Untested War Machines - Starting Gear & Upkeep

This is Part 2 in my series of mutilations to MAC Attack. The following rules will generate a PC's shitty starter mech.* Hopefully this leads to a lot of excitement when the players scavenge the destroyed remains of their foes after a battle. The maintenance & repair rules are written to be punitive, because that's what my players are into.†

Part 1: House Rules & Pilots
Part 2: Starting Gear & Upkeep
Part 3: Mercenaries & Retainers

Starting Gear

The Raven Mercenary Company‡ has recently taken a beating, and has decided to move on to greener pastures. As such, you start with damaged equipment.

• For your 1st mech, roll a random flaw. Choose or roll the class.
• For your 2nd mech, roll 2 random flaws. Roll for the class.
• You start with 4 weapons: 2 conventional, 1 special, 1 limited.
• You start with 4 random modules.
• You start with 10 Mil. Each Mil is a million credits.

Mech Class

1. Class 1.3
2. Class 1.3
3. Class 2.3
4. Class 2.3
5. Class 3
6. Class 3

Class "1.3" and "2.3" MACs have 3 structure points, roll 3 dice for systems checks, and cost as much as a Class 3 MAC . In all other regards, they count as either Class 1 or 2.

Flaws

1. Awkward: Gain 1 extra Heat when shifting.
2. Blinkered: When you attack, your front facing is only 90°.
3. Brittle: When you crash, take hits equal to your class.
4. Buggy: Roll a die at the start of your move turn. On a roll of 1 you do nothing this phase.
5. Capped: Only move up to 9” when rushing.
6. Cumbersome: Do not rotate at the end of a shift move.
7. Deadmeat: Attacks against you get -1TN.
8. Deathtrap: Take 1 internal damage when the main gun is destroyed.
9. Exposed: Your main gun is destroyed in a single hit.
10. Frail: Brawls against you roll twice as many AD.
11. Frontloaded: Hits to your rear cause an extra hit each. Weapon effects are applied normally to these extra hits.
12. Jamming: Roll a die when you activate in the attack phase. On a roll of 1 your turn ends.
13. Lag: Attacks against targets with Motion 3 or higher get +1TN.
14. Locked: When you rush, you cannot rotate before the move.
15. Recoil: +1TN with your main gun.
16. Stiff: Gain 1 extra Heat when rushing.
17. Stuffy: Roll each time a point of Heat would be lost. On a 1 or 2, it is not lost.
18. Sway: Test for a crash when taking 2 hits from an attack.
19. Toasty: Start with 1 Heat and never go below 1 Heat.
20. Twitchy: Attacks against targets with Motion 2 or less get +1TN.

Weapons

	Conventional (x2)	Special	Limited
1	AG1 ChaserBombard x2	AM1-T PlasmaCaster x2	AP1-TX Fusion Artillery x2
2	AB2 Howitzer	AP2-R CausticHammer	AM2-X IronRain
3	AP2 ImpactMortar	AG2-J BoltNeedles	AB2-JX StormBombs
4	LM1 TwinCannon x2	LP1-J ThunderLance x2	LG1-JX StingMissiles x2
5	LB1 AutoLaser x2	LG1-T HunterFlares x2	LM1-RX NanoReaper x2
6	LP2 Railgun	LM2-J VoltRifle	LB2-X ClusterPods
7	LG2 SeekerShells	LB2-R ToxAccelerator	LP2-TX Incinerator
8	SM1 FlakRepeater x2	SB1-T ScorchRounds x2	SG1-JX ShockNet x2
9	SG1 GyroGun x2	SM1-R AcidCarbine x2	SB1-RX RadGrenades x2
10	SP1 PulseBeam x2	SG1-R SludgeSpray x2	SM1-TX FlameBarrage x2
11	SM2 PhaserMatrix	SB2-J TetherShot	SP2-X IonCharges
12	SB2 FragBlaster	SP2-T HeatRay	SG2-RX RustRockets

Modules

01-05   Booster	41-45   P2 Piston	69-70   Conductor	85-86   Intake
06-10   Coolant	46-50   B2 Blade	71-72   Disruptor	87-88   Mesh
11-15   Gyro	51-55   G2 Grappler	73-74   ECM	89-90   Precog
16-20   Jet	56-60   M2 Mower	75-76   Emitter	91-92   Prism
21-25   Plate	61-62   Amplifier	77-78   Gravlock	93-94   Reflector
26-30   Radiator	63-64   Casing	79-80   Guardian	95-96   Shield
31-35   Rotor	65-66   Catalyst	81-82   Hotstepper	97-98   Tether
36-40   Servo	67-68   Cloak	83-84   Hoverdrive	99-100 Vent

Sprites by FinehatMandy, Austin, Gilded Knight,

Undead Drifter, Bunger, & Unexpected

Sprites

Find a sprite here that matches your mech. Feel free to explore the other folders, but any sprite from a folder numbered over 13 requires GM approval. These sprites are from the Factions sections of the Chop Shop at retrogrademinis.com. You can make custom sprites there too.

