Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Ok, I am going to start this out with a little of my backstory:

I am a senior in High School, looking to get out into the workforce. However, I really have no idea what I want to do with my life, with one clue: I love to create stories. Not so much stories, actually, but worlds, universes, things like that. Maybe not the "story of a lone space marine" but more of the reason why the Space Marines were created, who are they fighting, how do they fight, that kind of thing. I have tried my hand at writing a book, but find that I have too short of an attention span to try to create a book. I have tried my hand at programming, but find that I get far too frustrated, since if you write one word wrong, it all goes to hell. Well, today I had the idea of turning one of my idea's into a wargaming hobby, and I wanted to post on here to ask if anyone would be interested in it after reading a few of the rules/backstory I have worked out as of yet. (all statistic talk will be done with Warhammer 40k in mind)
Without further A do:

Models are Armored Suits (personel), or ASps (pronounced like the snake), and a standard game would consist of each player controlling five ASps. The models would be about the size of Tau Crisis Suits. It would be set up like Mordheim, where the more games you play with your Unit, the stronger they get and the more money they have to purchase the bigger equipment.

ASp types:

Covert ASp: limited to closer ranged weaponry, Stealth ASps can only be shot at if they are within 3x the models Initiative characteristic or if they are designated with a markerlight, which is a peice of equipment available to be purchased. Their weapon selection is some what limited, and they are fairly frail, but move 16 inches a turn. Can carry two weapons, no Heavy. 4+ armor save, 3 wounds

Soldier ASp: Standard warrior, capable to be tailored into a large variety of roles, able to use most weapons, and can with stand a fair amount of punishment. Moves 12 inches a turn. Can carry three weapons, one of which can be heavy. 3+ armor save, 4 wounds

Mech ASp: Capable of carrying weapons heavier weapons than any other ASp variety, they are also fully capable of handling the most punishment. Heavy armor, heavy fire power, but only capable of moving 8 inches a turn. Can carry four weapons, two of which can be heavy. 2+ armor save, 5 wounds

Flight: All ASps, except the Mechs, can fly. Ideally, this would be a clear plastic four legged stand (of various widths) that you can set above your battlefield. ASps can "fly" either up to, or down from, this on their turn, which gives some benifits and drawbacks. They can now ignore all interveining cover when moving, and can ignore ground cover when shooting at opponents, but their opponents now have a clear shot on them, as well.

Weapon general rules:

Slug: Cause 2 wounds
Laser: Ignore armor, cause 1 wound
Heavy: Can not move and shoot

Weapons:
Chainsaw: Deals 3 wounds, Close Combat weapon
Laser Sword: Deals 1 wound, Close Combat Weapon, ignores armor

Flamer: Ignores cover, use template (right now, just the 40k flame template, though I haven't tested anything), 1 wound
Laser Rifle: 24 inches, 1 shot, Laser
Energy Beam: 36 inches, Heavy, Laser, 2 wounds
Particle Cannon: 56 inches, Move or Fire, Laser

Shotgun: Slug, use template
Machine Gun: Slug, 24 inches, 1 shot
Gatling Gun: Heavy, 2 shots, Slug, 36 inches
Sniper Rifle: 56 Inches, Move or Fire, Slug

Dragon Cannon: Heavy, 72 inches, Laser, 10 wounds, Can only be fired at Flying enemies.

In addition to their weapons, all models can carry up two three equipment "Slots"

Equipment:
Marker Light: A model with a Marker Light paints any target within 24 inches, Giving all friendly models +1 ballistic skill against him. Covert ASps painted by a Marker Light can be seen, and shot at, by everyone. This upgrade uses one Equipment slot and one weapon slot.

Shield generator: A model with a Shield generator retains his sheild againt Laser weaponry. This upgrade takes up one weapon slot and two equipment slots.

Upgraded Armor: A model with Upgraded armor gains 1 wound, but moves 2 inches slower. This upgrade may be taken two times.

Radar: (Soldier ASp only) A model with Radar spots any Covert ASp within 5x his Initiative value. This upgrade takes one weapon slot and one equipment slot.

Target Lock: A model with Target Lock may gain +1 Ballistic Skill against a single opponent, but he must shoot all of his available weapons at that target. One Equipment Slot.

Well, thats about how much I have right now, what do you guys think?






Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh, and It is nowhere near done, this is just what I had thought of in the good...... 3 hours of school I had to think of it. I kind of want it to be fast paced, hence the fact that you have guys moving 12 inches a turn, and the fact that there are few models/high wounds.

You could do it but can't make any money if based on 40K.

I know someone who is trying something similiar based off the video game Mech Ops.

Try it and see how it goes.

If you can't program and you can't write, what makes you think you can do something that requires the talents of both writer and programmer at once?

