Blog Update: Indefinite Hiatus

Well folks, as you may recall from my last status update, I was uncertain about the long term future of the blog. And as you can tell from the title, I've came to a decision.

It wasn't easy. On the one hand, I am largely doing better at self-care, but on the other it's December and I work in retail. Also, I'm currently working through some life/career matters that need some spare headspace. All this makes it less likely for me to do something creative, and I've ditched more than a few projects lately because I wasn't feeling it. So, rather than risk putting out sub-par work, and adding stress through an artficial target, I'm pressing pause. This blog is ultimately for me, not the other way around, and a break is probably good for me. I hope to return in the new year, but beyond that, I make no promises.

In the meantime, Merry Chrimbo! 

 

 

Plamo: The Chitocerium XXII-Tanio Alb (Good Smile Company)

You know what, let's just call this the nanokitty. Moving on...

So, I picked this up on a whim during a black friday event, on the simple reasoning of "kitteh!", rather than any familiarity with the line. Good Smile Company is a rival to gunpla's Bandai Visual, and I have no prior experience with their work. They seem to do a lot in the way of licensed anime figurines, with robot kits being just one thing they do. Their name sounds like a cyberpunk megacorp, but that's as far as my opinion goes.  is, in so far as I can figure out, a kit-first and artist-promoted enterprise where everything is a 1 to 1 representation of a “fragment”. I'm hitting a bit of a language barrier with this one, where the official English descriptions seem to be mechanically translated metaphysics. The vast majority of the line seems to be gothic and rather artesy dolls that store/sleep in hexagonal boxes, obviously edging into waifu territory, with nanokitty here being a low cost entry. It is, not to put too fine a point on it, fucking tiny. It came in a box smaller than some dvds, or letters for that matter. The completed kit is bite-sized. Nanokitty can perch inside a bottle top. Don't drop any of it, you won't find it again.

Actual construction is a simple if delicate affair. The merest application of glue is needed to secure the major ball joints, and the white plastic is quite forgiving with respects to nub marks. The black plastic is obviously less so, but you do get a selection of alternate tails and a spare head with closed eyes. There is also a display base, but this is less to support nanokitty, and more to stop it blowing away next time you cough near it. The articulation is for all intents and purposes, perfect. Uncanny, in fact. Nanokitty has a porcelain doll vibe going on, but it poses so easily. I cannot conceive of a more mobile quadruped at this size. I would adore for engineering like this to be applied to something bigger and less fiddly. Its that elegant.

I'm an easy mark for cats, and oddities, but I was unexpectedly blown away by this. Is it art? I dunno, but if it isn't, it's damn close. 

 

 

The Mecha Hack: Four More Chassis Things

Something I enjoy about the Mecha Hack is how easy it is to, well, Hack. I've been able to produce no end of material because of this, a lot being used in my RPG group. Today's article is much the same, based on concepts I brainstormed in preparation for a new campaign. I don't think I'll end up using these, as I'm currently favouring a different concept, but maybe you can get use out of them? What follows is a bunch of Gundam style grunts, designed to replace the stock 4 chassis, in a smaller scale conflict. Like Zeta...

The Cannoneer Chassis

Inspiration: RGC-83 GM Cannon II, GN-005 Gundam Virtue

The thing about the Titan chassis is that it's very defensive. That's not a complaint, just an observation. Sometimes though, you might want something more proactive, hence this. The Cannoneer is intended as a durable fire platform, stopping short of the Colossus and its transformation gimmick. It has a different gimmick instead, allowing a player to shed armour for agility. This makes it look like something of a good-all-rounder, but its more about long-range stuff.

CANNONEER CHASSIS

HIT DIE D10 DAMAGE DIE D6 REACTOR DIE D6

STARTING HP
1d10 + 5

WEAPONS AND ARMOUR
All weapons and armour.

LEVELLING UP
Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for Presence and System. At levels 3, 6, & 9, gain a new module.

STARTING EQUIPMENT
Comlink, Heavy Armour (5AP), Small Shield (2AP), Machete (Light Melee Weapon), and Assault Rifle (Light Ranged Weapon).

DESIGN FEATURES

TWIN SHOULDER CANNONS: As an attack action, test Power. If you succeed, deal 2d6 damage, divided as you choose between enemies at far or distant range. Roll your reactor die.

PURGE ARMOUR: As a use action, spend all/any remaining AP & discard your Twin Shoulder Cannons to gain a + 2 bonus to mobility. This lasts until the end of the combat, and the equipment is restored at the next full rest. 

 

The Corax Chassis

Inspiration: OZ-12SMS Taurus

Going slightly more specific for our first Gundam Wing reference of the day, the Corax is a Scout replacement. These are perhaps slightly toned down from the Taurus, these has the virtue of an easy flight mode, and a better damage die than the regular Scout. This means its more about speed than sneaking, but doesn't have to spend a whole turn on the wind-up for an attack. The AI function is intended to suggest a technically competent, but dumb as a sack of hammers robot brain, which is quite representative of the show.

CORAX CHASSIS

HIT DIE D6 DAMAGE DIE D8 REACTOR DIE D6

STARTING HP
1d6 + 3

WEAPONS AND ARMOUR
Light weapons, heavy ranged, & light armour.

LEVELLING UP
Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for Mobility and System. At levels 3, 6, & 9, gain a new module.

STARTING EQUIPMENT
Comlink, Light Armour (3AP) & Beam Rifle (Light Ranged Weapon).

