Custom wargames

[Black Hydra]

I'm creating this thread in the interest of those who want to share ideas for their own wargames. Stuff already being developed, stuff you wish there were games for, etc. I already have the Astral Conquest blog going but I'll be discussing it here as I develop it.

[Black Hydra]

Since Astral Conquest already has a synopsis on the other thread (it needs updating though), I'll tell you guys about "Herofall", a smaller scale game I have planned.

Basically it takes place in a somewhat near future Earth where super powers exist. Either through mutations, cybernetics, gene therapy, etc. And yes there are people with just gadgets along with good old fashioned martial arts (including spirit energy attacks). The list also (tentatively) includes demons, shamans, magic users, and so forth. The point of the game is to create your league how you want it. And you pit your guys and gals against other players' teams. The model count isn't very high. I don't plan it on getting any higher than 15 models at the most. Though you can switch up your team roster for the most varied games.

Gameplay is very different from Astral Conquest, as each model can be activated and will a certain number of action points. These can be influenced through the use of abilities or special characteristics available to the model. Say for example a character similar to the Hulk has the ability to continue generating action points so long as he hits someone. Once he fails to hit someone he stops generating points. Obviously that is a very rough idea and no proper mechanics have been made just yet. Other models will be able to help each other out. Such as someone who has Empathy will be able to spur on his/her teammates by adding 1 action point to anyone in a 6" or maybe 12" radius, though the Empath has to expend an action point themselves to do that.

I was also considering adding Chain attacks. Rather than models being activated alone, you will be able to activate them together for minor special bonuses. Don't fear though. Phases will be interlinked like in Astral Conquest. Rather than have player 1 move and shoot, then player 2 repeat, the phases will be separated. Player 1 moves then Player 2 moves. Then Player 1 does the Action phase, then Player 2 follows. Astral Conquests movement and battle phases follow the same format (for now until playtesting can confirm this works) but that'll be discussed later.

The use of phases in this way, I believe, keeps everyone on their toes. You don't react to the player's actions but to their movements. It keeps you guessing and wondering whether to go far range or close range as both can be potentially deadly. There will be models with the ability to let the controlling player seize the initiative either at the start of the movement phase or action phase (though at that phase it'll be harder to do so). Both players can bring "Seize the Initiative" models and it can be attempted at any time.

So back to Chain attacks, the defending players will always have the ability to defend themselves without the need to use action points. The Chain attacks can have a large area of effect, can be focused on one model, and so forth. Models can also have an affinity to each other. A model with the Hacker profile can boost the power of a cybernetics model in their same team.

Models have a certain amount of hitpoints. There will be methods of Instant Death, but they are rare and difficult to pull off. I'm not sure yet what dice are going to be used. I figured a combination of D10 and D6 to determine ranges and wounding. But that's still in the conceptual stages. Still in order to make the game a bit longer, hitpoints are a must.

More on the fluff in the next post.

[Black Hydra]

Finally I have some time to sit down and write more for this game! Been a rough week. Okay here we go.

I plan to set the story roughly in the 2060's where technology has advanced enough to let us manipulate genes. Through this gene manipulation, scientists were able to craft "better" humans. Only the richer countries were able to afford this at the time, but there was a movement to extend these services to poorer nations. Health was improved and as any new technology that is born, better armies where made. The very first of these supersoldiers were put on the frontlines and proved to be very successful. Due to growing tensions between developing nations and themselves, the developed nations soon became convinced that terrorist attacks would be inevitable. All across the globe, people wanted the miracle gene therapy for themselves. Only 5 countries were currently employing it and it was a costly process.

Greed on both sides soon led to hostilities. The nations holding the gene therapy key argued that poorer nations would abuse of such technology to further their agendas, whether political, economic, or religious. In truth the proponents of these allegations wanted to keep the technology for themselves so they could swiftly end all opposition. Some of these people did it for misguided reasons, believing that eliminating any problem nations, the world would be better off. Others only had conquest in their minds, killing off the countries with the most valuable resources.

On the poor people's side, they wanted to be rid of disease and hunger. The gene therapy could improve the absorption of nutrients and anything needed for the body. Many became selfish due to desperation and lashed out in anyway possible. Riots against their governments began, demanding that the politicians ask for support. Others resorted to traveling to the countries benefiting from this technology and bombed the research centers developing it. If they couldn't have it no one else could.

During all this disaster, Japan quietly emerged with an alternative to gene therapy. They were at the front of robotics research and had a breakthrough. True cyborgs had just become a possibility. Replacing all the unnecessary parts of the human body (or at least what they deemed so) they were able to create a better person. Strength that would never fade, hunger almost completely eliminated, designed beauty that age could never claim. It was a long and difficult path to immortality with many test subjects dying, but the goal was reached.

Playing the wild card, the cybernetics industry offered an alternative to the gene therapy nations couldn't have. Parts could be mass produced and distributed faster than gene therapy would take effect (3 months at least). But even then not all nations could get it. And the hornets' nest was already riled up. It was during this time that something unspeakable would happen thanks to the actions of one man.

