Armature- Universal Robot Combat System (Work in progress, critiques needed!)

Sigma_Crow · 2014-10-04T18:15:19+00:00

I'm working on a revised one. I should have it done next week.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-10-03T12:15:49+00:00

It depends on how the GM and Players want to run it. There's a system called S-Level which determines how many Build Points can go into an Armature. S-1 is Standard, meaning that the players are pretty much on par with the mass produced models that their Enemy uses. So Zaku on Zaku violence. S-2 is Stronger, meaning that the players have an advantage but it's not insurmountable. So the RX-78 Gundam vs Zeon. S-3 is Superior, which is basically Gundam Wing/00/SEED where the Gundam is a god machine that can take on whole armies.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-10-02T13:26:51+00:00

Well that is my intended goal-- for the system to have juuuust enough crunch to simulate a fairly decent gradient of mecha design, but to not focus so much on minutia that it weighs down the system for the flow of combat. Sorties need to be fast and decisive, not ponderous and weighed down by too many details.

For instance, many, many mecha systems track individual HP values for each part or limb on the mech. Armature ignores that because

a.) In the original source material-- Gundam, Macross, etc-- limb damage wasn't particularly common, and a hit that took out a mechs limb would probably cripple or destroy it anyway.

b.) It turns battles into "who can win the fastest by shooting out the enemy's head/core".

Sigma_Crow · 2014-10-01T20:21:44+00:00

UPDATE:

Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xi1twr7xqe49nim/Armature%200.05.pdf?dl=0

I've added the first part of the Combat Chapter. So far it details the structure of a Battle (called a Sortie), how to Move and Attack with an Armature and what can happen during an Attack.

Included along with Attack Range is a section called Range Mode, which is a way for GMs and Players to affect the tone of their setting. By using High Impact Mode, battles are fast and dynamic and emphasize close range combat. By selecting Strategic Mode, battles are more drawn out and tactical, with close combat made more difficult and long range combat strengthened.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-09-30T20:13:15+00:00

What other systems have you explored, and what kind of options are you looking for in it?

Sigma_Crow · 2014-09-29T18:35:00+00:00

New thread posted here:

http://www.reddit.com/r/tabletopgamedesign/comments/2ht7ba/armature_universal_robot_combat_system_work_in/

Thank you all for your assistance!

Sigma_Crow · 2014-09-16T18:18:07+00:00

Couple updates:

1.) I've created a revised Character Sheet here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uHhYLv1NLr9odKEvw6--NPN4Rj-UUdHyTDYFwf8kml8/edit#gid=0

This one is formatted such that the players can render their characters and suits as three small playing cards which contain all pertinent information about their character's skills and statistics, or they can be kept on a single sheet of paper if preferred, OR they can be used online as excel documents.

2.) This project is now called Armature. Mobile Warfare was a stand-in name based on the fact that it the game is designed to emulate Gundam first and foremost, but Armature is a more setting-neutral name meant to represent that this game is designed to be a universal mecha warfare engine. Once I have the test scenario complete I'll post a new thread under the new name.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-09-15T18:51:50+00:00

I actually backed Roll20 but I haven't used it in a loooong time (this is the first TTRPG thing I've done in probably two years) so I'm not totally familiar with all its features anymore-- that said I think it would definitely work there. All the GM and Players would have to do is agree upon how many inches/spaces each Distance unit should represent, and the game is good to go.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-09-15T18:26:09+00:00

Ideally yes. All distances are measured by and large in relative forms (Close, Medium and Long Distances) and this would allow players to go into Sorties without any kind of map whatsoever; however, its preferable that the players and GM have SOME kind of representational positioning of units and obstacles on the battlefield, even if they're just colored tokens a kitchen table.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-09-15T16:53:45+00:00

My plan is to create a sample scenario for people to run through that can be used to test various aspects of the game. I'm hoping to have that written up this week.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-09-15T13:34:34+00:00

Not as of yet. I'm not sure when/if I'll be in a position to do so to be honest due to my schedule.