Upkeep

When calculating Maintenance & Repair costs:

• Weapons & Modules are worth 1 Mil each.
• AUs (sans modules & weapons) are worth 1 Mil each.
• MACs are worth 4 Mil per structure.
• MAC pilots (both PC & NPC) cost 2 Mil each.

Salaries are usually covered by maintenance.

Repair

Before each battle, your engineering team may repair up to 10 points of damaged or destroyed equipment. 1 Mil will fix 1 point.

If you are forced to retreat, you abandon any destroyed AUs and MACs. They can't be repaired until reobtained, perhaps by stealth or ransom.

Maintenance

After each battle, count the surviving cost of your forces (damaged modules count as destroyed). Divide by 4, rounding up - pay this much in Maintenance to keep your force functional.

To save money you may partially maintain your force - 1 Mil will maintain 4 points. Unmaintained equipment can't be used in combat.

Salvage

Missions may award salvage rights. These are usually for a limited number of points, due to either time constraints or employer greed. Undamaged equipment may be taken as is, but for damaged goods, first roll a d6.

1. Useless scrap.
2. Useless scrap.
3. Useful scrap, 1 point. Useful scrap can be spent to repair and maintain your force.
4. Useful scrap, 1 point. 2 points of useful scrap can be sold for 1 Mil.
5. Repairable.
6. Repairable.

Salvaged parts must be repaired or maintained before they can be used.

* The full PDF contains rules for randomly generating shitty mechs with limited gear - it's called Scrap Mode. The rules above are better for my purposes for a variety of reasons but damn, I probably should have used the ones in the book and saved myself the time.

† For me part of the joy of MAC Attack is making your list. These rules place severe restrictions on respecing your forces between engagements. In fact, they're designed to be so brutal that sometimes you'll need to go out into combat with damaged equipment or the shitty backup mech. Ultimately, not my problem - as the GM I can design the enemy lists with no restrictions. I get to enjoy list building and my players get to enjoy suffering!

‡ Names are placeholders until the players decide what to call themselves. I used Raven as a nod towards the Armored Core series.

Untested War Machines - House Rules & Pilots

I have discovered MAC Attack and am infatuated. It's a sleek mecha game in the spirit of BattleTech, efficient in its rules yet tactically and strategically complex. Genius in its simplicity.

So of course I'm going to pile a bunch of shit on top of it. 

The following aims to turn a 1v1 wargame into an RPG where several players each pilot a single mech, command auxiliaries, and manage their finances.

Part 1: House Rules & Pilots
Part 2: Starting Gear & Upkeep
Part 3: Mercenaries & Retainers

General House Rules

The first 2 come from the full PDF - the adjusted rules are reproduced here. The last 2 are my inventions. Inches have been converted into hexes.

Double Modules

MACs may insert 2 of the same kind of module into 1 slot. When a double module is damaged, treat 1 of these versions as being destroyed. A double weapon in module 1 treats both weapons as the main gun. Double expendable weapons can be fired a 2nd time only if they are undamaged.

Ejection

A pilot may eject from their MAC during the meltdown phase. If the MAC is about to be destroyed, they must first pass a system check (roll a # of dice equal to class, passing if any show 5+). If a MAC is destroyed outside of the meltdown phase or its Heat is 6 when it is destroyed, the pilot cannot eject and dies in the cockpit.

Ejected pilots land as an unarmed infantry AU d6 hexes away in a random direction. They cannot brawl. If they touch a friendly AU they may join with them, but they die if that unit is destroyed unless they roll a 4+ on a d6.

Up-Armored

PCs may elect to pilot a Class "1.3" or "2.3" MAC . They have 3 structure points, roll 3 dice for systems checks, and cost as much as a Class 3 MAC . In all other regards, they count as either Class 1 or 2.

Tactical Infinity

Players may propose novel movement or attacks, outside the scope of the MAC Attack rules. If the action is risky or the result uncertain, the player must roll a d12 under their relevant pilot score to succeed. Here are some examples.

Move - I pick up a section of the broken freeway and set it up as a barricade.

Move - As I move past I break the water tower, dousing the flames beneath.

Attack - I shoot the rock formation, collapsing it onto the MAC in this adjacent hex.

