MechWarrior:Destiny and A Time of War and how do they differ

[Gray_Noton_4lfe]

I'm looking into buying one of the two but not quite sure which one I should get.

[Geg]

Destiny - Rules Lite
A Time of War - All the Crunch.

I would recommend that if you are adding RPG elements to games of Battletech of AlphaStrike that you should go with Destiny.  But if you are looking for a standalone RPG without using the main gaming systems you can pick between the two based on your preference for crunchiness of rules.

Unfortunately they both feel like they are at the extreme ends of their respective spectrums.   I find Destiny a little too loose when used as written.  While I struggle to even read the ATOW book.

[Wrangler]

Essentially ATOW is more detailed roleplay system, typically for people who want a detailed system. However it can be rather... Lethal.

Destiny is not so bad, it helps people were really into role-playing so much and uses their imaginations more. There are actually free resources for destiny that actually work well with it if you want to blend tabletop BattleTech with it that isn't heavy duty.

[Gray_Noton_4lfe]

Just confirming, Destiny can also be played by itself right?

[Geg]

Just confirming, Destiny can also be played by itself right?

It can.   And it's a very fun game in its own right.

[SteelRaven]

Playing Destiny with friends online now, it's fun. AToW is very much of the 'we have a rule for that' mindset that governs most of the TW books. If you like crunch, you will probably enjoy the detail in AToW, especially with Shrapnel adding more weapons every few issues. Destiny is much more stripped down to focus on the story telling aspect. The biggest plus for our group is that it is much easier to play remotely and it's flexible enough to allow the group to tweek it as we go.

Other comparison:
AToW, you need to approach combat like Ready or Not. In Destiny, rule of cool and action movie physics (sometimes looney toons)

[Col Toda]

A Time of war is more compatible with Total Warfare . DESTINY  was a horrible disappointment

[Mostro Joe]

I'm looking into buying one of the two but not quite sure which one I should get.

I would say Destiny, because I don't think AToW will have support when the new rules iteration is going to be published.

[Wrangler]

Death From Above Wargaming has a mech component that's capable with MW: Destiny.  My friend ran it online, it's called Override.  It's just free online thing to make record sheets for it.  Really neat.

[ActionButler]

A Time of war is more compatible with Total Warfare . DESTINY  was a horrible disappointment

The final iteration of Destiny was not exactly what I hoped it would be, but I would not describe it as a horrible disappointment

[Gray_Noton_4lfe]

Does anybody know what kind of AToW this is?

[spotH3D]

Also note that Destiny absolutely does not have to be played with the pass the narrator token around. And can be played as a normal player and GM RPG system.

[Prospernia]

I am way behind the times, I'm still playing MW2 and the original Mechwarrior:  I just read a little bit of Mechwarrior 3.

I would probably go with Destiny, because there's probably more support as it's the newest version, but, honestly, you should try them both and play the one you like the most.

[Gray_Noton_4lfe]

I am way behind the times, I'm still playing MW2 and the original Mechwarrior:  I just read a little bit of Mechwarrior 3.

I would probably go with Destiny, because there's probably more support as it's the newest version, but, honestly, you should try them both and play the one you like the most.

yeah, i'm probably just gonna try both

[Greatclub]

There's support for both, but there has been more support for ATOW because its been around longer.

ATOW defaults to the Jihad. the era reports (3052, 3062, 3145, and 2750) are setting books for those time periods. Unfortunately there is no succession war era report.

That said, ATOW takes more effort to become proficient at.

Does anybody know what kind of AToW this is?

I have no idea. Do you have a better resolution picture?

[Gray_Noton_4lfe]

There's support for both, but there has been more support for ATOW because its been around longer.

ATOW defaults to the Jihad. the era reports (3052, 3062, 3145, and 2750) are setting books for those time periods. Unfortunately there is no succession war era report.

That said, ATOW takes more effort to become proficient at.

I have no idea. Do you have a better resolution picture?

Here's a better one.

[SteelRaven]

That may be the new cover art, the current print is still using the retro cover from the Fasa Succession Wars box art.

