Overview
This page contains rules on three particular scenarios that can happen in the game that require a more detailed and complicated touch, namely Long Events, Sieges, and player Capture.
Because these rules are a little more detailed, each part is followed by a Reasoning section, explaining my own thoughts on what each thing is supposed to represent in the game.
These rules are intended to be used rarely, but to become very important when Sieges, Long Events and Capture occur.
Long Events
Sometimes a storyline or 20+ PC fleet on fleet event will be classified as a Long Event. These events will be written over multiple days, normally a weekend while the rest of the RPG is paused.
Long Events will take place over a number of turns, 1 turn being played out per day. Because of the need to do these around the normal update schedule, most Long Events will only last 2-3 turns. However, some exceptionally large storyline events may last as many as 10 turns. These turns are not supposed to represent a fixed time period in game terms. Some turns may be longer than others in writing.
People participate in and send emails for Long Events just like a normal battle. However, instead of the entire event being written at once, it is written one turn at a time. It may also be split into seperate sections, for example a Land section and an Air section. These differing sections will be written by different writers like two seperate events, but may influence each other.
Each turn, players may send in new emails for their character and Squad. However, ships and fleets will continue along the sides plan submitted at the start of the event, as communication in the middle of a minovsky particle battle can be difficult to impossible.
In addition, fuel, available ammunition, and a ships ability to resupply units in the field are much more important in Long Events than in standard events.
The following special rules apply to Long Events.
Combat Zones
All units at a Long Event are split up into a number of combat zones. Typically there will be two rear line zones where Artillery shells enemy positions, and one front line zone where the majority of the battle takes place. An example would be something like this:
EF Artillery Zone (Standard) « » Main Combat Zone (Urban) « » Zeon Artillery Zone (Urban)
As shown above, each Combat Zone has its own listed terrain type. Zones will also either be under control of a specific side, or contested. In our example above each side controls its respective Artillery Zone, while the Main Combat Zone is contested.
Combat Zone Deployment
All units begin the Long Event in either a friendly or a contested Zone. Hidden units and Stealth class units can additionally opt to begin the battle in enemy Zones, sneaking behind enemy lines.
Combat Zone Movement
Units can move into 1 adjacent Zone per turn. However, they cannot move into enemy controlled Zones. Moving does not prevent the units from fighting that turn, in either the zone moved from or moved to. They can potentially fight in both zones while moving, depending on event context.
Over the course of a battle, the control of specific Zones will shift, decided by event context. In our example, if Zeon is winning the battle in the Main Combat Zone significantly, the EF Artillery Zone may become Contested, allowing Zeon units to move there and attack EF ships.
Fighting in Combat Zones
Non Artillery Units can only engage in combat with other units in their specific Zone. Artillery units can attack any Zone.
Using our example, a Zeon Dobday in the Zeon Artillery Zone can use its (A) class ballistic cannons to shell units in the Main Combat Zone, but its smaller AA turrets can only attack units in the Zeon Artillery Zone.
Additionally, ships can only spread M Particles within their own Zone.
Resupplying and Combat Zones
Ships may only Resupply units within their own Zone. However, because units can move through 1 Zone per turn, it is not difficult to resupply units from the rear line.
Using our example, an EF unit in the Main Combat Zone that needs to be Resupplied can move to a Medea in the EF Artillery Zone and resupply in 1 turn, then in the next turn move back to the Main Combat Zone and fight.
Combat Zone Reasoning
The intention of Combat Zones is to create a system where ships and artillery MS can remain behind the front lines while still supporting front line troops. Players have to decide which ships will remain in the front lines to create M Particle fields and support with AA guns, and which are better behind the front lines resupplying and staying protected by friendly MS.
Combat Zones also give additional opportunities to Hidden units and Stealth units. If one side has a lot of stealth MS, the other side must keep some MS back to defend their supply ships, or a bunch of Acquy's might appear behind enemy lines out of nowhere to destroy unprotected ships.
Only the absolute largest events will contain more than 3 combat zones.
