Mass Combat System RFI

slade the sniper · Sun Dec 15, 2019 6:16 pm

So, since my thread in the Rifts forum was less helpful to me that I had hoped, I am continuing the conversation here...

Right now I have figured out the numerical systems for mass combat, as well as all of the organizational skills necessary for the units to perform in single combat as well as extended conflicts.

Now I am working on the terrain types and modifiers for the system.

Query, how much differentiation would a person like/should there be. Urban environments are pretty easy to figure out, as well as elevation changes, LOS, weather, etc. but how about natural biomes? Should it be just woodlands or should there be a mechanical difference between triple canopy jungle and old growth forests? Same thing for swamps and marshes, etc.

Once I get some feedback for that (or I just wing it with a few playtests) then I can start on actually making the 2D terrain sets. Lamination galore!

Finally I can start making units.

Does anyone know what the unit symbology would be for Powered Armor troops, Mecha, Veritechs, etc.? Since I am making this to accommodate mass combat up to Corps+ level, I am going to use symbols instead of miniatures since the ranges can extend up to several hundred miles via TBMs and airstrikes.

-STS

slade the sniper · Tue Dec 17, 2019 9:45 pm

Ok, so because I love to read my own posts....

Right now I have set up approx 5 types of most terrain with elevation permutations and weather for a total of ~ 206 pre-made terrain cards. I know how the map board is getting set up and am waiting to pick up the last bits of things I need to make physical items. Ugh.

The good thing is that the mental parts are already done and thus I am putting them here. Once I make more progress, I will continue to type to myself.

-STS

A GM tool for mass combat

The following are the aspects of each unit and rules of the game.

Offense is the total base attacking power of the unit. This is generally based upon the type of unit.
Defense is the total base defensive power of the unit. This is generally based upon the type of unit.

Size is the total size (in personnel) of the unit. There are some exceptionally powerful units that receive a bonus to size to account for their power in spite of their small numbers. When there is a modifier, it is placed inside of parenthesis. IF a unit has a + or a – after the size it is Reinforced or Reduced. A Reinforced unit gets a +1 to either Offense or Defense, a Reduced unit gets a -1 to either Offense or Defense.
Damage is equal to the Offense x Size of the unit.
Resilience is equal to the Defense x Size of the unit.

Leadership – measuring the ability of the leaders to inspire their troops
Medical/ Administration/ Recruiting– measuring the ability of the unit to care for and replace their troops
Perception/ Intelligence – measuring the ability of the unit to gain, retain and use information to their benefit
Tactics/ Operations/ Strategy – this measures the ability of the unit to follow orders in the heat of battle
Equipment/ Logistics – the ability of the unit to supply themselves during battle
Planning – the unit’s ability to plan accordingly to their enemy and the environment
Teamwork/ Communications/ Information – the ability to communicate clearly and effectively in spite of conflict
Morale/ Training – the morale of the unit and the training they undergo
Environment/ Engineering – the unit’s ability to use the environment and engineering to their benefit
Persuasion/ Negotiations/ Diplomacy – The ability of the unit to gain allies and keep enemies out of the battle

Speed is the speed of the unit in combat.
Range is the longest-range weapon of the unit.

Notes are things that are important for the understanding of the unit such as whether it flies, is naval or etc. This is also where any additional skills would be denoted.

There are five levels of realism/simulation that are tied to these values. The first level is the most simple and abstract. If the offense of the unit is higher than the defense of the opposing unit, the first unit wins. If a unit A with a 2 offense and a 3 defense fights a unit B with a 4 offense and a 3 defense, you compare the offense and defense of each unit, 2 vs 3 and a 4 vs 3. In that case the second unit defeats the first unit because its offense of 4 is larger than the defense of 3, and the 2 offense of the first unit is not enough to overcome the 3 defense of the second unit.

The second level adds in some uncertainty into the conflict so that it is no longer strictly a numbers game. You divide the offense of the first unit by the defense of the second, then multiply that by 50%. Offense 2 vs Defense of 3 = 2/3 = 66.6% x .5 = 33.3 = 33%. That means the first unit has a 33% chance of defeating the second unit. Offense 4 vs Defense of 3 = 4/3 = 133% x .5 = 66.6% rounded up to 67%. The second unit has a 67% change of defeating the first unit. The first and second player both roll d%, and it is possible that both units survive or both die, instead of a simple neat victory.

The third level introduces the concept of attrition. Offense x Size = Damage, and Defense x Size = Resilience. In the case of a unit (A) with offense 4, defense 5, size 7 it would a damage of 28 and a resilience of 35. Another unit (B) has an offense of 7, defense 7 and size 6 would have a damage of 42 and a resilience of 42 as well.

Unit A vs Unit B equals offense 4 divided by defense 7 = 57% x .5 = 28.5% = 29% of Unit A damaging Unit B. Unit B has a offense 7 divided by defense 5 = 140% x .5 = 70% chance of damaging Unit A. If Unit A rolls less than 29% against Unit B, then it will inflict 28 damage against the 42 resilience of Unit B. That will leave Unit B with a resilience of 14. If Unit B rolls under 70% it will inflict 42 damage against the 35 resilience of unit A. 35 – 42 = -7. That -7 means that Unit A has been disrupted and loses some capability. Unit A loses 1 from their Offense, Defense and Size. That makes Unit A have an Offense of 3, a Defense of 4 and a Size of 6, which subsequently reduces the Damage to 18 and Resilience to 24. Since there was still 7 points of damage left over, that is now subtracted from the Resilience of 24 to make it 17.

If, for some reason the commander of Unit A wishes to continue to fight, to damage Unit B, Unit A will have to roll below Offense of 3 divided by the Defense of 7 = 42.8 x .5 = 21.4%. Unit B will have to roll under Offense of 7 divided by Defense of 4 = 1.75 x .5 = 87.5% rounded up to 88%. The Resilience of Unit B remains what it was previously, it does NOT reset each round.

For the sake of example, if Unit A does succeed in damaging B, and B does NOT succeed in damaging A, then unit B would lose an additional 18 points of resilience, which reduces that to -4, disrupting Unit B. Unit B would then lose 1 from Offense, Defense and Size, recalculating the Damage and Resilience. The remaining 4 points of damage are then subtracted from the new Resilience. The new percentages for combat are now recalculated for both Unit A and Unit B.

By adding some additional details, the game is expanded to cover more than combat. These additional facets are used to measure various skills that are needed to successfully conduct combat operations over time instead of only solitary skirmishes. Some of these are known by different names depending on the size of the unit, but they all measure the same factors but are NOT interchangeable. These skills are described above and include Leadership, Medical/ Administration/ Recruiting, Perception/ Intelligence, Tactics/ Operations/ Strategy, Equipment/ Logistics, Planning,
Teamwork/ Communications/ Information, Morale/ Training, Environment/ Engineering, and Persuasion/ Negotiations/ Diplomacy.

