MEST Tactics :: Fillable character sheet

I uploaded a editable PDF for MEST Tactics. 

see via https://sites.google.com/site/mesttactics/downloads?authuser=0

An interactive PDF

It supports up to three characters at a time, and performs some minor calculations.

1. Click each row to import a 1:1 (square) image. About 150 x 150 pixels.
2. Provide all Weapons, Armor, and Equipment information including all traits.
3. Provide the BP value for the Archetype as fBP.
4. Provide the BP for each Item as BP.
5. When everything is finished, click the CALCULATE button.

The button will do the following:

1. Sum all of the BP values and insert it as a total BP value for the profile.
2. Determine the amount of burden experienced by the profile, showing one or more dots beneath the CCA, REF, and MOV traits.

There's rows for 4 weapons and 2 items, and so you'll need to combine the items. I'll alter this at a later time as I continue to improve the format.

Instructions are on the document itself. Here's what a complete form looks like when printed out:

Example of 3 characters created using the interactive PDF.

MEST Tactics :: Update

 

Overview

These are the recent changes to the QSR.

MEST Tactics Edits

I went through the rules again, and made many refinements.  at https://sites.google.com/site/mesttactics/change-lists/change-list-2-x

There were also Core rules edits as well, but this post focusses on the changes which affect the Quick Start Rules accessed via the Downloads section.

Actions - [ changes ]

1. Wait - Allow this to be acquired for 2 AP if not Outnumbered. This includes while Engaged.

Situational Test Modifiers - [ corrections ]

1. High Ground - Changed to benefits Disengage and Hit Test. Should not benefit the Damage Test.
2. Outnumber - Altered to be +1 Wild die at 1, 2, 5, or 10 additional Friendly models, instead of per Friendly model.
3. Obscured - Altered to be -1 Modifier die at 1, 2, 5, or 10 other models along LOF to target, include within 1 MU of LOF beyond target. This adjusts Friendly Fire.
4. Friendly Fire - [ correction ] Altered with Obscured. Friendly Fire should include non-combatants, and Opposing models. It should limited to just those which cross LOF, unless beyond the target then it is within 1 MU of LOF. 

Movement - [ changes ]

1. Repositioning - [ correction ] It must be a location within LOS that could have been reached if it were to perform a 2 AP Move action. It can be into base-contact or LOS of the Active model.  The entire path to this repositioned location must not cross into LOS of Opposing models not involved with the action. 
2. Agility - [ clarification ] The amount of repositioning allowed is reduced by the amount of Agility used.

Other - [ changes ]

1. In-Hand - [ correction ] Affects Fiddle Tests, and the very next Test when interrupted, when using too many Hands. 
2. Stealthy X - [ changed ] Updated to allow repositioning up to X x 2 MU instead of X x 1 MU. I think this will make for a more thematic behavior.

Another MEST Tactics update

I received a few proof-copies of my MEST Tactics :: Quick Start Rules. 

Overview

These are the near-identical rules available at the MEST Tactics downloads page. The difference is that these have some full-color pictures!

• Each of these are 40-pages long. High-quality paper.
• The Front is full-color.
• The Back is a reference chart for Situational Test Modifiers.

I'm not sure if I want to make it an illustration or a painting instead of using a simple cropped-shot of some figurines. 

As for cost; these are really affordable compared to the 200-page Core rules book. The shipping cost is still a crazy $10 USD or so.

Outside Art proof-print version

Interior layout. 

A very brief set of Archetypes to choose.

Long-term

I got them printed via The Game Crafter, but I haven't decided on making them available for purchase either there or some place such as Wargames Vault. I'm not sure of pricing, availability, and others logistics factors. 

I'm not sure if I want to have a Kickstarter or Indiegogo or GameFound campaign.

MEST Tactics :: Core Rules > 2nd attempt

 

Perfect-bound MEST Tactics 

So, I ordered and received my second copy of the MEST Tactics :: Core Rules. I'm nervous about using it too much for now, but I did take some pictures.

