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[MechaStellar] VER9.5 - Zeta Gundam Update - Free Wargame Rules for Gundam and other Mecha  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
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Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Hello and welcome to MechaStellar a free rules set to allow your favorite giant robots and monsters duke it out with another. Rules and Unit Sheets can be found here. Updates are monthly. If you have any rules questions or if you would like to request a stat sheet for a specific unit either from Gundam or another Mecha series please feel free to leave a comment below.

The current roster includes:
Gundam Franchise including: Mobile Suit Gundam, 0083 Stardust Memory, 0080 War in the Pocket, The 08th MS Team, The Blue Destiny, 0081 MS Senki, New Mobile Report Gundam Wing
Other Mecha series: Getter Robo, Mazinger Z, GaoGaiGar, Big O, Escaflowne, Evangelion, & Pacific Rim.


==============================
Good afternoon Dakkanauts,

With the release of Hathaway's Flash today on Netflix I wanted to share a free wargaming rules set we have been working on the last few years. It's called MechaStellar and it's meant to be a lightweight d10 rules system to let you battle it out with your favorite Mechs. In the future it will also let you duke it out with your favorite space ships or kaiju as well.

Mechastellar is setting-neutral, so it can be used with giant robots from your favorite series. Our goal with these rules was to let you use the rules to recreate iconic battles from your favorite series, create new or hypothetical ones, or mash several series together for a Super Robot Wars-esque game if you like.

Here are some key features of the game:
-Two Classes of Mecha.
A Mobile Skeleton or MS-class Mech that is humanoid and a Titan-class Mech that runs the gamut of humanoid, bipedal tank, or bizarrely shaped mobile armor. MS focus on Mobility & Evasion while Titan-class Mechs focus on durability and often firepower.

A MS-class Mech can be used to represent units from Gundam, Macross, Aura Battler Dunbine, Martian Successor Nadesico, Guymelef's from Escaflowne, Evangelions, Tekkaman Blade, Code Geass Knightmare Frames or even an Armored Core.
Then there are Super Mechs which can represent classic Super Robot series such as Mazinger or Getter Robo, as well as Super Heavys which can represent Megadeus from Big O or Pacific Rim Jaegers.

-Mechs are defined by only three stats, Frame, Performance & Pilot.
We're shooting for a lightweight rules system so it relies on abstraction and generalized weapon profiles rather than a lot of mechanical granularity.

Frame sets your starting durability and equipment slots. Frame 1-2 is your grunt suits, Frame 3+ is your high end Mechs. Combat stats are dependent on Frame & Performance. Pilot comes in two tiers, Level 1 is Skilled Pilots, Level 2 is reserved for top scoring Aces, the best of the best. Pilot lets you cause significant damage, an Ace even in a grunt suit can be quite lethal.

-Miniatures
We use 1/400 or 1/350 scale miniatures that are between 2-3" in height which makes it perfect for reusing 28mm scale terrain. Here's an example of what we use. We also have some example posts at the bottom of the downloads page that looks at several options for small minis for Gundam, Evangelion, Pacific Rim and Getter Robo. If you have a 3d printer we've found small sculpts of neighborhoods to make great terrain.

You can also use larger scale models like 1/144 scale or 4-12" action figures like Revoltech you just need tall terrain to go with it.


-Two Gameplay Modes - Versus Mode & Cooperative Mode.

-Versus Mode
This is 40k adjacent. Assemble an army and battle it out with your opponent. Simple Battle is a death match type mode. Secure the Objective is your standard take and hold control points objectives for victory points. Confrontation is for doing several short skirmishes back to back with repairs in between, you earn victory points for units surviving the conflict. There are also Secondary Objective to be used for either format to give you an additional way to score victory points. We've also put together a Defend the City mode where your giant robots stave off invading kaiju from flattening the city.

-Cooperative Mode
We developed this during lockdown as a fun way to pass the time. You and your fellow player pilot a team of Mechs on various missions. It's Blackstone Fortress adjacent so there's a simple behavior table you can roll on to determine what they do. Each mission pack will tell you what enemies you'll be facing.

-Scalability
The ruleset can be used for 3vs3 to represent grizzled veterans duking it out. It can also represent much larger forces like 10 on 10, 20 on 20 or 30 on 30. Our largest battle so far had 20+ Federation suits and 30+ Zeon suits.

-Game Length
Cooperative mode missions usually run 20-40 minutes. Versus mode is usually 30-60min for a small game and 1-2 hours for a large game.

-Alternating Activations
Each round player's alternate taking turns activating one unit at a time. The round concludes once all units have activated. There's a Return Fire rule where you must activate a unit who was just attacked if able. This is for immersion so you see conflicts play out locally in large games, instead of trying to min-max the action/turn economy.

-Dynamic Mechs
Movement and Melee do not require an action. You can also move, then shoot, then move again.

-Ranged Combat
Only two die rolls are required to resolve a Shooting attack. One to see if the target Evades any shots and an optional Armor Save. Penetrating weapons force an Armor Save and cause catastrophic damage if the target fails the save.

-Melee Clash
In Melee both sides roll their dice and count successes. Whoever wins is the victor. The defender can choose to Counterattack or Block which is the safer option but results in 0 damage if they win. For Attacks & Counterattacks damage dealt is equal to the difference in successes.

-Optional Rules for Battle Damage
This way you can simulate losing an arm or a weapon. Recommended for Mechs with high HP and small games of no more than 5 on 5, otherwise it becomes too much to track.

-Momentum System
Each Momentum Point is a get out of jail free card to Block 1 Ranged or Melee hit after the roll. You start with a small amount so you need to be careful with how you use them. You can increase your Momentum by destroying units, winning in melee and surviving each round. Momentum is also used for your Pilot Skills.

-Production Values.
This is a small operation so nothing fancy and no artwork in the core rules. We wanted to focus on clear, concise and readable rules so we used bullet points extensively in the rules document.

-Future Developments.
In addition to creating new suits and mission packs we're also working on Battleship rules. We've had several iterations of battleship rules but we're not happy with any of them in their final state so far. We're also working on additional mission packs.

The rules for combat, versus mode, coop campaigns and mission packs can be download here.

Since Gundam is our favorite real robot series we put together a few dozen pre-generated units to let you run various units from the Gundam universe. These are all 0079-0083 units, next up we'll do Zeta Gundam and then CCA. We have also added several Alternate Universes including G Gundam, Gundam Wing and next will be Gundam X. The roster updates each month.

If you get the chance to try out the game we'd love to hear your general feedback on it. We're also looking for specific feedback in the below categories. Thanks for reading. Cheers!

-General rules questions & clarifications needed

-Any Battle Reports you'd like to share

-Versus Mode
-What unit was your MVP?
-Which units didn't pull their weight?
-Big Zam, pushover or unkillable tyrant?
-Which secondary objectives did you find hard to achieve?
-Which types of Tactical Advantage did you find easiest and hardest to achieve?
-Which deployment type did you prefer?

-Coop Campaign Mode
-Which mission(s) did you have the hardest time on?
-What Gundam series would you like to see in future mission packs?
-Do you prefer Sandbox mission packs (acquire any unit you want) or Narrative mission packs (Mechs are pre-determined each mission)?

-From the Gundam series which MS would you like to see next?

-What are your top 3 Mecha Series and which would you like to see included?

This message was edited 30 times. Last update was at 2024/03/01 15:55:58


 
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good afternoon Dakkanauts,

For this week's update we're releasing variants for the Dom and GM Sniper Custom mobile suits. Latest unit sheets can be downloaded here.

The Rick Dom Royal Guard comes from 'The Plot to Assassinate Gihren' manga. An excellent series that is a spy thriller set in the closing days of the OYW. Two Rick Doms have been modified for ceremonial use holding both shields and heat lances, even in a ceremonial use they can be formidable foes. The pilot for this unit is Vanessa Vermillion or Gaius Zemela both use the same pilot trait that gives them the edge against the rank and file soldier.

The Rick Dom II is featured in Gundam 0080, it is also used by Gato's right hand man Karius in 0083. It's a no frills minor upgrade to the Rick Dom. The Dom Tropen also appears in 0083 during the attack on Torrington using the large size Raketen Bazooka to great effect. The Dom Cannon featured in Harmony of Gundam is a Dom Tropen converted to equip a shoulder cannon. The last variant of the Dom Tropen is the Dom Barrage appearing in the Blazing Shadow Manga, this Dom sports heavy armor and a powerful Gatling Gun.

The last Dom variant we have is the high speed test type featured in MSV-R, a unit that took the technology from the Gouf Flight Type in order to test the limits on the Dom's max speed. While the Test Type boasted a higher top speed they did not pursue this experimental unit any further due to the poor acceleration in meeting the top speed. If you choose to take this unit in your army remember that while it is very fast it has no protections so you'll need to keep some Momentum set aside to protect it before it reaches melee.

On the Federation side we have the GM Sniper Custom. A souped up GM given to Aces and mostly used in Sniping roles. It is also one of the few units to have the beam saber mounted on its arm. The unit was wildly popular with Federation Pilots and it was modified into alternate roles seen in the GM Guard Custom and the GM Intercept Custom who would often work in pairs. One variant of the Sniper Custom fielded at A Baoa Qu was the Shimoda Team which sports a pair of missile launchers on its shoulders.

The Sniper Customs are valuable units to take down high value targets from the enemy. Units with the Sniper special type can target anyone on the battlefield and they may ignore Light or standard Shields. The Intercept Custom is an Assault unit meaning it gets +1 Action which will come in handy with all the weaponry it is holding.

Unit Roster Additions
Gundam - Zeon (6
-Rick Dom Royal Guard, Rick Dom II, Dom Tropen, Dom Cannon, Dom Barrage, Dom High Speed Test Type
Gundam - EFF (4)
-GM Sniper Custom, GM Sniper Custom (ML) Shimoda, GM Guard Custom, GM Intercept Custom

Miscellaneous Updates
-Cleaned up the verbiage on the Fearsome Pilot Trait.
-Newtype III was using an out-of-date text string. Updated.
-EXAM System was using an out-of-date text string. Updated.
-Efreet Custom Performance was corrected to 4. Added "Spirit in the Machine" trait to both Efreet Custom and Blue Destiny Unit 1

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/07/22 18:04:21


 
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good afternoon Dakkanauts,

This week's update will be a fun one for anyone who enjoys melee, stealth and ambushing units. Total roster has grown from 50 -> 65 units. Latest unit sheets can be downloaded here.

For Zeon we have added variants of the Gouf & Efreet to the list, as well as their first stolen Gundam model the Blue Destiny Unit 2. Most of the units are experts at Melee and several have the Ambusher ability that allows them to deployed at the end of a round at a location of your choosing instead of at the start of a battle.

The Efreet first debuted in a SNES game in 1995 called Cross Dimensions piloted by Henry Boone a disgraced elite soldier working in a penal legion style unit. Cut off from their supply lines after the battle of Odessa they chanced upon a Federation base in the Gobi desert where they encounter the Gundam Pixie (or Pixy) making its debut as well. The Pixie was a Gundam type unit that eschewed armor for a lighter weight and higher mobility, it also used beam daggers rather than beam sabers.

Both units were later featured in the PS3 Gundam title MSG Side Story: Missing Link. That game also features a similar encounter with an Efreet piloted by Doug Schneid and a Federation Pixie Pilot Fred Reber but with a much different outcome. Doug Schneid and Fred Reber would eventually form a powerful friendship and when Doug passed away Fred took over the Efreet, customized and renamed it the Efreet Schneid which you'll see in the Gundam Unicorn OVAs.

