Mechwarrior Online (PC Game) 2026

This is an aging freemium PC game perfect for "dad-gamers."  It has had a tumultuous past (OP clan, p2W aspects, casuals playing with premade teams of pros) but this is almost entirely balanced out. Mechs and weapons are balanced reasonably well, the grind is almost non-existent and free mechs are given way monthly. I tried it and quit repeatedly in the early years but have been enjoying it lately.

....You see, I and my kids love mechs but do not enjoy the mechanics of tabletop Battletech, so this has become a popular co-op game in our house. You can play across continents (Australia, Europe, America) with little issues due to the slow place/inbult lag compensation.  It's full of LARPing BT nerds who have names referencing Battletech lore or dad jokes, and some truly awful players in quickplay. Urbammechs tend to be painted like R2D2 or trashcans with smiley faces, or a Spider in red-and-blue Spiderman-themed paint.

There's also the newer, shinier Mechwarrior 5 where you develop your crew, pilots and mechs RPG-style but I'm discussing the free, older one which I and the kids prefer.

 

 

Gameplay 

The game itself is played on a somewhat repetitive cycle of maps and game-modes that usually devolves into "kill em all" and a somewhat incomprehensible NASCAR movement anti-clockwise on most maps (even if the best terrain is the opposite direction). TTK is slow for a shooter, but faster than the average mechdad would expect - as even an Atlas assault cannot absorb the fire of multiple enemies for long; and limbs can be deliberately targetted making mechs more brittle than tabletop.

Mixed, lore-accurate loadouts tend to be poor. In a FPS, doing one thing well is better than doing many things poorly. "Boating" a particular weapon optimized for a particular range-band works best. Mechs tend to class as "laser vomit" (max laser alpha); "dakka/dps" (rapid fire autocannons like AC5s/UACs), "sniper" (er lasers, gauss, PPC); and "poptart" jumping mechs which deliver alphas. Brawlers tend to use SRM, snub PPCs or large cannons. Light mechs tend to be "poke" (shoot and duck back); dps (ankle-chewers) or SRM bombers (dump and run). ECM is handy for avoiding the lock on missiles prevalent at low tier and jumpjets can stop you getting stuck or perform "pop up" attacks over cover (sadly there is no melee or death-from-above.) 

As you may infer from above, there is quite a lot of gameplay styles and "builds" within each class of mech so you can mix it up a lot even if maps are stale. 

You can customise your mech quite a lot based on tonnage and hardpoints (similar to BT rules) and many(most?) mechs end up nothing like their tabletop equivalents.

There is a handy website of builds optimized by good (T1) players so even if you want an obscure mech you can probably find at least a decent build for it. Use these as a starting point. As a new player, the awesome build you modified from tabletop probably sucks. Sorry.

Getting Started

I've just been "onboarding" my daughter and I was thinking there would probably be a pretty big overlap between folk who visit this blog/mech enthusiasts/nerds/gamers, so this might be handy for some who haven't tried it (or who did and hated it back in the old days - trust me, it's a lot better now.)

There is a tutorial to teach you the controls, and quite a few "trial" mechs which are quite good (the UI is atrocious so good luck finding the settings to change your arm lock or MASC). My kids got disorientated by which way your feet go vs your upper body - the "C" key will re-centre your legs.

Weapon groups are assigned using right ctrl + arrow keys - it may be important to divide weapons up into groups: if you always alpha everything on leftclick you will quickly cook yourself.  

To stop excessive boating of weapons, a thing call "ghost heat" was introduced; e.g. each weapon after the limit has a big bonus heat penalty. I.e. you can 2 PPCs, but a 3rd would incur ghost heat; but you might be able to use 6 medium lasers without triggering the penalty. This stops gigantic alpha strikes to insta-delete mechs; but also is little understood by most players. If you visit the website linked above, most loadouts have been designed with this in mind. 

There is a tiny option under your mech called testing grounds where you can test your guns and heat on stationary targets and explore maps. 

You'll quickly make some c-bills for new mechs but hold off and don't spend anything until you've tried all the trial mechs (repeatedly) so you have an idea of what you enjoy. You also can bonus c-bills and xp; earn special mechs with xp boosts etc but you need to log into the website to claim rewards. Everything is pretty hard to find - UI is awful.

Buying mechs - this is more complex (and way more expensive) than it sounds. Your 3.5 mil c-bill mech might need a 3mil c-bill engine, 1.5 million of DHS (mandatory on most builds) and a chunk of endo/ferro armour and a mil or two of weapons. Clan omni-mechs have less major hidden costs but may need body parts swapped. Budget for a mech to cost double the sticker price.

Always fit out the mech in a approved loadout and drive it around in the test range - try before you buy. Some mechs seem awesome on paper but have awkward handling or vision from the cockpit. Others have awful hitboxes/size and die faster than they should.

 

Playing

Quickplay ("soup") is where the unwashed masses play glorified 12v12 deathmatch ad nauseam. It's also the only mode I play so *shrugs*...  There is also (semi?)competitive scene where clans play each other in other modes. I'm only tier 2 out of 5 tiers - good enough to see problems but not good enough to rise above them!