I'll check the quality with my co-developer this weekend. If the quality is still poor, then I will see about either continuing with The Game Crafter and making the perfect-bound smaller by having two books or just going for hard-cover version via Kindle publishing.

Here's pictures.

Exterior. 200 pages. Perfect-bound, soft-cover.

Side shot. About 0.50-inches thick for 200 pages. These are very thick pages.

Interior shot. The print color and page thickness is very high quality.

MEST Tactics :: Core Book proof-print

Perfect-bound MEST Tactics 

So, I received my proof-print of the MEST Tactics :: Core rules book. 

The exterior looks nice enough. The interior as well, though I think I could improve on the light ramp for most of the images ... they appear too dark in some placed.

A couple of observations:

1. Pages were falling out.
2. Text is larger-than-average for similar TTWG game books.

Letter to The Game Crafter

The Core Rules are about 200 pages in length. Lots of interior pictures, all of which illustrate the various rules in the game. I got this idea from the 3rd edition rules for "The Flames of War" game and I thought it would really help new players learn the game system.

The rules are perfect-bound in this case, and at 200 pages it is the maximum allowed for such a format by The Game Crafter. It is about 0.53-inches thick and the pages are glued to the book cover.

When I lay the book down with it opened, the pages started to come out (see below). As a result, I send a letter to The Game Crafter for suggestions and my options for recompense (if any).

I think that I'll need to re-think my package strategy for the rules. I am already considering Amazon's Kindle Publishing because they offer a hard-cover option and allow up to 500 (OMG) pages. I think I'll limit my books through them to be 250 or 224 or whatever. Most of the back of the books would be charts and tables regardless. For Missions, Scenarios, Archetypes, and maybe some print-and-play tokens and cards.

Text Larger-than-Average

I looked at my copies of Frostgrave and Malifaux. The first by Osprey Publishing, and the latter by Wyrd Games. I've been using Microsoft Cambria11-point and it looks very big. Actually, pleasant for a person my age and visual acuity, but about 20% to 30% larger than those other two books.

I may just keep the text that large as I think the market audience will likely be my age group (Gen X and Millenials). I'm not sure, of course, but I think the younger generation is more "casual-gamer" types if they were to play boardgames at all. Especially a game which requires collecting and painting figurines and terrain (for now ... though I think that will eventually change).

Next Steps

I'll continue editing the Core Rules book. It will be multiple tasks. In no order, these are:

• Redo the layout to fit the larger dimensions of Kindle Publishing. Not much change, but it is a labor-intensive process even when using Adobe InDesign.
• See about improving the light ramps on thoses images. This I can do with a macro, but I'd need to get another proof-print. Likely through Kindle Publishing.

Near Future Tasks

Done

• Create Tactics cards. 
• Create tokens and marker set.
• Create Grimoire Basic cards.
• CreateAgenda cards.
• Create Resource cards.
• Create Dunjon of Death tile cards.
• Create full-color layout of Core rules play-test. (see above)

Work-in-progress

• Create full-color layout of Core rules final version.
• Create full-color layout of Expansion rules.
• Create 2D play-set for Fantasy Genre characters.
• Create rules for Dunjon of Death genre book.

Queue

• Create Dunjon of Death tiles.

This is the most daunting set of tasks. I'll create the final rendition of the various genre and settings. The low-hanging fruit are those which I've already worked on, but I'll need to make them solid. For those of you following this (intermittently updated) blog, you'll know them fairly well. 

The first genre and setting books will be the Dunjon of Death. That's the one which is a work-in-progress. I'll see about maybe adding Of Werewolves and Tesla Coils, Retropocalypse, or some others. 

After I get everything ready, I'll see about a Kickstarter campaign. Maybe a total of another year for all of the above? I'll see about hitting Summer 2024.

Perfect-bound Exterior

Interior. Pages are falling out.

The Sarna Len Campaign

 I've been working on this role-playing game design for several years.

The background setting goes back to my first homebrew derived from Dungeons & Dragons, first edition. I think it was a brown box with a white label for the front. I don't have it anymore. The point is, this was from a long time ago.