The Efreet proved to be a popular model and showed up in the Blue Destiny Manga as the Efreet Custom. The Blue Destiny series was on the Sega Saturn and the plot line involved the EXAM system, a powerful system meant to give the pilot the abilities of a Newtype, but rather darkly it's ability came from enslaving the soul of a newtype named Marion Welch. When activated the system typically makes the suit go Berserk even destroying allies. The sidestory features Yuu Kajima (Federation) and Nimbus Schterzen (Zeon) who end up piloting units with the EXAM system, Yuu discovers the secret of the EXAM system and strives to free Marion's trapped spirit. The big change between Blue Destiny 1 -> 2&3 is the addition of a powerful backpack providing considerable thrusts and allowing them to be used in space.

For the Gouf series we are adding the Flight Type which is seen in the last arc of the 08th MS Team as well as the special "Battle in 3 Dimensions". We've also added the MSV Gouf Flight Test Type, one of the test models that preceded it with a rather explosive development history, it would later show up in the Jaburo arc of Zeta Gundam. The Test Type does not have the Melee specialty type since it is a ranged fighter without melee weapons. Both units have a "Hover" special trait that allows them to automatically gain the high ground advantage but in return they cannot take cover without being behind very tall cover.

Lastly is the Gouf Custom White Rose used by Lt.Col Lance Garfield, an astonishing pilot for a remarkable suit who pushes it to the limit despite only have one remaining arm to pilot it. Lance is the adversary of the Rick Dom Elite Guards and manages to swiftly and mercifully defeat them in the same overwhelming manner we saw with Norris Packard in the 08th MS Team.

On the Federation side we have the Blue Destiny Unit 3 and Gundam Pixie as mentioned above. We've also added the GM Nightseeker, a special ops type GM featured in MSV whose loadout is very similar to the GM Light Armor. So if that's your favorite unit when playing campaign mode the Nightseeker will be a welcome replacement. The Nightseeker is featured in the 0083 Rebellion manga retelling along with a GM Sniper Custom.

We've also added in the GM Sniper II a very expensive unit but the top performing GM of the One Year War (OYW). We've included three variants, the bullpup variety you see in 0080 War in the Pocket, the Beam Rifle you see in the White Dingo / Rise from the Ashes storyline and lastly a custom variant used by Lydo Wolf who is notable for using a solid shell sniper rifle which we will be treating as an antiship rifle. With the inclusion of Lydo Wolf we also included his Guncannon Mass Produced variant he used after converting from being a fighter pilot. Lydo was the #3 top scoring ace of the Federation during the OYW, you can read about his beginnings in the Gundam Legacy manga.

Zeon Roster Additions (+6)
-Gouf Custom White Rose, Gouf Flight Type, Gouf Flight Test Type
-Efreet, Efreet (Doug Schneid), Blue Destiny Unit 2

Federation (+9)
-Lydo Wolf's Guncannon MP
-Blue Destiny Unit 3, Gundam Pixy
-GM Nightseeker I & II, GM Sniper II & Variants

Miscellaneous Updates
-Updated Images
-Battler Mechs gains +1 Movement
-Indomitable: Adjusted the formula so it provides more benefit to Mechs who invest in Reinforce. Units affected GM Guard Custom (1200 -> 1000), Gundam (6000 -> 7000)
-Adjust Missile Pod / Micromissiles from Shots 2 Rapid Fire +6 to Shots 3 Rapid Fire +5. Increase range 12" -> 16"
-Adjusted Death Ray to 10 Power requirement
-Increased range of Beam Cannon / Beam Sniper / Death Ray 24" -> 28"
-Increase range of Beam Spray Gun / Howitzer Hands / Shotgun from 8" -> 12"
-Efreet Custom: Added grenade launcher, Reinforced-1
-GM Light Armor: Weapon Upgrade and Thrusters -1
-GM Cold Districts: Reinforce+1, Thrusters-1
-GM Intercept Custom: Low Cost-1, Thrusters+1
-Corrected an oversight on the Gouf Series: Low Cost-1, Thrusters+1
-Updated Spirit in the Machine effect
-Corrected Lone Wolf text to be +1 Focus Action
-Corrected Chain Mine to have "Single Use" in the "Special" section
-Improved Merciless Melee (and equivalents)
-Replaced some instances of 'Renowned Pilot' with Ace Monikers like Black Tri-Stars and Red Comet
-Committed the unforgivable act of leaving Big Zam off the 08JUL roster.

As always thank you for reading. Next week in addition to new Mechs we plan on adding an improvement to the Orders system of the rules.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/22 18:04:29


 
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good afternoon Dakkanauts,

I'm in the process of moving into my new place this week and I'm currently neck deep in boxes. This week's update will be a small one.

Orders Update
As mentioned last time we have a small tweak to the Orders system. Inspired by a post by Hellebore in this thread as a way to cut down on Stratagem bloat we decided to adjust how we handle Orders in MechaStellar. Here is how we implemented it.

Previously:
Orders have a Momentum Cost. You may use any Order currently available. You may only issue one order per turn.

Currently:
Every army has the Improvise Command by default. Choose two additional Orders to be used by your Army this battle. The first time you use an Order it is free, the second time you use it requires you pay it's Momentum Cost. You may only issue one order per unit turn.

The advantage of this system is that it cuts down on choice paralysis or needing to memorize every order available. It also let's you choose a powerful order that you can use for free, or cheap orders that you don't mind reusing over and over again since you can afford the Momentum cost. We have added 8 additional Orders bringing the total to 13 to give you some flexibility on which ones you choose. New Orders are shown in Red Text. We also updated a sentence under Versus mode (shown in Red text) to account for this change.

Campaign Cooperative Mode Updates
By request a few of the later missions in the mission packs will have a higher difficulty. Look forward to an updated Mission Pack and more Missions in early August.

Enemy Commanders will be allowed to use Momentum to protect themselves. Some missions will also have additional enemies to deal with if you found the Mission too easy. We've also added five additional options for Pilot Traits. Two Defensive ones and two Offensive ones at the Cost+10 range. There is now a ranged counterpart to Merciless Melee at the 20pt range. Lastly a blurb was added to the Co-op section to clarify that you can save your acquisition points for later purchases and you can purchase multiple units at a time if you so desire.

Red Text Updates
-Commands pg18-19
-Versus Mode pg23
-Co-op Mode pg25-28


Zeon Roster Additions (3):
-Zaku II Dozle Custom
-Zaku II R1A Variants

Dozle Zabi was a giant, every Mobile Suit he piloted had to be specially modified cockpit just to hold him. His Zaku II had a ceremonial paint job which he used when inspecting the space attack forces but he also took it with him into battle wielding a gigantic heat hawk. We elected to make the unit cheaper and eschew a ranged weapon to keep with Dozle's style of chopping down the bridge of a space ship.

Shin Matsunaga was a close confidant of Dozle Zabi and guarded him closely during the Battle of Loum against Dozle's wishes. Shin was away from the battlefield when Dozle fell in the Battle of Solomon piloting the monstrous Big Zam mobile armor (or perhaps Mobile Fortress would be the better term). Shin Matsunaga has been a fan favorite for a while, gaining his own special campaign route in the PS2 game Gundam Encounter's in Space as well as starring in several spin-off Mangas. A top-scoring ace who allegedly was never hit he survives into the AEUG era and may even be the mysterious pilot of the Gold Zeta Gundam during Gundam Evolve.

Anavel Gato is well known as the principle antagonist in Gundam 0083 A Stardust Memory. He was one of many Zeon Aces during the OYW and we are including his Zaku R1A sporting a bazooka for use in your games. He's a hard to take down enemy in versus mode, and gives you another R1A loadout for use in Campaign mode. In the 0083 Rebellion Manga, a retelling of the 0083 OVA we see Gato in the R1A with a cache of hidden weapons going toe-to-toe with GM Custom's used by the Immortal 04th Team.

Misc Updates
-Dom Tropen & Cannon (Low Cost+1, Removed Flash)
-Gundam Ground Type (Low Cost-1, Reinforce+1 HP 2000 -> 2500)
-Zaku R1A (Performance 4->5, Thrusters-1)
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good afternoon Dakkanauts,

I'm still in the middle of unpacking and organizing our household so this week will also be a minor update with a few more Zaku variants. In the month of August we plan on releasing the Gyan, Gelgoogs and Gundam variants as well as an update to to the Campaign Mission Packs.

Zeon Roster Additions (+4)
-Zaku Desert Type Variants
-Zaku II FZ (Zaku II Kai)

Misc Update
-Increased the Zaku II F2 performance to 4 to match the Zaku II FZ

The Zaku Desert Types were deployed on the African and Middle Eastern front. Out of all the Zaku's deployed to the Earth sphere they have the best track record and scored numerous victories over the Federation forces who typically struggled in the desert environments. Quite remarkable that a Space based nation was able to quickly adapt their MS Design to produce a superior Desert unit. The Zaku Desert Type was so effective that it stayed in use by Zeon remnants even during the Gryps Conflict and later during the events of Gundam Unicorn as well as its successor the Desert Zaku. As you can see in the artwork they were masters of ambush tactics and guerilla warfare, quickly emerging from the sand to strike enemies that were lured into a trap.

Of the three variants presented here we have a standard loadout with machine gun, one from the Caracal corps armed with a hand-held missile pod as well as its arm mounted one and lastly one from the Gariboldi team which has a unique long barrel Zaku machine gun capable of deliving longer range bursts to suppress the enemy. If you've been enjoying using "Ambusher" with the Efreet series you'll certainly enjoy adding the Zaku Desert Type to your army.

The Zaku II FZ (also known as the Zaku II Kai) debuted in Gundam 0080 War in the Pocket, it also plays an important role in the manga The Plot to Assassinate Gihren. It was the last standard Zaku produced during the OYW complying with the United Maintenance Plan (UMP) that mandated all MS must share common components to ease the burden on replacement parts and logistics.

While the Zaku F2 was a new and upgraded Zaku the FZ is often hypothesized to be a retrofit of older type Zakus. It was primarily deployed for colony defense and like all Zakus it was easy to handle for new recruits. The FZ and F2 are often described as very similar in performance in kit manuals and other publications, the FZ is noted as having much improved thrust but unfortunately much shorter operational times since it did not get an increase in propellant.

As always you can find the latest Unit sheets on the download page here.

   
Made in gb
Mighty Vampire Count






UK

Thanks for posting and updating - will check it out

I AM A MARINE PLAYER

"Unimaginably ancient xenos artefact somewhere on the planet, hive fleet poised above our heads, hidden 'stealer broods making an early start....and now a bloody Chaos cult crawling out of the woodwork just in case we were bored. Welcome to my world, Ciaphas."
Inquisitor Amberley Vail, Ordo Xenos

"I will admit that some Primachs like Russ or Horus could have a chance against an unarmed 12 year old novice but, a full Battle Sister??!! One to one? In close combat? Perhaps three Primarchs fighting together... but just one Primarch?" da001

www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/528517.page

A Bloody Road - my Warhammer Fantasy Fiction 
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Sounds great! Let me know if there are any rules questions or clarifications I can't help with!
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good afternoon Dakkanauts,

For this week's update we have the Gyan mobile suit, some rules updates and misc. fixes. Updates are on the downloads page here.

