can, through exceptional skill, get hard dice and wiggle dice.  Hard dice count against the limit of 10 dice, and automatically count as 10s.  Wiggle dice don't count against the character's limit of dice, and increase the width of any successful action by 1.  (the character still needs to get a match for the wiggle dice to count though)  Characters may also split their action in combat, usually to attack and dodge in the same round, but occasionally to attempt to deliver a barrage of attacks.  Splitting an action inflicts a penalty equal to the number of actions being attempted to the first action in the sequence, and an additional -1 penalty for each action added after the first. 


Characters: Built with 175 Points

Starting Stats:

1 die in each stat
Skills: Native Language 2 dice, Standard 2 dice
Hit Track:  1. Left Leg: 5, 2. Right Leg: 5, 3-4. Left Arm: 5, 5-6. Right Arm: 5, 7. Groin: 4, 8-9. Torso: 6, 10. Head: 4


Stats:

Body: Used for strength and endurance
Coordination: Used for speed and dexterity
Sense: Used for empathy and awareness
Brains: Used for analysis and intuition
Command: Used to socialize and coordinate groups
Cool: Used not to freak out in the heat of battle

Skills:

Athletics
Bluff
Brawl
Computers
Demolitions
Dodge
First Aid
Gunnery (specialty required)
Investigation
Language (specialty required)
Leadership
Medicine (specialty required)
Melee Weapons
Persuade
Pilot (specialty required)
Profession (specialty required)
Stealth
Survival
Tactics
Tech


Stats: 5 points per die to 5d, 10 points per die afterwards
Skills: 2 points per die to 5d, 7 points per die afterwards
Willpower: 6 points each

Skill Mastery: (Wiggle Die) 30
Skill Mastery: (Hard Die) 15
Extra Hit Box: 8 points per hit box




Mechs: Built with 300 points (usually)  100 points for powersuits and industrialmechs


Size: 15 points per level; size 4 represents a battlesuit, size 6 represents a light mech, size 8 a medium mech, size 10 a heavy mech, and size 12 an assault mech.  A mech that steps on or collides with a target deals width + size damage.  A mech gains 1 free point of body for every 2 points of size.  (round down.)   

Health Boxes: A mech has 7 health boxes per size level, divided between up to 10 hit locations.  Location 10 is always the cockpit, and the cockpit always must have half as many health boxes any other hit locations on the mech.

Heat: A mech has 2 heat capacity per point of size.  Heat dissipates at a rate of 1 per round of combat, doubled if fighting underwater.  Heat may dissipate more slowly or quickly if fighting in extremely hot or cold conditions.  When a mech's heat capacity is reached, an automatic reactor shutdown occurs.  The pilot can override this shutdown, but if even more heat equal to the mech's heat capacity -10 is acquired, the mech explodes fantastically.

Mech Stats:  (A mech uses its body and sense skills in place of those of its pilot, and its coordination skill for any task other than operating its own weapons.)

All mech stats start at 1d.

Body: 5 points per die, 10 points per hard die, 20 points per wiggle die
Coordination: 20 points per die, 40 points per hard die, 60 points per wiggle die
Sense: 10 points per die, 20 points per hard die, 35 points per wiggle die

Extra Hit Box: 2 points per hit box
Armor: 3 points per level
Jump Jets: 15 points per level of size
Heat Sinks: 5 points per extra point of heat capacity, 10 points per extra point of heat dissipated per round of battle


Weapons: 

A mech can attack with multiple weapons, taking the heat for all weapons used and suffering a -1 die penalty on the attack for each additional weapon used in the alpha strike.