Each of these are measured as a percentage. Before a battle, the unit rolls to see if they gain any bonuses by rolling under the skill percentage. As a unit takes damage, each of the percentages is reduced by 10% until the unit no longer gains any bonus from that skill. Leadership grants a bonus of +1 to Offense AND Defense. All of the other skills grant a +1 to either Offense OR Defense as chosen by the player.

As an example, a unit has a 62% logistics skill. The player rolls a 44%. The unit gets a +1 to either offense or defense as the player chooses. The player chooses a +1 to defense. Let us say the player loses a combat and due to that, the new logistics skill is now 52% (-10% due to a loss in the unit’s size). The bonus of +1 is still there due to the 44% still being under the new skill level of 52%. The player can shift that +1 to offense or keep it in defense. If the unit takes damage again and loses another -10% in skill, it will be a 42%. As the roll of 44% is higher than the new skill of 42%, the +1 bonus is now lost for this round.

If a unit with ends up with a negative modifier larger than the number rolled, such a unit rolls a 32% in logistics and eventually ends up with a -40% due to combat, then that unit will have a -1 to either offense or defense since the 32 is less than the -40%.

The final level of simulation is added by the use of a map, which utilizes Range and Speed as tactical variables. The scale of these combats can range from 1 inch equals 5’ or 2 meters individual warriors and small teams, all the way up to 1” equals 100,000 km on a side. When using a map (or terrain), the units may be denoted by either counters or miniatures, depending on the desire of the players. Each map square will be denoted with any specific rules that affect units, and brings into effect line of sight rules for small units. When using a map, terrain becomes a consideration for both range, speed, LOS and Indirect fire.

Notes are where specific information about the unit is noted that may come up in the game and any changes to the basic rules above.

Creating a Battlefield.
What sort of mission are you trying to play
Step 1, place the Main Objective card down (determined from the mission type)
Step 2, lay a terrain type and determine density, elevation, obstacle or wall

Terrain has a type (urban 2, forest 2, grassland 1, Paved 0, etc.)
Terrain has a density (open 0, close 1, dense 2, obstacle X, wall X)
Terrain has an elevation (depression 2, low 1, flat 0, rise 1, high 2)

A paved, open, flat area gives NO modifiers to range, speed or defense.

The words are for description so that you can have a forest with close growth in a depression.
The numbers act as divisors for both range and speed. For example a forest (2) with close (1) growth in a depression (2) will have a modifier of 2 + 1 + 2 = 5. That means that the range of weapons and speed are 1/6th what they normally are (since the 5 + 1 = 6). This number ALSO adds to the defense of units, so that the previous unit will have a +6 to its defense.

An obstacle has a number next to it which is the number of combat turns it will take to cross it. A wall acts the same as an obstacle, but it also blocks LOS.

Line of Sight now plays a role as well. Open terrain does not block line of sight. You have a LOS of 1 for close terrain, meaning that you can see through 1 square of close terrain and engage targets on the far side. Dense terrain you can only engage targets in the adjacent square. Walls block LOS and thus can not be attacked into or through. Smoke can also block LOS.

Indirect Fire (IDF) is a subset of Offense which is noted by a number inside of parenthesis with an I in the Offense line, such as Offense 6 (5I) which means that the unit has a normal Offense of 6, but can use an Offense of 5 even if it does not have LOS but still within range of a target, but another unit does, with a successful Communications roll of the unit who LOS. If the units are in the SAME Square both units lose all defensive benefits for their position.

Cut out some Random Shapes
Types include Urban 1, Urban 2, Grassland 1, Grassland 2, Forest 1, Forest 2, Flatlands 0, Swamp 1, Swamp 2
Density Open 0, Close 1, Dense 2
Depression 2, Depression 1, Flat 0, Elevation 1, Elevation 2
Obstacle/Wall X

Weather also plays a role:
Light Rain 1 Heavy Rain 2
Light Snow 1 Heavy Snow 2
Daytime 0 Night time 1
Bitterly Cold 1 Extremely Hot 1

Woodlands 1 0 Savannah
Woodlands 1 1 Woodland
Woodlands 2 0 Forest
Woodlands 1 2 Old growth Forest
Woodlands 2 2 Jungle

Each of which will have Elevation of -2, -1, 0, 1, 2 for a total of
Woodlands x 30 cards
Urban x 30 buildings, town, village, suburban, city, sprawl
Grassland x 30 grassland, Prairie, tall grassland prairie, Shrublands, Scrub, chaparral
Mountains x 30 volcano, alpine, rolling hills, Karst, scree,
Swamp x 18 (only for elevation -2, -1 and 0)
Marsh x 18 (only for elevation -2, -1 and 0)
Desert x 5 (only for the elevation changes)

10 x river
10 x road
10 x water
10 x obstacles

5 x weather

Should flatlands have any cards? What sort of Objective Cards should there be?

Total cards are 30 x 4 = 120 + 36 = 156 terrain, + 40 other cards = 196 cards + 5 weather = 201 cards in a total set (without flatlands) +5 desert = 206

Peacebringer · Unread post by **Peacebringer** » Sun Dec 22, 2019 9:33 pm

Reminds me of Chome-Berets a bit: I like the Large Unit Resolution in RR; it works!

slade the sniper · Sun Dec 29, 2019 6:00 am

I was trying to pull the good bits out of various systems, and Chrome Berets was definitely in that list.

What is RR?

Here is a list of all the types of units I have made so far (the formatting of this board is not so good.)

Spoiler:

I even have the "costs" figured out as well...2 points for an untrained gang member and 816,480 points for a post-human heavy space carrier.

Work progresses!

-STS

edit:
So, I added in knights and helicopters (can't believe I forgot those).

The next part is how to build up actual combined arms forces, such as a company of grav tanks, with some heavy mortars in support (oh, wait, now I need to add in all the different types of indirect fire), how to do that? Make it a combined unit for fewer rolls, OR have each unit roll for it's own attack?

-STS

Peacebringer · Unread post by **Peacebringer** » Sun Dec 29, 2019 1:52 pm

RR is Revised Recon; I've been to White Wolf's forums and I got in the habit of abbreviating RPG-books; CP:2020, CB, would be, "Cyberpunk 2020: Chrome-Berets.

BTW: I've always disagreed with Starship Troopers and Star-Trek on naming spaceships after naval units; i.e., destroyers, cutters, carriers etc. Space is the realm of the USAF and any space war vessels will be named after air-force designations.

slade the sniper · Mon Dec 30, 2019 6:07 am

Ah, ok. I also have visited the WW forums on occasion. Well, back when it it was OWOD.

