The Warhammer doesn't have to suffer darkness penalties if it doesn't want to! If darkness rules are in effect, it's got the shoulder searchlight for a reason
Our "stackpole rule" was when an engine hit gets a 2d6 roll upon a snake yes roll would cause the reactor to go critical and explode, destroying the mech and doing damage to 2 adjacent hexes. Fights were more deadly and the occasional explosion brought cheers from all. We loved a good mushroom cloud.
I usually play succesion wars, so I like to use the double shot rule for regular autocannons. any regular autocannon can fire like an ultra variant with some risk, on a to hit roll of 3-4 the gun jams and is considered destroyed for the scenario, on a to hit roll of 2 the firing mechanism jams and the round explodes doing damage of the shot to the internal structure of that location and the weapon is considered destroyed.
In the lore each AC rating covers a broad class of weapons that all function differently. See Big Red 40K's videos on ACs for further details. So in my Succession Wars RP campaign to make ACs more useful, and give them more individual flavor, I like to have different models of AC work differently. Accurate: -1 to hit. Efficient: -1 heat. Powerful: +2 damage. Close (AC/2s & 5s only): No minimum range. Ranged: +1 short range, +2 medium range, +3 long range. Light: -1 ton of weight. Compact (AC/10s & 20s only): -1 critical slot. Ammo: +1 additional round per 5 shots. Critical: +1 on critical confirmation rolls.
My preferred variation of the doubletap rule is that you fire twice at +1 to hit with both shots, or with an AC2 or AC5 single firing enjoys a -1 bonus. So you have reason to use both fire modes without (unnesessary IMO) risk
In the lore each AC rating covers a broad class of weapons that all function differently. See Big Red 40K's videos on ACs for further details. So in my Succession Wars RP campaign to make ACs more useful, and give them more individual flavor, I like to have different models of AC work differently. Accurate: -1 to hit. Efficient: -1 heat. Powerful: +2 damage. Close (AC/2s & 5s only): No minimum range. Ranged: +1 short range, +2 medium range, +3 long range. Light: -1 ton of weight. Compact (AC/10s & 20s only): -1 critical slot. Ammo: +1 additional round per 5 shots. Critical: +1 on critical confirmation rolls.
If anyone is interested here's how I assigned the different models of AC with examples of Succession Wars Mechs that use said models. Armstrong (Powerful): Clint, Vulcan, Shadow Hawk Defiance (Accurate): Sentinel, Zeus, Atlas Federated (Critical): Enforcer Imperator (Ammo): Urbie, Dragon, Rifleman, Banshee, K. Crab Kali Yama (Powerful): Hunchback, Orion Luxor (Accurate): Centurion Mydron (Ranged): Champion, JagerMech, Highlander Oriente (Close & Compact): Hermes II Pontiac (Efficient): Victor Whirlwind (Light): Blackjack, Wolverine, Marauder Zeus (Ranged): Cyclops
I have a House Rule for RPG campaigns that focus on individual Mechwarriors and makes lighter units more evenly matched against heavier one. Initiative is determined by Piloting skill +1 per 5 tons of the unit rounded down +1 per point of pilot damage +2D6. Lowest roll moves last and fires first with damaged and heat applied as it is rolled. Ties mean damage is resolved at the same time as per the normal rules. This makes mixed units and team work much more important as you need lighter units to screen for heavier ones so they don't get flanked all the time. This also works for Arena matches where you want lighter units to fight 1v1 against heavier units and still have a chance against them. Of course this all means BV is useful anymore but that's not the focus of a RP campaign anyways.
I am also a madman, and I use a speed-based initiative. Movement is resolved slowest to fastest, with any bonuses or penalties to initiative treating your movement as that much faster/slower
I use a slightly modified rapidfire MG rule. You burn 5 ammo, and on the attack roll the higher die result is the damage dealt (if you hit) and the lower die result is the heat generated
we also use a rule called 'weapon calibration'. basically, before the game starts, the units targeting system is set at a particular range. the basic rule uses the following mod: short = 0 med = +2 long = +4 extreme = +7 by changing the calibration, you now shift the base mod numbers. these become the range mod for the unit for the duration of the entire battle. it allows you to keep long range units further away and still encourages short range units to close the distance quickly. it also really helps with indirect fire. med calibration: short = +2 med = 0 long = +2 extreme = +5 long calibration: short = +4 med = +2 long = 0 extreme = +3 extreme calibration: short = +7 med = +4 long = +2 extreme = 0
@@MechanicalFrog we have a list of about a dozen rules from either the tactical handbook, maximumtech and Solaris VII. some improve speed of play, some add to the realism. it's interesting that CGL put into thier books that only rules presented in thier products are considered valid. yet they re-wrote all the rules previously published by FASA into their books. they cleaned up a few things, but didn't remove anything.
