What Paranoia?

I have a handful of games that I don't want to outright review, but would like to talk about briefly.

Because I'm away for the next few weeks, with family commitments and then GenCon, I'm going to stretch this out slightly, then we'll return to usual programming.

Why not start with something right at the front of my brain...

Paranoia!

The only edition I've played is second edition (or maybe first, I'm not sure, it didn't really matter), but my research pointed me to either the current Perfect Edition published by Mongoose, or the fan favourite XP Edition. The former was praised for having solid mechanics, the latter with having the best flavour.

So I've hacked it into a Frankenstein thing mostly based on a streamlined Perfect Edition, but drawing in some of the more flavourful bits from XP.

Yes, I'm hacking the system before running it from the book, I'm a terrible person.

In summary here are the main tweaks to Perfect Edition:

• Cut the character creation system and make PreGens, ensuring that everybody gets nice conflicting interests.
• Successes explode, so there's always a chance, however slim, of succeeding at a task you roll for. If you want it to be impossible then don't bother rolling at all.
• Anti-Dice are d6s of a different colour. Each anti-die of 5 or 6 is an anti-success and explodes just like a normal success.  Anti-successes cancel normal successes or provide other negative consequences. When rolling with a negative dice total, roll the Computer Dice plus anti-dice equal to your negative score.
• Moxie is reframed as XP and is used as a favour currency, not for outright modifying dice rolls. Scrap the way XP is used in the main book, and just have it as a social currency.
• Scrap Initiative, it's more fiddly than what I want in here. If it matters then do a simple roll off.
• Mutant Powers: Just describe how you’re using/hiding it, roll d6: 1: fizzle, 2-5: as intended, 6: overkill. If sneakiness in in doubt have everybody make Bluff or Stealth rolls as appropriate and check the Mutant's result.
• R&D Prototypes: Generally just do their thing. The fun is in working out how they work. If in doubt, resolve as Mutant Power. 
• Characters can Assist/Interfere on a roll if in a position to do so. Before the roll, add a die or an anti-die respectively. Assistants suffer consequences if the roll fails. Interferers suffer consequences if it succeeds.
• Debrief Star Rating: At the end of the mission the computer takes a moment to assess your success. Count how many of the following were successful:
• Complete the Troubleshooter Task
• Perform Mandatory Bonus Duty properly
• Test the R&D Prototype
• Carry out Service Mandate
• Complete Secret Society Mission
• Earn 1XP per star, winner gets double and has officially won the mission. A tie means there is no Winner except Alpha Complex as a whole.
• Fair Game, Unfair World. The book has lots of examples of the GM acting unfairly to the players, which I appreciate is a touchstone of a certain style of play in this game. I'd prefer it if the game felt fair, but the world was deeply unfair. Conflict between the players is what excites me about this game, so I want the GM to feel completely impartial.

So what about that setting?

I'm mainly using Paranoia XP as my source for setting stuff, but most stuff from Perfect Edition also works here.

The major changes from XP:

• The book offers three "tones" for your game, and Straight certainly appeals to me most. Lots of dark satire, of course, but ditch the puns and groanworthy gags. A joke made by the people at the table will always be more effective than one written into the game.
• Economy is back to being fully controlled by the Computer, not the semi-capitalism of XP. Getting stuff is mainly about convincing PLC to give you a req form for the thing you need. Better clearance helps here. Free Enterprise will trade req forms for XP, flags, wounds, clones, whatever.
• Service Firms within the Service Groups actually represent different departments, rather than for-profit entities. Of course, they still want to grab whatever resources and influence they can from their rivals.  
• Coretech is there, so the Computer can technically log into your brain, but the bandwidth is super low so the Computer prefers traditional methods like cameras and monitors. It's mainly there so you can pass your memories to your clones.
• Talking to Computer can be done through Coretech Messenger but you can see the person’s mouth moving and the computer is all round slow and old. This is represented by passing notes to the GM.
• Secret Societies are as in XP, though I want to note that I largely agree with the way they were tweaked for Perfect Edition, merging those that felt too similar and removing some of the less interesting picks. However I also like the idea of secret societies that are strangely aligned with points of shared interest that still choose to remain distinct, so I'm approaching it as an opportunity for tension.

Wish me luck when I get this to the table.

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July of 5, 10, and 15 years ago

15 Years Ago I wrote the first half of 100 Interesting Magic Items. Perhaps I'll finish it for the 20th Anniversary. This is by far my most viewed blogpost of all time, perhaps because it feels like it could be D&D content. Guess I really fucked up by making my own games!

It's cool to look at this as a list of proto-Oddities/Arcana before Into the Odd was even an idea for me. A few favourites that I think hold up:

• Digging Spoon: This tiny spoon can dig through any substance with a forceful push.
• Eternal Chessboard: Anyone playing chess with this set cannot win or lose a match. It simply goes on and on no matter how many moves the players take.
• Karma Vase: Filling this Vase with expensive drink will cause it to drain away, but cure any ailments or damage affecting the pourer. Breaking the vase will kill the breaker.

10 Years Ago I showed what a https://www.bastionland.com/2014/07/a-great-fighter-in-into-odd.html looks like in Into the Odd, focusing on mostly non-mechanical factors. I guess I'm saying "get good" to the players, but I think it's still relevant even with Mythic Bastionland introducing more mechanically powerful characters.