As for naming space units, what would you name them?

As for the AF controlling space, well, not anymore. Space Command is here! Granted, it is an AF type, but they will probably have to do a round robin of commanders until Space Command builds its own roster of GO's.

I also added in all types of artillery, including black powder artillery. I redid some calcs (for Palladium, not Recon) for black powder cannons and came up to:
4 pounder 2d10 x 10 damage
6 pounder 4d6 x 10 damage
9 pounder 3d10 x 10 damage
12 pounder 6d6 x 10 damage
18 pounder 1d4 x 100 damage
24 pounder 5d10 x 10 damage
32 pounder 1d6 x 100 damage
42 pounder 1d6 x 100 + 1d6 x 10 or 11d6 x 10
64 pounder 1d8 x 100 damage

This is damage at the muzzle. Damage x 1.4 for Recon

-STS

Captain_Nibbz · Mon Dec 30, 2019 12:14 pm

Oh dang! THIS is what happened to that thread!

I'll be watching with interest to see what all you come up with!

slade the sniper · Mon Dec 30, 2019 4:06 pm

The problem is that posting things on the forum don't really format all that well

That and the fact that I can't write instructions for sh--.

I have all the data done for weather, environment, units, etc. But, of course it is all in an excel file. I don't know, maybe I'll just write it Palladium Style and make it confusing AF, then blame the reader for not getting it

Might still add in some other unit types like...oh, zombies, xenomorphs or dinosaurs or something?

-STS

slade the sniper · Sat Feb 01, 2020 4:35 am

Ok, got all the stats formatted, just trying to figure out how to put them on here without having to put it all on here without having to type it in all manually

Sigh, any ideas for how to do this?

-STS

slade the sniper · Sun Feb 02, 2020 1:01 pm

Okie dokie got all the "zone of control" stuff and combining units stuff done. Yay. So, the rules posted below are the I am going with, and unless someone has some inputs, my project is done.

The following are the aspects of each unit and rules of the game.

Offense is the total base attacking power of the unit. This is generally based upon the type of unit.
Defense is the total base defensive power of the unit. This is generally based upon the type of unit.

Size is the total size (in personnel) of the unit. There are some exceptionally powerful units that receive a bonus to size to account for their power in spite of their small numbers. When there is a modifier, it is placed inside of parenthesis. IF a unit has a + or a – after the size it is Reinforced or Reduced. A Reinforced unit gets a +1 to either Offense or Defense, a Reduced unit gets a -1 to either Offense or Defense.
Damage is equal to the Offense x Size of the unit.
Resilience is equal to the Defense x Size of the unit.

Leadership – measuring the ability of the leaders to inspire their troops
Medical/ Administration/ Recruiting– measuring the ability of the unit to care for and replace their troops
Perception/ Intelligence – measuring the ability of the unit to gain, retain and use information to their benefit
Tactics/ Operations/ Strategy – this measures the ability of the unit to follow orders in the heat of battle
Equipment/ Logistics – the ability of the unit to supply/repair themselves during battle
Planning – the unit’s ability to plan accordingly to their enemy and the environment
Teamwork/ Communications/ Information – the ability to communicate clearly and effectively in spite of conflict
Morale/ Training – the morale of the unit and the training they undergo
Environment/ Engineering – the unit’s ability to use the environment and engineering to their benefit
Persuasion/ Negotiations/ Diplomacy – The ability of the unit to gain allies and keep enemies out of the battle

Speed is the speed of the unit while in combat. The travelling speed in approximately 1.5 times that if it is not noted.
Range is the area that the unit can contest, as measured from the center of the unit. Range takes the baseline longest range weapon system and modifies it based on the Size of the unit.
Size Range multiple (as measured from the center of the unit)
0 x1
1 x2
2 x4
3 x8
4 x16
5 x32
6 x64
7 x128
8 x256
9 x512
10 x1,024
11 x2,048
12 x4,096
13 x8,192
14 x16,384
15 x32,768

Combining Units
Every Step DOWN from the higher number is only worth half value. The Skills use ONLY the larger unit’s skills.

Steps down for Offense, Defense and Size
1 .5
2 .25
3 .125
4 .0625
5 .03125
6 .0156
7 .007
8 .003
9 .015
10 .001

As an example an O8 D7 S7 unit is combined with a O6 D6 S6 unit, the unit will become a O8 to O6 is two steps down so the O is now 8.25, the D is one step down so the D is now 7.5 and the S is one size step down so it is now a S 7.5 for a combined unit rating of O8.25 D7.5 S7.5

Notes are things that are important for the understanding of the unit such as whether it flies, is naval or etc. This is also where any additional skills would be denoted.

There are five levels of realism/simulation that are tied to these values. The first level is the most simple and abstract. If the offense of the unit is higher than the defense of the opposing unit, the first unit wins. If a unit A with a 2 offense and a 3 defense fights a unit B with a 4 offense and a 3 defense, you compare the offense and defense of each unit, 2 vs 3 and a 4 vs 3. In that case the second unit defeats the first unit because its offense of 4 is larger than the defense of 3, and the 2 offense of the first unit is not enough to overcome the 3 defense of the second unit.

The second level adds in some uncertainty into the conflict so that it is no longer strictly a numbers game. You divide the offense of the first unit by the defense of the second, then multiply that by 50%. Offense 2 vs Defense of 3 = 2/3 = 66.6% x .5 = 33.3 = 33%. That means the first unit has a 33% chance of defeating the second unit. Offense 4 vs Defense of 3 = 4/3 = 133% x .5 = 66.6% rounded up to 67%. The second unit has a 67% change of defeating the first unit. The first and second player both roll d%, and it is possible that both units survive or both die, instead of a simple neat victory.

The third level introduces the concept of attrition. Offense x Size = Damage, and Defense x Size = Resilience. In the case of a unit (A) with offense 4, defense 5, size 7 it would a damage of 28 and a resilience of 35. Another unit (B) has an offense of 7, defense 7 and size 6 would have a damage of 42 and a resilience of 42 as well.

Unit A vs Unit B equals offense 4 divided by defense 7 = 57% x .5 = 28.5% = 29% of Unit A damaging Unit B. Unit B has a offense 7 divided by defense 5 = 140% x .5 = 70% chance of damaging Unit A. If Unit A rolls less than 29% against Unit B, then it will inflict 28 damage against the 42 resilience of Unit B. That will leave Unit B with a resilience of 14. If Unit B rolls under 70% it will inflict 42 damage against the 35 resilience of unit A. 35 – 42 = -7. That -7 means that Unit A has been disrupted and loses some capability. Unit A loses 1 from their Offense, Defense and Size. That makes Unit A have an Offense of 3, a Defense of 4 and a Size of 6, which subsequently reduces the Damage to 18 and Resilience to 24. Since there was still 7 points of damage left over, that is now subtracted from the Resilience of 24 to make it 17.