DESIGN FEATURES

FLIGHT FORM: As a use action, transform. While transformed, you ignore difficult terrain, can move two range bands with one move action, but may not use melee weapons. Return to normal with a use action.

DRONE AI: Your machine can be programmed and/or instructed remotely to act in combat, as fully functional drone. While doing so your mecha has no pilot type, Power: 10, Mobility: 10, System: 5, Presence: 2, and the same HP/AP. Triggering or cancelling this ability requires a Use action.

The Mock Chassis

Inspiration: RMS-106 Hi-Zack 

OK, this is an example of an idea running away with me, and I'm not sure where to take it next. As I have commented before, the Hizack is something that makes no sense in context. It's a machine objectively worse than everything else the Federation had en-mass at the time, it looks like Zeon made it, and its operated by an organisation with "Fuck Zeon" tattoos. I first thought if it as a low cost grunt with thematic flaws, and then came the inspiration. Its an aggressor for war games. Its a false flag unit. A, wait for it, Mecha of Disguise. So, this chassis has the start of a subterfuge mechanic, that I never quite finished. I also added a damage die mechanic to represent the Hizacks power issues. This could actually benefit such a player's cover story, pulling a few punches and so on. Mechanically, this fills the role of a Striker, my logic being that a conman would need a good eye and fast mouth, and that sort of thing is System and Presence.

I realise that I may have put more thought into this than Sunrise did.

MOCK CHASSIS

HIT DIE D8 DAMAGE DIE D6* REACTOR DIE D6

STARTING HP
1d8 + 4

WEAPONS AND ARMOUR
All weapons and armour.

LEVELLING UP
Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for Presence and System. At levels 3, 6, & 9, gain a new module.

STARTING EQUIPMENT
Comlink, Light Armour (3AP), Small Shield (2AP), Heat Axe (Light Melee Weapon) and Autocannon (Light Ranged Weapon).

DESIGN FEATURES

REPURPOSED AGGRESSOR UNIT: You may reconfigure this machine so it resembles a different mecha with relative ease. You also reroll 20s when attempting to maintain that cover, infiltrate enemy installations and general subterfuge, assuming your disguise is credible.

OBSOLETE POWER CONDUITS: As a use action, change your damage die to one of the following 3 settings. A: your damage die is d8 for melee, but d4 for ranged. B: your damage for is d4 for melee, but d8 for ranged. C: reset your damage die to normal. This effect lasts until changed or the end of the battle.

The Trooper Chassis

Inspiration: The OZ-06MS Leo

As you may have observed, I kinda love the Leo. The poor, cannon fodder unit seemingly made from eggshell and dynamite. The only time this ever did well was when a big name piloted one, so I'm gonna use that as a justification to make this a Brawler analogue. Leos are very much my platonic ideal of a Grunt unit; it's entirely utilitarian in design, it comes in broadly sensible colours, and it's got a big selection of kit. As such, the focus here is adaptability and the stereotypically Russian approach to war materiel. Modules become easily swapped in the manner of missiles on jet fighters, or SEEDs various backpacks. You may wish to create a curated module list for that purpose. Meanwhile if, sorry, when these fall in combat, they can just get a new machine, no trouble.

TROOPER CHASSIS

HIT DIE D6 DAMAGE DIE D8 REACTOR DIE D6

STARTING HP
1d6 + 3

WEAPONS AND ARMOUR
All weapons and armour.

LEVELLING UP
Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for Power and Mobility. At levels 3, 6, & 9, gain a new module.

STARTING EQUIPMENT
Comlink, Light Armour (3AP), Round Shield (2AP), Beam Saber(Light Melee Weapon) and Drum Machinegun (Light Ranged Weapon).

DESIGN FEATURES

SURVIVABLE AND DISPOSABLE: If you are reduced to 0 HP, do not roll on the chart. Instead apply the "eject" result, and receive an identical replacement machine when there's a gap in the fighting.

FLEXIBLE MISSION HARDPOINTS: During Downtime, you may swap out any/all of your modules for the next mission, subject to GM approval. The module(s) listed on your character sheet are considered your default load-out.

If you do use these rules, do let me know how it turns out.

Transformers: FOC Optimus Prime Is Something That Exists

Optimus Prime is a character that needs no introduction. So, moving on.

The famous VGA trailer for Fall of Cybertron

While the Transformers brand has its ups & downs, the down circa 2012 was quite a bad one. This was a time where the Bay movies went from a juggernaut to something more mundane, Hasbro was doing the “Aligned” thing, and toy budgets got smaller. Having being previously flushed with money, the toy designers struggled to work within these new confines, and this effect was felt everywhere. It was perhaps most keenly felt with the tie-in toys for the Fall of Cybertron (FOC) video game. FOC has a reasonable claim to being in the top two Transformers games ever, building on the success of the preceding War for Cybertron (WFC). No, not that one, trademark retention is a thing. The tragedy here was that while WFC only got four moulds, not a full line, they were much better received than the much bigger FOC line. Maybe a bit finicky, but clearly benefiting from more plastic, and more time in the oven. The FOC toys were much simpler, often smaller, and of an overtly lesser quality. I say this not to “put the boot in”, I'm actually talking about an old favourite today, but more as a self-evident truth. Sometimes things just don't turn out well. The complex game designs were not well-suited to the new reality, so the fan response was mixed at best. 

