Orbital Battle Command - Single Layer Mechanics 'n Points

I was thinking about the mechanics of Epic and my new BC, specifically about two aspects;

a)  number of unit types available,

b)  vehicles in squadrons.

A while ago I did try playing One Page Rules with grouped vehicles and found the results unsatisfactory, specifically you could have a group of i.e. tanks throwing down literally 80 dice in an attack action.  Which is kinda crazy.

In contrast Epic works because there is only (generally) one (base) dice per unit/model and you have to hit a threshold value with it.

The difference is that Epic treats attacks in a multi-layered manner. Specifically you have Anti-Personnel (AP), Anti-Tank (AT) and Anti-Aircraft (AA)  as well as some (generally vehicle related) specialist weapons; Macro, Lance, Titan-Killer etc.

Now weapon profiles often (but not always) have a combined aspect, i.e.   AP5/AT4   so they can target either personnel or tanks (AV/Armoured Vehicles).  This provides variation in targeting and (unit) usage, where you have, in effect a three-layered structure all playing out simultaneously (with some cross over), which is quite clever.  But it can be a little confusing for new players and for remembering stats.

By contrast OPR uses a 'flat' system, where attacks can target any enemy unit on the board regardless of its 'type' (as there are no types).  In GF (full version/not skirmish) you still get one dice per model in a unit.  

This makes it harder to make specialised i.e. anti-tank or anti-personnel type weapons.  OPR makes a similar distinction using Deadly (multiple points of damage against a single model) or Blast (multiple points of damage spread across multiple models)  keywords which is a decent way of doing it too.

My game bases points of damage on the difference in card values, which is simpler still (...maybe).

Anyway, just some contemplations regarding various mechanics that I hadn't thought about in any detail.

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In other thoughts, this is my 'points calculator'.  Meant to be entirely transparent as to how things have their points. 

The example pic below is point-in-time, just for illustrative purposes, and has updated already.

The idea I use and like is that a unit's point value is based on things it can do (their potential) within the environment (kind of obvious, but this is a super simple approach).

Importantly, I don't weight certain values, as in weapons are worth more than armour or movement because I think entirely it's subjective and situationally conditional to consider one aspect more important than another.

So, if a unit has movement 6" then it adds +1 point.  It can move i.e. do something.  Another unit that can move 9"  can move 6" AND move 9"  so that's +2 points.  Or it could be recorded as (6") +1 & (9") +1  but easier to shorthand it.

A unit with ATTACK 2  means the unit pulls 2 cards to their attack hand. While there are no units (as yet) that can naturally draw 1 or 0 cards, I figured it best to reflect what they can do, rather than starting from 1PT for the 'baseline' potential.

That's the general gist of it.  The results are... initially unusual compared to the way that GW and other commercial games allocate points (who knows how they do that though... personally I think it's a largely subjective value)  but it seems to work, it's just unusual perhaps to see that a infantry group and a vehicle are more or less the same points... but they have more or less the same potential.

Until next time...

Orbital Battle Command - Recycling

In light of my having a new game under development I decided to dedicate some of my old (newly archived) filament prints to the endeavour.

Tyranids, Marines, Chaos, Eldar, Knights...

This is enough to make up to 200+ point armies for all of the factions.

I'm not looking to replicate all of the units available from i.e. Epic.  This is just a chosen subset that best represents certain unit archetypes, i.e. basic infantry, heavy armour, flier etc,  and units that emphasises the nature of the army, i.e. tyranids are swarms of critters, eldar are fast and a bit fragile, marines are fast and strong but limited etc.

Chaos and Knights are technically sharing some of the same models but that's fine. There's enough to field 4 or 5 reasonably sized forces.  It's what I'd consider 'demonstratable' functional.

Until next time...

Orbital Battle Command - First Live Test Game

We had a test run of the first draft rules last weekend (2023-09-17).

As per previous post it all went swimmingly.

These are just a few pics of the game.

