Planesk8

If you play in any of my in-person groups, turn back now! No huge spoilers, but stuff that would be more fun to discover in game.

Okay?

Right.

So I've been reading through the fantastic Slugblaster, and hoping to run it soon. I wanted to try changing up the other dimensions that the crew portal-jump over to for their hoverboard runs.

Meanwhile, Planescape is one of those settings that's full of cool locations but sometimes feels daunting to use for an actual D&D style campaign.

If only we could... wait...

Heaven IS a halfpipe after all

PLANESK8 (AKA BERKBLASTER)

The crew receive a chart of cryptic symbols, scribbled notes, and a few known connections, passed down by a weird older kid.

These are each loosely inspired by a Planescape Outer Plane, with the Inner Planes and existing Slugblaster dimensions crammed in there too.

More of a messy web than a wheel.

The Big Wheels (Mechanus)
Except this place. This place is all wheels. Giant cogs of the multiverse and steam-filled engine rooms. Little flying robots monitor things and make everything runs properly.

You can tweak reality, history, and the future if you mess with things here.

Tidy Town (Arcadia)
A pristine idealistic suburbia with a rule for everything and no tolerance for rulebreakers. They have a great skate park but nobody goes there because of all the rules.

A deeply uncool place to go, so keep it quiet if you do.

Blastopia (Bytopia)
Halfpipe-shaped land of perfect gaps, slick rails, and heavenly pipes, all with just the right amount of flexible gravity. Going high leads into the skymaze, an even more perfect blasting ground.

Only the best crews are allowed in, and only for tournaments.

Halo High (Mount Celestia/Thennis Spar)
Super nice universities and temples atop a glowing mountain. The buildings are made out of light, and everything can be ridden on. You’ve got to behave or you’ll get banished and blacklisted.

Lake Chill (Elysium/Desnine)
Mellow lake that enforces chill. You can ride the water or go below to hit a sweet endless reef. You start to forget your troubles, then your home. When you get back more time has passed than you expected.

Beastamunda (Beastlands/Golden Jungle)
Big beasts roam oversized landscapes, having won an ancient war against colossal machines. Hunger, desire, and pain are amplified. Tech doesn't work here now, so bring some wheels!

Moodwood (Arborea)
Technicolour forest where emotions affect everything. The woods below reflect your innermost feelings. Every fruit, leaf, and scrap of bark is an upper, downer, or some other form of trippy that you don’t have a word for.

If you get high enough you can board on the canopy and even the beams of sunlight.

Radhalla (Ysgard/Empyrean)
Epic landscape of icy mountains and crystal grottos, also monsters.

You respawn when you die, so go wild with the risky tricks.

The Goop (Limbo/Quahalia)
Always changing. Your thoughts manifest into reality, for better or worse. Neutral state is a zero g ocean of prismatic goop, but you can breathe in it.

Your self belief even changes your own form.

Thrash Hole (Pandemonium/Prismatia)
A tunnel through a roaring storm of noise, where you can ride the beat and the lightning. Just try to get through it. Putting headphones on as you ride changes reality to match the music.

Evergeddon (The Abyss/Vastiche)
A world being constantly destroyed and falling into pits down to an even worse place. Pain isn’t so bad and it makes you go faster too. Iron forts and needle rocks under eternal storm.

Only the coolest crews come here.

Dead End (Carceri)
Red skied hell world that can’t be escaped. Go down into dungeons with traps and puzzles, all rigged against you. Your own voice taunts you with bad advice.

There's a lot of confiscated gear here.

Null (Hades)
The boring home to your boring town, the concrete waste town of Nullwich.

Helter Skelter (Gehenna/Calorium)
Infinite slopes of fire and rock. You can go down forever but going up really sucks. You can accelerate forever, so be careful as you break the sound barriers.

Boss City (The Nine Hells/Popularia)
A neon-gothic city underneath a burning sky. Brand billboards and rider scoreboards vie for attention. Layers upon layers of city. They have all the money you could ever want.

