So, let's see. I guess I'm signing up to test a game here.
Scientist: Sean Mirrsen
Test Name: Ultimate Furball
Test Type: Combat
Required Number Of Subjects: At most 5, have 3, so 2?
Rolls to be filled: 2x Enterprising Aviator With A Deathwish
Tag: LimegreenGoal: Full systems test for PvE Arena-type game.
Game was already started in Roller's Block, and three participants already applied. Continuing here.
Ultimate Furball RTD is a game about... a massive airplane dogfight. Yes, that's one of the meanings of "furball". I decided that there were quite enough mecha fighting games here, and went with the other idea I had. A game like Battletech, and not quite like Battletech. People fighting in flying machines.
The game doesn't have an end goal as such, a little like any arena game. Also a little like any arena game, the point of the game is earning points - in this case, kills. A little
unlike most arena games, players aren't fighting between each other exclusively. The air is filled with aircraft of every make and era, and finding something to shoot at - or be shot at by - is trivial.
To start playing, make a pilot, and name a real-life combat aircraft you want to fly. There are three pilot stats. Piloting, Gunnery, and Awareness. Aircraft stats will be determined by me since, like Battletech, there's some balancing involved. Flying a high-tech fighter will make it easier to fight but harder to gain points, and the other way around.
Skills values start at
6. You get six points to distribute between these, but note that adding points will mean
subtracting value. Explained below.
The pilot stats are "battletech" stats. They provide a baseline value that you must roll to perform a maneuver, hit a target, or notice an incoming enemy. I.e. you have a Gunnery of 5, and are shooting at a plane you're tailing. You get a roll of d12, and the barest minimum you must roll, in perfect conditions, is a 5. If your plane is damaged, visibility is poor, you are injured, or the target is evading, the minimum value to roll increases. If the value gets above 12, it becomes straight up impossible.
Aircraft will have individual HP pools for different segments (normally body, nose, tail, left/right wings), and several stats of their own. Make sure to specify the exact weapons loadout you want to have unless you want me to take my best guess. Ammo will be limited. Scores are per pilot, so make sure you can eject to fight another day. Losing the aircraft loses you one point. Each aircraft has a value, and to earn a point you have to destroy your own craft's worth in enemies - 4th generation fighters praying on WW1 biplanes will need a lot of time and ammo on their hands.
On aircraft stats:
Mobility is how well you can move the craft. Responsiveness is a measure of how likely your craft is to do what you want it to. Toughness is a measure of how unlikely your vehicle is to fall apart upon taking damage.
Mobility is not rolled against. It's straight up compared when determining maneuvers between aircraft, and various skill check values are altered accordingly.
Responsiveness: Rolled like an RTD check. Natural 1 is a failure, natural die maximum is a success, everything inbetween is neutral. If more than 1 die is rolled, the sum total of failures and successes determines result. Net failure may cause you to fly in a different direction, and will make you an easier target for the turn. Net success gives you a piloting bonus and makes you a harder target for the turn.
Toughness is checked whenever structural damage is sustained. 1d12 is rolled for every hit on the internal structure, and failure to roll equal to or under the Toughness value will cause a random Critical hit within the part. If there are no more critical locations, the part is destroyed even if its Structural HP is above zero.
All stats degrade as structural damage is taken.
To play:
Provide pilot name, and divide 6 points between Piloting, Gunnery, and Awareness. Provide a model of real-life aircraft you want to fly (you can change it later) and the weapons it would have. Not limited to fighters - bombers, zeppelins, and attack helicopters are all fair game if you want. You can start playing once I have the aircraft statted out.
Expect occasional boss battles.
Game Start Repost
You all rise into the air in your machines of choice, and take in the scenery. The vast morning sky lies open before you, dotted with the occasional cloud bank, a sprawling landscape beneath. And all across the sky you see tiny black and silvery dots, moving around in wide circles or darting here and there in straight lines, leaving contrails in their wake. The deep, turbulent hum of propellers and the distant whine and rumble of jet engines fills the air, alongside the staccato outbursts of machineguns and the occasional explosion. Here and there you see thick trails of greasy black smoke appearing somewhere in the sky, sometimes winding and looping, but inevitably coming to a sudden stop on the ground amidst a short-lived blossom of a black-petaled fiery flower.
It seems the furball is just starting.
Theo Dacabe (darkpaladin109): War BalloonAltitude: 3
Not moving
You stand in the gondola of your war balloon, ready to utterly destroy anyone foolish enough to come into range. Nobody comes for you just yet, despite you being a pretty obvious target.
There are some biplanes duking it out to the north. Many WW1-era planes are fighting closer to the ground. You hear the rumble of many engines from above. There are clouds far to the southeast.
