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.