5 Years Ago I did a Monster Flashback looking at... a ten year old blogpost... oh shit, this blog is just recursive swill, isn't it?

Seems as good a time as any to look at the generated art in this old post, back when GANBreeder was this weird thing you could use to make incoherent alien visions. Different times, for sure, even after just five years.

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Hired MACs

Each of the MAC Attack Factions will have a distinct visual identity, but I wanted to include an option for players to either stray from their faction's aesthetic for a few miniatures, or field a slightly less coherent force altogether.

Mercenaries, or at least privately manufactured MACs, seems like the obvious solution here.

You can't drive them quite as recklessly as the MAC pilots who are committed to your cause, but they come with a little added flexibility in their variants, a nod to Battletech's many variants of each Battlemech.

Dying for a cause or living in shame.
There’s no freedom out here, but at least you can pick your poison.

- AcesHigh, MAC Pilot for Hire

Any Force can take as many Hired MACs as they like, sometimes even making up the entire Force. Hired MACs do not benefit from the Faction’s special rule or special module. Use the rules below instead.

They've paid the deposit. Thaw him out. 

SELF-PRESERVATION
When a Hired MAC has 3 or more destroyed modules it cannot intentionally cause a collision.

VARIANTS
Prepare two versions of each hired MAC. Three of the modules must be identical. The remaining three must be of the same module type (Weapon or Hardware) but may otherwise be entirely different.

When the MAC deploys to the board, decide which variant you are using and discard the other.

Hired MACS are otherwise built as normal. The entries below are some notable MACs for hire.

The Freelance [12pts]
Class 1 MAC

Guard Variant
1 - SB2 StormCannon
2 - Booster
3 - Booster
4 - Coolant
5 - Vent
6 - Plate

Hunter Variant
1 - SP2-V RadGun
2 - Booster
3 - Booster
4 - Coolant
5 - Servo
6 - Gyro

The Purge [16pts]
Class 2 MAC

Fire Variant
1 - SB2-T Burner
2 - SB2-T Burner
3 - Conductor
4 - Radiator
5 - Radiator
6 - Exofield

Acid Variant
1 - SB2-C ToxiGun
2 - SB2-C ToxiGun
3 - Gyro
4 - Radiator
5 - Radiator
6 - Exofield

The Red Ocelot [17pts]
Class 2 MAC

Brawler Variant
1 - LG3-X SeekerRockets
2 - Double P2 Piston
3 - Servo
4 - Gyro
5 - Radiator
6 - Radiator

Sniper Variant
1 - LG3-X SeekerRockets
2 - Double LP2-N IonCannon
3 - Cloak
4 - Optics
5 - Radiator
6 - Radiator

The Goliath II [20pts]
Class 3 MAC

Cruiser Variant
1 - LB2 Autocannon
2 - LB2 Autocannon
3 - LB2 Autocannon
4 - Coolant
5 - Casing
6 - Guardian

Destroyer Variant
1 - LD3-X PhotonRockets
2 - LD3-X PhotonRockets
3 - LD3-X PhotonRockets
4 - Coolant
5 - Casing
6 - Guardian

The War Queen [22pts]
Class 3 MAC

Ironclad Variant
1 - SF3 FlakCannon
2 - Double SP2 Pulsebeam
3 - Double Radiator
4 - Plate
5 - Plate
6 - Plate

Jump Variant
1 - SF3 FlakCannon
2 - Double SP2 Pulsebeam
3 - Double Radiator
4 - Jet
5 - Intake
6 - Intake

When negotiations fail we can make success.

- Apex Solutions, Private MAC Manufacturer

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Pilots & Commanders

With the core rules alone, MAC Attack focused entirely on the MAC, not the pilot.

Now I'm testing out a few options to make the pilot feel like more of a presence on the field.

Compared to Perks and Flaws, which generally represent the quirks of the MAC's engineering, I wanted these to feel like little tricks a pilot would pick up through experience, so they're more focused on the movement phase.

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/PyObB

PILOT TRICKS

Set a number of notable Pilots for each Force, assign them to MACs, and give each a Trick.

Bullrush: You may move an extra 3” as long as you collide with an enemy.

Cruise: If you end your Move Turn on 1 Heat, lose that Heat.

Decoy: At the end of your move you may turn the nearest visible enemy MAC to face you.

Hunker: When you Hold you may set your Motion to any number.

Hustle: You may move an extra 3” as long as you start and end the move in Cover.

Jink: You may move through enemy units without causing a Collision.

Outmanoeuvre: At the end of your move you may adjust the Motion score of any one MAC by one. The target must be visible to you and within 6”.

Stalk: If you end your Move Turn out of line of sight of all enemies you may move an extra 3” in any direction and set facing.

COMMAND DRILLS

In addition to a Pilot Trick a Commander selects one Drill. Each of these can only be used once per battle. It must be declared on the Commander’s turn and applies to all of your MACs for the entire of the next round even if the Commander dies.

BlitzFire: Rolls of 5 always hit.

DeathCharge: Double your Class for Collisions and Brawling.

LockOn: If TN would be 4 or less then -1TN.

NoScope: Long weapons have no minimum range.

OutFlank: All Move types allow an extra 3” of movement.