Long Events and Damage
PCs and ships will have damage assessed after every turn of the event. For example, a PC may get "Repairing 2" in turn 1. In turn 2 they would then fight at 60% VP.
NPC units may become Damaged (or Injured for Infantry), reducing their VP by 1/2 (CP for Infantry). Damaged NPCs become OK at the end of the event.
Rogues do not apply their extra +1 Repairs until the conclusion of the Long Event.
Both PCs and NPCs may become Fatigued over the course of a Long Event as well. This can be a standard Fatigued score, or a Temporarily Fatigued score that only applies for the duration of the Long Event. Temporary Fatigue reduces VP/CP by 1/2, just like normal Fatigue.
Spending a turn Resupplying at a ship removes Temporarily Fatigued status.
Damage Reasoning
Over the course of a Long Event, MS will slowly start to fight at less and less of an effective VP. Damaged and Fatigued PCs and units are much more likely to be destroyed, and a decision must be made to either pull them back to the safety of rear line ships, or keep them fighting to try and win the battle.
PCs in exceptionally damaged units might fight at an effective VP that is so low that it is more prudent for them to take an NPC GM or Zaku into the field, and fight at 1/2 VP for being in somebody elses MS. This is something that happens in Gundam series repeatedly and is encouraged.
Fuel and Ammunition
Each unit has an ammunition capacity that lasts a certain number of turns. In addition, Aircraft and any Space units have a Fuel capacity that works similarly.
None of these rules apply to ships. Ships never run out of fuel or ammunition. The only exceptions to this are ammunition on Publics and Jormungand class ships. Public anti-ship missiles last 1 turn, and the Jormungand Cannons ammo capacity lasts 3 turns. Publics can be resupplied, but Jormungands cannot.
Ammunition
Each optional weapon a MS carries is considered to have enough ammo to last 1 turn. Each "Extra Ammo" equipment they carry gives them another turns worth of ammunition.
Specialty weapons like Grenades or Panzer Fausts are handled individually.
For example, a GMs optional armaments may be:
• Primary (2): 90mm Machinegun, Beam Spray Gun
• Secondary (2): Extra Ammo, Grenades
With 90mm + Beam Spray Gun + 1x Extra Ammo, the GM has enough ammunition to last 3 turns. It is not specified which turns it uses the Beam Spray Gun and which turns it uses the 90mm, because it is assumed to use some ammo from both in every turn.
Fixed weapons like vulcans or shoulder cannons are assumed to run out of ammunition around the same time as optional weapons.
Units that only have fixed weapons, such as tanks, automatically have enough ammunition to last 2 turns.
A unit that starts a turn with 0 ammunition points left is forced to use melee weapons or fixed beam weapons.
Fuel
Space and Airborne battles must also take account of fuel. Every unit starts with 1 fuel point, and a number of factors may increase their fuel level. Both NPC and PC units treat fuel the same way.
A unit that starts a turn at 0 fuel must resupply at a friendly ship if possible. If it cannot resupply, it either retreats from the battlefield if Airborne, falls into the Atmosphere in Orbit, or continues to fight at 1/2 VP in Space.
The factors that increase fuel points are as follows:
• On Earth
• +1 if launching from a ship or base
• +1 if launching from a catapult
• +1 if an unladen Subflight
• +1 if equipped with Extra Fuel Tanks
• Airborne units with Minovsky Craft Systems have infinite fuel.
Flight use MS that run out of fuel may opt to land and become land use MS rather than resupplying or retreating from the battlefield.
• In Space
• +1 if launching from a ship or base
• +1 if launching from a catapult (never applies to Mobile Armors)
• +1 if being carried on a Subflight
• +1 if an unladen Subflight
• +1 if equipped with Extra Fuel Tanks
Fuel and Ammunition Reasoning
The more turns involved in the event, the more important supply ships become. Fleets will have to organize themselves such that only a certain percentage of their forces are engaged in combat each turn, with constant resupplying going on in the rear lines. Managing this properly can mean the difference between victory and defeat.
