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  • #53287
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    Heyo!
    So my personal project for early next year is to get a convention game going of a Gundam space battle. I already have the rules written up and have any eye on the figures to use (1/400 scale gasaphon, as I already have a lot!) as well as where to get the rest I will need. I’m hoping SWMBO will be getting me a 1/400 scale Musai cruiser for the Zeon side (Yay, won’t have to scratch build this beast!) and I have the colony debris that the battle will occur amongst worked out. However, what I do NOT have is a ship for the Federation side.

    Now, I know the Musai can only carry 3 (or 4) mobile suits but each side is going to have around 12-20 depending upon number of players. The cruisers aren’t meant to engage each other (mostly due to scenario objectives), but can if they maneuver well enough and aren’t destroyed by enemy mobile suit attacks. I was considering making a Salamis for the Fed side, and though it’d be like 22″ long it doesn’t carry any moblie suits. (There was a conversion to house 4x Balls on the bow, but it looked eh…) I do not want a Pegasus/White Base, just never liked them…

    Anywhoo, with all of that I have been considering 2 options:
    1: Creating a modified Lepanto class ship. Basically removing the side mounted missile launchers and modifying things to be able to strap some GMs and Balls to the sides. Could be nifty.
    Base Lepanto:
    http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/gundam/images/7/7d/Lepanto-class_Missile_Frigate.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20150807104506

    2: Or create a stop-gap type carrier for the Feds by modding a Columbus Class into having Mobile Suits in the cargo bays and a couple of small particle canons on top.
    Base Columbus class:
    http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/Columbus-class/Origin

    Either way, I’m going to try to rig some lights for the interiors of for the windows. The Columbus would be really cool as I could have a nice interior for the bays with hatches open and stuff. The ships are meant to be more window dressing than game pieces anyways, so it would hopefully be eye-catching.

    What do y’all think? Opinions would be appreciated!

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #53294
    Avatar photoRhoderic
    Member

    I don’t know the nitty-gritty of the Gundam universe well enough to give any advice, but the idea sounds awesome!

    I really need to watch the original Mobile Suit Gundam. I’ve seen some of the later animes but the original is one I’ve shamefully left unseen for far too long.

    #53331
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    Thanks man!  I just hope it’ll be fun.  Trying to keep it uncomplicated, which is tough.

    The original can be pretty annoying, some of the voices and character types are so cliche, but then they also SET the cliche… the original TV series was horrible, with all of the different combo bits zipping around.  I much prefer the more gritty movies like 0083 and War In The Pocket.

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #53339
    Avatar photoStroezie
    Participant

    Cool, love this idea!

    Do keep us updated on your progress (with lots of pictures so we can steal… euh… I mean be inspired)

    Meanwhile check out this guy’s site Link
    Smaller scale then what you’re planning(1/1700 I believe)but Ooh Mamma!
    The later work is 3D printed but the first ones were made by hand.

    #53345
    Avatar photoMike
    Keymaster

    Is thar be a link?

    #53347
    Avatar photoStroezie
    Participant

    ‘T was hidden but now ‘t is revealed 

    Forgot to type link into the display text box, my bad

    #53352
    Avatar photokid bananas
    Participant

    Try looking around at this site, I think he also did some Gundam Gasophons. He also does some real cool V.O.T.O.M.S along with scratchbuilt spaceships that might give you some inspiration. http://www.ironhands.com/

    For a Columbus you could almost start with a couple of Angel Barracks’ hex cargo pods as the flight bays. Attach some thruster pods to the ends and then just make the middle ship parts…

    #53443
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    Oh yes Stroezie, I’ve drooled over Fleetmo’s stuff for a bit now, just brilliant work!  I will be employing about 1/2 and 1/2 3d printing and hand building for the EF ship.  Some of the interior will be just too hard to do by hand.

     

    Kit Banana: oh yes, Ironhand has some GREAT stuff!  I am particularly blown away by his VOTOMS figures and games.  Was bummed when I first found his site as the 1/48 VOTOMS had already come and gone and are just about impossible to find now.  Or at least until a new movie or book pops up, then they’ll probably do another cycle of models and toys.

