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Hey guys.
I've been planning to make my own tabletop war game for a while now and have come up with a lot of the universe foundations and some of the core combat mechanics. I'm trying to make it simple and accessible, while keeping competitive play involved.

I'll continue to add stuff as its discussed below.

COMBAT MECHANICS:
(Bare in mind this is the very basic concept)

This system primarily uses D10's and D6's. The size of the game will be played at around 5-50 models.

Most units will have the following profile:

A Combat skill, a Shooting skill, a Defence and a Hit Points total. They will also have equipment, giving the total damage value and any modifiers they may add.

Stats:

Combat skill- this modifier is to represent how skilled the character or unit is when fighting in hand to hand combat. It also represents the effectiveness of their weapons and magik.

Shooting skill- this modifier is to represent how skilled the character or unit is when using ranged attacks. It also represents the effectiveness of their weapons and magik.

Defence - this stat is to represent how much armour or nimbleness a character or unit has.

HP - this stat is to represent how tough the character or unit is.

There will be multiple unit types in the game. Weaker unit types will contain between 10-20 models, while more elite units will contain around 5. Hero characters will march alone, while others can attach to squads to buff them or the army.

Hero characters use D10's while every other unit uses D6's.

Weaker units, averagely, will have a stat line roughly along the line of this: Combat Skill 2, Shooting Skill 1, Defence 3, HP 1. While a hero would have something more like: Combat skill 4, shooting skill 2, Defence 7, HP 5.

When attacking an enemy, you roll the unit's dice type and add either your combat or shooting skill, depending on which you're using, to the number rolled. If the total is equal to or higher than the enemy's defence, you deal the number of damage that character can do. Each damage takes away a hit point. Once all hit points are gone, the character is dead.

For example: an elite character has a combat skill of 3, shooting skill of 1, defence of 7 and 2 HP. He is attacking a character with the same stats. Both characters also have a sword that deals 2 damage.
To attack in melee, the character rolls a D6 (because he's not a hero) and adds his combat skill. He rolls a 5 and adds the 3, making 8. This is higher than the enemy's defence, therefore he deals the 2 damage and kills the opponent.

Alternatively, if the opponent had an ability, that they could use once a game, which allowed them to roll a D6 and add that number to their defence before you attack, and rolls a 3, making their defence 10, you then didn't succeed in hitting them with a roll of 8 and the opponent is still alive.

If a unit has a combat and range skill too low to hit an enemy, rolls of double 6's or higher will always count as a single hit. This is to represent cumulative strikes at weak spots.

For example: my squad of 10 only have combat and shooting skills of 1, while the hero I'm facing has 8 defence. Rolling a D6 +1 isn't enough. But, when I roll the 10 D6, I got 4 6's. this counts as 2 hits.

Basically what I'm trying to do is have a basic stat line and combat system, but add complexity using abilities and equipment/ special rules. Hopefully it makes sense. What do you guys think? Does it seem simple but interesting?

Any opinions or questions are much appreciated!

With no offense meant, this is a very very simplistic start, and you don't have much. Warmachine uses this system except with 2d6. Malifaux uses this system except with (effectively) 1d13. Hell, most tabletop RPGs use a similar system where you roll strength+d20 and compare it to their defense/armor/AC/whatevs.

The complexity in rules start exposing themselves as you write more. You apologize for length, but your fundamental system seems like a very standard thing that wargames and RPGs have been doing for years. You even separate the combat stats into melee and ranged just like every other strength/dexterity, BS/CC, wargame and RPG out there.

It's a very basic concept, yes. I'm sure many people would agree it's a decent concept because it's tried-and true. What makes your game stand out? What makes your game special? Is it mass combat? Am I controlling one unit or a hundred? Flesh those out, reorganize your formatting, and see where you go from there.

First thought, how big a game will it be ? 5 to 10 models or 50 or more ? Second would be what would you consider basic stats for a model, and what would a heroic or special model would be like.
If you want to have stats high on a hero, would you keep them so a normal basic model could kill them, even if they have a disadvantage.

If all models have multiple hit points, its best to stay low model count to reduce book keeping.

If its going to be a low model count game, I would prefer d10 or d20. This would allow more subtle differentiation between models. Benefit of d6 is that you can throw loads at once and pick you success and failure easily.

So, decide game scale to start.

 Absolutionis wrote:
With no offense meant, this is a very very simplistic start, and you don't have much. Warmachine uses this system except with 2d6. Malifaux uses this system except with (effectively) 1d13. Hell, most tabletop RPGs use a similar system where you roll strength+d20 and compare it to their defense/armor/AC/whatevs.

The complexity in rules start exposing themselves as you write more. You apologize for length, but your fundamental system seems like a very standard thing that wargames and RPGs have been doing for years. You even separate the combat stats into melee and ranged just like every other strength/dexterity, BS/CC, wargame and RPG out there.

It's a very basic concept, yes. I'm sure many people would agree it's a decent concept because it's tried-and true. What makes your game stand out? What makes your game special? Is it mass combat? Am I controlling one unit or a hundred? Flesh those out, reorganize your formatting, and see where you go from there.

You make great points. And if its like other games out there, there isnt a point to making it. I'll flesh it out more and come up with some more unique things for it. Thanks for the post

I was thinking the game would be generally played using between 5 - 100 models. So you could have a small group of heroes as your army, pitted against a larger force of weaker units, and such. Or have hero squad skirmishes or large army battlefields. I primarily wanted to focus on the larger scale, hence why I want the system to be simple


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 ColonelFazackerley wrote:
If all models have multiple hit points, its best to stay low model count to reduce book keeping.