ROOKIE PILOTS

Inexperienced pilots can be noted as Rookies.

Rookie: Any time you roll a 6 that would benefit you, reroll it. Each die can only be rerolled once in this way.

If you score another 6 on a die rerolled this way then remove Rookie status from this pilot.

PILOT EJECTION

When a MAC is destroyed in the Meltdown Phase it may attempt a System Check to have the pilot safely eject. If they succeed, place their Pilot as an unarmed Infantry AU d6” in a random direction of their MAC. They cannot Brawl.

If they touch a friendly AU they may join with them, but they die if that unit is destroyed unless they roll a 4+ on one die.

If a MAC is destroyed outside of the Meltdown Phase or its Heat is 6 when it is destroyed then the pilot cannot eject safely and dies in the cockpit.

In Profit Mode a dead pilot represents a loss of 2pts but grants no profit to the enemy.

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What's the Point of a Campaign?

One-off battles are fun in MAC Attack, but what if you want a campaign?

Before writing anything resembling a campaign system I wanted to think about campaigns. I mean, what's the point in them?

For me I look for a few things out of a campaign:

• Battle 6 should feel significantly different to Battle 1
• There should be opportunities for fun between the battles
• Losing the first few games shouldn't kill my fun for the rest of the campaign

So here's what I have for MAC Attack as it stands.

ESCALATION CAMPAIGNS

A series of battles can be linked together to form a campaign. The most straightforward way of doing this is to agree to play an increasingly large series of battles (say starting with 40pts and adding 12pts each battle) and agree that the first player to win a number of battles (i.e. 3) wins the Campaign.

The individual battles can be planned out ahead of time or generated using the Scenario Generator, with the winner of the previous battle playing as the Red Force. Randomise this for the first battle.

SCENARIOS

Bespoke battles can be designed with specific forces, battlefields, deployment rules and objectives.

They can use combinations of the variant rules provided and new rules created by the scenario designer.

As a guideline, the player who designed the scenario should explain their creation to the other player and then allow them to choose which side to play as, or agree to play the scenario twice, swapping sides between games.

TECH TREE MODE

Oh yeah, and there's this.

Much like I did with The Doomed I wanted to reward the winner with more options, while keeping the overall power levels of each force equal.

Of course, there's also a much more old-fashioned option.

THE GAMEMASTER

Another way to play the game is to have one player act as the Gamemaster, essentially a neutral referee or host.

The Gamemaster is free to concentrate on managing the rules of the game, the specific scenario, and the ongoing campaign. They can create bespoke scenarios and make immediate judgements to modify things as events unfold.

For some battles the Gamemaster may take control of neutral units that exist outside of the players’ forces. They have a responsibly to use these units in the manner that feels most realistic to their type and current situation.

When there is doubt the Referee can roll a die to decide between different courses of action that a unit might take.

In running the game the Gamemaster should ensure they are acting impartially. They want the players to have fun, but owe them no favours.

THE MESSY TOOLBOX

Yeah so this is a bit of a toolbox approach, especially when combined with the various "other ways to play" in MAC Attack. You've got Profit Mode, Scrapheap Mode, Blip Mode, Hazardous Worlds, Battle Events... It's definitely a toolkit.

I talked about wanting the campaign to have fun that happens between battles. Of course part of that is tweaking your Force, building new MACs, but why not enjoy the experience of planning the next battle with your opponent? Of course there's a random scenario creator, but I want players to use the "you cut I choose" system to make more bespoke matchups.

And yeah... I'd love to see more people play this with a GM. If you haven't played a wargame with a GM before then I wholeheartedly recommend giving it a try. You might be surprised how much fun it is for both player and GM.

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Conflicted on Hard Counters

New MAC Tech just dropped!

(in my version of the doc, that is. I won't be adding them to the Google Doc till I've done some tests)

Let's see what we've got.

ADVANCED HARDWARE

ECM: This module ignores hits from G and M weapon types.

Mesh: This module ignores hits from B and R weapon types.

Reflector: This module ignores hits from P and D weapon types.

ADVANCED WEAPON TYPES

Frag (F): Calculate TN using the target’s Class in place of their Motion.

Demolition (D): Each Hit causes Hits equal to the target’s Class.

Rapid (R): You may make a second attack with this weapon, for 0 Heat, against a different valid target within 6" of the first target. 

ADVANCED WEAPON SUBTYPES
These weapons require dice to track Chem (yellow die). Like Heat, this starts at 0 and cannot go higher than 6. All Chem is removed at the end of the Move Phase.

Chem (-C): x2 AD. For each Hit, instead of resolving normally, the target gains 1 Chem.
In their next Move phase they either let the attacker move the unit using a Hold or Advance Move or take 1 Hit for every Chem. The unit’s owner still sets facing at the end of the move.

Kinetic (-K): Each Hit increases the target’s Motion by 1.

Nano (-N): Hits cannot be nullified, reassigned, or ignored by any means. Cannot attack targets in Cover or Buildings.

SAMPLE WEAPONS
SF3-K QuakeWave
AR3-C AcidRain
LD2-N SingularityBeam

THOUGHTS
With MAC Attack I don't want to just create new weapon types and hardware for the sake of it. The core weapon types/subtypes are pretty solid right now and give you plenty of options for how to equip your units.