Captain Henri Dechoirs (Digital Hellhound): Fokker V.6 TriplaneAltitude: 5
Cruising at 3, heading North
You cruise at a leisurely pace, straddling the edge of a large cumulus cloud. You can see a tight dogfight between a number of high-speed aeroplanes to the east. Several large planes are flying in formation to the west above you. Many planes seem to be fighting down below, but you can't see them very well.
The bright colors of your triplane seem to have attracted attention. A pair of aircraft are heading your way from the furball to the east. It's hard to tell, but they may be faster than you. What do you do?
Jeffrey Gamble (Harry Baldman): ParagliderAltitude: 1
Cruising at 1, heading North
You are flying slow and safe close to the ground, observing the battles in the sky.
Very few planes dip down to fight near the ground. There are several large furballs with many different planes up above: to the east, north, and southeast. There is some strong wind here. There is a large cluster of dark clouds to the far south. What do you do?
Basically give me a direction, whether you try to go faster or slower, and whether you change altitude. And of course tell me about whatever else you might be wanting to do. Remember, you get no dodge rolls here, in the classic sense.
Next Turn
Theo Dacabe (darkpaladin109): War Balloon (P:4,G:3,A:5)
Altitude: 3
Drifting at 1, heading North
The wind is agreeable, and you slowly drift over northwards, closing distance with the dogfighting planes. The planes are biplanes, but unusually fast. There is a group of around 8 of them, fighting against each other. [Aw.Fail] You can't make out their make or model, and they don't seem interested in you yet. But if they come at you, you have a feeling you'll be a sitting duck.
Many WW1-era planes are fighting closer to the ground. You hear the rumble of many engines from above. There are clouds far to the southeast.
Captain Henri Dechoirs (Digital Hellhound): Fokker V.6 Triplane (P:4,G:4,A:4)
Altitude: 6
Cruising at 3, heading West
[Resp.Success] You spur your machine forward and upward, gaining altitude with ease and putting a small whiff of vapor on the edge of the cloud between you and the incoming aircraft. You start to feel like you won't be able to go much higher than this, however.
[Aw.Fail] You lose sight of the two aircraft, the many wings of your machine obscuring much of the sky. No bullets head your way yet, however.
There is a tight dogfight between a number of high-speed aeroplanes further to the east. Several large planes are flying in formation to the west above you. You can't seem to keep up with them. Many planes seem to be fighting down below, but you can't see them very well.
Jeffrey Gamble (Harry Baldman): Paraglider (P:3,G:4,A:5)
Altitude: 2
Cruising at 1, heading North
[Resp.Success] You catch an updraft and ride it, easily gaining altitude.
The swirling mass of airplanes up ahead doesn't look a comfortable place to be in. [Aw.Success] There seems to be a whole squadron of WW1-era biplanes flying around each other in circles, machineguns blazing. Seems mostly like French and German machines, with an occasional Russian.
There are several large furballs with many different planes around: here, to the east, and southeast. There is a large cluster of dark clouds to the far south.
Aircraft: War Balloon
Mobility: 1
Responsiveness: 1d6
Toughness: 8
Weapons: 4x Minigun (separate 90-degree arcs), 1x Stinger launcher
Minigun: up to 4 damage in 1 point clusters
Stinger: guided (IR), 8 damage in 4 point clusters
Ammo: 20x Minigun burst, 8x Stinger Missile
No armor
Structure:
Balloon: 6HP, 2 criticals (Valve, Fin)
Gondola: 8HP, 6 criticals (Minigun, Minigun, Minigun, Minigun, Pilot, Rigging)
Value: 4
Aircraft: Fokker V.6 Triplane
Mobility: 4
Responsiveness: 4d6
Toughness: 8
Weapons: 2x Machinegun (fixed forward), 2x50kg bomblet, sharpened wings
Machinegun: up to 2 damage in 1 point clusters
50kg bomblet: 12 damage in 6 point clusters, hard to aim (heavy penalties against moving targets)
Wing blade: 8 damage in 4 point clusters to enemy. 2 damage to wing.
Ammo: 26x Machinegun burst, 2x 50kg bomblet
No armor
Structure:
Nose: 4HP, 3 criticals (Propeller, Radiator, Engine)
Body: 6HP, 6 criticals (Engine, Pilot, Machinegun, Machinegun, Control wires, Control wires)
Left wing: 6HP, 3 criticals (Control wire, Aileron, Wing blade)
Right wing: 6HP, 3 criticals (Control wire, Aileron, Wing blade)
Tail: 6HP, 4 criticals (Elevator, Stabilizer, Control wire)
Value: 6
Aircraft: Motorized paraglider
Mobility: 2
Responsiveness: 3d4
Toughness: 6
Weapons: 1x Double Elephant Gun
Elephant Gun: 2 damage
Ammo: 30x .50cal cartridge
No armor
Structure:
Parawing: 8 HP, 2 criticals (Line, Line)
Motoglider: 9 HP, 5 criticals (Engine, Propeller, Pilot, Control Surface, Control Surface)
Value: 2