The Mecha Hack: Revised Rules for Macross-style Mecha

So, 4 years ago now, I did up some rules for running Macross style games using the Mecha Hack system. More recently, I was bored, and revisited the idea. I’ve been involved in a fair few games since then, and decided to rebuild the thing from the ground up. The original rules can be found here, and are still valid if you want to use them, but the below are maybe better? And what the hell! I’ve spent some time on this, it might as well be a blog article. What follows is a collection of rules mechanics for use with The Mecha Hack, rather than a deep discussion of the Macross franchise, or role-playing within it. This is about making the birds work. 


That said, here’s a video for the unfamiliar. 

Key Concept: Three Modes for Three Kinds of Map 
Player mecha will have three forms with the ability to switch between these in combat. Each mode has its own speed and agility, which is ideal for its preferred environment. There's nothing stopping you from using different modes though, in order to gain some tactical edge. However doing so runs the risk of leaving the map by simply not keeping pace. One of the modes is a supersonic jet, FFS. Players that do so skip their next turn, and then re-enter the map in the appropriate form.

So, when/how do you transform? Well, at almost any time. Either in response to a treat, or as part of an action you can change form, and then roll your reactor die. The only limitation is that you must declared this immediately before a stat check, at the start of an action, or immediately after an action is resolved, not during an action or sequence of rolls. Please note, the above limitation does not apply outside of combat. This can be used to stop yourself from falling off the map. Note that overheating in that circumstance would be spectacularly bad, as all the usual effects would apply, as well as the map effects noted later. 

 

Key Concept: The Three Modes
Battloid Mode
Wings folded, all limbs unfolded. Does all the standard mecha things. While in Battloid mode, you have a regenerating pool of 2AP, which refreshes at the start of each moment. These armour points must be spent before any other source.

Gerwalk Mode
Wings unfolded, all limbs unfolded. You are an agile flyer, directing thrust from each foot, as well as backwards. Think a helicopter with arms. While in Gerwalk mode, you may reroll 20s on all Mobility tests.

Fighter Mode
Wings unfolded, but all limbs folded. Think fighter jet, going extremely fast. In Fighter mode, you may ignore the first reactor roll resulting from movement each moment. (i.e. taking two Move actions). You also cannot be targeted by opportunity attacks.

Key Concept: The Three Kinds of Map
Maps will be defined as one of three types, with the GM telling you which mode you start the battle in.

Terrestrial 
This is battle on the ground, mainly using your legs, and so uses standard Mecha Hack rules. Not much to say here, its standard robot combat, although switching to other modes can get you out of trouble quickly.
Batttloid: Its preferred environment, and works as normal.
Gerwalk: If you enter this mode, you must take at least one(1) move action per moment to avoid leaving the map. This move may be just to hover in place.
Fighter: If you enter this mode, you must take one(1) standard move action, (if you have actions left,) and then you immediately leave the map.

Close Air 
This is abstracted air v ground combat with an explicit ground level, and a horizontal orientation. Your mecha is flying relatively close to terra-firma, or possibly within a large structure like a spacecraft. Think either an old side-scrolling shooter like R-Type.
Gerwalk: Its preferred environment, and works as normal.
Battloid: If you enter this mode, you must take at least one(1) move action per moment to avoid leaving the map. This move may be just to hover in place.
Fighter:  If you enter this mode, you must take one(1) standard move action, (if you have actions left,) and then you immediately leave the map.

Supersonic
This is also abstracted combat, but more so. You are belting along at MACH 2 or whatever, and so the map represents relative positioning, as all involved are going really effing fast. 
Fighter: Its preferred environment, and works as normal.
Gerwalk: If you enter this mode, you must take at least one(1) move action per moment to avoid leaving the map. If you do not enter Fighter mode, you automatically fall off the map after taking two further actions. 
Battloid: If you enter this mode, you may not take move actions. If you do not enter Fighter mode, you automatically fall off the map after taking two further actions. 

Key Concept: Hardpoints 
These replace modules and supplement for the hand system. Hardpoint equipment can be simple weapons, consumables like missiles, or sensor equipment.  Prerequisites for their usage will be tied to chassis variant and form. The party would/will receive a list before each mission, detailing what they have access to and how many of each. If scrambled, everyone just gets a gunpod.

Key Concept: Usage Dice
Rather than keep track of individual bullets and missiles with your hardpoint options, these rules will take a concept from The Black Hack: Usage Dice. This is a degrading dice mechanic, like the Reactor Die. You roll your die when the hardpoint is used, if you roll a 1 or 2, it becomes a smaller die, and if you roll 1 or 2 on a d4, the hardpoint is empty. 