The Old Homebrew

It wasn't pure D&D. I liked the spellcasting points system that Tunnels & Trolls had, and like a magpie added that to my homebrew. Over time, the setting grew. I remember vaguely that the players, my middle-school and high-school friends, got up
to level 8. Across maybe five years? I was sort of stingy on the whole XP thing. 

The game and setting went across several hands when I entered the Marines. I took over the setting when I returned and expanded it further, as a magpie would, by including ideas from GURPS, Cyberpunk, BRP for Call of Cthulhu, and some BTRC stuff from Time Lords. In 1992 I finished it and  named it FYBS (as in the "white-lie", for fanciful story-telling). 

With FYBS I created several settings ranging from post-apocalyptic to amazon-warrior to cyberpunk to a couple of others, including my Superhero 2044 setting. Another setting was for, of course, Sarna Len, my low-fantasy fantasy campaign.

Thus Sprang Forth DXD

The Old Sarna Len Campaign

For about six years now, maybe 10 to 20 gaming sessions a year, I've been entertaining my nephews and nieces in this "make-believe with rules" hobby. I took lots of notes, re-examined my hand-written rules from the earlier homebrew and FYBS incarnations, and built out DXD. DXD "dice by dice" is the game engine for Sarna Len. Sarna Len being "red deer" in the Polish language. Reasons.

DXD is the RPG ('role-playing game") engine which is derived from my development of MEST Tactics. It expands the Attribute line of MEST Tactics with two more attributes; "PER Persuasion" and "KNO Knowledge". Furthermore, it broadens the stat values from 1-2-3-4 for human normal ability range to 7-10-13-16 within DXD. This required a differet dice system and several other big changes, such as how spellcasting is managed. Regardless, I am stating that this setting goes back more than 40 years (summer 1976 until now 2022) and I've got something new. Maybe a better system than my earlier iterations.

To MEST and Back Again

The effort is cross-platform. As I build out Sarna Len, I take those concepts to build out the default settings for MEST Tactics. Although I don't have such things yet ready for presentation, I have been working on and play-testing several Sarn Len modules for MEST Tactics. This includes "Sarna Len :: Dunjon of Death" and also "Sarna Len :: The Black Gates of Hüyük". One is the underworld ("Dunjon of Death") and the other is the overlands above the underworld which lead into it ("The Black Gates").

To Do

I've got lots to do. Too much. Really, too much.

• Finish Spells list
• Finish Lore and Setting. Probably need to break this entire section out into a separate volume.
• Finish Magic Items lists.
• Finish Bestiary. I need to convert from MEST Tactics, but then there are new entries, soo ...
• Finish editing. This is really hard to do.
• Add Hirelings and NPCs. Sort of like D66 Warriors, D66 Knights, D66 Wizards, etc.
• Add illustrations. I am really glad for Midjourney.
• Probably dozens if not hundreds of other things. I have notes everywhere.

I think that I'll need to build a quick-start.

Maybe when everything is ready, it will be 500+ pages. It's already 300 pages, and that is without  diagrams, or illustrations. Wow. I am now definitely thinking two if not three volumes.

For More Information

See more about this on the microsite at:

https://sites.google.com/site/sarnalen

MEST Tactics :: v.2.83.55

Matter-Energy-Space-Time

Here are some updates to MEST Tactics. I'm nearly ready to extract the primary game into a Quick Start rules and begin building out series of illustrated instructions. 

I've expanded the semver to include minor updates. It is now the version 2.83.55 rules which are up on the link.

The changes don't have page numbers because I've been moving the sections and paragraphs around. I recognize that I still need to work on the Interconnect System and will likely break that out into smaller sections.

STANDARD GAME

Moved Overreach into the Performing Close Combat section, and simplified.

• Clarified Leaning and moved that into sections for Terrain and Range Combat.
• Specify that voluntarily Exiting the battlefield doesn't make a model Eliminated
• Bonus Actions are returned to v1.x; cascades spent don't affect Damage created.
• Added Oversized Weapons and Armor block under Additonal Concerns section
• Clarified Improvised Weapons by adding a block under For Attacks section
• Clarified Laden and Armor Rating by adding a section under Some Important Traits section
• Added Concerted Attack variation for Group Actions.
• Collated the Hindrance types for Blinded, Heat, and Cold under Expanded Effects
• Added Counter-spells for the Magic System.

