Sketchley's Macross Gateway
RPG stats by AARON SKETCHLEY (aaronsketch@hotmail.com)
Ver 2.3 2009.08.05
Sketchley's FAQ & Game Rule Modifications
Invariably changes will be requested by players. In that case, PM or OOC me for discussion on it. However, in ALL cases of a successful rules change, the change will NOT take effect until after the end of the current combat.
JOINING TERMS
By agreeing to play and posting in character in my games, you (the player) agree to abide by the terms of the game and by the following simple policies:
- You will not violate the MRG's terms of agreement and policies of use.
- When the GM makes a post, it is final. Arguing over it may prove to be futile.
- Submissions for changes in the rules, interpretations of the rules (of Palladium Books RPG engine, MRG modifications to them and the house rules of the game) and weaponry load-outs of either the characters or their vehicles are allowed and acceptable for discussion. However, the discussion must occur in an OOC board and the outcome of any discussion will not come into effect until the current combat/mission has concluded.
- OOC statements longer then one sentence must always be made in the appropriate OOC thread.
- Acceptance that though the events occurring in the game are a part of the larger MRG universe, that they and the house rules and terms of the game are limited to the game.
- If you leave the game, I reserve the right to write out your character in a manner that fits with the current story line. I will, however, try to respect the wishes of the player.
- Anything said in character or done during the game does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the GM, but if there is something that is not to your liking, contact me immediately.
Questions, comments, please post them in the OCC board.
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BASIC POSTING and PLAYING RULES
"Any self-respecting fighter pilot doesn't want to get into a dog fight. They want to shoot their missiles (at range) first and then run away bravely." - unknown British Airforce pilot.
Role of the GM
The role is to have fun. This is by scripting the story, writing prose and doing his damnedest to trick the players into such things as wasting ammunition and dying prematurely and unexpectedly. "Thank you"s and a general courteous demeanor when dealing with the GM are always beneficial towards one's standing in the game.
Role of the Player
To build off of both the GM and fellow player's posts, including characterization and actions for their own player. The GM is looking for players who put thought and care into their posts and attempt to collaborate into making the story into something greater then just the GM can do. This is not a video game after all. Keep in mind that the more effort you put in, the more enjoyment you will get out of the game.
Don't forget to ask fellow players (first!) for advice and for the answers to questions that may crop in the game.
Metric
All of the games in the Sketchley universe, like most of the world, are metric based. You think in imperial? Go to www.Google.com for the conversion of inches/feet to metric. For example: 5 foot 7 inches in centimeters.
Post in imperial, and you run the risk of the GM completely not understanding your intentions.
Spelling
This is VERY important. Not just in the game, but on all message boards on the internet you participate in. Many members are non-native English speakers, and it helps them, as well as everyone else, for posts to be as free of spelling errors as possible. All anyone here has to go on is your written word. So, if there are multiple errors, people can easily misunderstand you. A simple spell checker can help a great deal. The MRG even has one built in! One thing you'll want to watch for (that a spell checker won't catch) is this: it's UN Spacy, not UN Spacey.
Game Posts: order of precedence for information
- The GM's post(s) take precedence over everything else.
- Other players' post(s) are good for basically only what their personal character is doing or saying or when the group is working together for a common goal.
- If a player is posting a description of something not directly related to his or her character, the likelihood of it being true in the game is reduced (look to the GM's post(s) for confirmation.)
Character Death
Death is a fact of real life. It will also happen in my games. After all, the GM is actively trying to kill every character in the game! If a player puts in their best effort, I will do my best to keep them alive; barring them doing something incredibly stupid. The quickest way to die is to quit posting during combat.
When character death happens, the player has the choice of creating a new character or bowing out of the game gracefully. An effort will be made to incorporate the newly created character into the game as soon as possible, but a wait may be required until a suitable time in the story crops up.
*2008.10.02: as long as the game has more than the maximum (7 to 9 players), if you are active in another game in the MRG, you may be asked to wait until there are less than the maximum number of players before rejoining the game with a new character.