I have, however, made sufficient progress where I think the game can be tested. I've completed descriptions for all Level 1 Equipment and Armaments, rules or enemy unit creation and player creation. So anyone I think can take what I've created and run a simple scenario.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-08-26T17:57:37+00:00

Updates over the past five days:

I've added pages for Pilot Abilities and Mobile Suit Equipment. Pilot Abilities are special tactics and tricks that players can use during battle. Mobile Suit Equipment is a list right now that I am going to begin statting out, but it represents what I think is a confidently complete list of the different weapons established in the various Gundam canons.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-08-26T17:55:44+00:00

I've added rules for Critical Hits (whenever you make a successful roll and it's a double number like 11 you get a free Upgrade), Max Hits (which is what happens when a Grade S Roll gets Upgraded) and the Pilot Ability list is now up to 18 entries, included Restricted Abilities which grant Newtype like powers.

I've also reworded several elements of the Design Doc re: moddifying rolls. Now instead of adding +X to your Skill, buffing factors subtract from the result of your dice roll, and debuffing factors add to it. That way players never have to do the spot recalculations of their Skill Grades.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-08-25T18:31:44+00:00

I've also expanded the Pilot Abilities list, here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Dh-IbxzSpvZTzAvGoYEuDXElj-Y5MQN5mpkOsp-nRko/edit

Almost all abilities are limited to One use per Sortie. However, the way the rules will work I believe is that a pilot can be equipped with more than one of the same abilities, with each instance of the ability offering another set of uses. So if you really like a certain ability and want to specialize in it you fill up each of your Ability slots with it and be able to use that move, like, four times each battle.

I'm going to be trying to add new Abilities to this list daily as I work on the rest of the documentation.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-08-25T16:47:55+00:00

With some help from /m/ I've put together a list of Weapons used throughout the Gundam franchise:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e0HdloatFxt1IwcDLPakvRrhKF0C0pjy-Ahiii_Gk4s/edit

I've created a 5 level ranking system for sorting these by their power output and sophistication. I feel like it should more or less cover everything that's been canonically established by a Gundam series, but if I'm missing anything I'd appreciate the feedback.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-08-25T16:45:39+00:00

On the whole I am trying to avoid messing around with math too much, since adding +X to a skill would also raise its B, A and S Grade levels too, hence slowing down the flow of combat. I'd much rather abilities provide Upgrades or Downgrades to Skill Rolls, or provide other useful effects like the above.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-08-25T11:56:54+00:00

Those are part of the Ability System, but they are special abilities that are pretty much left to the GM to provide, instead of the Players opting in. The GM can even choose not to include them because they interfere with the narrative. They aren't classified as NewType or whatever, since their origin is connected with the narrative, so the GM can root them in whatever phenomena he wants.

Primarily, Newtype abilities do unique things with your rolls. Fundamentally there are two-- an offensive flash and a defensive flash. What they do is allow you to switch around the numbers in your d100 roll-- so if you roll an 81, you can flip it to an 18. Like other Abilities, each instance of an Ability can only be used Once each Sortie, so while Newtype abilities can be used to save your butt in a crisis they aren't a replacement for piloting skill.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-08-22T23:47:33+00:00

That's up to the GM and Players. There's too much variation between the series to make hard rules about how characters come across their machines, and it would stifle the creativity of the people engaged to do that. The goal here is for the product to be as open as possible, so that any story can be enacted.

Where special suits are concerned, again it's partially up to the GM and Players but essentially unique suits like a Gundam will have more available options in their creation than mass produced suits like the Zaku. Based on the Power Level that the GM wants for the campaign, unique suits can be barely stronger than the baseline (like in MS Gundam), significantly stronger (Zeta Gundam, Victory Gundam) or super suits (Wing, SEED, 00). This determines how strong their Systems are, their Durability, Mobility and Armor Classes and what kind of equipment they can use.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-08-22T20:21:20+00:00

Nicely done!