A subject for much of the criticism was this toy, which suffered for having a direct FOC analogue in the same size class. There hasn't been a shortage of Optimus toys since about 2001, plus an expectation of him being a physically large character, so a deluxe iteration always has an air of redundancy about it. This one however was also a small deluxe, even by the standards of its day. The WFC version didn't have that problem, and was a more involved toy by most metrics, so right outta the gate, this toy had baggage. The size issue is most evident in its vehicle mode, which, IIRC, was designed to resemble a fist with wheels on it. It's a fairly squat and low to the ground vehicle, evoking the traditional cab, but the silhouette is rather different. Meanwhile, the alien greebling does make it interesting, with the front wheels sticking out further that the back two, although the back end does suffer for gaps and the exposed feet. The overall effect is to make it look smaller than it actually is, not that it's especially big to begin with. On the up side, the gun does feature an angled peg to plug into either of the feet, with two more 5mm ports near the back wheels, and two ports in the smokestacks. So, it's functional, but not setting the world alight.

The transformation and the actual robot is where we start to see the actual positives. Going into to robot does draw on the classical Optimus transformation, but this ends as a boon to the articulation. Prime poses nicely, with lots of unhindered swivels, with the only actual weakness being the shoulder area. He's very agile in the lower body though, and curls a good bicep. This toy has a no-bullshit transformation, a dramatic head reveal, and immediately lends itself to battle poses, which makes it a good deskbot toy. It's hand candy. Of note are the assorted 5mm ports, which by pure coincidence make the toy compatible with the Siege weaponizer play pattern. Seriously, he's got two ports per limb and one on his back. Far more than are actually needed, mind you, and there's a reason for that. 

 

While relatively brief, the FOC line went heavy on the retools, and can be considered a dry run for what Combiner Wars would do. Almost every deluxe got a new head + repaint, with similar ratios in the other size classes, and even a reshell with Sideswipe/Jazz. What made these retools more palatable was the presence of new accessories, usually a bigger gun. When Optimus inevitably became Ultra Magnus, that toy had something that Optimus probably needed in the first place: his sword from the final level of the game. A sword that could combine with his otherwise unremarkable firearm. If only that had been there from the get go, its just so fun. And you could have it stow on his back too. Or bolt it onto the side of the vehicle form. TBH, I kinda regret parting with that Magnus remould now.

The 2012 Fall Of Cybertron Ultra Magnus Toy

The 2010 Cybertronian Optimus Prime Toy, A.K.A WFC Prime

 

My point? Well, just that FOC Optimus Prime is something that exists. He's an above average toy from a fairly disappointing line, suffering in comparison to his immediate predecessor, and a superior retool. That having been said, sometimes restrictions can be a creative asset, and it's definitely true for tiny boi prime, here. 

 

Mini-Review: Super Robot Wars 30 (PC, Steam, 2021)

I wrote an introductory article to Super Robot Wars a while back, and it's probably best if you read that. Some 99% of the comments made there apply to this new iteration, and that's possibly a problem. SRW30 has exactly the same vibe and appeal as the fan translations I played on SNES, GBA and GameCube, just with various subtle gameplay improvements. I'd imagine any long running strategy game series, or even the Championship Manager games, finds a very definite niche. They are usually excellent at what they choose to do, but what they choose to do is quite narrow, and any difference between games tends to be iterative and gradual. This is just how 30 feels. However, on reflection, I would have expected more tangible differences between games with decades between them. While nobody expects a turned based strategy game to be any kind of graphical powerhouse, 30 isn't trying. I knew this going in, but outside of the battle animations, the game is almost entirely presented by static art. It's a style which would have been considered outdated two decades ago, and even by the standards of its genre its quite minimal. This is not to say its ugly, but compare this art direction to Into the Breach? Or the similarly, and spectacularly, weebish Disgaea series? It looks rather basic, and I was faintly bewildered to discover I was running it on maximum resolution by default. I feel a few idle animations would have helped immensely here, and it undermines the games value proposition. There is definitely a humongous wodge of content, but this game starts at £40, more for the version with licensed music rather than covers, and then there's DLC. You aren't paying for the engine, is what I'm saying.

What you are paying for is licencing. Perhaps a better comparison to make than with other strategy games is with annual sports franchises, given how SRW games tend to overlap. I'm hesitant to use the term "roster update", but you could make that case with 30, and indeed other instalments. I suppose we can give 30 a pass on this as a rare global/English-language release in the series, but Japanese fans and linguists may not. That said, I do not wish to understate the sheer joy of seeing some of these characters in a tried and true game format. This is the entire appeal of the exercise, a vast, fanfictiony crossover extravaganza. My personal enjoyment of the game shot up whenever something I knew appeared, and there's a welcome sense of knowing irreverence. Like the Lego Movie. Obviously, it helps to know who some of these daft beggars are, but 30 offers great introductions if you don't. The cast of Brave Police J-Decker became an immediate favourite of mine, being a bunch of extremely wholesome boys, made more so by a plot connection to GaoGaiGar, which makes a notable showing here. Another highlight is SSSS Gridman, a series that would take far too long to explain, but basically boils down to a kaiju-punching, superhero-adjacent, giant dude rather than a robot. It fits right in though. Mind you, with a grab-bag of animes like this, there's guaranteed to be something that you just don't like, while the wider narrative stalls for another introduction. It's an obvious and unavoidable consequence of jamming so many casts together, as even with the ability to choose missions, you will get stuck with your unfavourites occasionally. Like the nut flavoured choccies in a selection box. While the base game didn't feature anything I disliked previously, I've seen more compelling line-ups. The infamous Victory Gundam is present, and Majestic Prince didn't exactly endear itself to me either. 