Chassis Templates
KESTREL – A TYPE CHASSIS
HIT DIE D6 DAMAGE DIE D6 REACTOR DIE D8
STARTING HP: 1d6 + 3.
WEAPONS & ARMOUR PROFICIENCIES: Light weapons, light armour & shields. 
HARDPOINT SLOTS: 3.
LEVELLING UP: Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for Mobility and Power.  
STARTING EQUIPMENT: Comlink, Light Armour (3AP).
DESIGN FEATURES
THREE MODE TRANSFORMATION: You may swap between Battloid, Gerwalk and Fighter modes.  Roll your reactor die if you do.
HOLD-OUT DAGGER: You have an internally stored Light Melee Weapon, which is usable in Battloid mode only.

KESTREL – B TYPE CHASSIS
HIT DIE D6 DAMAGE DIE D6 REACTOR DIE D8
STARTING HP: 1d6 + 3.
WEAPONS & ARMOUR PROFICIENCIES: Light weapons, light armour & shields. 
HARDPOINT SLOTS: 3.
LEVELLING UP: Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for Mobility and System.  
STARTING EQUIPMENT: Comlink, Light Armour (3AP).
DESIGN FEATURES
THREE MODE TRANSFORMATION: You may swap between Battloid, Gerwalk and Fighter modes.  Roll your reactor die if you do.
MONITOR TURRET: You are armed with a Light Ranged Weapon that does not count towards your hand limit, with a D4 damage die.


KESTREL – VP TYPE CHASSIS
HIT DIE D6 DAMAGE DIE D6 REACTOR DIE D8
STARTING HP: 1d6 + 3.
WEAPONS & ARMOUR PROFICIENCIES: Light weapons, light armour & shields. 
HARDPOINT SLOTS: 4.
LEVELLING UP: Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for Presence and System.  
STARTING EQUIPMENT: Comlink, Light Armour (3AP).
DESIGN FEATURES
THREE MODE TRANSFORMATION: You may swap between Battloid, Gerwalk and Fighter modes.  Roll your reactor die if you do.
TWO SEATER: Your mecha has two pilots, meaning you benefit from 2 pilot types, and have access to specialised hardpoints, although you have the same number of actions. This chassis is recommended for two players.

 

Basic Hardpoints
Aircraft Axe (Folding): A Light Melee Weapon, useable in both Battloid and Gerwalk mode.
Armour/Rocket Pack:  Gain 4AP, but uses two(2) Hardpoint slots.
Bomb Rack (Gravity): Usage Die 1d6. Test System to inflict 2d4 damage on one Near or Far GROUND/SURFACE target. Then roll your usage die. Not usable in Battloid mode.
Drop Tank:  You may ignore a failed reactor roll you suffer.
Dumbfire Rocket Pod: Usage Die 1d4. As an attack action, test Power to inflict 3d4 damage on one Near or Far target. Then roll your usage die. Not usable in Fighter mode.
Forearm Shield: A Shield (2AP), usable in Battloid mode only.
Gunpod: A Light Ranged Weapon. If you wield two at once, treat this as a single weapon with +2 damage.
Large Missile Pylon: Usage Die 1d4. As an attack action, test System to inflict 3d6 damage on one Far or Distant target. Then roll your usage die. Not usable in Battloid mode.
Small Missile Pylon: Usage Die 1d6. As an attack action, test System to inflict 2d6 damage on one Near or Far target. Then roll your usage die. Not usable in Battloid mode.


VP TYPE Exclusive Hardpoints
These modules offer functions where having another pair of eyes and hands is largely mandatory, and hence end up on the two-seater variant.
Active Sensor Pod: As a use action, choose a near or far enemy and test System. If you succeed, receive its statblock.
Data-Uplink Pod:   As a use action, choose a near or far enemy and test System. If you succeed, the next attack against it has Advantage, and when defending against its next attack, the defending player has Advantage. Roll your reactor die.
Passive RADOME: You have advantage on initiative tests, and can make System tests to detect foes at beyond visual range. Uses two(2) Hardpoint slots.

Designer’s Notes
Here’s a few words on how these rules should work.

A Type: This is the generalist one, favouring Power and Mobility. Assuming your System score is decent, you can use missiles. If not, dual gunpods are probably your jam. Or that aircraft axe.

B Type:  This one is more for using missiles, as it gains System faster. The Monitor Turret means you can put missiles in all of your slots, without being too worried about endurance issues too. That said, its probably worth mixing things up a bit, just to be on the safe side.

VP Type: Yes, I made this for a happy couple I game with. And indeed anyone whom wanted to pair up. I tried to make this more interesting to play, with a few support functions. Or you could just fill your slots with weapons, you do you. Note that you only have two attacks with this one, in the name of party balance.

Transforming: Each mode is intended to have a single, easy to grasp, unique selling point. This is as complicated as you make it. You can either stick with the advised mode, or you can hot-swap to gain an upper hand. Fly in as Fighter, change to Battloid for durability and arms, then Gerwalk for an agile getaway...