Player Character death by other Player Character
It's rare, but it does happen. Accidents are things that happen all of the time and such deaths are usually the result of stupid and pointless actions. However there may be a time where one player character actively seeks to deliberately execute another player character. I'll play it out, but not before the player initiating that hostile action communicates to the GM with his/her intent to kill another player. The expected dialogue would be about why. Drastic actions, while entertaining to read, can really be quite a setback for a player as well. We role-play for a number of reasons but usually the biggest reason is fun. Killing a player character robs someone else of his or her fun and requires some fairly comprehensive game restructuring afterward. As the GM, I'd like to know why before approving the plan.
What it takes to get Killed.
It's fun to kill a character that a player has spent a lot of time working on; though it will only happen under the following conditions:
- it's part of the story
- the character does something stupid
- the risks of an action were known before undertaking them
Examples:
Part of the story: agreed upon prior to the actual event between the GM and player (usually by PM and/or e-mail.)
Not ducking behind cover/dodging when weapons fire is being made towards your PC / forgetting where your PC is moving and what the terrain is and the potential hazards inherent to the terrain / forgetting about the effects of fatigue / blood loss during extended combat / missions.
Attacking a fleet of 20 fully armed and undamaged opponents when your PC is on his or her last legs and only has one shot left in his or her weapon. (Of course, this can be used for dramatic purposes and deliberately done as part of the story.)
How to get dropped:
- Your post is needed and a week goes by a OOC message will be left for you, and I ask anyone do they know where you are.
- One week later, I *may* ask someone if they know where you are and/or send a PM. If there is no response by the end of the week, I will assume you are gone and you will be removed from the game.
Save yourself and everyone else the trouble, by posting in the OOC topic or PMing the GM that you are unavailable. Not only will you be able to rejoin the game with your existing character, you will have created goodwill that will get you into other games, if you so wish.
If you have been removed from the game, your character will, in most cases, become an NPC. Not all PC turned NPC are killed. Some are just written out of the story. If you return later, with a sufficient excuse (such as there was a major earthquake), you can still play your character, as long as they are still alive. Don't be surprise if they are written out of the story by being sent to a nut house or getting an incurable disease.
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GAME RULE MODIFICATIONS
General Changes
All combat actions are half. The opposing half are consumed by defensive actions, transformations and reasonable amounts of movement during the melee round. All partial actions are rounded up (eg: 3/2=1.5:=2. 4/2=2. 7/2=3.5:=4) All defensive actions are considered to have all applicable bonuses as if an action was spent on it.
All defensive actions are free. But, if you want more than 1 flare/squid/etc., it must be called.
Characters automatically attempt to roll with punchs, falls and impacts.
Activation of PPB is free, but using it is an optional automatic defensive move that must be requested.
Parrying with a shield, is also an optional automatic defensive move that must be requested.
If there is a change in movement, (including transformation to a new facing) that takes place before or after an action/attack, it is free. (Therefore it is possible to transform to battroid, turn around, and shoot tailing missiles with a gun pod in one action. Transform back to fighter and resume original heading would require another action.)
Changing modes costs 1 action, any mode to any mode.
Line of sight: if you can see them, they can see you. If you can shoot them, they can shoot you. No skill checks are needed unless performing an action that needs them.
Outside line of sight: skill check to confirm they are on sensors. Perhaps another check when firing a weapon at them. Maybe.
Cover: if you can see the enemy, the enemy doesn't necessarily see you. Beyond the obvious reduction in the parts of you or your mecha that can be hit, there's a chance that the enemy has lost track of you. This works similar to a sneak attack. Of course, if the enemy is looking in your general direction when you start moving, the sneak attack bonuses are lost, but you've still got the initiative.
Laser Communications cost one action to set up and talk. The skill to use it is Radio: Basic.
WARNING: PLAY DEFENSIVELY. VFs are NOT tanks and they are quite fragile machines.
