Combat Phases
PHASE 1: INITIATIVE.
Roll a D20, and add your Piloting Skill modifier (which is +1 when you start). That is your initiative roll. The Mech with the highest initiative can choose to make theirs the lowest initiative, if for some reason going first is important. All remaining players go from the lowest initiative to the highest initiative. Higher initiatives go later so they can react to the lower initiative’s moves; if your initiative is higher, you can move around your enemy after he has moved. Initiative is rolled at the start of every round.
PHASE 2: MOVEMENT.
Each Mech can now move, from lowest initiative to highest initiative. Mechs have 3 speeds- Walk, Run and Jump. Walking and Running allow you to do the same thing for the most part, it is just a question of how many movement points you use on your turn.
- Move Forward: You can move in a straight line forward, at a cost of one movement point per hex. If there is a terrain change, it costs extra 1 movement point (such as climbing a hill or entering trees).
- Move Backward: You can move backward at the same rate as moving forward, but you cannot run backwards (so your backward movement is limited to your walk speed).
- Rotate your Mech: At the start of every round and the end of every round, you can rotate your Mech by one hex direction without spending a movement point; if you need to rotate past that (for example, if you need to rotate 2, or rotate midway through your move), it costs 1 point of movement per hex rotated.
- Stand Up: If you are knocked prone, you can use 1 Movement Point to attempt to stand. Each attempt also generates 2 heat, and requires a piloting check (which is explained later).
- Expend a GEL pod: Certain healing and beneficial pods can be used on yourself for the cost of one movement point; their rules will be in their item description.
The other type of movement is Jumping. Not every Mech has Jump Jets, but some do. If you have Jump Jets you can jump as part of your normal movement (either walking or running); it does not increase your maximum speed. Your jump allows you to ignore terrain modifiers, and you can move in any direction, and face any direction when you land. Use of Jump Jets does put a penalty on your attack rolls, and increases your heat more than walking or running.
Mark Your Movement: At the end of your movement phase, you need to put down a small D6 on the base of your mech. The color of the dice indicates your penalty when you attack later on; the number of the die represents the penalty opponents have because of how far you moved.
- If you did not move at all, no die is needed.
- A White D6 indicates you walked. Count the number of squares you moved from where you started (not the number of movement points). If you moved 1-3 hexes, make it a 1. If you moved 4-6 hexes, make it a 2. If you moved 7-9 hexes, make it a 3. If you moved 10 or more hexes, make it a 4. If you took a movement action but didn’t move (such as stood up but stayed in hex), make it a 6. Walking generates one heat.
- A Black D6 indicates you ran. Follow the same guidelines as white D6 for numbers. Running generates two heat.
- A Red D6 indicates you jumped. Regardless of if you only jumped 1 square or moved your full run speed with a jump in between, if you jumped at least 1 hex, your die is red. Follow the walk D6 guidelines. Jumping generates heat as if you walked or ran, plus an additional heat per hex jumped.
As noted, the color of your die represents your attack penalty; when you attack, you get a -1 if you walked, a -2 if you ran and a -3 if you jumped; and your opponent gets a penalty based on how far you moved, represented by the number on your die. There are also plenty of optional rules that involve movement points, but nothing you need to know right now.
PHASE 3: ARTILLERY
Currently we don’t have artillery rules, but they will follow shortly.