Roster Additions
Zeon (+2)
The Gyan was a unique mobile suit put together for M'Quve, a pivotal figure for Zeon's Earth Assault working directly for Kycillia Zabi. He was the Commander of the Zeon's forces in control of the Eurasian areas rich in natural resources which was vital to Zeon's war efforts. The battle for Odessa was a pivotal victory for the Federation, by taking it they were cutting off Zeon from the resources they needed to continue their war machine, from a logistics perspective that battle likely won the Federation the war.

After Earth, M'Quve was next seen in space, where he has a final confrontation with Amuro in the Gyan, a custom mobile suit modeled after a European knight. His in particular was exceptionally customized to suit his fencing fighting style.

The Gyan was a competing design for Zeon's next mass produced mobile suit and lost to the well-known Gelgoog. The Gyan and Gelgoog were Zeon's first attempts at mass producing a mobile suit that could utilize beam weapons, the Gyan brought a beam saber to the fight, it also had a shield loaded with needle missiles and had "hide bombs" or space mines scattered throughout the battlefield. M'Quve intended on defeating Amuro with his wits and guile (and surplus of space mines) but alas was defeated by the Gundam in Texas Colony.

(Fun fact, the Gyan does not show up in the Mobile Suit Gundam compilation movie trilogy. As a result, in the manga sequel "Char's Deleted Affair" the author realized he need to kill M'Quve off since he was never killed on screen and so had him shot down in the opening volume while escaping A Baoa Qu.)

Zimmad who created the mass produced and ubiquitous Dom also developed the Gyan and it's intended purpose was to pair together with Dom units for a combined arms doctrine while the Dom's provided ranged support the Gyan would provide close-quarters combat. Essentially, a specialist unit, so it's not surprising it didn't win the bid for the next mass produced model. Since the Gyan was intended to work with the Dom / Rick Dom we opted to keep the Gyan at Frame 2, but with a high performance to threaten the Gundam. For M'Quve he has a special "Hide Bomb" ability that represents M'Quve scattering mines around the battlefield prior to the start of combat, and your opponent may be unlucky enough to run into one.

The Gyan EOS is a variant used by the Kycillia Guard. Instead of a beam saber it uses a beam polearm and a shield. It did the sensible thing of giving the Gyan a ranged weapon, a giant bazooka just like the Dom making it an all-purpose unit. This unit would later appear in the manga MSV-R Return of Johnny Ridden which happens to bring up a number of classic Mobile Suit Variation designs.

Rules Updates

The biggest one is the change to Pilot. We discovered a few edge cases where you could make an extremely deadly force comprised of only Zaku Iis with Giant Bazookas and Ace Pilots. Since Pilot gave free hits, combing that with a cheap unit and a high damage weapon is an easy win. Unfortunately we didn't consider that in the design stage. As a result we're going to modify Pilot slightly.

Previously: Pilot level 1 gives +1 Hit, Pilot Level 2 gives +2 Hits.
Revised: Pilot Level 1 may spend 1 Momentum to gain +1 Hit with a weapon. Pilot Level 2 may spend 2 Momentum for +2 Hits.

The same effect is achieved but it is tied to a consumable resource, Momentum. While you can still have very deadly Zakus with this change, it does leave you open to not having enough Momentum to keep them alive so it's a gambit at this point.

While testing out a few Pilot rule variations we also decided to add one to the base game, unofficially dubbed "Turn the Tide". It is meant to represent using a Skilled or Ace pilot to change the course of a battle, sometimes single-handedly. It’s a rather simple mechanic, when you activate a Skilled or Ace Pilot if your momentum is 3 or less gain Momentum equal to that unit’s Pilot Level.

It adds a bit more strategy since the game has alternating activations, if you know you can activate a good pilot on your next turn you might be more willing to spend Momentum where previously you may have wanted to hoard it.

The last major thing to mention is an oversight on Melee. When you look at a rule document enough times you tend to gloss over a number of things you've read a hundred times, thankfully a new tester caught this one. At the start of the document it's mentioned that Melee is a free action, this means that if a unit has 1 action they can move, then use their action to shoot or boost, and if they get into melee they can make a free melee attack. This was not crystal clear in the meat of the rules document. To solve these we removed the [Action] from the Melee header and added two notes, both in the Actions section and the Melee section to make it clear that Melee is a free action and does not require you to use your Mech's action.

Misc Rules Changes (shown in Red Text)
-Melee Action Oversight - Deleted [Action] in front of Melee Clash. Adjusted first page of combat section. Added -Designer's note: Melee is a Free Action usable by any Mech once per turn.
-Adjusted how Skilled and Ace Pilot works. Adjusted Combat example to reflect changes.
-Clarified weapon targeting such that the Defender chooses what order to roll Evade dice when being attacked by a Gigas
-Add designers note to Targeting regarding positioning to protect weaker models
-Added a note to Point blank shot to mention it is effective when combined with "Take the Shot" pilot skill
-Clarified verbiage under "Challenge"
-Clarified verbiage on "Full Throttle"
-Updated Shutdown so you may not use Shields or Pilot Traits and Evade checks only succeed on a 10
-Updated the verbiage on Cover benefits
-Updated the "Improvise" command to be 2MP

Misc Unit Roster Changes
-Fixed Typo - The Cost 200 Gundam was showing 6k HP when it should be 7k HP.
-Fixed Typo on Infamous Ace / Ghost of Zeon. Should be "End of Round" vice "Start of Round"
-Fixed Typo on Headhunter / Hunting for a Rival where it triggers against Pilot Level 1+ units vice Pilot 0
-Fixed an error on Big Zam's Sensors, changed to 6"
-Adjusted GM Guard Custom Special Role to Sniper vice Indomitable
-Adjusted GM Intercept Custom's Special Role to Heavy Arms vice Assault. Adjusted equipment loadout and thrusters.
-Raise momentum cost to 2 on Deathray

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/07 02:24:08


 
   
Made in us
Fickle Fury of Chaos



San Lorenzo, CA

If you're open to requests; how about the Alex, the Kempfer, the Hy-Gogg and the Z'Gok Experimental? I have the units to run most of the battles in "War in the Pocket" but need stats for these suits.
The rules look good, by the way. I might have a question or two but want to try to answer them myself.
Thanks for putting the work.

-K

Lurking & Posting since 1997.

 
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Thanks! I am most certainly open to requests and you have great taste, the Hy-Gogg is an aquatic favorite of mine. Next week's update is the Gelgoog as well as some Gundam variants so I can definitely work in Alex and Kampfer to round out the 0080 units. I'll have aquatic suits ready later this month.

Let me know if I can be of help with any rules questions or clarifications. Cheers!
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good morning Dakkanauts,

This week's update is a large one. We've got the iconic Gelgoog series making its debut as well the RX78NT-1 Gundam 'Alex' and the Kampfer by request. Latest unit rosters can be found here. Let's start with the Gelgoog series.

The Gelgoog was Zeon's answer to the Gundam, mass producing a high end model with both ranged and melee beam weapons beating out the Gyan from last week as the premier model. Unfortunately, this late in the war there were two driving factors that would cause Zeon to lose the war even after the introduction of the Gelgoog.

First up the Earth Federation had tremendously more resources and production capacity than the colonies in the Principality of Zeon, as a result once the Federation used the Gundam's data to begin mass producing GMs they quickly sent an impressively large force into space to overwhelm Zeon. The 2nd factor was a lack of skilled or even trained pilots, this late in the war most of the experienced Zeon pilots had been killed or wounded on Earth so the high performing Gelgoog was now being piloted by herds of Greenhorns.

Still not every Gelgoog was piloted by a Rookie, the initial assortment of Gelgoogs were assigned to Char Aznable, The Red Comet, as well as the Zeon Ace corps such as Johnny Ridden, Robert Gilliam, and Gabby Hazard. The Ace Corps piloted the Commander, High Mobility and the Cannon type with spectacular results, especially in Operation Clarion.

When designing the Gelgoog we wanted it to be great at many roles while still being cost efficient enough to represent being produced on a large scale. Good weaponry, evasion, movement and a solid amount of HP. We settled on High-Power Beam Rifle to match the Gundam.

For speed the Gelgoog is based on the R series of high thrust Zakus. From the MG kit manual "The Gelgoog could be called a direct descendant of the Zaku MS-06R series, and as with the R type, the entire leg could be considered a huge vernier thruster unit. It was also designed for even higher performance, based on operating data from the 06R-2 type". We bumped up the Gelgoogs speed but wanted to keep it below both the Doms which were known for high top speed and the R series who were known for high speed but lower operating times.

The Gelgoog High Mobility type received additional backpack thrusters, while the Canon modified that backpack to include a reactor powered beam cannon, although in Jacobius Node's case that was instead swapped out with a shoulder mounted giant bazooka. The last variant is the Gelgoog Jager from 0080 War in the Pocket, while sporting a 'beam machinegun' its ammo retain their kinetic energy even at long ranges. As a result, the beam doesn't lose much power over long distances, which is normally a big problem for beam weapons making this unit an excellent Sniper even with a rapid firing weapon. As the first beam machinegun we chose to use the prototype weapon equipment option to customize a beam rifle to fire additional shots, have more range but less penetration.

For the custom versions, Char's Gelgoog swaps out the previous Elusive pilot trait with "Hunting for a Rival" to better represent Char's focus on his pride of defeating Amuro. Both Char and Johnny Ridden have the Indomitable special role applied to their Gelgoog representing how both their machines have survived several crippling battles. For the custom Gelgoog Cannon, many may be familiar with Jacobius Node from MSV-R RoJR where his sniper type Gelgoog is astonishingly deadly, for his OYW version he was loaded with a considerable amount of ballistic armaments. Lastly we have Shin Matsunaga, Dozle Zabi's guard and confident who was absent from the battle of solomon to pick up his Gelgoog Jaeger, for his custom we went with twin-beam sabers to match the kit and the MSV-R Manga.

Now we come to our premier suits form 0080, the Kampfer and Alex. The Kampfer is a high speed hit and run unit and will be the fastest Zeon unit from the one year war. Assembled in a colony by a special forces team this unit left a path of devastation in its wake as it charged towards a top secret facility containing the RX78NT-1 Gundam 'Alex'. Alex was intended for Amuro, the federations Newtype ace and was tuned to his superhuman reflexes, as a result it made it incredibly hard to use for other pilots. Christina Mackenzie, our leading lady in 0080 is the test pilot for Alex, normally we give test pilots a Pilot Level of 1 but in this case we are leaving it at 0 since Alex was so difficult to control and master.

The Kampfer comes loaded with considerable weaponry as well as the Assault designator giving it a second action. We recommend the "Grenades" and "Tear through the Ranks" commands if you want to simulate it's iconic attack run in your games. For Alex we also assigned it the Assault designator to represent that this machine was the secret weapon heading to Amuro with immense capabilities when it comes to reaction speeds. You can take it with the Chobham armor for an additional points cost, if you do after its HP dips below a certain point it is replaced with the more nimble (but less armored) version of Alex replete with arm mounted gatling guns. Since Alex's beam rifle was assembled using the best components from multiple manufacturers we also gave it a weapon upgrade.

