THE 0PEN MECH GAME

C0MBAT

v0.18 β

Basics

Turns & Initiative

When violence or danger mounts, player characters make a check (a Processing check if the charater is a mech).Characters that succeed act before the threat in any order, and characters that fail act after. Once all characters have acted, repeat the check until the matter is resolved.

The Grid

Measure distance and volume on a hexagonal grid.Traversing a grid hex takes 1 speed’s worth of movement and covers ~20 feet. Objects in combat occupy hexes based on their size: 1 hex for size 0-1, three for size 2, and seven for size 3, etc.

Attacks & Damage

To attack with the fight action, deal the weapon’s damage to a target in your line of sight and resolve any additional effects. Attacks always “hit.” there is no need to roll a check.

Damage Types

  • Kinetic: bludgeoning, ballistics, concussion.

  • Energy: lazers, fire, etc.

Range & Area

Range dictates the maximum number of hexes away from which a target can be hit or an attack area can start:

  • Line: affects characters in a straight line X hexes long.

  • Cone: affects characters inside a cone X hexes long and X hexes wide at its widest point. Starts one hex wide.

  • Blast: affects characters within X hexes.

Effects without an area hit a single target.

Armor & Dodge

  • Kinetic damage is reduced by the target's  Hull.  (armor).

  • When the damage from an attack is less than or equal to the target’s  Processing,  the attack misses (dodge).

Trauma

When a mech takes 5+ damage in one hit, a random one of its weapons or systems is destroyed. If it has none, the mech is destroyed.

Objects

Projectiles from mech weapons penetrate 1 hex-worth of basic materials like wood, dirt, or concrete.

Advanced

Hazards

When a character experiences a hazard, they take damage: 1 for a minor hazard, 1d3 for a major one, and 1d6+ for an extreme one. A successful Engineering check may prevent this, depending on the situation.

Heat & Meltdown

Heat measures strain on a mech’s core reactor. If a mech's heat exceeds its heat capacity at the end of its turn, its reactor melts down and the mech is destroyed.When a mech’s reactor melts down, it creates an explosion of the  mech’s size + 1  that deals energy damage as an extreme hazard to anything caught inside.

Repairs

Pilots each have 3 shareable repairs. They can be used to repair:

  • Mech HP equal to 5 + your Engineering (1 repair).

  • 1 destroyed system or weapon (1 repair).

  • A destroyed mech (3 repairs).

    Destroyed mechs return to full HP when repaired, but destroyed weapons or systems remain so. Mechs whose reactors have melted down can't be repaired.

Drydocking

Drydocking is a lengthy tune up back at base or some other specialized facility. When you’re drydocked, all HP, spent repairs, and uses of limited systems are regained.

Advanced Movement

  • Rough Terrain: Pilots and mechs move at half speed through rough terrain.

  • Flight: Flight must follow a straight line, but the direction can change when you move. Flying characters fall if their speed is 0 or they fail to move at least 1 hex on their turn.

  • Falling: Characters fall 10 hexes per round in one-g, taking 3 armor piercing damage for every 3 hexes fallen when they hit a surface.