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 Valhallan42nd wrote:

 juraigamer wrote:
I hate to say this but I see someone from battletech and/or mechwarrior coming to claim copyright and put a stop to this.

No, giant robot combat is generic enough that such a suit would be meaningless.

Yep, I have 19 sets of rules to cover the genre on my shelf right now...and only one of them is Battletech. There is nothing particularly unique which they could claim, and even within the various designs - many features have become so common place as to be generic. They have even made a couple of movies on the matter, like Robot Jox.

I think the reason companies do not generally use a scale (eg 1/50) and use a size (28mm) is becasue in a lot of cases they are simply not making things to scale, especiall for human forms

a 1/56 scale figure (roughly 28mm) would have very small head/hands/feet/weapons compared to whay you are used to

even sculptors who try to work to accurate scales often have to 'beef up' areas like wrists/ankles/gun barrels simply to get something that casts properly

so while you can always quote a size (to the eyes or top of the head depending on your poit of view) quoting a scale would often be inaccurate (unless you said body 1/56, head 1/50, weapon 1/52 etc)

Yes - you would have certain technical issues regarding very thin things like weapon barrels - but that is an acceptable fudge. The head/hands are not what I am used to. I do not live in a circus, so "heroic" sizes look goofy (chibi). Scale model companies have been doing quite well, and you can even find figures in scales as small a 1/220 without too much difficulty. Those figures do have to make some compromises on the wrists - but they are not heroic by any means.

The reason that most companies stick with a size is because that is what they have done...and it allows them to avoid accountability. They can toss out things which are out of wack and you see scale creep happening all the time (15 mm is about 20% larger than it was when I started gaming for example).

 paulson games wrote:
Originally I had planned for 12 mechs in the inital release, currently I have artwork done for 8.

I had been thinking that I'd do 6 mechs for each side, however I'm currently debating if I want to keep to that plan or introduce a third faction which would also have 4 mech designs as that'd also keep it at the original 12 mech target.

2 factions with 6 mecha each

or

3 factions with 4 mecha each


Any thoughts?

How about two factions with 5 mecha each, and a third with only two mechs, but more tanks and aircraft?

 Rainyday wrote:


How about two factions with 5 mecha each, and a third with only two mechs, but more tanks and aircraft?

I'm okay with this.. and would probably play that one.

Can I get a V fin on some mech?

 Valhallan42nd wrote:

 juraigamer wrote:
I hate to say this but I see someone from battletech and/or mechwarrior coming to claim copyright and put a stop to this.

No, giant robot combat is generic enough that such a suit would be meaningless.

Yeah, no worries about lawsuits here. There have been plenty of mech games, models, etc and the only lawsuit I know of regards the various issues over the past 20 years with certain macross designs and the rights (or lack thereof) of the various owners of Battletech to use them. Especially in Japan, there are so many series' using Mecha that lawsuits would be largely pointless.

A few mech games with miniatures lines. Some current, some OOP.
CAV
Ronin
Battletech
Mekton
AT43
Heavy Gear (many of the early designs were startling close to Votoms)

And there are other games made without a miniatures line.
Mech Attack
War Dogs
Megabots
Meka Tac

I'm sure there are many others also as well as a couple companies (EM4, etc) who make mechs and not rules.

I'd say not less than 4 factions if you can avoid it. You said you are working on a kickstarter, so maybe you could just start with 2 if you want to keep your initial funding level low and then max out at 4 depending on how well it goes.

Jack Burton: Feel pretty good. I'm not, uh, I'm not scared at all. I just feel kind of... feel kind of [very good about this Kickstarter].
Wang Chi: Me, too. I got a very positive attitude about this.
Jack Burton: Good, me too.
Wang Chi: Yeah!

 bbb wrote:
I'd say not less than 4 factions if you can avoid it. You said you are working on a kickstarter, so maybe you could just start with 2 if you want to keep your initial funding level low and then max out at 4 depending on how well it goes.

He has enough mechs for 2 factions.

OR he could have 4 half built factions.

I would prefer the 2 factions.