VBA - VF (or Vehicle) base ability
This reflects both the difficulty of piloting the VF (vehicle), and also it's performance compared to other VFs (vehicles).
| VF (Vehicle) Base Ability Chart |
| 8 |
Zentraadi Soldier (outside of mecha); tank |
| 10 |
Regult |
| 12 |
VF-1, VA-3, VF-4, VF-5000, VF-11, VF-14, Gnerl Fighter Pod, Gluag, Nousjadel-Ger |
| 13 |
VF-3000, VB-6, VF-9, VF-171*, VF-25*, Variable Gluag |
| 14 |
VF-17, VF-22, VF-27*, Queadlunn-Rau, Pheyos Valkyrie |
| 15 |
VF-19 |
| 16 |
?YF-22? |
| 17 |
?YF-19? |
* EX-Gear reduces the VBA by 1. For example: a VF-25 (VBA 13) equipped with EX Gear, has a modified VBA of 12, for pilot attribute comparision purposes. However, it still has a VBA of 13 for VBA comparison purposes in combat.
Step 1: Determine the Attribute based bonuses:
Instructions:
Average the character's IQ and PP for the IP.
Subtract the IP from the VBA.
IF the result is...
0, +0 to combat bonuses.
Otherwise...
Negative Results
-8~-9, -4 to combat bonuses.
-6~-7, -3 to combat bonuses.
-4~-5, -2 to combat bonuses.
-2~-3, -1 to combat bonuses.
-1, -1 to strike and initiative
|
Positive Results
1, +1 to defensive bonuses only.
2~3, +1 to combat bonuses.
4~5, +2 to combat bonuses.
6~7, +3 to combat bonuses.
8~9, +4 to combat bonuses.
|
|
Example:
VF-1's VBA of 12.
IQ 14 and PP 22 averages to 18.
18-12=6.
+3 bonus to initiative, strike, parry, dodge, roll and so on.
|
Optional: add the hand to hand combat bonuses, but not the mecha combat bonuses other than the number of attacks, and additional special actions gained with the revised mecha combat skill.
Step 2: Calculate the bonuses from the difference in VBA:
Instructions:
Take the VBA of the two vehicles
Subtract whichever is lower
Half the remainder
The result is an additional combat bonus to the offensive and defensive actions of the superior vehicle. No penalties are added to the less-superior vehicle.
|
Example:
VF-1 (VBA of 12 vs. VF-19 (VBA of 15)
15-12=3.
VF-19 gets +3 combat bonus to offensive and defensive actions.
|
Our VF-1 pilot (+2 bonuses) is slightly outmatched by the VF-19 pilot (same attributes for a +1 VBA; total of +4 combat bonus against the VF-1), but not outrageously so. However, if they both do battle with a Regult (same attributes for a +3 VBA), the VF-1 pilot would have +4 combat bonuses (almost evenly matched), and the VF-19 would have +6; it's technological superiority being quite evident.
Optional Mecha Combat Rules
These optional rules could probably be finessed, but the goal is to make something uber simple to keep game play speedy. There may be some extra math during character creation, but the results appear to out weigh it. It also reduces the workload needed in mecha stats creation and allows for less than ideal pilots the possibility of piloting at a passable level (Sheryl Nome in the VF-25 anyone?)
Speed differential dodge bonus
+1 (low/med or med/high) or +3 (low/high).
Mecha combat Actions
HtoH actions + mecha combat per normal. (As I do 1/2 actions with free defencive actions, this works for me. If you consider it to be too many actions, don't add the hand to hand actions to the mecha combat actions.
Range
Combat Range
Not applicable to mecha/vehicle combat.
0 to 20 m: 4 or higher to strike
20 m and beyond: 8 or higher to strike.
Effective Range to Maximum Range:
Max range = effective range x 1.5
-3 to strike
(Mecha) Close Proximity Strike Bonus
+1 strike within 152 m (all combatants, skilled and unskilled, with weaponry or fists)
Low Gravity combat without Vernier Thrusters
Leaping: 10 times longer/farther/higher, but done in slow motion
Thrown objects: half speed and distance. Others are +2 dodge the attack.
Space Combat
Jet/rocket propulsion: unless otherwise noted in the stats, all can travel about 1.75x to 2x faster.
Running: impossible.
Explosions and shockwaves: 10x, but 0.1x damage in the extended shockwave.
Lasers: 2x range; 2x to 3x range, 0.5x damage and is -2 to strike.