OPTIONAL RULES

• Added Tricky Terrain into an Exotic Environments section for Optional Rules.
• Moved Variable Weather from the Environs section, since removed, into Exotic Environments.
• Added Planetary Variations into Exotic Environments.
• Added Truly Hindered, Weapon Breakages, Motivated by Fear into Rules Adjustment.
• Simplified Sweeping Attack, Disarm, Subdue under New Bonus Actions
• Simplified Hurl, Slam, Drag, and Hold under under New Thematic Actions
• Added Apex & Free-fall under New Thematic Actions
• Simplified Noise rules a bit by re-adding [Reveal] where needed, and using [Noisy X] less.
• Added Fantastic Energys to Noise section so as to intergrated Fantastic Items rules
• Moved Element Destruction into Optional Rules
• Expanded and clarified Mission Elements, and re-arranged Standard Missions layout.
• Expanded Objective Markers, VIPs, and POIs.
• Rewrote the first 9 Missions to match new Standard Missions layout.
• Added Campaign Game rules with three basic formats. Included Elan and Postmortems.

INTERCONNECT SYSTEM

• Moved the Customization rules into their own section.
• Create the Interconnect System section.
• Clearly tied Champions, the Reputation trait, with Levels-of-Absurdity and Time-lines.
• Expanded Factions to include Organizations.
• Added Archetype Availabilty lists to Factions.
• Expanded the Medical Postmortems rules.
• Clarified and simplified the Allegiance Diagrams to incorporate Availabilty lists.
• Added Loyalty checks.

TRAITS

• [Automaton] - Clarified Automaton vs. Machine vs. Mindless
• [Blackpowder] - Simplified tremendously.
• Amphibious - Expanded to work with Tricky Terrain for Shalows, Deeps, and Rapids
• Believer - Clarified and simplified Believer, Charismatic, Hatred, Comrade
• Brawl X - Generalized to award +X cascades for any Bonus Actions
• Celerity X - Rephrased to be simpler and more clear.
• Disrupt X - Simplified
• Horrifying X - Simplified
• Infect X - Added. Useful as a post-Mission effect.
• Leadership X - Simplified by removing the INT + X Turns benefit.
• Multi-target X - Added. For Range Combat.
• Mythos - Re-wrote Mythos, Outsider, Invader to exclude each other
• Night-vision X - Re-wrote into Night-vision X to allow gradations
• Reach X - Re-wroteto better handle SIZ 4+ models
• Sensors X - Clarified
• Splash - Added Splash > Trait. For throwing bags or glass bottles of Acid or Fire or whatever.
• Surefooted X - Repointed. It is still very powerful on very cluttered battlefields.
• Tactics X - Simplified by removing the INT + X Turns benefit.

ARCHETYPES & ITEMS

• Re-pointed many Archetypes
• Re-wrote Common Packages & Upgrades to match the ones used for Variant archetypes
• Expanded Archaic Equipment List
• Expanded Modern Equipment List
• Added Near Future Explosives List

PLAY-AIDES

• Clarified and re-wrote as necessary Tactics cards.
• Clarified and re-wrote as necessary Spell cards.
• Clarified and re-wrote as necessary Resource cards.
• Clarified and re-wrote as necessary Agendas.

MEST Tactics :: Update to v2.83

Here are some minor updates to MEST Tactics.