If, for some reason the commander of Unit A wishes to continue to fight, to damage Unit B, Unit A will have to roll below Offense of 3 divided by the Defense of 7 = 42.8 x .5 = 21.4%. Unit B will have to roll under Offense of 7 divided by Defense of 4 = 1.75 x .5 = 87.5% rounded up to 88%. The Resilience of Unit B remains what it was previously, it does NOT reset each round.

For the sake of example, if Unit A does succeed in damaging B, and B does NOT succeed in damaging A, then unit B would lose an additional 18 points of resilience, which reduces that to -4, disrupting Unit B. Unit B would then lose 1 from Offense, Defense and Size, recalculating the Damage and Resilience. The remaining 4 points of damage are then subtracted from the new Resilience. The new percentages for combat are now recalculated for both Unit A and Unit B.

By adding some additional details, the game is expanded to cover more than combat. These additional facets are used to measure various skills that are needed to successfully conduct combat operations over time instead of only solitary skirmishes. Some of these are known by different names depending on the size of the unit, but they all measure the same factors but are NOT interchangeable. These skills are described above and include Leadership, Medical/ Administration/ Recruiting, Perception/ Intelligence, Tactics/ Operations/ Strategy, Equipment/ Logistics, Planning,
Teamwork/ Communications/ Information, Morale/ Training, Environment/ Engineering, and Persuasion/ Negotiations/ Diplomacy.

Each of these are measured as a percentage. Before a battle, the unit rolls to see if they gain any bonuses by rolling under the skill percentage. As a unit takes damage, each of the percentages is reduced by 10% until the unit no longer gains any bonus from that skill. Leadership grants a bonus of +1 to Offense AND Defense. All of the other skills grant a +1 to either Offense OR Defense as chosen by the player.

As an example, a unit has a 62% logistics skill. The player rolls a 44%. The unit gets a +1 to either offense or defense as the player chooses. The player chooses a +1 to defense. Let us say the player loses a combat and due to that, the new logistics skill is now 52% (-10% due to a loss in the unit’s size). The bonus of +1 is still there due to the 44% still being under the new skill level of 52%. The player can shift that +1 to offense or keep it in defense. If the unit takes damage again and loses another -10% in skill, it will be a 42%. As the roll of 44% is higher than the new skill of 42%, the +1 bonus is now lost for this round.

If a unit with ends up with a negative modifier larger than the number rolled, such a unit rolls a 32% in logistics and eventually ends up with a -40% due to combat, then that unit will have a -1 to either offense or defense since the 32 is less than the -40%.

The final level of simulation is added by the use of a map, which utilizes Range and Speed as tactical variables. The scale of these combats can range from 1 inch equals 5’ or 2 meters individual warriors and small teams, all the way up to 1” equals 100,000 km on a side. When using a map (or terrain), the units may be denoted by either counters or miniatures, depending on the desire of the players. Each map square will be denoted with any specific rules that affect units, and brings into effect line of sight rules for small units. When using a map, terrain becomes a consideration for both range, speed, LOS and Indirect fire.

Notes are where specific information about the unit is noted that may come up in the game and any changes to the basic rules above.

Creating a Battlefield.
What sort of mission are you trying to play
Step 1, place the Main Objective card down (determined from the mission type)
Step 2, lay a terrain type and determine density, elevation, obstacle or wall

Terrain has a type (urban 2, forest 2, grassland 1, Paved 0, etc.)
Terrain has a density (open 0, close 1, dense 2, obstacle X, wall X)
Terrain has an elevation (depression 2, low 1, flat 0, rise 1, high 2)

A paved, open, flat area gives NO modifiers to range, speed or defense.

The words are for description so that you can have a forest with close growth in a depression.
The numbers act as divisors for both range and speed. For example a forest (2) with close (1) growth in a depression (2) will have a modifier of 2 + 1 + 2 = 5. That means that the range of weapons and speed are 1/6th what they normally are (since the 5 + 1 = 6). This number ALSO adds to the defense of units, so that the previous unit will have a +6 to its defense.

An obstacle has a number next to it which is the number of combat turns it will take to cross it. A wall acts the same as an obstacle, but it also blocks LOS.

Line of Sight now plays a role as well. Open terrain does not block line of sight. You have a LOS of 1 for close terrain, meaning that you can see through 1 square of close terrain and engage targets on the far side. Dense terrain you can only engage targets in the adjacent square. Walls block LOS and thus can not be attacked into or through. Smoke can also block LOS.

Indirect Fire (IDF) is a subset of Offense which is noted by a number inside of parenthesis with an I in the Offense line, such as Offense 6 (5I) which means that the unit has a normal Offense of 6, but can use an Offense of 5 even if it does not have LOS but still within range of a target, but another unit does, with a successful Communications roll of the unit who LOS. If the units are in the SAME Square both units lose all defensive benefits for their position.

Cut out some Random Shapes
Types include Urban 1, Urban 2, Grassland 1, Grassland 2, Forest 1, Forest 2, Flatlands 0, Swamp 1, Swamp 2
Density Open 0, Close 1, Dense 2
Depression 2, Depression 1, Flat 0, Elevation 1, Elevation 2
Obstacle/Wall X

Weather:
Light Rain 1 Heavy Rain 2
Light Snow 1 Heavy Snow 2
Daytime 0 Night time 1
Bitterly Cold 1 Extremely Hot 1

Elevation of -2, -1, 0, 1, 2

Terrain:
Woodlands 1 0 Savannah
Woodlands 1 1 Woodland
Woodlands 2 0 Forest
Woodlands 1 2 Jungle
Woodlands 2 1 Old Growth Forest
Woodlands 2 2 Triple Canopy

Urban 1 0 Buildings
Urban 1 1 Town
Urban 2 0 Village
Urban 1 2 Surburban
Urban 2 1 City
Urban 2 2 Sprawl

Grasslands 1 0 Grassland
Grasslands 1 1 Prairie
Grasslands 2 0 Tall Grassland prairie
Grasslands 1 2 Shrubland
Grasslands 2 1 Scrub
Grasslands 2 2 Chaparral

Highlands 1 0 Rolling hills
Highlands 1 1 plateaus
Highlands 2 0 Scree
Highlands 1 2 Alpine
Highlands 2 1 Himalayan
Highlands 2 2 Karst

Wetland 1 0 Seasonal Wetland (only for elevation -2, -1 and 0)
Wetland 1 1 Seeps
Wetland 2 0 Fen
Wetland 1 2 Marsh
Wetland 2 1 Bog
Wetland 2 2 Swamp

Desert 1 0 Hot and Dry sand
Desert 1 1 Hot and Dry rocky
Desert 2 0 Semi-Arid
Desert 1 2 Oasis

Polar 1 0 Ice
Polar 1 1 Steppe
Polar 2 0 Tundra
Polar 1 2 Taiga

Flatlands 0 0 Saltflats

Depression 2
Depression 1
Flat 0
Elevation 1
Elevation 2

river
road
water
obstacles

-STS

slade the sniper · Mon Feb 10, 2020 4:34 am

Because I totally love talking to myself...
Would you want a mass combat game use counters with little pictures on it (little tanks, little infantry dudes, little helicopters) OR unit symbols for the counters, OR would you want them to be two sided so you could have a choice?