 

Observant readers will note that I haven't actually mentioned how the game plays. My apologies. I would find this like trying to explain how something like Doom 2016 works. Yes, there's polished and elegant systems under the hood, but it's a blur of cathartic violence for me. 30 is an archetypal turn-based strategy game, with numerous subtle mechanisms and tactical depth. In practice, I'm usually too in-the-moment to engage that deeply. I tend to be intuitive and impulsive with stuff like this, but 30 is not punishing or obtuse for its own sake. The game goes out of its way to present information to you, so you'll know what the odds are going into a fight, and the interface benefits from thirty years of refinement. Mechanically, its perfectly sound, and I can't conceive of any improvement that isn't already here. Maybe that's why the games are so similar, although better production values would be nice. One observation I would make however is that its functionally impossible to keep everyone combat ready, but you don't really have to. You get a load of units to field, Gotta Catch 'em All, and while you can have "mains", you aren't locked into a play pattern. Find something that works for you, and if you have a fave, you can make it work.

Conclusion

While I've made some mild complaints above, I'm immensely pleased that this game both exists and got a western release. For what flaws there are, I kept playing, and there is so much more to do. It's totally up my street, so I must acknowledge that. Possibly wait for a sale, if you have doubts, but it's worth a punt if you're in the target audience.

Transformers: Siege Barricade Is Something That Exists

My creative process, such as it is, does not come when I call. Its more that things rattle in my brain until expressed, or I latch onto something and obsess. Or I have travel time, and a stream of consciousness congeals on my phone into an article. This is one such article. Its subject, Barricade, came dead last in a twitter poll, but I couldn't quite give up on it. So, after some pruning, here we are.

While not the first character to bear the name, Barricade is of course a notable from the Michael Bay Transformers films. I hesitate to call him a character, because Mr Bay is not interested in characterisation, especially of giant robots. Rather, Barricade embodied a theme that Bay was not political enough to explore: the idea of law enforcement being malevolent. A proper discussion of this matter is beyond the scope of this article, and is something I do not wish to trivialise, but the Heroic Cop ideal is a feature of American pop culture, so having an evil Decepticon disguise themselves as one was somewhat subversive at the time. But if you've watched the news recently? Perhaps more true to life than we'd like? You know what I'm talking about. The comics of course did it better, with IDW taking the character of Prowl, already a reputed prick with a police altmode, through moral ambiguity, and right out the other side. And then side to side. It has been my pleasure to describe Barricade as "less-evil Prowl" ever since. Despite a lack of screen-time, Barricade got a revamp for the 5th Bay film, had comic appearances, and a place in the Authentics line-up,so it looks like he's made it into the pantheon. Perhaps inevitably then, Barricade found his way into Siege as a Prowl retool, making him one of a vanishingly small number of break-out characters to imprint themselves onto G1 after the fact. In all fairness though, describing this chap as a Prowl retool is a touch imprecise. He is just as much a Smokescreen pretool, as this toy would be used as that character, minus the light bar. If indeed any of the "fairlady carformers" are the true original, I suspect they were developed as one. The look of the toy is based off Guido Guidi's attempt at a G1-styled Barricade, which was based on Smokescreen, whom is of course, the second Prowl retool from G1. This, if anything, makes the fact that Barricade was a mass market release more surprising, as there was a more obvious character right there. Smokescreen ended up in Generations Selects instead. I can only assume they felt that this would help with the faction ratio in Siege, Autobots being very over-represented in the deluxe pricepoint at the time.

 

Eh, that's 460 or so words of context, what's the toy like? Well, he's striking, if possibly a tad frail-looking. Let's start with the car mode. This is allegedly a Cybertronian altmode, but it never struck me as alien. A lot of Siege toys were like that. The Prowl and Smokescreen look so normal in this form due to their paint jobs, I would have happily used them as I.P-friendly Earth modes. Not that I have any real knowledge of cars, mind you. Don't they all have translucent wheels? Barricade however looks like cyberpunk vehicle, it's the purple and cybertronic lettering. I would not be surprised to see this driven by corporate security. Its on the small side for a Deluxe, but not obnoxiously so, and the battle damage paint apps are noteworthy as other versions of the mould skip them. Limited to the front fenders, its both appropriate and restrained. The transformation is a tribute to 1984 Prowl toy, and is generally pretty good, but things up skinny and hollowed out for the robot mode. Most of the lower body is best viewed from the front, and the heavy use of translucent plastic is a concern in the long run. Barricade is however nicely articulated and fully compatible with the Siege play pattern. Of particular interest are the accessories, which foreshadow Smokescreen. There's two guns meant to be shoulder mounted, but these can also combine into a double blaster or be held separately in hand. As the mould is covered in 5mm ports, including an easily missed hole on the light bar, you can do all kinds of gunplay/carmageddon stuff. There's also some good synergy with Brunt, in a brains & brawn pairing, and with especially with Earthrise Slitherfang coming shortly after. The dude looks great, in a sinister kind of way, with multiple options for both modes, and if if you get him a buddy with complimentary colours, it only gets better. Good mould, good looks, the complete deluxe experience. His only problem is one that affects so many Siege toys, he was made obsolete by an Earthrise exclusive with almost indecent speed. I could tangent fiercely about that trend, but that's also outside the remit of this article. Perhaps another time...

 

My point? Just that Siege Barricade is something that exists. There is however a lot of interesting context outside of the toy, and said toy is actually pretty good. And that's why I'm here, at the end of the day.

