IO Development: Keeping Range Relevant

Last time I talked about the various base stats that help define the BattleTech play aesthetic, and how we’re working to keep all of them relevant. This is particularly important/difficult as you scale up, especially at the 250k hex size of Planetary Assault (PA).

Here’s an excerpt from the current draft of rules for resolving combat at the PA-scale.

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1. When an attack is declared between two Battalions in the same hex, a 2D6 Engagement Roll is made.

2. The Base Target Number for the Engagement Roll is 7, modified by the following:

• Force Quality: Compare the Attacker’s Force Quality to the Target’s Force Quality on the Force Quality Engagement Roll Modifiers Table and apply that modifier.*
• Attacker MPs: Apply the Attacker’s Movement Points as a negative modifier to the Base Target Number
• Target MPs: Apply the Target’s Movement Points as a positive modifier to the Base Target Number.
• Additional Modifiers: Apply others modifiers from the Additional Engagement Roll Modifiers Table, as appropriate.

3. If the Engagement Roll exceeds the Modified Target Number the range is “short”. Each point of MoS moves the cluster hits column one column to the right from the midpoint.**

4. If the Engagement Roll equals the Modified Target Number, the range is “medium”. The cluster hits column stays at the midpoint.**

5. If the Engagement Roll fails, the range is “long”. Each point of MoF moves the cluster hits column one column to the left from the midpoint.**

*If players are using the Combat Effectiveness Rating rules (see p. XX), in place of comparing the Attacker’s and Target’s Force Quality, compare the Attacker’s CER to the Target’s CER on the Combat Effectiveness Engagement Roll Modifiers Table.

**See the Determining Damage, below

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Right up front, please note these are absolutely “draft” rules. In fact, this current evolution is all based on numerous back and forth with various authors, but it hasn’t met dice and the gaming table. I’ll be tackling just that next week, as well as starting the first stages of play testing these rules to a larger playtest group.

But ultimately the point is to provide a process that feels like BattleTech game play, while retaining those various elements that are important, especially range. But the next few weeks will determine whether this is working, or whether we need to beat this some more and come at it from a slightly different angle.

See ya next time.

Randall