Last up are two miscellaneous tweaks. Heat Weapons will be switching from +1 Hit on Melee Counterattack to +1d10 Melee Counterattack. The +1 Hit while perfectly fine for many units, but was simply too punishing for the low end suits so this change helps bring back the element of chance when attacking and counterattacking. Beam Resist Coating is will be removed from the Gouf Custom and Flight Type. While the Gouf Custom and Gelgoog shield were the first two units to receive beam resist coatings, they began to become standard as time moved on, so we'll be reserving this trait for units that are exceptionally resistant to beam weapons or allowing it as a wargear option in the future.

Roster Additions
Zeon (+8)
Gelgoog variants & Kampfer
Federation (+2)
Alex (Chobham), Alex

Misc Updates
-Adjusted Heat weapons to be +1d10 Counterattack vice +1 Hit
-Removed Beam Resist Coating from Gouf Custom & Flight Type

Next week we'll have aquatic suits and Gundam's Unit 4 & 5 of the RX78 series for release.
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good afternoon Dakkanauts,

For this week's update we are releasing the first batch of aquatic units starting with the Z'Gok and Hy-Gogg. We'll also be releasing units from a Mobile Suit Gundam sidestory including the Act Zaku as well as Gundam Units 4 and 5 of the RX78 series. As always if you have any specific requests for Mechs to include in the game please leave a comment below. Updated Unit Rosters can be found here.

Starting off with the Aquatic Units we have the iconic Z'Gok one of the most successful designs for Zeon's amphibious rosters. Sporting a sleek silhouette, mega particle cannons and giant claws it was deadly on the battlefield, even more so when piloted by The Red Comet Char Aznable. The Red Z'Gok was surprisingly nimble combatant, Char discovered a secret entrance to the Federation headquarters in Jaburo and spearheaded the assault where he discovered the Federations first mass produced machine the GM, he quickly dispatched one with a claw through the cockpit in one of Gundam's iconic scenes. Later when fighting Amuro, the Z'Gok proved exceptionally nimble dashing and leaping across the screen fighting the Gundam to a standstill before blowing up the ceiling and escaping.

For Gundam 0080 War in the Pocket we have two more aquatic designs. The Z'Gok E for experimental type, which was a more refined late war model as well as the Hy-Gogg which was a complete redesign of the large gangly Gogg. With flared batwings and long segmented arms the Hy-Gogg was truly unique and captured the eye of many fans when it came out. Both units were used to deadly effect against the GM Cold District type at the beginning of the series.

Design wise Zeon's aquatic units were exceptionally heavy so we gave them all Frame 2 as a base, they are also the first units to utilize beam weapon's on their side due to water cooling. We also created the "Amphibious" special trait, a Cost+0 trait that affects the Ambush [Command]. When using that [Command] Amphibious units must deploy in the water, however, you can use the Command to pull an amphibious unit back in to reserves to redeploy it later making them excellent for hit-and-run tactics.

Changing gears we'll look at the units from the Gundam Side Story originally translated as "Space, Beyond the Blaze" and more recently mention as "Space, to the End of a Flash" but most will remember that it starred the Thoroughbred, a light green sister ship to the White Base and the blue and red RX78-4 and RX78-5 Gundam's. This story originally debuted in the PS2 Game - Gundam Encounters in Space and later received a follow-up manga. The Thoroughbred, it's Gundams and 3x Guncannon team were deployed into space following the Jaburo invasion and were assigned covert missions involving interrupting the supply lines between the moon and the space fortress Solomon.

Their antagonists were the Zeon units on Granada, one of the largest Lunar cities, spearheaded by Mallet Sanguine, a rather crazed fellow piloting the Act Zaku a lesser known competitor that lost out to the Gelgoog. The Act Zaku as well as the RX78-4&5 received the magnetic coating which drastically improved their turn around times and overall mobility.

Since the story debuted in a video game it had a branching story path. The RX78-4 had an experimental mega beam launcher and condenser unit that if it worked properly had the firepower to tear through several Zeon space ships. Unfortunately, the system (and the Gundam) had issues maintaining the power output and the unit would explode in a cutscene. As the pilot of Unit 5 if you played well enough you could save Unit 4 and the two of you would continue the campaign to eventually lead an assault on the space fortress A Bao Qu. If you weren't fast enough, unfortunately the pilot of Unit 4, Luce Kassel would die leaving Unit 5's pilot Ford Romfellow to mourn and mature as a character. Both paths are covered in the manga adaptation and it's certainly worth a read.

On the antagonist side Mallet leads a force of Rick Dom and Rick Dom IIs against the Thoroughbred. Initially starting off with a beam rifle and gelgoog shield he finishes the story with the limiter removed on the Act Zaku as well as a potent combat stim injected giving him a reckless abandon and making him a bit more crazy than usual, he finishes the act with two heat hawks which he duels Ford's RX78-5 with. For the Act Zaku we presented a standard version with a special 4-barrel bull-pup as well as the one used by Mallet in his final confrontation sporting two heat hawks and a stim-induced berserker trait.

Lastly we have the Bigro, one of the sleek mobile armors that makes an appearance in the original Mobile Suit Gundam, the 0081 Gundam Senki animated intro and Vol 3 of the Thoroughbred manga where it poses a dangerous foe to Gundam's unit 4 and 5. The Bigro's claim to fame was its exceptional speed, although as we see in the manga the Gundam units were briefly able to keep up with it before it reached max speed. We opted to give the Bigro the "Assault" type which gives it a 2nd action which is best used on a "Full Throttle" action each turn to let it reroll it's Evade dice. As seen in most its incarnations a few well place beam shots will sink the Bigro.


Unit List Updates

-Zaku II Ace - Renamed to Zaku II Char Custom. +1 Thrusters, -1 Low Cost and Newtype I
-Zaku R1A - Corrected an oversight, they were missing Reinforce 1
-Gundam Alex - Corrected an oversight, was missing Ultralight Superalloy. Cost increased by 20pts
-Fists/Kick/Smash etc. have (CC) added to their entry to clarify they are a Close Combat weapon that can benefit from "High Speed Attack"
-Updated Armor Save Formula - Goal was to limit Armor Save to be Max +2. Indomitable and Reinforce 4+ no longer stack. Units Affected: Gundam Armor Save +3 -> +2.
-Gigas - Updated formulas and removed extra EQ slots required on most weapons
-Updated Death Ray to 10 Power and 2 Momentum and remove the 5 EQ slot requirement
-Adjusted AA MPC to be 3 Power
-Updated Big Zam's Profile

Misc Updates

-Updated Ambush Command with a benefit for Amphibious units
-Snipers - Minor verbiage tweak on ignore Shields/Cover
-Added verbiage on destructible terrain to denote that weapons with bonus hits deal extra damage to terrain
-Added red text to Co-op Campaign mode to confirm the Mission Commander chooses which Commands to take on each mission
-Added red text to Movement to specify you cannot move through enemy models

That's all for this week, next week we will change things up a bit and release some non-Gundam units. Since Evangelion 3.0+1.0 finally got its overseas release we thought it would be a good time to dust off the Evangelion (TV) unit profiles and update them to Version 7. We'll have those ready for next week along with some absolutely terrifying Angels to face.
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good morning everyone,

No update for this week. I was blessed with a newborn this week who came a little earlier than expected. The wife and I are now back home and working on adjusting to a new schedule and hopefully getting some sleep in the future. Since I'm a little tied up with the little one the regular Thursday updates for MechaStellar will be put on a brief hiatus. Plan is to get back into the swing of things no later than the first week of October.

Draft sheets of the Evangelion units are up on the downloads page but may get rebalanced later on. When we return we'll have additional unit for Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV), a new game mode "Defend the City", and an update to the Co-op Campaign Mission packs extending them past Mission 5 and adding in some difficulty for those who requested it. All the best!
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Happy Orktober Dakkanauts!

The days have gone by in a blur for me, it hardly feels like a month or so has gone by. The wife and I are still adapting to a new routine with the baby but I have had a little bit of time, mostly during early morning contact naps, to get some updates done. I’ll be resuming the usual weekly updates, moving to Friday instead of Thursdays to make things a bit easier on me.

This Friday’s update will feature updated unit sheets, updated rules, and a new game mode “Defend the City!” or “Rampage” if you’d like to instead play as the monsters. For the rest of October there will be more units for Gundam and NGE, and with the conclusion of Getter Robo Arc, that was some good motivation for me to work on some classic Getter Robo units.

Planned October Updates

-Unit Profile Sheet Updates

-Rules Update to Version 7.5

-New Game Mode: Rampage / Defend the City

-Additional Commands

-Updates & Expansions to the Gundam CO-OP Mission Packs

-More units for the Gundam OYW Era

-More units from Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV)

-Units from Getter Robo

-Turn by Turn Example on how to play the game

Cheers!
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good morning Dakkanauts,

This week's update involves a number of rules update and unit profile sheet updates found on the downloads page here. A round-by-round example of play was also posted this week which can be found here: Setup, Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5. Next week we'll be releasing additional units for Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV). Below are a few highlights of the changes that were made over the last month and a half.

Compression
Previously we had units roughly split into three eras corresponding to Performance 0-5, 6-10, and 11-15. While prototyping some Super Robot style units we ran into issues where there was simply too great of a gap between early units (Performance 0-5) and later units (11-15) that they effectively became wasted points. So over several weeks we compressed all units down to Performance range of 0-10. Of the units released thus far it only affects a handful of high performance units shown in the summary below.

Thrusters impacting Evade
In VER 4-6 we allowed Thrusters to affect Evade, we removed it in VER 7 since it became a bit too easy for some units to stack Evade and become untouchable, especially in the Zeta Gundam era. We added a bonus back in under certain conditions and with a downside, similar to how too high of a Reinforce level will weigh a unit down. Now if Thrusters > Frame level you will gain +1 Evade but -1 Shooting since the unit wasn't designed to operate at that speed putting too much strain on the machine and the pilot. The Evade bonus does not stack with Raid or Interceptor type units. Raid units have this bonus built in to their stat adjustments.

Unit Sheets
From a general usability standpoint we tweaked the color coding on units such that Pilot Traits are a different shade of purple than traits assigned to a machine. This is handy for Campaign mode so you know which line items to replace with your Pilot's skills. Additionally, Mech Traits that mirror a pilot skill (such as the EXAM units mirroring the Berserker pilot trait) had their points increased. Lastly, we started incorporated simple Size rules which will apply to a number of Gigas units from Pacific Rim, Evangelion, Getter Robo, Gurren Lagann and current units like the Big Zam. Size rules give you bonus dice to use when stomping on smaller Mechs.

Rules Updates
Gigas units reverted back to using the same rules as MS when it comes to shooting weapons, one weapon per action, to compensate for this Gigas units with gargantuan over-engineered weapons able to take an upgraded version that costs significantly more power but offers more shots. Heavy Arms type units now gain +1 Action but get -1 Evade in return.

For Melee a few sections were rewritten to make it more clear what bonuses apply. We came into a few situations where it was unclear whether or not you could apply a Shield and "Make it Count" for instance as the defender. The rules were rewritten that "+X Hit" only apply to Counterattack while "+X Block" apply only to Block.

New Commands
Since we'll be releasing some Super Robot type units in the future we added in some new abilities with flavor to match. There is Will to Power which is great for a sudden reversal or guaranteeing a finishing blow, Narrow Escape is a way to survive for a turn and units with giant drills can tunnel underground then appear elsewhere, Self-Destruct a common recourse for a pilot from Gundam Wing is also useful for an Angel from NGE. The Valiant and Unbeaten are intended to be leveraged when fighting a stronger opponent, while hot-blooded passion is the perfect command to give while doing a reckless charge, bonus points if you come up with a name for the attack.