Energy Weapons:

Small Laser: 5 points, damage: width, heat: 1
Medium Laser: 8 points, damage: width +2, heat: 2
Large Laser: 15 points, damage: width +6, heat: 5
PPC: 20 points, damage: width: width +12 + stun, heat: 7


Ballistic Weapons:

AC-2: 15 points, damage: width +5, heat: 1
AC-5: 25 points, damage: width +8, heat: 1
AC-10: 35 points, damage: width +10, heat: 2
AC-20: 45 points, damage: width +15, heat: 3
Gauss Rifle: 50 points, damage: width +10, heat: 1
Long Tom: 70 points, damage: width + 25, heat: 12


Missiles:

SRM-2: 6 points, damage: width x2 (max 6), heat: 2
SRM-4: 10 points, damage: width x3 (max 9), heat: 2
SRM-6: 14 points, damage: width x4 (max 12), heat: 3
MRM-10: 12 points, damage: width x3 (max 12), heat: 3
MRM-20: 16 points, damage: width x4 (max 16), heat: 4
MRM-30: 20 points, damage: width x5 (max 20), heat: 5
MRM-40: 25 points, damage: width x6 (max 24), heat: 6
LRM-5: 10 points, damage: width x4 (max 8), heat: 2
LRM-10: 15 points, damage: width x5 (max 10), heat: 2
LRM-15: 20 points, damage: width x6 (max 12), heat: 3
LRM-20: 25 points, damage: width x7 (max 14), heat: 3


Melee weapons cost 15 points, and generate 0 heat.  They double the damage a mech does in melee.

[HairyHeretic]

Is there a need to reinvent the wheel? We already have heat, damage, weapons, armour and everything else already stated up in battletech, and it wouldn't be too hard to reference those while fighting to get an idea how hot you were running and what sort of damage you were taking.

[Jack Stryker]

I actually find it easier with a sort-of honor system, with everyone in the fight keeping track of their damage, how hot they're running, how much ammo they have left, etc.  I find that with an actual number/dice system, there's always the chance we could kill off half the characters in the opening salvo.  As long as everyone posts in a certain order, and we keep track of where everyone is on a battlefield, we should be able to get through battles without things devolving into chaos.

[The Great Triangle]

I'm inclined to agree, so long as everybody else is willing to go along with things.  Certain differences of opinion still might have to be dealt with though, such as how many shots from an assault mech a recon type light mech can dodge before getting plastered.  (Dodging is always the trickiest thing to keep from getting out of hand in a freeform roleplay, after all)

[Calista Jade]

Myeah... I think it's doable without such a system. *nods*

[JinZah]

i've read the "Blood of Kerensky Trilogy", "Jade Phoenix Trilogy", and "Twilight of the Clans Saga".  personally i'd like to try something more like Legacy of the Jade Phoenix, playing characters from the Aden Pride mono genetic sibco.

[Jack Stryker]

i've read the "Blood of Kerensky Trilogy", "Jade Phoenix Trilogy", and "Twilight of the Clans Saga".  personally i'd like to try something more like Legacy of the Jade Phoenix, playing characters from the Aden Pride mono genetic sibco.

It would be fun to play, but it would require everyone to have a rather in depth knowledge of the clans as a whole, and clan jade falcon in particular.  I think sticking with a mercenary scenario would be better for everyone. 

As for general story ideas, I had a couple of them that i've had for a while.  My favorite involved one where a smaller-time noble hires a mercenary unit to hop into a system belonging to a neighboring lord from one of the other successor states.  While the official reason for the move is an escort for a high-profile diplomat, there's a setup for a planned attack that forces the mercs to attack the planetary garrison for their own defense.  The true reason, however, comes from a follow-up force jumping into a pirate point, in order to try and take a star league cache rumored to be located on the planet. 

The rp's fairly open to ideas, but that's been mine for a while.

[JinZah]

if you're wanting to set the game in 3040 i think, you'll still be in the middle of the war of 3039 where the Combine took back a lot of the ground they lost in the 4th succession war. that could make things dicey if you want us to be working for Steiner'Davion, could it be a possibility for this to be happening between Marik and Liao? those two houses get little attention compared to the others

[Jack Stryker]

if you're wanting to set the game in 3040 i think, you'll still be in the middle of the war of 3039 where the Combine took back a lot of the ground they lost in the 4th succession war. that could make things dicey if you want us to be working for Steiner'Davion, could it be a possibility for this to be happening between Marik and Liao? those two houses get little attention compared to the others

Actually, the war of 3039 was fairly kept to the year 3039, as it ended in January of 3040.  And the exact date depends on what everyone votes on, which was why i cast my vote for 3042.  No large wars are happening, the Federated Commonwealth has just finalized its merger between the Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth, several Star League technologies have resurfaced, such as the gauss rifle, anti-missile systems, and double heat sinks.