Other weapons: 2x range
Radio (Radar) Waves: 10x range
Itano Missile Circus
It happens in Macross anime and the video games. Therefore, you can fire any number of missiles at a number of targets equal to the rate of fire of the missile launcher used. Please state the number and type of targets being fired at. Take care that micro-missiles and short range missiles can only be fired at targets in the direction that the missile launcher is aimed at.
- Fire as many missiles as are remaining in 1 volley.
- Volleys larger than 50 missiles count as 2 attacks.
- The ROF determines the maximum number of targets. Eg: a ROF of 4 means that 1, 2, 3, or 4 targets can be fired at. A ROF of 8 means that up to 8 different targets can be fired at.
- Fire-linking is possible only between FAST packs and internal launchers aimed in the same direction, firing the same class of missile. The greater of the two ROF is used.
For example: a player is facing 20 Regults in his VF-1 with a pair of NP-BP-01 FAST packs with a combined 32 micro-missiles and a rate of fire of 4. The player can fire:
- 1 to 32 missiles at 1 Regult
- 4 to 32 missiles at 4 Regult (with 1 or more missile targeting each of the 4 Regult)
- any combination thereof.
Tilt / Auto-Dodge
There are no tilt or auto-dodges in my games. Refer to General Changes for more info on dodges in my games.
Shooting at Missiles
In Macross, we only ever see missiles being shot down by gun pods (the majority of the time) and (head) lasers (the minority of the time. Therefore, players are advised against using missiles to shoot down incoming missiles. The preferred ways to shoot down incoming ordinance:
- Gun pod Single shot: 50% chance of fratricide.
- Gun pod 10 round spray: hits 1D6 missiles: 50%+5% per hit chance of fratricide.
- Gun pod 10 round burst at 1 missile: 60% chance of fratricide.
- Gun pod 20 round spray or greater: hits 1D6 missiles per 10 rounds fired. 50%+5% per hit chance of fratricide.
- Gun pod 20 round burst or greater at 1 missile: waste of ammunition.
- Lasers single shot at 1 missile: 50% chance of fratricide.
- Lasers spray hits 2D6 missiles: 50%+5% per hit chance of fratricide.
- In almost all cases, if a missile is hit, it's as good as destroyed.
Dodging Missile Volleys
It happens in Macross - therfore it can happen here, too.
- There is a -1 to dodge for every 4 missiles over the first 4. (8 missiles -1, 12 missiles -2, etc.)
- Countermeasures (chaff/flares/squibs) counteract this negative modifier and distract or destroy the attacking missiles. There may be times when one should counterattack the missiles or dive for cover and hope for the best.
- Keeping missiles on the tail of one's VF is possible, only IF the missile(s) are of significant size (carry enough fuel.) The average missile in Macross (the dogfight missile) is incapable of trailing its target beyond its first attempt to strike. If they miss, then, in game terms, their threat is nullified.
Pin Point Barriers (PPB) and You
In Macross, we have seen some VFs with 1 disc, and others with 3 discs. This GM is opting for what's easiest: a single disc. It is up to the player to imagine if it is one large disc, or two or three small discs, moving and protecting a location together.
- Unless otherwise indicated in the individual stats or by the GM, the PPB is only available in GERWALK and Battroid modes.
- The PPB is limited to one or, at most, two areas: over the fists or the shield(s.)
- For vehicles that have PPB that can be moved to any location on a VF:
- Anything other then keeping the PPB over a stationary point on the vehicle costs one (1) action.
- If a player wants to attempt to use the PPB in a parry, it is advised to keep the PPB over a moveable appendage such as one of the arms or legs.
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POSTING
GM's Advice
- Take notes.
A simple set of notes updated once a week would've saved numerous players the embarrassment of forgetting what they wanted to do when they made their post the week before. Short-term memory is not reliable for long term action plans. For example: it's very easy to forget the prime objective of a mission when it takes 3 or 5 months of real life from briefing to arrival at the mission objective site.
- Never assume.
Example: the GM has posted information on what is East of the base camp, not West. Alexander is in a coma but Lecavalier only has a nose bleed. Specific details on HP, SDC, etc. are in the load-out and status page. (How many of you checked that after the last GM update?) If you can't find the information, post a question FIRST, not a character post.