Alternately, standing pictures (either with bases or just folded in an "A" shape) so that the side facing you the player has information, and the side facing the opponent just has a number so the enemy knows there is a unit there, but not much else (size, type, etc.).

-STS

slade the sniper · Mon Mar 30, 2020 11:54 pm

Hello me, it's me again.

So, now that I've got the skill system built...and I have written the unit construction rules, it is opinion time

So, building a low end barely functional corps of melee based infantry militia costs 880 points, which is acceptable when you are getting 20 to 50 thousand troops.

On the high end building a heavy space battleship crewed entirely by experts with decades of experience, weapons ranges of 200,000 km and a combat maneuvering speed of .2c comes out to... an absolutely incredible 62,339,200,000,000,000 points. To be fair, that is basically a planetary level of production, something along the lines of a 40K Imperial Battleship or a Super Star Destroyer from Star Wars.

Is that too swingy with regard to the points or does it sound...about right? Should I give more examples?

-STS

Captain_Nibbz · Tue Mar 31, 2020 11:42 am

Maybe some more examples here.

On the one hand, that does sound right . . . but at the same time perspective might help it be easier to swallow that number

slade the sniper · Tue Mar 31, 2020 3:11 pm

OMG, a reply!?!

Ok, here is the rules for the unit costs:

Unit Cost
Now that the elements of the unit have been explained, how does a player go about building their organizations?
Offense x Defense x Size = Combat Cost
That is all that is needed when making a basic organization.
IF you want to go for more detail and incorporate skills, then add all of the skills together to find the skill cost. Written out it is:
Leadership + Personnel + Intelligence + Operations + Logistics + Planning + Communications + Training + Engineering + Diplomacy = Skill modifier. The ten skills at 10% each is 100% of the base cost. This means that the basic cost includes the ten skills at 10% if you so choose to include skills in your game.

The speed characteristic in kilometers per hour is the combat speed of the unit. The range of unit is in meters so that translates as a range of 1 meter. This means that a melee unit with a combat speed of 1 km/h has a multiplier of 1.

As a few examples a unit with an offense of 10, a defense of 8 and a size of 11 is:
10 x 8 x 11 = 880

If it has all 10 skills at 10% that is 10 x 10% = 100%

880 points x 100% = 880 points.

Let’s say the unit is only a melee unit (range of 1 meter) and only has a combat speed of 1 km/h that means the base cost of 880 x 1 x 1 = a grand total of 880 points.

For a very high end unit such as a heavy space battleship, with an expert crew and a range of 200,000 km and a speed of .2c (the speed of light) for a speed of roughly 80,500,000 km/h.

The ship will have an offense of 11, defense of 11 and a size of 8. That gives a base cost of 968. For all 10 skills to be at 40% is 400%. 968 x 400% = 3,872 points

To give it 200,000 km range makes the cost 774,400,000 points. To give it a combat maneuvering speed of .2 c (80.5 million) raises the cost to an incredible 62,339, 200,000,000,000 points.

Apparently building top end battleships is very expensive. To be fair, this is the equivalent of planetary level effort to build a multi-kilometer long warship crewed by some of the best and brightest on that planet.

I think I am going to have to use something like a modifier like MDC or something to get the number of zeros lower.

Thanks for the reply!

Here are some other random examples with all the stats including costs
an NVA infantry Regiment
Offense 9
Defense 8
Size 8
Damage 72
Resilience 64
Leadership 20%
Personnel 20%
Intelligence 20%
Operations 20%
Logistics 20%
Planning 20%
Communications 20%
Training 10%
Engineering 10%
Diplomacy 10%
Range 3000 meters
Speed 1 km/h
Unit Cost 2,764,800

A WWII US Ranger Battalion
Offense 9
Defense 8
Size 7
Damage 63
Resilience 56
Leadership 30%
Personnel 30%
Intelligence 20%
Operations 30%
Logistics 20%
Planning 20%
Communications 20%
Training 30%
Engineering 10%
Diplomacy 10%
Range 1800 meters
Speed 1.5 km/h
Unit Cost 2,993,760

A VF-1 Veritech squadron (post Rain of Death)
Offense 9
Defense 8
Size 7
Damage 73
Resilience 56
Leadership 20%
Personnel 10%
Intelligence 10%
Operations 20%
Logistics 20%
Planning 10%
Communications 20%
Training 20%
Engineering 20%
Diplomacy 10%
Range 500km to 1800km OR 4800 meters
Speed 4300 km/h
Unit Cost 624,153,600,000

A strike package of 4 X-wings, 4 A-wings, 4-Y wings and 2-B-wings (just a bunch of rag tag rebels)
Offense 9
Defense 9
Size 7+
Damage 63
Resilience 63
Leadership 20%
Personnel 10%
Intelligence 10%
Operations 10%
Logistics 10%
Planning 10%
Communications 10%
Training 10%
Engineering 0%
Diplomacy 10%
Range 3,500,000 km
Speed 1100 km/h
Unit Cost 2,338,875,000,000,000

The HMS Hood
Offense 8
Defense 8
Size 7
Damage 54
Resilience 54
Leadership 20%
Personnel 20%
Intelligence 20%
Operations 20%
Logistics 20%
Planning 20%
Communications 20%
Training 20%
Engineering 10%
Diplomacy 10%
Range 30,600 meters
Speed 56 km/h
Unit Cost 1,381,847,040

-STS

P.S. Ok, I gotta do some changes for the costs

The rest of the stuff seems acceptable, to me at least.

-STS

slade the sniper · Wed Apr 01, 2020 8:43 pm

OK, working on those costs, thinking about going with Speed Classes and Range Bands instead of exact speeds and exact ranges...since it isn't like a lot of warfare really depends on an extra 5 km/h in a fighter or an extra 3km of range for a ballistic missile.

Will post the updated stuff...later on I guess.

