Big Post Ahoy! Answers some questions. I've been writing this on-and-off all day, so it might meander a little...
Preliminary Army Design and Components
Statline
Exactly that. All the base stats - Actions, Movement, Fighting Skill, Ranged Skill, Size, Wounds, Strength, Agility, Toughness, Initiative, Logic, Bravery.
Model Type
This is reflection of the model's basic construction, and mostly interacts with the Targeting Type of Attacks (see Elaborations below). This is different from elements and such, below. There's three types (so far)-
Critical - Living creatures mostly. Essentially any being with organs or critical parts (hence the name) which, however tough, could still be laid low by a lucky hit. This is the default type, cheapest, and the attack system assumes this type before being modified by anything.
Solid - Robots, zombies, snarling beasts, and any other creature that still has distinct parts, but is single minded enough to keep fighting despite grievous injury. For instance, if a human loses an arm, he might not die but he'll certainly be out of the fight. This refers to creatures that needs to be hacked apart to go down. This doesn't confer any particular durability - the classic flimsy skeleton would be a Solid Model with low toughness.
Amorphous - Slimes, ghosts, swarms of insects, anything that not only doesn't have vulnerable organs, but doesn't even have enough structure to hit properly. Amorphous Models are largely immune to things like bullets or sword swings, but are extra susceptible to explosions and other broad area effects.
Model Nature
This is where elements, origins, resistances and vulnerabilities and so forth go. Typically, this effects the size of the model's Toughness roll. Rather than distinct sets, strengths and weaknesses to attack effects will probably be set individually, with the default being leaving the attack unmodified.
Base Use Type
What the Attack actually is, especially whether it's a Close Combat or Ranged attack. More could probably be done with this, but I haven't thought of much yet. A few types I can think of-
Basic Hand to Hand - Most weapons used in model on model brawls, whatever the other factors. Requires engaging the target in the same hex and therefore being open to counter attack and other attendencies.
Long Hand to Hand - Really long weapons like spears and pikes, used to attack targets in other hexes or up on walls. Generally, attacks that use the Fighting Skill but don't lead to a full on melee.
Basic Ranged - Shootin' stuff. Needs no explanation.
Indirect Ranged - Not sure if this should count. Ignoring Terrain might work better as a separate effect, but this does at least cover weapons that can't be used for called shots on specific models.
Target Effect
This describes the general effect of the attack, rather than it's specific nature. (see Elaborations below)
Focused - Bullets, lasers, arrows, spears, knives, anything that puts all it's damage in a small spot.
Area - Most melee weapons, shotguns, ballistas, catapults, stuff that damages over a broad location.
Explosive - Just what it says. It's hard to think of a close combat explosive, but the option is there.
Flowing - Gas, flamethrowers, engulfing, more than Area damage, actually spreading over the target.
Damage Nature
Ditto for all the elemental stuff from models. They won't actually be the same, but so long as they're all referenced on a table together it doesn't matter.
Range Index
Only applicable to Ranged attacks obviously. The vagaries of weapons being what they are, a simple Distance/Hit modifier isn't enough. Stealing a page from Inquisitor, there will be several different tables of distance vs accuracy types to choose from. For instance, a sniper rifle is unwieldy at close range but accurate at long range, while a throwing axe is accurate (enough) but just drops to the ground after some distance.
Accuracy Bonus
Rolling to hit is already covered by the model's two hitting stats, but it's conceivable that some weapons would be harder or easier to hit with. I'm not committed to keeping this, maybe rolling it into the Index.
Base Strength and Bonus Die
The all important die roll that gets added when attacking. Base Strength is taken if a weapon is supposed to cause the same damaged regardless of who's holding it (like most Ranged Weapons), as opposed to Model Strength. Each prorates it's cost differently depending on the Strength of the model it's given to.
I haven't entirely decided how Defenses should work, but I think this is a good starting point.
Basic Level Defenses
This is the Defense a model uses against all Attacks, regardless of other factors. Units must assign every model one and only one Basic Level Defense, be it a battlesuit, a magic cape, or bare skin.