     

    Been working with the rules a little and think I’ll be going with hexes.  Makes vertical movement easier to handle, as well as “who is in cover” and “who can melee” in and amongst the debris and space junk.  If you’re in the same hex, you can punch it out, otherwise it’s guns guns guns!  Hexes make ranging easier as well.  Might add “fuel” to the mix as a stat, but it is only used when a special maneuver is used, like dodging or doing a boost maneuver.  Also, can make the table top painted metal  sheet and have the flight stand bases magnetized, that way they wont tip over.

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #53782
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    I believe that SWMBO has indeed purchased the 1/400 Musai for me for xmas!!! Wooot! So now for the EF ship… found this do-up of the Columbus type transport, and believe it or not this pic is of a model that is 1/1700 scale!

    http://www.fleetmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Columbus-g01.jpg

    Now, it should be a breeze to do at 1/400. BUT, I have recently been made aware that there is ANOTHER option: there is a ship in “Gundam: The Origin” that basically has 6 bays on each side that holds a single Mobile Suit. Smaller than the Columbus, probably on 108m than the 225m, and it has 4 AAA turrets. Might work… Still trying to decide if I want an actual warship that has been retrofitted to carry some MS, or if I want a “stop gap” type carrier…

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #53799
    Avatar photokid bananas
    Participant

    That 1/1700 scale Columbus, as well as the rest of those ships, are insanely cool! The fact that they light up blows me away

    #53821
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    I know, right!  I do plan on lighting these kits too, as a red-lit launch bay is just too cool.  Since 1/400 is so close to 6mm might see if I can use some figs for ground cew for added detail and pop.

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #53990
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    So a fella told me about a ship that appears in Gundam: The Origin, and though it has very little screen time and I ahve found nothing in any database about it (and “getz blawed up reel guud”) it has some interesting design features!  So here it is:

    This ship carries 12 Mobile Suits! That’s a lot! And of course they get decimated by the Zeon units.  But, it looks to me like it is meant for Lunar operations and may not be a true “black space” type vessel.

    So anywhoo, now what I am thinking is maybe take the Lepanto class, put 3 of these types of bays on each side (removing the large and medium missile launchers as well as modifying those weird side bridges), but keeping the small ventral missiles, large forward missiles, and particle canon. It won’t be a big threat to the Musai, but it will be better defended and still able to do a little harassing.

     

    Here’s the little Lipanto for you to visualize:

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #54611
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    SWMBO got me the Musai for Xmas!!!!  (My phone won’t shift pix for some reason, so here is a stock photo of the box)

    So, GAME OOOOON!  Now I just have to figure out the Lepanto and get building.  Already have more Mobile Suits on the way and will start play testing in a week or so.

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #54615
    Avatar photoStroezie
    Participant

    That is a very hansome looking spaceship, I look forward to seeing it in action

    This is shaping up to be one hell of a cool project.

    A quick question.

    How tall are the mobile suit models, could they work as 6mm votoms style mechs?

    #54625
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    They’re pretty small, like 1.75″ or so, I can measure some when I get home.  They’re not really proportioned like VOTOMs mechs, and would be MUCH too big to portray them.  Better to go with the GZG 6mm not-VOTOMs minis in my mind (and I have some and I loves them!)

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #54659
    Avatar photokid bananas
    Participant

    I wonder how the existing fleet scale mechs for DP9’s Heavy Gear or Jovian Chronicles would work? Love that Mech Carrier!

     

    #54836
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    I haven’t yet been able to get ahold of any of the Fleet Scale mechs yet, but they’d be cool!  IIRC aren’t they at like 1/1200 scale for the Gears?