So what's the point of these new types?

More opportunities for MAC/AU customisation of course!

With the original options you've got 144 possible weapons. With these new additions that goes up to 504 and I think they're all viable.

Well, that sounds very much like "creating new weapons for the sake of it" but yeah... I guess MAC Attack does indulge in a little of that. Let's not fight it.

Then, as I wrote them, I realised I was creating some relatively hard counters. Some more than others.

Frag counters small, fast moving targets and wrecks AUs of all types.
Demolition counters buildings and big MACs.
Rapid counters swarms of infantry and vehicles.

Chem counters units that want to hide away in cover or buildings.
Kinetic throws off the accuracy of artillery and sniper MACs.
Nano is terrible news for heavily Armoured AUs.

I've typically been averse to hard counters in wargames. I dream of a world where you can throw any two armies against each other and have a fun game, with every unit being able to shine in their own way.

I wake up at night sweating about wargames that have shields only offer protection against missile attacks... then discovering your opponent has brought exclusively melee units...

If your all-pikemen army hard counters charging cavalry and I show up with an all-Knight force I want us to still be able to have a good time, even if we acknowledge that we're diverging from a historical simulation.

Of course MAC Attack isn't burdened with history, but I still shudder thinking about loading up on Nano weapons just to discover that none of the opposing force is carrying any form of damage protection.

Yet, if both sides are bringing a bit of everything to the fight then these counters can provide a fun tactical challenge at the table.

I don't want to be too prescriptive with the force composition rules, like limiting how many Class 3 MACs you can bring, or ensuring that every Force has some sort of armour in place, so instead I'm taking a different approach.

These new modules are deliberately tucked away in the "Advanced Modules" section with the other variant rules, because then I don't need to worry about them ruining somebody's first ever game.

If you've already played MAC Attack a few times then you already love it, right?

At that point what do I care if your AU Swarm force gets wrecked by an opponent loaded up with LR1 GatlingArrays?

If your all-Class-3-MAC force gets destroyed by a bunch of buggies with SD2-X ImploderCharges then I guess your gamble didn't pay off. Tweak your list, rack them up, and let's go again.

But if that's your first ever game? I wouldn't blame you for not coming back.

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Dangerous Worlds

MAC Attack takes place on distant worlds, with HumanityFleet splintered into factions.

Some of those worlds are less welcoming than others.

HAZARDOUS TERRAIN
Strange crystals, plants, and fungus can prove a hazard to those passing through. At the start of the battle note which areas of terrain are hazardous and assign them a type.

Pyroform
At the start of the Meltdown phase MACS within gain d6 Heat.

Toxicid
In the Meltdown phase Infantry within are destroyed unless they can roll 4+ on 1d6.

Strangloid
At the start of the Meltdown phase all within take d6-3 Hits.

HOSTILE LIFEFORMS
These are treated as AUs and assigned a single initiative card.

In their Move Phase all Hostile Lifeforms move toward the nearest enemy unit at their listed speed.

In the Attack Phase they brawl with the number of dice listed, using the weapon type and weapon mod rules listed.

They can be assigned Hardware.

Shard Hornets
12” B1 (i.e. 1AD, Burst)

Brain Lashers
9” P2-V (2AD, Piercing, Volatile)

Technopanthers
9” G3, Armour, Cloak

TOWERING MONSTROSITIES
Significantly large lifeforms can be given their own initiative card and require up to 6 hits before they are destroyed.

They count as Class 3 for collision purposes.

Scaled King
6” B6, 6 Hits

Claw Behemoth
6” P4, 4 Hits, Armour

Black Phoenix
12” P7-T, 4 Hits

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DIRTY MACS the Grand Forge Doesn't Want You to See

Tired of getting crushed by your enemies' finely balanced MACs? Tired of living by the book? Want to bring something special for your next clash?

We hacked Foreman Postello's personal design terminal at the Grand Forge and stole a folder named "DIRTY DESIGNS DO NOT LOOK IN HERE."

These schematics are so filthy, so sordid, that even the Arch-Rector's circuits would blush. 

Use them without shame.
Without mercy.
Because your enemy would do the same to you. 

The Funfhander (12pts)
Class 1 MAC
1: LP4-V GaussCannon
2: Lock (-1TN when firing main gun)
3: Lock (-1TN when firing main gun)
4: Insulant (-1 Heat when firing main gun)
5: Insulant (-1 Heat when firing main gun)
6: Insulant (-1 Heat when firing main gun)

The "five-hander", named because modules 2-6 are all in service of that main gun.

This thing moves into position, lines up the shot, and then fires the biggest MAC-portable cannon in the galaxy with -2 to the target number, cascading hits from its Piercing type, bonus hits on 6s from the Volatile mod, and all snugly insulated to generate just a single point of Heat. 

On a perfect shot this little MAC can land 16 hits on a target. Now probabilities aren't my strong point, but I think that means even a Class 3 MAC is mathematically annihilated. 

Right, that 16 hit shot is kind of unlikely, but you can easily get up to 7 or 8 hits if you manage to roll a few 6s. Just make sure you do that. 

Sure the Heat starts to pile up after a few shots, but at that point are there any enemy left to worry about?