Posting Expectations
A post is what a player INTENDS to do with the PC. The GM provides the actual events that occurred during a turn in the game. Generally posts are composed of two parts:
- prose description
- action summary
The prose description is where one gets to show their imagination and creativity. One isn't expected to be John Grisham or technically savant like Tom Clancy (of course, the more the better.) At the very least, what is expected is the simplest statement to summarize one's intended actions; even if they are vaguely worded yet describing the intended action quite well. Generally, I am fairly relaxed, but things that don't follow common sense and/or are written unclearly will cause unexpected things to occur.
Examples:
- Perform routine check and start-up procedures of the VF.
- Type destination xxx,yyy,zzz into the auto-pilot and prepare for reentry.
- Walks around VF doing routine pre-flight check.
- Looks at information displayed on the MFDs of the cockpit.
- Search orders database
The action summary should be as concise a summation of the prose description as possible.
Examples: Example: 1 Dodge, 2 Search orders database, 3 active auto-pilot, 4 dodge, 5 prepare for reentry, 6+ pray
The action summary isn't always needed. However, when used, one must keep in mind the amount of time it takes to do a task.
When in doubt about missing key info to make one's post, ask in the OOC thread. Do not "post first, ask questions later." The GM should have an answer within 24 hours. If there isn't an answer before the next scheduled GM update, the character will be skipped. This is the one (of two times) that the character will be safe from harm and keep up with the group. (The other time is when the player has a preannounced leave of absence.)
Unless otherwise stated, character will continue moving as the player last indicated. At the speeds that VFs fly at, this may mean that the opponents may be in the range of a VF's weapons for only a fraction of a melee round. Of course, characters will not drive into the ground UNLESS if the GM gave advance warning that the player(s) must post a change of direction. In all other cases, the direction will be changed from a dive into the ground to level flight OVER the terrain, and NOT ducking around behind cover.
Lastly, the more effort put into the plan behind one's character's actions, the more likely they are going to succeed. This doesn't mean that a player must be a John Grisham class prose writer. This means using the tools that the character has and the terrain that the character is in to creatively overcome the obstacles that crop up in a game. Ergo, well thought out text has automatic success.
This is, of course, governed by a) anime logic, b) common sense and c) the abilities of the character in question. For example: A 1st level, Hand to Hand: Basic trained character is NOT going to be able to successfully do a spinning leap kick in their VF-19 to knock the gun pod out of their opponents hand. However, the same character could kick the dust on the ground over the enemy's visual sensors and cause enough confusion and distraction to roll to one side and then spray the opponent with gunfire.
Naming Other Characters (Player and NPC)
In combat posts, use the last name to refer to other characters. It makes the GM's life easier, as he's only bothering to remember your character's last name. Follow the naming convention that the GM uses and you'll not only get GM posts faster, but they will be better (no time and energy being wasted tracking down who is who.)
What's A Melee Action?
The basic rule of thumb is to take 15 seconds and divide by the number of actions a character has. (Example: 7 actions equates to about 2 seconds per action.) What can be done in that length of time should constitute an action. However, the exact time a given action takes is rather nebulous. One could say that the action of firing a gun actually is the following actions: thinking about shooting the target, aiming at the target, firing at the target and recoiling from the gun shot.
Therefore, some actions may be lumped together. For example: activating a PPB or Active Stealth; activating a radio, changing (or aligning) the frequency and transmitting a short spoken message; and so on could be feasibly be lumped together and constitutes 1 action.
Unrelated activities should not be lumped together. For example: walking and/or changing ones facing could be lumped together, but walking and checking the radar should not be lumped together.
Lastly, always keep in mind that unless otherwise stated the character or the vehicle being piloted by the character will continue moving along the same vector at the same velocity (or rate of acceleration) as last indicated. The adverse effect of this is that a vehicle at high speed will probably only be in range of it's target during a portion of a melee round and will probably end up moving way out of range if the player doesn't take action to change that rate of movement. Note: the GM won't have characters flying into hills, canyons or the ground unless if fair warning has been given. However, if the player doesn't post explicitly what direction, speed, heading, weapon used, target fired at or action specifically being performed, the GM will creatively interpret the intended action and the result probably won't be what the player intended.