Turn on your override (O key) when you play; as overheating can damage your mech, but shutting down in front of enemies will almost certainly kill you. 

a) Sticking with your team (even if they are doing something stupid) is advised. That cool solo flank results in you dying 99% of the time. The slower your mech, the more this rule applies. 

b) "Angles" Try to engage only one mech at a time, unless it is crippled/weak/you are vastly superior. If you are at a disadvantage, don't trade.  Would you accept a $1 coin for a $2 normally? I often see mechs peeking out to fight 2, 3 or 4 opponents solo. "Free damage" (where you shoot them when they can't shoot back/are distracted) is the best damage. Control your ADHD and wait; or go peek somewhere else.

c) Use your lock-on button to see weak points/damaged parts i.e. "is the armour off the CT of that mech?" and then aim there.

d) Keep checking your mini-map - where is the battle going? Where are the enemies coming from? Are you being left behind by the team (<- this is quite common)

e) Have a plan - if you get shot at, where will you go? At low tiers, lots of folk use lock-on missiles. Good players can avoid these missiles by simply moving to cover; but missiles (LRMs) can panic and frustrate the unprepared. Poor players wander about in the open getting farmed and blaming everything but themselves.

f) If you want to be a "brawler" be prepare to wait. A brawler must wait in cover for much of the game, before ambushing enemies with close range alpha and dps. Slow brawlers are especially very hard to play. Yoloing across the open into your foes will see you die, donating your hp to your foes without being in range to scratch your enemies' paint. In what seems a contradiction in terms, if you are impatient, brawlers - like speedy light mechs - are NOT for you. 

Mech Classes

The following is general class tips as well as recommended mechs for most playstyles - current as of mid 2026 - picked for my kids. It's not an exhaustive list, but the mechs are either versatile with several good builds or excel at their role or are easy to use. Properly built (again I refer you to this repository of builds) you will outclass the average Tier 5 player - with your gear, at least. 

ECM makes you more survivable (hard to lock/thus invisible to bad players/missiles) and jumpjets makes you very flexible. High gun mounts allows you to "peek" over hills like a hulldown tank. A small size/hitboxes also is helpful. 

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Lights are (with exception of some clan mechs like Adder and Cougar) speedy and fast - from ~110-195kph. Sit still for long, you die. Even if capping a flag = keep moving unless you want your legs gaussed off. Usually newbie light players, drunk with speed, yolo into the enemy team deathblob and die in the first few minutes. Lights get stronger as the game goes on and they can outmaneuver and isolate enemies. I'm serious - if you are a light and merely spent the first 2-3 minutes on concentrating on taking no hits at all, your team will win more and you'll do more damage overall. Picking your fight (when to "dive" or commit) and entry/exit routes is a very important skill new players often do not possess.   

Not recommended initially as it's easy to run into trouble. One of those high skill ceiling classes. You need to be very map aware. Chug some Red Bull and play "I like to move it move it" in the background.

Recommended lights: Vomit/Poke=Incubus 2, Clan Wolfhound ECM, Osiris 4; (dps)=Piranha 2/Osiris 1P, Fire Moth D (SRM Bomber) Jenner II SRM, Jump=Raven 4X/Spider 5K, Jenner II or K; Long=Panther 10(lbx) or 9(lasers) ECM=Javelin 11B SRM, Urban R80, Flea 20; Fun Gimmick=Adder Warthog, Flea 19/Fire Ant

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Mediums encompass a wide range of mechs from 100kph+ fast strikers and 120kph+ pseudo-lights to waddling 65kph ones boating assault-level firepower. Their role depends on how you play them. A dakka light like a Nova/Shadowhawk 2H will pepper enemies with a stream of fire at long range. A striker like a Phoenix 7S, Blackjack 1X or Gauntlet or an SRM bomber like an Arctic Wolf will zoom in, hit hard and leave. All-rounders like a Vapor Eagle can punch above with weight with 3 large pulses or PPCs.  Jumpers - usually with PPCs - leap up and fire over cover.

Recommended as they can absorb some damage but are quick enough to reposition out of trouble. Also good for trying a wide range of roles as mediums can impersonate the roles of lights or heavies depending on loadout/chassis. Can be low responsibility - follow the big boys, shoot what they shoot - or allow some limited flanking (you usually aren't fast enough to yolo off too far).

Recommended mediums: Allrounder= Vapor Eagle 1; Vomit= Hunch IIC, Blackjack 1X Skirmisher=Phoenix hawk 7S/Gauntlet 10B Jumper = Blackhawk-3 Dakka = Nova, Bushwhacker X1 mini-gun, Shadowhawk 2B lbx, Shadowhawk II-6  Sniper = erll Cicada, gauss/erppc Vapor Eagle, Shadowcat ecm Missile spam = MRM Wolverine 7(masc) or Giffin 2 (ecm); SRM Bomber = Hellspawn 8, Arctic Wolf, Shadowhawk II-4 ATM; Pseudo-light = Black Lanner A, Vulcan 5S; Fun Gimmick=Hunch II w 2xUAC20s/2s, Treb 5J fast lasers

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Heavies are the sweet spot if you want to bring the pain while remaining mobile. Clan heavies can do 80kph+ and even slower heavies do 65-70kph - easily enough to keep up with the team. The strongest are "dakka" boating a range of guns for consistent cooler dps, or larger pinpoint weapons or "laser vomit" with a range of large and medium lasers with a huge (but hot) alpha. 