You should still do it, but I strongly suggest doing three things:

1. Make sure that your game does something that no one else's game does.

2. Make sure that whatever your game does that is special, that special thing requires using some sort of playing piece, like an object or device that cannot be easily duplicated with house-hold materials. This monetizes your project and means you can do more than just copyright your background.

3. Start playing before you start writing. You need to figure out the game in a practical sense because you sit down and try to explain it. Too many people do it the other way around and their games suck for that reason.

Good luck.

3.

Oh I know, Da Bank, it isn't based off of 40k, the only two similarities I plan on having in it at the end are:

A) It has a Galactic Empire of Men, and

B) The suits sound kinda like the Tau Suits.

The major differences are that the Empire is going to be fighting only pirates, and if it gets popular enough I'll probably cause a cataclysm that ripped the Empire apart to add in more factions, and that the ASps are people in suits, not people in mechs like the Tau Battle suits.

Nurglitch, what makes you say that doing this would require programing skills? Writing I can see, and I know what you mean, but what I meant by "I do not have the ability to write" is that I lack the ability to give characters lines, it always sounds lame to me when I try to. I could send you a part of one of my attempts if your interested in seeing what I am talking about.

1) Aye, trying to work on that, my brother has made some suggestions that I rather like, but since he lives about 45 minutes away he can't just walk down the street and playtest with me. No one else where I live is interested in this kind of thing.

2) I was thinking that the "Plastic Air Platforms", or PAP for short, would be good for that, at least for a little bit. Not many wargames I know are in three demensions.

3) again, I would love to, but the problem is is that I am all alone up here for the most part. I could play by myself, and after I get a few more rules set down, was going to, but kinda an odd way to get a social game up and running, don't you think?

You have the germ of an idea so lets brianstorm a few ideas. and see if that gets you further.

Using different levels is hard to do on the tabletop, need to simple system to keep track.

There was an old Steve Jackson game from the Ogre/GEV universe - Battlesuits? - you may want to try to get a look at that.

The idea is for customisable suits, so why not mercenaries who use the cash to enhance their equipment. This lets you have unique individuals on table. How about detailed hit charts (almost ala Battletech/Heavy Gear)?

Are we talking high tech or something post apocalypse, lasers or multiple shotguns?

Who do these mercs fight - other mercs, aliens, legit government forces?

OK enough for now, lets see what you can come up with.

Well from what you've said I'll assume that you are going with a SCI FI setting.

Now their are somethings I think you really should include.

Make suits very customisable. The more options the better. Don't let the lists get confusing and make sure it's clear what each item does. As well as weapons give them other kinds of stuff like different kinds of internal suit programs or hardware giving them skills (such as extra accuracy / movement/ protection). You could also remove the ability to fly from each suit but make it an upgrade, with different power levels of flight engines giving different benefits.

Give them different speeds similar to how vehicles move in 40k. Maybe if they full speed they get a negative modifier to hit.

Make the environment part of the game. Some of the best games I have played have options to fire on the terrain. Being able to set fire to or explode terrain would make you feel a lot more inolved. It's always satisfying to reduce a house full of enemies to a pile of rubble. Your setting has a great oppurtinity for this. If you write the background so that they have very powerful weapons and armour it means that a gun which may be weak compared to other available weapons could still blow up unarmoured vehicles.

wilycoyote wrote:You have the germ of an idea so lets brianstorm a few ideas. and see if that gets you further.

Using different levels is hard to do on the tabletop, need to simple system to keep track.

Well, see, I was thinking that just giving a Clear plastic platform with legs would make it where you can reach in and grab the guys underneath, and put the guys up on top while still being able to reach in and move the guys below around. Still need to test it though.

There was an old Steve Jackson game from the Ogre/GEV universe - Battlesuits? - you may want to try to get a look at that.

Will have to look into that, thanks.

The idea is for customisable suits, so why not mercenaries who use the cash to enhance their equipment. This lets you have unique individuals on table. How about detailed hit charts (almost ala Battletech/Heavy Gear)?

Well, I was thinking that that would be too complicated, and also a little bit too simliar to BattleTech. Giving things Wounds (Still working on a unique name for them, as Structural Points doesn't sound quite right when they are only suits.) keeps it somewhat simple, ya know?

Are we talking high tech or something post apocalypse, lasers or multiple shotguns?

High Tech in Space, with Lasers and Shotguns and everything else. Still trying to figure out how I want to put missles into it, instead of just making them just be big guns. I have an idea, but needs to be tested.

Who do these mercs fight - other mercs, aliens, legit government forces?

Right off the bat, it will just be Mercs/government, as I just want to get the rules up and running. After that, I will add in the Pirates, and soon I am planning on adding other factions of Human in, making it be completely Humans, no aliens.