[Mostro Joe]

That may be the new cover art, the current print is still using the retro cover from the Fasa Succession Wars box art.

It's a little too "comics-style" this one.

[SteelRaven]

It's the first cover with new characters and less background noise (I can appreciate trying to put everything on one cover but you just shouldn't)

Which cover is 'the best' really comes down to personal taste. Trying to cover the group dynamic for AToW that (that tries to cover everything) is not going to be easy for any artist.

[Wrangler]

I remember friends having to resort to spread sheets to figure out how to put characters together for ATOW.  I think there is a website once that had character generator assistant.

[Gray_Noton_4lfe]

How does each one work in their gameplay?
and what is the the difference between the two

[Wrangler]

How does each one work in their gameplay?
and what is the the difference between the two

Depends on your experience with RPG systems really.  CUE system is a light rpg.  This is a basic summary.

The Cue System is a rules-light RPG system by Catalyst Game Labs that is all about creating a story. Using Cues as building blocks, you will construct a plot and narrate your character's way through the story.

The game is played without a gamemaster, instead the players take turns being the Lead Narrator, using the cues and tags for the scene and the NPCs to move the story forwards, other players control their own character and uses the cues on the character sheet to advance their part of the story.

The system was first invented for Cosmic Patrol, where each character had 5 stats; Brawn, Brains, Charisma, Combat, and Special, represented by dice (D4, D6, D8, D10 or D12), and a Luck stat which is a fixed number.

When tests are called for a D12 plus the appropriate Stat Die (plus modifiers) is rolled against a D20 in order to succeed.

In combat the Combat Die (plus modifiers) is rolled against the opponents Combat Die (plus modifiers).

If the characters "Special" category applies, the Special Die is used instead of the standard Stat/Combat Die.

If the Stat/Combat/Special Die ever matches or exceeds the Luck Stat, there is a success, no matter what.

In the Valiant Universe RPG these stats were changed to Might, Intellect, Charisma, Action, Power and Luck. In addition each character could have several Powers, each with their individual Power Die. In case where a Power could be used, the Power Die is rolled in addition to the normal Stat/Action Die, and the lowest of the two dice is discarded.

Shadowrun: Anarchy uses a variant of the Cue System where there is a traditional gamemaster. In addition it uses the multiple D6 that the traditional Shadowrun system uses.

The Cue System is credited to Matt Heerdt.

The Cue System adapted for MW: Destiny, is modified and similar to the D6 (6sided Die System)  Shadowrun: Anarchy

[Daemion]

Whereas AToW's overall modifiers and dice rolls match the overall results you'll find in stock BT, however, they're applied to the Die roll against a static target value instead.

[Geg]

Also note that Destiny absolutely does not have to be played with the pass the narrator token around. And can be played as a normal player and GM RPG system.

That is the only way I have ever played, but is that explicitly stated as an option anywhere in the book?

[CitizenErased]

That is the only way I have ever played, but is that explicitly stated as an option anywhere in the book?

Page 55, under the header "A More Focused Gamemaster".

[SteelRaven]

My current game has a GM, just worked out better for our group.

[Gray_Noton_4lfe]

Do you use layouts for buildings in either one? Or do you do it all in your head

[SteelRaven]

We use simple layouts in our games mostly for battles but narrative scenes don't require more than imagination.

[Gray_Noton_4lfe]

Are there any layouts in the M:Destiny book or is there a website you use instead

[Dahmin_Toran]

To be honest, with ATOW and the ATOW you have all the rules you need, from getting into a simple firefight or bar brawl, to piloting a BattleMech in a war zone, to robbing a bank or running your own planetary domain. With the Era Reports and Era Digest you can create characters from the Age of War to the Dark Age/ilKhan Eras. I just wish you can set up PCs quickly and you could play online easy with it. I ran a one-shot with Mechwarrior Destiny with some friends. Character creation was easy, but the PCs felt a little bland and samey to me. ATOW PCs are more fleshed out, which is to my liking. But you cannot really whip up characters quickly unless you really know the the universe (and Excel).