I agree.

Two well designed factions with a variety of designs giving them some tactical options would be better than four semi-crippled factions.

I have plans for 7-8 factions in the game so far. The difficulty is that I only have the time and budget to do 12 models for the inital release. If the kickstarter does well I can expand later and add all the factions but it will take time. As I'm currently the only one person doing the sculpts they do take a fair amount of effort. While I definately appreciate people wanting to see an extrensive range of stuff quickly I can only produce so much at a time, it's one of the drawbacks of being a small company.

Ideally I'd like to have 24 models out within a years time, but that's a pretty high goal.


This was finished up the other night, it's the rough art for the Neo-Bloc Quad unit.

UNCLEBADTOUCH wrote:
Hopefully these models are being designed with inbuilt modularity. It would be good to be able to make multiple variants for a class from one box. Creating parts pre socketed for magnets with corresponding attachment points would enable you to swap between weapons easily and if done right a modular carapace would allow later variants to be created using only a new carapace and weapon set. This would hopefully cut down on the different types of packaging needed and reduce number of parts for new variants a bit like with the PP add on packs.

This.

 whitedragon wrote:
Will there be any close combat?

Like with "laser swords" or "hot axes"?

I like the quads.

 Ouze wrote:
I like the quads.

+1

These concepts are lovely. Dare I say they remind me of my times playing the beloved Armored Core games....


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Jefffar wrote:

 Valhallan42nd wrote:

 juraigamer wrote:
I hate to say this but I see someone from battletech and/or mechwarrior coming to claim copyright and put a stop to this.

No, giant robot combat is generic enough that such a suit would be meaningless.

Like space marines?

Excuse me, I'm from GW Legal and we now own this thread.

Cease and desist!

3 factions

I would like to see more than two faction in initial release but if this is not possible how would the idea of two alliances in initial release sound, four mech designs for the largest faction in the alliance with an additional 1 or 2 mechs from their allies, allows a little more flexibility and you could think about a second game style whereby the smaller factions have teamed up to rival the other two in terms of military might....

red corner USA has four mechs with 2 british support mechs

and in the Blue corner france has four mechs with support from spain in the form of 2 mechs...... etc

BTW loving the concepts so much I can't stand it

There's obviously folks on both sides of the fence, but I think you'll get more buy-in with more fleshed out factions... if that means less of them initially, so be it.

Might want to have your artist work on bits of flare and faction specific aesthetics that can be added to these mecha.

This way, you can keep the somewhat modular and practical nature of these machines that people like, but also make them look a bit less generic since you see to be tying these to specific factions.

These pieces could be added on, replaced, or left off for people who want the more generic look.

Darn it Paulson... this actually has me seriously interested/planning now.

However, I need to know when (ballpark) you think you might launch a campaign? Also, what the cost would be to get, say, the 6 mechs from one faction (again just ballpark). Again, for planning purposes...

Cheers

Tell me there will be a soviet themed faction, and I'll be lost. Or at least my wallet will be.

The Neo-Bloc mechs are awesome, aesthetically speaking, and that quad-walker is stunning. Keep up the awesome work, paulson!

Edit: Valhallan, based on the faction names it seems like the current two factions are some sort of North American force and some sort of (presumably Communist) Bloc.

Neo-Bloc looks awesome indeed.
They remind me of this by Chris David Parkinson


Always wanted to field something like that in a game.

Do you maybe have an estimate on when you plan to release them if you are able to say? 6 months to a year? Would be much appreciated!

Neo-Bloc is a Soviet themed group, NorAm is a mix of former US and Canadian states.

A large focus of the game setting is the world is almost out of oil, access to food and other resources are also strained due to extreme enviromental changes and global warming. "Can-Oil" (canadian oil multicorp) controls much of the worlds oil supply located in oil shale depositis in the northern US and oil sands located in northern Canada. They are stuck in the middle of the conflict between Neo-Block and NorAm, in order to maintain their own independence they employ their own military contractors collectively know as Blackfrost to defend against both sides.