Usage Dice: The point here is to add a bit of push-your-luck randomness to events, rather than book keeping. Note that each hardpoint like this must be tracked with its own separate die, as trying to amalgamate or add them in some way does exponential thingies to the math. 

If any of your folks use this homebrew, please let me know.

 

Images sourced from the Macross Mecha Manual, check it out, its a great resource.

Warhammer 40K: My Opinion of the Leman Russ Vanquisher

OK, this one started out as a comparative article on the Leman Russ tank, a unit with almost as many variants as there are space marine chapters. Then I realised that it was gonna get a bit samey, and I didn't have the experience to add much to the conversation. Then I realised that I could probably focus in on one variant, perhaps with more of a game design angle than a purely tactical one. So, the Vanquisher. A unit that is popular due to a low cost, which results from a quirk of 10^th edition 40K, but its actually kinda bad at what its supposed to be doing.

 

A Leman Russ Vanquisher, Stygies VIII pattern, sourced from Lexicanum

Let’s start with a few basics. A Leman Russ is a decently mobile, heavily armed brick of a vehicle fielded by the Astra Militarum, A.K.A Imperial Guard. They lack an invulnerable save, although all their other defences are quite formidable. The 2+ save and W13 are key breakpoints, meaning common anti-tank tools will not totally bypass its armour, and require repeated good hits to destroy. Railgun equivalents, massed meltas, and properly brutal melee combatants can and will bring them down. But most things have to try, laying on sustained effort and mortal wound effects. It is routine for such a tank to stoically tolerate melee attacks and just keep blasting, although some variants obviously do better with that, for a reason I'm getting to. While differing in their turret armament and unique rule, each russ has access to a common selection of sponson and secondary weapons. Most of the time this results in a lascannon, HK missile, heavy stubber, and either two multimeltas or two plasma cannons, the two most destructive sponson options. This keys into a wider issue, as the choice between Blast weapons and non-Blast weapons has a substantial influence on how a russ is used. The latter makes a tank more melee tolerant and a natural brawler, because it can fire pointblank, while the former is better at ranged combat and hordes. Finally, through the order system you can make any if these tanks briefly faster, more accurate, and better at holding objectives. The Vanquisher is the anti-tank variant of the Leman Russ, historically described as being very rare in fiction and hard to make. As a tank hunter its defining feature is a very powerful anti-tank gun with range of 72 inches, the heavy rule, AP-4, and a damage of 6 + d6, supported by re-rolls to wound against its preferred targets. It can cover an entire board with that range and worry any singular hard target within it. Otherwise, a Vanquisher functions much as a stock russ does, although as it not feature a blast weapon in the turret, its a brawler, happy to fight close even with its massive effective range. As of time of writing, the Vanquisher is cheapest variant at 145 points, 5 points less than the unpopular Punisher, and 40 less than the vanilla russ which famously isn’t rare. How did that happen? One attack.

 

 One of the tanks I proxy as Leman Russes...

This is an unintended implication of 10th edition design conventions. Its a quirk that makes the Vanquisher mediocre at its stated job, so therefore cheap, and then exploited by the tournament scene. Its main gun is a railgun equivalent which is massively unpleasant against its intended target of vehicles, however it is only one shot a time, and as you might gather from my comments about durability above, GW generally doesn't let you one shot vehicles. You have to wear them down usually, or get a couple of good hits in. So you have to roll to hit, roll to wound, and then your foe gets a save, which is possibly invulnerable because a lot of big things have one, (if not, then cover, or some other damage resistance,) and then there’s the damage roll. The vanquisher battlecannon is undeniably effective when it connects, but its far from reliable due to that low volume of fire, and with the damage roll you’ll still need at least two good hits to drop the kind of target this weapon demands. This includes other russes, by the way. I repeat: one attack at a time. That can make the weapon feel bad for both sides, as the user spends multiple turns trying to stop rolling ones despite whatever buffs it has from other units to make it more accurate, or the foe suddenly finds a smoking crater where their tank used to be, with little in-between. Few things disappoint or annoy like a powerful weapon that feels like a coin flip, you know? So the Vanquisher is cheap, as cheap as a russ can be, but it paradoxically has a weapon on it that traumatises people when it actually works. But… A single shot anti-tank gun simply isn't consistent enough for that task by itself, especially with guard marksmanship, you need more shots to even things out, and even at this price the Vanquisher isn't easily spammed. So you look at the other weapons on the hull, and truthfully the Vanquisher tank is no better with those than most russes, and ranks behind a couple. If you start thinking about other variants? Well, their turret guns are obviously much less destructive, but all of them have dramatically higher rates of fire so they will do *something* every turn. As an example, the Demolisher is obviously much shorter ranged, and its own issues with inconsistency, but that's looking at twice the rate of fire at worst, hits like a lascannon, and is very happy in a melee. The vanilla Russ isn't an anti-tank platform, its a generalist, but having a bunch of rerolls and the Combined Arms detachment can go a long way. Either is better a lot of the time, while not being bad at anti-tank if properly armed, and that's true for basically all of the variants.