    Decided to go with a retro-fitted Lepanto as my Earth Fed ship-of-choice, mostly because it has both a little offense and little defense ability so will present a different tactical problem from the Musai.  Here’s a basic line drawing, where there will be 2 bay doors on each side after having removed the long and medium ranged missles, making for a 4x Mobile Suit internal carrying capacity:

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #55283
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    My order of Mobile Suits arrived.  68 of them, to be exact.  I may have gone a little overboard… 

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #56976
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    Looking for car antennas that have 5x 6″ sections.  Anyone have a line on a maker?  My google-fu appears to be very weak today.

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #56979
    Avatar photowillz
    Participant

    Looking for car antennas that have 5x 6″ sections. Anyone have a line on a maker? My google-fu appears to be very weak today.

    Are you looking for extendable antennas that collapse and expand?  If so I have seen ones in Tesco’s for £1 each in there household goods section.  I am not sure if they have 5 sections and I don’t know the make will look when next at Tesco’s.

     

    #57065
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    Yes sir, collapsible is needed.  Thank you for looking!

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #57140
    Avatar photowillz
    Participant

    Went Tesco’s today, is this what you are looking for.  Only £1

    #57150
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    Brilliant.  I picked up an almost exact duplicate yesterday at an autoparts store to use as a testbed.  Also found on Amazon a 7-section car antenna that is 96cm long @ $1.07, which might just be perfect.  Will have to order like 30 of them and they take a month to arrive from Chine but might just be worth it.
    Thank you for looking, I do appreciate it!

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #57158
    Avatar photoThaddeus Blanchette
    Participant

    Am i the only guy who reads this thread’s title and always thinks “Goddamn Space Cruisers”? 🙂

    We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

    #59881
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    FINALLY received the first 15 antennas of my 40 antenna order for the flight stands.  The bottoms are different than I expected and it’s going to take some work to find the right bolts/screws to use as attachments to the bases.  In fact, these extend to be 96cm tall and that’ll cause more moment at the top which means I need to rethink the bases altogether.  I think I’m going to have to go with 3″ diameter circular bases instead of 2″ hex.  I’ll also need slightly stronger magnetic card for the bottoms.

     

    Now, if only the LED kits would hurry up and arrive I could get started on these dang cruisers!!!

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #67145
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    Good news:

    Play tested the rules extensively over the weekend and it all works!  Need to tweak melee a little, but otherwise it played fast and fun!  Now just need to source a lot of thin steel sheeting (like 6’x10′ worth!), some magnets and bases, get the 3d done for the Lepanto mod and build some debris.  And horde some x-wing dice, looooots of X-wing dice!

    Updates to come!

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #67259
    Avatar photoAlexander Wasberg
    Participant

    Glad to hear it 🙂

    I have boxes of gundam gashapons that I keep thinking will fight it out at some point, when you have a chance I’d love to look at the rules if you don’t mind?

    #67292
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    Sure man!  They’re bare bones and nothing fancy and may contain some incomplete thoughts…  Where ya want them sent to?

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #67359
    Avatar photoAlexander Wasberg
    Participant

    Thanks 🙂

    I’m sure that it will be better than what I’ve cobbled with in any case!

    If you could send them to all.your.base[at]hotmail.com that would be great.

    #67423
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    And it’s off….

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #67424

    The new Origins movies will cover the original Gundam, and are pretty good.

    #67430
    Avatar photoAlexander Wasberg
    Participant

    I just saw it, cheers Darby 🙂

    I’ll have a look through and ask any questions I might come up with if that’s ok?

    #67606
    Avatar photoAlexander Wasberg
    Participant

    So I had a read through and it seems great, though I might have to jury-rig something for hexless play as I don’t have any spacemats with hexes.

    I did want to ask if you had any good ideas for guidelines when designing both mecha and weapons. Obviously the Gundam and psycho-frame Zaku’s will be over the top badasses, but how much armor and what multipliers did you intend for standard weapons?

    I saw in the mocked-up statline in the document there was a 90mm MG-1 set to 10x with the armor being 8. How much stronger would you make a beam rifle or a bazooka?

    Sorry if I ask a lot of seemingly obvious questions, I just want to make sure I have the right idea 🙂

    #68059
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    Sorry Alex, just saw the questions!