Recommended: Dakka=Blackhawk, Night Gyr, Sunspider D ECM, Rifleman 3C lbx; Missile Spam = Archer 5S; Jumper = Crusader 6T, Brawl = Orion K, Marauder snacc, Thunder 9S/Warhammer 4 snubs, Laservomit = Timberwolf S, Grasshopper Sniper = Warhammer 5 gauss, Gimmick=Jagermech DE heavv gauss, Nova Cat Pac2 SRM bomber = Catapult, Summoner

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Assaults attract new players ("muh Atlas")  but are a newbie trap: they are too slow to escape bad positioning and unless you are very aware of the mini-map you may get left behind/isolated and die or get outnumbered. A isolated assault will often be helpless to a light that chews its ankles off as the assault helplessly tries to bring its guns to bear. In addition they are more frail than tabletop and it cannot "tank" fire the way new players imagine. Most are much slower than a heavy (~50kph vs ~70-80kph) and probably only carries slightly more firepower - if you are caught out of position you won't be able to regroup; if you commit to the wrong angle you may not be able to retreat in time. In an assault, you usually die from the positioning mistake you made minute/s ago.

Not recommended for new players as they are slower than heavies and the lack of speed exacerbates positioning mistakes, for only a slight upgrade in firepower and armour. 

Recommended: Dakka = Nightstar 10p ECM, Mauler 90/1R, Bullshark 6, Blood Asp ECM, Bane-1, Annihilator 2a, Stone Rhino 1, Mad cat IIB; Battlemaster 6 Vomit = Marauder II, Stalker 4N/7D, Marauder 4L Sniper = Marauder IID ECM, Mad Cat 1, Brawl = Atlas, Corsair 6  Gimmick = Charger, Executioner (zoom), Atlas RS (pewpew), Fafnir 5 heavy gauss, Highlander (jump)

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...OK, why am I going on about some PC game? It's just a decent free game, runs on a laptop, and I and the kids have enjoyed it (for hundreds of hours now) for free - and I suspect the average blog reader will have a similar overlap of mech-interests. It's certainly not perfect - it's showing it's age, can be repetititive and the UI is incomprehensible - but it's a freebie, fun co-op for those with dad reflexes and an urge to customize their mechs - and it "gets" the feel of Battletech...

Game Design #117: Pre- and post- dice math

Something I've been thinking about lately. I tend to be pretty free with swapping in/out mechanics in my homebrew rules, as long as they achieves the result (probabilities) I desire. 

However, when playing with my kids I've found doing modifiers and math before you roll the dice to be better/clearer. Hmm. That sounded clear as mud. 

Guess I'd better define what I'm trying to articulate:

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Pre-Roll Math (Modifying the Target Number)

Any math (adding/subtracting modifiers etc) occurs BEFORE you roll dice.  You already know the results you are looking for. It usually involves modifying the initial stat or target number.

 
Example: A archer is shooting at a target in cover. It is a tricky shot that needs to be penalised.

You need to roll a 4+ on a d6 to hit. (target/stat)

There is a +2 modifier to this 4+ target number, making it 6.  (modifier+math)

You roll, knowing you need 6s and can ignore the rest. (roll) 

There is a single piece of math - modifying the target number. The individual dice can be quickly be counted or discarded. Masses of dice are no problem - you're just looking for 6s - no mental effort required.

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Post-Roll Math (Modifying the Dice Roll)

Math (adding/subtracting modifiers etc) occurs AFTER you roll the dice.  You are adding and subtracting numbers individually to the already-rolled dice. It involves modifying the results on the dice.

Example: A archer is shooting at a target in cover. It is a tricky shot that needs to be penalised.

You need to roll a 4+ on a d6 to hit. (target/stat)

There is a -2 to the dice rolls. (modifier)

You then roll your dice (roll)

You then deduct 2 from each dice rolled (math)

You are performing a math operation (albeit as simple as -2) from each and every dice rolled, which is then compared to the 4+ target number.

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Geez - this seems like hair splitting!  Isn't this just wording?

Obviously the math above is very simple. Most people, even when the rulebook uses post-dice math wording, will just mentally look at the above situation and go "ah I need a 6" - kinda converting it into pre-dice math on their own.

However as someone who has to grade kids work, the second way is kinda "trickier" question - there's an extra step and more busywork involved.  And we're trying to make dice rolls and rules quicker and more clear.

So - we should just re-word rules so it uses pre-roll math aka target numbers? 

There are other considerations though.

Pre-dice math (modifying the target result) has a disadvantage in that the results (and stats) tend to be more strictly limited to what is on the dice.  

What is "on the dice?" If you use target numbers on a d6, you are limited to stats of 1-6. Or probably 2-5 if you want a chance to succeed/fail i.e. if  a stat/target number is ever 1+ you will always succeed on a d6, on a target/stat of 7+ you will always fail.