New Game Mode
Lastly we're debuting a new game mode, Defend the City or if you like to play as stampeding monsters "Rampage". This is a game mode focused on protecting (or destroying) a city, so you'll need lots of terrain pieces. The game is intended for a CO-OP experience but you can easily turn it into a versus experience, either 1 on 1 or 1 vs many while one person controls the Monsters and the others control one Mech each. This game mode has the most fun when there are 2+ monsters rampaging.

Summary of Changes

Design Math
-Adjusted the Evade & Move formula for Mobile Armors (Gigas class Mechs) so it was less punishing
-Fixed an error on Move formula where its growth was off-sync with Evade
-Updated the Melee formula to match Shooting growth. The following units received a boost to Melee:
-Zeon: Zaku Desert Type, Zaku F2 / FZ / R Type, Dom Variants, Gouf Custom and Flight Type, Efreets, Gyans, Gelgoog, Z'Gok, Z'Gok E, Hy-Gogg
-Federation: All Gundam Types, Guncannon MP, GM Cold Districts, GM Command Space, Desert GM, GM Sniper II
-Adjusted the Evade formula such that units with a Thrusters level > Frame level receive +1 Evade but -1 Shooting. These modifiers do not stack with Raid or Interceptor types.
-Adjusted Raids such that they have -1 Shooting but +1 Evade.
-Heavy Arms units give +1 Action but -1 Evade

Unit Sheets
-Stat Compression - Performance 5 -> 4 Zaku R1A/R2, Gouf Variants, Gyan variants, Gelgoog Jager, Kampfer, Act Zaku Commander, GM Sniper II. Performance 4->3 Char's Gelgoog. Evangelions reduced to 5/6/7
-Applied a color coding for Mechs with light purple being a pilot trait and dark purple being a trait for the Mech.
-Increased points for mech traits that mirror Pilot Traits (such as the EXAM system mirroring Berserk)
-Unified rules verbiage for Berserk abilities
-Updated rules text for Size traits
-Corrected error where Ambusher wasn't displaying for GM Nightseeker.
-Updated Ambush to be outside Sensor range or behind LOS cover.
-Adjusted Flight Mode - Allows you to ignore terrain and reroll Evade. Cost increased to +20
-Corrected an error on the Dom High-Speed Test Type weapon choice and WT
-Zaku II F2 Cost changed to 40 (Removed missile pod, Low cost +1)
-Fixed an error with Big Zam's cost, also included the "Massive" trait
-Updated the Missile Profiles for the Bigro
-Guncannon Cost changed to 80 (Thrusters -1, Low Cost +1)
-Updated the shots & DMG for the "Deathray" weapon profile. Also for Gigas Mechs the Moment 2 Cost was removed.
-Updated Flamethrower to Overwatch V
-Updated Antiship Rifle to have 4 Shots vice 3
-Updated 'Killer' Melee Weapons & Heat Whip to PEN 3

Rules Document Updates
-Removed all old red text to make it easier to see new updates
-Updated Initiative into a simple d10 roll off each round. This was changed several months ago but somehow I neglected to update the rules text all this time.
-Moved a few bullets from Movement down to Engagement and removed the redundant text
-Updated rules for Gigas shooting weapons to match MS rules. Removed Gigas shooting penalties for moving 5+" and split firing. Removed the Steady Shot Pilot Skill which was made redundant by this.
-Updated verbiage on Melee clash to make Block and Counterattack more clear when it comes to abilities that modify them (+1 Hit or +1 Block)
-Added "Shutdown" to Tactical Advantage and removed it from under Ion damage.
-Added note about giant size dealing damage to cover when using Full Throttle to flatten buildings
-Fixed some wording on Battle Damage
-Updated Pilot Traits Overconfident, Untouchable, Prodigy & Fighting Spirit
-Change Momentum Point (# MP) to just (M:#)
-Updated All-Out Attack to allow you to lose 5 Momentum in lieu of shutting down
-Added the following Commands: Coordinated Fire, Hot Blooded Passion, Berserk, Moment of Clarity, The Valiant, It Regenerated!?, Unbeaten, Inspiring Speech, Self Destruct, Narrow Escape, The Will to Power.
-Added Commander Trait "Impressive Skill", renamed several other traits
-Revised Bold Leader to match the Shooting trait, Bold Leader now gives +1 to Melee rolls so you succeed on a 4+
-Tweaked verbiage on CO-OP behavior table for Flank, renamed Berserk to Finish them off
-New Game Mode added: Defend the City | Rampage!

This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2021/10/29 22:37:26


 
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut



London

I will try and give it a go
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Thanks! Let me know if you have any questions.

If you're looking 40k style gameplay Versus: Secure the Objective will be the most similar. Campaign Mode has a behavior chart similar to Blackstone Fortress and can be done as solo play or with up to 6 players. The new game type Defend the City / Rampage can be done as either cooperative or a versus style game.
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good morning Dakkanauts,

Last week we released the Defend the City | Rampage game type as well as units from Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV) including three Evas and two Angels, Sachiel and Shamsel. This week we are releasing the 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th angel. Updated unit sheets can be found here. Next week we'll be switching things up and releasing units from Pacific Rim to give you more units to use in the Defend the City | Rampage game mode.

Starting with the 6th Angel we have Gaghiel, this Angel appears the same episode the Evangelion Unit 02, Production type, and it's pilot Asuka Langley Soryu. Gaghiel is one of the largest angels we see, resembling a prehistoric creature like a mosasaur. If you want to use Gaghiel in a Defend the City game, swap out buildings for naval ships and aircraft carriers. Don't forget since Gaghiel is Colossal then smaller units do not get a size bonus against them, even in Defend the City.

Next up is the 7th Angel Israfel from the episode "Dance like you want to Win". Israfel was a peculiar angel that was able to split into two angels of different colors who properly walloped Eva Unit 01 and 02 who at the time had terrible teamwork and were adept at getting in each others way. One of the sillier episodes of Evangelion, this episode involved a choreographed fight set to classical music to knock both halves of the angel back together then destroy it simultaneously. We wanted to have some fun with this angel and so we gave it an ability where both units must be destroyed on the same turn, if only one is destroyed then a fully restored 2nd model will be placed next to the surviving one at the beginning of the next round starting the sequence all over again.

The 13th Angel is an unusual one and a very tragic and gruesome episode to accompany it. The completed Eva Unit 03 was infected by the angel Bardiel and when it went through testing and activation the angel took over where it began shambling through the countryside defeating other Evas until it came across Unit 01.

Last up is the 14th angel Zeruel who we've shown in some previous posts discussing Gigas class weapons. Zeruel was one of the most lethal angels they faced, quickly disarming Unit 02, surviving an N2 Mine shoved past the AT Field and withstanding tremendous amounts of punishment. Highly lethal it nearly wiped out Unit 01 on two occasions, instead taking off an arm and nearly destroying its core before the Eva went berserk. For Zeruel we gave him an exceptionally strong AT Field to represent how most attacks left him unphased. You'll need multiple Evas working in concert to bring him down.

For rules updates the AT Field from last week had its secondary clause modified. We got some feedback that its previous incarnation discouraged getting close, which is the opposite of what we usually see in the show. So instead of turning off Rapid Fire for PEN 1/2/3 weapons instead it will gain +1 Block against those weapons. The "Neutralize AT Field" ability the EVAs have may get downgraded to 2d10 in the future if it proves to be too powerful.

Summary of changes:
-Added 4 new units for Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV)
-Adjusted AT Field (Barrier)
-Increased range on AT Field Neutralize to 20"
-Upgraded Sachiel's AT Field and Cost (+50)
-Corrected error on Cross Explosion where it should be 2" wide line vice 5" wide circle
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good morning Dakkanauts,

This week's update is Pacific Rim which will give you more units to use with the new "Defend The City / Rampage" game type. Updated rules and unit profile sheets can be found on the downloads page here.

If you've never seen Pacific Rim it's a very fun and well directed movie by Guillermo del Toro starring giant robots called "Jaegers" and their two synchronized pilots who fight giant monsters (Kaiju) which come through a breach between worlds under the Pacific Ocean. If you're a fan of Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla then this movie should be right up your alley. Here's an example scene from the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLptjP1RKmQ

Jaegers
Gipsy Danger is our hero of the story, after suffering critical damage defending fisherman from Knifehead the salvaged MKIII Jaeger is moved to the Shatter Dome where it is rehabilitated and upgraded. After a deadly skirmish in the Hong Kong Harbor an EMP renders the surviving Jaeger inoperable and so Gipsy Danger is sent out to take out the rampaging Kaiju as seen in the clip above. The following Commands are recommended if you are trying to recreate this battle.

Gipsy Danger Commands
-All Out Attack
-Giant Slayer

Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha are two of the last Jaegers left and are tasked with defending the city, while they initially fare well against Otachi things take a turn for the worse and both Jaegers are eventually defeated. Crimson Typhoon is one of the more agile Jaegers out there so we gave it abilities to match that, and while we don't see it used it has a very powerful plasma caster with specialized targeting of kaiju. Cherno Alpha is the oldest Jaeger still in service, extremely tough but its pilots have no option to eject so we gave it the "Victory or Death" berserker style ability. When running these two units against Otachi and Leathback we recommend these commands:

Crimson Typhoon & Cherno Alpha Commands
-Unbeaten
-Mayhem or Moment of Clarity

On the Kaiju side we have Leatherback a category 3 Kaiju who viciously wounded Gipsy Danger after being badly wounded by the Plasma Caster. Then we have Otachi and Leatherback, the giant monster stars of the Hong Kong sequence. Leatherback is both tough and a melee powerhouse and has the EMP ability, meanwhile Otachi can be quite deadly lashing out with its tail even when being battered in melee. With its ability to transform and spread wings its exceptional movement can be very useful for rampaging through the city to rebuild your Momentum reserves. We recommend the following commands for these two units.

Leatherback & Otachi
-Ambush
-Pyrrhic Victory

Next week's update will have the rest of the Pacific Rim cast and a narrative mission pack for Pacific Rim.

Summary of Updates


Unit Profile Sheets:
-New Units from Pacific Rim: 3 Jaegers and 3 Kaiju
-Neon Genesis Evangelion: Sheets updated due to weapon updates
-Cross Explosion increased to 10 Shots
-Increased range of Eva Sniper Rifle to 36"
-Updated verbiage on Close Combat & Gunnery Expert. Same net effect, but without the Focus action.
-Transform Mode: Melee penalty is now only on Defense. Units affected: Shamsel (NGE TV) & Otachi
-For uniformity, Thrusters / Agility / Jump Jets are all being renamed to "Speed"

Rules Updates
-After getting some feedback Titan class was preferred over Gigas class so our high HP heavy hitters will switch back to their old name
-On the Unit profile sheets Mech Class will be added to make it quick to identify if a unit is a MS or Titan Class. Paint Job, which was a legacy item from when MechaStellar was an RPG campaign, will be removed.
-Added a simple Table of Contents
-Updated rules for Facing based on feedback that it was too easy to ignore Blindside by turning around at the end of your turn.
-Updated rules text for Full Throttle. MS & Transforming units go over terrain, Massive / Colossal units go through it.
-Updated Battle Damage rules to allow you to disable a special ability like EMP
-Vs & Coop Mode: Changed "Area Objective" to "Control Point". Changed "Controlling the Objective" to "Controlling the Point"
-Updated Defend the City / Rampage with the following tweaks. Alternate Deployments (deploy anywhere but outside enemy sensor range), max 10 Momentum, Monsters can only gain 3 Momentum per turn destroying buildings, Defenders gain +1 Momentum when using a Close Combat (CC) weapon such as Fists or Smash.
   