    Hexless could be a challenge as you might end up doing some trig work.  The hexes makes measuring easy, even though we aren’t using “true” distances, as each hex represents an area of space as opposed to a specific point IN space.  Calculating range in hexless would be a real pain!  (you can make your own hex map easy: for one game I bought a cheap black table cloth, made a template of a hex row and just put dots at the corners using a silver pen, then extra dots along the edges later to make them more visible.  Took about 3 hours overall)

    For the MS designs I literally went to the great Gundam wiki sight and collated the stats for the given mecha and then tried to break it down to something playable.  You’ll note that the mechs are not “balanced”, as in a straight up fight with equal pilots a GM should dominate a Zaku (I think of a Zaku as an BF-109E-4 and a GM as a Spitfire XIII, as the Zaku is sort of the Early War design that did great in it’s heyday and the GM benefited from the Gundam’s test and action work).  Now, once you start mixing era’s things kind of go to pot.  I mean, a GeraDoga would slay the original Gundam units with ease…

    This game is specifically aimed at the end of the 0079UC, and especially at the “grunt” units, so I kept the crazy special stuff like the Mobile Armors out of it.  Basically aiming for a game where each player can use up to 3 mechas and be very shooty and have lots of things blowing up !

    That generic statline at the start of the PDF was sort of a “hey, these are stats and what they represent…”  The real stats are at the end of the document.  The MGs and Hyperbazookas et.al are all there.  I tried to match their damage and effects based on the written data as well as their performance in the anime.  I think I might still cut down the range on the bazookas, but all weapons, regardless of their actual range, are limited to the wielding unit’s sensor ability.  PLUS, ships will have the ability to flood the area with Minovsky particles further degrading sensors…

    I’m sure none of that helped!  Sorry!

    And speaking of ships, sounds like my play space for the con has been cut down, so I think the ships may need to be static, probably turned broadside to the fght.  I was hoping to have them navigate the debris if the players wanted to but it seems I won’t have the length to make that work.  So, fewer Action points for the ships, and now using the MS as spotters for ship borne weapons becomes a tactic!

     

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #68097
    Avatar photoAlexander Wasberg
    Participant

    Hey, no problem 🙂

     

    I have a soft spot for the UC timeline, and I do understand that throwing something like the Sazabi against a GM would be a seriously short fight, as it should be.

    I don’t know if I got the same pdf you are looking at, the one you I got only had 4 pages, do you think you could sent it again?

    It helped some, and with the complete pdf I’m sure it will be peachy!

     

    I can see how the ships might be tricky at most scales, given the huge size difference between them and the average MS. Leaving them as “static bases” like in some of the old video games is probably the best idea I could come up with too, without limiting their importance on the field too much.

    Given how fast MS battles usually are, how often do you figure the ships will be able to fire things like the mega cannons? According to some sources they usually take about 150-180 seconds to compress the minovsky particles enough to be able to fire a single shot, devastating as they may be.

    Also, are you thinking that the ships can fire these capital weapons at mobile suits, or only at the opposing ship?

     

    Sorry that I keep bombarding you with questions, but this is the first time I find someone interested in doing something like this not using rpg rules like mekton Z, so I’d love to give it a try and get it right at the same time!

    #68277
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    No prob!  Sent you a new email.  Should have been 10 pages, not 4!    I don’t even know how that could have happened!  Let me know if it does it again.  Still unfinished…

     

    I do love the Sazabi, as well as the GeraDoggas!  I’d think that for using Bits an easy thing would be to treat them like a combo weapon/Shield with a certain number of dice, where at the very start of each turn the player would declare how many Bits/dice would be used as a weapon and how many would be used as defense.  Those used as defense could be sacrificed, each ablating a single hit but losing that die until the MS is resupplied.  Those used as offense would act like a normal weapon.