I do think modifying target numbers dice tends to work better with bigger dice (my current craze is d12 - gives plenty of stat/modifier variation without the extreme feel of 'swing' of d20). You need 'room' to modify target numbers. I.e. on a d12 you could have stats of 4,5,6,7,8 and leave plenty of room for 1/-2/+1/+2 modifiers etc without hitting the "ends" of the dice.

An example of a limitation of the target number method is by changing the target number it's harder to make crits more or less likely.

Post-dice math tends (in my experience) to be more associated with shenanigans for crits i.e. "you exceeded the 4+ by 2" and exploding dice. These are not a hard and fast rules of course; but more how I see it used in practice.  

I think what I'm trying to say here is there are still advantages and disadvantages for each method, despite "pre-roll math" aka target numbers being more "clean" or streamlined. It's not automatically "best" every time.

The Dice is Right

Regardless of your method, using the right size dice is important, whether you plan to modify the target number or the dice themselves.

D6 are very limited. Most modern games use them in handfuls, adding or subtracting the the dice themselves rather than modifying the dice result or target number:

Example: instead of rolling a 4+ on a d6 and -2, you might roll 4 d6s with 4+ succeeding, then remove 2 dice so you roll less dice, but the target/dice required (4+) remains the same.

This gives the pleasing sensation of chugging handfuls of dice (well, my kids enjoy it) while avoiding the limited scope of d6s. Target number/pre-roll math is closest to this modern method, which you could call "add/remove dice" + "fixed target number" method. Newer GW games like Kill Team and Warcry kinda lean in this direction. You're not changing the number to roll, but the amount of dice you roll.

But why limit things to d6?  d20s, d12s, d10s, d8s, d4s - these are all available in normal department stores or videogame shops like EB Games - it's not the 70s, they are mainstream now (no one thinks you are using them in D&D to summon eldritch forces into the real world) and available for a few dollars. Nerd stuff is mainstream!

My rule of thumb is "if the results/modifiers are regularly going "off the dice" then it's time to upsize your dice. E.g. in my tankmunda game, I've used d6s as I didn't think I "needed" d10s etc - and it felt 'neat' to throw 3 different coloured d6 together which scored to-hit, penetration and location at the same time. But.... if I've got 3+, 4+ and 5+ to hit stats and I have modifiers for cover, range and crew damage, then quite a lot of times I'm going to need a number higher than 6...

Otherwise we end up with GW nonsense where you have to roll a 6 then another number i.e. a target of 7 is a 6 then a 4+, a target of 8 is a 6 then a 6+, etc. An uneccessarily complex two-stage process to deal with a problem that no longer exists.

15mm and Scale Compression

One thing I always like about 15mm is even if you use 24" shoot/6" move it 'looks' right.

Unlike 28mm where it seems like a nerf gun could out-range them. I mean, if a 28mm/1" mini is ~2m then guns if to scale would have a hard cap at 24"x2 = ~50m extreme range!

 However I'm about to commit the same sin I decry. You see my tankmunda tank-centric warbands of ~6 tanks need a compressed scale to fit.

I say 24" is ~1000m or the 'normal' range most armour/gun values are measured at. Upper range depends on the gun - higher velocity bigger guns like 88mm PaK would shoot to 48" (2km) where most normal 75s would cap at 36" (1.5km). This allows bigger guns to reliably out-range and out-shoot on our 4x4 or 4x6 table and 'fits' with conventional wargame ranges. 

However, I am using small squads of infantry. They are used to seize objectives and loot aka "scrap" - a catch all for valuable resources in the post-apocolptic landscapes of the 1930s-40s, where overuse of gas in WW1 has created a hellscape of mutants and zombies.  

The aim is a mix of Frostgrave/relic hunting and Dropfleet Commander using vehicles to ferry troops. 

Now if 12" is 500m that makes normal small arms ranges quite short! Even for 15mm...

Support weapons like sniper rifles or LMGs might go 18".... 

I kinda handwave the short ranges in tanks as vision in WW2 era tanks was very restricted. And given most tanks can comfortably shoot across most of the table anyway (albeit at a penalty if over 24") shooting tends to pivot more on crew skill (pass crew test to acquire targets or get extra actions to aim carefully).

But 15mm rifles shooting 12" irks me as much as 28mm rifles shooting 24". 

Also there's infantry spotting range to consider - stationary infantry in cover may not even be visible at 500m especially if I use some sort of "gone to ground"/hide mechanic where you forgo shooting to regroup/stay safe. 

So normal rifle guys exchange fire at 12" (500m) but are safe beyond it. If someone hides/goes to ground they might only be able to engaged at 6" (250m) or less! Given the game is designed around tanks, it's probably OK. Infantry are mostly to hold objectives and retrieve warpstone/relics/scrap so they probably should be hard to spot and wrinkle out of ruins and heavy cover. 

I count 15mm troops as .5 of a mini so we've got +65 US and Soviet troops painted this holidays bringing my 2026 total to 748. ....and I still haven't cracked open my Frostgrave plastics for the Forest/medieval STALKER warbands...