If its going to be a low model count game, I would prefer d10 or d20. This would allow more subtle differentiation between models. Benefit of d6 is that you can throw loads at once and pick you success and failure easily.

So, decide game scale to start.

I was thinking more large scale. More around 100ish models. But having hero characters with high HP. What could be horrific, but might also work, is if hero characters get D10's, while weaker units use D6's. could turn out to be awful, but I'll test some things out with it.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Apple fox wrote:
First thought, how big a game will it be ? 5 to 10 models or 50 or more ? Second would be what would you consider basic stats for a model, and what would a heroic or special model would be like.
If you want to have stats high on a hero, would you keep them so a normal basic model could kill them, even if they have a disadvantage.

Basic stats for a weaker unit would be 1 for both combat and shooting skills, 3 defence and 1 HP. If the unit was better at shooting or combat, theyd get a 2 on one of the stats.A hero would have something more along the lines of the stats I gave in my example. If that panned out far too weak, a single hero may end up with a similar HP pool as a whole unit of weaker models, and similar damage output.

If you want larger games, I would keep wounds on each model down.
With multi wound damage on a weapon rare, this enables as much dice to be thrown at once.

Honestly outside of specific scenarios having far to much of a mini difernce often ends in very boring games, with one side just throwing waves of models at the other side.

The other thing you need to decide on what scale of units you have, will you have large units like a tank/dragon. That can deal out lots of damage as a single model or have nothing smaller than small elite units, with a hero.

A final thought for this, a hero can be a hero without being able to tank and destroy an entire unit on there own.
A powerful hero that gives the unit they join, or the army they lead can make the hero feel far more unique.

Apple fox wrote:
If you want larger games, I would keep wounds on each model down.
With multi wound damage on a weapon rare, this enables as much dice to be thrown at once.

Honestly outside of specific scenarios having far to much of a mini difernce often ends in very boring games, with one side just throwing waves of models at the other side.

The other thing you need to decide on what scale of units you have, will you have large units like a tank/dragon. That can deal out lots of damage as a single model or have nothing smaller than small elite units, with a hero.

Hmm, perhaps going smaller scale is better, and would be far easier to manage. Large scale can tend to lead to nothing but Zerging and reduces a lot of tactical play. So maybe the model count would be somewhere between 5-50 instead, 50 being a larger game. And I was thinking of having squads of around 10-20 weaker models, squads of 5 stronger models and single strong units that can dish out high levels of damage and have high defence, such as dragons/tanks. Hero characters or squads would be generally 1-3 models that can hold out against a lot. I was also thinking heroes would be highly customisable.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Apple fox wrote:

A final thought for this, a hero can be a hero without being able to tank and destroy an entire unit on there own.
A powerful hero that gives the unit they join, or the army they lead can make the hero feel far more unique.

Yep, I agree. Heroes wouldn't necessarily be mega tough boss champions, but could also be buffers to the army or unit, or debuffers to the enemy army, etc

You really do need to figure out what exactly how you want the game to run and how long as well.

Individual models,
Small units
Large units
Platoons
Companies!?!?

Then you can figure out what kind of dice system to use off of that. do you want a very detailed system where every differences can be accounted for? D8 or mixed dice systems might be better.

D6 systems are super generic but at least they are quick and most people already have them

You can also think about a moral system instead of a wound system ala KoW where hurting people doesn't necessarily mean you have to remove models. or you can go crazy detailed where shooting might pop an arm or a leg changing there in game effectiveness. like a bunch of other games that are out.

 Desubot wrote:
You really do need to figure out what exactly how you want the game to run and how long as well.

Individual models,
Small units
Large units
Platoons
Companies!?!?

Then you can figure out what kind of dice system to use off of that. do you want a very detailed system where every differences can be accounted for? D8 or mixed dice systems might be better.

D6 systems are super generic but at least they are quick and most people already have them

You can also think about a moral system instead of a wound system ala KoW where hurting people doesn't necessarily mean you have to remove models. or you can go crazy detailed where shooting might pop an arm or a leg changing there in game effectiveness. like a bunch of other games that are out.

While I may implement some complexity involving moral of some kind, I want to avoid things like damage to certain body parts, which might slow the game down drastically. If I find the game needs it though, it could be a cool addition, as long as it was simple and easy to keep track of.

You can always do damage charts. and keep it simple
- Shaken: Moral penalty
- Pinned/immobile: Movement penalty
- Weapons malfunction: Cant shoot specified weapon or something
- Concussion: Assault or imitative penalty
- another word for BS penalty
- Critical damage: D# extra damage points or reroll on the fail table or something silly like that.

Have the effect be removed at the end of the turn or you have to fix it ala Dwars.

 Desubot wrote:
You can always do damage charts. and keep it simple
- Shaken: Moral penalty
- Pinned/immobile: Movement penalty
- Weapons malfunction: Cant shoot specified weapon or something
- Concussion: Assault or imitative penalty
- another word for BS penalty
- Critical damage: D# extra damage points or reroll on the fail table or something silly like that.

Have the effect be removed at the end of the turn or you have to fix it ala Dwars.

Ah yeah, that's quite interesting actually. I like that