-STS

Captain_Nibbz · Wed Apr 01, 2020 9:41 pm

Keep it coming. I'm watching and I'll post when I can lol

slade the sniper · Thu Apr 02, 2020 1:06 am

tl;dr
quick comparison:
NVA Regiment = 9792 points
WWII Ranger Battalion = 9979 points
VF-1 Veritech Squadron (12 aircraft) = 199,181 points
4 X-wings, 4 A-wings, 4-Y wings and 2-B-wings = 200,475 points
Early WWII Battleship, HMS Hood = 11,290 points
Random heavy space battleship = 2,818,816 points

Ok, here is the build cost for Range and Speed... Each rank is a multiple, so:

Spoiler:

So, the NEW costs for the units are:
Here are some other random examples with all the stats including costs
an NVA infantry Regiment
Offense 9
Defense 8
Size 8 (9 x 8 x 8 = 576 points)
Damage 72
Resilience 64
Leadership 20%
Personnel 20%
Intelligence 20%
Operations 20%
Logistics 20%
Planning 20%
Communications 20%
Training 10%
Engineering 10%
Diplomacy 10% (576 x 170% = 979.2 points)
Range 3000 meters (rank 10 x 979.2 = 9792 points)
Speed 1 km/h (rank 1 = 9792 x 1 = 9792 points)
Unit Cost = 9792 points

A WWII US Ranger Battalion
Offense 9
Defense 8
Size 7 (9 x 8 x 7 = 504 points)
Damage 63
Resilience 56
Leadership 30%
Personnel 30%
Intelligence 20%
Operations 30%
Logistics 20%
Planning 20%
Communications 20%
Training 30%
Engineering 10%
Diplomacy 10% (220% x 504 = 1108.8 points)
Range 1800 meters (rank 9 x 1108.8 = 9979.2 points)
Speed 1.5 km/h (rank 1 x 9979.2 points)
Unit Cost = 9979 points (round down)

A VF-1 Veritech squadron (post Rain of Death)
Offense 9
Defense 8
Size 7 (9 x 8 x 7 = 504 points)
Damage 73
Resilience 56
Leadership 20%
Personnel 10%
Intelligence 10%
Operations 20%
Logistics 20%
Planning 10%
Communications 20%
Training 20%
Engineering 20%
Diplomacy 10% (160% x 504 = 806.4 points)
Range 500km to 1800km for long range missiles OR 4800 meters for short range missiles (rank 19 x 806.4 = 15321.6)
Speed 4300 km/h (rank 13 x 15321.6 = 199,180.8 )
Unit Cost 199,181 (round up)

A strike package of 4 X-wings, 4 A-wings, 4-Y wings and 2-B-wings (just a bunch of rag tag rebels)
Offense 9
Defense 9
Size 7+ (9 x 9 x 7.5 = 607.5 points)
Damage 63
Resilience 63
Leadership 20%
Personnel 10%
Intelligence 10%
Operations 10%
Logistics 10%
Planning 10%
Communications 10%
Training 10%
Engineering 0%
Diplomacy 10% (100% x 607.5 points)
Range 3,500,000 km (rank 30 x 607.5 = 18,225 points)
Speed 1100 km/h (rank 11 x 18,225 = 200,475 points)
Unit Cost 200,475 points

The HMS Hood
Offense 8
Defense 8
Size 7 (8 x 8 x 7 = 448 points)
Damage 54
Resilience 54
Leadership 20%
Personnel 20%
Intelligence 20%
Operations 20%
Logistics 20%
Planning 20%
Communications 20%
Training 20%
Engineering 10%
Diplomacy 10% (180% x 448 = 806.4 points)
Range 30,600 meters (rank 14 x 806.4 = 11,289.6 points)
Speed 56 km/h (rank 6 x 11,289.6 points)
Unit Cost 11,290 points (round up)

I think that works MUCH better...

As for the most expensive thing I could make previously:
For a very high end unit such as a heavy space battleship, with an expert crew and a range of 200,000 km and a speed of .2c (the speed of light) for a speed of roughly 80,500,000 km/h.

The ship will have an offense of 11, defense of 11 and a size of 8. That gives a base cost of 968. For all 10 skills to be at 40% is 400%. 968 x 400% = 3,872 points

To give it 200,000 km range makes the cost 774,400,000 points. To give it a combat maneuvering speed of .2 c (80.5 million) raises the cost to an incredible 62,339, 200,000,000,000 points.

Apparently building top end battleships is very expensive. To be fair, this is the equivalent of planetary level effort to build a multi-kilometer long warship crewed by some of the best and brightest on that planet.

Now it is Offense 11, Defense 11 and size 8 for a total of 968 points. The 10 skills at 40% each is 400%, so 968 points x 4 = 3872 points. The range of 200,000km gives us a range rank of 26 x 3872 = 100,672 points. A combat speed of .2C gives us a speed rank of 28 x 100,672 = 2,818,816 points.

Comments?

-STS

slade the sniper · Thu Apr 09, 2020 2:56 am

OK, so those new unit building costs seem to be in-line with what I want.

Right now I am working on the level of detail. Does it matter if an Infantry Brigade is using M4's or AK-47's? What about at an individual soldier level? I know that the RPG aspect is all about maximizing the character, but on a wargaming level, does that level of detail have a place, or would it be distracting?

Comments? :roll:

-STS

slade the sniper · Fri Apr 10, 2020 9:32 am

Working on the Unit/character sheets now. I think it might be a two pager (or a front and back, preferably). The Front side has all the unit data and the back side is a quick reference table of charts and rules.

-STS

Captain_Nibbz · Fri Apr 10, 2020 11:10 am

I promise that I'm skimming this when I get a chance but everything in my life is on fire because . . . well yeah

So far I think that this build system looks pretty solid. I might corner my wife one of these weekends and maybe do a bit of messing around with it. No promises unfortunately since, again, life :lol:

If things ever calm down I'll pick through this in more detail, but for now, keep it up! I'm liking what I'm seeing so far.

slade the sniper · Sat Apr 11, 2020 5:39 am

Thank you for you support!

I am lurking around some of the TT Wargaming boards and thinking about whether to post up some stuff there, but...I don't think I am ready for an "alpha test."

I don't have any wargame-y people around me. Gamers, yes. Wargamers, no. After this apocalypse runs its course, I think I'll give out some alpha test sets for free at my FLGS (if any of them survive).

-STS

slade the sniper · Sun Apr 12, 2020 1:16 am

Ok, now I have the information that goes on the unit/character sheet. Now, I am just trying to figure out what the sheet needs to "look like." Sigh. Oh well.

-STS

slade the sniper · Sun Apr 12, 2020 5:57 am

Still haven't worked out the unit/character sheet look/design...but, perhaps the sheets should look different depending upon the "time period"?