Board and terrain was impromptu, but worked very well and was surprisingly immersive. Plus, heavy wooden blocks stop my clumsy digits knocking tiny things over (quite so easily).  Would be a bitch to transport around though.

Anyways, this is just after the start of the first turn. My friend was running Space Marines, and I had Tyranids.

The board was about 3x3'. we were playing roughly 100pt or a bit over, mainly to try different unit types and fill the board a bit.  We had objectives on our back lines worth 3 VP to the other player (only) and 3 objectives in the middle worth 1 VP each.

Turn 2 and 3 tended to conglomerate units in the mid-board.  My impression is that there were so few rules in the game that we were able to remember most stuff, i.e. pinned markers, card+2or3 only causes one wound etc.

And turn 4 saw both sides with depleted units, and trying for the end-line objectives.

The Marines (land speeder) pushed up on my back line objective, but I had a full squad of Termagants close enough to get back and contest (played a strategic card for a triple move).  Conversely, I ran some Genestealers up the side and onto my friend's back line objective, and was able to surround it.

I guess a point is that movement is worthwhile, and you don't have to just bash away in the middle.  As usual with all TTWG, play the objectives.

Final state from the other end.

The turn-by-turn VP progress looked like this - I recorded the held VP at the end of each turn, and sum at the end.

Turn 1:     d2    c1

Turn 2:     d1    c1

Turn 3:     d0    c2

Turn 4:     d1    c3

Total:      d4    c7

Until next time...

Orbital Battle Command (OBC) - A New Game... Kinda...

"WHAT ! Another new game? That's typical. You say you have too many games already and not enough time to play them all."

Kinda... thing is... I'm not buying into a new system.  I'm making my own.

This is a project/thought experiment I've been toying with for a while, at least mid-2021.

Specifically I wanted to develop a new game;

a)  where I could use my 6mm models, and I didn't have to play Epic,

b)  that is simpler than Epic but still provides a substantive table top wargame experience (i.e. a worthwhile/narrative/strategic battle).

c)  that uses cards and a blind bid system for combat and anything requiring randomness - rather than the (wargame ubiquitous) dice, because...

And I think I've done it.

I'm giving it the working title Orbital Battle Command  [Previous working title(s)  'Kill Zone Commander',  before that  'Battlefront Commander']

I checked a bunch of things on BoardGameGeek and all the most obvious, no-brainer names have been used, sometimes multiple times over the years.  The title has changed a dozen times already but I'm sure I'll eventually find one that feels right.

The statement, 'there's nothing new under the sun,' applies. It would not be entirely unfair to call this a mash up between Epic, One Page Rules, and Euchre. All games I've played and enjoyed over the years.

Anyways, I'm relatively proud of the result, probably more so than my attempted rejigging of other games.  I like my 'One Page Zona', but this is something new and exciting all together.

I've had 2 or 3 move-models-around tests to work out mechanics, and even a small full game. Yeah, I forgot stuff (like all games I play), the kind of nuance aspect, but... overall... I think it worked pretty well.  A blind bid system doesn't work so well when you're playing both sides.

Update: I was fortunate enough to have a 'live' test game on the weekend and it went awesomely. As planned, no showstoppers or on-the-fly rewrites required. Bloody awesome.

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To add some details in regards to the original points.

a-b)  I don't hate Epic, but I wanted to develop something simpler. Epic armies have lots of gotchas which I wanted to get rid of and I wanted to have a far simpler combat system. Both of these aspects make playing pick up games every few months or more as much about relearning/remembering the game as strategic gamesmanship.

c)  What can I say? Dice hate me. Having a fixed dice threshold you have to beat is common and now a bit boring. The dice pass or fail you, and before anyone says, maximise your dice and opportunities to use them.  Of course.  That's the plan.  And plans last as long as the first contact with the enemy.

So rather than sticking with this tried/tired methodology, the players draws a number of cards and play the one they think will get them the win. Obviously higher is better, but there might be cases where playing a high card is a waste or other concerns - which is where the 'strategic' aspect applies.