Matter-Energy-Space-Time

The version 2.83 rules are up on the link. Here are the recent updates to the rules:

• page 14 > Spear should be shown on this page as 37 BP instead of 27 BP, and the attributes should instead be Damage STR +2m instead of Damage STR +1m. 
• page 25 > Added that Mission Attacker may state to win Initiative Tests on ties but receive zero cascades. Added Optimized which provides +1 Base die on Turn 1 Initiative Test if starting Mission with an Assembly that has the fewest BP. Also, the Mission Defender chooses the battlefield edge which to deply their own Assembly.
• page 26 > Recover and Revive applies SIZ Delay tokens, and convert all but 2 into Wound tokens. This makes revived characters be prone to KO'd again.
• page 29 > Hindrances of both models affect Revive.
• page 36 > Reposition and Disengage use the reposition keyword instead of the move keyword.
• page 38 > Clarified that Charge movement disallows direction changes.
• page 43 > Convert GP to IP altered to 2 GP for 1 IP. An IP converts to 1 GP plus 1 per IP.
• page 51 + 52 > Spell Mastery stacking. This wasn't clear and must have been removed during an earlier update; that acquiring multiple copies of the same Spell increases the Mastery Level.
• page 66 > Simplified Busy status under the Optional Rules. I'll need to check this in play-testing and see if it is something which should move into the Advanced Rules. 
• page 112 > Revised Mission 1 and Mission 2 to be more interesting. Revised VP conditions to have four goals instead of three. Play-testing is much more interesting now for Mission 2.
• page 141 > Addicted X updated to include Hallucenogenics. 
• page 148 > Burn X and Confuse X simplified.
• page 156 > Poison X simplified.

MEST :: Play-aides > Tokens and Markers

Overview

I received a nice gift to myself in the mail today !

My prototype for the MEST Tokens and Markers kit arrived. These kit has two types of components; laser-cut 3mm MDF (thick card-board) for the markers, and acrylic tokens with laser-cut stickers for the tokens.

This actually is the physical set, as I have been using Tabletop Simulator to employ the digital versions for about 6 months now. I will likely need to adjust the proportions of the kinds of markers which I'll need as I can already determine that there's maybe too much of one kind or another. Something like this doesn't come easy to my mind when I'm designing the art, and the reality of it in physical form undeniable. I looked at the spacing of the slugs shown and I think I can have more images per sheet and maybe one or two fewer sheets. I am WIP for adjusting this.

Pictures

I'll just upload the lot of these for thumbing through. There will be small comment blocks for each, but I'll summarize way below in paragraph form.

Two sets of 3 slugs.

Slug 1. An 8-MU ruler, a Scatter Diagram, some Resource markers, and two Transfixed with 5 Acid markers. I think the Scatter Diagram is nice but could benefit from having a 30mm hole at the center within that red ring. I'll have to try it out.

Slug 2. Left-to-right are 5 Burned markers, 4 Poisoned markers, 7 ROF/Suppression markers, 2 Emplaced/Fire-lan markers, 3 Out-of-Ammo/Jammed markers, 6 Hidden markers, 3 Victory Point tokens, 4 Initiative Point tokens. The tokens are kept in hand instead of positioned near a model.

Slug 3. Top-to-bottom. 9 Go Point tokens, 9 Objective Markers [ Yellow/Red-or-Blue ], 9 Delay markers, 9 Wound markers, 9 Fear markers. 

Top-to-Bottom. 24 Done markers, a slug of stickers, 24 Wait markers. I got an extra Wait (clear) disc with my purchase. 

A note which came with each slug. I sort of crumpled it, but the message is essentially "this stuff has soot and will smell". The soot is also sort of hard to clean, but I used a wipe and did my best. Be sure to clean your fingers after you finish handling these laser-cut elements as well.

The kit's very flat 3mm-thick MEST Ruler at the bottom. A bit flimsy but serviceable. The five green sticks above are hand-made and I like them much better. I think with the final published rules what I will do is have a small section or small booklet on hobby crafts.

At the left are my home-made Initiative Point tokens. At the right are the laser-cut ones. The home-made ones are hefty wood. There was close option for that at the Game Crafter made from 3mm plastic but it would have required even more stickers.

Left are my Go Point tokens, Right are the laser-cut ones. Again, the home-made ones are hefty because they are stickers on wood. There was no equivalent for the size on the Game Crafter except for some thick laser-cut acrylic at 25mm. But it would have been too fancy in comparison to the more "valuable" IP tokens above.

Here's where the laser-cut stuff begins to be more impressive. These are Wound markers and I like the nice size for the ones at the right with the inset artwork.