Before we get into that, you need to know what led to that unspeakable event. The gene therapy had finally been perfected. While a human being could not improve every single aspect of themselves, one could always choose to make themselves perfect in one area. Troops were churned out that could run at incredible speeds, lift weights in excess of hundreds of pounds, have extrasensory abilities. It got to the point where psychics started developing because scientists started mutating the brains of people. These mutations created nodes in the brains that channeled huge amounts of electricity. If certain nodes were activated the right way, strange effects could be achieved. Mind reading, telekinesis, empathy, and so forth all started manifesting in the subjects.

This led to a confrontation between cybernetics and the gene therapy. People argued either way as the next step in human evolution. Both sides had their merits. Cyborgs could interface with all machinery and boost CPU performance with their own brainpower. Perfected humans could achieve more due to their physical prowess and live longer. During a meeting in a small African town, Japanese cybernetics experts had come to offer that region their technology in exchange for their services. The service? To create a factory that would build war machines to crush their opponents. The village accepted, as they had been cut off from their food supply due to escalating riots in the area.

The U.S. government caught wind of the factory eventually. Not only did Japan break their accord of not having an army, they were directly threatening the U.S. since they were one of the developers of the gene therapy. Acting quickly, they realized that only the use of the gene altering would win them over the crowd. American scientists set to work on a special group of subjects and mutated them to levels never before achieved. The team had become the first true super powered people on the planet. The American government sent them to the factory in Africa to destroy it. That victory would used as proof of how great gene therapy was.

The outcome of that battle is for another story. Needless to say it was partially successful. The team fought off the soldiers and robots guarding the facility long enough to set off a bomb. Unfortunately, the village was destroyed as a result, with many casualties being suffered. Only one villager survived to see the burnt corpses of his friends and family. Vowing revenge that day he swore to the sky that he would end the tragedies inflicted by the warring nations. Answering from the sky came a lightning bolt that struck the survivor. The bolt was sent from a long lost god who had been bidding his time, looking for a follower worthy of him. He told the survivor through the bolt he would have unlimited power granted to him to avenge his people, but he had to do something first. The survivor said to name his price so long as he didn't cheat him. The god answered back with another lightning bolt transforming the survivor into a being of sorcery. Magic had found it's way back to Earth.

From that point on things will go downhill. I admit I came up with this somewhat on the fly. The goal eventually is to introduce all the core powers available. Gene therapy will account for all the superhumans, cybernetics will account for all cyborgs, magic will account for sorcerers, shamans, etc. There will be more as the survivor's tale isn't over. He eventually is the reason why demons are unleashed on the world accounting for demonic characters.

[Evil & Chaos]

I've been making my own wargame system with my brother.

We share the sculpting duties.

It's 10mm scale victorian scifi.

We have a free downloadable rulebook and are taking suggestions for new rules, even occasionally new units, all the time -

http://www.freewebstore.org/troublemakergames/Timeline_300/cat1094556_976805.aspx

Making a small wargames company experience so far - quite expensive!
Moulding is expensive, casting is expensive, even packaging materials end up expensive, heh.

On the other hand, we're having a lot of fun.

We're using a whole bunch of different production types; resin casting, metal casting, laser cutting, and soon we'll even have our first pressure cast plastic releases in the form of new infantry bases.

I've had a lot of fun writing the rulebook, and think that we have a pretty unique (both fun & dark) background. If anyone fancies reading the rulebook and giving some that'd be awesome. Becoming a customer would be like, awesome and a half.

[Black Hydra]

I'm so happy you're here sharing. Especially since it looks like you haven't posted much before. I'll take a look at the rulebook tomorrow since it's late night here. Also I love Victorian Scifi stuff and sounds like something not done before.

Also I'm looking at 3D printing using plastics. Seems far less expensive. $1,200 just for the printer and using the plastic spools is pretty cheap. No sculpting for me though. Directly skipping the process and going for Z-brush. I know it takes out some of the fun, but good Dark Gods does it decrease the expenses.

I'll talk more about that later. Don't forget to keep us posted on your progress. I'd love to hear more about it.

[Black Hydra]

Having some trouble downloading the rulebook at the moment but I'll get to it in a few more. No idea why it won't let me load it though.

[JustMark]

@Evil&Chaos, I will try to download your rules and look them over during the weekend.

@Black Hydra, it seems like a good idea, a super-powered skirmish game has been something floating around my head for a while but I was never quite certain how to pull it off, good luck!

I have myself been busy writing a 15mm skirmish rules set, the first written set is a platoon sized sci-fi game where keeping your 'men' alive and taking the objective is the goal rather than just killing everything. I'm looking for playtesters at the moment if anybody is interested head over to TheatreOfWar (http://www.theatreofwar.biz) and have a butchers.

To set out my stall a little, the game is designed with a fire-maneuver mechanism that relies upon suppressing enemy units so they can't drill your guys when they step out in front of them. I got fed-up with spending alot of money on a force and only really using half of the models for most of the game! Being 15mm you can buy a good sized army for £50 and because I'm no sculptor you can use any models you like!

The website & forum are brand new so not much activity yet, but there will be I hope!