Resupplying
Ships have a number of Dedicated Hangars, meaning hangar bays with crews and resources dedicated to resupplying ships mid-combat.
Each turn, each dedicated hangar can be used to resupply one of the following:
• 1 Mobile Armor or Public Squadron
• 3 Mobile Suits
• 5 support units
• 1 PC Squad
Units that are resupplied do not fight that turn, but their Ammunition and Fuel values are refilled, Temporary Fatigue is removed, and they may change any optional armament configurations.
Services and Optional Loadouts
PC ships can exchange one of their special warhead options for one other option per turn.
Hangar services are active for the entire event.
Air, Ground, MS and Guerrilla services are active from the beginning of the battle and fight as normal units. They can only be deployed in Friendly Combat Zones, and are assumed to arrive in that Zone on turn 1. However, because these units are arriving from far away, they will normally start with less fuel and ammunition, based on context.
M Particle Field services may only be used in the first turn. They only affect 1 combat zone, and last a number of turns equal to the number of services purchased. For example, 2 M Particle Field services can affect the Main Combat Zone for 2 consecutive turns.
Artillery Support and Terrorist Contacts can be used in any Zone on any turn, and are only active for that turn. What Zone and which Turn must be planned in advance.
Fleet Commanders can choose what units will be resupplied each turn.
Resupply Reasoning
Resupplying works with fuel to create the tactical problem of how to best manage your fuel and ammunition levels.
For example, a Himalaya can launch 50 aircraft, but its aircraft only hold 2 turns worth of ammunition and fuel, and it can only resupply 10 aircraft per turn.
The Himalaya can keep all 50 aircraft in the air for 2 turns, but it can keep 30 in the air at all times for 4 turns, and 25 in the air at all times for 8 turns.
Basically, sending all your forces out at once without proper resupply support can mean that in the latter turns of the event none of your units have ammunition or fuel while your opponents units still do.
It is intended that there is no "correct" way to manage this. It will depend on what you have, what you resupply capabilities are, and how many turns the event will be. You can either opt to crush opponents quickly, or starve out their ammunition and deliver a decisive blow later on.
Sieges
Sieges operate with several special rules that are outside the normal workings of the RPG, in order to give sieges a bit more of a tactical head-to-head feel. The following are all of the special rules and circumstances regarding sieges.
Fleets can only siege bases if they have a reasonable capability to do so. For example, a Coastal base must be sieged by at least 1 naval and 1 terrestrial ship. An all Naval fleet cannot siege a Standard base, etc.
Beginning a Siege
When a fleet besieges a base, the siege is not in place until the following update. However, on the update in which the siege action is made, the following occurs:
• #1: If any PCs or ships are on Overwatch on the base, they will fight a battle with the besieging fleet, using hit and run tactics to cause damage to the fleet before retreating back to the safety of the base infrastructure.
• #2: If the Base has a Perimeter Defense Network, the besieging fleet must defeat it as well as PCs and ships on Overwatch. In this case, any artillery units on the base proper will assist in the battle from artillery range.
• #3: If the Base does NOT have a Perimeter Defense Network, the following will still bombard the besieging fleet: Artillery Howitzers, Cruise Missile Silos, Extended Range Laser Cannons, Anti Orbit Missile Arrays & Mass Drivers.
• #4: If none of the above apply, a very simple battle indicating that the siege has begun will be written, and all participants will gain 1 VP and take no damage.
Sieging Orbit around a Base
Fleets in Orbit may siege a terrestrial base, moving to geosynchronous orbit around the base to prevent outgoing traffic from its spaceport. In this instance, the initial battle is as follows:
• #1: Any space only ships "on" the base and not in drydock fight the enemy fleet. Space only ships that are on a base are considered to be in low orbit above the base, with shuttles moving to and fro. The besieging fleet can only continue the siege if it defeats these ships.
• #2: Anti Orbit Missile Arrays, as well as any Orbit use spacecraft on the base (such as Flydarts) attack the besieging fleet as well.