 

Wheee!

The Mecha Hack: Campaign Tips for Beginners

Well, by the time I post this, I will have just finished my campaign. A long, winding, but ultimately satisfying learning experience with friends. And I thought there was an article in that, so here we are. An article about how to run a campaign as a gamesmaster. Enjoy.

The approach I took

My basic idea when running the campaign was to treat each gaming session as a single episode of a mecha anime, i.e. there's gonna be a fight, the role-playing is in the run up, and how they handle the fight. Initially, I attempted to map out multiple paths, but this never survives contact with actual players. The best you can do is present the scenario, and have clear behaviour/objectives for NPCs. It is not your job as a gamesmaster to present a script for the players to follow. As I learned, I went from being a particular world-builder to being an enabler. It is your job to present a good time. How you achieve this is up to you, but there are two points I like to keep in mind. The first is that you shouldn't protect people from reasonable consequences of their actions. If they go in unexpected directions, roll with it, but if they try anything overtly suicidal, warn them. The second thing, and the mirror of the above, if its awesome or funny, just let it happen. We're talking about giant robots here, don't be serious for its own sake.

So, enough philosophy, let's have some practical advice on how to run a campaign.

Creating the Setting

It's entirely fine to use the rulebook setting for your campaign. There's rich seams of conflict and political commentary to mine. If you don't? Well, you can just take a stock genre dynamic and build from there. That's what I did. I loosely based my antagonists on the infamous Titans group and SCP fiction, thus guaranteeing that I would have a proper bunch of bastards who could generate any amount of weirdness. I then created a regular military for them to patronise, The Militia. Then, because consistent tone is something that happens to other people, I then created a bunch of feline criminal stereotypes called the Neko Pirate Mafia. Yes, that was a joke that got away from me, and I regret nothing. Do up maybe two pages of notes, on three factions and their dynamics, but don't write to much. Just the starting point. It's up the players set the tone after all.

 

Creating NPCs

You will probably need 3 or 4 recurring non-player characters, not counting antagonists. Given the mecha genre, these will likely be some variety of mission control, mad scientists, and engineers. You don't need to stat these, but it helps to have something to hang a personality on. Pictures and accents can help the players fill in the gaps you feel that your acting can't fill. Recurring antagonists are slightly simpler in that they just have to survive contact with the party, and/or be smug. If in doubt, just copy a Gundam character, and claim its a reference.

Selecting Enemies

I've written about balancing fights before, but outside of major events like boss fights, you can afford to keep it simple. Have the HD of the enemies match the average party level, and aim for them to slightly outnumber the players. This allows for a fairly brief but effective encounter, where everyone will likely get to contribute without being murderised in the first round. Try to avoid taking too many different enemy types in the same encounter, as this can create additional work for you and the occasional unexpected mini-boss squad. Once the party reaches higher levels, you have to be creative, but by that point you should have an idea what you are doing.

Talking to your Party

It's generally a good idea to chat with your players to figure out what they like and make sure you are on the same page. I know this is basic social interaction, something I personally struggle with, but it's easy to miss someone when you have half a dozen giant robots stomping on stuff. Make a point if at least asking everyone privately what they might want from the sessions. It shows you care, and it could give you free material.

 

Planning the first few sessions

Now, its usually unwise to produce a detailed plan for a campaign several sessions in advance. Players will do unexpected things, and forget any clever foreshadowing you might have put in. At most, have an end point to end for, but not a path directly there. The start of a campaign is however a bit different, players will need a bit of time to find their feet, and learn how the game works. With this in mind, the first session can be scripted to a large extent. Make a point of ensuring each character can introduce themselves, and learn how the rules mechanics. Name drop the factions, and lay on the themes. Then, over the following two sessions ease then into the status quo. Which your party can break or otherwise place their mark on.

Writing an individual session

Generally, I would recommend trying to follow the style of mission presented in the Mission Manual book. Be as concise as you can, but always include a summary of NPCs, and a sheet featuring the stats of the enemy mecha. If using a stock mission, you don't need as much prep, but still have the statblocks to hand, and a covering sheet for stuff specific to your game.

Idea seeds and drop-in missions

There are times when things overrun, somebody drops out or otherwise things go a bit pear-shaped. Again, the Mission Manual is handy here, but if you've crafted a setting yourself, its material may need adapting. As an alternative, brainstorm some ideas for missions, real simple concepts, no more then two sentences long. Then put them in a list, with any rules you need, and break it out when you need it. Some of my better ideas started this way.

Wrapping things up

I don't claim to be any kind of expert on this stuff, but I do try to learn from experience. Hopefully, the above is of use for you, or at least entertaining. If you have anything to add, please comment below...

Blog: Status Update November 2021

Well, I suppose its time for another blog update.

As I enter the Christmas period, I find myself in a better place emotionally, but in a bit of a lull creatively. I'm doing better at managing myself, and have more going on socially, so I've been less likely to go on tangents or set myself artificial targets. By around this point last year I had a significant backlog, but not so much this time. I've actually been scrapping articles on the grounds they weren't interesting to me or necessarily helpful things to write. This has manifested on the blog with the recent return of Transformers articles, and the declining frequency of Gunpla. With the Transformers, there was a bunch of stuff rattling around in my brain, which wasn't really expressible while I sold them as a business. This is in stark contrast to my disinterest with the current crop of Transformers, which is so G1 obsessed currently I find myself frustrated. What Transformers writing has made it onto the site so far has been the positive articles. With the gunpla, I think I've just grown a bit bored, or that interest has been met by my recently-concluded Mecha Hack campaign. I'm a quite passable gunpla builder, but I think I've gone as far as I can without spending serious money, and nothing is grabbing me just now. So, I don't currently have a steady stream of blog material. At time of writing, I'm running approximately 3 weeks ahead of myself, and I suppose with holidays coming up, that will be maintained. I have however been in two minds about continuing. I can't say I do this for the page views, and nor should I tie my self-worth to that metric. This is only a regular creative outlet, providing some welcome structure to my life, and there may yet come a point where it no-longer serves a purpose.