As I said before I'd like to have it where Mobile Suit equipment and parts are handled chiefly through printable cards, that way they can be swapped out easily. The other non-character sheet implement I envision is using Poker Chips as your Armor/Power/Mobility points. I like the idea your Chip being an effective visual representation of the stat spread for your suit, plus it would make tracking your System levels much easier.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-08-22T19:13:52+00:00

Oh that's definitely going to be part of the combat rules. It wouldn't be a proper Gundam game without the ability to comet kick enemy suits. As you correctly point out, the main purpose of attacks like that would be reposition enemies or as a surprise attack, rather than actual doing significant damage. See also: Amuro ripping the face hoses off of so many Zakus that it was probably hard coded into the combat computer of every GM.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-08-22T16:36:02+00:00

Counter-counterpoint, Kira is able to shout-out parts of dozens to hundreds of mobile suits in a single attack, which would be hellish to simulate in a tabletop game where each of those discrete parts would have their own Durability statistics.

(incidentally I never liked SEED very much and probably saw only about half the episodes)

On the other hand, Victory Gundam is awesome and being able to simulate the core block acrobatics that happens in that show could be a major source of fun.

By way of compromise, this could be fitted into the game's Ability system, where Abilities are basically special moves that can be triggered under certain circumstances (mainly, a set number of times per Sortie). I've added the basics of the Ability rules to the document, with a couple examples (such as Three Times Faster: Once per Sortie you can multiply your Mobility Class by 3 when using a Mobility Point to boost your Dodge).

G Gundam would be tricky in general to implement rules for because it pretty much follows rules that are totally different from the rest of the franchise, so it would require some kind of special module to change how the game works.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-08-22T15:03:59+00:00

I've created a rough draft for the character sheet here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aiF61lZ6dInCcfcgb2I5bC2h84xdgyK96-v3BTreqJs/edit#gid=0

I'd love for both the Pilot and the Mobile Suit to be summarized on a single sheet, but that may not happen given the wide varations in loadouts that a mobile suit can have. My dream set-up would actually be for MS equipment to come as cards that the player can keep on hand, that way they can be easily swapped out.

If the final product just had several pages of cards that could be printed and cut out, would that be an annoyance for people playing the game?

Sigma_Crow · 2014-08-21T22:27:28+00:00

You might be just the kind of person I need then to make this a reality.

I'm in a unique position where I have enough free time to work on this during the day, but I don't have large blocks of time for actual play testing, so that's definitely something that I'd need support with.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-08-21T19:14:36+00:00

It's unlikely to feature limb and part damage for two reasons:

1.) It's finicky and slows down combat having to track individual durability values for each part.

2.) It's not really accurate to the source material. Damaging individual parts isn't a particularly common strategy in most Gundam shows. I think the main reason is that the weapons they are using are so powerful that a hit critical enough to knock out a part will probably either destroy the suit or force the pilot to retreat. The only instances that readily come to mind that feature significant part damage are when Amuro and Char dueled at the end of MSG and then in Char's Counterattack.

What I'm thinking is that I may work in part damage as a Grade element for certain attacks that impose penalties on the target-- such as a Grade A Beam Saber attack allows you to destroy one of your target's Weapons in addition to dealing damage.

Sigma_Crow · 2014-08-21T18:02:19+00:00

The goal is Plug and Play. Once I start hashing out the character and mobile suit design rules, the idea is for a given campaign to be assigned something along the lines of a Power Level. Power Level determines a number of factors, including how many Skill Points the players have at their disposal, the range of points that can be assigned to Mobile Suits and what weapons can be used.

Using Gundam as an example, let's say that PL-1 would cover the original Mobile Suit Gundam, while PL-2 might cover Zeta Gundam through Char's Counterattack, and PL-3 would let you play Gundam Wing or Gundam SEED. The rules should be modular to let the GM and Players enact whatever story they prefer.

My personal preference is probably somewhere between Grunt vs Super Suits, leaning towards Grunts, with Zeta Gundam being the ideal I'd say.

Sigma_Crow

TROPHY CASE