[HairyHeretic]

It would be fun to play, but it would require everyone to have a rather in depth knowledge of the clans as a whole, and clan jade falcon in particular.  I think sticking with a mercenary scenario would be better for everyone. 

I never much liked the Green Chickens 

As for general story ideas, I had a couple of them that i've had for a while.  My favorite involved one where a smaller-time noble hires a mercenary unit to hop into a system belonging to a neighboring lord from one of the other successor states.  While the official reason for the move is an escort for a high-profile diplomat, there's a setup for a planned attack that forces the mercs to attack the planetary garrison for their own defense.  The true reason, however, comes from a follow-up force jumping into a pirate point, in order to try and take a star league cache rumored to be located on the planet. 

The rp's fairly open to ideas, but that's been mine for a while.

Is the follow up force belonging to the noble, pirates or another 3rd party altogether?

[Anathanasia]

As for general story ideas, I had a couple of them that i've had for a while.  My favorite involved one where a smaller-time noble hires a mercenary unit to hop into a system belonging to a neighboring lord from one of the other successor states.  While the official reason for the move is an escort for a high-profile diplomat, there's a setup for a planned attack that forces the mercs to attack the planetary garrison for their own defense.  The true reason, however, comes from a follow-up force jumping into a pirate point, in order to try and take a star league cache rumored to be located on the planet. 

The rp's fairly open to ideas, but that's been mine for a while.

This idea sounds very workable to me. Perfect for a small merc outfit. Just as a possibility, couldn't it work for the scenario to be minor lords/planetary governors within the same successor state? The Battletech universe is supposed to be something kind of feudal in nature, if I'm remembering correctly. I'm just throwing this out there because it could be a decent way to keep it a low-intensity conflict, as the main military forces of the Successor State as a whole would likely not get involved in such a squabble unless it got out of hand (and in this scenario they don't have any intel suggesting it's over a Star League cache). If we were talking about border-jumping, though, they might just have to bring the hammer down to make a point, right?

Anyways, just my two cents.

Also, what are we thinking for unit size here? Company? Just a lance (...plus if we have like 5 or 6 players)? I'm only ever going to play one character in any given RP, but I don't personally have a problem with other players taking on extra characters to round out the unit, especially if their characters are seperated by position (ie, one mechwarrior and one dropship pilot).

[The Great Triangle]

I'm inclined to play an extremely reckless light mech pilot, someone who gets the recon and helps the team in the bigger mechs actually take down their targets.  Someone obsessed with using the fastest available mechs, and managing his relationships pretty much the same way he pilots; reckless and trying to get out as soon as possible.

I figure for background he'll be a reasonbly young man (late 20s or so) who lost everything in war and pilots mechs to forget his troubles, because it makes him feel alive.  Obviously he's not much of a professional soldier, but if you need someone to volunteer to do something borderline unethical, he shows quite a bit of promise at getting in and getting out, even if it's by his ejection seat. 

[Jack Stryker]

I was thinking that the second attack force would belong to the noble who first hired the mercs.  Our unit would be dropped in before chaos erupts simply to tie up the defending Lord's garrison and militia (we could probably have a battalion or even up to a regiment) while the second force simply drops in to try and secure the location of the Star League cache.   This would pretty much end up in a 3 way war, at least until the defending lord could probably hire us against the attacking/decietful lord.

[HairyHeretic]

I guess being used as bait without knowing about it would be enough to void a contract :)

[Anathanasia]

I guess being used as bait without knowing about it would be enough to void a contract :)

Ooo, and personal vendettas make for good RP!

I'm thinking about a renegade Liao warrior. I'll need to brush up on my background about the warrior house thing to get it all ironed out, but she's the last of hers, and took off with her family mech rather than be forced into joining some rivals house. I'm not sure what that mech will be, but I'm thinking either one of the more 'soldiery' mediums like a Centurion or a low-middle weight heavy like a Crusader or Thunderbolt. I do kinda have a soft spot for that jumpy Liao Crusader variant, hehe. 

[HairyHeretic]

I've a fondness for the Wolverine in the medium ranges.