Design Diary: Movement
When considering how models move in a tabletop game there are a few elements that always seem important to make me feel like movement "feels" the way I want it to:
1. Moving fastershould make it more difficult to hit with shooting attacks and to be hit by shooting attacks.
2. Moving flat-footed every turn should not give you the same speed as someone who has been flatout running for multiple turns (or actions) without interruption.
3. Vehicles should be able to continuously accelerate until they achieve their maximum speed.
4. Vehicles should not be able to instantly and radically alter direction while moving at speed.
So to this end I've worked up the movement system for ground vehicles and figures on foot.
MOVEMENT
Every model may move it's "M" characteristic as a distance in inches at the cost of 1AP.
Models on foot may move M*1.5 for each consecutive AP expended on moving after the first (non-cumulative)
Vehicles may move M+0.5 for each consecutive AP expended on moving after the first (cumulative)
Vehicles performing a single M action may make (at base rate of movement) may make a 90 degree turn at either the start or end of their move.
Vehicles performing multiple M actions may make a 45 degree turn at the start or end of their move following a sucessful control roll. A failed control roll interrupts the action and takes the player directly to the LOSS OF CONTROL (GROUND) table.
*Example 1*
John is a basic foot model with 3 AP and an M3. If John expends 1AP on movement he moves 3", if he expends 2AP on movement he moves 7.5", if he expends 3AP on movement he moves 12".
*Example 2*
John is a basic foot model with 3AP and an M3. If John expends 1AP on movement, 1AP on shooting, then 1AP on movement he moves a total of 6" (3", then resolve shooting, then separate 3" move)
*Example 3*
John is driving a car. John has 3AP and the car has an M4. If John expends 1AP on movement the car moves 4", if John expends 2 AP on movement the car moves 10", if John expends 3AP on movement the car moves 19". If after expending all 3 of his AP on moving John also spends his first AP of his next activation on movement the car will move 32.5".
Sorry just realized the third example is painful to read. Here's the breakdown of a vehicle with 3AP and M4 moving 4 consecutive times:
ReplyDelete1st AP moves 4"
2nd AP moves a further 6"
3rd AP moves a further 9"
4th AP moves a further 13.5"
Hopefully that's a bit more clear.
Hey Jay, have you found a plug n' play style formula for the vehicles? I just spent 30 minutes trying to come up with one to try and streamline it and everything I come up with requires too much math to actually speed things up.
DeleteWhat you're looking at here Jordan is sort of an 'under the hood' type of persective and will also be the way players can design their own vehicles (more on that and character creation later). In practise you would have each vehicle's stats on a 3x5 card with the actual numbers for their various speed bands printed, so during game play you wouldn't be doing any of the math.
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