That said, let's talk about some positives. The recent scratchbuild projects have been most enjoyable, and I am currently prepping for another. My Mecha Hack Campaign was a joy, and I expect to have some spin-off articles from that experience. I'm brainstorming some ideas for a sequel campaign, so I expect to have something substantive for posting. Not everything fits my group, but I'm loathe to dump a good idea. 

 

This all assumes that I don't just skiv off to play Super Robot Wars 30 instead, while claiming its research.

Gunpla: The RX-75-4 Guntank, this time in High Grade (HGUC)

I've spoken about the Guntank before, with respects to its cute version. A crude attempt to counter Zeon's Mobile Suits, and acknowledged as such in series, the Guntank was exactly what it sounds like. As a concept, it never really caught on, but designs inspired by it still turn up every so often. This HG kit is an older example, but also inexpensive, so I added it to an order on impulse. Sorry, this is gonna be a short one.

 

While not the most ancient model I've ever worked, this was number 7 in the modern HG series making it twenty odd years old and it shows. The SD version was only a year younger and purposefully simpler, but the difference between them is not as great as I might wish. I mean, yes, different art-style, but the only significant advancement here are the rubberised track pieces. Colour accuracy is on point for both, although I'm not a fan of the grey plastic here. Seamlines and cut marks are an issue generally, although the blue segments are OK. There's almost a polar opposite feel there, as the tank base is a good deal more detailed than the torso. So, I wasn't that impressed on a technical level, and as the Guntank is inherently less dynamic and cool than a mobile suit, it's not that exciting once finished. I would have thrown in a core fighter or something. Once completed, I opted for a simple panel-line and dirt job. I thought about doing camo, but decided against it as that would conflict with the 70's vibe. You can go nuts lining panels with this thing, due to the individual track links, so on went the Typhus Corrosion around the wheels, and Agrax Earthshade for the treads. I don't think it came out too bad, but I need to get over my fear of seamlines one of these days.

Is the HG Guntank worth your time? Well, if you're fond of the design, its a low cost and faithful interpretation. It does however feel a bit basic, and dramatically overshadowed by its White Base  brethren, as even the Guncannon got an update recently. I've spent more to get less, but this kit sits at that awkward point where it's not offering the benefits of its pricepoint. Maybe the Origin version is more up my street. 

 

 

 

Transformers: Titans Return Brawn Is Something That Exists

So today, we're looking at yet another Titans Return toy, one made fascinating by its mere existence. Sorry, Titans Return just generates a lot of material like that.

So, with the 1984 Transformers cast, you'll often find they fit one of two categories. Category 1 is a character so fundamental to the franchise its difficult to imagine thier absence, often because the character is so memorable or just lends itself well to different interpretations. These are the characters that drive stories and universial nostalgia. Category 2 are the supporting cast, the dudes which are merely there, the ones that despite 40 odd years and multiple toys, never seem to leave an impact. The one sentance biographies, if you will. These characters are easy to spot, thier wiki pages usually take form of "x was there when" repeated over several pragraphs and continuities. Both categories get seemingly endless new iterations though, which is a little tiresome after a while, especially if its a blank slate like Windbreaker, Sideswipe, or Boba Fett. A good example of Category 1 is Soundwave, he always makes his presence felt. His minions? Category 2, although Ravage does better if he's verbal that day. Today's subject, Brawn is definitely a Category 2. His gimmick is that he's tiny but strong, but he's almost linterchangeable with any number of autobot cars. Possibly his only claim to fame is as Megaton's first onscreen kill in the 1986 movie. Closely followed by that one comic where he went insane, so maybe he does better than some?

The 1984 Brawn toy

Anyway, advance to 2016, and it's Titans Return, and in a prolonged homage to the Headmasters line, everyone is some form of Titanmaster, or a titanmaster-adjacent toy. This was great as a play feature, as it made every toy its own playset, more or less. The heads of larger toys detached to form thier own robot, which could then drive the vehicle modes, crew weapons, or populate base modes. You could even get spare heads, via the solo Titanmaster price bracket, if you lost one. These featured small accessories for the tiny Titanmasters to interact with, and we're both quite cheap and extremely cheerful. With the exception of Nightbeat, I won't hesitate to say that they were all great. Spare tiny head dude, vehicle for it to ride, or combine with, and it's also a gun. Win. Brawn came into the line here at wave 2, and us another charming toy, with a slight side order of "pardon?".