OK enough for now, lets see what you can come up with.

4M2A wrote:Well from what you've said I'll assume that you are going with a SCI FI setting.

Now their are somethings I think you really should include.

Make suits very customisable. The more options the better. Don't let the lists get confusing and make sure it's clear what each item does. As well as weapons give them other kinds of stuff like different kinds of internal suit programs or hardware giving them skills (such as extra accuracy / movement/ protection). You could also remove the ability to fly from each suit but make it an upgrade, with different power levels of flight engines giving different benefits.

Aye, I plan to make it kinda like Mordheim, where You can customize your ASps however you want, but your Pilot increases in a way that you have little control over ( You know, "he gained a level, now roll on this chart to see what stat he got increased", or maybe "you just got 2 attribute points, spend them as you wish", undecided yet.) As for equipment, I plan to have the works; extra armor, radar, night vision goggles, speed boosters, hopefully a whole hell of a lot of stuff. However, some items will have a drawback to them as well, Like adding extra armor makes you heavier and move slower.

Give them different speeds similar to how vehicles move in 40k. Maybe if they full speed they get a negative modifier to hit.

I am thinking about that, Currently, the ASps move 8, 12, and 16 inches. I was thinking that every 4 inches you move, you suffer -1 Ballistic Skill, with some Stablizers being available to eliminate the first part of that.

Make the environment part of the game. Some of the best games I have played have options to fire on the terrain. Being able to set fire to or explode terrain would make you feel a lot more inolved. It's always satisfying to reduce a house full of enemies to a pile of rubble. Your setting has a great oppurtinity for this. If you write the background so that they have very powerful weapons and armour it means that a gun which may be weak compared to other available weapons could still blow up unarmoured vehicles.

This is actually a really good idea, and I will try to work it in. It's just too epic not to.

Answers in green.

So, I have been playing a little bit of the basics (1v1, same setup, that sort of thing) and I must say, the matches get over quick. I think the fastest one was 3 minutes and the longest one was 7.

Anyway, to the backround, or at the very least, the little bit I have:

The human race has expanded into the rest of the galaxy, finding no life that could be identified of matching our intelligence. Humanity has settled many planets, and has prospered under Earths rule. However, one day, an army of mercenaries attacked Earth, and Destroyed it. (This was the story I was going to use when I was going to try to turn it into a game or a book, beleive it or not, the mercs are the good guys). Civil War breaks out, and the entire Empire collapses. Millions turn pirate, attacking anyone who comes close to their stretch of space.

Factions, and Special Rules (that I have as of now):

Mercs/Pirates/Government lackeys (This is the Standard Unit); Sky Drop: One ASp may be held in reserve and come on the table at ANY point. In addition, on the roll of a 1 on a D6, the Deploying ASp takes D3 wounds. It's risky, but hopefully worth it.

Asphestins; Mortarians: Asphestia is a poisonous planet, and as such death is as common place as birth, so much so that Asphestins treat their dead with different revearance than other planets. Using their recently dead, they create robots that help them in basic functions, and can be made to fight on the battle field. Mortarians must be modeled seperately, and they prevent their bearer from flying, though they may be fitted with an additional weapon. In addition Asphestins value holding objectives over raids, and they build their ASps accordingly: Asphestins suffer -2 movement, but +1 wound.

Utarns; Dont have a special for them yet, but they move 2 inches faster, but suffer -1 armor. They value speed and strength over defense, as most of the wildlife on their planet can kill in pretty much one hit anyway. I want them to be closer ranged, but not necessarily close combat oriented.

What scale are you planning to run the game in?

WH40k and similar can be restrictive given it is 28mm, 15mm gives you more freedom to experiment with bigger move distances and ranges.

Might I suggest you start to flesh out some rules, is the game going to be IGo-UGo or are you looking at activations? What is the basic move sequence? When a unit is activated what can it do?

If you have a basic outline then you will find it easier to start to get the "background " into your game.

Well in the OP slarg mentioned Tau crisis suit sized so it will be like other skirmish games.

Showing different heights is easy. There are lots of types of clear flying bases with changing heights, both heroclix and wings of war have them if you are looking for inspiration.

You had the idea for breaking it up with a civil war if it does well but I recomend keeping the civil war to a small area of the empire. Shaking up the game when you already have fans is a bad idea. Containing it to one areas allows players the choice.

If you add in campaign rules and skills I recommend having skill points to spend depending on what the pilot does in game (so every 2 kills is 1 point, or each time it destroys and large one) and random occurances like say finding rare technology or getting an unknown disease.