Fear markers. The skull on the yellow laser-cut markers are very nice.

Delay markers. Nothing shouts "Distracted" as a nice donut with a line through it.

Hidden markers. The laser-cut markers are nice in comparison to the gemstones on the left.

At the left are the Out-of-Ammo! [ top ] and Jammed! [ bottom ] home-made markers which are stickers printed from my color laser-printer affixed to 0.75-inch bingo chips. At the right are the laser-cut ones from the kit which look much better to me. A bit smaller as well.

These are the Burned markers. The laser-cut ones are the correct size for a Hindrance identifier. I've been using them in my play-testing and the home-made ones are just too big.

These are Poisoned markers. Like Burned, Delayed, Wound, and Fear these are Hindrance identifiers and are all the same small size. At the left is my too-large home-made version.

These are the ROF and Suppression markers. At the right these are double-sided with the top ones being ROF. Those are placed and then are flipped to the bottom image to represent Suppression.

I am really happy with this one. At the left is my single home-made Confused marker. At the right are the laser-cut versions. The top is a Confused marker, and the bottom is a Transfixed marker. Both are Hindrance identifiers.

Out of all of items from the kit, these Done tokens and the Wait tokens below are my favorites! At the left are my home-version as a big blue glass bead. At the right are the acrylic discs with stickers on them. I've been using this version via Tabletop Simulator.

The Wait tokens. At the left are my clear glass beads. At the right are the acrylic discs with stickers on them. These discs are the same diameter but thinner than the blue Done tokens and are meant to be stacked together when positioned next to a model.

Summary

I really like the new laser-cut kit and the acrylic tokens. I think it provides an professional quality to any MEST Tactics enthusiast and I hope to make them available to others soon. Players won't need to purchase these and may always use their own set of home-made markers and tokens just as I have done. 

I designed the kit to allow enough markers and tokens for up to 24 models. This number is I think the largest any MEST Tactics game could comfortably manage. It certainly is the limit I've experienced when I've hosted bashes at my work-place and at the gaming conventions.

I looked over my proportions for each of the markers and I think I could make some adjustments on their numbers. I think I provided too many Delay and Fear markers and I could use the excess when I re-jigger the counts to become additional Burned, Poisoned, or Transfixed markers instead.

With the custom cards, the custom dice, and these custom markers, I have nearly everything I need to start focusing on a specific setting. I'll discuss that soon and lay out my next steps.

How everything looks together.

MEST :: Play-aides > Cards

Overview

I created several decks of cards via The Game Crafter for use with MEST Tactics. I received them a while back but apparently I've never shared them. These are meant to be used with the game system and increase the re-playability extensively.

I have not yet created the tuck-boxes but when I do, these will be available for downloads and also via the Noble Pursuits TGC shopping portal ... which for now is not yet public. Older versions of the cards are available at the Google Sites URL at https://sites.google.com/site/mesttactics/downloads

Pictures

The entire set

All decks for MEST 2.x bagged.

Agenda deck. These are used with the Faction rules.

Resource deck. These can be used in conjunction with Objective Markers. Use with Scholars.

Spell deck. These for use by Sorcerers.

Tactics deck. For use with Tacticians.

Not Much

I finished moving my home and setting up my man-cave shed. 

Here's a first picture of my gaming table with some goofing around. 

A corner street in an older neighborhood.

Update 2020-11-21 on MEST 2.x

 It has been a crazy year. Shelter-in-place. Crazy Presidential Election. And other new and strange
things not worth mentioning here.

These are further notes as of 2020-11-20 regarding the draft file at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw91639XP2nbemNLaE1Ib3N4b28/view?usp=sharing

OVERVIEW

MEST Tactics is a core rules book for battles across matter, energy, time, and space. It forms the basic foundation for multiple settings and genres ranging from Dark Fantasy, Gothic Horror, Victorian Sci-fi, Pulp Action, and Post-apocalyptic Survival.

A new Overview section near the start of the rules outlines the wars across the fabric of reality and introduces the idea of Thought Beings which use the players of the game as proxies for their many battles.