• #3: If none of the above apply, a very simple battle indicating that the siege has begun will be written, and all participants will gain 1 VP and take no damage.
Siege Rules
Once a siege has begun, all of the following rules apply:
PCs on the besieged base may not make shop purchases except for Services and Pilot Swaps. This restriction does NOT apply to terrestrial bases only sieged from orbit.
Enemy forces moving on or off the sieged base are automatically attacked by the sieging fleet. Movement through orbit is only attacked by fleets sieging from orbit.
The besieged base may no longer repair infrastructure. This restriction does NOT apply to terrestrial bases only sieged from orbit.
Forces friendly to the besieging fleet may join the siege by moving to the besieged base. If a ship could not move to the base normally (Naval ship moving to a non coastal base) they cannot move there during a siege. In that situation, the ship can still assist the eventual assault of the base with an assault action.
While the sieging fleet will be at the position of the base, it counts as being in the grade of territory of the location the base resides in, for purchases/etc. However, for movement purposes they count as on the base, and must move off the base (leaving the Siege) before returning to normal operations.
Bombardment
Every update of the siege, both sides will bombard each other with their artillery class weaponry. Successive bombardments may result in the end of a siege, or destruction of the base, without an assault ever taking place.
Damaged PCs with artillery use weaponry must choose either to repair or assist with bombardment each day. If no action is sent they will repair.
Ships that are repairing on the base cannot assist with bombardment on the same day. Ship owners must choose to either bombard or repair. If no action is sent they will bombard.
The besieging fleet may only send an email specifying which ships and pieces of infrastructure to bombard if the enemy base has been scouted. If the base has not been scouted, damage caused will be much more random.
The defenders may always send emails specifying which besieging ships to concentrate bombardment damage on.
VP gains for bombardment days will be similar to normal ambushes, except everything will be halved since everything is fighting from Artillery range. The side that "wins" the bombardment day will be based on who wins the siege actions, explained below.
Siege Actions
PC Siege Actions
After the siege has begun and bombardment is occuring, PCs and PC owned ships may only make the following actions. A PC or ship that makes any of these actions cannot bombard that day:
• Move
Can be used to move off the base.
• Assault
The PC/Ship attacks the enemy side without the assistance of friendly forces.
• Infiltrate
Only Hidden units can make this action, attempting to move to the other sides part of the siege covertly. A patrol roll will be made just as if a Hidden unit tried to move to an enemy base normally.
Once infiltration is successful, the Hidden unit can engage in a Sneak Attack (see below)
• Scout
Besieging PCs may attempt to Scout the base during the siege. Ships may not make this action.
• Detect
PCs may try to Detect and unhide hidden enemy PCs at the siege. Ships may not make this action.
• Emergency Repair
This action is identical to the normal Emergency Repair rules.
• Repair
This action is identical to the normal Repair rules, except that bombardment does not cancel it. An Assault does cancel it as normal.
Fleet Siege Actions
While PCs make individual actions for themselves and ships that they own during a siege, an additional action is made dictating the overall siege strategy.
Each update of the siege, both sides officers will be given polls on the officer boards to decide siege actions. Only a majority vote of all standing officers causes one of the actions to happen. Note that you will NOT be allowed to change your vote, so make it count.
In the case of entirely Rogue fleets and bases, the Rogue owner or team leader if applicable can simply decide on any of these options without voting.
The chosen action does NOT override actions Players send in for individual ships they own. For example, the defenders of Odessa decide to defend against bombardment, but Eric Kyrion sends an email to take his Gallop on an unsupported Assault.
The action voted on will be one of the following:
• Assault
A besieging fleet assaults the base, or the base defenders sally outwards and attempt to break the siege. If defenders choose to sally, non artillery base defenses cannot assist them.
• Bombard Only
Forces will bombard, but will not mobilize to defend against anything in particular. This option can be voted on, but is automatically chosen if a decision is not reached by the end of the update.
• Bombard + defend against Assault
Forces will bombard with their artillery, while sending front line troops forwards to meet an assault. They will be at an advantage vs. an Assault or Sneak Attack action but take more damage from Bombardment.