Is this design broken? As in "unfair"? Big threats attract big attention, and if the enemy can disable the main cannon then this MAC isn't doing much of anything for the rest of the battle. 

The Triceratops (20pts)

Class 3 MAC

1: LB3 MacCannon

2: LB3 MacCannon

3: LB3 MacCannon

4: Plas-Cell (weapons generate 1 less Heat. Take 1 Internal Damage when this module is destroyed)

5: Plas-Cell (weapons generate 1 less Heat. Take 1 Internal Damage when this module is destroyed)

6: Plas-Cell (weapons generate 1 less Heat. Take 1 Internal Damage when this module is destroyed)

Okay, so what if instead of putting a huge gun on a tiny MAC we put three huge guns on a huge MAC and loaded it up with Plas-Cells to let it fire them at 0 Heat?

Without needing to worry about weapon heat this big guy can even Rush around the battlefield without running hot. 

It's not as wild as the Funfhander but as a gun platform it's about as efficient as you can get.

Just don't let  any of those Plas-Cells get hit... which can be an issue when they make up 50% of your modules. Good luck!

The Weatherman (20pts)
Class 3 MAC
1: AG4-X MissileRack
2: AG3-X MissilePod
3: AG3-X MissilePod
4: AG3-X MissilePod
5: AG3-X MissilePod
6: AG3-X MissilePod

We put as many missiles as we can onto a big MAC designed to stand back and blast them off at whoever your spotter points at. Just stand still and let these the guidance technology do the aiming for you. 

It's more expensive than just having a formation of mobile batteries or howitzer teams, but you get so much more total firepower compared to those piddly little pods that vehicles and infantry are restricted to. Fire off a single battery each turn and when you're down to your last two just hold down the trigger and pray. 

Yeah you could take off a pod or two and install some actual heat-management modules but that would result in fewer total missiles, which seems to miss the entire point. 

The Junglegym (7pts)

Class 1 MAC

1: LB2-V Autocannon

2: Frame (reduce cost by 1pt)

3: Frame (reduce cost by 1pt)

4: Frame (reduce cost by 1pt)

5: Frame (reduce cost by 1pt)

6: Frame (reduce cost by 1pt)

Behold, the cheapest MAC design that's still technically legal. 

What does it do? It's a MAC! It has a gun and everything. Don't fire it too often, though, it can get hot. 

Wait, are you suggesting you could use this very cheap MAC to exploit the 3 MAC Minimum for building a Force? Then use all those points you saved to surprise your opponent with a horde of over-equipped Auxiliary Units and Remote Assets?

Interesting. 

The Rhino (20pts)

Class 3 MAC

1: P2 Club

2: P2 Club

3: Plate (Roll 4+ to ignore each hit to this module)

4: Plate (Roll 4+ to ignore each hit to this module)

5: Plate (Roll 4+ to ignore each hit to this module)

6: Plate (Roll 4+ to ignore each hit to this module)

No guns? All the less Heat to worry about! You can run around all day, crashing into your enemies and pummelling them with your club-fists, all in relative comfort. 

A beautifully elegant statement on the balance of offence-defence wrapped in a big, dumb shell. 

I call it the first masterpiece of MAC design. 

The Cockroach (12pts)

Class 1 MAC

1: G2 Spike

2: Jet (Allows 9” of Jumping)
3: Jet (Allows 9” of Jumping)

4: Jet (Allows 9” of Jumping)

5: Jet (Allows 9” of Jumping)

6: Coolant (Cool 2 Heat, gain 2 Heat if destroyed)

Yeah, running into your target and punching them is fine, but what if they try to stay away from you? Jump 36" across the board and slash them to pieces, cooling down enough for another jump next turn.

You might think this isn't all that effective, as jumping makes it difficult to actually land a hit on your target, but sometimes you just really need to put a MAC in the right place, and that 36" move really comes into its own. 

Seizing an objective? Landing directly on that artillery vehicle? Hiding like a coward to sneak a technical victory?

Now you're thinking like a Cockroach. 

Check out MAC Attack here and make your own broken designs.

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Remote Assets

I wanted a simple system for "Offboard Bullshit" in MAC Attack, covering long range artillery, nearby computer operators, and orbital support.

The points values are very shaky right now, so use with caution.

REMOTE ASSETS (RAs)

Forces can call in additional support from off the board, safely positioned safely beyond the battlefield. For each MAC in their Force a player can purchase one Remote Asset, paying the points cost listed. The RAs are not tied to a specific MAC, this limit is just for force creation. 

RAs are assigned a card in the initiative deck just like any other unit. When their card is drawn in the Move phase they are ignored, but when drawn in the Attack Phase the player chooses whether to use them or not. When an RA is used its initiative card is removed from the game. 

Unless noted, RAs can target any Allied unit or any Enemy unit that at least one Ally has line of sight to. 

Precision Strike (2pts): Target unit suffers d6 hits. 

Carpet Bombing (2pts): Target a point on the battlefield. All units within 6” suffer a single hit. 

Interface Hack (1pts): Target MAC must make a System Check or be Hacked. When Hacked, gain 1 Heat and adjust TD by 1 if the attacker wishes. 

Target Painting (1pts): Mark the target. All attacks against them this Round are at -1TN. 

Ammunition Drone (1pts): Restore one depleted X-type weapon to being fully loaded. 