Wiki image here used as the toy is titchy and hard to photograph

Titans Return featured many Headmaster characters, but from the outset it was very clear that just about anyone could be Titanmaster, regardless of previous toy status, hence Brawn. I did attend a convention panel which touched on this, it seems the original idea was for the solo Titansmasters to be new characters, only for somebody to want brand recognition instead, which is immediately obvious if you look at the wave 1 moulds.  Its a shame that we didn't get any new blood, but with Brawn it's a little harder to say. He's got a 4x4ish tracked-jeep altmode, the colours work, and his individual robot mode does resemble his G1 toy a bit. On the other hand, Brawn was never associated with tracked jeeps that become hover bikes that also become big guns. He did more punching, while being a landrover. As a pocket money toy Brawn is however quite nice. All the modes work, and a fairly big deal in context, and the face is spot-on. These guys often had a weak mode somewhere, they had 5, something had to give, but Brawn does not. At worst, the head is one of those where the faceplate doesn't quite conceal the robot bits. Is he as good as Shuffler? No, but he's top 5 Titanmaster material, easily. However, as is typical of Western releases, there's not a huge amount of paint other than on the head, so the entire set looks plain. If you want more paint, you could go to Takaratomy, but, the daft beggars broke the play pattern so they could pander to the G1 Animation crowd. They didn't release solo Titanmasters, and instead reshuffled them as accessories for other toys. Thus the tracked jeep ended up being repainted blue for Brainstorm, and the little guy ended up an exclusive. Sorry, I'm not seeing that as worth the trouble.

The other Titans Return Brawn

So, assuming you could find them at retail prices, solo Titansmasters like Brawn were a great time. Titans Return generally was. However if the solo Titansmasters were usually great, the Legends, the next size up, were often uneven by comparison. Half were attempts to create ye olde cassette gimmick, presenting some unconvincing and blocky triplechangers. The other half had to carry Titanmasters in some way, often resulting in design compromises. These toys weren't big enough to do the head swap thing by themselves, so thier attempts to fit the play pattern felt a touch vestigial. Brawn materialised in the last wave of this price point, and true to form is a category 2. He's not bad by any means, but surely the design team can do carformers in thier sleep, and this one cuts some corners. Pre-empting Earthrise Cliffjumper by 4 years, the legs rely on a removable "shield" piece to complete the vehicle mode. Fortunately, some redundant sculpting means that it's not the end of the world if you loose it. The Visible Head Syndrome? Less tolerable. The robot mode is more of a success, capturing the stocky look the Cartoon model had while modernising. It benefits from extra joints in the hips and shoulders, which compensates for the fixed waist, so the guy moves well for someone apparently made of boxes. It's another good mould, possibly not the best in his pricepoint, but I can see him shortlisted with Gnaw and Rewind.The japanese version of course has nicer paintwork. But enough fluff, you know where this is going...

To answer the obvious question, Brawn can indeed interact with Brawn, and things get memetic and suggestive very quickly. Brawn can ride in Brawn's jeep mode, and need not be removed for transformation. Brawn can therefore always be inside Brawn like something horribly symbolic. Brawn can also weild Brawn's gun mode, and while Brawn is a hair too big, Brawn can just about handle it. That's what she said. You can also mount Brawn's Jeep mode on top of Brawn's Jeep mode, for Brawn on Brawn action. 

 

 

Sorry.

My point? Well, Titans Return Brawn is something that exists. Twice. I'd make the case that we may not needed one, let one two, but each was a success in thier classes. I actually grew to like both more as I wrote this, which is odd as I only started this for the joke potential. 

 

 

Plamo: The Orktober Gunwagon

Well, my current trajectory of liking 40k, but not trusting myself with the actual game, continues. Given my obsessive nature, it would be all to easy for me to fall down into that time/money sink, when I should be trying new things. However, Orktober is Orktober. And there are few greater joys than a scratchbuild build. So, I decided to mark this annual event by doing something for as little money as possible. My bitzbox, my build pile, is so out of hand that I don't actually need to buy anything.

This Gunwagon started life as an aborted Bonebreaka Battlewagon project, circa 8th edition. At the time, such units were popular, but this was shortly before I stopped playing and my heart wasn't in it. I forget precisely how I got it, but I was in possession of an incomplete Land raider, mainly the tracks, and such things are great for Battlewagon style builds. As the connecting plates were missing, I built up the hull with off-brand lego, to be dressed with plasticard and bits. This is still largely how I would do it today, but I'd probably make the front less boxy. Upon re-evaluation, I ditched the Dethrolla, and decided to build something I didn't technically have, the Gunwagon variant of a battlewagon. Orks don't really do battletanks, mostly they do heavy transports and super-heavies instead, but the Gunwagon is about as close as it gets. It's a concept I've wanted to explore for a while, and the rules haven't really encouraged it, but if I'm not actually playing? Competitiveness can go hang.

My build lent towards the modern interpretation, AKA non-Forge-World, and probably the most complex part of it is the turret. In my hubris, this ended up as a sequel to the Junkernaught, using largely l the same "hot glue and hot resin" technique. I did however make use of leftover gap-filler from the Space Hulk project, to, well, guess. I suppose green stuff could have worked as well, but this stuff is soft, plentiful and cheap. After building up from the top of a deodorant spray, I added two big shootas, one back, KV-1 style, and one coaxial. These were minor conversions, using tiny tokens from a poundshop connect 4 game. Another little thing I'm disproportionately proud of is the use of paperclips for cabling on the engine block. Tip: if uncertain where to drill the holes, cut the clip in a J shape, insert the long leg into the first hole, and use the other leg as a guide.