     

    The original idea for the cruisers was to have them be able to maneuver through the debris field, each being 3 hexes long and 2 hexes tall, being able to fire at each other when they have a clear line of fire.  I’ll still make rules for that, as a good scenario would be one of the cruisers trying to flee through a debris field while being ambushed from all around.  For Millennium Con though, think it’ll have to be static.

    I think the MPC’s should be able to fire at MS, though with a hefty penalty, like the target getting 2 extra green dice and only being able to fire evey other turn.  Small missile launchers can be used for anti-MS attacks and point defense, but Large missiles are only Anti-ship.  Part of the roll of the MS is to shoot down enemy missiles, so that’s important.  Also, small missiles that miss their target would make that target hex a Hazard, needing to either be cleared or avoided in order to not get jacked up!

    Ships will have crew, who only have a certain number of actions each turn, just like MS pilots.  Point defense is automatic, though using action points can add more dice.  Still, better to have some MS in CAP to help out with attackers.

     

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #68315
    Avatar photoAlexander Wasberg
    Participant

    With the 10 full pages it makes so much more sense 🙂

     

    I like the general vibe, it looks like there will be lots of wrecked MS floating around by the time a game is over!

    Seems fair, it would be hard to hit such a small (and fast!) target.

     

    I’m looking forward to testing these, as well as seeing your participation game in action. I’ll be expecting pics 😉

    #68375
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    Thanks man!

    I have soooo much to do.  Still haven’t been able to source the mat that I want (like flexIron of Steel Paper), but everything else is falling into place.  Only have 15 antennas so far, will need at least 30 more.  3d work on the Lepanto mod has begun, but ever so slowly….  The Musai shouldn’t be difficult, but the toughest decision is whether to just do a minimal paint scheme to make it look as though it is like the anime, or to detail the heck out of it to make it look realistic.  The MS come pre-colored and if you try to do something like inking they become very indistinct.  Decisions, decisions…

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #110845
    Avatar photoDarkest Star Games
    Participant

    Kind of an update, but no pic:

    Got a bunch of antenna and made bases using wooden nickles, wooden thread spools, and magnetic sheet on the bottom.  Playing surface is sheet metal painted black with just the corners of the 4″ hexes drawn in silver marker (works really well!).  Made some stand-in debris (using dowels as well instead of antennas) and gave the rules a try.  The game was 6 Zaku (grunts) and 2 Dom (aces) vs. 2 RGM (aces) and 2 RGM (grunts) with 4 Ball (grunts).  Each pilot had randomly determined skill levels and perks/flaws if applicable.  Oddly enough one of the Zaku grunts ended up with a high skill and it showed in the game.

    We were surprised by the results, as the Zaku were no match for the RGM at all, but the Dom and RGM were about on par.  The Balls were the fodder they were sort of meant to be.  This all matches up with the books and movies.  At one point the Zeon player got tricky and used a sensor chain between 3 MS to give his high skill Zaku with a bazooka a shot at a RGM ace and killed him in a giant ball of fire!  The Feds barely made their gut checks, except for 1 Ball pilot who bailed.  Next turn the Fed player won the initiative and forced several Zeon units to go first then scored vengeance by killing 2 Zaku from range.

    I think the rules portray the anime quite well, and they can be quite bloody.  There can also be a lot of hits but not a lot of damage, but when someone rolls well it usually results in a big explosion!

    Next test will include the big Zeon cruiser and a cardboard stand-in for the Lepanto variant.

    "I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

    #110848
    Avatar photoRhoderic
    Member

    Great to hear the project is still going. Sounds fun.

    High casualty rates sounds about right for Gundam. How’s your ruleset for maneouvering? Gundam battles in space always seem to involve Mobile Suits zipping around a lot as they “dogfight”. I’ve always liked how the old Jovian Chronicles Lightning Strike rules emulated that, using movement rules for mechs that seemed counterintuitive and weird on paper, but really caught the feel of mechs moving in a darty, twisty-turny way (a bit like flying insects) in combat, contrasting starkly to how fighter spacecraft moved in the same ruleset (more like bullets with some limited steering ability).

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