Rate of Posting & Rate of GM reply
The GM will have a reply at least once a week.
Due to the nature of PBP (play by post) RPGing, a lack of posting by players, without notice, can stop the entire story. To discourage this here are the required posting guidelines:
You will be required to post in character at least once a week, or you will be skipped and your character may be written off and/or die.
If another player is talking to yours, please don't make them wait longer than 3 days for a reply.
During Combat there will be no more than a 7-day gap in posts.
If there is such a gap, the GM will post results and the rest will be skipped; the results will probably include the death of your character.
Enforcement: These guidelines will be really enforced during combat or when the story really needs to move. If you are going to be gone more than a week, tell someone. Otherwise we are all waiting for you. A simple PM or OOC post could save everyone a lot of trouble.
Common sense combat posting tips:
There are some common problems in posting. To make your GM's life easier and for the other players to understand your actions follow these tips. (The following are a modification of combat posting tips originally created by Jet Jockey.)
- Any maneuver other than flying straight ahead in combat is an action. In other words: "Max follows after the escaping Regult. He turns up his boosters to the maximum to pass the Regult. He spins around so he is now facing the Regult" would count as 2 to 3 actions for the multiple maneuvers alone. It would not be a free action. Please do this for combat or stunts only. If you're leaving the hangar bay or other mundane task don't bother.
- Remember the mode you are in.
- Name your targets and weapons used. "Fires at a pods" could mean anything to the GM. Did you fire at the pod attacking you or the one in the back? Was it your gun pod or missiles? Does fire mean all your bullets or just one? If you leave it vague, the GM's may do something that you don't want. Please state the specifics, such as "fires a long Gu-15 burst at the 3rd Regult".
- Describe and list your actions/battle plan in your character's post. The list is for the ease of the GM. The plan is how your describing what you are doing. The plan is more important than the list but both are needed.
- Know your characters limits. You are not a super hero. If you jump at 20 foes, then stand on your hands and kick them all with your feet, chances are you will fail. Try too many stunts at once the GM will make you fall on your face. As your character becomes more experienced more crazy stunts are possible.
- Have a general sense of where you are to everyone else. If your squadron is in combat, your CO is in front of you and he is fighting a Glaug that is in front of the CO. Think before you fire. An evil GM could say you shot your CO. Post that you move in closer or take careful aim. Likewise if you're in battroid at the rear and your pal is in fighter at the front, you may have to travel to him or use a weapon with a range better then a dogfight missile or gun pod.
- Know your number of actions and use all of them. If you got 8, why post for only 4? Post the remaining 4 to dodge. Don't waste them.
- Don't forget to post your dodges or parries. The GM can assume your just being macho. If you don't post them the GM won't do them. Even if it is a free action you must post it. Of course, they will be a much harder dodge to perform. Tilt-dodges should not be performed if an officer, ace or a bunch of missiles are attacking you.
See the Death Angels Survival Guide for more information.
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TECHNICALITIES
Weapons in a VF
- Gun pod is more powerful then the lasers, ALWAYS.
- Battroid is the best mode to be in for combat.
- Jet mode is great for flying fast, but piss poor for hitting anything with much accuracy, unless if their velocity is similar.
- GERWALK offers the best of both worlds, however it is the master of none.
- Beam weapons are considered to always be charged and/or charging.
- All weapons are considered to be hot (armed/active) as the process of making them hot is negligible in terms of actions required.
- Like weapons, such as the REB-23s of the VF-19, are fire-link-able.
In addition to paying attention to ranges, speeds, weapon performance, keep in mind that if you cannot directly see or detect a target, you can't hit it if you shoot at it.
Gun Pods
It is safe to presume that a short burst/spray = 10 rounds, a long burst/spray = 20 or 25 rounds. Please use multiples of 10 for anything larger. Only bursts and sprays of over 100 rounds take more then one (1) action.
As gun pods fire at 1800 rounds per minute, or faster, they can expend all of their rounds in 3 melee rounds (or 600 rounds per melee round). 100 is given because it is perceived that an action requires aiming, possibly leading the target, and depressing the trigger and possibly more.