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Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good morning Dakkanauts,

For this week's update we are releasing the rest of the Pacific Rim units, three new Jaegers and three new Kaiju. New unit profile sheet can be found here. I didn't get enough time to finish up the Narrative Mission Pack for Pacific Rim this week but it will be released on Sunday. The Narrative Mission Pack will capture the exciting battles that take place during Hong Kong. Next week will be the update to the Gundam Co-op Mission packs for both the Federation and Zeon extending them out to 10 missions.

On the Jaeger side we have Striker Eureka, piloted by the RAAF father and son pilots Herc and Chuck Hansen. Playing a pivotal role in the series these two pilot the first and only Mark V Jaeger to be built and the fastest Jaeger at the time it was commissioned. It's weapons include a pair of sting blades as well as anti-kaiju missiles fired from its chest. Since Striker Eureka was the fastest Jaeger we gave it the Bullrush ability that gives it bonus dice when using High Speed Attack.

Striker Eureka (Herc & Chuck) Commands
-Unbeaten
-Giant Slayer

Striker Eureka (Pentecost & Chuck) Commands
-Inspiring Speech
-Self-Destruct

Next up is Coyote Tango, seen only briefly during a flashback in the movie. This was the Jaeger piloted by Stacker Pentecost before he became Marshal in the Pan Pacific Defense Corps where he saved Mako during a Kaiju attack in Japan. Part of the inspiration for Coyote Tango was the Guncannon from Mobile Suit Gundam which can be seen by the massive cannons on its shoulders. It's partner back then was Tacit Ronin, never seen on screen but we thought it would be fun to include them as well. Both of these MK I Jaegers are at an economic 200pt cost.

For the Kaiju we have the last three in the movie, Slattern the category V kaiju as well their bodyguards Scunner & Raiju. Since Scunner and Raiju have a short bit of screentime before their demise we opted to keep them as low cost as possible, that way Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka are not at too significant a disadvantage when facing three Kaiju. Scunner resembling a bull also receives the Bullrush ability while Raiju the fast moving crocodile-esque creature gets ambush hunter. Slattern comes in at 500pts and is a force to be reckoned with boasting incredible HP, Evade and movement it will be hard to take this beast down unscathed.

That's all for this week, if you loved the Pacific Rim movies and want to learn more about the monsters and machines that are part of it I highly recommend the Pacific Rim: Man, Machine & Monsters hardcover artbook. Look forward to the mission pack being released on Sunday.

Unit Profile Sheets:
-Added 6 new units for Pacific Rim
-Changed Otachi's trait to "Killer Instinct" which gives +1 Penetration with its weapons to make its Tail and Acid Jet more lethal.
-Updated Otachi's Stratosphere Drop to include verbiage for "Disengage"
-Updated Cherno's Alpha Tesla Fists to be an ability vice a weapon. Since "Defend the City" gives +1 Momentum for using generic Close Combat (CC) weapons we wanted to further incentivize using it with Cherno Alpha by electrifying its fists on odd numbered rounds.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/10/29 18:03:08


 
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good afternoon Dakkanauts,

For this week's update we are releasing the next 5 Missions for the Gundam Sandbox style campaign for both the Federation and Zeon side. By request the first five missions were tweaked slightly and we've added Enemy Commanders for Missions 4 & 5 as well as Momentum to keep it a bit more challenging while not being too difficult for first time players. While Missions 1-5 deal with a Federation & Zeon base in the desert, Missions 6-10 involve a city being overtaken then reclaimed and a finale in the forest where a heavy-lift launch vehicle (HLV) is getting ready to launch into space with a potent weapon on board. While Missions 4&5 are the finale of the first arc with a higher level of difficulty, we set mission 6 to be a bit easier to give you a chance to recover some acquisition points and rebuild your forces before getting into the tough missions of 8, 9 and 10.

Along with the new missions we also added a few pages at the beginning for additional guidance on how to run these co-op missions and updates to the enemy behavior, you can download them here. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to ask either here, or send us a comment/email on the blog. We've posted some photos here for examples on how to set up some of the terrain for your missions.

Unit Profile Sheets have been updated to account for changes to weapons, stats and fixing a few errors we noticed. Cannons and Antiship rifles have dropped down to 3 shots but with a larger range, this is to reduce the lethality of Guntanks and Guncannons who were having an exceptionally easy time in the missions. Additionally, Indirect Fire can no longer benefit from Focus or Pilot Skills like Aim or Make it Count!

The standard Shield and Super Shield have been updated so they provide a bonus block for a weapon making 5+ shots, making Shields more useful when dealing with machine guns or weapons in rapid fire range. Melee shields lost their +1d10 Melee counterattack which has proven to be a bit too strong and instead give a Reroll of 1s on Melee Defense.

Updates Summary

Unit Profile Sheets
-Added a spot to indicate if the unit is a MS or Titan
-Improved ranges for Antiship Rifle, Cannon, Indirect Fire, Zaku Desert Type's Long Machinegun
-Reduced Shots for Antiship Rifle, Cannon, Gatling Gun, Mega Beam Launcher. Improve Shots for Death Ray (Big Zam)
-Updated Melee Shield - Removed +1d10 Melee Counterattack, added Rerolls 1s on Defense
-Updated Shields & Super Shields - Gain an additional block against attacks with 5+ shots
-Raid Types received +1 Movement
-Gave Zaku II Commander Pilot Level 1
-Corrected an error on Bigro (+1 Power, -1 Speed)
-Fixed an error where GM Light Armor was showing Beam Rifle when it should have been Beam Saber
-Updated Tracked Vehicle (Guntank) so it may use Full Throttle but does not gain the Evade bonus

Co-op Mission updates
-Updated Mission Objectives, Enemies per mission & units to requisition
-Added Enemy Momentum and Commanders for Missions 4+
-Added Missions 6-10

Rules Updates
-Updated Shooting to Shooting Accuracy
-Indirect Fire cannot benefit from Focus or Pilot Skills
-Full Throttle gives +1 Evade instead of Reroll Evade (also applies to Flight Mode & Transform)
-Added option for Level 1+ Pilots with Focus to instead improving Shooting Accuracy or Melee chances
-Rename - "You're not finished yet" Command to "It's not over yet!" Added a 500 HP regain effect as well

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2021/11/10 15:38:18


 
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good morning Dakkanauts,

This week is a GM update with several unit units released for the Earth Federation from Mobile Suit Gundam. The following new units have been added: GM Cannon, Powered GM, GM Custom and GM Cannon II. Variations have been added for GM Ground Type, GM Command and GM Sniper Custom to provide more options. New Unit Profile can be found here.

The GM Cannon was designed to meet the need for mass produced mid-range support unit while also being more economic than the Guncannon and the Guncannon MP. The initial model heavily resembled a Guncannon with the red color scheme, twin shoulder cannons and even a Guncannon head but it was found the GM frame couldn't support the recoil. The GM Cannon was designed with a single cannon and added armor on the legs to improve the center of gravity and recoil compensation. A Space Assault Version variant also exists where the extra weight on the legs was removed since it was no longer being weighed down by gravity. For MechaStellar the GM Cannon will be 10pts giving you another choice with longer range firepower to start the Federation Campaign with.

The other three new units appear in Gundam 0083 a Stardust Memory, as we're closing out most of the OYW variants we'll start releasing units from 0081 and 0083 in the future. The Powered GM is a GM Kai (Type C) fitted with a very powerful backpack thrusters as well as numerous control systems in the orange sections of its body. The GM Custom and GM Cannon II were both developed from Gundam Alex, as a result we gave GM Custom the Assault trait to mirror Alex (with the change to Focus, Assault now benefits the Custom a great deal by allowing it either extra maneuvering or improved accuracy with its Rifle).

The GM Cannon II has a high reinforced level bolstering its HP due to its Chobham armor and is the first mass produced model sporting powerful beam cannons. Both units are given a profile to represent being used by the Immortal 4th Team. Since 0083 is a midway point between MSG (0079) and Zeta Gundam (0087) some of the high performance units will move past the Performance limit of 4 for OYW suits.

Of the variations a GM Command has been added as another 30pt option for the Federation campaign and will come into play when we release the Blue Destiny Mission Pack. The GM Ground Type may use a beam rifle just like the Gundam Ground type giving you access to longer range beam weapons earlier in the campaign. Lastly, since we already had Lydo Wolf we've added the other top scoring Federation Ace, Tenneth A. Jung, as a variant for the GM Command Space and the GM Sniper Custom when you are playing Vs mode.

Summary of Updates
-New Federation Units added: GM Cannon, GM Ground Type w/ Beam Rifle, GM Command, Ace GM Command Space (Tenneth Jung), Ace GM Sniper Custom (Tenneth Jung), Powered GM, GM Custom, GM Cannon II
-Updated Federation Mission Pack with new units available
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good morning Dakkanauts,

This week's update will focus on a balance update for both points and combat stats like Shooting & Evade. There is also one new unit added to the roster, the GM Land Combat type as well as two GM Kai variants. Next week we'll be releasing more Zeon amphibious units. Updated unit profiles can be found on the downloads page here.

New Unit
The GM Land Combat type served as the basis for the Desert GM, both of them sharing the model number RGM-79F, they the few Mobile Suits (MS) in the Universal Century to use railguns which were later made obsolete with the advent of mass-produced easily maintained beam weaponry. The Land Combat type had an six thrusters on its back for some impressive speed and with it's equipment loadout could easily switch between long range and close range combat. As a result we gave it the new "Attacker" combat role.

New Role added: Attacker
In the past we've experimented with the Raid role, wanting to give it a bonus to movement, evasion then deciding whether it's final bonus would be to shooting or melee. Since there were many MS that could lean either way we decided to split the role, with Raid focusing on Shooting and Attacker focusing on Melee. Several units were changed to the Attacker type. Additionally, all roles received a +1 Shooting across the board.

Points Update
Frame 2 & 4 received a 10pt cost increase. Many of the existing Frame 2 units received an adjustment to their equipment loadouts, either -1 Frame, Speed, Sensors or something else to maintain their previous cost while others simply went up by 10pts. For those who enjoy the Co-op Campaigns the noticeable changes will be the Gouf available earlier at Cost 50, Dom available later at Cost 60, the GM Kai and GM Command swapped positions points wise, the GM Command Space is now 50pts with Performance 4.

Another major points change will be the Newtype trait. Since Newtypes often take the center stage in the Universal Century (UC) we've adjusted their abilities to be more potent but also more costly, so you'll see the points for Amuro and Char's units increase by 50, 100 or 150 points. Newtype II & III now give an Intuition ability based on the precognitive like instincts that Newtypes develop while piloting. This ability reduces the Momentum cost to use Skill Defense by 1 although it still has a minimum cost of 1; so it takes effect when you are spending 2 or 3 Momentum to Block or Evade. A similar cost increase was applied to the Evangelion units with the "High Sync Ratio" ability.