Attack - I shoot the unstable ground beneath the enemy's foot. Instead of damage, they must pass a system check or crash.

Attack - I rip the enemy's melee weapon out of their hands.

You can target specific modules by brawling, but not by shooting.

Pilots

Pilots have 5 stats - roll 1d6+3 for each. If you're playing in my game, use the variant rules below.

Stat	In Mech Use	Out of Mech Use
Agility	Kinesthetics, Broad Movement	Acrobatics, Melee
Precision	Aiming, Subtle Movement	Manual Dexterity
Reflex	Dodging, Held Actions	Reaction, Perception
Analysis	Sensors, E-Warfare	Deduction, Engineering
Grit	Endurance, G-Tolerance	Strength, Willpower

Advancement

At the beginning of downtime, make a skill check for each stat you failed a roll for. If you fail again, increase the stat by 1 (to a max of 11) - hard experience has taught you something.

My take on adapting pilots from Armored Core 6.

Variant Pilot Creation

MACs are piloted via inputs physical (buttons, throttles, joysticks) and neurological (neurohelm or nervejack). Using the latter effectively requires augmentation surgery. This procedure has a long history and many iterations. 

1st, 2nd, 5th, & 6th generation surgery is no longer practiced - the low survival rates don't justify the reduced costs. Such pilots are survivors of the original experiments. Most have spent decades in cryosleep.

Unaugmented pilot can't raise their stats over 10. Unlike augmented pilots, they require 1 week of training each to use new weapons & modules. Until then neuro-interference causes disadvantage on all MAC ability checks. Keep a record of the gear your pilot has learned to use.

Roll	Generation	Agility	Precision	Reflex	Analysis	Grit	Objective Age
1	None	3+1d4	3+1d4	3+1d4	4+1d4	6+1d4	Roll Again
2	1st	3+1d4	4+1d4	4+1d4	4+1d4	5+1d4	d10+125
3	2nd	3+1d6	4+1d4	4+1d4	2+1d6	4+1d6	d20+110
4-5	3rd	4+1d4	4+1d6	3+1d6	2+1d6	4+1d4	d120
6-8	4th	4+1d6	4+1d4	4+1d6	2+1d6	3+1d6	d100
9	5th	4+1d6	3+1d6	3+1d6	4+1d4	2+1d4	d6+55
10	6th	4+1d4	4+1d6	3+1d6	4+1d4	2+1d4	d6+50
11-12	7th	5+1d4	4+1d4	4+1d4	4+1d4	3+1d6	d50
13-15	8th	5+1d4	4+1d4	5+1d4	4+1d4	4+1d4	d40
16-18	9th	4+1d4	5+1d4	5+1d4	4+1d4	4+1d4	d20
19-20	10th	5+1d4	5+1d4	5+1d4	4+1d4	4+1d4	d6

If your stats sum under 33, you may add 1 point to any stat and 1d4 to your subjective age (this starts at 17+d20). Write a sentence on your character sheet about the conflict that educated you. You can add points until your subjective age equals your objective age. Your stats can't increase above 9 this way.

Side Effects

All generations are capable of producing side effect free pilots - PCs are assumed to be from this fortunate minority. NPC pilots are known for the following maladies.

1st to 4th gen pilots are known for losses of humanity. Symptoms include muteness, monomania, hearing static, hearing voices, longevity, overwhelming paranoia, & unrelenting bloodlust. Pilots are often left unable to feel one or more of the following emotions: anger, compassion, desire, disgust, excitement, fear, guilt, happiness, interest or sadness. In extreme cases pilots are nearly catatonic - they are capable of piloting their mech and little else. 

5th & 6th gen pilots are known for grisly deformities. Pick one or more stats - the pilot has disadvantage on all rolls outside of their mech.

7th to 10th gen pilots are mostly side effect free. Their odious personalities are usually their own doing.

Call Signs

Amongst the Raven Mercenary Company*, pilots are assigned temporary callsigns from the military alphabet by order of seniority. After a pilot survives 3 missions, a permanent callsign is assigned by the other pilots (usually while drunk) via US Air Force rules:

The Three Rules of Callsigns

1. If you don't already have one, you will be assigned one by your "buddies".
2. You probably won't like it.
3. If you complain and moan too much about 1 and 2, you'll get a new nickname you'll like even less!

Check out the website for a hearty mix of humor and toxic masculinity. Here are a few illustrative examples:

TREAD - Last name Saufley.
FISH - Drank a lot.
ELSA - Despite warnings, fell into a frozen lake.
IMAX - Pilot with a massive forehead.
ZEUS - Stands for Zero Effort Unless Supervised.

* This name is a placeholder until the players name themselves.