I am thinking that the time periods could be:
Classical
Medieval
Renaissance
Napoleonic
Victorian/WWI
WWII
1950's to 1970's, maybe a cold war and/or an insurgency version (to cover Africa and all the fun times in South East Asia)
1980's to modern...kind of a big warfare one and a War On Terror version
Science Fiction

I don't know...my graphic design abilities are lacking

-STS

slade the sniper · Tue Apr 14, 2020 1:47 am

↳ test

slade the sniper · Sun May 24, 2020 12:04 am

Hi me.
OK, ready for alpha testing and the endless cycle of playtest/editing/playtest. YAY.

Any ideas on who may be interested to have it emailed to them? LOL....

Anyway, I've got 15 pages of rules (mostly charts) and a few pages of excel with the unit stats on them. I would post them here, but charts don't format well at all here, as seen below.

Unit list by type.

Spoiler:

Anyway, how's this for a plan? Playtest it a bit. Commission some art, make some physical components and maps....make about 50 sets, put them in plastic bag and give them away at the hobby stores in town. Then put it up for free at Wargames Vault and DriveThruRPG for free.

-STS

Captain_Nibbz · Sun May 24, 2020 11:25 am

slade the sniper wrote:Hi me.
OK, ready for alpha testing and the endless cycle of playtest/editing/playtest. YAY.

Any ideas on who may be interested to have it emailed to them? LOL....

Anyway, I've got 15 pages of rules (mostly charts) and a few pages of excel with the unit stats on them. I would post them here, but charts don't format well at all here, as seen below.