Shield Drop (1pts): Mark the target. All attacks against them this Round are at +1TN. 

Redeployment Lifter (2pts): Move an allied unit up to 6” in any direction, ignoring terrain. Set facing at the end of the move. 

Disruption Burst (2pts): Select a point on the battlefield. All units within 6” are affected. Move each unit 3” directly away from the centre of the effect in an order of your choosing. Do not change facing. 

Tactical Overlord (2pts): Look through the remaining cards in the initiative deck and set one aside. Shuffle the rest of the cards and place your chosen card on top of the deck. 

Gravity Well (2pts): Select a point on the battlefield. All units within 6” are affected. Move each unit 3” directly toward the centre of the effect in an order of your choosing. Do not change facing. 

Emergency Coolant (2pts): Target loses d6 Heat. 

Total Bombardment (3pts): All units that are not in cover suffer a single hit. 

Smoke Column (1pt): Increase target’s TD to 6.

Temporal Disruptor (2pts): Take one initiative card already drawn this turn and shuffle it back into the initiative deck.

Nanite Swarm (1pt): Target unit rolls 3d6. Each die repairs the module number rolled, turning destroyed to damaged and damaged to undamaged.

Quake Wave (1pt): Target MAC must pass a System Check or Fall Over.

Thermal Tick (1pt): Target MAC must pass a System Check or immediately set themselves to Heat 6.

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Drama from Inelegance

In Rock, Paper, Scissors, players simultaneously throw out one of three hand symbols. Rock beats scissors beats paper beats rock etc. If the thrown symbols match then the result is a draw and players typically throw again.

In Odds & Evens each player is assigned as either Odd or Even. They simultaneously throw out either 1 or 2 fingers and check the total number of fingers shown. If the total is even the even player wins, if it is odd the odd player wins.

By having fewer hand-types to choose from and removing the draw it could be argued that Odds & Evens is a more elegantly designed game than Rock, Paper, Scissors. Certainly if you're using the game to quickly find a winner, such as "who gets first turn in the real game we're about to play" then Odds & Evens is going to get you there quicker.

I grew up with RPS and I remember having thoughts similar to the above when I learned about O&E as an adult. RPS is obsolete, spread the word!

But something is missing from O&E and all its elegance, and when the game is this small you really notice when something is lost.

There's power in that moment when you draw a round of RPS. Let's say you both throw down scissors. You pause, look at each other, and throw again, but now there's context. Do you stick to your guns and throw scissors again? Maybe they'll do that, in which case you should throw rock?

The idea of "gambits" for RPS is probably meant as a joke, but it ruffles my feathers that it fails to account for draws and how to respond to them. It's a real gap in competitive book play.

Of course it mostly comes down to chance, barely different to flipping a coin, but the experience of playing RPS is entirely different to flipping a coin, and O&E with its ruthless efficiency fails to capture that.

While I might seem evangelical for elegance and minimalist design, there's sometimes power in those moments of inelegance.

Something to consider for RPGs and wargames, but how about we introduce even more inelegance to RPS?

(much like Chess there's a long history of messing with the rules of RPS, so I'm not claiming origin of any of these)

All the below assume a game of playing to 3 points.

Symbol Values

If you win then you earn points based on the symbol you threw.
Rock (3pts), Scissors (2pts), Paper (1pt)
I've seen this variant with Paper as 2pts and Scissors as 1pt but I prefer it if the weakest symbol beats the strongest.

Tie Breaks

If you tie then an Event occurs depending on the symbol thrown.
Rock: Bump rocks. Both players lose 1 point to a minimum of 0 points.
Paper: Stack papers. If a player wins the next throw they earn an extra point.
Scissors: Sharpen scissors. If the next throw is won by scissors then that player immediately wins the game.

Power Creep

A new symbol is added: Dynamite, represented by a "thumbs up" gesture. It beats any other symbol, and ties with itself.

Dynamite can only be thrown by each player once per game.

If playing with Symbol Values then Dynamite is worth 1pt.

If playing with Tie Breaks then tied Dynamite returns both players to 0pts.

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Week Off

Last week I took a bit of time off around my Birthday, so there's no Patreon post to share. 

However, if you haven't already been following the podcast then there are four episodes to catch up on, with another two left to come.

So far I've been joined by Quintin Smith, Laurie O'Connel, Mike Hutchinson, and Kelsey Dionne. You can listen here or on your podcast service of choice.

Expect the fifth podcast episode and a new blogpost next week.

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

MAC Attack x Epic 40k

MAC Attack is back on the menu!

Well, it was never really off for me. I've been tinkering away at it behind the scenes since I last wrote about it. Since my brain has latched back onto wargames for a little while I thought I'd try an experiment with the game.

Can MAC Attack do Epic 40k?

It started out with wanting to test an all-AU (Auxiliary Units, basically anything not a big robot) force against an all-MAC force. This isn't strictly legal in the rules-as-written but who cares?

This reminded me of the very first scenario presented to players of Epic 40k 3rd Edition.

Yeah, in there. 

The opening scenario in the book pitches a small Space Marine force against a lone Ork Gargant. Hearsay tells me that this battle was pretty unfair on the Marines, but I think it's a commendable choice as it brings a big scary war engine to the table right away, rather than holding it back as an option for advanced play down the line. It gets the players engaging with one of the key selling points of this scale (BIG unit) from the off, instead of putting them in the shallow end with some infantry vs infantry tutorial. 