The only thing the Vanquisher does well at present is be a cheap Leman Russ. And that's ok, Leman Russes are good. You can get a lot from a mobile brick with two multimeltas and a lascannon on it. But the tankhunter probably shouldn't be the cheap disposable one, that’s a specialised role. This isn’t a Catachan situation, where something looks bad until you understand it. The Vanquisher is popular mainly via through min-maxing, people treating the main gun as a side bonus. To be blunt, that’s a failure of game design. I wouldn't say no to having them in my force, and I’ve fielded them before, but I’m honestly surprised that these went unchanged in the 10th ed Astra Militarum codex AND the June Dataslate.

Gunpla: The NRX-044 Asshimar (HG)

 

Went it comes to transforming mecha, Gundam often feels a bit under-commited to the idea. Its something that's been there from day one with the Core Fighter concept, but entire series omit the feature, or otherwise relegate it to a gimmick. This often manifests in the mecha design itself, such machines usually having a trio of overlapping flaws. Often they don't turn into anything recognisable. Often the end result looks more like robot yoga. And when it doesn't? The transformation is not really achievable at the preferred 1/144 scale without some form of disassembly or cheating. The Asshimar is a rare exception to all that, both conceptually, and as a model kit.

Yes, the Asshimar is another Titans machine, and thus the usual comments about suspiciously zeonic designs and expensive prototypes apply, but I have to admit that they were onto something here. As a series, Zeta Gundam features a significant number of transformable suits, some more credible than others, and the yellow cyclops here does approach verisimilitude. Its not got any gimmickry beyond the transformation, and it is modestly-but-effectively armed with a big beam rifle. The lack of a melee weapon is unusual, but we see it punching things a lot, which is cool. It's bulky and top heavy due to its other form, and has Macross style thruster feet. The silhouette is rather different from the VF-1, and there's no obvious aircraft bits, but the comparison is unavoidable. But if you're gonna copy, copy from the best. Its a design I’m predisposed to like, and I did have the 1/200 scale HCM Pro version for a time. Of course, Ive been discussing this model in total seriousness so far, and not mentioned what it turns into. Purposefully. It's called a Mobile Armour, but we all know what it is. Its a bloody UFO. it's not an especially aerodynamic example of a UFO, and nor does it have obvious control surfaces, but I want to restate how snake belly low the bar is for these things. These are made for space combat usually, or just utterly disregard aerodynamics. The Asshimar at least adds curves and compresses it's form while appealing to my sense of whimsy.

 

As a kit from 2005, excuse me for a moment while I turn to dust, this HG model is part of the merchandising push for the Zeta Gundam compilation movies, and ends up feeling curiously old and modern at the same time. Its a polycap build, with a modest sticker sheet labelled with Japanese characters rather than numbers. There is a flight stand present, a huge boon for something that flies, although its a proprietary example that you literally screw together. Said stand also features dedicated storage for loose accessories, a quite luxurious touch in this context. The transformation is almost perfectly executed, with lots of tabs to secure things, although you may wish to pop an arm off for convenience. The monoeye is a foil sticker, but its placed behind a transparent panel which makes for a nice effect. Colour separation/accuracy is pretty good too, although this is one of those designs that has multi-coloured thrusters. Posability and articulation is where we see a notable but understandable weakness though. While decent-if-unexceptional in most areas, the transformation prevents waist rotation, and that’s a bit of a shame, but its not immediately clear how to better in a HG. I mean, when they made the closely-related Anksha in 2012 by retooling this kit, they fixed that, but it became a partsformer in the process. A shame, as the Anskha has more going on, but I digress. Otherwise? Its more or less on point for 2005 era kit, although the closed fists required glue for some reason.

I ended up doing another basic weathering job on this one, opting to paint in thruster details by hand. There I opted for a dark grey and metal combo as I strongly feel gundam mecha designers make life too difficult for themselves and everyone else by using more colour than that on a glorified nozzle. The kit takes paint pretty well actually, I had a violet that was ideal, and the dark grey came in handy elsewhere. I did manage to mess up one of the stickers though, but see if you can see where it should be. After that, a drybrush/wash weathering followed.


All in all? A good kit that turned out OK. And it can also do this.

I’m sorry.

Gaming: Super Robot Wars J (Gameboy Advance)

Over the past, uh, going-on-a-year, I keep pushing this back, I have observed two of my friends discover Super Robot Wars 30. Both are Transformers fans who've participated in my Mecha Hack campaigns, and are by no means strangers to giant robot stompy time, but seeing them embrace the sheer lunacy of the game warms my heart. This inevitably led to me considering playing the game again, but then a generous chrimbo gift got me looking at older games in the franchise with fan translations. This led me towards Super Robot Wars J, which I actually have the original cartridge for, and have historically sunk a lot of time into, but never completed. What was initially a test of new hardware ended up as a fresh attempt to finish it.