This serves a background for the use of character progression, Champions, Factions, and the Campaign system.

ARCHETYPES

Here are these Archetypes in concise format showing Build Point costs (BP), and their stat-lines for Close Combat Ability [CCA], Range Combat Ability [RCA] Reflexes [REF], Intelligence [INT], Willpower [POW], Strength [STR], Fortitude [FOR], Movement [MOV], and Size [SIZ].

Concise format show them in this triplet set;

CCA-RCA-REF | INT-POW-STR | FOR-MOV-SIZ

Common Archetypes

The are now 5 Common Archetypes which are types of unit profiles which are most frequently available and used within each game session. These are in order of capabilities; Untrained, Militia, Average, Veteran, and Elite. 

Untrained 012|211|223
Humanoid. 7 BP.

Militia 122|221|223
Humanoid. 20 BP.

Average 222|222|223
Humanoid. 30 BP.

Veteran 333|232|223
Humanoid. 61 BP.
Grit.

Elite 333|333|333
Humanoid. 129 BP.
Grit. Fight. Shoot.

• Untrained represent civilians and other non-combatants. 
• Militia represent conscripted fighters, green military, and poorly-trained combatants.
• Average are the regular troops; the most commonly encountered combatant.
• Veteran are the salty-dogs and experienced fighters. They've seen things.
• Elite are the crack warriors, the best of the best. Highly proficient at skirmish warfare.

Specialist Archetypes

I've added new Specialist Archetypes; the Healer, and the Agent. 

Healer 012|232|223
Humanoid. 52 BP.
Heal. Medic. Grit.

Agent 132|232|223
Humanoid. 38 BP.
[Solitary]. Grit.

• Healers receive the Healer X trait which provides +X Wild dice for the Revive action. Cascades can be spent to remove Fear, Burn, and Poison tokens as well as remove the normal Delay and Wound tokens.
• Agents are terrible at Close Combat, but are better than Average at Range Combat and have higher FOR representing their increased survivability. 

TRAITS

There are 245 traits covering all periods, ages, settings, and genres. There are 38 Disabilities and 128 Abilities in total. These are now given one or more of the 14 keywords so that they can be used with the Character Progression system. Skills represent 60 of the traits, and there are 79 traits associated with Vehicles, Weapons, Armor, and Equipment. 

Here's an example of a new Trait which can be used with any character;

Arcane <Item> — Asset. Magic. Any Armor, Equipment, or Tool may be prefixed with this classifier as part of its name and will function as though the character has that item.

An Arcane Musket could be a regular Musket but it now can be something not sculpted on the model. Essentially it functions as the Conceal trait, but can be Dispelled. 

ROF [Rate-of-Fire] Attacks

The [Feed] and [Jam] traits are removed from the ROF X trait. This allows ROF X to be assigned to Weapons which are not machine pistols or rifles such as Rapid Fire Crossbow.

Situational Test Modifiers

Surprise has been renamed to Suddenness because there are some WIP rules for "Surprise" status now. 

Situational Awareness

This is an advanced rule that ensures that any player's Designated Leader needs to be able to see (have in Line-of-Sight or LOS) at least half the members of their Assembly. It is tweaked now to work better with the Radio X trait by creating a range limit to those members.

ACTIONS

A new feature is Consecutive for consecutive attempts against identical conditions. This is beneficial mostly for Fiddle actions though it could arise for use in combat situations.

Hide has been made more consistent in that all Hidden models may reposition up to MOV x 1" if any Opposing models moves within LOS. Before this was limited to being within Cohesion. Hidden models target by Indirect Range Attacks may always reposition but not lose their status.

Fear Tests

A character performs at most a single Fear Test per Turn. This helps with being targeted by Mythos creatures such as Deep Ones, and also from being subject to multiple Tests when attacked successfully by multiple Opposing models.

Bonus Actions

Cascades are now required to be spent to use a Bonus Action afte a Hit or Damage Test. The Push-back and the Pull-back Bonus actions benefit from spending two or more cascades when the Opposing model has a higher Physicality. Having zero cascades remaining afterwards disallows the Damage Test from being performed.