OK some quick rules. 

Troops are in fire teams of 4-5; or less for a weapons/sniper team.

Say 3+ or 4+ to hit (-1 cover, -1 if suppressed) with troop training making a "save" of say 3+ (veteran) 4+ (regular) or 5+ (green). Maybe save modifiers of +1 if in cover, +1 if heavy armour.  Normal rifles shoot 12" x1, SMGs 6"x2, and LMGs 18"x3-4. So far, so very Bolt Action/Flames of War/40K.

Troops can either move or shoot in any phase of the tank turn. Movement is 4" (or 3" if armoured).  

If troops take any hits (even if saved) they are suppressed, and must make a crew check (3+.4+ or 5+) in order to move or shoot: or else they skip their turn to recover/remove the suppression (hiding and recovering). One suppression token per source of hits (Bolt Action?) = you only get one suppression max for each unit per phase attacking regardless of hits.

If troops take any casualties once have taken 50% or more; pass a crew check or remove unit. Likewise if suppression tokens exceed current troops in unit.

Some sort of 'hide'/'recover' order where perhaps you can re-roll any saves to block hits but can still accrue suppression normally? Maybe to 'recover' roll a crew check for each suppression token and remove one each success. That way better troops survive and function under pressure better and recover faster.

Ok pretty generic but I literally recalled invented them as I typed. Creativity is overrated - the aim here is to be easy to explain, and 'slot-in' to existing rules. In addition, I can be pretty confident it will work out the box with perhaps a +1/-1 modifier here or there to tune the lethality.
 

These 15mm are painted too dark. They need to go 'one shade brighter' but I haven't got to that yet as I got bored with their teensy details and I have school planning to do. Still count as tableworthy, but I'll probably circle back to them when I'm in the mood. Still have 30 or so insurgents/Chechyans/Soviet militia to go....

Hmm while12" gun range irks me, it may be OK themastically. In the post-apocalyptic 1930s-40s world, troops are transported by tank or halftrack to their destination, which is invariably scavenging in city ruins, so there is a much higher proportion of armour, as well as gasmasks/NBC-esque gear and automatic CQB weapons. Think the mech suits from Fallout or Soviet engineers in breastplates with SMGs. I'm largely using GZG sci fi infantry in the role. 

15mm is Back, Baby!

Unfortunately for my STALKER/Mordhiem "Forest" project, all 5 boxes of the miniatures arrived at the same time, due to delays (instead of arriving spaced out over a month). Combined with the lack of instructions, this has paralysed me with indecision (I have 5-6 warbands to create, shared from the boxes).

Then, I got a Black Seas started box (the pirate craze continues) and assembled them, but lost momentum when looking at rigging them.

So... I needed to regain momentum, and where better than the scale where I have a 99% completion rate at painting? Tomorrow's War, Gruntz, FAD, Dirtside were where I really expanded away from the sphere of GW, Battletech, Warmachine in the early 2010s and 15mm was the scale I used. There was a wide range of manaufacturers - GZG, Rebel, Khurasan, Blue Moon, and (now defunct) Critical Mass Games.  

I count 15mm as .5 of a model, so +25 today is 683 models painted so far in 2026. I also painted the bases of another 200+ 15mm infantry and assembled 10 sailing ships so I am steadily progressing despite my low official numbers this month....

It also solved another dilemma I had. In my Mortal Tank Engines/WW2 tanks+zombies/Fallout/Mad Max universe of mercenary tank platoons, I wasn't sure how to base my infantry. In a FoW block, or individually like the sci fi above? 

Digging through my sci fi collection, I realized the FoW squad-on-1-base just didn't spark joy. The big square bases dwarf the boring drab WW2 minis. 15mm is a scale more focussed on vehicles than infantry, and 15mm WW2 infantry is dull even by 15mm standards. So why was I using WW2 infantry? Exactly. 

I've decided to use much cooler and more distinct sci fi infantry alongside my WW2 tanks. It also makes my universe more distinct, not just rebadged WW2. Also means I already have plenty of minis painted ready-to-rock. Still need some 15mm werewolves and zombies, though...

 I cunningly bought my daughter a label machine for her birthday which she enjoys using...

I've got quite a lot of sci fi armies. Back before postage cost more than the minis, you could get a platoon of 30-40 infantry and a handful of vehicles (basically a 40K army) for $70-80. At the time, it was cheaper than a single 40K tank. 

I shudder to think of what the weight of metal in the boxes above would cost to post in 2026... 

You get a lot of toys for your buck (probably still do if you live close to the manufacturer) and storage is great.

Something I dislike in wargames is a very "fixed" universe where all the background is coloured in for you in immense detail. Like 40K, or Battletech, or LoTR. You feel there is a"right" and "wrong" way to paint stuff or build armies. Inspiration is good, but too much fluff can stifle creativity.

 

For example, this army has mostly GZG troops but the mechs are suits from DUST (28mm!) and the metal chicken walkers from some unknown indie manufacturer.

This not-Soviet army uses GZG infantry and vehicles from Khurasan (not 100% sure of the mech but I bet it's a John Bear Ross sculpt).  