@@bruced648 I think there is an opportunity to create a more streamlined additional rule resource book. The Tactical Operations book is massive and dense... A relatively new BT player who wanted to add a few new things could easily be overwhelmed.
I would prefer the old box sets style with rules geared towards those aspects. citytech, aerotech, battlespace, Battleforce and battletroops each added to the game without having a bulky book. the special/optional rules were in thier own sourcebooks.
I usually don't use any optional rule that slows the game down, but some could be interesting. My absolute favorite optional rule involves unit creation: Fractional Accounting. This rule allowed engines, endo steel to be allocated in quarter tons rather than half tons. This used to be the norm in the original and their was no reason to change it(in my view). My old campaign used this intensively and as someone who truly enjoys the creation process, I really enjoy designing units that use 100% of their full potential.
@@MechanicalFrog well I’m assuming number 2) fire was intentional. We found that one of the best ways to shift infantry in buildings was light the building on fire. We also ended up burning the town down that way as the fire spread…but hey, fortunes of war and all that.
My favourite is probably splitting imitative based on weight class (Assaults go first, then Heavies etc). How it gives lighter 'mechs the ability to react to their heavier counterparts makes the game a more tactical experience,, as it's a lot easier for lights and mediums to exploit changes to the battlefield than in a normal game, and encourages players to think a more carefully about moving and protecting their big 'mechs, and in doing so gives a place for light 'mechs even in high BV games. The Swinging Initiative rule (If you lose initiative, you gain +1 to your next initiative roll, this accumulates from turn to turn). It prevents one player from dominating the game by virtue of getting lucky on initiative. And the Floating Crits rule because the idea of armour pen only counting for the CT always seemed a little odd to me.
One optional rule I'd love to play with some time that wouldn't really slow down the game? Fighting in 0.8 gravity using some old rules from Battletechnology. Mechs weigh less than their listed tonnage, which means among other things that jump jets are jumpier, falls and brawls do less damage, and since engine ratings are unchanged *everyone* can push their Mech faster than it was actually designed to go if they're willing to make seat belt checks...
Awhile back I played a game of Alpha Strike where a house rule was in effect. the rule was that instead of dealing the full damage value of a mech, you instead rolled a number of to hit rolls equal to the damage value, with each hit dealing one point of damage. Also, the rules for using weapons of mass destruction in a campaign is intriguing to me. Imagine winning a battle, but losing the campaign because you detonated a nuke to obliterate a large section of the map, only to critically fail the roll for the consequences and be declared a war criminal as a result.
I do like these suggestions... but we already do enough math in the game! We were trying to simplify things when we had a trinary take on two companies. Every second shaved is essential!
I love the advanced rules! I think my favorites are the Enhanced weapon/equipment Damage Hits and tables, the Floating Critical Rule -- but not the adv Hit Location tables. Too many rear hits in conjunction with Called Shots. Opportunity Fire; physical Blocking; expanded Partial Cover; the LOS adv. charts; Ammunition AOE Explosions, Missed Shots with Terrain Factor rules. Some I love, others I really dislike. Movement damage to terrain would bog a game down just too much, but weapons fire for TF is not too bad. Good for smoke fires.
More of a house rule. We would play natural 12 as a chance for critical unless we needed a 12 to hit. This to us represented a round finding a weak point in the armor, if a smaller round found a hole made by a bigger round or got a direct hit on the enemy that knocked something loose.
we do the nat 12 for crit chance. we also do the nat 2 as a weapon malfunction. if the to-hit roll for any weapon fired is a nat 2, it no longer functions for the remainder of the battle and must be repaired/replaced.
Another great video! A little rough on some of the parts of the editing (For pitch blackness the text read "+4 for moonlit night", and of course the marauder gaffe), but very good video in totality even with those minor flaws.
I feel the weather/day night/atmosphere rules just serve to make the game more random and take longer. Unless playing with megamek which makes things alot faster only advanced rules we really use is floating TACS and advanced firing while prone, and the advanced partial cover rules. Glancing blows imo just make pulse lasers and to a lesser extent streaks too much better for weapon systems that dont need to be better.