FAST and Super Packs
FAST packs and Super Packs are generally written per single unit. Therefore, it is safe to say that two FAST packs or two Super Packs of the same kind can be fire linked. For example, a pair of NP-BP-01 FAST packs have a grand total of 32 missiles and a rate of fire (ROF) of 1 to 8 missiles.
In this arrangement, if one FAST pack is destroyed, malfunctions, rendered useless from battle damage or is ejected, the details revert to a single units details. In addition, the flight characteristics of the vehicle may be sufficiently disrupted so as to force either a reduction in speed or the ejection of the remaining FAST or Super pack.
As for missile loads, the GM will endeavor to list the stats reflecting their individual loads, so that there is no argument when the use of a FAST pack is lost.
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Communications and Special Vehicle Abilities
Sensors
Beyond the detection capabilities of the sensor concerned, all sensors can be grouped into two categories: active and passive. Passive relies on noticeable physical effects being by the object emitted (or changes in the environment surrounding the object). Active relies on emitting something (usually a form of radiation: radio, light, infrared, sound (in the case of sonar,) etc.) and what bounces back (or is reflected) off of the object is used to track the object.
In all cases, active sensors will be detectable by one's opponents. Passive sensors will not be detected.
The scale (size) or power of the sensor makes no difference beyond additional range or more finely tuned detection abilities, as all sensors of the same type are based on the same physics. For example: a ground based orbital search radar and a VF mounted radar operate on the same underlying physics. The prime difference is range (in active searches, the power on the ground based radar array is a couple orders of magnitude greater then that available on a VF) and received detail (the ground based radar has a larger receiving antenna that receives a greater variety of minute details. In addition, the radar array has been designed for that purpose whereas a VF's combat radar is designed for fast, quick scans.)
Radar
Radar is almost always directional. In addition, the further a target is away, the longer it takes to receive the bounced back radar beam (not to mention that if the enemy is moving, they are probably not in that exact position by the time the returned radar signal has been processed and displayed.) Using radar WILL alert others to your EXACT location (thus being able to fire a HARM type missile right at you.) Radar is only useful for line-of-sight searches (basically, if you are behind a hill, in trees, amongst buildings, etc. radar cannot spot you; though your radio broadcasts could still be heard.)
If support (AWACS, ELINT Seeker, Capital Ship, Funny Chinese, etc.) is available, it is recommended that players use it for radar targeting information. Or players could have 1 VF flying with the radar on (and dodging incoming fire) with one or two escorts to defend it. The radar using VF then broadcasts tactical data to the other VFs in the squad.
Active Standard Radar (Search, Air Combat, Aircraft/Ship Control tower, etc.) is based off of sending radio waves at a certain frequency out (and this is invariably limited to a small arc only.) The radar receiver 'listens' for any returns at the same frequency that have bounced off of a solid object (airplane, ship, mountain, etc..) Passive radar merely listens for radar waves without emitting any of its own.
Therefore, jet fighters only detect solid stuff in the sky, and not the sky itself. When aimed at the ground, the search radar will detect what is moving between the ground and the radar array. But such objects are much harder to spot, as there are many radar returns from the ground that are cluttering the radar screen. This ground clutter provides a cover that pilots monopolize on by flying nap of the Earth; effectively disappearing in the ground clutter.
How to do a Laser Communication
To do a laser communication, you need to: activate the equipment, speak into the microphone to transcribe a message, encode the message, align the laser transmission antenna to the recipients receiving array, and then transmit the encoded information in a (short duration) burst; any player with Radio: Basic can do this. In general, it will cost three actions. However, in most cases, it will be ignored. The action costs only applies during critical situations.
Receiving is the opposite of transmitting: receive the encoded burst of information, decode the information, play the transmission (or view the received materials.) In general, this costs one action, no matter the situation.
Notes:
the sender and receiver must be able to visually see each other with nothing disrupting their view of each other for this type of communication to work.
A message could be anything from video, maps to text entered in a keypad.
Listening in a VF
In any situation where noises from the engines, passage of air (wind) and so on effect the ability to hear, a sensor check is required. Otherwise, listening doesn't count as a sensor check/action.