I also discovered some unpainted modern 15mm (Peter Pig?) which are now sitting on my bench. I always disliked the scale of Bolt Action (24" range rifles for 28mm just looks 'off') but with 15mm the 24" shooting range looks fine and allows vehicles to fit in better....  I wonder how much a Konflikt 47 rulebook costs...

Delta Vector 2026 Space Drift Mechanics

 Ok, I was bored on a car trip again, and I'm rehashing my space/drift mechanics for my homebrew space game.

I had a system with counters showing where ships would "drift" to - a kinda projected location which was simple and precise - but with 6 or so ships per side, a dozen counters on the table got messy. 

So now I'm trying to remove the markers. I'm trying to abstract it a little so there are some "speeds" or "velocities" that are a factor of thrust. I.e. T0 = ship is stationary, can move thrust in any direction, T1 = ship should move 1xthrust in direction of travel, then can apply thrust to move from there. T2 = ship moves 2x thrust in direction of travel, then can use thrust to change final location. I can show this by a little directional triangle with a velocity number on it, touching the ships' base.*

Perhaps a napkin sketch will help:

 

I used 4" as a standard thrust (say a cruiser); with perhaps 3" for a capital ship or 5" for a faster vessel. The precise number isn't really important at this stage - it's just to align to a 28mm infantry 4" walk/8" run/12" sprint so it's easy for me to visualize.

Ships can pivot on bases. The ship model itself shows the direction the ship is facing for weapons/shield directions etc. But a triangle next to the base shows the direction of drift. (I'll probably label the triangles 1, 2, 3 etc to denote the "velocity" i.e. "thrust x "). 

 A turn sequence will look something like this:

 

^A: You start out with an imaginary "drift point" - where you will move to if you just let the ship drift. This is determined by a directional triangle against the base, which also shows how fast velocity is. In the example, the velocity shown on the direction triangle is 1; aka 1 x thrust (which is, say 4" in the previous example)

^B. You can then move the actual destination to a new spot - up to thrust (in inches) from the original drift point. 

 

^C. Place a directional triangle to mark the new drift point, facing away from the original position. (This drift is mostly independent of the actual spaceship's facing). A new drift path has been established - this is the actual route the ship will take across the table.

 

^D. Now slide the ship base from the old location up to/touching the new drift point (aka the directional triangle you just put down in step C.)

This will be the most time consuming bit if I allow reaction fire which was my original design as the ship pauses on its path to exchange fire with other ships in range.

^E. Once you arrive you are done. Begin at "A" next turn. 

It sounds complicated but the only thing that is quite time consuming is "D" as the ship may have to interact/react/fire at enemies as it moves along its path. So reaction mechanics will be the real time consuming bit. 

Also at "D" there is a question of facing - what way does the ship face as it moves along its path? Again, if there are reactions this is very important during the movement.

My current idea for ship facing is this. If a ship moves its full thrust away from its original drift point in step B i.e. a 4" thrust ship moved to new drift point 4" away - then it must face directly away from its old drift point. 

 

Perhaps if a ship moves less than its full thrust - say 2", or 3" (maybe depending on how bulky the ship is) it may face any direction as it uses its excess thrust to pivot around quickly.

*Ok, let's back up to the velocity thing. Velocity is denoted by a directional triangle with a number on it - 1,2 or 3. If it is 3, it is 3x the max thrust of the ship. So a 4" thrust ship moving at "2" would move 4"x2 = 8". Or that's where it will drift to if no thrust is applied - in the direction of the directional triangle.

So how do the ships change between these velocities? By moving full thrust further along the direction of travel, you can increase to the higher velocity. By moving full thrust back towards the direction of travel you can slow down to the lower velocity. Hmm maybe I need my napkin again:

 

 

#1. I keep wondering if I've missed something and there's a simpler way to do this. I want

a) minimal tokens (so far, just a small triangle with a number on it, next to the base)

b) a sense of "drift" where ships are predictable (but higher thrust allows you to move further from that predicted location)

c) ability for a ship to face one way and drift another.

#2. Probably my biggest takeaway was thinking about how to do reactions/firing etc. My original manifesto called for "reaction mechanics" so ships couldn't just teleport past each other. But unless I limit these they will eat up a lot of time (in stage D). If a single ship moves past 2-3 opponents that's a lot of shooting/damage to resolve in a single turn, which means a single wrong move would not only be slow to resolve, but may wipe out a ship fast.

Note: I may change things here rather than clarifying/correcting myself in comments I may use italics and brackets near the relevant bit in this OP rather than respond in comments...

Pirate PC Games & 30 Years War

 Just realised I've yet to register my monthly post. I'm still painting and hobbying but at a reduced rate as I am waiting my budget to recharge.

The Forest (haunted forest where overusing magic makes you lose your characters) is awaiting more ragged aventurers/wizards to complete three warbands (King's Rangers, Baron's men at arms, and the Mage's Guild). Parcel just arrived today! I continue to experiment with rules, namely (a) making a RPG 'feel' without the crappy/clunky mechanics that infests 99% of RPGs and (b) melee combat that has decisions without being too complex in its mechanics. 