Toughness and Agility Bonuses
Basic Defenses must have bonus dice for each of these. Optimally, the point cost would be based on the total, encouraging a balance. Low or high scores in both is possible, being very low or very high priced respectively.
Defense Nature
Same as above. Typically, this effects the size of an attacker's Strength bonus die.
Extra Level Defenses
These are appended on top of the Basic Level, if the form of extra bonuses that are only used in certain circumstances. For example, a heavy shield could add a Toughness bonus in Close Combat, and a cloaking field could add an Agility bonus against Ranged attacks. (see Elaborations below)
As the name implies, this is where you define anything that doesn't fit elsewhere, which causes a model or unit to behave differently from the expected default. Probably endless, but I can think of a few typical Special Rules.
Leadership Status
As I described before, this will be appended to a unit, or more often a specific model (or models), which reduces the size of the Logic or Bravery die to roll under the unit/model's base stat. Logic and Bravery are separate bonuses, but for extra cost could be rolled into one model upgrade.
Model Mind
By default, the game assumes every model is a mentally competent and coherent enough being to make it's own decisions, however well or poorly, in the interests of the army at large without someone to watch over it. There will of course be exceptions like riding mounts, war beasts, golems, recalcitrant slaves, and any number of other creeps that must be accompanied or instructed in some way in order to act in concert with the army, and who will go off on some kind of tangent if left alone.
Different Deployment
By default, when the game begins, the Game Master says what areas the players can set up their armies in. These rules would afford the player more options. Many different ways of handling this.
Different Movement
By default, the game assumes that every model is slogging it's way along the ground on the functional equivalent of feet. Plenty of other methods exist, flying, hopping, swimming, whatever.
Some of that stuff doesn't make much sense on it's own. Here's some explanations of how all the different Types and Natures should interact.
Model and Target Types
As said, the Types have more to do with physics than origin. Effects-
Critical models take the normal damage dice from all types, being the assumed default.
Solid models resist damage from Focused and Flowing attacks, lacking weak points to minute strikes
Focused and Area weapons usually pass right through Amorphous targets, but they are more susceptible to Explosive and Flowing damage.
Natures and Contests
The typical contest between an Attack and it's target involves the Model and Target Types, the three different natures of the Attack, Defense, and Model, and the four different bonus dice. Extra Level Defense Natures might even complicate things more, but I haven't settled that yet. Typical combat plays out like this-
First, the aggressor has to make a "To Hit" Contest roll, his hitting skill, modified by Range Index (if applicable), against the opponent's Agility, with it's bonus stat from it's Defense, and modified by terrain (if applicable).
Then comes the chunky part, comparing Natures for the "To Wound" Contest roll. The opponent's Basic Level Defense modifies the aggressor's Strength bonus (not sure what to do with Extra Levels yet). The opponent's Model Nature modifies it's own Toughness roll. Both are determined by the Nature of the aggressor's weapon.
These four elements (Models, Attacks, Defenses, Specials) constitute the
Army Catalog, and the building blocks of units.
Units are made up of at least one Model, one basic Defense, and one close combat Attack. That's just to avoid any weird situations like a model that can't fight - while perfectly applicable to vehicles and the like, that sort of thing is Way In The Future, behind making sure the damn game works at all. The actual Unit creation rules will be a full chapter in themselves, and not really necessary until after I test things out with my example armies. The
Army List is all the completed Units, and any special non-unit-dependent army-wide rules, but I haven't decided if I want that, and it's WITF anyway. Then of course the
Army is whatever the player decides to field from the list.
That's where I stand. Now I need some tables of Attack and Model/Defense Natures, more tables for Bravery and Logic rolls, decide what to do with Extra Level Defenses, make Range Indexes, some simple terrain rules... Then just throw some placeholder numbers into my experimental example armies, and a playable V0.01 will be go. Not playable in any meaningful sense, but enough to make sure the combat system actually works.
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Topic: Aqizzar's Automatic Annihilation Ængine (Read 11762 times)