Can We Send Messages To Each Other's Fighters During A Spacefold?
Yes. Any vehicle can communicate with any other vehicle traveling in the same space fold. You cannot communicate with anything that is not included in that space fold field. This includes stationary facilities as well as other vehicles.
Reentry and Blast Shields
In the Macross TV series, (episode 31 if I'm not mistaken, same episode where the Zentraadi destroy the Earth) Hikaru Ichijo reenters the Earth's atmosphere. He must activate the blast shield over the cockpit to protect the canopy and himself from the heat effects of reentry.
In Macross Plus, Isamu does make reentry, but during the initial (and perhaps most dangerous) phase of reentry, his cockpit is positioned away from his direction of travel. The underbelly of his VF gets superheated, but the cockpit does not. The implication is that there has been an improvement in the material used in the canopy, as long as it is kept away from the superheated air. However, this GM's call is that the cockpit will become heated to the point that the pilot will suffer from heat sickness.
Therefore:
Leaving the blast shield open and moving in a way that the cockpit faces the direction of travel will cause intense air friction that will cause the material in the canopy to melt.
Leaving blast shield open but facing away from the direction of travel will possibly result in heat sickness.
No penalty for closing the blast shield and facing away from the direction of travel.
Take note that increasing the angle of reentry increases the amount of heat generated from air friction exponentially. This GM considers any angle over 45º to do that. Technically, any angle less then 15º (or is it 10º?) will cause a reentering vehicle to skip across the atmosphere and back into orbit (or beyond.) Relax: the angle of reentry isn't something that is that important to the game. Just a simple note if it's in the safe zone or in the risky zone is sufficient. Of course, the more details, the better.
Active Stealth
Does the active stealth create an electromagnetic field?
Yes, however not every vehicle has the capabilities to detect the field.
Does active stealth erase the gravitational and magnetic fields that a VF creates?
No. In fact, it may increase the ambient magnetic field a VF creates. These fields are much easier to detect in deep space where the background noise of other spatial objects is minimal.
Does active stealth hide or conceal the stream of particles released by the engines?
No. In an atmosphere, these are normally undetectable (beyond heat and some potentially unique radiation emitted from a VF's thermonuclear engines.) In deep space, those streams of particles could forseeably used to track a vehicle like a bloodhound dog. However, the 'scent' won't remain very long due to solar winds.
Is the active stealth energy field going to appear as a spatial disturbance?
Possibly, it depends on the training and success rate of the sensor operators in question. If yes, there is a large chance that the enemy will flee the approaching spatial disturbance without realizing it's true nature.
Does wing ordinance fall off when a VF transforms?
In most cases, no, wing ordinance does not fall off the wings when a VF transforms. It will fall off of VFs like the VA-3, VF-9, VF-19, and others that realistically cannot keep wing ordinance on after transformed.
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MISCELLANEOUS
What do all the prefixes in front of the game threads mean?
M = Mission
I = Intermission/Intermediate Stage
P = Pre-mission/Stage/ /Preamble
Ss = Side Story
Money in the Game
Macross is made in Japan, and I live in Japan. Therefore, if and when money appears in the game, it will be referred to as ¥ (Yen).
For a quick, rough guide, ¥100 JPY is about $1.00 USD. There are, of course, some differences in prices, but we aren't going to worry too much about that (if you do want to figure out the purchasing power parity (PPP), I recommend googling the Big Mac Index to get a better idea of comparible prices.)
The Zentraadi
Players have tended to consider them to be uneducated, clueless, cannon fodder troops. This myth stems from an emphasis in the original series on the comedic side of Zentraadi life and subsequent RPG adaptations from downplaying and undercutting the Zentraedi abilities.
In ,y games, Zentraadi warriors are elite, well-trained, and specialized warriors. The vast majority of Zentraadi do not have mechanical abilities. However, they are all assumed to have fortification skills and should be considered just as lethal in, or out of, their vehicles.
Players are warned to fear Zentraedi opponents that have comparable numbers to the amount of players in combat.
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REFERENCES USED
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- All of the Macross releases (animated, game, book) to date.
- The members of the MRG and MRC
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Sketchley's Macross Gateway