30 Year War/ECW. I've painted my Bloody Miniatures characters (recommend!) and have based/prepped another ~30 or so pike/muskets/horse each side. I don't have an exact project for them as yet - I've painted them blue/cool tones vs red/warmer tones as I often do to make matched enemies. I do know it will be bloody, violent, civil-war-esque and there will be a twist - some sort of dark twisted undead/sorcery/plague/hellmouth to mirror that very violent period (some parts of Germany lost 50% of their population.)

I bought these minis to revive my disinterest in my boringly similar Warlord ECW minis. I've found lately sometimes you need to buy more, to revive a project (kinda the opposite of the sunk cost fallacy) e.g. my Frostgrave plastics have allowed me to use/kitbash many unused sprues.

 I'm still working out a suitable grimdark 'setting' for these minis that isn't just a zombie apocalypse. Suggestions welcome!

 Given I haven't done a final highlight my paint job certainly does not do the minis justice. They ooze character and will spice up my boring rank-and-file collection.

Skull & Bones. But a lot of my gaming times has been spent rewatching Pirates of the Carribbean with my kids and playing Skull and Bones (a pirate ship PC game) with them as well.  

Skull and Bones is a good example of how expectations and advertising can ruin a game. It was hyped as "AAA" and "Black Flag but multiplayer" and failed miserably. Compared to Assassins' Creed it's like 1/4 of a game - it's like they pulled the ship portions of Odyessey/Black Flag, turned it into a game but removed everything else - you can only leave your ship to go shopping(!) and as such it's inferior to Sea of Thieves (or Windrose) and even ancestors like Sid Meier's Pirates. However, if you view it as a pirate ship game where you roleplay as a schooner/brig it is competing more with indie titles like Windward or Tempest. It's also quite user-friendly, and shines in co-op.

....I call this "Anthem syndrome" - the game sets massive expectations, flat out lies/fails to deliver most of them, and gets hated into oblivion and nothing about the game can be good by players who have jumped on the hate bandwagon - many without even trying the game. It's possible for a game to completely fail to live up to expectations/deliver promises AND still be fun. They're not mutually exclusive. E.g. I paid $5 for Anthem, enjoyed zipping around in an Iron Man suit on an alien planet with mates for 30hrs. I don't plan to ever play it again but I certainly got my money's worth and had fun. Would I have been mad if I bought into the hype and bought a premium pre-purchase edition? Sure. But anyone who does that - it's kinda on them.

Anyway, Skull and Bones cost us $5 for each PC (Ubi panic sales ftw) and we can team up fighting ships, convoys, forts and (naturally) sea monsters in a mythic Indian Ocean. I've played 50 hrs and I and the kids haven't "ground" anything  yet (i.e. we are still doing new missions and tasks and haven't had to repeat old ones ad nauseam to get stuff). 

...and a red team to be the opposing civil war faction. Maybe the Holy Empire to take on the Schismatics? 
Anyway, I'll count the dodgy paint jobs. 658 minis painted this year - so far. 

My pirate craze has inspired me to finally push past the first episode of Black Sails (I'm now on S2, really enjoying it) after trying to get into it twice previously. Naturally,  I am now eyeing off age of sail ship miniatures but Black Seas (surprisingly affordable in Australia) has rigging (blegh!). I do have some 1:2400 from Tumbling Dice but I can't figure out what ship is which....    ...if someone knows how to identify them please let me know...  They are also a bit too chunky to "spark joy" though they are very sturdy playing pieces. Heretic that I am, I'll probably pick easy/fun AoS rules like Fighting Sail instead of "proper" nerdy rules. 

2026 Goals Check

As I am waiting for my hobby funds to recharge for The Forest project, and am currently vacilitating between my remaining major painting projects - Quar/ECW/Greece/Japan - I thought I'd stocktake where I'm at with my hobby goals.

Terrain. 'Create 3 store-able terrain sets.' Exceeded - Blood Bowl pitch, dungeons, forest, 15mm WW2 ruins. Plus found and painted various ladders, barrels, fences - with some sci fi furniture out on the paint bench.

Thoughts: Terrain is a huge 'blocker' - not of line of sight, but as a preventer of projects. I.e. building sci fi terrain to allow myself to play Zone Raiders also inspired me to paint and use my 40K miniatures and launched my d12 KillFinity Team project which has been my most fun this year. Building a forest for my medieval STALKER project also unblocked my French Indian Dino Wars projects. Each time I built new terrain, it spawned a whole lot of new painting and rules projects. "If you build it they will come"

This has made me really aware of how I can unblock other unused projects. My Japanese project will probably get suitable buildings, and I'll add some cherry trees to my forest selection. I'm going to make some "Greek/Roman" columned ruins to inspire ancient projects. 

I don't super enjoy terrain building. Like buying paints and brushes it is kinda the 'job before the job' - e.g. I don't mind mowing but I do dislike changing mower blades and oil filters before I start.

But I've realized terrain (and storing it) is pretty integral to my hobby momentum - inspiring painting and working on projects - and overall enjoyment. 

 

 I try to do something hobby related each day. Today some ECW miniatures got based...