Super Robot Wars J is a tactical RPG game for the Gameboy Advance, which on reflection is a very natural place for such a thing. The first game in the series was on the original Gameboy, and the series often scratches the same itch as Pokemon or Advance Wars. Furthermore, the game hits an optimal balance between technical limitations, player expectations, and technical maturity. As this is for a handheld circa 2005, we are talking pixel art and chiptunes, but that’s normal for the platform, and the game is actually very good at those things. Having dabbled in various franchise instalments on various formats, J feels both nostalgic and remarkably well-preserved. True, you don't necessarily want to play this on a HD TV, but if you're playing this on something approximating a handheld, its very at home, and holding up very well in comparison to SRW30. And we're not just talking presentation here, there's a maturity to the gameplay and quality of life features. Basically, if you want a strategy game with branded characters and stock animations, and language is a non-issue, its hard to think of an objective reason to be unhappy here. Although maybe the way certain female characters undulate is one. There is a degree of anime cringe involving the player characters created for the game...

 

The subjective reasons, of course, involve the character roster. Super Robot Wars games live and die by the various mecha animes they licence, with some becoming so important to the gameplay omitting them is like messing with the Street Fighter cast. J notably does not feature Getter Robo, or the main Gundam continuity. Getter does not seem to have a direct replacement, but Gundam SEED appears in it's parent's place. I don't like SEED, I know a lot of folks do love it, but I find Kira Yamato insufferable and its mecha uninspired. There is a rather sharp contrast between between the SEED's bleak narrative and what else is here. I'm sorry Kira, I know you're a reluctant pilot dealt a bad hand, forced to fight against your people. But you know what? We have a few lads on the same venn diagram already, and all of them are dealing with it better than you are.Tekkaman Blade over there is gonna have to kill actual family members before the end of his plotline, sorry, spoilers, and he’s more pleasant company. You aren't alone, stop being a martyr. Nobody wants you to be fucking Chuck Rambo or anything, but you are bringing me down. I suppose its possible that later missions "fix" this, but I honestly skip out on the SEED cast at the earliest opportunity, taking advantage of how the game offers branching paths.

 

The other side of that are characters that I got the game for, a group of weirdos perfectly suited to the self-aware lunacy of Super Robot Wars. Yes, Martian Successor Nadesico. It's a documented favourite of mine and for most practical purposes this is the game that anime deserved but never got and/or translated. (Yes, I am aware of the Saturn game, but that's a whole other story.) The sense of fun Nadesico had vibes so well with Super Robot Wars, and as Nadesico wasn't always a comedy, there's little tonal mismatch with most of what's here. Its a very interesting bunch mechanically too. The titular Nadesico has an apocalyptic main gun, but one that’s tricky to use, while each Aestivalis pilot has effectively has four robots in one, later five, powered wirelessly. Those benefit from teamwork or formation mechanics too, with one of my favourite things to being getting the trio of Nadesico's female pilots to break face with coordinated attacks. You'll find that in other places too though, like the cast of Full Metal Panic whom have their own silliness, or the slightly more dour survivors from SPT Layzner. Squad tactics are thing here, with even the super robots getting similar interactions as the game goes on. There's much to get your teeth into. Other highlights include the aforementioned Tekkaman Blade, a dark take on the Henshin Heroes genre, a series first, and the somewhat out of place G Gundam cast. Blade makes quite an entrance, and G Gundam is a nice change of pace, and I find myself liking these characters more here than in their source material. Meanwhile, the Brain Powered characters come in late, and are fine, but don’t quite grab me.  Generally a good cast even with SEED being like a pickled onion in a fruit salad.

So, if I clearly like this game why have I not completed it? Even now? Not that I complete many games, but this is the sort of thing I'd like to complete. Well, its a somewhat long-winded game that likes to spend a lot on dialogue, and repeatedly lengthen a battle. There's an awful lot of text dialogue before giant robot stompy time actually commences, and then there’s another plot twist which puts you on the back foot, muttering something along the lines of “Oh, now these dickheads as well.”. Its not a game that lets you settle into a routine easily, your roster is often in flux, and after mission 10 or so I was noticing each one was taking a good 90 minutes to complete. Its more of a time and attention investment than a handheld game should be, and I wish the mission design demonstrated more brevity with respects to character chatter, and restraint with respects to sudden enemy reinforcements. Its not bad in those areas, but I do find the game is needlessly dragging things out at times. This would be an area where SRW30 does better; that game has a much looser narrative granting you more freedom in when and what missions you take on.  I also note the occasional imperfection in the fan translation, which is churlish to complain about I know, but a flaw is a flaw. One issue I wish to briefly highlight here is the questionable usage of the term transgender in reference to one Baron Ashura, a recurring antagonist from the Mazinger Z franchise. While I acknowledge that the baron is perhaps not the simplest character to categorise, that's not the term most applicable.