Other major powers are the Brazilian Compact, Australia, China, India and the German Republic. These would be included in later suppliment along with mass battles and combined arms rules.


After giving things some more thought it's looking like I'll be doing 6 mechs per faction, plus 2-3 blackfrost mechs (one of which will be an exclusive kickstarter and convention promo).

The break down for Neo-Bloc and NorAm willl be 2 lights, 2 Medium, 1 heavy, 1 Quad. Blackfrost will have 1 Medium, 1 Heavy and a Unique Quad. Their mechs can be used independantly or allied with either force as they are in effect mercenaries and switch sides depending on what is to their advantage.


I'd like to have the first wave of models out within 5-6 months, (that's also accounting for kickstarter time) With a goal of having the remainer of a second wave within one years time, so rougly two waves 6 months apart. Final costs are still a bit uncertain, I'm plan on doing everything I can to keep them resonably priced. Rough estimate is that each mech will be in the $25-$30 range so if you plan for that it should be ok.

Sounds awesome! I'll be watching intently.

 paulson games wrote:
Neo-Bloc is a Soviet themed group, NorAm is a mix of former US and Canadian states.

A large focus of the game setting is the world is almost out of oil, access to food and other resources are also strained due to extreme enviromental changes and global warming. "Can-Oil" (canadian oil multicorp) controls much of the worlds oil supply located in oil shale depositis in the northern US and oil sands located in northern Canada. They are stuck in the middle of the conflict between Neo-Block and NorAm, in order to maintain their own independence they employ their own military contractors collectively know as Black Frost to defend against both sides.

Other major powers are the Brazilian Compact, Australia, China, India and the German Republic. These would be included in later suppliment along with mass battles and combined arms rules.


After giving things some more thought it's looking like I'll be doing 6 mechs per faction, plus 2-3 blackfrost mechs (one of which will be an exclusive kickstarter and convention promo).

The break down for Neo-Bloc and NorAm willl be 2 lights, 2 Medium, 1 heavy, 1 Quad. Black Frost will have 1 Medium, 1 Heavy and a Unique Quad. Their mechs can be used independantly or allied with either force as they are in effect mercenaries and switch sides depending on what is to their advantage.


I'd like to have the first wave of models out within 5-6 months, (that's also accounting for kickstarter time) With a goal of having the remainer of a second wave within one years time, so rougly two waves 6 months apart. Final costs are still a bit uncertain, I'm plan on doing everything I can to keep them resonably priced. Rough estimate is that each mech will be in the $25-$30 range so if you plan for that it should be ok.

That's sounds great. Eagerly awaiting more info, and somewhere to send my money.

That mech breakdown sounds perfect!!! A KS exclusive mech for Blackfrost is just smart, and having them be mercenaries is even better. Do you know when you'd be putting up the KS? Since funds come out of our hands then, not at delivery

 paulson games wrote:
Neo-Bloc is a Soviet themed group, NorAm is a mix of former US and Canadian states.

A large focus of the game setting is the world is almost out of oil, access to food and other resources are also strained due to extreme enviromental changes and global warming. "Can-Oil" (canadian oil multicorp) controls much of the worlds oil supply located in oil shale depositis in the northern US and oil sands located in northern Canada. They are stuck in the middle of the conflict between Neo-Block and NorAm, in order to maintain their own independence they employ their own military contractors collectively know as Blackfrost to defend against both sides.

Other major powers are the Brazilian Compact, Australia, China, India and the German Republic. These would be included in later suppliment along with mass battles and combined arms rules.


After giving things some more thought it's looking like I'll be doing 6 mechs per faction, plus 2-3 blackfrost mechs (one of which will be an exclusive kickstarter and convention promo).

The break down for Neo-Bloc and NorAm willl be 2 lights, 2 Medium, 1 heavy, 1 Quad. Blackfrost will have 1 Medium, 1 Heavy and a Unique Quad. Their mechs can be used independantly or allied with either force as they are in effect mercenaries and switch sides depending on what is to their advantage.