 --

Minis. 'Assemble 50 models or two warbands from spare/unused sprues.' Yep - easily with various 40K, ECW, fantasy and medieval minis. 'Buy minis for existing project' - yep, I bought some Dark Eldar and Mechanicus once all my old 5th ed 40K stuff was painted* for KillFinity, and some reptoids for my French Indian (+dino) Wars. *Except orks. I hate painting those guys.

Thoughts: Having a big selection of sprues (bitz box) can conversely help remove waste - by buying some new Frostgrave and WA boxes I could use their spares parts to convert previously unwanted miniatures. I cleared my backlog by buying more!

The lesson I learned was sometimes you need to spend a bit more to 'unblock' a project. Which is why I now own 25 or so Bloody Miniatures ECW - to inspire me to revive my rather bland Warlord ECW rank-and-file... 

 --

Rules. 'Design and play-test one new home-brew system.' Success! d12 KillFinity (a mash-up of a simplified Infinity using d12s; a flavour of old-school Kill Team with a bit of a BLKOUT vibe) was really fun to play with my kids and it's one of my favourite homebrew sets. 

One goal was to 'print out and review existing old-school OOP rulebook or free indie set.' I feel Mordheim counts so yes. Also have printed the new Quar (free) rules.  

I have not 'bought one new rule book that works for existing minis/project + one new rule book that just looks cool.' .......That's because I refuse to play $25 for a pdf or +$30 postage for a book. Wait - I did get Acolyte, Grimdark Future and Planet 28 so they must have either been cheap or free. I got Symbaroum (RPG!) - thanks Humble Bundle - as it seemed uncannily like my Forest project (I can steal ideas.)

I have not  'revised and playtest 3 out of my many sets of homebrew rules.' That's because KillFinity and The Forest projects have eaten so much time. But my son is reminding me about our "World of Tanks/Tankmunda/Tankhiem" post apocalyptic-tank-RPG which is Mortal Engines+Mad Max+WW2 tanks+Necromunda and he is asking it to be revived.

He complained: "We need to give it a name that does not sound like a rip off of another game."

"Tankwarrior?"

"No."

"Battletenk?"

"No" 

He's hard to please. 

The current 'lessons' I've learned is that RPGs generally have very clunky mechanics - I've been exploring some to see if they can be converted to wargames. In most cases, they are mechanically very poor. I'm interested in mechanics where the math is done pre-dice roll (i.e. you decide a target number, modify, then roll dice vs you roll dice then add or subtract modifiers. I'm also interested in area (abstract) terrain vs precise LoS. In one, the mini may be 'in cover' even if it is 1" or so from the actual cover - the actual location of the mini is pretty imprecise. At the far other end of the spectrum, even the model's hand position matters. Most wargames lie somewhere in between. 

I'm beginning to prep my Quar. While I'm more interested in the original skirmish SoBH spinoff Songs of Our Ancestors, I have downloaded their new (free) platoon-ish level set, Clash of Rhyfles and have begun experimenting with them. Some interesting ideas in the rules...

Blog. 'Two posts per month.' Easy so far. 

Paint. A goal was to 'paint at least 100 minis'; and ensure I've painted amount of existing minis = new purchases. Well I've painted 631 and whilst I've bought 150 or so so I've chewed through ~400 or so of my backlog. I've also painted not two but three unfinished projects (40K, Dino Wars and SOTR) and am about to embark on a fourth. 

The lesson learned so far is how important it is to paint regularly. I make a point each day to do something - it could be just basing 10 minis, or just painting on all the belts and boots.  Or just undercoating some terrain barrels. It all adds up staggeringly fast - I've painted 635 models this year and built 3 tables of terrain. Friends often relax with a glass of wine each night; what if I spent the same time painting?

 

.....even undercoating barrels with craft paint counts towards painting daily....

Budget. OK I've gone well past my $350 baseline - boxes of Frostgrave/Wargames Atlantic being the prime culprits ~$200, with some $150 in 40K boxes (Dark Eldar, Mechanicus), ECW metals ($120), French Indian Dino Wars ($100). That said, 95% of purchases have been instantly painted and played with so it's not like they are sitting around in a pile unused. 

There's no lesson here besides "it's easy to spend money online." That said, my "you must buy less than what you recently painted" rule has kept things under control. I.e. I want to buy more Frostgrave plastics but am waiting til I paint double that from my backlog.

Downsize/Storage.  'Get rid of 4+ A4 IKEA boxes of rules, minis, old terrain etc.' Yep. Despite building new terrain I'm down to 8 from 40 trays of projects, and have cleared 4 complete wall shelves in my shed.

The lesson learned here is the neater things are, the easier it is to find/use them. It's something I parrot to my kids but don't always apply to myself.  I've 'discovered' and painted quite a few random minis in weird locations. I've moved much of my materials from deep big boxes in shelves to ~20 now-vacant project trays which can be easily labelled... and thus located with less rummaging.

Overall I'm pretty content with my year so far in wargaming. I'm on track to beat my old yearly paint record (which was 800-900ish) and I'm not only clearing my backlog but completing entire projects (i.e. rules + terrain + all minis painted + games played) as well as condensing my hobby space...