The Blocks (Acheron/Operaeblum)
Facing concrete blocks drifting in space locked in gang warfare. Pick a side or get out.

Each block is built around a fusion core and gravity generator. The infinite scrapyard below is filled with busted tech.

Neverville (Outlands/Waking Pits)
Weird infinite architecture and mists. Not quite like being in a nightmare, but one of those dreams where you wake up exhausted.

Draws on your past and future.

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This post was originally sent as a reward to all Patreon supporters, and is released freely on this site the week after its original publication.

If you want to support my blog, podcasts, and video content then head over to my Patreon.

MAC Attack - How to Play Video

Want to learn to play MAC Attack in 16 minutes? 

Like the look of it? Get ready for the Backerkit launch soon. 

Between the Realms

Travelling between Realms usually just has you arrive in the following season. Maybe we can roll to find out what actually happened on the journey.

I’m currently messing with a multi-realm map that has a bespoke table for each border. This is a typical example. It uses with the mythic calendar system, but if you’re just using seasons as written in the book then you can assume each season is made up of three months.

Roll d6 once for the whole company and resolve the event.

On successive rolls, add the result the previous entry you resolved, continuing until you arrive. This particular example requires a roll of 8+ to arrive, so it's going to take you at least two months, usually three, maybe more if you have very bad luck.

For example, a you might roll 2 (entry 2) then 3 (entry 2+3=5) then 5 (5+5=10, arrival), representing a journey of three months.

Remedies can be used between events but virtues are otherwise not restored.

You can turn back any time, rolling just one more time on the table before you get back to the realm you departed from. 

Between the Realms - Dark Forest Borderlands

1: A green beast stalks you before striking
Make a combined attack roll. If you score 12 or more damage you kill the thing, gaining a Sustenance. Otherwise you each lose d12 VIG. You may use Gambits to bolster but cannot use Feats.
Advance to the next month. 

2: Dead end, you must retrace your steps
Everyone loses d6 SPI. Increase this to d12 in Winter. 
Advance to the next month. 

3: The trail is blocked, you must climb to continue
Everyone loses d4 VIG and d4 SPI. Increase this to d8 in Winter.
Advance to the next month. 

4: Brigands wait in ambush
Everyone makes a CLA Save. Those who fail lose d8 VIG.
Advance to the next month. 

5: Respite, you find a place of calm and safety and take a rest day
Everyone may restore one Virtue
Advance to the next month. 

6: You feel like you've been here before
One person makes a CLA Save.
If you fail, begin the journey from the start.
Advance to the next month.

7: The forest floor becomes more bog than soil
Everyone loses d4 VIG and d4 SPI. Increase this to d8 in Winter.
Advance to the next month. 

8-9: You arrive suddenly in the realm. Roll d12 to see which column/row you enter the Realm from.

10+: You arrive safely. You may choose which column/row you enter the Realm from.

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This post was originally sent as a reward to all Patreon supporters, and is released freely on this site the week after its original publication.

If you want to support my blog, podcasts, and video content then head over to my Patreon.

Mythic Moods

I made this as an intro video for my Deep Dives, but it also serves as good mood setting for Mythic Bastionland. 

MegaMACs

So we played around with the shittiest MACs you can field in MAC Attack, but what about the best?

Presenting MegaMACs.

Take a Class 3 MAC, the biggest in the game, and apply the double modules optional rule to every module on it. Now you’ve got a 26pt monster packing 12 modules. 

What? You don't have a full and thorough understanding of the MAC Attack system? That's fine, just go and read it now.

EDIT: right, so double modules aren't in the quickstart... 
In short, you pay an extra point to to cram two modules into one slot. When the slot is damaged, one of those modules is destroyed. When it's damaged again the second is destroyed. So you're getting extra stuff for your MAC, but it's somewhat exposed and adds to its total cost.

Okay? Let’s build a few.