Do you have any ideas for the game mechanics because you mentioned Balistic Skill but if you base it around warhammer rules in any way GW will sue your

To further add onto the idea of terrain destroying you could also have rules for flame weapons. SOTR (one of my favourite games, so I steal a lot of ideas from it) allows you to set terrain and other players on fire which is always fun.

If your games are too fast try adding in more suits just to see if takes longer and how well it runs. Also try out differerent amounts of terrain, this can really alter how a skirmish game works.

If you want to make 3 different forces maybe make 1 slow, medium toughness and long ranged with a lot of weak firepower (think IG), another which is fast, long ranged and easy to kill ( like tau) then another which is medium speed, very tough but lacks firepower. To help encourage armies to play the way they were designed without removing options you could have each army has the same gear (except really special stuff) but eh cost vary depending on how likely they are to use it.

Bah, the big bad GW don't scare me! (I am planning on changing it, but it is kinda simpler in my head to use the system I have been using for 8 years right now as I get things figured out.)

Aye going to do that when I get the time, only have 15 days of school left and they are pilling on the work.....

I don't think I am going to make terrain lightable on fire-able, but I am thinking that the Explosive weapons will work wonders for it. Trying not to make it too complex, you know?


and thanks for the help, beleive me it is much appreciated.

I have a little bit of Fluff for it now, my playstesting has been pretty much halted due to lack of people to play with, and social games are kinda boring by yourself. That, and I am working on a comic, so my time has been spent with that. Anyway this is why I have:

Humanity has expanded into the universe and has splintered into several cultures. These cultures operated as one body under the Empire, but when the Emperor and High Council are assassinated, the entire Empire falls apart.

The Nyrandal (Nir-and-all) are unparalleled hunters, hailing from Nyra. The native species are deadly, and no amount of armor can save the Nyrandal, so they bother with less of it than the average soldier. They are a somber people, taking life seriously and The Hunt even more seriously. They value strength and speed, and men and women are treated equally in their society.
Rules: They all move 2" faster than normal, -1 damage point
Special: Nominate one enemy model. This model is the target of their hunt, and they may reroll failed to hit wounds against it.
Special Equipment: If any model does not shoot or assault in their turn, they gain the Stealth rule (Can only be spotted within Perception x3" distance) in their opponents next turn, as they are waiting in an ambush.

The Hesphs live on the planet Hesphestis, a planet so polluted that it is nearly inhospitable. Their factories pump out the most Slug weapons in the entire Fallen Empire, and has polluted their planet so much that their average life expenctancy is very low. Due to this, their morbid sense of humor is widely known, and they will often be seen joking upon all deaths, friends and foes alike. They prefer long drawn out fights over precision strikes.
Rules: -2" to movement, +1 damage point. +6" to Slug weapon range.
Special: Due to the fact that death does not bother them, They are immune to Panic when an Ally is taken out of action within 12 inches of them. They may even crack a joke off when it happens!
Special Equipment: Due to the large amount of death on their planet, they have learned to use spare organs to create cyborg robots that serve them. These Body-Bots can also serve in combat, carrying additional guns, sheilding them, or providing medical assisstance.

The Templars are the old security force of the Fallen Empire, with superior training and equipment to show for it. They are trying to regain order in the chaos, though they are fighting a losing battle. The Chaplain Masters have decreed that there will be order, however, and as such the Templars will give their lives to regain it.
Rules: +1 to chosen Pilot stat at character creation.
Special: The Templars have been trained to work as a coheisive force their entire lives, and as such each Templar counts as being armed with a Markerlight, though they do not have to fire it, and they do not even have to take it as a Equipment Option! (Markerlights give bonuses to shooting and allow allies to spot invisible units) Just nominate the model you wish to "Call Out", and that model will count as Markerlit.
Special Equipment: Standard. The Standard makes all Templars Immune to Panic as long as they have Line of Sight to the model who bares it.

Pirates are the citizens of the Fallen Empire who have decided to take their fate into their own hands. They are rough and rumble warriors who are not above taking cheap shots. They are in it for themselves, not some higher cause.
Rules: +1 to all Pilot stats. If your up to fiendish capers, you can't afford anyone but the best!
Special: Distrust. The Pirates distrust eachother immensly, and as such will never use another models Leadership characteristic for any tests.
Special Equipment: Combat Drugs. There will be a list of 6 benefits or so for a character who takes combat drugs to choose up to 3 from. For every benefit that you choose, roll a D6, on a double those modifiers are taken negatively, on a triple the model overdoses and is removed from the game (but is fine for future games).

Lursons come from the Magma planet, Lursia, are highly religious, and maintain a strict code of honor. I don't have much on them as of right now, other than their love of laser weapons.


The rules and everything are still up in the air, I was just putting them up for a kinda..... example of how they would be different than eachother.