Overall?  J is a fine example of the Super Robot Wars series, that does a lot of things well. Functionally its very complete, and the game makes good use of the hardware it was made for. On the downside? You're in for a marathon, not a sprint. And there is Super Robot Wars Y coming out soon. I may just play that instead TBH, this got to be a slog.

But... this also has Bonta-Kun in it…

Gunpla: The RMS-154 Barzam (HG)

 

Eh. Its been a while since I've done one of these. This post is a sequel of sorts to one of my earliest gunpla articles, featuring the Hizack. At the time, I pointed out how that machine made no sense in context of Titans faction, and the Barzam is much the same. I find it to be kinda fascinating. Appearing late in Zeta Gundam, its visual design screams villain, as a tall monoeye machine with unusual proportions. OK, fine, the Titans were very much mask off by that point, long-long before, but I've often felt the Titans-made mobile suits were too zeonic in appearance, even if our subject goes in new directions. While supposedly derived from the Gundam Mrk-II, the Barzam has almost no family resemblance, and bar a few details it might as well be a completely new machine. This is noteworthy as while the GM family is a lot more complex than it looks, those are usually just a headswap away from being a Gundam. Which has actually happened more than a few times, in either direction. Ancillary media has dedicated much time to explaining or fixing the Barzam, usually making it more like the Mrk-II, and also throwing in ties to other Titans mobile suits. The instructions point out you can switch backpacks with that model incidentally. That's a lot of retcons, ink and plastic spent on what amounts to a late-war grunt. While the Barzam is usually regarded as a capable machine, it didn't get fielded soon enough to really matter. Because if the Titans liked anything more than warcrimes, it was spending obscene amounts of money and time on prototypes. Like I said, too zeonic.

As a 2017 kit, the Barzam is quite modern and nicely designed, if still having the occasional polycap in there. Its exposed internal frame and general weirdness make for an interesting build. Colour separation is good, you could add red to the thrusters but life's too short, and the sticker sheet is very inoffensive. Its used for sensors and the occasional red detail, often in recessed areas, so that’s okay. I mean, they used three different plastic colours for the codpiece, for heaven's sake. An effort was made, but they did hollow out the trim on the buttplate. Its also somewhat big. Not super-big or anything, but even if we ignore the frill, its on the tall/wide side for a High Grade.

 

 

One thing that confused me at first was the gun. I'd assumed that the gun would sit flush with the arm, possibly having a connector piece, but no, it just floats there, held by a long handle. The shoulder connection is nice, but the whole affair feels somehow wrong in a way that I can't quite put into words...

Once I had this together, I went in to paint a few details, before weathering it, and applying the sensor stickers. I don't think the weathering comes across well in the photos, its rather subtle. It turned out OK though.


All-in-all, this is a pretty decent gunpla with an odd look. That odd look is both a strength and a weakness, but if you want a weird grunt, I doubt the Barzam will disappoint.

Warhammer 40K: Some Thoughts on Guard Heavy Weapon Teams

OK, so you can’t have heavy weapons in guard squads any more. This likely means that if you had a guard army prior to the 10th edition Astra Militarum codex, you now have a bunch of spare big guns to form into dedicated units. Here’s some ramblings on how you might do that.

I've written about this topic before, during the index era when there was only one type of  heavy weapon team, and they cost a bargain basement 50 points for three. Under the codex we now have three variants, and following some patching-the-patch shenanigans, cost 65 -75 each. This means its possible, if not especially wise, to spam 27 heavy weapons for 615 points. The specifics of each variant is something I will discuss below, but their basic functions see a lot of overlap with each-other and the now retired Index version. The argument against Heavy Weapon Teams is the same as it always was: fragility. These units are directly comparable to 6 guardsmen in terms of durability, arguably worse as damage 2+ weapons have use against them, and only need to suffer two wounds to see a loss in output. Placing them in a transport for protection is also discouraged in the codex, as each base now uses two firing port slots, which would be annoying if the idea of two of these poking these out of the top of a Chimera wasn't a frankly daft mental image. Previously, this dynamic favoured the Infantry Squad, which could protect those same weapons with numerous ablative wounds, but that unit no-longer exists. The argument for heavy weapon teams is now their density and availability of firepower at the infantry scale, and the potential to force dilemmas by their presence. If you need more of a specific kind of dakka in a list, this is likely the cheapest way to do it, and its very easy to get Orders for them. Take Aim! is so obviously a gimme I nearly forgot to mention it. Heavy weapon teams obviously do well in the more infantry centric detachments like Siege Regiment (Incendiary), Bridgehead Assault (reroll 1s) and Recon Element (Cover bonus), although Combined Arms is awkward as its it creates a nombo-combo. At the risk of spoiling the article, the overall balance between the three options is to place Catachans first, Krieg second, and Cadia last, but there's there's not much in it. At time of writing, a change of 5 points in either direction could totally rearrange that pecking order. The current price of 65+ also seems rather high due to, again, the durability issue. An opponent would have to wiff pretty hard not to wipe out one of these on the first attempt, and if you're honestly scared of mortars I want to know who hurt you.