Passive Player Options

Whenever the Attacker fails the Combat Hit Test, the target character may perform a Bonus Action and acquire a Delay token. The character must of course be Ordered Attentive, in Wait status, or have higher REF.

REACT ACTIONS

Cleaned up lots of phrasing. A Ready Ordered Attentive character within Visibility and LOS of the Active model may also perform a React action without needing a Wait token.

ADVANCED GAME

This has many new additions and rephrasings.

SUPPRESSION

I think this is near-perfect now. Still needs a bit more play-testing. Models with ROF weapons may now choose to perform a Suppression Attack against a target location. If Attentive they'll receive an additional Suppression marker to place if one is already placed for the current Action.

FANTASTIC ITEMS

Several new keywords known as "Classifiers" are available to assign to Weapons, Armor, and Equipment to increase the flexibility of those items. These classifiers function similar to synonyms but have light-weight rules defining their benefits. The new classifiers are; Arcane, Energy, Etheric, MEMSic, and Psychic. With this, the standard Medium Shield could become an Arcane Shield, Energy Shield, Etheric Shield, MEMSic Shield, or even Psychic Shield.

LIGHTING

This has been a headache for a some time but I think it is now near-perfect. It is very granular as presented and so I'll need to create a Basic Game version. The Light X trait of a Flaming Torch (Light 4) or Basic Lantern (Light 6) creates Visibility OR equal to Light X, and provides +2, +4, and +6 for being Ordered Attentive, in Wait status, or in base-contact with it or when holding it. Models in LOS but further away provide a Visibility OR equal to the Light X but with a drop-off of 1-2-3-4-5 at distances greater than 1-2-3-4-6-8 MUs.

MAGIC SYSTEM

This is still big work-in-progress. Most of it is in note form which I need to transfer into the core rules document and make it look pretty. The skeleton of this is place within the document now.

INTERCONNECT GAMES

This a simplification of many hundreds of hours of notes and sub-rules. The key introduction is the Technological Periods and Ages are now defined. These Periods and Ages constrain which Weapons, Armors, and Equipment are available for any given setting.

Experience Points

Still a work-in-progress. It now ties into the Thought Beings concept and works primarily to create Champions though non-Champion characters can also benefit from this section.

Skills Acquisitions

Using the new keywords such as Skill and Psychology aides in identifying which Traits can be improved using Experience Points [ XP ]. A standard way of determining how much XP is necessary to increase the level of that Trait. Answer is usually several Missions. Attributes may also be improved with the application of XP.

Champions

Players control characters within Assemblies and resolve combat using Missions. Those characters can be promoted to Champions which are a sort of collection of bonuses representing a psychic spirit which inhabits physical hosts that are each character. 

Characters which are not Champions are not managed by the player and can change-out between sessions. 

Champions gain a Reputation X trait which behaves similar to Fear X but operates within LOS. The more powerful a Champion becomes the more likely it will want to flee the current reality and escape the control of the player.

Conclusion

There's a bunch of more things in the draft rules, and I'll continue to get them play-tested and cleaned-up. Until next time!

WIP 28mm Farmhouse

I've always wanted to craft a farmhouse building for my Mythos genres for use by MEST. Recently, I've decided to start using my 3D printer for creating small terrain elements and this farmhouse project was a good a place as any.

Printed Items

I either altered the original STL files from thingiverse.com using Blender, or I crafted them directly. 

• Doors
• Windows 
• Stairs
• Ladders
• Roof

The Farmhouse

These are various shots of the work-in-progress. I will provide an update once it is painted.

The exterior shot with two 28mm figures. These are Pulp Figures minis, I think. The tiny half-wheel is 3D printed. Blue-foam is nice for shaping, but is very brittle.

The ground floor. The three doors swing open and close. The staircase is removable.

Also removable are the inner walls. This will allow me greater utility for how to use the floor.

Close-up of the second floor. The roof is 3D-printed. It is "good enough" for tabletop. The windows are also 3D-printed.

Inside the second floor. The staircase doesn't quite align with the ingress of the floor, but it works for me! The two large windows are 3D-printed.