I'd like to have the first wave of models out within 5-6 months, (that's also accounting for kickstarter time) With a goal of having the remainer of a second wave within one years time, so rougly two waves 6 months apart. Final costs are still a bit uncertain, I'm plan on doing everything I can to keep them resonably priced. Rough estimate is that each mech will be in the $25-$30 range so if you plan for that it should be ok.

I am all for some Australian Faction lovin

Lovin the idea. Only issues I'd have would be that the whole German faction just seems overdone. I could see them as a leading faction in an EU army, but it just seems too easy or similar all other world conquest games. Just my opinion, take it for what it's worth (ie. not much).

Also like the concept of an Australian faction, but given that oil is at a premium, I'd think the costs of mobilizing an army for Australia would be overwhelming. Maybe make them more elite as they can only afford to send the best of the best out. When I build this army I will be calling them the "Joey" faction.

@paulson What's the state of nuclear power in the games. Are there nuclear powered transports, or how are these monsters moved around the globe? Is there flying craft that carry these or do they walk to the target zone? If they walk then I think there's going to be a lot less tactical skill involved and a lot more pounding.

The German Republic is pretty much the leading force for the former EU. No worries about them falling into the typical sci-fi trap of being a facist bad guy state. Much of London and Paris are flooded and there's been a huge population migration shift northwards within the EU as a result they were one of the very few countries that not only grew but at the same time were able to maintain a relatively stable industrial and scientific base. This will be expanded on as I get the text files out to people soon.

Nuclear power is still around and it's what fuels the major city states. Several powers still have nuclear powered ships but even with decades of advancement even the smallest nuclear platforms are still rather massive vessels. Bio Fuels are in use but are very costly to produce. Mecha are typically deployed by air from specialized VOTOL towing craft. (think Dougram or Armored Core style). They are agile and fast moving for their size but due to their large profile and IR heat signatures they are vunerable in open terrain, their helix engines provides a huge amount of power in short surges but are not capable of tranversing extended distances on foot. They shine however as urban fighters and as rapid strike units. Due to the resources involved in their construction virtually every country that has access to them uses them in a manner simular to how use modern day special forces, they serve primarily as a force multiplier and specialize in doing rapid hit and run missions.

For extended ground campaigns and territory occupation traditional armor and combined forces are still employed.

2 factions or 3? If keeping it simple, I say go with 2 factions and add say 4 or 6 or even all 12 you have as small blurbs for factions to come but people can use.

I don't like the idea of say 6 mechs per faction for a total of 12. I guess you can go either of 2 ways. Either the Battletech way or the Heavy Gear way.

Battletech way, different factions, use what ever you want. Heavy Gear way, pick a faction but have to use for the faction you choosed for.

I rather have the 2 main factions (with a little bit of history on the other factions to come) so I can choose who I want to be, but then take any mech I want. Nothing worse than picking the fluff you like but hating the minis, or loving the minis but not liking the faction.

Also if you include mech building, then having only 6 mechs to start with (or even 12, I believe Battletech started with 12 or less, but we could make our own to have unlimited mechs) would be a good place to start. Start small, add when you can.

The big killer for me, in this game if there is no mech building, I won't bother then. We already have so many games where you can't make your own units, why would I want to start another one? If no mech building better have awesome customability. Make mech slower to add heavier armour or armament, or make it less armoured or armour to have it faster etc etc.

For me, not sure for others is to have lots of custom ability. I never gotten into Heavy Gear because at the time, I didn't see enough of making the mechs personably to me. Never gotten into 40K because of it either. Only got into 40K 10 years later because it was the only game in town at the time.

Same for Warmahordes etc etc. Too many games where there is no ability to change design. Look how many of us loved Vehicle Design Rules for 40K when it came out. How about Creature feature? I loved them.

The only problem is, is to make it balanced. So if it's balanced you should have an awesome game system.

The other question is, are you here to make minis, (GW) or rules (Catalyst with MechWarrior) or both (Dream Pod 9). Just curious what your main focus will be.

One more thing, not sure if you are alone in doing this or you have others helping, would you like to have us make submissions into factions, universe, mechs and rules?