ANNIHILATOR MegaMAC
Class 3 MAC
1: Double LM3 Cannons
2: Double SM2 GunArrays
3: Double Prism
4: Double Servo
5: Double Casing
6: Double ECM

MONARCH MegaMAC
Class 3 MAC
1: Double SB3 Cannons  
2: Double B2 Blade
3: Double SG3-X Rockets
4: Double Intake
5: Double Intake
6: Double Jet

HEARTBREAKER MegaMAC
Class 3 MAC
1: Double LP4-X Missiles
2: Double SP3 PulseBeam
3: Double Amplifier
4: Double Amplifier
5: Double Catalyst
6: Double Catalyst

Are they worth it? I head back to the playtesting table with a force of three MegaMACs against a much more balanced 78pt opposing force of three Class 2s, two Class 1s, and three artillery guns. 

Conclusion

They performed... okay. It actually felt much less uneven than I expected.

Yeah the Heartbreaker launched a 16 die attack against a Class 2 MAC and wiped it out in one shot, but the first attack against it reduced it to a lone Pulsebeam for future attacks. The Monarch leaping 18” makes for a fun start to the game, but it didn’t quite manage to bring its blades to bear before they got shot off. 

That kind of exemplifies the MegaMACs’ performance. They can do some scary stuff on Round 1, but double modules start losing their effectiveness as soon as the MAC takes a hit. It was actually a lot of fun attacking them, as every hit is going to break something. 

Because Heat is strictly limited to six they rely pretty strongly on heat prevention modules like catalysts in order to perform their extreme manoeuvres. Overheating is even less appealing when you know those hits are going to impact your effectiveness. 

I expected this to be a dumb experiment in pushing  the system to its extremes but it’s pushed me toward playing with double modules a little bit more.

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This post was originally sent as a reward to all Patreon supporters, and is released freely on this site the week after its original publication.

If you want to support my blog, podcasts, and video content then head over to my Patreon.

Seerbones

Bastiards of the electric epoch are known for their badly designed dice games, but what about the knights, vassals, and vagabonds of the mythic age? 

They have lots of their own games, but Seerbones is the most popular in my realm.

You need five small pieces. Look, there are no hard rules about what the pieces should be, but they’re usually interestingly shaped pebbles, bones, wooden rings, small shells, basically anything you can comfortably enclose fully within your hand. So yes, you can use dice. It’s important that the five pieces are all different to each other. Seasoned players keep their set of seerbones in a pouch or small box, always on the lookout for more interesting pieces to trade into their set.

Oh, did I say Seerbones was one game? No, everybody has their own version, but insists it’s the original. 

Seerbones (taught by a hunter)
2 Players only.

Agree on one piece to be “the killer” then place all five pieces in a concealed container.

The active player secretly chooses one piece and conceals it in a fist. The other player must either Guess or Declare.

If they Guess, they choose which hand they think the piece is in. If they’re right, they keep it. If they’re wrong, the active player keeps it. 

If the piece was the killer and the player guessed incorrectly then the other player immediately wins the game. If it was the killer and the player guessed correctly then the killer is returned to the supply. 

If they Declare, the active player reveals their piece. If it is the Killer then the declaring player immediately wins the game. If it is any other piece then the active player keeps the piece for themselves. 

If the killer is the only unclaimed piece then it is treated as a normal piece. When all pieces are claimed the winner is the player with the most pieces. 

Seerbones (taught by a squire)
Up to 5 players.

The owner of the set divides the pieces amongst players as evenly as possible, assigning remainders how they like.

Each player closes one fist and balances their pieces on the back of that hand. 

Players can now use their enclosed fist only to try to knock off the pieces of the opposing players. Whoever’s last piece hits the ground last wins. 

Seerbones (v3 taught by a bunch of drunks)
Up to 5 players.

Players bid on how many pieces they can throw in the air with one hand then catch in the other. The catching hand must be behind their back until the pieces are thrown.

Each player must either raise the bid or pass. When the first player passes the current high bidder immediately makes their attempt.