Let me start breaking down the specifics. Cadian and Catachan heavy weapon units are very similar, and this will likely remain the case until such time as the latter gets a range refresh. They have the same basic statline, that same habit of dying to any amount of direct attention, and the same weapon options. There is a somewhat incidental difference, in that Catachans have lasguns as secondary weapons rather than laspistols, and can thus fire those weapons along their big guns, but I feel thats an edge case. The difference comes from their special rules, Cadians being rather niche, and Catachans having two rules likely to be useful in every game. Cadians get the rule from the Index HWTs, they are that unit reskinned, and thus get a buff when using the Fire Overwatch stratagem. As this scales up to a 4+ to hit when a Platoon unit is close, it looks useful on first impression, but in the wider context it's hard to get use of. The Catachans meanwhile have a Scout move, and a reroll 1s ability against vehicles/monsters. The Scout move is great as mobility wins games, you can use them as screens if need be, and Bring it Down! just makes them better with a majority of the things you'd want heavy weapons for, although obviously not all targets. Oh, and it does work in Overwatch too. So, assuming points costs remain comparable, and in the absence of other factors, you'll be taking Catachans over Cadians almost every time. Or you'd take Cadians as you'd maxed out on the Space Australians.

Now, there is a temptation at this point to break down each heavy weapon and what they do. Practically however, there's two main options, and a number of niche tools you would likely decide against. That's how it goes with 10th ed units; in the absence of granular points costs, you are doing well if there's two workable choices. With heavy weapon teams, those choices are the lascannon, the anti-tank option and the mortar, providing light artillery. Neither of these options are necessarily spectacular at what they do, but they do offer capabilities otherwise lacking in Guard infantry. I acknowledge that there are usage cases for autocannons and heavy bolters for either Cadians or Catachans, mainly in the context of the Combined Arms detachment, but they are fairly niche. Missile Launchers need a complete revamp though. The lascannon makes it possible to significantly damage, and occasionally destroy outright, a tank at 48 inch range. Mortars are much less damaging weapons by comparison, you're looking at a lot of inaccurate strength 5 shots with the benefit of cover, but it allows you to sidestep the durability of such units through indirect fire.  Please note: neither plays nice with Born Soldiers, that’s why I was down on Combined Regiment above. You take the lascannons to add more anti-tank, and to force dilemmas onto your foe. You take the mortars to annoy your foe with weak attacks they can't hide from. Lascannons are the active choice, a foe has to respond if their force has tanks and such in it. Mortars let you do passive things like screen out your deployment zone as they don't need a good firing position. Neither the Cadian or Catachan options really benefit the mortar, not really. You could try mortaring a tank with the Catachans, in that you do get reroll ones, but you'd be at that all day. Cadians are even less suited, as indirect attacks don't work with their Overwatch ability, and mortars make it far less likely they'll be placed to use it anyway. The Lascannons? Well, Catachans are the unambiguous winners there, although the Cadians could get to use their ability with them. 

Krieg Heavy Weapon Teams, meanwhile are different.  Almost so different they could be an article by themselves, but the contrast between them and the above is important to make. With respects to the more subtle differences, these teams have a slightly better save, worse movement, and a forth member whom enables their party piece while he is present. There's a few edge cases where this matters, they do get up to a 3+ save in cover for example but its something easily glossed over.  The practical differences come from their weapon choice, and their fire on death mechanic. Kriegers have no indirect fire option, they have actual artillery elsewhere, so by default they can't avoid taking casualties. However when they do, and this is another dilemma for your foe, they have a 50/50 chance of shooting in revenge. Consider this to be akin to a posthumous Fire Overwatch; its not something you can control, but it otherwise functions as a regular ranged attack in the enemy turn. Orders do apply, it doesn't work in melee, but you don't have to target the murderer. The complications for you as the player is that these Krieg teams are a touch too expensive to be truly disposable, and then there's the weapons. Krieg teams have access to the basic lascannon, and rank behind the Catachan option as they aren't notably good with them. Its much harder for a foe to stop them from firing of course, which is handy, but for direct fire purposes, you're paying more for the same gun. The other two options are where it gets complicated. The heavy flamer option is very much THE unique selling point, rivalling the Hellhound tank, and quite capable of killing 4 or 5 marines outright in a single roasting. There is no direct equivalent, but the range of 18 makes it tricky to use. Its an ambush unit, not a fire support unit, so you'd need to keep it safe until it can be useful, whereupon it becomes an unholy terror. Burn on your turn, burn on Overwatch, then burn in death. That's not something a foe lets happen twice. Or once if they are actually paying attention. So they need transports or placing in reserve, unlike every other variation discussed here. The heavy stubber option meanwhile, seems to be made for a metagame that doesn't exist, as thematic as it is. While that weapon is great at killing chaff units at long range, that’s not something you usually need. There is a fascinating comparison to make with heavy bolters though.