• Bombard + defend against Bombardment
Forces will bombard with their artillery, while pulling front line troops back to minimize bombardment damage. They will take less damage from Bombardment but be more vulnerable to an Assault or a Sneak Attack.
• Bombardment + Sneak Attack (Besiegers Only)
The Besieging Fleet may only do a Sneak Attack if it has hidden units that have Infiltrated the enemy base, and/or if it has Stealth units available AND the besieged base has been scouted.
Stealth units will use their scouted information to sneak close to the base and assault critical targets, essentially ambushing enemy positions from inside the base during the siege. Non-stealth units will be on standby to cover the stealth party as it retreats back to the siege line after the attack.
Sneak attacks have the potential to cause a lot of additional damage, and can specifically target key ships or pieces of infrastructure. However, only one sneak attack is allowed per siege.
• Surrender (Defenders Only)
The defending base can offer terms with which to surrender the base. This action must be done in the following order, and is intentionally rather difficult to accomplish:
• #1: A majority of officers must vote on the Surrender action.
• #2: Officers must more or less agree on terms for the surrender. This can be anything, but it must be something the besiegers will accept!
Terms must then be sent to the other side. This is done by a forum thread on the RP forum, although it may be done out of character.
• #3: Officers of the besieging side must choose either to accept the surrender or decline. A majority of officers must agree to accept it.
If surrender is accepted, some leeway will be granted for both sides to trick the other and not meet all of the terms, but this will be context specific. Most of the terms need to be met.
If the surrender is declined the Defenders action changes to Bombard Only instead.
Siege Action Reasoning
Whichever side wins this action gamble (it's more or less rock paper scissors) will "win" the bombardment battle that day, resulting in slightly more VP gained for their forces.
If no agreement can be made, the side will do a Bombard Only action, in which it bombards but doesn't effectively defend against anything, representing confusion within the command structure.
Final Notes
The siege rules are supposed to represent a sort of guessing game for both sides, where while both sides are bombarding each other they're trying to figure out what the enemy is going to do and defend against it.
In some cases it is better to simply Assault a base in the first place, getting it over with quickly and without any added complications. Sieges allow fleets to slowly grind down a much tougher opponent, but give a lot of added room for miscommunication errors, arriving reinforcements, and tactical mistakes.
The siege ends when either A: the attackers no longer have enough ships to maintain a fleet, B: the attackers leave, or C: the base is taken/destroyed.
Capture
When a PC is captured their lives are dictated by specific rules, which are governed here.
Capture Actions
After being captured, the detainee in question may only make the following actions:
Minor Actions
Detainees may transfer SP and move and make purchases for ships and fleets as normal. However, they may not purchase Services while captured.
Major Actions
• Resist
The detainee prepares to resist interrogation. This action confers a bonus on the Interrogation table if the detainee is interrogated that day. PCs cannot Resist while Fatigued or Injured.
• Scout
The player can attempt to scout a base while captured there. This has a much lower chance of success than normal scout actions, and if successful, the scouting report will not be posted until the PC escapes from captivity.
• Detect
The player can attempt to Detect hidden PCs on the base. This has a much lower chance of success than normal Detect actions. Players may not unhide hidden PCs through a Detect action made while Captured, but can learn that they're there, and then tell their side through the chatroom or emails.
• Escape Attempt
The player attempts escape. A roll will be made on the Escape Attempt table listed in the messageboard. PCs cannot make Escape Attempts while Fatigued or Injured.
Dealing with Captured Players
Each day, a poll will be posted on the officer forum of the capturing side, with options for what to do with the captured player. Officers must vote on these options, and a majority must agree. If no majority can be reached, the captured player is left in his cell for another day. You will not be allowed to change your vote, so choose carefully.
In the case of a Rogue base capturing a player, the base owner or team leader if applicable can simply choose one of the options every day.
Voting Options
• #1: The captured player can be killed and their unit destroyed.
• #2: The captured player can be killed.
• #3: The captured players unit can be destroyed.