Thx 4 that! I like the idea of glancing. I consider to buy this Book, for my Nerddom... does it have a piece of the Stalker-picture on the side? Also like your Terrain. Where did you get it from?
Battletech is like chess with dice. If you love narrative, the pure ludic nature of chess may not seem appealing and this is why I find Mechwarrior Destiny very useful. It adds high stakes and beloved characters. In a narrative, winning is not always needed, because what you need is characters going through and victory or defeat are not so important because we just want an outcome for the characters, not the world they live in. And with plot twists, what seemed like a clear confrontation may take a turn. Things were not like in the briefing. This is what I like about RPG, allows a dynamic world to evolve.
ARTILLERY.... ARTILLERY....(Indirect and Direct); Mech Reactor Accidental (and Intentional) 'malfunctions'...* Non-Ultra AC Double Taps... Please moar? *Perhaps an in-universe explanation why Non-Mechs Reactors do NOT 'Malfunction' beyond the normal single hit to disable...
The Warhammer doesn't have to suffer darkness penalties if it doesn't want to! If darkness rules are in effect, it's got the shoulder searchlight for a reason
"Let there be light... and the Warhammer was happy."
The Rifleman even has two - issue is the search light makes the Riflemen a target!
Our "stackpole rule" was when an engine hit gets a 2d6 roll upon a snake yes roll would cause the reactor to go critical and explode, destroying the mech and doing damage to 2 adjacent hexes. Fights were more deadly and the occasional explosion brought cheers from all. We loved a good mushroom cloud.
That's a fun rule!
I usually play succesion wars, so I like to use the double shot rule for regular autocannons. any regular autocannon can fire like an ultra variant with some risk, on a to hit roll of 3-4 the gun jams and is considered destroyed for the scenario, on a to hit roll of 2 the firing mechanism jams and the round explodes doing damage of the shot to the internal structure of that location and the weapon is considered destroyed.
Wild and wooly.
In the lore each AC rating covers a broad class of weapons that all function differently. See Big Red 40K's videos on ACs for further details. So in my Succession Wars RP campaign to make ACs more useful, and give them more individual flavor, I like to have different models of AC work differently.
Accurate: -1 to hit.
Efficient: -1 heat.
Powerful: +2 damage.
Close (AC/2s & 5s only): No minimum range.
Ranged: +1 short range, +2 medium range, +3 long range.
Light: -1 ton of weight.
Compact (AC/10s & 20s only): -1 critical slot.
Ammo: +1 additional round per 5 shots.
Critical: +1 on critical confirmation rolls.
My preferred variation of the doubletap rule is that you fire twice at +1 to hit with both shots, or with an AC2 or AC5 single firing enjoys a -1 bonus. So you have reason to use both fire modes without (unnesessary IMO) risk
In the lore each AC rating covers a broad class of weapons that all function differently. See Big Red 40K's videos on ACs for further details. So in my Succession Wars RP campaign to make ACs more useful, and give them more individual flavor, I like to have different models of AC work differently.
Accurate: -1 to hit.
Efficient: -1 heat.
Powerful: +2 damage.
Close (AC/2s & 5s only): No minimum range.
Ranged: +1 short range, +2 medium range, +3 long range.
Light: -1 ton of weight.
Compact (AC/10s & 20s only): -1 critical slot.
Ammo: +1 additional round per 5 shots.
Critical: +1 on critical confirmation rolls.
If anyone is interested here's how I assigned the different models of AC with examples of Succession Wars Mechs that use said models.
Armstrong (Powerful): Clint, Vulcan, Shadow Hawk
Defiance (Accurate): Sentinel, Zeus, Atlas
Federated (Critical): Enforcer
Imperator (Ammo): Urbie, Dragon, Rifleman, Banshee, K. Crab
Kali Yama (Powerful): Hunchback, Orion
Luxor (Accurate): Centurion
Mydron (Ranged): Champion, JagerMech, Highlander
Oriente (Close & Compact): Hermes II
Pontiac (Efficient): Victor
Whirlwind (Light): Blackjack, Wolverine, Marauder
Zeus (Ranged): Cyclops
Flamers doing damage + heat makes them far more useful but not overpowered, good optional rule to add to any game
Floating crits for TACs is pretty nice. so you don't get your reactor or gyro shot out from under you while your armor is still untouched
solid idea.