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Update: On the basis that the basic version (limited units, most basic interactions) was a success I've added in a few more caveats and features, built on top of the basic version.  Things like transports... shields... a few more unit types etc.

What I don't want to do is make the game more complex just in order to be able to make more unit types. It's meant/going to be a 'lite' version of Epic.

Things like transports are going to be necessary on larger games (6x4') so I think there's going to be things to include if it's to scale up.  3x3' was really good, it was fun, but it should have other options.  I felt my 2x2' experimental game was a bit cramped/close so probably 3x3' is a recommended minimum, and don't expect phenomenal results below that size.

There didn't seem to be any particularly OP units in the test game. The point calculation seems 'reasonable'.  At 3x3' a 100pt limit seemed ok - though we went a over that limit on both sides.  

Anyways, I'm excited about the future possibilities of it.

Being 'rules only' there's no scope for commercial opportunities which is fine as that doesn't interest me anyway.  It's more like a 'minigeddon', fan offering. Which is fine.

- - -

This is the current version of the rules, which I'll be keeping updated as I add new stuff or tweak them.

Orbital Battle Command (pdf)

Until next time...

Epic - A Transition Phase... Maybe.

I was largely unimpressed by GW's reboot of Adeptus Titanicus - old AT was the starting point of the old Epic; they started with titans and added smaller units after that.

- Didn't like the micro-management of shields/heat, and the general slow pace of damage and progress.  I don't mind it exists - I know people like this type of thing and I'm glad they have something that works for them.

- The choice to set it in 30k (imperial vs imperial) means there's unlikely to be expansion to other races/armies. Which is... well... boring.  An 'upside' (or trying to find a silver lining) is that you have like vs like so there's less chance of things becoming 'unbalanced' from army/race based shenanigans and tricks.

GW have announced, but not yet released 'phase 2' of AT, tanks and infantry. 'Phase 3' if you include using Aeronautic (planes vs planes), which are included in the new system.

I wouldn't mind getting the new 'starter box' offering.  Not that I anticipate playing it a lot; but the models are nice and it's more a 'collector'/cos-it's-historic urge. remains to be seen of course.

I currently have 4 resin-print armies which I really like; Black Templars, Custodes, Death Guard (30k) and Eldar.

Two are marines (BT and DG), so I don't have a lot of variety. Ideally, I'd like some Tyranids and a Chaos Marines force (which are kinda marine adjacent), but those are long term projects - mainly so I have options if I want to play someone and be able to bring both forces (i.e. demo for someone without models).

So, today, I boxed the large of my old filament print armies, my old, and first Imperial Fists. I've been putting it off (sentimentality) as the others were retired one by one.  I still have them stashed away in a box in storage. I can't bring myself to throw them out entirely though, haha.

IF I do end up getting on the new expanded AT train then there's a high probability that the force will be built as Imperial Fist. Though I do like Death Guard... and I've long liked the Sons of Horus as well. We'll see what we see.

Until Next Time...

 

Epic - A Future Event

Been an age since I've had a game...  possible as far back as September 2021.

Not entirely surprising as I've largely fallen out of love with the system. I still don't mind a game every now and then, but game days are a very limited time span and there's only so many games you can play.

Anyways, I'm signed up for an event in mid-October (2023).

Looking forward to it.  Have built a list already. Just running Vanilla/Codex marines, not my Templar variation (only approved lists are allowed).

That being the case I can take a titan.  I have retired (boxed) almost all of my old filament armies, but pulled an old Warhound out for repurposing. Didn't want to commandeer one of the new AT ones.

He's been repainted and I smoothed out the worst of the striation,  then I've attached gubbins and widgets on the chassis to fancy up the flat surfaces, and also replaced the weapons.

Given he's going into a resin print army I figured he needed some zuzhing.

This is the models assembled as per the list.  Should be legal though the hunters (anti-air) need to attach to the tactical squads, not the scouts.

I'm hoping to get a game in before the event, but as official game day has come and gone I think it will have to be a solo run.

Until next time...