Unit list by type.
Spoiler:
Militia Light Gangs
Militia Light+ Archers
Militia Medium Terrorists
Militia Heavy Hezbollah
Infantry Very Light Archers
Infantry Light Small Arms
Infantry Medium GPMG's
Infantry Heavy AT weapons
Infantry Very Heavy Full Body Armor
Infantry Super Heavy MD Body Armor
Zentraedi Infantry Zentraedi Zent Infantry
Elite Light- Archers
Elite Light Contractors
Elite Medium Knights
Elite Medium Modern US Infantry
Elite White SOF Medium + White SOF
Elite Black SOF Heavy - Black SOF
Elite Heavy ODST
Motorized Militia Light Gangs
Motorized Militia Medium Terrorists
Motorized Militia Heavy Hezbollah
Motorized Infantry Light Cars
Motorized Infantry Medium Trucks
Motorized Infantry Heavy Armored
Motorized Elite Light Small Arms
Motorized Elite Medium GPMG's
Motorized Elite Heavy AT weapons
Mech Infantry Light APCs
Mech Infantry Medium Upgunned APCs
Mech Infantry Heavy IFVs
Mech Infantry Elite Light APCs
Mech Infantry Elite Medium Upgunned APCs
Mech Infantry Elite Heavy IFVs
Mounted Light Light Cav/dismounted
Mounted Medium Cavalry/dismounted
Mounted Heavy Heavy Cav/dismounted
Mounted knights Very Heavy Armored Cav/dismounted
Helicopter Super Light bubble
Attack Helicopter Very Light MD-500
Helicopter Very Light OH-6
Helicopter Light Kiowa
Attack Helicopter Medium AH-64
Helicopter Medium UH-60
Helicopter Heavy Chinook
Mortar Very Light 50mm
Mortar LIght 60mm
Mortar Medium 80mm
Mortar Heavy 120mm
Mortar Very Heavy 240mm
Mortar Super heavy 300mm+
Artillery-black powder Super Light 4 pounder
Artillery-black powder Super Light + 6 pounder
Artillery-black powder Very Light 9 pounder
Artillery-black powder Light 12 pounder
Artillery-black powder Medium 18 pounder
Artillery-black powder Heavy 24 pounder
Artillery-black powder Very Heavy 32 pounder
Artillery-black powder Very Heavy + 42 pounder
Artillery-black powder Super heavy 64 pounder
Street Level Hero (PL 6) Medium
Super Hero (PL 10) Heavy
Artillery - modern Super Light 50mm
Artillery - modern Very Light 75mm
Artillery - modern Light 80mm
Self propelled artillery Medium 105mm
Artillery - modern Medium 105mm
Self propelled artillery Heavy 155mm
Artillery - modern Heavy 155mm
Jobaria MLRS 240 tubes Very Heavy 122mm rockets
Self propelled artillery Very Heavy 200mm
Artillery - modern Very Heavy 200mm
Power Armor Light (1/2 t) Battletech PAL
Power Armor Medium (1 t) Battletech PAM/Elemental
Power Armor Heavy (3 t) Battletech PAH
Powered Armor Light (siz 3) Zent FPA
Powered Armor Light (siz 3) Zent MPA
Power Armor Elite Light Mjolnir IV (1/2t)
Power Armor Elite Medium Mjolnir V (1/2 t)
Power Armor Elite Medium + Cyclone
Power Armor Elite Heavy SAMAS
Power Armor Elite Very Heavy Ultimax
Power Armor Elite Super Heavy Glitter boy
Adeptus Astartes light Unarmormed initiate
Adeptus Scout Light Scout Armor Initiate
Adeptus Scout Light Scout Armor Veteran
Adeptus Astartes Medium Astartes Armor
Adeptus Veterans Medium Astartes Armor
Adeptus Captain Medium Astartes Armor + Iron Halo
Adeptus Terminator Heavy Terminator Vets (+1/+1)
Adeptus Astartes Very Heavy Dreadnought
Adeptus Astartes Super Heavy Seige Dreadnought
Grav Tank (< 100 tons) Light RL grav
Grav Tank (200 - 300 tons) Medium RL grav
Grav Tank (< 400 tons) Heavy RL grav
Nuclear warhead Super Light tons - Fallout Fat Man
Nuclear warhead Very light sub kilotons
Nuclear warhead light kilotons
Nuclear warhead medium Megatons
Nuclear warhead heavy 25 Mtons
Nuclear warhead Very heavy 50 Mtons
Nuclear warhead Super heavy 100 Mtons +
Tank Light RHA
Tank Medium Heavy RHA
Tank Heavy Modern MBT
Tank Very Heavy 100 tons
Tank Super Heavy Baneblade
Bolo Super Light MK I to VI
Bolo Very Light Mk VI to X
Bolo Light Mk XI to XV
Bolo Medium MK XVI to XX
Bolo Heavy Mk XXI to XXV
Bolo Very Heavy Mk XXVI to XXIX
Bolo Super Heavy MK XXX
Mecha Super Light Protomechs (2t to 9t)
Mecha Very Light VL Mech/Proto Mech (10-15t)
Mecha Very Light+ VF-1 Veritechs
Mecha Light - Regult Battle Pod
Mecha Light - Regult Lt artillery BP
Mecha Light - Regult Hvy artillery BP
Mecha Light IK Armiger/Locust
Mecha Light (20-40t) RDF Destroids (15t)
Mecha Medium Glaug Officer
Mecha Medium (40-60t) IK Questoris
Mecha Heavy (60-80t) IK Cerastus
Mecha Very Heavy (80-100t) Atlas/IK Dominus
Mecha Super Heavy (100+t) IK Acastus
Walker Super Light AT-RT
Walker Very Light AT-ST/Sentinels
Walker light AT-TE
Walker Medium
Walker Heavy AT-AT
Walker Very Heavy AT-M6
Walker Super Heavy
Titan Light Warhound/MAC II
Titan Medium Medium Titan/ Reaver
Titan Heavy Warlord
Titan Very Heavy Imperator
Fighter Super Light WWI
Fighter Very Light WWII
Fighter Light Jets
Fighter Medium Gen 4
Fighter Heavy Gen 5
Bomber Super Light WWI
Bomber Very Light WWII
Bomber Light Jets
Bomber Medium Gen 4
Bomber Heavy Gen 5
Trireme Super Light Classical - Small
Trireme Super Light Classical - Small
Trireme Super Light Classical - Small
Galley Very Light Medieval - Small
Galley Very Light Medieval - Small
Galley Very Light Medieval - Small
Ship Light Age of Sail
Ship Light Age of Sail
Ship Light Age of Sail
Ship Light Age of Sail
Ship Light Age of Sail
Ship Light Age of Sail
Ship Light Age of Sail
Ship Medium WWI/WWII
Ship Medium WWI/WWII
Ship Medium WWI/WWII
Ship Medium WWI/WWII
Ship Medium WWI/WWII
Ship Medium WWI/WWII
Ship Medium WWI/WWII
Ship Heavy Modern
Ship Heavy Modern
Ship Heavy Modern
Ship Heavy Modern
Ship Heavy Modern
Ship Heavy Modern
Ship Heavy Modern
Submarine Very light WWI
Submarine Light WWII
Submarine Medium Modern attack
Submarine Heavy ballistic missile sub
Spaceships (wo shields) Very Light Battletech
Spaceships (wo shields) Very Light
Spaceships (wo shields) Very Light
Spaceships (wo shields) Very Light USS Sulaco
Spaceships (wo shields) Very Light
Spaceships (wo shields) Very Light
Spaceships (wo shields) Very Light
Spaceships (w shields) Light Star Trek
Spaceships (w shields) Light Star Trek
Spaceships (w shields) Light Star Trek
Spaceships (w shields) Light Star Trek
Spaceships (w shields) Light Star Trek - Constitution
Spaceships (w shields) Light Star Trek - Galaxy class
Spaceships (w shields) Light BSG - Battlestar Galactica
Spaceships (w shields) Medium Star Wars
Spaceships (w shields) Medium Star Wars
Spaceships (w shields) Medium Star Wars
Spaceships (w shields) Medium Star Wars - Nebulon B
Spaceships (w shields) Medium Star Wars MC-80
Spaceships (w shields) Medium Star Wars - Star Destroyer
Spaceships (w shields) Medium Star Wars - Eclipse
Spaceships (w shields) Heavy 40K
Spaceships (w shields) Heavy USS Defiant
Spaceships (w shields) Heavy 40K
Spaceships (w shields) Heavy 40K
Spaceships (w shields) Heavy 40K - Cruiser
Spaceships (w shields) Heavy Battleship 40K - Grand Cruiser
Spaceships (w shields) Heavy 40K - Battlebarge
Spaceships (w shields) Heavy Carrier 40K - Battleship
Aerospace Fighter Super Light Tie Fighter
Aerospace Fighter Very Light BSG Viper
Aerospace Fighter Light A Wing
Aerospace Fighter Medium X Wing
Aerospace Fighter Heavy Y Wing
Aerospace Fighter Very Heavy B Wing
Aerospace Fighter Super Heavy ST Fighters - Valkyrie
Droppod Super Light Carries Supplies covertly
Droppod Very Light Supplies
Droppod Light People
Droppod Medium Light Powered Armor
Droppod Heavy Heavy Powered Armor
Droppod Very Heavy Dreadnought
Droppod Super Heavy Siege Dreadnoughts
Dropship Super Light Troops
Dropship Very Light Light Vehicles
Dropship Very Light UD-4 Cheyenne
Dropship Light Heavy Vehicles
Dropship Medium Several mecha
Dropship Heavy Multiple heavy mecha
Dropship Very Heavy Titans
Dropship Super Heavy Bases
Horse Drawn Super Light 1 man Chariot
Horse Drawn Very Light 2 man Chariot
Horse Drawn Very Light 3 man Chariot
Horse Drawn Light 4 Horse Carriage
Horse Drawn Medium 6 Horse Carriage
Horse Drawn Heavy 8 Horse Carriage
Horse Drawn Very Heavy 10 Horse Carriage
Horse Drawn Super Heavy 12 Horse Carriage

Anyway, how's this for a plan? Playtest it a bit. Commission some art, make some physical components and maps....make about 50 sets, put them in plastic bag and give them away at the hobby stores in town. Then put it up for free at Wargames Vault and DriveThruRPG for free.

-STS

Hi you!

Life is crazy right now for the obvious reasons but I would definitely like to see what the playtest document looks like. I've been enjoying following you along so far and I would like to test it myself of I ever find footing and the ability to focus on something that isn't being "essential"

The rest of that plan sounds pretty solid as well, what kind of physical components are you thinking? Terrain pieces? Units? I am intrigued.

slade the sniper · Mon May 25, 2020 6:11 am

Since the game is supposed to be free, it uses stuff people can easily make (folded paper counters) or already have (minis and terrain). I will have some examples for using these as well as regular maps, other game counters, hexagonal (or square) overlays on top of real maps, hex based build your own terrain (such as Heroscape), and what measurements convert to for several different mini and wargame scales. In the give-away versions I think I might make some of them "themed" so that the counters match the theme. The rules booklet will be universal covering everything for all unit types, but the small map and counters will have a theme to them so I can make some of them WWII, others WWI, SciFi, Napoleonic, etc.

The scope of the game will be 12 +-4 units, so that a company commander PC will be controlling ~12 squads. A battalion commander will have ~12 platoons, etc. This will hold true for Fleet actions as well, although most of those operations will be ~12 ships, because building up to ~12 flotillas or ship squadrons is a BIG battle.

It is what it is, and that is a project to keep me from going crazy. Thank you for the support tho, I appreciate it.

-STS

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