• #4: The captured player can be ransomed by the enemy side, with or without their unit. Terms of ransom can be arranged between both sides officers on the RP board. These discussions do not have to be in character.
• #5: The captured player can be interrogated.
• #6: The captured player may be transferred to a new cell. The new cell must be at the same position. For example, moving them from a base to a ship, which will then take them to a new base, where they will be transferred again.
Notes on these options
If the player is killed or ransomed and their mobile suit is not destroyed, it will disappear, but may potentially reappear later as an upgrade for a PC unit on the detaining side. This is at webmaster discretion. If the unit is destroyed, the detaining PCs (if any), will be given an SP credit based on the value of the unit, as follows.
In shop: 100 RP
In shop and Limit One: 300 RP
Not in shop: 400 RP
Not in shop, test pilot/NT Korps unit/special upgrade: 750 RP
If the player is interrogated, a roll on the interrogation table is made. If a password is obtained in this way, all members of that side will be able to access the given boards until the following Sunday update.
Players who are Injured 5 or higher cannot be Interrogated.
Officers who vote to kill a particularly high profile enemy officer may be reprimanded for doing so, based on context. It is against the Antarctic Treaty, but really, who actually follows the Antarctic Treaty?
Additional special actions
Certain additional actions can be made by players while they are on bases containing a captured player.
• Interrogate
Players belonging to the capturing side may Interrogate a captured player. A roll on the Interrogation table is made. This allows a captured player to be interrogated while the base does something else with him simultaneously.
Each player can only be Interrogated once per day, so if multiple PCs make this action, only one roll is made, but in any written battles that result from it multiple PCs will be involved.
• Assassinate
This action is only available to Rogues and Hidden players at the same position as the Captured player. They may attempt to kill the player, either paid off by the capturing side to prevent political backlash, or paid off by the captured side to prevent information leaks, or for whatever reason. This is written as a battle. If successful, the assassin will be unhid and moved off the base after the battle. If unsuccessful, the assassin may be captured himself!
• Rescue
This action is only available to Rogues and Hidden players at the same position as the Captured player (possibly additionally available to players wishing to defect, based on roleplaying and context)
Rescues must be made in conjunction with an escape attempt, and increase the chances of escape. However, the result of the escape attempt will apply to both the captured player and his rescuer.
• Supply Information
This action is only available to Rogues and Hidden players at the same position as the Captured player. It is used to get a scouting report that the captured player has obtained to his side, without the Captured player escaping. The Rogue remains Hidden and no battle is written.
• Supply Medicine
This action is only available to Rogues and Hidden players at the same position as the Captured player. It will cure a captured players Cracked status (see the Interrogation table for details). The Rogue remains Hidden and no battle is written, however, the captured players status will no longer say Cracked, so a Rogue staying on a base and healing Cracked status repeatedly should be pretty obvious.
Capturing Named NPCs
Named NPCs follow the normal capture rules, and the webmaster or the NPCs Owner if applicable will choose an action for the NPC each update.
However, in certain circumstances the staff has the ability to bypass these normal rules and do something special with the named NPC, based on RPG story context.
Capture Reasoning
Capture is intentionally supposed to be worse than a player being killed. It is rather likely that without immediate help from your side you will be killed anyway, and you may be held for several days before dying, may give up board passwords, give your upgraded unit to an enemy PC, etc.
However, there are a lot of options available to a captured player, mostly so they can continue to feel like they're doing something in the game while all sorts of bad things are happening to them. Effective use of capture actions can minimize the damage done to your character, but it's likely that without intervention from the outside of some sort you will not be able to escape.
Other
Aside from these rules, some further, more specific rules are listed on the message boards in the Charts and Tables threads. Charts lists all the Specializations in the game, different possible Optional Armaments for things like grenades and rockets, and the effects of Terrain and Weather types. Tables covers anything involving a die roll, such as all the modifiers involved in Patrol and Scouting rolls.
You are not expected to memorize those threads. They are more supposed to be reference materials to check up on things as they occur.
~
|