So I set about recreating the two forces using MAC Attack rules.

Space Marines (55pts)

4x Land Raiders (16pts)

LP2 Lascannons

Armour

5x Devastators (15pts)

LP1 Heavy Weapons

Armour

6x Tactical Marines (24pts)

SB1 Boltguns

Armour

Transport (can Rush)

Next I built the Gargant as a Class 3 MAC, and with points left to spare I added a handful of Stompas to fill out the force.

Orkz

Gargant (20pts)

Class 3 MAC

1: LB3 MegaCannon

2: LB2 BigGun

3: LB2 BigGun

4: Assault Weapon

5: Plate

6: Plate

3x Stompas (12pts each)

Class 1 MAC

1: LB2 BigGun

2: SB1 DakkaGuns

3: Assault Weapon

4: Radiator

5: Radiator

6: Plate

As per the scenario I deploy one Marine formation in the central ruins (this battlefield is all ruins, as the Epic 40k starter box intended). The remaining Marines will enter from their board edge on Turn 1. 

The Gargant and Stompas start over on their edge. 

The Orks home in on the devastators. Cover is extra-beneficial to Infantry in MAC Attack, so the initial Ork salvo is underwhelming, knocking out a single base of Marines. 

Meanwhile, the Tactical Marines and Land Raiders race onto the board, the former skirting up the flank to try to find a good piece of cover. 

The Stompas break formation and put pressure on the other Marine formations. The Tactical formation hold firm while one of the Land Raiders ends up crushed beneath the green Stompa. 

The full weight of fire from the Tactical formation is too much for the blue Stompa, who gets blown apart, suffering critical internal damage. 

With supporting fire from the Gargant, the Stompa blasts away two more of the Land Raiders.

The remaining Land Radier flees into the open field and blasts the Stompa with it's Lascannons, causing it to meltdown and explode. The last remaining Stompa charges into the ruins and crushes the remnants of the devastator formation. 

As the dust clears, the Tactical Formation race into cover amongst the ruins, facing off against the Gargant. The isolated Land Raider does its best to line up a long ranged shot at the Gargant. 

The forces trade fire, the Marines holding up against the big guns, chipping away at the terrible war machines. The Land Raider's lascannon sears into the Gargant's back, rupturing the engine, but it still stands. 

The Gargant and Stompa lurch into the ruins, crushing marines beneath their feet, forcing the infantry to abandon the cover to avoid being wiped out in close combat. 

Meanwhile the Land Raider lines up another shot and lands it with perfect precision, triggering an explosion in the Gargant's grinding core. The giant collapses to the ground, its reactor in meltdown, as the Ork crew flee into the open ground. 

The final Stompa is disarmed, its guns silenced under mass fire, its reactor exposed, and with the Land Raider swooping in to support I call this as a somewhat pyrrhic Marine victory. 

Does MAC Attack work as a quick-running alternative to a more typical Epic system? 

I think it does alright! Of course you can't simulate every unit in exactly the same way as in the original game, but it gave me an excuse to crack out those lovely 6mm armies again. 

In terms of AUs vs MACs it felt about right. The MACs felt powerful, able to cut through the formations when things lined up well, but the mass fire of the infantry and powerful anti-tank gun of the tanks never felt futile, taking a steady toll and eventually breaking through. 

All of the Marine AUs had Armour, essentially a 4+ Save, so it would be interesting to try a similar battle with some unarmoured units as a contrast.  

Maybe next time I'll try a full-on Epic clash... big formations of tanks and infantry on each side... maybe bring in the aircraft too. 

Perhaps even put a forest on the table. 

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The Power of Bluntness

I was reading through the rules for Blood Red Skies. I picked up the starter set for reasons that will become clear in a few weeks.

The game appeals to me because it feels so focused, and so many areas that are often covered by deep subsystems get treated with outright... blunt rules.

The planes each have a special base that can be tilted to advantage, neutral, or disadvantaged position. You can only attack planes in a lower state of advantage to you. No, you can't take a pot shot if you're both in neutral, you've got to find a way to improve your position or worsen theirs.

Get on their tail and you'll knock them down to disadvantage, or use the outmanoeuvre action against a lower-skilled pilot and you'll automatically disadvantage them by one step, or use the climb action to improve your own position.

Fly into the clouds to return your state to neutral, and then it's like you aren't there. No harsh modifiers to attacks against you, you're just... essentially non-existent until you come out.

Clever positioning might result in you spending a few turns hardly needing to touch the dice, finding ways to line up your targets in vulnerable positions.

This all brings a sort of clarity to things, where it's quite easy to assess large parts of the state of the game, and the dice only come out for those exciting moments of chaos when you squeeze the trigger. All the while you're still thinking like a fighter pilot, being acutely aware of your position relative to your enemies, and always planning the next manoeuvre.

Of course, it still has a few of those fiddly rules so commonly found in wargames. Turret gunners don't quite work like your standard machineguns, and there's a hand-management subsystem for applying your plane's traits. Still nothing outright complicated, but they stand out slightly against such a streamlined core.