Painting followed in my usual fashion, where I used dry-brushing and every single metallic weathering method I was able. Yes, it's predictable, and I over did it in places, but it's how I like it. I should probably have used more blue, but at least I varied the technique a little there. It was drybrushed in two shades, but avoided the edges in places, so the metal showed through. I. E worn/crappy paint. I actually painted the turret separately, which worked out well until I tried to attach it the hull, where a design oversight became apparent. Following some bodging, I hot-glued it in place, but I'll know better next time. I also made a point of painting the guns, tracks and some riveting with different tones, as while it is very easy to do dirty metal, you shouldn't have just one type of metal. Especially on something this big. 

 

Paint List

Humbrol Acrylic Spray Dark Brown - Basecoat

Citadel Paint and Ink

Morefang Brown – whoops, the spray didn't get this bit

Brass Scorpion – metal base

Leadbelcher - main metal colour

Gehenna's Gold – metallic contrast colour

Calgar Blue – Deathskull blue part 1

Lothern Blue – Deathskull blue part deux

Xereus Purple- cables

Abaddon Black- viewsilts

Agrax Earthshade – Gun and track wash

Vallejo Game Color and Ink

Silver – chipping highlight

Gunmetal – guns & tracks

Orange Fire – rust highlight

Brown- thinned ink wash

Citadel Techicals

Stirland Mud - messy bits near the floor

Typhus Corrosion – too many places, mainly the orkish components

As projects go, this proved to be fairly enjoyable. Its not quite what I originally had in mind, but it all came together once painted. I just wish I could get better pictures...

Work in Progress Pictures

 

The Mecha Hack: Five Thoughts on Game Balance

“Action Economy" is a term I recently picked up from The Animated Spellbook, and basically refers to how in Dungeons & Dragons, in a fight, the side with the most actions tends to win. The Mecha Hack shares DNA with that game, so similar phenomena can be observed. The difference is that enemies and players are not subject to the same rules. Enemies have to move then attack, which is represented by the player rolling to avoid damage. Players however get a choice of two actions, in any order, but with a "stamina" mechanic. This, and abstractions like initiative and range bands, often mean that players can simply overwhelm the enemy before they can act. That may indeed be how you like the combat, but that doesn't work if you want them to have a boss fight. I've found that merely taking a higher level foe doesn't necessarily address this issue. You can get a bullet sponge that tanks the damage the party can dish out, and hit very hard, but its a purely statistical threat, not an intellectual one. This article is about how to present more of a challenge. I find that fights in The Mecha Hack should be quick, or mechanically interesting, so here's some things to consider.

1: Damage Die are Static

Now, probably the most important thing to keep in mind when designing an encounter is that the maximum damage is set at character creation, they only get more accurate by themselves. If a D6 damage die character wants to hit harder, they need to get better weapons, or modules that do a lot of damage. For example, two popular modules in my campaign were Missile Barrage and Energy Modulator. The latter is a straightforward upgrade to a damage die, but Missile Barrage is a more nuanced solution in that it can handle multiple targets, and also reliably put 10 damage on something. As a result, merely giving a foe more HP is not the same as making it more threatening, it makes them more time-consuming. If the foe you are presenting is meant to be a juggernaut, this is fine but perhaps not for the hyper-agile dude in the high mobility custom? This does however present a good way to mess with your players, instead of merely having a big number, have some damage reduction, ideally a randomised one. This will encourage players to try less conventional attacks, which usually require a reactor roll or similar cost.

2: Do the Math

Perhaps falling into the “kinda obvious” category of advice, its a good idea to keep track of what your players can do, either through back-ups of their character sheet, or just keeping track of what their HP is. If you are an obsessive nerdling like myself, its possible to mine this data for use in a boss encounter. A metric I've used is to calculate what the average damage is from a single basic attack, I.e. what a player can do without incurring an additional cost. If you're concerned that a party just might wipe-out their foes on the first turn, simply figure out that number for each player, total it up, then pick a foe that can take that number. Also be aware that a foe of a higher level applies a penalty to both a players attack and defence.

3: Find the Weakness

Part of what makes the Brawler and Hybrid chassis so effective as fighters is because they favour Power and Mobility, AKA “punchy stat” and “dodgy stat”. If you want to challenge such players, and maybe make the support characters feel a bit better, throw in attacks that test other stats. Many enemies have a Recharge attack that does this, but pushing Presence or System for a main attack can take a hitty player off-guard.

4: Changing the Action Economy

OK, so, the players act more often than enemies, but this need not be the case. There are enemies whose attacks can effect more than one player, although Aces tend to be more flexible. I've often found myself using whole teams of Aces, as a catch-all representation for elite units. In any case, having an enemy that affects multiple players at once is a good way to keep them engaged.

5: A Word on Swarms

Its very tempting to view swarms as a time saver, especially if you want hordes of disposable mooks in play. And, they are. There is however a degree of subtle implications that arise from how HP is now treated. For example, if a foe has significantly more HP than a player attack, a swarm die actually makes it more fragile. I made this mistake when attempting to save on headspace in a complicated battle. Say you've got an enemy mecha with 16HP, and under normal circumstances, you might expect them to withstand 3-4 attacks before they get taken down. A 1d4 swarm die however would mean that every non-critical attack has a 50% chance of wiping out such an enemy, while a 1d8 would be 25%. While it is possibly for a lucky player to do 16 damage in one attack for the same effect, its a less than 1% chance. The net effect of all this is that Swarms are less predictable in a fight than regular foes, because its always a dice roll, and you need to account for that.

Wrapping Things Up

Most of the above probably comes under the heading of “duh” for experienced games-masters, but I hope you found something useful in my ramblings. TL:DR – Don't just use bigger numbers unless you are in a hurry.