Damanor’s Lair: a Gaming Blog

 A less complicated and more straightforward way to model pilot inexperience is to just say that the less experienced pilot just doesn’t have the ability to use all the systems or avoid enemy fire as well as an experienced pilot. Just remove a system to model that. For example, let’s say that a green pilot is supposedly piloting a frame with a Soldier loadout (2RD/1B/1Y/1G/2W). However, since they’re inexperienced, they don’t have a spotting (Yellow) system. The reason the inexperienced frame pilot doesn’t have a spotting system is that he or she doesn’t know how to use a system to spot enemy frames as effectively while doing too many other things such as attacking an enemy frame and moving their own frame. On top of that, the less experienced pilot isn’t as good at keeping the frame out of trouble under fire, so they can’t take as many hits. Basically, I’m using my existing house rules for inner Sphere pilots against advanced or Clan tech to instead model pilot inexperience. A les...

 One thing that was interesting about Battletech was the idea that pilots could improve their abilities to pilot a vehicle or make weapon attacks. (I’m not sure it’s a good rule, but it was interesting.) So how can we model this in Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack? At the beginning of each clash/skirmish/battle, identify the pilot of each frame on your side by name. Determine their experience level. During each conflict, a pilot whose frame is destroyed may die. You have to decide whether a pilot automatically dies when their frame is destroyed or if they can somehow eject to escape. I suggest giving them a 3 in 6 or 4 in 6 chance to survive, but that chance may vary or even be zero depending on environment conditions. All players must agree to change the chance of surviving ejection before the game begins. Now for the difference between experienced and inexperienced pilots. One option is the Ace Pilot rules as adapted for Rapid Attack from pages 22-23 and 41 of  Intercept Orbi...

 One reason I like frankenmechs  is the same reason I liked the original Battletech setting: it’s like lots of the Mechs are built, or at least reassembled, in a repair shop. Your Mech has been in your family for three or more generations, and it can’t easily be replaced. If it gets beat up, you take it in and repair it as much as you can or you just fight with a broken Mech. Technicians are worth more than tanks, and nobody has any idea how some advanced machines like jumpships work. This was emphasized in the early Gray Death Legion novels. Mechwarriors always doubled as technicians, and when their base was captured, the worst part was that they couldn’t repair their Mechs. It was also front and center in the early scenario packs, where you had Mechs with permanent damage that couldn’t be repaired for lack of parts or permanent structural damage. One very cool take on it was the novel Double Blind, where Avanti’s Angels made a point to always collect what battlefield salvage...