It got me thinking about the appeal of these blunt rules.

The way I see it, individual rules or subsystems can sit along two axes.

Blunt/Deep - How much processing is involved in applying this rule?
Blunt: Simple, obvious, or outright binary.
Deep: Made up of multiple pieces to remember, requiring notable maths or reference, or involving a sort of game-outside-the-game.

Wide/Niche - How many different situations is this rule applied to?
Wide: You'll use this frequently, or at least once in every game you play.
Niche: This only comes up in specific situations, and could reasonably be unused for multiple sessions.

Of course, it's all relative. A rule might feel blunt if it's surrounded by more complex mechanics, or might feel deep if it's a somewhat crunchy part of an ultra-lite game.

These can be combined into four quadrants. Wide-Blunt, Wide-Deep, Niche-Blunt, and Niche-Deep.

Brace yourselves for some graphic design. Here's where I'd put some of the moving parts of Mythic Bastionland.

I certainly have preferences here. I think Deep-Niche rules can be kind of tricky, as you sometimes don't use them often enough to properly learn their complexities. Overall I definitely lean toward the blunt side, especially in wargames, but I think a game can succeed with all different types of rule if they're implemented with purpose.  

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A World in a Magazine

Four years ago, I wrote about my history with miniature games and getting back into them during the lockdown. Summer 1995 saw me seduced by the world of miniatures during show-and-tell, but I needed to endure the long wait till Christmas before I could get a boxed game into my hands.

Save up my pocket money? As a ten year old?? Impossible.

During this extended period of anticipation I poured over every detail of White Dwarf each month, and that very first issue I bought is still burned into my brain.

White Dwarf 187, July 1995, bought from the newsagent on the walk back from school.

(Sadly not my long-departed original copy, but rebought during my ongoing midlife crisis)

Let's take a look inside.

Actually, let's not. Before opening it you'd always flip to the back cover. 

It's hard to overstate the impact that these battle scenes had on my young mind. Much more than any mere illustration. A tantalising vision of what your dinner table could look like if you and a friend got real good at painting and modelling. 

A key factor in the impact of these early magazines was the lack of context. Sure, now I can look at that photo and pick out every unit type, but I was going in blind. What's that horse-and-cart with a load of guns sticking out? Is that a tank in front of it? Who are those guys flying in from above?

It sets the mind racing in a way that's lost once you can just tick off "war wagon, steam tank, Karl Franz".

Naturally you try to predict who would win, too. "Well, the crossbows would shoot the Knights, meaning the harpies can rush forward to get the dwarfs". 

More fantastic scenes. Epic always held a special place in my imagination.

But enough gushing over pictures. Let's actually ready something. 

See how each article is credited to a specific writer? That will be important later...

I guess there's a new tank released this month. Without a rulebook none of these numbers made sense, but that didn't stop me straining to discern the difference between a heavy bolter and a lascannon.  

Oh shit, distracted by another cool battle scene. This is one of only two appearances of the Eldar in this issue, so from this image alone I didn't make the space-elves connection. I just thought they were another bunch of guys with cool helmets. They'd later go on to become my 40k army of choice. 

The other Eldar appearance, showing the level of painting that won you a Golden Demon back in 95. 

I'm not sure anything I write could add to this image. I can feel it with every sense. 

Older folks than me will lament the decline of White Dwarf. The once proud magazine that covered every RPG and wargame under the sun, reduced to a gaudy pamphlet of adverts designed to brainwash children.

But what a joyous brainwashing it was! I wanted to play an Imperial Noble fencing with hordes of enemies and blasting them with my pistol, and I wanted to roll a Chimera across the battlefield, cutting a bloody swathe with its multilaser.

Yeah, it's marketing, and it's shallow, but it sucked me in completely. 

Ooh, here's the big one. Where do I start with this?

So Warhammer 40k was in its 2nd Edition at this point. It had a good amount of crunch, still showing its skirmish/RPG roots from Rogue Trader, but it was clearly designed for battles with a few squads and maybe a couple of vehicles. 

In this battle report the facing armies looked like this.

Each controlled by a team of four players, with special rules for communication. 

This would not be considered normal at the time, but I didn't really know that. It set the benchmark at a pretty daunting level. 

In many ways this battle report wasn't a good introduction to 40k. In reality, this battle has stuck with my for nearly thirty years. 

Not so much for what happens. Sure, it has a memorable finale, but the real appeal for me is how it felt as an observer.

It wasn't some hyper-competitive tournament event. It wasn't a game of chess. Instead, it looked like a bunch of friends bringing all their toys to the table and playing just to find out what happens when you throw together such an audacious scenario.

Growing up in a small town, this whole miniatures thing often felt like some weird hobby that consisted entirely of me and my best friend. These battle reports were plastered with images of the White Dwarf team. The articles were credited and written in their own distinct voices. With each issue I felt like I got to know them more. Those faces and names let me feel like we were part of a bigger club. 

Look, this shows just how desperate times these were. We'd drool over black and white images of miniatures, sometimes not even fully assembled! Ask an elder and they'll even tell you stories of when they had to squint at hand drawn images of miniatures. They'd have killed to have black and white photos to look at. Luxury!

So that's it. Quite possibly the thing that represents my entry into this weird hobby. 

I promise I won't throw you away again. 

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