Balance Update
High frame units apply a bonus to combat stats (i.e. Shooting, Melee & Evade), the formula has been adjusted that the Frame bonus does not kick in till Frame 3. For most Frame 2 units you will see a -1 to either Shooting & Melee or Evade & Move, however, some of the Frame 2 units experienced a weight reduction so it will be a wash for them. Across the board all units received +1d10 Melee which should add more excitement to both the Attacker & Defender. Weapons range 20" or higher received a 4" range boost. Additionally, the Missile Pod / Micromissile profile received a range boost.

For Titans weapons that were Power 3 (Beam Cannon, Plasma Caster, Sniper Rifle) are now Power 2. Titans also had their formula for Evade and Movement adjusted, many will have no change to Evasion but almost all have an improvement to Movement. Unit profiles were adjusted for Pacific Rim & Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV). The biggest Titan overhaul was the Big Zam. As always if you'd like to share your experiences using or fighting against that unstoppable Tyrant please let us know.

Misc Updates
-Corrected error on Bigro Melee, GM Intercept Custom Shooting Accuracy, Guntank Evade stats
-Corrected errors on Beam Spotgun, Heat Lancer.
-Adjusted Gatling Gun, Incinerator, Raketen Bazooka, Long Barrel Zaku Machine Gun & Chain Mine.
-Adjusted Grenade launcher to have lower shots but an Overwatch ability
-Twin-Linked weapons give +1 to Overwatch Shots
-Lowered HP Bonus for Frame 5 units (Big Zam, Slattern)
-Removed the +2 Move bonus for Assault Frames 3+
-Added a note specifying that certain units can only be deployed in Space
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Happy Thankgiving Dakkanauts,

This week's update we have four more Amphibious units for Zeon. Updated unit sheets can be downloaded here.

The early Zeon amphibious units are known for being quite heavy, well armored, slow lumbering, and packed with beam weapons. For comparison iconic Zeon suits like the Zauk, Gouf & Dom have an emtpy weight of 55-62 tons the four amphibious units being released today have an empty weight range of 90-170 tons. The Zock being the heaviest was essentially a mobile turret, it is notable for being one of the few units to take a hit from a Beam Rifle dead on and be unphased by it. The Gogg was slightly more mobile and while being much deadlier in Melee; it's successor series the Hy-Gogg was a radical redesign which created a well-balanced high performing unit.

The next two units were stealth oriented. The first is the AC Guy, a diminutive mobile suit with stubby arms and an silly face, the mobile suit was piloted by some comedic relief characters in the original Gundam and the AC Guy itself often adopted human-like expressions making it a fan favorite. The AC Guy was renowned for being very agile and especially stealthy thus the Interceptor Role (Evade bonus) and the Ambusher equipment slot. The Agg Guy, or Agguguy first debuted in Mobile Suit Variations, with a similar design to the AC Guy this one traded out all its weapons to instead rely on multiple heat rods, the same type used by the Gouf.

Next week we'll shift gears and look at units from a different Mecha series, Getter Robo.

Summary of Changes

-Added 4 Amphibious Units
-The Range column now lists "Melee" instead of 2" to accommodate players using larger models (i.e. 1:144 scale)
-Adjusted Weapon & Unit Profiles for Rick Dom Elite Guard, Gundam Pixie, Gipsy Danger, Crimson Typhoon, Cherno Alpha, Striker Eureka, Tacit Ronin, Knifehead, Leatherback, Otachi, Slattern, Zeruel

Weapon Update

-Twin or Dual Melee weapons are going from "+1 Hit" to "+1d10 Attack" to add some more variance to Melee.
-Heavy duty Titan weapons go from 3 Slots to 4 Slots in cost but gain a trait.
-Heat Saber & Large Heat Hawk switched to Melee ATK+1d10.
-Range 4" Weapons are getting bumped up to 8" which applies to Heat Rods, Acid Jets, Flash (Dom), and Rocket Anchor (Gouf), they are also gaining +1 Shot.
-The Progressive Knife (and Giant Drill for next week) are being revised to PEN 3 and every 10 rolled gives +1 PEN.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/11/29 01:28:38


 
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good morning Dakkanauts,

This week's update we are releasing units from a new Mecha series, Getter Robo, a foundational show for the Mecha genre by Ken Ishikawa. With both an anime and manga debuting in the early 70s it was the first Mecha series to showcase separate machines combining into a single Super Robot, this popular formula would later become a common staple for the genre. It also serves as a major inspiration for the ever popular Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Unit Profile Sheets can be downloaded here.

Getter Robo is a beloved series with a long running manga and several animated adaptations, most of which draw from the source material but put their own spin on it, one of the most popular versions is Getter Robo Armageddon which is typically featured in the Super Robot Wars series. If you're interested in the show you can catch an opening sequence for Armageddon here. We'll be sticking with their Manga versions for the units we are releasing.

Today's units are from the original Getter Robo series which has them facing off against the Dinosaur Empire, sentient Dinosaurs who are bitter they had to retreat underground and have returned to the surface to violently reclaim the earth; Dr. Saotome the inventor of Getter Robo recruits some ne're-do-well pilots to fight them off. If you're consider reading the manga just be aware it is extremely violent, more than you may expect, while the premise may sound a bit silly it is very enjoyable and the pacing is extremely well done.

Designing the Getter Robo unit came with a unique set of challenges since this is our first combining robot, with each form (Getter 1, 2, & 3) having a different set of strengths. The points for all three units will be counted for you army total, but you can only have one on the field at a time. In some of our playtests going against cheaper units from Gundam's One Year War the action economy made it very difficult to not get overwhelmed. We came up with a solution to allow Getter Robo to take multiple turns but at a cost and with a limit.

A common plot point in Getter Robo is switching between the different Getter forms which requires intense skill and fortitude on behalf of the pilots who need to disassemble ("Open Get") and recombine ("Change Getter #") on the fly and often while being restrained by their enemies. In some bombastic sequence we see them rapidly switch between Getter forms to overwhelm their opponents, especially so when we see Shin Getter and Getter G face off during Armageddon. Below is an example sequence showcasing the reflexes to combine midair while under attack.

Spoiler:



On the rules side we decided to let them spend 3 Momentum at any time to switch between Getter forms, and any time they do that they may reactivate that unit on their next turn even if it had already gone this round. With enough Momentum you could even use all three Getter Forms in one turn. The drawback, aside from depleting your Momentum stores, is that the Power stat for Getter Robo (used to power ranged weapons) is equal to your current Momentum. So the more you change between forms the less Momentum you will have and the less power you will have curtailing what each unit is capable of. It's a good trade off and we've been happy with how it's worked out so far.

We've also added a new Pilot Trait that will be common for pilots of Super Robots called Fighting Spirit. This is a trait that gives you a bonus when facing down a more powerful unit.

Update Summary
-Unit Release for Getter Robo (3)
-Corrected error on Evade formula on Shamshel, Gaghiel, Israfel (+1) and Zeruel (-1)
-Lashing Energy (Shamshel) - Verbiage updated such that the effect takes place if you are in Melee at the start of your turn
-Updated ability for Ferocious Bite & Deadly Tail (Raiju and Otachi)
-Adjusted # of Bonus shots for Titan II / III / IV weapons (Units affected: Big Zam, Crimson Typhoon, Striker Eureka, Otachi, Slattern)

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/12/04 18:18:30


 
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Merry Christmas Eve Dakkanauts,

We're working on a major update that will make Pilot more useful on a turn by turn basis as well as a points rebalance where Performance and Pilot have a bigger impact on a units final points cost. I'd like a few more weeks of playtesting the change before pushing out a new release, fortunately with the holidays coming up there should be plenty of time for that. After the latest update we'll continue with Roster Updates for Gundam and Getter Robo.

In the meantime we're releasing a Narrative Mission Pack for solo play for up to 6 players that runs through some of the major conflicts of Gundam: 0080 War in the Pocket. You can find the co-op mission pack here.
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good morning Dakkanauts,

The last two months have been a fun time getting together and working on MechaStellar . Over the holidays we got a lot of large scale playtests in during December and January. Today we are releasing Version 8 which overhauls the Pilot system and Melee system. Below is a quick summary of all major changes, we also have some in-depth posts starting here if you're curious about any design decisions. The latest rules and unit profiles can be found here.

Melee
The Melee Clash was updated to be more interactive and offer more choices for the Attacker and Defender. Now both sides get to Attack and Defend against one another starting with the attacker. Both sides split their dice pool into Attack and Defense, apply any modifiers then roll. If the Defender survives they can now counterattack while the Attacker defends. This gives some more strategy where you have to decide if you can destroy your opponent in a single strike, otherwise you may want to leave some dice behind for Defense. As a benefit the Attacker chooses one of three benefits that improve their offense, reliability, or a cautious approach of improving their offense and defense. Critical Hits are introduce here where rolling a 10 on Attack/Counterattack will count as 2 Hits. Berserk & Melee type units hit on a 4+ and Critical on a 9+.

Pilot
The benefit for Skilled and Ace Pilot was reworked to make their benefits more powerful and also more applicable on an individual basis instead of an army wide benefit. Instead of increasing your army's Momentum these Pilots reduce the Momentum cost of Pilot Skills they use to a minimum of zero. Note: Universal Skills such as Defense (+X Blocks) or Disengage are not affected by this. The number of Pilot Skills have increased with several Commands moved to this section and a few new ones. Some of the Pilot Skills are geared towards certain archetypes, for example "Take the Shot" costs 1 less Momentum for Sniper type units.

You are limited by only choosing 2 Skills per battle. This choice lets you customize your army to fit your units without having a laundry list of potential rules to remember. For instance if you are taking Amuro and the Gundam you may decide to have him be shooting oriented and take the "Fire Vulcans" skill and "Return Shot" skill, alternatively you might emphasize Melee and Defense taking "Unbeaten" and "Improvise" representing the Gundam's tenacity and Amuro's unique ability to overcome his opponents even using the Black Tri-Stars as a spring board during their famous Jet Stream attack.

Commands
With most of the individual Commands being converted to Skills the remaining ones for the most part were converted to affect multiple units or your entire army. Several new Commands were added to give you an army wide benefit on your first turn, as well as some useful ones like Reinforcements which lets you replenish your forces.

Momentum
Starting Momentum is now based off of how many points you are playing. Additionally, you gain +1 Momentum simply for attacking in Melee instead of claiming victory in the past. The Momentum cap of 3 has been removed as well.

Points
Each point of Performance doubled in cost going from 10pts to 20pts per level, with that Frame 1 high performance units will often be more expensive than Frame 2 lower performance units. Pilot saw a sharp increase in points per level, this means that Aces like Char, Ramba Ral and the Black Tri-Stars will be more expensive and closer in points when facing off against the White Base crew.

Gameplay Tweaks
Critical Hits - As noted above Critical Hits can occur on Melee Attack. They can also occur when Shooting, if your target rolls a 1 to Evade they have been Critically Hit. Additionally, Tactical Advantage now allows you to convert Hits into Critical Hits instead of being a flat bonus.

Sniper types - Sniper types can now fire into a Melee which will be a handy benefit for your army.

Reinforce - The HP bonus for Frame 1-2 units was increased, this way units that go high on Reinforce like the GM Cannon II are rewarded with more HP. Across the board most units will have a +100 HP increase.