The group I started with did that. I thought it was the basic rule. :-) @@MechanicalFrog
Floating TAC should be a standard rule imo, our club plays with it by default
I have a House Rule for RPG campaigns that focus on individual Mechwarriors and makes lighter units more evenly matched against heavier one. Initiative is determined by Piloting skill +1 per 5 tons of the unit rounded down +1 per point of pilot damage +2D6. Lowest roll moves last and fires first with damaged and heat applied as it is rolled. Ties mean damage is resolved at the same time as per the normal rules.
This makes mixed units and team work much more important as you need lighter units to screen for heavier ones so they don't get flanked all the time. This also works for Arena matches where you want lighter units to fight 1v1 against heavier units and still have a chance against them. Of course this all means BV is useful anymore but that's not the focus of a RP campaign anyways.
Interesting!
I am also a madman, and I use a speed-based initiative. Movement is resolved slowest to fastest, with any bonuses or penalties to initiative treating your movement as that much faster/slower
Phenomenal idea.
I use a slightly modified rapidfire MG rule. You burn 5 ammo, and on the attack roll the higher die result is the damage dealt (if you hit) and the lower die result is the heat generated
we also use a rule called 'weapon calibration'.
basically, before the game starts, the units targeting system is set at a particular range.
the basic rule uses the following mod:
short = 0
med = +2
long = +4
extreme = +7
by changing the calibration, you now shift the base mod numbers. these become the range mod for the unit for the duration of the entire battle. it allows you to keep long range units further away and still encourages short range units to close the distance quickly. it also really helps with indirect fire.
med calibration:
short = +2
med = 0
long = +2
extreme = +5
long calibration:
short = +4
med = +2
long = 0
extreme = +3
extreme calibration:
short = +7
med = +4
long = +2
extreme = 0
Interesting!
@@MechanicalFrog we have a list of about a dozen rules from either the tactical handbook, maximumtech and Solaris VII. some improve speed of play, some add to the realism.
it's interesting that CGL put into thier books that only rules presented in thier products are considered valid. yet they re-wrote all the rules previously published by FASA into their books. they cleaned up a few things, but didn't remove anything.
@@bruced648 I think there is an opportunity to create a more streamlined additional rule resource book. The Tactical Operations book is massive and dense... A relatively new BT player who wanted to add a few new things could easily be overwhelmed.
I would prefer the old box sets style with rules geared towards those aspects. citytech, aerotech, battlespace, Battleforce and battletroops each added to the game without having a bulky book. the special/optional rules were in thier own sourcebooks.
@@bruced648 That too.
I usually don't use any optional rule that slows the game down, but some could be interesting.
My absolute favorite optional rule involves unit creation: Fractional Accounting. This rule allowed engines, endo steel to be allocated in quarter tons rather than half tons. This used to be the norm in the original and their was no reason to change it(in my view). My old campaign used this intensively and as someone who truly enjoys the creation process, I really enjoy designing units that use 100% of their full potential.
Opens up a few options.
1) smoke rounds either conventional or artillery
2) fire
3) accidental fire or hex clearing
Yes... "accidental" fire...
@@MechanicalFrog well I’m assuming number 2) fire was intentional. We found that one of the best ways to shift infantry in buildings was light the building on fire. We also ended up burning the town down that way as the fire spread…but hey, fortunes of war and all that.
My favourite is probably splitting imitative based on weight class (Assaults go first, then Heavies etc). How it gives lighter 'mechs the ability to react to their heavier counterparts makes the game a more tactical experience,, as it's a lot easier for lights and mediums to exploit changes to the battlefield than in a normal game, and encourages players to think a more carefully about moving and protecting their big 'mechs, and in doing so gives a place for light 'mechs even in high BV games.
The Swinging Initiative rule (If you lose initiative, you gain +1 to your next initiative roll, this accumulates from turn to turn). It prevents one player from dominating the game by virtue of getting lucky on initiative.
And the Floating Crits rule because the idea of armour pen only counting for the CT always seemed a little odd to me.
One optional rule I'd love to play with some time that wouldn't really slow down the game? Fighting in 0.8 gravity using some old rules from Battletechnology.
Mechs weigh less than their listed tonnage, which means among other things that jump jets are jumpier, falls and brawls do less damage, and since engine ratings are unchanged *everyone* can push their Mech faster than it was actually designed to go if they're willing to make seat belt checks...
