Rogue Space - MECHS: Update 3

Today I will preview some of the optional rules for MECHS. Again these are rules that I really couldn't bring myself to get rid of. They offer excellent options for different playstyles and equipment, but they bloated the game a little at its core. Again I highly recommend using them, but you can still have an awesome mechs roleplaying experience without them.

Disabling Gear and Weapons (Optional)
Sometimes whenever a mech takes damage, one of its weapons or gear gets disabled. Whenever damage is marked on a part, you roll to check if the attached gear or weapon gets disabled. Roll 1d6, and if the result is 1 or 2, the gear or weapon on that part is disabled.

A repair test can me made to restore a disabled gear or weapon. It takes 2 rounds to do so. A Repairing test can also be performed by a player to its own mech while inside to temporarily bring back a disabled gear or weapon. It should be up to the referee for the TN of the Repairing test and how long the effect will last.

Sometimes your equipment or weapons could get disabled when you take damage, mostly from a lucky shot. It's not always from just getting the entire part destroyed. This is my way of simulating that.

Damaging Pilots (Optional)
Whenever a torso piece is hit and takes damage after armor roll, the pilot can take damage as well. When you roll to check if any gear or weapon gets disabled on the torso, a roll of 1 damages the pilot, and a roll of 2 disables the torso’s weapon or gear. When the pilot takes damage it is treated as Light damage, and bypasses the pilot’s worn armor. When a mech’s torso part is destroyed, it deals Heavy damage to the pilot, and bypasses the pilot’s worn armor.

With enough damage, a pilot can get rattled around pretty hard. Sometimes there's electronic feedback or a fire started in the cockpit. Bypassing pilot's armor adds a sense of danger. I wanted pilots to feel that piloting a mech is still very dangerous, and players should not feel disconnected from the chaos of battle.

Boosting (Optional)
Scientific tests can be performed by the pilot while inside a mech to boost a system temporarily. This represents the pilots creative manipulation of systems. Boosting a system takes a Scientific test, and the TN is 8 minus the system’s score. (8-System=Boost TN) A successful boost increases the system’s score by 1 until the end of its next turn. Referees should use discretion when letting players boost their systems. Perhaps allow Technicians to do it more often than other archetypes, or make it progressively harder each attempt.

I am especially proud of this one. This is mostly for Technicians. I didn't want players to think playing a Warrior or Rogue was the only way to go if you were to be a mech pilot, I wanted more options for Techies as well. It would only make sense that those geniuses would know how to manipulate their systems and a mech to squeeze the best out of them as possible. A higher number in a system means it's easier to boost as well, making it ideal for boosting.

Next week I will preview the mech construction rules.