D10 Armor Saves - Armor Saves were the last d6 roll in the game, we've converted them to a d10 system and modified weapon Penetration characteristics to match. Angels and Evangelion's were switched to MS class to represent how penetrating the Core instantly neutralizes the target.

Dice Pools - These have been capped at 10 dice. For shooting weapons any upgrades that would have pushed them past 10 shots will now be applied to a different stat such as DMG or PEN.

Destructible Terrain - Instead of tracking HP for cover we now allow for an Armor Save to be made for Cover to see if it survives or is destroyed. This should lead to some fun moments where the Cover your opponent was relying on suddenly crumbles.

Full Throttle - Tracking the Evade bonus was a common complaint we received so we modified Full Throttle to instead give more movement if your Mech has invested in the Speed stat.

Profile Sheet readability - We removed the grid style layout from weapons and abilities and adjusted the shading to make it a bit easier to read. Additionally Weapon Upgrades and Prototypes have been condensed so it is on a single line with the weapon having a (U) or (P) at the end to let you know it's basic stats have been modified. Lastly, a Slots / Power column was added to make the Special section for weapons to be cleaner and easier to read.

New Units (9)
Recon Zaku, Zaku Flipper, Zudah variants, GM variants

Mission Packs converted to VER 8
-Rebalanced Missions based on updated points costs
-The requisition ladder for new Mobile Suits was updated for each mission

Thank you all for reading and for all the feedback we've gotten on Version 7. Big thank you to those who suggested reworking some of the skills and the help we had fixing some wording on the core rules and mission packs. For the future we'll be sticking to major updates at the end of the month. As always if you have any specific units you'd like to request or general questions on the rules please let us know.
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good morning Dakkanauts,

For Februrary's MechaStellar update we have added in a new narrative campaign for Getter Robo following the events of the 1974 manga by Ken Ishikawa. We are also adding in new units from Mobile Suit Gundam based on requests we've gotten as well as adding a new super robot units from "The Big O". You can find the latest unit profiles on the downloads page here.

The Big O aired in the US starting in 2001 as a mecha-anime series combining elements of film noir, detective fiction, and of course giant robots; the art style was reminiscent of the batman animated series from the 90s and the opening evoked the fun a queen soundtrack. The story is set in Paradigm city, a domed city with surrounding slums that has survived through a major cataclysm 40 years ago when everyone lost their memories. Our protagonist is Roger Smith, a negotiator for the city and throughout the course of his adventures he can call upon "Big O" a Megadeus to deal with legacy weapons from the past. The Bigs have deific faces and their bootup sequence has the iconic phrase "CAST IN THE NAME OF GOD, YE NOT GUILTY". While each episode is normally self contained there is an overarching story where Roger is dealing with the mystery of what happened 40 years ago, throughout the series we get flashbacks of the cataclysm where these Megadeus are marching to war. The series was episodic in nature and was easy to jump into, if you have never seen it worth a watch sometime.

For Mobile Suit Gundam we have added in various units from the RX78 series which will be wrapping up our One Year War Federation suits from 0079. We've also released units from 0081 MS Senki as well. There are some in-depth posts here for Mudrock, the Full Armor variants, 7th Gundam and the G-Line series. We still have some more OYW suits to go, including the infamous Zeong.

February Summary of Updates
-New Units Getter Robo - Mechasaurus x5
-New Units The Big O - MegaDeus x5
-New Units Mobile Suit Gundam x14
(Mudrock, Full Armor & Type B, Heavy, Gunner, 7th, Full Armor 7th, Heavy Full Armor 7th, G-Line Standard, Assault and Light Armor, Efreet Nacht, Gelgoog Gunthar (Desert), Gelgoog Ground)
-Fixed an error on Armor Saves for Sachiel, Gaghiel and Bardiel
-Fixed an error on Otachi's Tail

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/03/03 18:04:55


 
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good morning Dakkanauts,

For our March update we are happy to release our first AU Gundam series. The new unit profiles can be found here. The original Gundam took place in the Universal Century or UC for short. Many years later they applied the Gundam formula to alternate universes or AU for short, starting off with fan favorites like G Gundam and Gundam Wing. Wing stars five different indestructible Gundams produced by scientists in the colonies who wanted to wage a war against the Earth Sphere Alliance who had been taken over by the Organization of the Zodiak or Oz for short.

For MechaStellar we wanted to ensure the Gundam's from this series are extremely hard to take down to coincide with how they are portrayed in the anime. The Gundanium armor trait lets them reroll failed Armor Saves and the majority of them have exceptional HP & Armor Saves from a high Reinforce Level.

We decided to keep them in the early Performance range since while the Gundam's are overwhelmingly powerful compared to their opponents (Leos, Aries, etc.) they aren't extraordinarily evasive and often just tank the shots without moving. Compare this with Gundam 00 which uses a similar setup of ultra-powerful Gundams vs the World but shows the principal Gundam's as exceptionally more maneuverable than the MS from their enemies. Since we often see a named character in a Leo fend off a Gundam we wanted to ensure that none of the units would be completely immune to the common enemies. On the other side all the grunt mobile suits are extremely easy to dispatch, even using Vulcans.

If you are setting up a cross-series game units from Gundam Wing make for good starter armies, each one is worth ~500pts are extremely durable and will lay waste to their opponents. You'll want to make use of the Fire Vulcans and Tear through the Ranks pilot skills to quickly whittle down a horde army. If you are playing a versus game with Objectives the "Scorched Earth" secondary will be ideal since you lack the forces to sit on objective for 5 rounds. For coop we also have two forthcoming mission packs for Gundam Wing.

As a bonus we are putting out another series for March which aired around the same time frame, Vision of Escaflowne, created by Shoji Kawamori of Macross fame. Escaflowne was a very unique series starring large clockwork mecha (Guymelefs) that duel like medieval knights. It features beautiful animation, a nice soundtrack from Yoko Kanno, and a compelling characters and interesting story although it does get a bit out there during the final arc. Still it's worth a watch.

For MechaStellar we really enjoyed using these units with the Version 8 rules for Melee. The beautifully choreographed duels between Escaflowne and Scherezade and Escaflowne and the Alseides were something we wanted to incorporate with the Melee update that allows for attack, defense, counterattack and counterdefense. For their Knightswords we modified the basic large weapon we see on a unit like Leatherback to instead of being fully offensive are a mix of Offense and Defense while being balanced out with a low PEN characteristic. If you decide to field them you'll find yourself very easily able to split your dice between offense and defense being a hard target in any melee.

There's also been a minor update pushed to the Version 8 core rules. After a recent demo game at our FLGS we identified a few typos that needed correcting and clarifications were needed on a few items.

Update Summary
-Indirect fire should be 18" vice 12"
-Take the Shot Pilot Skills should be PEN 4+ vice PEN 3+
-The 2nd half of the Resourceful Commander trait was missing which gives +1 Momentum per round
-Adjusted wording on Versus mode scoring so VP conditions round up (i.e. half your models survive)
-Adjusted victory points for Simple Battle and Secondaries
-Clarified wording on Momentum for Tear through the Ranks pilot skill
-Adjusted wording on Blindside

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2022/03/31 18:39:54


 
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Good afternoon Dakkanauts,

For this month's MechaStellar update we are featuring units from Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. This is an OVA series from the 90s with very detailed mechanical designs and gorgeous animation for Mobile Suit dogfighting. With a top notch opening song reminiscent of Highway to the Danger Zone many have called this Gundam's version of Top Gun.

The story involves the theft GP02 Physalis, a Gundam equipped with a tactical nuclear bazooka by Zeon remnants and their stand against the Federation, meanwhile our protagonists onboard the assault carrier Albion using GP01 Zephyranthes and a team of GM Custom and GM Cannon IIs chase after the Zeon remnants in order to recover GP02 before the unthinkable happens.

Our protagonist, Kou Uraki, is an inexperienced test pilot at the Australian base Torrington. The Gundam Development Project (GP) transfer GP01 and GP02 to Torrington for testing, but when the GP02 is hijacked Kou sorties in GP01 in order to stop it. An inexperienced but talented pilot we see him progress from greenhorn to first-rate pilot throughout the course of the series, mainly driven by his his rivalry with Anavel Gato, the hijacker of GP02. Gato is a notorious ace known as the Nightmare of Solomon, he is a man of strong convictions and is the spearhead of Operation Stardust working for the Delaz fleet. The clashes between these two pilots make for some of the most memorable fights in Universal Century (UC) Gundam.

As for the Mobile Suits themselves, the GP project is Anaheim Electronics first crack as building a Gundam, the original Gundams the RX78 series were developed in-house by the Federation as part of Operation V. GP01 Zephyranthes is very similar to the Original Gundam albeit a bit lighter weight, it's a refresh of the classic design done by Shoji Kawamori of Macross fame. For its unit profile you will see its fairly similar to the original RX78-2 and brings the option of an assault rifle and a beam rifle into the fight which you may recall from its operation against the Kimberlite forces in Africa.

The GP02 on the other hand has a very distinctive silhouette, massive bulky body and shield with a very distinguished samurai helmet. Despite being a nuclear delivery device its design captivated many fans, several variations have been shown including one that uses a Beam Bazooka instead of an atomic bazooka and another using a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). We've included several profiles here for the GP02. We declined to give it an Atomic Bazooka special ability as many Gundam Vs games do, since that wouldn't very fair on a tabletop game given the destruction it caused to an entire fleet in the events of the story.

GP01 was damaged considerably in its first foray into space when it hadn't adequately been adjusted for Space combat. The Gelgoog Marine Commander piloted by Cima Garahau fired beam after beam into it, slowly breaking it apart piece by piece. This was devastating to its Pilot and the morale of the team but the engineers at AE rebuilt it and further modified it for space use producing the GP01-Fb, originally translated as Full Vernian, sensible given the massive verniers on its shoulder, but the translation was later retconned into 'Full Burnern' to match the Fb in its model number. The GP01-Fb was remarkable for its extreme speed and mobility which on the tabletop is well represented with its very large movement and role swap to an Interceptor type giving it additional Evasion.

GP01 and GP02 have their historic final duel where both Gundam's destroy one another, the pilots finally meet face to face as they escape their mobile suits. Their rivalry continues until the end of the series with the GP03 and the Neue Ziel.

Next months update will include the remaining units from Gundam 0083 including the GP03 Dendrobium Orchis and Stamen, the GP04 Gerbera, GP04 Gerbera Tetra and the Neue Ziel. The Mobile Armors in 0083 have some of the most impressive in all of Gundam and we'll need additional time to playtest them to make sure the unit profiles do them justice.

Last but not least, in one of our request threads we did receive a request for a Fb version of the GM Custom. This Mobile Suit was depicted in the Gundam Weapons hobby magazine modeled by Makoto Hachisu and later featured in the SD Gundam G Generation Zero video game. While it can use the GM Rifle we opted to give it the beam rifle it has which is very similar to the GP01 beam rifle.

Thank you all for reading and see you next month!

Update Summary:
-10 New Units added: Gelgoog Marine & Commander, Xamel, GP02 Physalis (x3), GP01 Zephyranthes (x2), GM Custom (x2)
-Reorganized the Gundam's on the Federation Unit Sheet
-Fixed error on HP for Gundam Units 4 & 5
-Updated pilot traits for Deathscythe & Shenlong. Adjusted cost for Aries.
-Updated Invisibility Cloaks for Alseides units and pts cost

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2022/05/31 17:39:16


 
   
 
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