Sounds very froggy.
Awhile back I played a game of Alpha Strike where a house rule was in effect. the rule was that instead of dealing the full damage value of a mech, you instead rolled a number of to hit rolls equal to the damage value, with each hit dealing one point of damage.
Also, the rules for using weapons of mass destruction in a campaign is intriguing to me. Imagine winning a battle, but losing the campaign because you detonated a nuke to obliterate a large section of the map, only to critically fail the roll for the consequences and be declared a war criminal as a result.
I do like these suggestions... but we already do enough math in the game! We were trying to simplify things when we had a trinary take on two companies. Every second shaved is essential!
It's all good that they're optional then. Happy mech hunting!
So cool, thanks frog! Gonna try a neon night battle.
I love the advanced rules! I think my favorites are the Enhanced weapon/equipment Damage Hits and tables, the Floating Critical Rule -- but not the adv Hit Location tables. Too many rear hits in conjunction with Called Shots.
Opportunity Fire; physical Blocking; expanded Partial Cover; the LOS adv. charts; Ammunition AOE Explosions, Missed Shots with Terrain Factor rules.
Some I love, others I really dislike. Movement damage to terrain would bog a game down just too much, but weapons fire for TF is not too bad. Good for smoke fires.
Solid picks to mix things up a bit.
More of a house rule. We would play natural 12 as a chance for critical unless we needed a 12 to hit. This to us represented a round finding a weak point in the armor, if a smaller round found a hole made by a bigger round or got a direct hit on the enemy that knocked something loose.
Cool idea.
we do the nat 12 for crit chance. we also do the nat 2 as a weapon malfunction. if the to-hit roll for any weapon fired is a nat 2, it no longer functions for the remainder of the battle and must be repaired/replaced.
The Pilgrimage continues: I think glancing hits could slow the game down but for sollaris would be grand. Also those heating up rules seem tasty.
Toasty.
I did not know that about called shots. Neat! I like that.
My favorite 2 rules are Engine explosions and the crit modifier for large weapons like the PPC and AC/20.
Spices things up a bit.
Another great video. Keep ‘em coming
Thank you!
Another great video! A little rough on some of the parts of the editing (For pitch blackness the text read "+4 for moonlit night", and of course the marauder gaffe), but very good video in totality even with those minor flaws.
Noted!
I find terrain more interesting than weather. That is especially true for Tukkayid maps.
Interesting optional rules, I'm going to have to try out the glancing blow rule next time I play
Can be fun and doesn't slow things down too much like other optional rules often do.
I feel the weather/day night/atmosphere rules just serve to make the game more random and take longer. Unless playing with megamek which makes things alot faster only advanced rules we really use is floating TACS and advanced firing while prone, and the advanced partial cover rules. Glancing blows imo just make pulse lasers and to a lesser extent streaks too much better for weapon systems that dont need to be better.
Thx 4 that! I like the idea of glancing. I consider to buy this Book, for my Nerddom... does it have a piece of the Stalker-picture on the side?
Also like your Terrain. Where did you get it from?
The buildings are from here: hardwarestudios.co/vendor/2500kgm3/
The rocky hexes are my own designs and my kofi members get those.
Battletech is like chess with dice. If you love narrative, the pure ludic nature of chess may not seem appealing and this is why I find Mechwarrior Destiny very useful. It adds high stakes and beloved characters. In a narrative, winning is not always needed, because what you need is characters going through and victory or defeat are not so important because we just want an outcome for the characters, not the world they live in.
And with plot twists, what seemed like a clear confrontation may take a turn. Things were not like in the briefing.
This is what I like about RPG, allows a dynamic world to evolve.
Time for the Warhammer to switch on that light. (As one of the few capable of)
Lamps lamps everywhere...
I gotta learn how to heat sink works
How often do people overheat 25???
Last ditch alpha strike?
ARTILLERY.... ARTILLERY....(Indirect and Direct); Mech Reactor Accidental (and Intentional) 'malfunctions'...* Non-Ultra AC Double Taps... Please moar? *Perhaps an in-universe explanation why Non-Mechs Reactors do NOT 'Malfunction' beyond the normal single hit to disable...
More more! more!!
I always considered glancing blows to be misses. Otherwise targetting computers and pilots have horrible aim.
Tough but fair.