If they succeed then the player who passed is eliminated. 

If they drop even one piece then they are themselves eliminated. 

Seerbones (v4 taught by an innkeeper)
2 players only

Mark out a play area or sit at a table. 

Draft two of the five pieces to each player and place the remaining piece in the middle of the play area. Players place their pieces on their edge of the play area. 

Take turns flicking (specific flicking rules vary greatly) one of the pieces on your edge. If it hits one or more other pieces then move them all back to your edge. Pieces that leave the play area are dead and removed from the game. 

First player to have no pieces on their edge loses. 

Seerbones (v5 taught by a gaggle of children)
Up to 4 players. 

Draw a circle somewhere in the play area. The owner of the pieces sets the size.

Take turns selecting up to five pieces to throw, aiming to get them inside the circle. The owner of the pieces sets the throwing restrictions i.e. no crouching, required distance etc. 

For each throw score 1pt for each piece in the circle minus 1pt for each piece outside the circle. Your score for a throw can never be less than zero. Most points after three throws each wins. 

Seerbones (v6 taught by a smith's apprentice)
Up to 5 players. 

The owner of the set divides the pieces amongst players as evenly as possible, assigning remainders how they like. 

The current player secretly splits their pieces between their enclosed hands however they wish. The player to their left looks at their enclosed hands and picks one, taking all the pieces in that hand. Play then moves to that player. 

If a player has no pieces remaining they’re eliminated. 

Playing safe is frowned upon, and winning through cowardly play is seen as worse than losing on a big risk. 

The fight that often ensues afterwards is commonly referred to as “the real game”.

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This post was originally sent as a reward to all Patreon supporters, and is released freely on this site the week after its original publication.

If you want to support my blog, podcasts, and video content then head over to my Patreon.

MAC-27

 What’s the smallest possible game of MAC Attack?

By the book a force must have at least three MACs. The cheapest MAC you can build is a Class 1 (12pts) with the maximum of three Frame modules (each reducing its cost by 1pt) so 9pts in total. Three of those give us a minimum legal force of 27pts.

MAC-27. A force for the MAC Commander on a tight budget. 

But Why?

I dunno. Because we can? I want the game to be fun with the minimum financial investment of three miniatures each, and this extends that philosophy to the points cost. 

These MACs are going to be pretty limited, with only three module slots left after taking those Frames. They should also be simpler for new players to play with, but there’s a risk they just aren’t that fun. 

They’re sure to have bad heat management, but they probably won’t generate all that much heat either.

They won’t have much firepower, but they’re also pretty flimsy, and unlikely to have much in the way of defensive modules.

So is a 3v3 battle with shitty MACs actually fun? Let’s make some and I’ll try it out. 

Discount MACs

Okay, here are the forces.

I’m not doing a normal scenario, instead just bringing the MACs onto the board from the centre of opposite board edges and playing for a total wipeout of the other side. 24x24" board with a few patches of cover and rough.

Post Battle Analysis

The most obvious effect here is that the MACs were all super simple, even more so than I expected. There were half the normal number of modules to keep track of, mostly focused on a few weapons. This is sometimes good, but a frame being destroyed is just less interesting than blowing up a weapon or a radiator, which often alter the way a player needs to pilot that MAC. 

Cooldown went a lot more quickly too, as all of the MACs just cooled 1 Heat, with no extra modules to factor in. 

I tried to avoid building these MACs to some imagined meta, but with all these small MACs running around certain modules (Burst weapons, Mesh) felt more appealing than normal. In play, piercing weapons still felt good, as even small MACs tend to slow down once the firing starts, as Rushing restricts how much you can rotate, making it harder to keep the enemy in your sights. 

Final verdict? It was fun! Definitely something I’d keep in my pocket if I wanted to introduce the game to a particularly inexperienced wargame player.

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This post was originally sent as a reward to all Patreon supporters, and is released freely on this site the week after its original publication.

If you want to support my blog, podcasts, and video content then head over to my Patreon.