Conclusions? Well, like I said, its probably Catachans first, Krieg second, and Cadians third. Catachans are just generally good on their own terms, and when running Jungle Fighter themed list. Krieg are much less flexible, but have some interesting gimmics that make them worthy of consideration. Cadians are painfully generic by comparison, but force no strong preference on the player and do the job. All have the life expectancy of a wet paper bag in a thunder storm, which places some limitations on their use. In big picture terms, there’s not that much between them however. So field them however you please, but I’d recommend the Catachans option in the absence of a specific need or preference.

Watch ‘em get nerfed in the next balance patch...

Plamo: Rogal Dorn Battle Tank (Games Workshop)

 

Its been a hot minute since Project Draftdodger concluded, so a brief retrospective is called for. That ended up being one half modernization, and one half new shit, but all of it basically being infantry. I spent a bit of time trying various new units, and the Siege Regiment rules, although truthfully I am now defaulting back to my pre-codex ways. Ratlings and Combat Engineers haven't made it into regular rotation, for example. However, with the infantry done, and I can now do the fun stuff. Hence today's subject.

As a ninth ed addition to the Guard, the Rogal Dorn exists in something of a blind spot for me, and I did briefly go and look the thing up for this article. Given the depth of its lexicanicum page, I needn't have bothered. Seriously, there's a brief two sentence description in the codex, but basically nothing else has written about it that I have found. I mean, I continue not to care about the solar horse lord, but at least he had 4 paragraphs and a recent novel. This feels a bit light for something that's obviously a centrepiece for your force, not that guard players strictly speaking need any justification for fielding big tanks. No justification whatsoever. So, in a bid to pad the word count, I'm gonna talk about some design elements and gameplay mechanics. Seemingly based off the M26 Pershing, the Rogal Dorn is a rather big tank named for one of the less fun space marine demigods. While a battle tank, its overall size places it in a previously undefined category between the already somewhat heavy Leman Russ, and the aptly termed super-heavies such as the Baneblade. GW seems to want to phase out super-heavies though, along with the entire ForgeWorld stable, so this makes the Dorn the biggest guard tank you are likely see in every day 40k. It's tactical function seems to be as a bullet sponge. Its not lacking in firepower by any means, its got 7 guns on it, but it does tend towards being a generalist that outlasts rivals rather than one-shotting them. Its also such a fattie than it can survive a prolonged melee while firing the whole time. Its a vehicle that rolls up the mid board, not actually invincible, but like a Land Raider, it demands a response from your foe.

As a kit, the Rogal Dorn is pretty nice, if having one well-known flaw. It goes together nicely, and has a variety of build options. Neither of those qualities are necessarily a given in GW kits these days. It's never a deficit in detail or even ambition with their stuff, they are good at what they do. But I find myself with greater freedom and less irritation of than say an Ork buggy or those marines I made last year. If you built three of these, you wouldn't struggle making them different out of the box by shuffling around optional bits like crew and stowage. The main problem is the underside, which in a rather meme-tastic move, lacks a panel making the hollowness of the affair very obvious. Its a crying shame, as the kit doesn't seem to cut corners elsewhere, so I filled that gap with scrap plastic at the first opportunity. I also kitbashed a heavy stubber to resemble a remote operated example, facing rearward on the turret, modded a hatch slightly, and added a small resin box for additional character. I opted for a generalist weapon fit for this one, with an eye towards the Combined Arms detachment. That meant three stubbers for crowd control, two multimeltas as close anti-tank, a hull pulverizer cannon for heavy infantry, and the oppressor turret for long range ordnance. Like so many units, there's a few options that don't really shine with the Dorn, and had the twin battlecannon had more punch to it, I would likely opted for that and relived Command & Conquer.

Painting this was mainly achieved via the spraycan method and weathering techniques. I did everything in Color Forge Trench Brown first, masked a few bits like weapons and treads, before spraying Deathrattle green. I mixed up some blue-grey metal for the treads, but otherwise this was simple applications of vallejo paints and such. It was a relief to discover that there was little need for transfers with so many winged skulls on the sculpt. The main difficulty I had was with the assorted vision slits, especially the four massive ones on the hull. I initially tried to paint these with Soulstone technical as a cheat, but this proved to be impractical. Regretting it, I painted the areas black and added some Ardcoat to help it shine. I know the box photos want these to be blue, but in my defence, that's mainly to suggest that there's glass as per the house style. I did manage to find some images of military vehicles with black tinted bulletproof glass, and no blue glass, and that's the story I'm sticking with.


Minor mishaps and the occasional seam line aside, this came out pretty well.